Oklahoma State’s Big 12 opener in Morgantown started with plenty of anticipation and, through one quarter, plenty of running room for both sides.
West Virginia grabbed the early edge against the Cowboys on Saturday night, leaning hard on the ground game to build momentum in the first quarter. The Mountaineers piled up 131 rushing yards in the opening frame, with Cam Cook doing major damage on six carries for 97 yards, including a 75-yard burst.
Quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. added a rushing touchdown of his own and finished the quarter with seven carries for 23 yards. Through the air, he was 2 of 3 for 16 yards.
Oklahoma State answered with a productive drive of its own, even if it didn’t end the way the Cowboys wanted. After West Virginia opened the game with a first down and then punted, OSU put together an 11-play, 68-yard march that reached the red zone before stalling out. Keltner knocked through a 30-yard field goal to trim the margin to 7-3 with 3:12 left in the first quarter.
The Cowboys also found some traction on the ground. Caleb Hawkins led the way with 66 yards on seven carries, while Ayo Adeyi added 18 yards on three attempts. Quarterback Drew Mestemaker was 5 of 8 for 32 yards, and Justin Bowick had two catches for 29 yards.
Oklahoma State entered the night with some real confidence after a win over Oregon and a dominant showing against Murray State, and one of the biggest bright spots in that stretch had been the Cowboys’ work on both lines of scrimmage. That improvement was always going to be tested here.
West Virginia came in dangerous, with Michael Hawkins Jr. giving the Mountaineers a quarterback who can stress a defense with his legs, and the home team has already shown that part of the plan. Oklahoma State’s defense had been especially sharp on third down entering the game, allowing opponents to convert just 16% of their chances, but the Mountaineers were able to get the ball rolling on the ground early.
The matchup also brought a tricky defensive look for OSU’s offense. West Virginia defensive coordinator Zac Alley, who previously worked under Brent Venables at Oklahoma, has the Mountaineers mixing disguised coverages and pressure from different angles. That puts a premium on Mestemaker’s ability to sort it out quickly and avoid mistakes.
Both teams like to play fast, which can shrink the advantage of tempo when neither side is thrown off by pace. And Oklahoma State had reason to like the setting, too: the Cowboys had won their last five trips to West Virginia, including the 2023 visit when Ollie Gordon II helped flip a close game with a huge fourth quarter.
The Cowboys opened the game by winning the coin toss and deferring. West Virginia then picked up one first down before punting.
Oklahoma State was without OL Braydon Nelson. WR Chris Barnes, OL Johnny Dickson, OL Joseph Hanson, DT Braylon Rigsby and DT Iman Oates were all game-time decisions. West Virginia was without Emory Snyder, RB Andre Devine and DL Darius Wiley.
Before kickoff, the Mountaineers were listed as 1.5-point favorites by DraftKings, with West Virginia at -125 on the moneyline and Oklahoma State at +105. The over/under was 60.5 points, and the line had moved toward West Virginia after OSU opened as a 2.5-point favorite.
Oklahoma State was in black-white-black, while West Virginia wore navy-yellow-navy.
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Oklahoma State Heads To West Virginia With A Frontcourt Concern
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Oklahoma State Faces Its Biggest Test Yet In Big 12 Skid
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Former Oklahoma State Star Is Chasing Rare Mets Rookie History
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Benge had already put himself in rare company by becoming the first Mets rookie since 1983 to post a 15-15 season, and the combination of power, speed and durability has kept his name in the conversation all year. His all-around value has only grown because of the way he has handled center field, where New York has leaned on him for more than just bat-to-ball skills, and the next milestone hanging out there gives this rookie run a little extra intrigue as the season moves along. [Read more 🡒]