West Virginia Mountaineers vs Pittsburgh Panthers Betting Pick & Prediction 9/14/24
ESPN2 will be covering the West Virginia vs. Pittsburgh matchup as the game kicks off at 3:30 ET from Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh. The over/under line is currently at 60.5 points, with the West Virginia Mountaineers coming in as the -2.5-point favorites on the road. The Panthers are 2-0 on the season, while the Mountaineers are 1-1.
WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS VS PITTSBURGH PANTHERS BETTING PICK
The Pick: West Virginia Mountaineers -2.5
This game will be played at Acrisure Stadium at 3:30 ET on Saturday, September 14th.
WHY BET THE WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS:
- We have the West Virginia Mountaineers winning this one by a score of 37 to 30
- Not only do we have the West Virginia Mountaineers winning straight-up, we have them covering the spread at -2.5
- Look for this game to go over the line of 60.5 points
Will The West Virginia Mountaineers Pick Up A Win On The Road?
West Virginia evened their record to 1-1 with a 49-14 victory over Albany. The game had no betting lines available.
The Mountaineers took control early, leading 14-0 after the first quarter. Albany managed to tie the game at 14-14, but West Virginia responded with 14 more points of their own. Heading into the fourth quarter, the Mountaineers led 42-14 and added one more touchdown to close out the game.
West Virginia’s offense was unstoppable in their 49-14 win, racking up 553 yards and 31 first downs. The ground game was particularly effective, gaining 305 yards and scoring four touchdowns. CJ Donaldson Jr. led the way with 125 yards on 14 carries, averaging 8.9 yards per attempt and finding the end zone once.
Garrett Greene was efficient in the passing game, completing 73.9% of his passes for 236 yards and three touchdowns. Kole Taylor was the top receiver with three catches for 47 yards and a score.
West Virginia’s defense gave up 306 passing yards in their most recent game, with Albany completing 18 of 39 attempts. The Mountaineers allowed 389 total yards and 21 first downs, but they were effective against the run, limiting Albany to just 83 rushing yards on 34 attempts. Despite giving up 14 points, West Virginia’s defense played well overall.
Will The Pittsburgh Panthers Win At Home Over The West Virginia Mountaineers?
Pittsburgh is now 2-0 after pulling off an upset on the road against Cincinnati. The Panthers, who were +1.5 point underdogs, not only won the game but also covered the spread. The over/under line was set at 62 points, but the game finished with a combined 55 points, hitting the under.
Trailing 14-3 after the first quarter, Pittsburgh closed the gap to 17-6 by halftime. The Panthers then fell behind 27-13 in the third quarter but rallied to outscore Cincinnati 15-0 in the fourth quarter, resulting in the 28-27 win.
In their narrow 28-27 win over Cincinnati, Pittsburgh’s offense put up 498 yards, with 196 coming on the ground and 302 through the air. The Panthers picked up 24 first downs and scored three touchdowns on passes from Eli Holstein, who completed 57.1% of his passes for 302 yards. Holstein’s top target was Konata Mumpfield, who caught five passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns.
Desmond Reid led the ground game with 148 yards on 19 carries, averaging 7.8 yards per attempt. Pittsburgh’s offense will look to build on this performance in their next game.
Pittsburgh’s defense will be looking to improve after giving up 449 total yards to Cincinnati in their last game. The Panthers allowed 298 passing yards, with the Bearcats completing 22 of 38 pass attempts for three touchdowns. On the ground, Pittsburgh gave up 151 yards, and they’ll need to tighten up their run defense going forward.