Score Predictions for West Virginia vs Towson

WVU should get their first W this season, but by how much?

The West Virginia Mountaineers are (0-2) in search of their first win of the season as the Towson Tigers (2-0) make their way to Morgantown, Saturday with kickoff scheduled for 1:00 pm and will be streaming on ESPN+. 

Schuyler Callihan - West Virginia 48, Towson 13

Towson isn't on the same level as North Dakota State, Villanova, or Delaware but they're a far cry from Long Island. The Tigers are rolling into this one with a 2-0 record and a very experienced QB in Tyrrell Pigrome, who is in his SEVENTH year of college football. In addition to Pigrome, Towson has a number of FBS transfers that give them a chance to compete against a team like West Virginia. 

Last week is as bad as it gets for the WVU defense, at least that's what DC Jordan Lesley is hoping for. Poor tackling, communication, and bad angles were just a few reasons why the Mountaineer defense was in shambles. They'll clean some of those issues up this week. WVU gets out to a hot start and lets their young guys see a ton of playing time in the second half. 

Christopher Hall - West Virginia 51 Towson 20

West Virginia has handled its FBS opponents the last two seasons by an average margin of victory of 56 points, and while Towson is a better program, I expect similar results on Saturday. 

Offensively, the Mountaineers are averaging 36.5 points per game but two turnovers of the of three offensive turnovers were interceptions for touchdowns. They must take care of the ball this weekend - even as they work down the depth chart throughout the game. 

The Mountaineer defense gave up an uncharacteristic 49 points last week, and it's a cause for concern even if the opponent had not been Kansas, albeit a much-improved Jayhawk team. Towson does run the option but not a triple option attack Kansas used last week, although I'm sure they'll throw in a play or two considering the success. Nonetheless, the key to the defense this week is getting line up. Coaches conveyed the players did not line up correctly. So, success will come pre-snap. Regardless, talent wins out. 

I suspect the offense will produce plenty of points to get young guys reps, and wouldn't be surprised if Towson scored on a few occasions late in the game but the Mountaineers handle business 59-20. 

Julia Mellett - West Virginia 37 - Towson 21

I'd love nothing more than to agree with Schuyler and Chris that this game will be a blow-out in West Virginia's favor. 

Unfortunately, I'm not sure that will be the case. The past two weeks, I've been confident in WVU's dealings with a ranked Pitt team and a (significantly) improved Kansas roster. I, and this now-0-2 West Virginia roster assumed too much, and got burnt. Had those two games gone just slightly differently, WVU could easily be 2-0... but they didn't.

Now, the Mountaineers are staring down the barrel at what should be the easiest win of the season, and honestly, I'm worried. Towson is an FCS team, and WVU has historically blown former such match-ups out of the water... looking at you Long Island. Nevertheless, Towson has 17 players with FBS experience, including seventh-year QB1 Tyrell Pigrome. Whether that means anything against WVU's Big 12 roster remains to be seen, but it's cause for concern.

WVU historically plays down to its opponents, and if Pigrome and the Tigers play up to theirs, we could have a serious game on our hands.

If this Mountaineer team wants any respect moving forward into difficult conference play, this game NEEDS to be a blow-out W, but I'm preparing for significantly closer action.

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Julia Mellett @JuliaMellett