MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – There will be a reunion of sorts this week when West Virginia football travels to Houston to take on Dana Holgorsen and the Cougars Thursday night.

Holgorsen went 61-41 with seven bowl appearances as WVU’s head coach from 2011-2018.

WVU football at Houston game information

WVU football at Houston matchup preview

Former WVU head coach Dana Holgorsen’s Houston Cougars enter Thursday’s game as the No. 13 team in the Big 12. The Cougars’ last two Big 12 games ended in losses to Texas Tech (49-28) and TCU (36-13), both of whom were beaten by WVU in September.

In terms of offense, Houston trends towards the bottom of the conference with the No. 8 total offense (414 yards per game) and the No. 10 scoring offense (27.4 points per game). Though, the connection between quarterback Donovan Smith and former WVU wide receiver Samuel Brown has been a fruitful one. Brown leads the Big 12 in receiving yards (518), and Smith is No. 4 in the conference in passing yards (1,348)

They are also allowing the most yards per game (405.8) and the second most points per game (29.8).

The Mountaineers are touting the No. 3 total defense (yards and scoring) in the conference. Veteran linebacker Lee Kpogba is tied for ninth in the Big 12 in tackles (40), and redshirt freshman defensive end Tomiwa Durojaiye is ninth in the conference with three sacks.

Wide receiver Preston Fox also leads the Big 12 in punt return yards (137).

Mountaineer GameDay

WVU fans can begin every game day with Mountaineer GameDay. This week, the pregame show will transition to the 4-6 p.m. slot Thursday before the game.

The award-winning WVU football pregame show will get fans up to speed on the latest news right up until an hour before kickoff as co-hosts Nick Farrell and Amanda Mazey bring you the latest news with GBN’s Anjelica Trinone and Ryan Decker.