WVU Football Notches First Win, Heads To Virginia Tech On Thursday Night

Written By Chris Imperiale on September 21, 2022 - Last Updated on March 16, 2023
WVU football betting odds for Virginia Tech match-up

The WVU Mountaineers broke through in the win column by taking down Towson with ease last week. They now head out on the road to face Virginia Tech on Thursday night, and West Virginia sportsbooks show them slightly favored.

While it took a few weeks longer than fans and the team would have liked, WVU got the job done on Saturday. It defeated Towson 65-7 to grab a stress-free victory to improve its record to 1-2.

Now, the schedule kicks into gear as the Mountaineers face two consecutive tests away from home in the next two contests. On Thursday night, they go into Blacksburg, Virginia, to take on Virginia Tech.

The Hokies are 2-1 on the season and should be a formidable opponent.

Thankfully, WVU generated some confidence from its quality performance against the Tigers this past weekend. The offense scored early and often as it cruised to a very easy triumph.

Mountaineers secure first win of 2022

Although WVU isn’t pleased with its start to the season, its latest performance could provide some optimism going forward. Aside from the kickoff return for a touchdown early, head coach Neal Brown’s squad didn’t waste much time with Towson.

The Mountaineers scored touchdowns on their first five possessions of the game and went into the half up 45-7. In fact, the offense scored points every time it touched the ball, producing nine touchdowns and a field goal on the day.

The game was such a breeze that quarterback JT Daniels was able to watch a good portion of it from the sidelines. Both backups, Will Crowder and Nicco Marchiol (along with the rotational Garrett Greene), saw some action and scored points as well.

Overall, the offense manufactured more than 600 yards in the rout.

Daniels got his first win in Morgantown with a solid showing. He finished 16 of 24, for 174 yards and one score.

The ground game was also working, as WVU managed over 300 rushing yards in the win. Both Tony Mathis Jr. and CJ Donaldson eclipsed the century mark while combining to score five touchdowns.

Junior wide receiver Cortez Braham surprised some by leading all other WVU receivers in this one. He tallied five receptions for 60 yards as the ball got spread around all afternoon. Eight different Mountaineers caught a pass.

Lots of defenders also got an opportunity to show their talents. Freshman linebacker Caden Biser put his name into the box score for the first time this year, totaling six tackles, with three solos and a fumble recovery.

The defense was just as impressive as a unit, allowing fewer than 200 yards.

WVU football betting odds vs. Virginia Tech

This week, the level of competition steps up significantly. WVU faces its neighbor in Virginia Tech on Thursday night in what should be a difficult environment for the road team.

This is the first time the Mountaineers will play in Lane Stadium since 2004. The rivalry that used to meet once a year stopped doing so in 2005.

The two sides tangled on a neutral field in 2017 before playing in Morgantown a year ago. WVU won the previous tilt 27-21 to break the three-game losing streak and extended its all-time edge to 29-23-1 within the series.

Fans and WV sportsbooks anticipate a close battle, as there isn’t much between the two teams when looking at the odds. At BetMGM WV Sportsbook, the Mountaineers are slight favorites, laying -1.5 in the point spread. They’re offered at -125 on the moneyline, compared to the Hokies at +105.

The game total sits at 52.5 points at the moment.

Tech enters this one 2-1 but could easily be 3-0. It lost the opener this year to Old Dominion, despite holding a lead with only a few minutes left. The Hokies followed up the misstep with two straight victories over Boston College and Wofford.

Junior quarterback Grant Wells controls the action for Virginia Tech; however, its offense is based around its running attack. Three different running backs have carried the ball at least 20 times so far, with junior Keshawn King leading the way thus far.

As a team, Tech has recorded more than 400 rushing yards in the three tilts. Along with the QB, it looks to control games on the ground offensively while limiting opponents on defense.

Unlike the Mountaineers, many of Tech’s games so far haven’t featured a lot of points.

Additional WVU football betting odds for WVU-VT

Even though the majority of college football games include similar spreads at WV sportsbooks, they can vary slightly. That’s currently the case for this WVU tilt, with operators differing on the small spread.

For instance, FanDuel WV shows the line at an entire point more than BetMGM right now, with the Mountaineers giving -2.5 instead. Bettors looking to take Virginia Tech would lean with the FanDuel odds for a partial boost.

If you use multiple betting options within Mountain State, it’s never a bad idea to take a look around and shop the different odds. As noted, they usually don’t differ too much, but why not take advantage of the best deal around? Most WV sportsbooks also provide alternate options when it comes to point spread.

Besides odds for the half and individual quarters, FanDuel lists plenty of other ways to wager on WVU-VT. An interesting option is to determine the winning margin, with a couple of different variations available.

The online sportsbook showcases the following odds for a WVU win within its 10-point bands section:

  • 1 to 10 points: +200
  • 11 to 20 points: +500
  • 21 to 30 points: +1100
  • 31 to 40 points: +3400
Photo by AP Photo/William Wotring
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Chris Imperiale

Chris Imperiale is currently the Managing Editor of Catena Media's US online lottery site, PlayiLottery. He used to be the Managing Editor of PlayWV, covering the sports betting and online casino industries in the Mountain State. He has a journalism degree from Rutgers University and was formerly on staff at Bleacher Report.

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