West Virginia came up with a better win over Georgia Southern than it might appear. That’s a very, very dangerous running team that came into Morgantown, and the Mountaineers won in a walk. Welcome to a real tune-up game against a good Liberty team ranked 13th in the country, but should have a hard time if West Virginia is remotely focused.

Below we dive into the West Virginia vs. Liberty prediction and full game preview.

West Virginia vs. Liberty Prediction & Preview

Broadcast

Date: Saturday, September 12
Game Time: 3:00 ET
Network: Root

Why You Need To Care

Can Liberty make this interesting? The Flames got by Delaware State without a problem, but this begins a brutal run of five road games in the next six. With a good, veteran team and a nice-looking run defense, this should be a little bit of a battle, at least for a while. This is hardly an FCS walk-over.

West Virginia got everything humming against Georgia Southern, with the passing attack looking terrific and with the defense stopping the Eagle passing game – the GSU offense doesn’t throw – to just 29 yards. With Maryland up next before the showdown at Oklahoma to start the Big 12 season, each week is a build up for a good team that has the potential to be great, with a little more tweaking. This is the game for that.

Why Liberty Will Win

What went wrong in the wipeout of Georgia Southern? The offense stunningly couldn’t seem to convert a third down chance. The running game was rolling and the passing game worked, but the Mountaineers only converted three of t11 chances. Liberty has just enough defensive skill to come up with a few stops early and get off the field.

Why West Virginia Will Win

The passing game was moving. Other than on third downs, Skyler Howard was magnificent, throwing for 359 yards and two touchdowns on just 16 completions. Delaware State had a hard time moving the chains, but it was able to throw a little bit last week to keep the game from being a total wipeout. Given a little bit of time, Howard should be able to carve up the Bison.

Player Who Matters

How is West Virginia going to replace the 174 catches and 21 touchdowns lost when Kevin White and Mario Alford moved on? Shelton Gibson was a good place to start, catching three passes for 130 yards and a score. Jovon Durante chipped in 121 yards and a touchdown on three catches, and Daikiel Short and Jordan Thompson each had their moments. The receiving corps looked in the first week like the typical West Virginia receiving corps, and Howard knows what to do with it.

What’s Going To Happen?

Liberty is good, but West Virginia is about to make another big statement. It’s not going to happen quite yet, but soon the Mountaineers are going to become a national big thing.

West Virginia vs. Liberty Score Prediction

Last, but certainly not least, the West Virginia vs. Liberty prediction is …

Final Score: West Virginia 45, Liberty 10

Must See Rating: 5: Ferrell Takes the Field – 1: A Walk in The Woods … 1.5

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