GAME PREVIEW: West Virginia looks to rebound against Oklahoma State

By Zippy Zimmerman, RealWV

West Virginia will look to get things back on the right track after their Thursday night heartbreak loss to Houston, when they take on the Cowboys of Oklahoma State. Both teams come into the matchup with the same records (4-2). The Cowboys are riding high on a three-game winning streak, with their last win coming against the Kansas Jayhawks.

The Mountaineers had struggled offensively throughout the early half of the season, up until their matchup against the Houston Cougars last week. WVU Head Coach Neal Brown finally opened up the playbook to allow quarterback Garrett Greene to air the football out. Despite the loss, Greene managed to pass for 391 yards and two touchdowns. Greene’s single game against Houston accounted for 42% of his passing yardage on the season—something Mountaineer could be optimistic about in the weeks to come.

With Greene’s impressive passing performance along with solid games from his wideouts in Hudson Clement, Devin Carter, and Preston Fox, the Mountaineers will look to air things out against the Cowboys. A glimpse of success in the passing department however, does not mean West Virginia will now be abandoning C.J. Donaldson and the run game. The Mountaineers are one of the nation’s leaders in rushing attempts per game. Through the solid run blocking of their offensive line, powerful running of Donaldson, and relentless onslaught of run plays, West Virginia breaks down opposing defenses over the course of a game.

Oklahoma State ranks 71^st in opponent’s rushing yards allowed a game, allowing 147 yards a contest in the statistic. The Cowboys rank 85^th in passing yards allowed, giving up an average of 245.8-yards through the air. The Mountaineers will look to capitalize on their new found ability to diversify their offense. With the knowledge that Greene can impose his will on defenses through the air, Oklahoma State won’t have a choice but respect it when game planning defensively. If the Cowboys end up prioritizing the passing game from West Virginia, and drop into coverage on the majority of snaps, Donaldson could end up having a big game for the Mountaineers.

Defensively for West Virginia, Aubrey Burks is expected to make his return to safety. The Mountaineer secondary struggles in a big way without his presence against Houston, giving up 253 passing yards. With Burk’s return, the secondary will look to get back business as usual against a sub-par Oklahoma State receiving core. Alan Bowman leads the Cowboys offensively, having passed for 1,084-yards thus far. Hist top target is Jaden Bray whose acquired 296 of those receiving yards Bowman.

The Cowboy’s offense doesn’t run the ball anywhere near as much as West Virginia, but they have success when they do. Oklahoma State is currently averaging 4.5 yards a carry. Ollie Gordon II handles most of the work load in the rushing department, having rushed for 534-yards so far. West Virginia’s defensive line will be tested against the Cowboys, as the Cowboys run a balanced offense which opens up the potential for big run plays. Much like the majority of games the Mountaineers have played this year, this game could very easily come down to who dominates the trenches.

Kickoff for the matchup is set for 3:30 pm E.T. back in Morgantown. The Mountaineers will look to continue their undefeated streak at home alive, as they open at -3.5-point favorites in the contest. Fans not attending Milan Puskar Stadium can watch the televised broadcast through ESPN, ESPN+, or through streaming services on Fubo. As always, Tony Caridi will have the radio broadcasted play-by-play for those listening on the radio. Fans wishing to tune into that broadcast can do so through your local Mountaineer Sports Network radio station.