West Virginia looks to bounce back from lopsided loss to No. 8 Penn State by hosting FCS Albany

Albany (1-0) at West Virginia (0-1), Saturday, 6 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

BetMGM College Football Odds: No line.

Series record: First meeting.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

West Virginia came out flat in the season opener, so it's important to get things fixed heading into the rest of a schedule that doesn't get any easier after this week. Albany advanced to the FCS semifinals a year ago but has a new quarterback still getting acclimated.

KEY MATCHUP

West Virginia QB Garrett Greene against Albany's defense. Greene and the Mountaineers were limited to 246 total yards against No. 8 Penn State. Many of the struggles that included fumbles and bad snaps were self-inflicted, and it will be up to Greene to show they were a fluke. Greene did have four completions of at least 20 yards against Penn State. But the Mountaineers were limited to 12 points on five trips inside Penn State’s 30-yard line.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Albany: QB Myles Burkett. The Wisconsin transfer took over for Reese Poffenbarger, who threw for a school-record 3,603 yards and 36 touchdowns last year before transferring to Miami. Burkett completed 12 of 26 passes for 165 yards and a score in a 27-21 win over Long Island a week ago.

West Virginia: LB Josiah Trotter. The redshirt freshman took a year off to recover from a knee injury sustained during 2023 spring practice. He registered 10 total tackles against Penn State. Trotter's father, Jeremiah Trotter Sr., is a former Pro Bowl linebacker and his brother, Jeremiah Trotter Jr., was an all-American linebacker at Clemson in 2023 and now is with the Philadelphia Eagles.

FACTS & FIGURES

Albany returns leading rusher Griffin Woodell, a sophomore who ran for 892 yards last season ... Against Penn State, West Virginia's defense allowed seven passing plays of at least 17 yards and eight rushing plays of at least 10 yards. On offense the Mountaineers were limited to 12 points on five trips inside Penn State’s 30-yard line. ... Albany is 1-8 against Bowl Subdivision opponents, beating Buffalo in 2016. ... West Virginia has never lost to an FCS opponent. ... Mountaineers left tackle Wyatt Milum is expected back after missing the second half against Penn State with cramps. Running back Jahiem White, who went down with an undisclosed injury while pass blocking but returned to the game later, should be ready to go for Albany, coach Neal Brown said.

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The Associated Press