West Virginia @ Kansas preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 4, 2014 ) Kansas 14, West Virginia 33

West Virginia hasn't forgotten about the embarrassing loss it suffered at the hands of Kansas in 2013. The Mountaineers hope to avoid a repeat of that painful memory when they return to Lawrence on Saturday to face the winless Jayhawks.

West Virginia had beaten Kansas twice before in Morgantown, but the confines of Memorial Stadium produced a much different outcome, with the Mountaineers bearing the brunt of a 31-19 defeat. "It was terrible," wide receiver Daikiel Shorts told reporters Tuesday."We just didn't go ready to play." Meanwhile, Kansas celebrated the fact it had finally snapped a 27-game losing streak in conference play. However, the Jayhawks have lost 17 of 18 Big 12 games since, and new coach David Beaty is still looking for his first win overall at Kansas.

TV: Noon ET, FSN. LINE: West Virginia -28

ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA (5-4, 2-4 Big 12): The Mountaineers went through a rough patch in October, losing four straight games, but since recovered with back-to-back wins in November, including last week's 38-20 victory over Texas. Still, coach Dana Holgorsen isn't taking the next opponent lightly, especially with his team one win away from becoming bowl eligible. "Getting on the winning track has been good for our team, good for our confidence," Holgorsen told reporters. "With that, human instinct is they kind of relax a little bit. So we've got to be on guard for that. We've got to go get a road win."

ABOUT KANSAS (0-10, 0-7): Despite a string of 13 consecutive losses dating back to last season, the Jayhawks haven't lacked effort in the eyes of Beaty. "It’s almost hard to believe, but, man, those guys have gone out there every week, every single week, and they have practiced their tails off," he told KUsports.com. As proof, Kansas hung tough with No. 11 TCU on the road last week before falling 23-17.

EXTRA POINTS

1. West Virginia's defense is tied for fourth nationally in passes intercepted with 16 and tied for eighth in turnovers gained with 22.

2. Kansas QB Ryan Willis became the all-time freshman leading passer at Kansas with 1,377 yards after throwing for 203 yards at TCU.

3. Jayhawks DB Fish Smithson leads the NCAA in solo tackles with 78.

PREDICTION: West Virginia 41, Kansas 10