MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger is one of those players you see in the preseason magazines and all-conference teams and you’re first thought is, “He’s still around?”
Saturday will be the fourth time WVU faces the Texas gun-slinger, who is the current FBS leader in total offense (12,334 yards) and touchdowns (88). Known for his stocky build, his ability to make plays in the run game also allows him to lead all quarterbacks in rushing touchdowns, with 24.
Ehlinger infamously claimed Texas was “back” after beating Georgia in the Sugar Bowl two seasons ago, and while the Longhorns are far from “back” to the standards they’ve set, the Mountaineers (4-2, 3-2 Big 12) will head into Austin against a top-25 team coming off a major overtime upset last week against No. 6 Oklahoma State.
In fact, Texas (4-2, 3-2) has been in three overtime games so far this season — a win at Texas Tech, loss vs. Oklahoma and last week at OSU — and a big reason for that, according to WVU coach Neal Brown, is Ehlinger.
“They’ve been a group that’s played really well from behind and I think that just speaks to [Ehlinger] — he’s calm,” Brown said. “You think about how many games he’s played in his career, how many close games that have come down to the wire. This year, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech, they go into overtime. He’s played his best in the fourth quarter.”
WVU is 1-2 against Ehlinger, with the two losses coming at Milan Puskar Stadium in 2017 and 2019, and the lone win coming in a 42-41 thriller in 2018 at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium.
Ehlinger comes into Saturday’s game just 716 yards shy of breaking Colt McCoy’s school record for total offense, and with his ability to throw and run, he’s commanded respect for the WVU defense, which comes in ranked No. 4 nationally in total defense.
“I think watching him, especially over the last two years, I think he’s probably the best competitor in our league,” WVU defensive line coach Jordan Lesley said. “His talent speaks for itself, but a lot of things he does and a lot of plays he makes, it’s almost like he kind of wills them. That’s competitiveness. I’ve got a lot of respect for that kid. He plays hard, he makes them go. He’s a huge challenge.”
But it’s not just Ehlinger who makes the Longhorns’ offense go — its offensive line is one of the biggest in the Big 12, averaging 303.6 pounds across the board. Starting running back Keaontay Ingram is out with an ankle injury, but Roschon Johnson, who rushed for 121 yards last season against the Mountaineers, will likely get the bulk of the carries.
At receiver, Texas lost starters Collin Johnson and Devin Duvernay, both now in the NFL. The Longhorns have five receivers who have caught at least 10 passes, but Joshua Moore and Brennan Eagles have combined for 11 touchdowns.
“They’re deep and talented at wideout,” Brown said. “This is probably going to be our biggest challenge that we’ve had this year at that position.”
WVU secondary coach Jahmile Addae warned with Ehlinger’s ability to make plays out of the pocket, along with Texas’ talented wideouts, the cornerbacks and safeties will have to be on guard.
“We always talk about two different plays,” Addae said. “There’s the first play, which is the called play, and then there’s the second play, which is the scramble, which is the offense by accident. It’s [Ehlinger] just going and making a play on his own. He has the targets that are also able to make those plays downfield. For us, it all comes back to effort. It’s mostly effort and your eyes, to be able to eliminate the explosive plays that come from a quarterback like himself, who can really make people miss and extend the play beyond what it should have been.”
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