West Virginia @ TCU preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 22, 2016 ) Texas Christian 10, West Virginia 34

Two of the most productive offenses in the nation will go head to head when No. 10 TCU hosts No. 23 West Virginia in a Big 12 game on Saturday. The Mountaineers are second in the FBS at 594.8 total yards a game and TCU is No. 17 at 497 yards, and both teams should be well rested coming off their bye weeks.

The Horned Frogs should have had an especially pleasant week off after knocking off then-No. 7 Oklahoma State two weeks ago in Stillwater, Okla., rushing for 238 yards on 52 carries in the 44-31 victory. The Mountaineers have struggled against the run, giving up 367 rushing yards on 50 carries in a 56-34 win against Kansas on Sept. 23, dropping them to 114th among 129 FBS teams in run defense. Expect a lot of carries early on from TCU sophomore running back Darius Anderson, who is coming off a career-high 160 rushing yards and three touchdowns against Oklahoma State. What makes the Horned Frogs especially tough is that they also have a solid quarterback in senior Kenny Hill, who has been less mistake-prone this season compared to the past.

TV: 3:30 p.m., FOX Sports 1. LINE: TCU -13.5.

ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA (3-1, 1-0 Big 12): The Mountaineers are in good shape with their running game as well, thanks to senior running back Justin Crawford, who has hit the 100-yard rushing mark in all four games this season and scored six touchdowns in the last three. Crawford, in his second season with West Virginia after transferring from Northwest Mississippi Community College, tried to play with a sprained ankle last season against TCU and finished with minus-two rushing yards on one carry in the 34-10 victory, so he should be extra motivated this time around. Kennedy McKoy gives the Mountaineers a solid second option in the run game, and he's also coming off a strong performance against Kansas, rushing for 105 yards on 12 carries and two touchdowns.

ABOUT TCU (4-0, 1-0): Hill once replaced Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel at Texas A&M, and then promptly broke his school record by passing for 511 yards in his first career start, a 52-28 victory against higher-ranked South Carolina, ending the Gamecocks' 18-game home win streak. Hill hasn't been asked to throw the ball 60 times for TCU, but he's made the most of his drop-backs, completing 72.7 percent of his passes for 965 yards and nine touchdowns with three interceptions. If he has a favorite receiver, he hasn't shown it yet, as five different receivers for the Horned Frogs have from nine to 14 catches, and 101 to 151 receiving yards.

EXTRA POINTS

1. TCU and West Virginia each lost 12 of their first 18 games in the Big 12, but the Horned Frogs have since gone 44-24 and the Mountaineers 39-29.

2. The Horned Frogs have 21 seniors on scholarship compared to eight last season.

3. TCU leads the nation in third-down conversion percentage at 63.2.

PREDICTION: TCU 42, West Virginia 38