Houston's Dana Holgorsen takes on former school when the Cougars host surging West Virginia

West Virginia (4-1, 2-0 Big 12) at Houston (2-3, 0-2), Thursday, 7 p.m. ET (FS1)

Line: West Virginia by 2 1/2, according to FanDuel SportsBook.

Series record: First meeting.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

Houston coach Dana Holgorsen faces his former team for the first time as the two schools meet in the Cougars’ debut season in the Big 12. Holgorsen went 61-41 in eight years for the Mountaineers, including a pair of 10-win seasons and an Orange Bowl trophy, before leaving at the end of the 2018 season. His replacement at West Virginia, Neal Brown, hasn’t replicated Holgorsen’s success but has won four straight and can pull the Mountaineers into a first-place tie with idle No. 5 Oklahoma.

KEY MATCHUP

Houston’s run defense against West Virginia’s offense. Houston gave up 239 rushing yards two weeks ago in a 49-28 loss at Texas Tech. The Mountaineers are averaging 192 yards rushing per game, buoyed by mobile quarterback Garrett Greene. The junior returned from an ankle injury to rush for 80 yards and two scores in a 24-21 win over TCU on Sept. 30. West Virginia leading rusher CJ Donaldson, a 240-pound sophomore, is averaging just 2.9 yards per carry over his last two games.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

West Virginia: CB Beanie Bishop. The transfer from Minnesota has a pair of interceptions and is tied for the conference lead with seven pass breakups.

Houston: QB Donovan Smith. The dual-threat transfer from Texas Tech played minor roles in two wins over the Mountaineers over the past two seasons. This year he’s second in the Big 12 with 302 total yards per game. Two weeks ago he threw for 336 yards and ran for a career-high 58 against Texas Tech.

FACTS & FIGURES

Both teams are coming off bye weeks. … Holgorsen said Houston missed more than 20 tackles against Texas Tech ... West Virginia has struggled to pass the ball, throwing for 301 yards combined over the last three games. … Houston defensive coordinator Doug Belk, quarterbacks coach Mike Burchett and special teams coordinator Mark Scott served under Holgorsen at West Virginia and running backs coach Daikiel Shorts played for him. … Houston running back Tony Mathis, wide receiver Sam Brown, tight end Mike O’Laughlin and defensive back Noah Guzman are transfers from West Virginia. Mathis led the Mountaineers in rushing last season. Brown leads the Big 12 with 518 receiving yards and is tied with Xavier Worthy of Texas with 34 receptions.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll