by Amedeus Mastrangelo
Friday, Oct 29, 2021
Game Time: 2:00 pm ET, Saturday, October 30, 2021
Venue: Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium, Morgantown, WV
Where to Watch: ESPN+
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Point Spread: ISU -7.5, WVU +7.5; Over/Under: 47.5 points
Bet365: Point Spread: ISU -7.5, WVU +7.5; Over/Under: 48.5 points
BetMGM: Point Spread: ISU -7.5, WVU +7.5; Over/Under: 48 points
Season Record
Iowa State Cyclones: 5-2 (4th place, Big 12)
West Virginia Mountaineers: 3-4 (9th place, Big 12)
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Iowa State Cyclones vs West Virginia Mountaineers Preview and Analysis
Recent Form
Iowa State Cyclones: won at home on Oct. 23 against the Oklahoma State Cowboys 24-21.
West Virginia Mountaineers: won on the road on Oct. 23 against the TCU Horned Frogs 29-17.
Iowa State Cyclones Analysis
ISU is coming into this game with a 5-2 record overall and they are 2-1 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. This will be their 5th conference matchup of the year and they are in a good position right now with a 3-1 record in their conference games this season. Their 1 loss came against the Baylor Bears while their 3 wins came against the Kansas Jayhawks, the Kansas State Wildcats, and against Oklahoma State in their last game. That was a very close game that came down to the end but the Cowboys could not convert on their final drive of the game which allowed ISU to hang onto their 3 point lead and win that game. Brock Purdy played well in that game as he completed 27/33 passes for 307 yards and 2 touchdowns. Breece Hall led the team in rushing with 70 yards and 1 touchdown on 21 carries but he was basically their entire running game in that one. Xavier Hutchinson led the receivers with 125 yards and 2 touchdowns on 12 receptions while Charlie Kolar had 6 catches for 69 yards receiving in what was a very nice day for the receiving corps. Will McDonald led the defense in that game with 4 solo tackles and 1 assisted one while also leading the defense in sacks that game with 2. No one on the defense was able to come up with an interception for them in that game though. They have scored 226 points in their 7 games this season averaging 32.3 PPG and they have allowed their opponents to score 119 points against them allowing 17 PPG. Their offense is averaging 428.9 YPG while their defense is allowing 263.3 YPG.
West Virginia Mountaineers Analysis
WVU is coming into this game with a 3-4 record overall and they are 2-1 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. This will be the 5th conference matchup on their schedule this year and they are already in a bad position with a 1-3 record in their conference games this season. Their 3 losses came against the Oklahoma Sooners, the Texas Tech Red Raiders, and the Baylor Bears while their 1 win came against TCU in their last game. That game was close in the first half with WVU carrying a slight lead into halftime but then they came out in the second half and shut TCU out pulling away in the game. Jarret Doege played alright in that game as he completed 21/28 passes for 257 yards. Leddie Brown had a nice day on the ground as he led the team in rushing with 111 yards and 3 touchdowns on 24 carries while Garrett Greene had 69 yards on 2 carries. Sean Ryan led the receivers with 81 yards on 4 receptions while Bryce Wheaton had 6 catches for 65 yards in that one. Josh Chandler led the defense in that game with 9 solo tackles and 2 assisted ones. Dante Stills and Akheem Mesidor both led the defense in sacks in that game with 1 each while Daryl Potter Jr. and Charles Woods both came away with 1 interception for them. They have scored 199 points in their 7 games this season averaging 28.4 PPG and they have allowed their opponents to score 152 points against them allowing 21.7 PPG. Their offense is averaging 393.3 YPG while their defense is allowing 356.3 YPG.
Iowa State vs West Virginia Prediction
WVU is coming into this game as a 7 point underdog with the current betting odds according to Draftkings Sportsbook. WVU started to play better, finally cracking their 3 game losing streak in their last game with a nice double-digit win over TCU. Even in their other conference games, they were only blown out by more than 7 points in 1 game, keeping the game within 3 points when they played Oklahoma and against TT. ISU is coming off of a massive win against the undefeated Oklahoma State and will now have to travel on the road for this game. This is going to be a let down spot for ISU after that tough game against Oklahoma State. The best bet to place in this game is on WVU to cover the spread here as they are going to win this game straight up on the moneyline in a let down spot for ISU.
Iowa State West Virginia Prediction: Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, October 30, 2021 (2:00 pm ET start time) is WVU 27 ISU 21.
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NCAAF Betting Trends
Iowa State Cyclones: 13-20 O/U as a favorite of 3.5 to 10 points. 98-131 O/U in all games. 20-35 O/U when the total is between 42.5 and 49. 30-46 O/U as a favorite. 45-55 O/U in road games. 75-92 O/U against conference opponents.
West Virginia Mountaineers: 133-142 O/U in all games. 80-99 O/U against conference opponents. 78-93 O/U after playing a conference game. 49-65 O/U off 1 or more consecutive unders.
Key Injuries
Iowa State Cyclones: None.
West Virginia Mountaineers: M. O'Laughlin (TE) Ques Sat - Leg injury. A. Mesidor (DL) Ques Sat - Leg injury. N. Fortune (CB) Ques Sat - Leg injury.
Notable Quotes
"The character of this game is what we've talked about. It's not always going to be pretty. It's not always going to be easy." - Matt Cambpell on his team’s win over Oklahoma State in their last game.
"I thought we handled adversity, something we didn't do at Baylor. I never thought we really bounced back from the two opening touchdown drives against Baylor. But I thought as a football team, we handled adversity much, much better." - Leddie Brown on their win over TCU in their last game.
Starting Lineups
Iowa State Cyclones
WR Hutchinson, Xavier
WR Shaw Jr., Sean
WR Milton, Tarique
TE Kolar, Charlie
TE Rus, Jared
QB Purdy, Brock
RB Hall, Breece
West Virginia Mountaineers
WR Ford-Wheaton, Bryce
WR Esdale, Isaiah
WR James, Sam
WR Wright Jr., Winston
TE O'Laughlin, Mike
QB Doege, Jarret
RB Brown, Leddie
Statistical Leaders
Iowa State Cyclones
Passing: B. Purdy (1648)
Rushing: B. Hall (818)
Receiving: X. Hutchinson (539)
Touchdowns: B. Hall (11)
West Virginia Mountaineers
Passing: J. Doege (1701)
Rushing: L. Brown (533)
Receiving: W. Wright Jr. (423)
Touchdowns: L. Brown (9)
Coaches:
Iowa State Cyclones: Matt Campbell (6th season)
West Virginia Mountaineers: Neal Brown (3rd season)
Amedeus Mastrangelo
About the Author:
Amedeus Mastrangelo has been heavily wagering on all sports for years and plays just about everything, including sides, totals, favorites, underdogs, against the spread, alternative spreads, first half, second half, player props, and futures. The bottom line is, if Mastrangelo can see an edge in any way shape or form, then he's going to take advantage.
