Game Preview: West Virginia football vs. TCU

West Virginia will host TCU for a Big 12 Conference matchup, and WVSports.com breaks down some of the key items of the matchup in our preview.

Kickoff: 6 PM ET.
Series: WVU 8-5
Last Meeting: 2023: WVU 24 TCU 21
Television Information: ESPN+, Pete Sousa (PBP), Craig Haubert (analyst)

Odds: TCU -14.5 — U/0 57.5 (BetMGM)

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Head Coaches Information:

West Virginia		TCU
Rich Rodriguez		Sonny Dykes
Record at West Virginia:	62-31	Record at TCU:	32-15
Overall Record:	192-135-2	Overall Record:	103-78
2025 Record:	2-5	2025 Record:	5-2

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Numbers of Note:

–The 2025 season marks West Virginia’s 133rd season of football. The Mountaineers are the winningest program in the Big 12 Conference and No. 15 in college football.

–West Virginia Football Coach Rich Rodriguez has 192 career victories, ranking No. 5 among active FBS coaches.

–Rodriguez is No. 2 on the all-time WVU win list with 62, behind only Don Nehlen (149).

–West Virginia has won five of the last six against TCU.

–WVU is 9-6 in games played on Oct. 25, including 4-2 at home. The last time WVU played on that date was against Baylor in 2018 in Morgantown (W/52-14).

–Rodriguez ranks No. 9 among active coaches for most career wins against AP Top-25 opponents (22), including 12 at WVU.

–This year marks the 46th season of competition for West Virginia at Milan Puskar Stadium. WVU has a 202-81-4 (.711) all-time mark at the facility, which opened in 1980.

–Since WVU began celebrating Homecoming in 1921, WVU has a 53-38-3 mark in Homecoming games, including 28-14-1 all-time at Milan Puskar Stadium. The Mountaineers are 15-9 in Homecoming games since 2000.

–West Virginia has surpassed at least 140 rushing yards in 38 of the last 45 games (since 2022)

–The Mountaineers are No. 25 nationally in rushing offense and tied for No. 27 in red zone offense

–WVU is 104-19 since 2002 when winning the turnover battle.

–On first down, the Mountaineers have run 210 plays and gained 1,140 yards for a 5.4 average. On second down, the Mountaineers have run 164 plays for 841 yards and a 5.1 average. On third down, the Mountaineers have run 102 plays for 445 yards and a 4.4 average gain. West Virginia has run 21 plays on fourth down for 53 yards and a 2.5 average.

–WVU’s touchdowns have come nine times on first down (7 rush/2 pass), five times on second down (3 rush/2 pass), five times on third down (5 rush/0 pass) and zero times on fourth down (0 rush/0 pass).

–Breaking down the West Virginia offensive numbers for the 2025 season shows that the Mountaineers have run 497 plays, 324 on the ground and 173 through the air.

–The rushing game has totaled 1,368 yards, an average of 4.2 yards per carry and 15 touchdowns. The passing attack has totaled 1,111 yards, four touchdowns and an average of 11.2 yards per completion. Combine the two and the Mountaineers have turned in 2,479 yards of total offense, 19 touchdowns, an average of 5.0 yards per play and an average of 21.0 points per game.

–Deeper analysis shows that the Mountaineer offense has gained 76 first downs by the run and 43 via the pass. On average, West Virginia has totaled 195.4 yards per game on the ground, 158.7 yards per game passing and 354.1 yards per game of total offense.

–West Virginia has gone to a bowl game in 20 of the last 23 years.

–The Mountaineers added 79 new players to the roster in 2025, including 39 on offense, 37 on defense and three on special teams.

–The 2025 roster consists of 124 players from 23 different states, Washington D.C. and three foreign countries: Australia (1), Finland (1) and Liberia (1).

–The ESPN+ broadcast of the WVU-TCU football game on Sept. 27 marks the 343rd national television game for WVU. All-time, the Mountaineers are 177-164-1 in nationally televised games.

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TCU

The Horned Frogs are in their fourth season under head coach Sonny Dykes and are currently 5-2 on the season and 2-2 in the Big 12 Conference. TCU boasts an offense that averages 36.3 points and 437 yards per game both of which place the Horned Frogs inside the top 32 nationally in each category.

Josh Hoover is the quarterback and the engine of the offense as he has thrown for 2,124 yards and 21 touchdowns with only 6 interceptions on the season. Behind Hoover, TCU boasts one of the top passing attacks in the country perched inside the top 10 in yards per game at almost 310.

A total of four pass catchers have already caught over 20 passes with Eric McAlister leading the way with 28 grabs for 603 yards and 7 touchdowns then Jordan Dwyer reeling in 32 catches for 468 yards and 3 scores. Others that have been involved include Joseph Manjack with 21 grabs for 309 yards and 2 touchdowns as well as tight end DJ Rogers with 23 catches for 226 yards and 2 scores.

Kevorian Barnes leads the rushing attack with 74 carries for 391 yards and 3 touchdowns while Trent Battle has chipped in with 33 carries for 234 yards and 4 scores.

On defense, TCU has allowed 26.3 points per game ranking 84th nationally and have permitted 382 yards per game putting the unit at 87th nationally. The Horned Frogs have been especially susceptible through the air allowing 251.7 yards per game on the season.

TCU has allowed at least 21 points in every game this season outside the opener against North Carolina including 41 and 36 in their previous two games.

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National Statistical Rankings

Statistic	West Virginia	TCU
Scoring Offense	110 (21.0)	24 (36.3)
Scoring Defense	110 (30.9)	84 (26.3)
Rushing Offense	33 (195.4)	102 (128.0)
Rushing Defense	102 (169.3)	50 (130.6)
Passing Offense	124 (158.7)	7 (309.8)
Total Offense	98 (354.1)	32 (437.3)
Pass Defense	107 (247.1)	110 (251.7)
Total Defense	114 (416.4)	87 (382.3)
Third Down Conversions	131 (29.4)	11 (52.7)
Opponent Third Down	30 (33.7)	101 (42.7)

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Coaching Staff Assignments:

Zac Alley (AHC-DC-LB/Field)
Travis Trickett (Senior Offensive Assistant/Press Box)
Jack Bicknell Jr. (OL/Field)
Jeff Casteel (Bandits/Field)
Logan Bradley (IR/Field)
Gabe Franklin (S/Field)
Ryan Garrett (WR/Field)
William Green (DL/Field)
Pat Kirkland (STC-Defensive Assistant/Field)
Michael Nysewander (TE/Field)
Larry Porter (RB/Field)
Rhett Rodriguez (QB/Press Box)
Rod West (CB/Field)
Derek Dressler (Assistant OL/Press Box)
Henry Weinreich (Nickels-Sams/Field)
Pat White (Assistant QB/Field)
Jake Casteel (Asst. Defensive Coach/Press Box)
Ryan Nehlen (Asstant WR/Press Box)
Andrew Warwick (Assistant Defensive Coach/Press Box)

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Depth Chart:

OFFENSE:

QB:

No.	Name	Ht	Wt	Class
14	Khalil Wilkins	6-3	204	r-Fr.
-or-
15	Scotty Fox	6-2	213	Fr.
-or-
6	Max Brown	6-2	223	r-Jr.

RB:

No.	Name	Ht	Wt	Class
20	Diore Hubbard	5-10	190	r-Fr.
-or-
27	Clay Ash	5-9	196	So.
-or-
23	Cyncir Bowers	5-10	191	So.

WR X:

No.	Name	Ht	Wt	Class
4	Cam Vaughn	6-2	185	r-So.
-or-
16	Jeff Weimer	6-1	209	r-Sr.

WR Y:

No.	Name	Ht	Wt	Class
24	Rodney Gallagher	5-10	180	Jr.
-or-
7	Jarod Bowie	5-9	162	Sr.

WR Z:

No.	Name	Ht	Wt	Class
11	Justin Smith-Brown	5-11	190	r-Sr.
-or-
29	Preston Fox	5-10	181	r-Sr.
17	Christian Hamilton	5-11	190	r-So.

TE:

No.	Name	Ht	Wt	Class
80	80 Grayson Barnes	6-4	222	Sr.
-or-
81	Jacob Barrick	6-3	231	Sr.

LT:

No.	Name	Ht	Wt	Class
52	Nick Krahe	6-6	305	r-So.
78	Xavier Bausley	6-4	305	r-Jr.

LG:

No.	Name	Ht	Wt	Class
54	Walter Young Bear	6-3	306	r-Sr.
57	Donovan Haslam	6-3	341	r-Jr.

C:

No.	Name	Ht	Wt	Class
67	Landen Livingston	6-4	294	r-Jr.
55	Carson Lee	6-2	327	r-Sr.

RG:

No.	Name	Ht	Wt	Class
56	Kimo Makane’ole	6-4	300	r-Sr.
59	Josh Aisosa	6-3	321	r-So.

RT:

No.	Name	Ht	Wt	Class
74	Ty’Kieast Crawford	6-5	305	r-Sr.
65	Malik Agbo	6-4	280	r-Jr.

DEFENSE:

DE:

No.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Class
91	Devin Grant	6-2	267	r-Sr.
-or-
1	Eddie Kelly	6-5	286	Sr.

DT:

No.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Class
96	Edward Vesterinen	6-3	284	r-Sr.
92	Asani Redwood	6-3	294	r-Jr.

NG:

No.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Class
69	Nate Gabriel	6-3	315	So.
94	Elijah Simmons	6-0	278	r-Jr.

BANDIT:

No.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Class
10	Braden Siders	6-2	243	r-Sr.
0	Jimmori Robinson	6-4	248	r-Sr.
-or-
18	Curtis Jones	6-4	231	So.

MIKE:

No.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Class
35	Reid Carrico	6-2	229	r-Sr.
32	Ben Bogle	6-1	225	r-Jr.

WILL:

No.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Class
30	Chase Wilson	6-1	230	r-Sr.
15	Ben Cutter	6-0	225	Jr.

NICKEL:

No.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Class
5	Fred Perry	5-9	206	Sr.
34	Chris Fileppo	6-2	211	Fr.

FS:

No.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Class
14	Kekoura Tarune	6-0	199	Sr.
13	Derek Carter	5-10	182	r-Sr.
-or-
7	Israel Boyce	5-11	192	So.

BS:

No.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Class
24	Darrian Lewis	5-9	198	r-Sr.
4	Jordan Walker	6-0	194	r-Sr.

LCB:

No.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Class
3	Michael Coats	5-11	183	Sr.
6	Jordan Scruggs	5-10	172	r-Sr.

RCB:

No.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Class
23	Jason Chambers	5-11	193	Sr.
16	Ty Crutcher	5-8	176	Sr.

SPECIAL TEAMS:

K:

No.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Class
25	Kade Hensley	5-10	190	r-Sr.
99	Ethan Head	6-1	185	So.

KO:

No.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Class
99	Ethan Head	6-1	185	So.
48	Nate Flower	6-2	184	r-So.

H:

No.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Class
41	Oliver Straw	6-2	215	Sr.
42	RJ Kocan	5-10	233	r-Jr.

P:

No.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Class
41	Oliver Straw	6-2	215	Sr.
47	Aidan Stire	6-0	198	Fr.

LS:

No.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Class
38	Macguire Moss	6-1	225	r-Jr.
53	Kaden Seller	6-2	256	r-Fr.

KR/PR:

No.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Class
29	Preston Fox	5-10	188	r-Sr.
24	Rodney Gallagher	5-10	180	Jr.

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