It’s probably too early to anoint West Virginia as the Big 12’s best defense.
The Mountaineers have yet to play Texas Tech, after all.
That showdown unfolds this Saturday in Lubbock, where the 12th-ranked Mountaineers will take on the 25th-ranked Red Raiders. It pits the Big 12’s most prolific offense (the Red Raiders average 623 yards and 52 points per game) against its stingiest defense (the Mountaineers yield just 304 yards and a nation-leading 12.3 points per game).
“I think they’re improved,” Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury said this week of the Mountaineers defense. “Coach (Tony) Gibson’s always done a tremendous job defensively as a culture there. Very aggressive defense, plays physical, multiple looks.”
Some of the biggest defensive help came from outside the program. Graduate-transfer defensive linemen Kenny Bigelow and Jabril Robinson have started all three games this season. Safety Toyous Avery and cornerbacks Hakeem Bailey and Josh Norwood — all junior college transfers — have become starters in the secondary. Add them to one of the Big 12’s best linebackers in David Long, and the Mountaineers defense has made real strides.
“They’re playing at a high level,” Kingsbury said. “They’ve really gotten after people this year. Nobody’s scored on them.”
To read the rest of Sporting News’ story on the WVU-TTU matchup, click here:
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