Phil Steele Thinks WVU and Ohio Could Shatter the Scoreboard in This Matchup

Ohio took Rutgers down to the wire in Week 1 and likely would have pulled the upset had their defense been able to come up with a stop on 4th & 7 at the end of the game. The way the Bobcat offense was moving and in a groove, it would have been very tough for Rutgers to keep Parker Navarro and Co. out of the end zone.

West Virginia, of course, wasn't tested much in their opener against Robert Morris, but they did what they were supposed to, which is dominate. The defense allowed just 70 yards through the air and 53 on the ground. I think it's safe to say Ohio's totals for the day will have no trouble surpassing what RMU did. It's just a matter of how much success they can have.

According to college football expert Phil Steele, he expects this to be a back-and-forth, high-scoring affair.

Phil's analysis on In the Gun

“The number I’m focused on here is 60.5. When I look at Ohio, I was just super impressed with Parker Navarro against Rutgers last week. I was like, how is Rutgers going to even slow this guy down? 440 yards on the road against a Big Ten team. Looked great. He’s in control of the offense. I think some folks will bring up the fact that Ohio lost to Kentucky 41-6 last year — a game against a Power Four team. But in that game, Parker Navarro sat; their starting center sat. They sat like four key players, saving them for the MAC play.

"That’s not going to happen here. They think they can win this game, so I think the offense will score. Here’s the thing with Ohio — if you look at their defense, a couple of years ago, Ohio lost the bulk of their front seven. They gave up 38, 46, 43, 52, 31, 34 — all in their first six games — and he says it takes time for the unit to get together. And then in MAC play, they only gave up like 17 points per game. Same thing last year. They were giving up 38 to Syracuse, 41 to Kentucky, but then once they got to MAC play, they were a shutdown unit, a completely different squad.

"They lost all four starters on the defensive front, and they basically lost all of their starting front seven from last year, so I think it will take them time defensively, and they’re going up against Rich Rod and the hurry-up fast-paced offense that could have scored a lot more than 45 points last week against Robert Morris. In the first half, they nearly had 300 yards. They moved the ball all over the field. I think both offenses are going to move here. I like over 60.5. I think this is over 60.5 in the first quarter. High-scoring game, and that’s my favorite play in this one.”