The Mountaineers
Colorado at West Virginia, 5:30 p.m. Thursday, ESPN
For the record:Like Colorado, the Mountaineers are coming off a bye week. West Virginia lost 41-30 at Auburn on Sept. 19. The Mountaineers are 2-1 and have not played a Big East Conference game. CU won last year’s meeting 17-14 in overtime in Boulder.
Streaking: Jarrett Brown, a senior, has passed for 798 yards. That’s the most ever during a three-game stretch by a Mountaineers quarterback.
Who’s hot: Junior tailback Noel Devine rushed for 128 yards and scored three touchdowns in the loss at Auburn, including a 71-yard TD run. He is averaging 6.3 yards per carry through three games.
What’s not: Ball security. West Virginia committed six turnovers against Auburn, including interceptions on four consecutive possessions in the fourth quarter.
Key stat: Auburn scored 24 points off turnovers.
FYI: The loss at Auburn was the second time since 2000 that West Virginia lost while scoring 30 or more points. The other was a 44-34 loss at Louisville in 2006.
Coachspeak: “I don’t want ever to have a quarterback be reckless, but I hope they have the same attitude that Jarrett Brown has and the John Elway kind of guys have.” — West Virginia coach Bill Stewart, on the risk-reward philosophy of his offense
Tom Kensler, The Denver Post
