Recruiting Update
Before I delve into West Virginia's first Big 12 Conference road test at Texas, a little Mountaineer recruiting news.
WVU received two new commitments this week.
First, Zaire Williams, running back from Timber Creek Regional High School committed on Monday July 9.
The 3-star recruit according to Rivals.com and Scout.com made his announcement on Twitter monday night:
Committed to WEST VIRGINIA !!
— OVOXO(@Zaire_Williams) July 10, 2012
The Slickerville, N.J. native held a number of impressive offers including Iowa, Wisconsin, Boston College, Pitt, and Rutgers, but the biggest draw with him may be his teammate.
Timber Creek defensive end Dajuan Drennon has been offered by some of the best programs in the country including Alabama, Florida State, Michigan, and many more, but is also considering WVU.
West Virginia's second commitment of the week and ninth overall came on Saturday July 14, when Champagnat Catholic High School linebacker Isaac McDonald pledged for the Mountaineers.
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The 6-5 215-pound linebacker from Hialeah, Fla. was at one time committed to Clemson and also held offers from South Carolina, North Carolina, Louisville, Ole Miss, and South Florida among others.
You can see WVU's entire 2013 class here.
Texas Preview
This is arguably West Virginia's biggest game this season.
Even when Texas isn't the best team in the Big 12, Texas is the team to beat in the Big 12.
What WVU was to the Big East Conference, Texas is all that and more to the Big 12 and just as every Big East team was gunning for the Mountaineers year in and year out, every B12 squad has the insatiable desire to make a nice fat steak out of the Longhorns.
This year, Texas actually will be one of the top three or four teams in the conference, along with WVU, Kansas State, and the preseason darling Oklahoma Sooners.
Last year, the Longhorns finished in the middle of the pack at 4-5 in conference play and were led by a strong rushing attack.
That run game figures to be even better in 2012.
Malcolm Brown and Joe Bergeron will both return to the backfield after combining for 1,205 yards and ten touchdowns last season.
Gone will be Fozzy Whitaker who ran for six touchdowns a year ago, but his replacement will be even better.
All-American Johnathan Gray was the nation's top running back coming out of high school last season and all signs point to him having a big-time immediate impact.
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I don't see Texas redshirting Gray, rather I see the Aledo, Texas native challenging for playing time from the get-go in Austin.
These three backs will provide a serious challenge for WVU's run defense.
The passing game for Texas is much more in question, however.
It appears as though David Ash will earn the starting nod over Case McCoy, but neither of them have shown the ability to make the Texas passing game a serious threat.
They combined for just 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions to go with just 2,113 yards, good for No. 86 in the nation and third-to-last in the Big 12.
Texas does, however, have a few talented wide receivers in Jaxon Shipley (who oddly enough threw for almost as many touchdowns as David Ash last year), Mike Davis, and Marquise Goodwin.
Shipley threw for three and caught three touchdowns, while Davis led the Horns with 609 receiving yards.
Shipley may be the best receiver of the bunch, but Goodwin is without a doubt the best athlete.
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He only had 421 yards and three touchdowns last season, but he qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London in the long jump.
The Rowlett, Texas native had the longest jump out of all competitors at the US Olympic Trials in June, hitting the 8.33-meter mark which would have won him a silver medal at the 2008 Olmypics in Beijing.
So, if need be, Goodwin could leap into the endzone from about the nine yard-line.
Defensively, Texas will have to deal with the loss of three playmakers in Emmanuel Acho, Keenan Robinson, and Blake Gideon.
Acho and Robinson combined for 237 tackles including 29 for a loss and four sacks.
Gideon meanwhile had 82 tackles and two interceptions from the safety position.
Fortunately for UT, playmaking on defense shouldn't be a problem.
The Horns have arguably the best pass-rushing duo in the country in Jackson Jeffcoat and Alex Okafor, who combined for 15 sacks and 35 tackles for a loss last season.
In the secondary, Kenny Vaccaro is an early candidate for the Jim Thorpe Award, which goes to the nation's top defensive back—an honor he may very well earn by season's end.
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Also, Quandre Diggs returns after recording a team-high four interceptions last year.
Texas had the top pass and overall defense in the conference last year and that is still the case.
The pressure will be on them to stop WVU's explosive offense, because if they fall too far behind, the Texas passing game won't be able to keep up.
If WVU can overcome what should be a raucous crowd in Austin and take the lead early, they have a definite shot at winning.
But if the UT running game is able to pound the Mountaineer defense for four quarters without an answer, it will be a long day for West Virginia.
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