Storylines to Keep an Eye On for WVU Football Hosting Utah

Can WVU find a way to upset Utah despite being severely undermanned? The Mountaineers welcome an equally desperate Utah team to Morgantown, as both historic programs look to rebound from a tough loss and win their first conference game of the season.

Below are the key storylines to keep an eye on when WVU meets Utah on Saturday evening.

WVU QB Jaylen Henderson Expected to Start Against Utah

To confirm what WV Sports Now has been expressing all week, WVU quarterback Jaylen Henderson is expected to start against Utah on Saturday. ESPN’s Pete Thamel added his own report with the news on Friday night.

WVU QB Nicco Marchiol Ruled Out for Utah Game, Others “Questionable”

Ending any remaining speculation, Nicco Marchiol has been officially ruled out for this week.

During his weekly press conference on Tuesday, Rodriguez said Marchiol informed the coaching staff about pain in his foot and that has resulted in him getting tested and evaluated away from the team in Colorado.

Timing wise, Marchiol’s injury comes also on the heels of his rough outing in WVU’s 41-10 loss at Kansas.

A week after being crowned West Virginia’s hero for leading the Mountaineers to a comeback win over Pitt, Marchiol was only 15-of-27 for 127 yards as WVU struggled to find a rhythm on offense throughout most of the game in Lawrence. He also threw a pick and ran for -4 yards on six attempts on the ground.

Full WVU injury report:

Out: QB Nicco Marchiol, RB Jahiem White, WR Jaden Bray, S Julien Horton, OL Cooper Young

Doubtful: RB Cyncir Bowers

Questionable: RB Tye Edwards, C Landen Livingston

Probable: WR Preston Fox, TE Jacob Barrick, LB Ben Bogle

WVU to Wear 1965 Throwback Uniform

To further promote the debut of their 1965 throwback uniform, the WVU football program posted a cinematic video across social media.

This was done, of course, because WVU will unveil their 1965 throwback uniforms against Utah, honoring the 60th anniversary of that season.

The Mountaineers won one of the program’s 15 conference titles in 1965, going 4-0 in Southern Conference play. And it’s important to note, West Virginia won the 1965 edition of the Backyard Brawl at old Mountaineer Field, 63-48.

Oddsmakers View WVU Football as Big Underdog to Utah

To no surprise, WVU is considered a massive underdog against Utah. Oddsmakers are now fully expecting West Virginia to drop to 0-2 in Big 12 play following their poor performance against Kansas.

Both DraftKings and FanDuel opened the week with West Virginia as a 11.5-point underdog at the open of the week.

Utah is also coming off a loss, the Utes fell to Big 12 favorite Texas Tech. Prior to their 34-10 loss to the Red Raiders, Utah beat Wyoming, Cal Poly and UCLA.

For related content, Mike Asti and Luke Blain discussed what the expectations should be for the rest of the season on an episode of Mountaineer Report.