Game Preview: WVU vs. Oklahoma State

SUBSCRIBE today to stay up on the latest in Mountaineer sports and recruiting.

Series: OSU leads 5-4

Last meeting: 2017: WVU 39 OSU 50

Television: 3:30 p.m., ABC, Sean McDonough (play-by-play), Todd Blackledge (analyst), Holly Rowe (sideline)

No. 9 West Virginia (8-1, 6-1) will travel to Oklahoma State (5-5, 2-5) for its final true road game of the season with the Mountaineers looking to position themselves for a Big 12 Championship Game spot.

The Mountaineers are coming off another dominating performance beating TCU 47-10, while the Cowboys were a two-point conversion attempt from knocking off Oklahoma before falling 48-47 leaving them 5-5 with two games remaining.

That is significant considering the Pokes have made a bowl game in 12 consecutive seasons leaving this game and their following on at TCU to keep that mark alive.

There are obvious connections between the two programs as Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy is in his 14th season atop the Cowboys football program and is the fourth tenured coach in the nation.

Gundy has led the Pokes to four New Year’s Six Bowls since 2010 and has won at least ten games six times during that span with an outright Big 12 championship during the 2011 campaign.

The Oklahoma State graduate has amassed an overall record of 119-59 during his tenure in Stillwater and that mark of 12 straight bowls, the best mark of all-time in the program.

Gundy was the head coach that hired West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen as his offensive coordinator prior to taking his current post in Morgantown where he spent one season. The two have squared off six times now since Holgorsen arrived at West Virginia, with Gundy holding a 4-2 edge including a 50-39 win a season ago.

This Cowboys team again features one of the best offensives in the nation rolling up 511 yards good for 11th in the country. It's a balanced attack averaging 317 yards per game through the air and 194 yards per game on the ground while averaging 39.2 points.

Senior Taylor Cornelius has ascended to the top spot on the quarterback depth chart and has competed 60-percent of his passes while tossing for 3,123 yards and 23 touchdowns. At 6-foot-6, Cornelius also is used more as a run threat than previous Oklahoma State quarterbacks rushing for 227 yards and seven more scores.

There is no shortage of weapons to throw the ball to as well with Biletnikoff Finalist Tylan Wallace leading the way with a total of 68 catches for 1,282 yards and 9 touchdowns on the season. He has averaged 128 yards per game and developed into a premier threat.

At least three others have caught over 20 passes with Tyron Johnson second on the club with 614 yards and 4 touchdowns.

In the backfield, the Pokes return one of the best running backs in the Big 12 in Justice Hill who already has accounted for 930 yards and 9 touchdowns displaying big play potential with a 92-yard score on the ground this season.

The defense has seen some shifts under new coordinator Jim Knowles going to a 4-2-5 aggressive look that has helped propel the unit to No. 3 nationally in sacks per game. The Cowboys will mix up their looks as well as their front and bring pressure as well as present plenty of different options for the Mountaineers to consider.

Oklahoma State is led by defensive end Jordan Brailford who has recorded nine sacks on the year as well as fifth year senior linebacker Justin Phillips who leads the team in tackles.

On top of sacks and tackles for loss, which the unit ranks 13th nationally, the Oklahoma State defense also has done a good job in the red zone holding teams to scores on only 76.3 percent of their trips inside the 20s.

It will be senior day for the Cowboys and the Mountaineers will be looking to snap a three-game losing streak in the series. The Mountaineers are 1-2 in their previous three trips to Stillwater with the lone win coming in 2014.

The game is scheduled to be televised at 3:30 p.m. on ABC.

West Virginia Depth Chart:

OFFENSE:

QB: 7 Will Grier, (r-Sr.), 17 Jack Allison, (r-So.)

RB: 4 Kennedy McKoy (Jr.) or 32 Martell Pettaway (Jr.) or 20 Alec Sinkfield (r-Fr) or 4 Leddie Brown (Fr.)

FB: 42 Logan Thimons, (r-So.), 41 Elijah Drummond, (r-So.)

TE/H: 88 Trevon Wesco, (r-Sr.), 84 Jovani Haskins, (r-So.)

X WR: 8 Marcus Simms, (Jr.), 82 Dominique Maiden, (Sr.)

Y WR: 12 Gary Jennings, Jr., (Sr.), 16 William Crest, (r-Sr.)

Z WR: 13 David Sills V, (Sr.), 1 T.J. Simmons, (r-So.)

LT: 55 Yodny Cajuste, (r-Sr.), 72 Kelby Wickline, (r-Jr.)

LG: 73 Josh Sills, (r-So.), 57 Michael Brown, (r-Jr.)

C: 79 Matt Jones, (r-Jr.), 78 Jacob Buccigrossi, (r-So.)

RG: 65 Isaiah Hardy, (Sr.), 58 Joe Brown, (r-Jr.)

RT: 53 Colton McKivitz, (r-Jr.), 76 Chase Behrndt, (r-So.)

DEFENSE:

DE: 5 Ezekiel Rose, (Sr.) or 46 Reese Donahue, (Jr.)

NT: 40 Kenny Bigelow, (Sr.), 56 Darius Stills, (So.)

DE: 12 Jabril Robinson, (r-Sr.), 55 Dante Stills, (Fr.)

SAM LB: 9 JoVanni Stewart, (Jr.), 17 Exree Loe, (r-Fr.)

MIKE LB: 10 Dylan Tonkery, (r-So.), 34 Shea Campbell, (r-Jr.)

WILL LB: 11 David Long, Jr. (r-Jr.), 35 Josh Chandler, (Fr.)

SPUR: 6 Dravon Askew-Henry, (r-Sr.), 26 Deamonte Lindsay, (r-Jr.)

BS: 16 Toyous Avery, (r-Sr.), 39 Dante Bonamico, (r-So.)

FS: 2 Kenny Robinson, (So.), 29 Sean Mahone, (r-So.)

LCB: 28 Keith Washington, (r-Jr.), 24 Hakeem Bailey, (r-Jr.)

RCB: 4 Josh Norwood, (Jr.), 1 Derrek Pitts, (So.)

SPECIAL TEAMS:

K: 30 Evan Staley (r-So.), 43 Luke Hogan, (r-So.)

P: 15 Billy Kinney, (r-Sr.), 30 Evan Staley, (r-So.)

LS: 64 Rex Sunahara, (r-Jr.), 51 Kyle Poland, (r-So.)

H: 15 Billy Kinney, (r-Sr.), 43 Luke Hogan, (r-So.)

KO: 30 Evan Staley, (r-So.), 43 Luke Hogan, (r-So.)

PR: 8 Marcus Simms (Jr.), 13 David Sills, V, (Sr.)

KOR: 8 Marcus Simms (Jr.) 12 Gary Jennings, Jr., (Sr.)

NOTES:

--This year marks the 127th year of West Virginia football with the Mountaineers currently sitting in 14th place all-time in wins in college football.

--West Virginia is 16-13 in November under head coach Dana Holgorsen and 9-4 on the road.

--West Virginia is 4-5 all-time against Oklahoma State, while Holgorsen is 2-4 during his tenure.

--Since 2000, West Virginia is 120-15 when scoring more than 30 points and 63-4 when scoring more than 40 points in a game.

--The Mountaineers are 86-11 since 2002 when winning the turnover battle.

--In the Holgorsen era, WVU has produced 91 games with 300 or more yards, 71 games with 400 or more yards, 40 games with more than 500 yards and 18 with more than 600 yards.

--Under Holgorsen West Virginia has scored 30 or more points in 66 games, 40 or more points in 35 games, 50 or more points in 12 games and 60 or more points three times.

--West Virginia has won 21 consecutive games when leading at halftime and is 48-6 under Holgorsen when holding a lead at the break.

--West Virginia is just one of four power five teams to rank in the top 25 in scoring offense and scoring defense. The Mountaineers are 10th nationally at 40.9 points per game and 24th nationally allowing only 20.9 points per game.

--West Virginia is No. 4 nationally in tackles for loss with 8.6 per game.

--West Virginia has won 20 consecutive games when leading at halftime and is 47-6 under Holgorsen.

--The 2018 roster consists of 122 players from 22 different states.

--A total of 35 players have seen their first on-the-field action at West Virginia: Jake Abbott (LB), Jack Allison (QB), Charlie Benton (LB), Kenny Bigelow (DL), E.J. Brown (S), Joe Brown (OL), Leddie Brown (RB), Michael Brown (OL), Jacob Buccigrossi (OL), Shea Campbell (LB), Josh Chandler (LB), Sam Cookman (DL), Zach Davis (OL), Isaiah Esdale (WR), Jovani Haskins (TE), Luke Hogan (K), Sam James (WR), Ricky Johns (WR), Casey Legg (K), Exree Loe (LB), Rashon Lusane (S), Barry Moreland (CB), Josh Norwood (CB), Kyle Poland (LS), Kwantel Raines (S), Jabril Robinson (DL), T.J. Simmons (WR), Alec Sinkfield (RB), Dante Stills (DL), Brenon Thrift (DL), Tyler Thurmond (OL), Keith Washington (CB), Bryce Wheaton (WR), Brady Watson (RB)

--Coaching staff assignments: AHC/DC/LB Tony Gibson (field), OC/QB Jake Spavital (field), CB Doug Belk (press box), WR Tyron Carrier (field), S Matt Caponi (field), TE/FB Dan Gerberry (press box), RB Marquel Blackwell (field), LB/ST Mark Scott (press box), DL Bruce Tall (press box), OL Joe Wickline (field)

--West Virginia has run a total of 615 plays, 305 on the ground and 310 through the air. The rushing game has totaled 1,431 yards for an average of 4.7 yards per carry and 14 touchdowns. The passing game was accounted for 3,036 yards and 32 touchdowns. The offense is averaging 7.3 yards per play.

--West Virginia has gained 75 first downs by the run and 126 via the pass. The Mountaineers are averaging 159.0 yards per game on the ground and 337.3 through the air for 496.3 yards of total offense.

Injuries/Suspensions: Redshirt sophomore linebacker Charlie Benton will miss the remainder of the season after sustaining a knee injury against Tennessee in the season opener. Redshirt sophomore cornerback Jake Long will be out for an unspecified amount of time with a broken wrist but also is expected to return. Two true freshmen in tight end Mike O’Laughlin (ACL) and Dillon Spalding (ankle) will miss the entire 2018 season after undergoing surgery.

POINTS TO CLICK:

--Protect and patrol. Oklahoma State is not only one of the best teams in the Big 12 at sacking the quarterback, they are No. 3 nationally in that department and are also in the top 15 when it comes for tackles for loss. This is a much more aggressive group than the Cowboys have rolled out in the past and they will attack West Virginia with a number of different fronts and alignments on top of pressure. It will be key for the Mountaineers offensive line to hold up like it has in the past two games and for West Virginia to catch Oklahoma State in those times they are able to do so for potential chunk plays. If that happens it could be a long day at the office for the Cowboys defense.

--Stop the run. This one is obvious enough but the misnomer with Oklahoma State is that the Pokes are a team that only throws the football. That couldn’t be further from the truth. The Cowboys rush for 194 yards per game, putting them in the top half of teams in college football and when they can effectively move the ball on the ground it opens up a lot in the back end for shots down the field. Oklahoma State is going to use their quarterback in the run game to go along with explosive back Justice Hill which is going to put stress on the Mountaineers defense to keep them behind the sticks. That was a key last season with Oklahoma State rolling up 246 yards in the 50-39 win in Morgantown.

--Contain big plays. Oklahoma State has been up and down this year and some of that has been tied to the performance of quarterback Taylor Cornelius. West Virginia is going to need to keep the senior in check in order to keep the Oklahoma State offense grounded because if things get rolling they can get into tempo and score points in bunches. And that often results in big plays with 53 passes of 20+ yards this season and 22 rushes of 20+ yards both of those rank inside the top 20 nationally. Cornelius has been particularly well against ranked teams throwing for 1,065 yard and seven touchdowns with zero interceptions through those three games this season as well as four rushing scores.

--Special teams. Just go ahead and take out a space for this point every week, because it’s going to be there. Special teams have been much improved this season but it’s always a factor in determining the outcome of games and the Mountaineers will need to continue to play well there.

--Turnovers. This is a tale of two teams that are very different in this categories with West Virginia ranking No. 3 in the Big 12 with a plus turnover margin while Oklahoma State comes in at No. 8 with a negative margin. The Mountaineers are going to need to continue to take care of the football and not allow opportunities for the Cowboys to feed off momentum that could be created in those instances. During the Gundy era, Oklahoma State is 67-8 when winning the turnover battle.

Enter the contest by clicking on the following link and choosing to subscribe to the channel: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=VideoGlide