Kansas (1-0) at West Virginia (0-1), Saturday, 6 p.m. ET (ESPN+)
Line: West Virginia by 13 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Series record: West Virginia leads 10-1
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Kansas and West Virginia get an especially early start to the Big 12 schedule and they are the only head-to-head matchup between league teams this weekend. West Virginia, the only Big 12 team to lose its first game this season, will try to get a critical season for fourth-year coach Neal Brown on track. The Mountaineers led Pittsburgh 31-24 before giving up a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns. Kansas is looking for its first 2-0 start since 2011, which would match its win total for all of last season.
KEY MATCHUP
West Virginia LB Lee Kpogba vs. Kansas RB Devin Neal. Kpogba (pronounced KOH-buh) spent two seasons as a reserve at Syracuse, then one season at a community college in Mississippi. He led the Mountaineers with 10 tackles and a fumble recovery last week. Neal ran for 108 yards on just four carries while the Jayhawks piled up 297 rushing yards in their opening 56-10 win over Tennessee Tech of the Championship Subdivision.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Kansas: QB Jalon Daniels. Daniels went 15 of 18 for 189 yards and completed passes to nine different receivers last week.
West Virginia: RB CJ Donaldson. The 240-pound freshman ran for 125 yards on just seven attempts, ripping off a 44-yard run in his first college carry. Donaldson also blocked a Pittsburgh punt to set up his own short touchdown run. He’ll face a Kansas defense that held Tennessee Tech to 2.2 yards per rush.
FACTS & FIGURES
Kansas’ 56 points were the most in a Jayhawks opener since 1912 … West Virginia quarterback JT Daniels will make his Big 12 debut after playing at Georgia the past two seasons and at Southern Cal in 2018 and 2019. … Kansas starting wide receiver Trevor Wilson remains suspended after he and backup Tanaka Scott were arrested last month near campus. Scott will be available for Saturday’s game. … The Jayhawks’ only victory in the series was in 2013 at home. … West Virginia wide receiver Bryce Ford-Wheaton had nine catches for a 97 yards and two TDs against Pittsburgh. A fourth-quarter pass that went through his hands was intercepted and returned for a touchdown, which was the game’s final margin. … West Virginia has won 18 straight home openers.
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