Texas vs. West Virginia: Longhorns, Mountaineers collide in Big 12 showdown

The No. 11 Texas Longhorns will receive their first test of the 2012 season on Saturday night, when Mack Brown's team plays host to the No. 8 West Virginia Mountaineers in a Big 12 showdown.

The Longhorns opened up Big 12 play on Saturday, when they defeated the Oklahoma St. Cowboys, 41-36. Big 12 play continues this week for Texas, as they take on a new conference foe in West Virginia.

The Mountaineers are coming off one of the most memorable regular season games in recent history, a 70-63, XBox-esque win over the Baylor Bears. Geno Smith completed 45-of-51 passes for 656 yards and eight touchdowns in the win. Tavon Austin hauled in 14 of those passes for 215 yards and two scores, while Stedman Bailey caught 13 passes for 303 yards and five touchdowns.

Needless to say, if the Longhorns are going to improve to 5-0 on the season, they're going to have to have a stellar defensive effort.

Longhorns quarterback David Ash will be faced with the tough task of outscoring Smith and the Mountaineers, but Ash is coming off a momentum-building game of his own. Against Oklahoma State, Ash threw for 304 yards and three touchdowns -- and led the Longhorns on a game-winning touchdown drive, scoring with just 29 seconds left in the game.

Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT. Televised coverage can be found on FOX.