West Virginia has vigorously tried to hand the game to their last two opponents by turning the football over late in the game and allowing them to get close.  West Virginia led Louisville by 17 and Cincinnati by 18.  .  The Mountaineers won those games by 7 and 5 points respectively.  Style points have been rare for the Mountaineers the past few weeks and another game against a tough conference opponent should continue that trend.

Connecticut enters the game in first place in the Big East conference.  The Huskies are led by Quarterback Tyler Lorenzen who has passed for over 2,000 yards on the season with 12 touchdowns.  Lorenzen is not only a threat through the air however.  The 6’5” 220 pound signal caller has been known to pull the ball down and run when his receivers fall to get open, often gain a first down.   The Mountaineers will have to be aware of this as last week the defense often lost sight of  Cincinnati’s Ben Mauk.

The Husky rushing attack is no slouch either with running backs Andre Dixon and Donald Brown combining for nearly 1,400 yards on the season.  A match-up to keep an eye on will be the battle between the Husky offensive line led by tackles William Beatty and Mike Hicks, two ogres flanking the Husky front, and the Mountaineer defensive line led by Johnny Dingle and Keilen Dykes.

West Virginia’s offense is one of the best in the nation led by Quarterback Pat White and running back Steve Slaton.  Not to mention top receiver Darius Reynaud who is only two touchdowns away from tying Chris Henry’s single season touchdown reception record of 12.  Last week West Virginia racked up 435 yards of offense against a solid Cincinnati defense that leads the nation in turnover margin.  The UConn Husky defense has been equally impressive this season ranking 21^st in total defense, 3^rd in scoring defense, and 5^th in the nation in turnover margin.   

The showdown in Morgantown this Saturday is set for a 3:30 P.M. kickoff and will be televised regionally by ABC. Check your local listing for coverage.  The game will decide the Big East Championship and the Big East’s BCS Bowl representative.

Prediction: WVU-35 UConn-17

West Virginia begins a two week stretch trying to earn a Big East title and slide their way into the National Championship game.  There is no doubt that the Mountaineers #3 ranking and possible Championship appearance will be on the minds of the Mountaineers when UConn comes to town, but the Mountaineers will prove that they are the class of the Big East once again beating UConn by three scores.