No. 11 Longhorns head outside Texas for 1st time, face WVU

No. 11 Texas (3-1, 1-0 Big 12) at West Virginia (3-1, 1-0), Saturday at 3:30 p.m. EDT (ABC).

Line: Texas by 10 1/2.

Series record: West Virginia leads 5-3.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

The Longhorns have to keep their focus on this week with an Oct. 12 showdown looming against No. 6 Oklahoma in Dallas. West Virginia is entering the toughest part of its schedule and wants to prove its decent showing so far hasn’t been a mirage.

KEY MATCHUP

West Virginia’s defense against Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger. Ehlinger beat the Mountaineers in Morgantown two years ago as a freshman and is giving opponents fits again this season. He’s thrown for 15 touchdowns with just one interception and is averaging 309 passing yards per game. He’s also Texas’ second-leading rusher with 191 yards. West Virginia has 11 sacks, led by brothers Dante (4) and Darius Stills (3).

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Texas: WR Devin Duvernay leads the nation with nearly 10 catches per game. He’s also the one of the Big 12’s top kick returners.

West Virginia: LB Josh Chandler. The sophomore has stepped in nicely for departed all-Big 12 performer David Long, amassing a team-leading eight tackles per game on a young defense. Chandler played mostly on special teams a year ago.

FACTS & FIGURES

The Longhorns are heading outside of the state of Texas for the first time this season. They played three home games and traveled 160 miles to Houston to face Rice. … The visiting team has won six of the eight meetings. … West Virginia linebacker VanDarius Cowan is eligible after the Alabama transfer sat out the first four games due to an NCAA eligibility issue. … West Virginia received two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties after players flashed the “horns down” sign following touchdowns a year ago. New West Virginia coach Neal Brown believes that won’t be an issue on Saturday. “We’re not going to be disrespectful,” he said.