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Texas took one on the chin in Lubbock this past Saturday as they fell to Texas Tech, 37-34 in overtime. Now the Longhorns must regroup as they prepare to welcome West Virginia to Austin. The Mountaineers are 2-2 on the season with wins over Towson and Virginia to go along with losses to Pitt and Kansas.
Offense
JT Daniels will be making his second start at DKR on Saturday. Daniels started for USC back in 2018 when the Trojans traveled to Austin. The Longhorns defeated USC, 37-14. Daniels transferred to West Virginia after spending last season as a backup at Georgia. Despite a strange journey, he still possesses very good arm talent and is having a good start to the season (956 yards and 7 touchdowns). Luckily for Texas, Daniels will be the first QB they face this year who is not a true dual threat. Daniels has -26 yards rushing through 4 games. 
Bryce Ford-Wheaton is the primary receiving threat for the Mountaineers and he leads the team in catches (27) and yards (319). Ford-Wheaton stands 6'3 and is a primary redzone target for Daniels. Fellow outside receiver Kaden Prather stands 6'4 and has 20 catches on the season for 220 yards. Redshirt senior Sam James, who has seemingly been at West Virginia forever, operates out of the slot and has 13 receptions for 219 yards.
Freshman running back CJ Donaldson has been one of the biggest surprises in the Big 12 so far. Donaldson, who is a true freshman, arrived on campus as a tight end but is now the best RB on the roster. He is averaging over 7 yards a carry and already has 6 touchdowns on the season. Redshirt junior Tony Mathis will receive carries as well.
The West Virginia offensive line is a solid group. Center Zach Frazier and RT Doug Nester have a lot of experience and anchor the line. The Mountaineers have only allowed 5 sacks in 4 games.
Defense
For the second straight week, Texas will face a defensive front that is experienced and very active. Nose tackle Jordan Jefferson is a very good player and when paired with defensive tackle Dante Stills (yes, he's still at WVU), the Mountaineers could give Texas some problems up front. JUCO transfer LB Lee Kpogba leads the team in tackles with 24.
In the backend, West Virginia is breaking in a lot of new faces. At corner they have James Madison transfer Wesley McCormick and Colorado State transfer Rashad Ajayi. True freshman Jacolby Spells is also seeing time at corner and has played well the last few games. At safety, Murray State transfer Marcis Floyd leads the team in pass breakups with 3 and is second on the team in tackles with 19. The Mountaineers have been vulnerable to some big plays through the air.
Final Thoughts
West Virginia is a very similar team to Texas Tech. The biggest difference is JT Daniels is likely better than Donovan Smith and the West Virginia secondary might not be at the level of what the Red Raiders showed last week.
For Texas, this game is all about fixing the issues that plagued them in Lubbock. The Longhorns have to get off the field on money downs (3rd and 4th down) and sustain drives on offense. If Texas can't come out with the focus and intensity necessary to beat a pretty average West Virginia at home, it does not bode well for the rest of the season.

Texas Tech fans rush the field after the 37-34 win over the Texas Longhorns at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas on Sept. 24, 2022. Crowd.  Photo: Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK
On Monday the Big 12 Conference announced a fine and public reprimand of Texas Tech for the actions of fans who stormed the field following Saturday's game in Lubbock.
The Red Raiders defeated the Longhorns 37-34 in overtime at Jones AT&T Stadium, their first home win against Texas in over a decade and the first over the 'Horns for new head coach Joey McGuire.
Videos surfaced following the game of fans storming the field, with one shoving Texas senior EDGE rusher Ovie Oghoufo in the back before running off.
Texas Tech will be fined $50,000 for the incident.
STATEMENT FROM BIG COMMISSIONER BRETT YORMARK
“We have a duty to provide a safe game environment. The Texas Tech Department of Athletics has a written event management policy that, while well thought out, was unsuccessful in ensuring the safety and security of all visiting team student-athletes, officials, coaches and staff. There is zero tolerance for any act that compromises the safety of game participants, and it is of utmost importance that home game management provide adequate security measures for our student-athletes, coaches, game officials and spectators.”

The mood seemed to be a bit dimmer today as Texas HC Steve Sarkisian started to make his opening statements after Saturday's 34-37 loss to Texas Tech. He recapped the game and emphasized, more than once, how the team caused too many "self-inflicted wounds" and couldn't capitalize on turnover opportunities. The Red Raiders fumbled twice but recovered both of them. Sarkisian continued on by stating how they didn't "play to that standard" of play that he believes the team has set for the season. He ended his opening statement by mentioning how there is "a lot of football left in Big 12 play... we have to take care of our business... and that starts Saturday at home against a really good team..." and how the loss was on him first but ultimately "on all of us" when referencing the team and staff. He added later in the presser that everyone is "still a little pissed off today" about the loss. 
Sarkisian was then asked, yet again, about a QB update and injury updates for players like WR Xavier Worthy: "It's still up in the air... they all practiced today" regarding the QB position. For Worthy, he continues to be "day-to-day... nothing structural". Sarkisian was then asked about last year's team and if they are more improved this season than last's, saying he thinks "we are better... we are a better football team". He stated that he feels good about where they are at as a program but that the team needs to consistently show it every Saturday. 
Star RB Bijan Robinson fumbled in OT in the loss on Saturday and Sarkisian was asked about how good of a job his teammates did in picking him up: "I think there was a lot of empathy for him... that's what great teams do we pick each other up and I think our guys did that". He added in, regarding the fumble, that "that's not the reason we lost" and mentioned the entire running back room helping Bijan keep his head up and how they all "naturally gravitate to one another". Sarkisian also touched on Hudson Card and said that he "played pretty well, I thought it was a gutsy performance", but thinks he is capable of more.
Sarkisian was asked throughout the presser about different variables regarding the Tech game. These include statistics (specifically for 4th downs), certain play calls and the fans rushing the field as the game ended. He mentioned how rushing the field can be dangerous but that his players handled it well even though a few of them were shoved/knocked into during the chaos. Sarkisian doesn't blame them for rushing the field, though. 
He finished up by previewing Saturday's next game and stated that the team is "very intent on coming out and playing our brand and our style of football... we aren't taking anything for granted". Kickoff is set for 6:30 in Austin as the Longhorns, who just lost for the first time in Lubbock since 2008, looks to beat a West Virginia team who rolled over Virginia Tech last week 10-33. Only then will we see if the "wounds" have healed already. 
-Twitter: @RSwantkowski