Game Preview: WVU vs. Oklahoma State

No. 9/10 West Virginia (6-0, 3-0) will travel to Oklahoma State (5-2, 3-1) with the Mountaineers looking to stay unbeaten on homecoming weekend in Stillwater.

West Virginia is coming off a 34-10 victory over TCU and will hit the road for the second true road game of the season against a Cowboys football team that is very familiar to head coach Dana Holgorsen. The Mountaineers head man served as the offensive coordinator in Stillwater in 2010 before coming to Morgantown and was hired by current Cowboys head coach Mike Gundy.

Gundy is now in his 12th season atop the Oklahoma State program and has amassed a 99-49 record during that time period with a Big 12 Championship during the 2011 season. Holgorsen has squared off with Gundy four times during his tenure in Morgantown with each winning two of those match ups.

The Cowboys feature one of the nation’s best offenses averaging 41.1 points per game and 480-yards per contest, ranking 14th and 11th nationally. It is the third consecutive week that the Mountaineers will match up against a team averaging over 40 points and 475 yards per game.

Junior quarterback Mason Rudolph triggers the Oklahoma State offense and has completed 159-255 passes for 2,259 yards and 14 touchdowns while only throwing a pair of interceptions. Now in his second full-year as the starter, Rudolph has shown major signs of improvement and has been one of the premier signal callers in the conference upping his statistics in almost every category across the board.

Rudolph has a number of weapons at his disposal but the two primary pass-catching options have been junior James Washington and sophomore Jalen McCleskey. Washington is one of the premier deep threats in college football and already has 740 yards and six touchdowns in seven games, including a 91-yard touchdown catch against Pittsburgh earlier in the year. McCleskey has 536 yards and four scores.

In the backfield, the Pokes will rely on a number of backs but led by freshman Justice Hill who has stormed onto the scene with 565 yards and four touchdowns. Last week against Kansas, Hill rushed for 162 yards and a score.

The defense is replacing several key players from last season such as defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah and has struggled at times this season allowing 104th nationally in total defense and 64th in points allowed. The Cowboys are allowing 448 yards and 27.4 points per game. The Pokes have allowed 181 rushing yards and 267 passing yards per contest.

This will be the third trip for West Virginia to Stillwater as the Mountaineers have split the previous two meetings. In the last trip, West Virginia won 34-10 capped off by a Dravon Henry interception return.

Last season, West Virginia trailed 17-2, before the Mountaineers rallied to put the game into overtime. But in the extra period the Cowboys would face a 4th and 1 and J.W. Walsh would plow into the end zone to put the Pokes ahead 33-26. On the ensuing possession West Virginia could not score.

The game will kick off at 12 p.m.

West Virginia Depth Chart:

OFFENSE:

QB - 3 Skyler Howard (Sr), 11 Chris Chugunov (r-Fr)

FB – 28 Elijah Wellman (r-Jr), 47 Michael Ferns (r-So)

RB – 7 Rushel Shell (r-Sr), 25 Justin Crawford (Jr), 4 Kennedy McKoy (Fr)

WR (X) - 1 Shelton Gibson (r-Jr), 12 Gary Jennings (So)

WR (Z) – 2 Ka’Raun White (Jr), 82 Devonte Mathis (r-Sr)

IR (Y) - 6 Daikiel Shorts (Sr), 5 Jovon Durante (So)

LT - 57 Adam Pankey (r-Sr), 74 Sylvester Townes (r-Sr)

LG – 70 Tony Matteo (r-Sr), 71 Rob Dowdy (r-Fr)

C - 65 Tyler Orlosky (r-Sr), 79 Matt Jones (r-Fr)

RG - 62 Kyle Bosch (r-Jr), 56 Grant Lingafelter (r-Jr)

RT - 53 Colton McKivitz (r-Fr), 77 Marcell Lazard (r-Jr.)

DEFENSE:

DE - 97 Noble Nwachukwu (r-Sr), 88 Adam Shuler (r-Fr)

NT - 49 Darrien Howard (Sr), 67 Alec Shriner (r-Fr)

DE - 95 Christian Brown (r-Sr), 92 Jon Lewis (r-Jr)

SAM – 30 Justin Arndt (r-Sr), 5 Xavier Preston (Jr)

MIKE - 3 Al-Rasheed Benton (r-Jr), 44 Hodari Christian (r-Jr)

WILL – 11 David Long (r-Fr), 27 Sean Walters (r-Sr)

CB – 19 Elijah Battle (Jr), 1 Antonio Crawford (r-Sr)

FS – 2 Jeremy Tyler (Sr), 16 Toyous Avery (r-So)

SPUR – 8 Kyzir White (Jr), 18 Marvin Gross, Jr. (r-Jr)

BS - 22 Jarrod Harper (r-Sr), 7 Khairi Shariff (r-Sr)

CB – 13 Rasul Douglas (r-Sr), 24 Maurice Fleming (r-Sr), 14 Nana Kyeremeh (r-Sr)

SPECIAL TEAMS:

PK - 48 Mike Molina (r-Jr), 80 Jonn Young (Fr)

P - 15 Billy Kinney (r-So), 80 Jonn Young (Fr)

LS -46 Nick Meadows (r-Jr), 43 R.C. Brunstetter (r-So)

H – 15 Billy Kinney (r-So), 80 Jonn Young (Fr)

KO - 48 Mike Molina (r-Jr), 15 Billy Kinney (r-So)

PR - 12 Gary Jennings (So)

KR - 1 Shelton Gibson (r-Jr), 12 Gary Jennings (So)

Notes:

--Coaching assignments for this season include: DC/LB Tony Gibson (field), OC/TE-FB Joe Wickline (press box), CB Blue Adams (field), WR Tyron Carrier (field), S Matt Caponi (field), OL Ron Crook (field), D/ST Mark Scott (press box), RB JaJuan Seider (field), DL Bruce Tall (field)

--West Virginia has won seven games in a row and 11 of its last 12 dating back to November 2015.

--West Virginia is 6-0 for the first time since 2006 and 3-0 in the Big 12 Conference for the first time. The Mountaineers are ranked in the top ten for the first time since Oct. 7, 2012.

--West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen is 2-2 against Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy. West Virginia is 1-1 in Stillwater winning the last meeting 34-10 in 2014.

--A total of 26 players have seen their first WVU action this season: CB Jordan Adams, S Toyous Avery, CB Elijah Battle, QB Chris Chugunov, CB Antonio Crawford, RB Justin Crawford, CB Mike Daniels, OL Rob Dowdy, FB Michael Ferns, CB Maurice Fleiming, DE Reese Donahue, LB Adam Hensley, P Billy Kinney, LB David Long, OL Colton McKivitz, RB Kennedy McKoy, LB Zach Sandwisch, DL Alec Shriner, DE Adam Shuler, WR Marcus Simms, WR Steven Smothers, S JoVanni Stewart, S Kyzir White, TE Trevon Wesco, TE Stone Wolfley, S Kevin Williams.

--The 2016 roster consists of 120 players from 15 different states.

--There are 34 juniors and seniors on the West Virginia depth chart.

--The West Virginia offensive rosters includes 13 players that have started at least one game. The offensive roster consists of 19 true freshmen, eight redshirt freshmen, three sophomores, seven redshirt sophomores, one junior, eight redshirt juniors, two seniors and six redshirt seniors.

--Breaking down the West Virginia offensive numbers for the season the Mountaineers have run a total of 463 plays, 258 on the ground and 205 through the air. The rushing game has totaled 1,239 yards for an average of 4.8 yards per carry and 11 touchdowns. The passing attack has totaled 1,821 yards for an average of 13.5 yards per completion and 12 touchdowns.

--The West Virginia offense has gained 59 first downs via the run and 85 via the pass. On average, West Virginia has totaled 206.5 yards per game on the ground, 303.5 yards per game passing.

--West Virginia has had ten touchdown drives of 80+ yards this season.

--The West Virginia defensive roster includes 6 players that have started at least one game. The West Virginia defensive rosters includes 20 true freshmen, 10 redshirt freshmen, one sophomore, three redshirt sophomores, nine juniors, four redshirt juniors, two seniors and 10 redshirt seniors.

--The West Virginia defense had held Big 12 opponents to under 50-percent on third down conversions in 23 of 24 games with the lone exception being Texas Tech.

--The West Virginia defense is holding opponents to 17.8 points per game, good for second in the Big 12 Conference.

--West Virginia has 14 senior starters on its depth chart and 20 seniors on its two deep, the most in the Big 12 Conference.

--The Mountaineers are No. 14 all-time in college football winning percentage.

--Since 2000, West Virginia is 105-13 when scoring 30 or more points in a contest.

Injuries/Suspensions: West Virginia running back junior Justin Crawford is expected to be fully healthy for the match up. West Virginia junior free safety Dravon Askew-Henry is out for the season with an ACL injury same can be said for redshirt sophomore offensive tackle Yodny Cajuste. Freshman linebacker Brendan Ferns is also out for the season with an ACL injury. Freshman cornerback Jake Long is out for the season with a shoulder injury. Redshirt sophomore Jaleel Fields is out for the season with a knee injury. Redshirt junior Xavier Pegues is out until late October with a shoulder injury.

Redshirts: West Virginia has played true freshmen running back Kennedy McKoy, defensive end Reese Donahue, SAM linebacker Zach Sandwisch and WILL linebacker Adam Hensley, wide receiver Marcus Simms, wide receiver Steven Smothers and safety JoVanni Stewart to this point.

Points to Click:

Do what you do offensively. The West Virginia offense has been masterful at striking balance this season by taking what the defense is giving them. Some games it has been the pass, others the run by this unit has shown the ability to effectively move the football and score points. Oklahoma State has struggled on the defensive side at times this year allowing 27.4 points and almost 450 yards through seven games so there will be opportunities available for the offense. The key will be to continue to attack the areas that the Cowboys are giving up and put together drives that not only take time off the clock but keep the defense fresh on the sidelines. The Mountaineers have shown the ability to win in a shootout or grind out a game, which is what you want to see at this point of the year with an efficient offense.

Start fast, take the crowd out early. West Virginia has done an excellent job of starting fast this season scoring first in every game outside the match up with Kansas State. The Mountaineers have only played one true road game against Texas Tech this year but was able to get on the scoreboard early and make the Red Raiders play catch up. It’s homecoming weekend for Oklahoma State, a big event in Stillwater, coupled with the fact that the Mountaineers enter inside the top ten the atmosphere will be set. Now it’s up to West Virginia to do what they’ve done and get on the scoreboard and continue to play solid defensive football to frustrate the Pokes.

Stop the run. Oklahoma State has added a new dimension to its arsenal this season with the ground game as the Cowboys average almost 150 yards per game this season. Balance is something that has given the Mountaineers trouble at times and in the past West Virginia has done a good job keeping the running game grounded in this matchup. Given the weapons on the outside and the improvement of Rudolph, the Mountaineers don’t want to get caught cheating up to stop the run and allowing big plays down the field. Another week, another top 15 offense for the Mountaineers but winning this battle will be key to another impressive performance on the defensive side of the ball.

Win the battle of strength on strength. West Virginia has allowed 17 points per game this season while Oklahoma State accounts for 41 points per contest. The West Virginia defense has held Texas Tech 38 points and 280 yards under their season averages, while TCU was 30 points and 230 yards under its marks. On the road this will be another challenging match up but the success of the West Virginia defense will go a long way toward coming out of Stillwater with a win.

Hit home with pressure. Oklahoma State has given up a total of 23 sacks this season and West Virginia has thrived in pressure situations. Expect defensive coordinator Tony Gibson to pick and choose when to bring the heat but when it does it’s absolutely essential for the Mountaineers to get Rudolph to the ground and avoid big plays down the field. Last season, Rudolph, while not known for a runner, hurt the Mountaineers as the leading rusher with 48 yards and not letting him out of the pocket to pick up chunks of yards will go a long way to limiting yet another big offense. Quarterbacks don’t like to operate with pressure in their face and when the Mountaineers bring it, getting there and affecting the quarterback will be key for success on that side of the football.

Score touchdowns in the red zone: West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen has said that the Mountaineers are shooting for at least a 50-percent touchdown rate in the red zone. It’s been a mixed bag to date, but West Virginia has now gone back to back weeks hitting the over. In the last two games, the Mountaineers have had 13 red zone attempts and turned nine of those into touchdowns. That has to continue with yet another high-scoring, high-powered offense on deck and this time on the road.

Turnovers: This is an area that goes without saying as turnovers both avoiding them on offense as well as forcing them on the defensive side play a giant role in deciding the overall outcome of games. West Virginia has gone back to back weeks without turning the ball over while taking advantage of mistakes by the opposing teams. That’s a recipe for success that must continue.