West Virginia @ Rutgers preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 4, 2010 ) Rutgers 14, West Virginia 35

THE STORY: No. 24 West Virginia looks to avoid back-to-back Big East losses when it visits Rutgers on Saturday. The Mountaineers had won their previous four trips to the Carrier Dome, but were outscored in all four quarters of their 49-23 blowout loss against Syracuse. West Virginia has been outscored 96-44 in its two losses this season. Rutgers is also coming off a loss. Trailing 16-14 to Louisville last week, the Scarlet Knights fell short when quarterback Gary Nova threw his third interception of the game. West Virginia leads the all-time series 32-4-2 and won the last meeting, 35-14 in 2010.

TV: ABC. LINE: West Virginia -7.

ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA (5-2, 1-1 Big East): Despite throwing a pair of interceptions in last week’s loss to the Orange, Geno Smith has been one of the best quarterbacks in the nation. He ranks fifth with more than 356 passing yards and has thrown for 18 touchdowns. Smith’s favorite target, Stedman Bailey, has caught six touchdown passes and has recorded more than 100 receiving yards in five straight games. West Virginia, which ranks first in the Big East in yards (498.9) and passing (374.4), has scored more than 30 points in all five of its wins. Defensively, the Mountaineers allow more than 320 yards and 25 points.

ABOUT RUTGERS (5-2, 2-1 Big East): Rutgers, which had a four-game win streak snapped with its loss to the Cardinals, has struggled on offense. Nova, a freshman, has thrown for seven touchdowns and five interceptions for the Scarlet Knights, who have already turned the ball over 14 times. The defense has picked up the slack, allowing 306 yards and 16 points per game. Rutgers had 17 sacks all of last year, but has managed to record 24 through the first seven games this year. The Scarlet Knights lead the nation with 25 takeaways — 15 interceptions and 10 fumble recoveries.

EXTRA POINTS

1. West Virginia has won 16 straight over Rutgers since 1994.

2. Rutgers is 8-62-1 against ranked opponents. However, since 2006, the Scarlet Knights are 4-6 against the top 25.

3. Since 2000, West Virginia is 72-2 when scoring more than 30 points, including 3-0 this season.

PREDICTION: West Virginia 34, Rutgers 24 – Smith bounces back in a big way for the Mountaineers.