WVU football fans knew it was going to be a good day as soon as the game got underway. After coming up just short in the Mountaineers’ opener against Maryland, Winston Wright Jr. returned the first kickoff of the game for a touchdown.
The team didn’t look back from there.
WVU went on to win by a score of 66-0 on a day where not much went wrong. This impressive score could have been even worse for Long Island University had the Mountaineers not taken their foot off the gas.
Plenty of reserve players saw productive playing time, and the team now has some confidence heading into the thick of the schedule.
Of course, this result worked out quite well for WVU backers too. Although the line wasn’t up early in the week, West Virginia sportsbooks eventually had one posted prior to game time.
If you had enough faith to lay the spread around -50, it paid off with WVU’s easy victory.
This weekend, the Mountaineers take on a much better side in No. 15 Virginia Tech. The Hokies are 2-0 and look impressive so far this year.
Let’s take a look back at last weekend’s rout and examine Saturday’s matchup with Tech.
WVU Football Odds At WV Sportsbooks
Mountaineers Earn Lopsided Win
If WVU had any issues with how it lost against Maryland, it was able to take out some frustrations on LIU.
Besides Wright’s 90-yard return to start things off, running back Leddie Brown found the end zone twice in the first quarter.
Two more touchdowns in the second quarter helped pad the lead to 38-0 at the break, and the outcome was basically set.
In total, the Mountaineers gained over 500 yards of offense while limiting LIU to fewer than 100. They recorded 29 first downs over the course of the afternoon, compared to LIU with just nine.
WVU’s defense was great all game, even though it only forced one turnover. It did make LIU punt a total of 10 times, with many of those following three-and-outs.
Since the Sharks weren’t on the field very long, most of the WVU defenders weren’t able to compile any notable stats. Josh Chandler-Semedo led the team with five total tackles, with Akheem Mesidor and Darel Middleton grabbing a sack each.
On offense, the ball was spread around to just about everyone.
Quarterback Jarret Doege started and played well, but Garrett Greene saw lots of action too.
Doege tallied 259 yards through the air to go with three touchdowns. Greene only threw for 57 yards on seven attempts; however, he was very effective in the running attack.
He was the game’s leading rusher by a long stretch, totaling 98 yards on 14 carries. Greene also scored twice.
Brown saw the most rushes with 15 but didn’t do much with them beyond his two early touchdowns. He had just 31 yards on the ground.
Freshman Justin Johnson Jr. also ran it 10 times for 42 yards.
In the passing game, 10 different players caught at least one ball. Four guys each had three receptions apiece, with Sean Ryan setting the high mark with 77 yards.
Junior Sam James added touchdowns in both the second and third quarters.
WVU Football Vs. Virginia Tech Preview
It’s safe to say things won’t come as easily this week against Virginia Tech.
The Hokies covered the spread in their last tilt against MTSU and had a great performance in their opener. As 5.5-point underdogs, they took down No. 10 North Carolina at home by seven.
Their defense dominated throughout the game, creating three turnovers and surrendering only 10 points.
The Mountaineers will need to look sharp to get a better result than UNC.
Virginia Tech’s defense features five players with double-digit tackles through the first two weeks. Defensive back Nasir Peoples leads the way with 17 in total, while linebacker Alan Tisdale is close behind with 15.
Junior TyJuan Garbutt owns two sacks to his name for tops on the defense so far. Another junior, Jermaine Waller, already has two interceptions on the young season.
On the other side of the ball, the Mountaineers will look to contain dual-threat QB Braxton Burmeister.
Through two contests, he leads the Hokies in rushing with 94 yards, while averaging 5.5 yards per carry.
Tech appears to like to run the ball more often, but Burmeister did complete more than 60% of his passes for 311 yards in two weeks.
Running backs Jalen Holston and Raheem Blackshear alternate for VT. They’ve combined for just shy of 150 yards and three scores.
When the Hokies do pass, look for junior receiver Tre Turner. He’s got the most receptions and yards on the team and has proven to be a big-play threat.
Betting On WVU-VT
The odds for this week’s game are now available at WV online sportsbooks.
According to BetMGM WV Sportsbook, the Mountaineers are favored by a slight margin on Saturday. The online sportsbook has them laying -2.5 in the point spread, with a moneyline of -145.
The ranked Hokies are available at +120.
This week’s game total has come down a little bit from previous matchups. BetMGM has it set at 50.5 points, whereas it was at 57 for Maryland and about 56 last weekend.
The Mountaineers have looked good in the two first halves this year. Bettors can always choose to go this route, with WVU giving just -0.5 in the spread. Its first-half moneyline is posted at -140, with VT at +115.
BetMGM also includes plenty of props for this game. You can wager on if both teams will score 10 or more points in the first half, with yes at +105 and the odds for no sitting at -135.
