Dallas Morning News | Texas Tech aims for third consecutive win over West Virginia using a backup quarterback

West Virginia is all too familiar with the mobile Colombi, whose first career start after replacing the injured Alan Bowman in 2020 was a success at home against the Mountaineers.

“I think that helps and I think that will give Henry some confidence,” Texas Tech coach Matt Wells said. “Henry’s grown in his knowledge in this offense since the spring. I think he is a patient guy in the pocket. But the thing about Henry is he’ll pull it down and run it, and just knowing what to do with the ball when something’s not there, taking a sack, throwing the ball away. Those are things that you see progression with Henry being more mature. And that’s what I hope will continue here for a while.”

Dallas Morning News’ Ryan Mainville | The Main Point: How Texas Tech can incorporate young receivers and improve defensively against WVU

ME: Here’s the very strange thing about West Virginia: Leddie Brown is a talented back and Garrett Greene is a speedy quarter, yet their numbers on the ground are not good. The Mountaineers have totaled just 466 yards on the ground this season, the fewest in the Big 12. Brown is averaging 4.9 yards per carry, but West Virginia as a team is averaging just 3.4 yards every time they rush. As strange as it is, it’s something Texas Tech can look to exploit. If the Red Raiders want to win this game, they have to make Jarret Doege throw the football. He hasn’t looked confident or sharp this year, and the Tech secondary has looked impressive. Force them to throw the ball and rely on your defensive line which smothered the run early into the season.

Action Network | College Football Odds & Picks for Texas Tech vs. West Virginia: Defense, Quarterback Injury Highlights Big 12 Matchup

West Virginia Defense
Very quietly, head coach Neal Brown has been building one of the best defense in the country in Morgantown.

The Mountaineers rank in the top 25 nationally in scoring defense and yards per play allowed.

Last week, West Virginia frustrated Oklahoma by keeping everything in front of them. The Sooners were only able to create big plays on 3.13% of their offensive snaps and averaged less than five yards per play overall. It got to the point where Oklahoma fans were calling for quarterback Spencer Rattler to be benched.

The Mountaineers are effective at getting to the quarterback as they have 14 sacks in their first four games.

Defensive end Taijh Alston leads the team with 3.5 sacks while defensive tackle Dante Stills (two sacks) is a disruptive force in the middle and an NFL prospect.

The Times West Virginian’s Bob Hertzel | Mountaineers to face backup Texas Tech QB Henry Colombi second year in a row

While the Red Raiders are not considered among the elite in the conference, they have been every bit as troublesome as anyone for Coach Neal Brown’s Mountaineers in each of his two prior seasons since replacing Dana Holgorsen before the 2019 season.

Until the Mountaineers can figure out how to handle Texas Tech, it seems a bit absurd thinking about winning conference championships and there’s no time like the present to make that jump as Coach Matt Wells brings an angry group of Red Raiders into Mountaineer Field at 3:30 p.m. today for a Homecoming battle with WVU which will be shown on ESPN2.

WV Gazette Mail’s Ryan Pritt | WVU football: Will Mountaineers rebound or step back vs. Texas Tech?

That effort has become multifaceted in recent weeks, with backup quarterback Garrett Greene being inserted sporadically throughout the game, mainly used on read-option runs so far. His speed certainly adds a dynamic that starter Jarret Doege does not possess, but still the pursuit of finding a perfect mix and timing for the new multi-quarterback system is an ongoing process for the Mountaineer coaching staff — one it feels like it’s zeroing in on.

“It’s kind of a living, breathing thing each week and we’ve got to be careful to take the right steps but remain consistent and take the right steps with Garrett as we bring him in and try not to take three steps instead of one more and let it grow the right way,” WVU offensive coordinator Gerad Parker said. “He’s a great teammate and so is Doege, so we know the benefits of us doing that thing and playing back and forth with it and us being able to manage it as a staff as well.”

Yahoo Sports’ Pete Thamel | ‘I can’t imagine going through that.’ Oklahoma, Texas get a glimpse of nastiness that awaits

In college athletics, breaking up is hard to do. And if history is an indicator, Texas and Oklahoma are destined for four years of money being thrown at them, derisive sing-song chants in basketball arenas and uncomfortable league meetings. At least the portions they’re allowed to attend.

“It’s almost like you’re divorced, you’ve already announced that you’re going to be divorced,” former Missouri athletic director Mike Alden told Yahoo Sports. “But you’re there hanging out together. It’s tough to co-exist.”