Normally, when a defense holds an opponent to 2-of-10 on third down, keeps it out of the end zone in the red zone, and forces four field goals, that side of the ball has done enough to win.
Add 334 rushing yards and 29 first downs from the offense, and most teams are walking out with a victory. West Virginia did not. The Mountaineers still lost Saturday night to Oklahoma State because the Cowboys kept hitting explosive plays over and over again, and that was the difference in a game that should have tilted the other way.
The damage was spread across the night. Oklahoma State ripped off chunk gains from Mestemaker to Bowick for 21 yards, Mestemaker to Coleman for 28 yards, Mestemaker to Young for 21 yards, Mestemaker to Bowick for 21 yards, Mestemaker to Barnes for 52 yards, Mestemaker to Lewis for 27 yards, Mestemaker to Young for 40 yards, Mestemaker to Young for 48 yards, and Mestemaker to Young for 28 yards. Hawkins added gains of 31, 12, 22, and 11 yards, while Adeyi chipped in runs of 10 and 14 yards.
That kind of production is hard to survive. On average, a college defense gives up an explosive play on 14% of its snaps.
If Oklahoma State’s three kneel-downs are removed, the Cowboys hit an explosive play on 24% of their plays against West Virginia. That is a brutal number, the kind that would put a defense among the worst in the country if it lasted all season.
Defensive coordinator Zac Alley tried something different, and Oklahoma State noticed immediately. For the first time this season, WVU showed a dime look, added an extra safety, and went with three down linemen. Cowboys head coach Eric Morris said after the game that his staff leaned into the run early because of that look.
“It was something they really hadn’t shown. They showed a little bit on tape, but obviously they were going to keep an umbrella and didn’t want Drew to beat them.”
The problem for West Virginia was that Drew beat them anyway. The secondary looked out of sync, the tackling was a mess, and the Mountaineers missed 18 tackles. The communication issues showed up before the snap and after it, with the defense often looking unsure of its assignment and slow to sort itself out once the ball was in motion.
Alley was clearly trying to surprise Oklahoma State, but the move seemed to work against a defense that is still learning how to function as a unit. This is not a veteran group that has spent years living in the same system. It is a mostly new defense, and that matters when the call sheet starts getting creative.
That does not make the performance easier to stomach, but it does put it in some context. Oklahoma State may also be better than it looked in its opener against Tulsa.
Oregon gave up 12 explosive plays to this offense and 554 total yards, so this could be one of the best attacks West Virginia sees all season. The Mountaineers have more conference tests ahead, but it would be surprising if they run into another QB/RB combination with that much explosiveness.
There is still reason to believe the tackling can be better. West Virginia had nine missed tackles against Coastal Carolina, five against UT Martin, and seven against Virginia.
Saturday was the first time this season the defense looked sloppy in that area to this degree. They have shown they can rally and bring people down, especially against run-heavy teams.
That matters because two of the next three opponents want to line up and run the football. They may study this tape and decide to throw more often, but those teams are still going to lean into what they do best.
Rich Rodriguez said Saturday night that the game plan “failed,” and that much is obvious. By the time West Virginia plays Arizona in two weeks, a team that likes to throw it around, the Mountaineers should have a better sense of what works and, just as important, what doesn’t.
The larger question is whether Alley simplifies things and narrows the focus to what this group already does well. If that happens, the defense can improve. It may never be more than a middle-of-the-road unit, but that is manageable if the offense keeps rolling the way it has.
In Other News...
WVU Fans Get A Coal Rush Twist They Werent Expecting
West Virginias October 10 matchup with Arizona now has a start time and a national TV home, and it comes with an early kickoff that should give Mountaineer fans plenty of time to settle in. The Big 12 announced the game will kick at 12 p.m. ET in Morgantown and air on TNT, TruTV and HBO Max, adding another layer of visibility to a nonconference meeting that already carries some curiosity.
Arizona arrives with a little momentum after improving to 3-1 with a win over Washington State, while West Virginia will be trying to build on the familiarity of a series that has been played only once before. The Mountaineers won that 2021 meeting 31-26, and this years game lands in the middle of a busy stretch for the Wildcats, who will turn around and face Cincinnati in a late kickoff the following week. [Read more 🡒]
Rich Rod's Offense Is Giving West Virginia Fans A Real Concern
Rich Rodriguezs latest West Virginia offense is already drawing attention because it looks different from the ones fans remember from his earlier coaching stops. Through four games, the Mountaineers are throwing on just 22% of their offensive snaps, a notably lower rate than Rodriguez has typically used over the course of his career. For a coach long associated with pace and spread principles, that tilt toward the run has become one of the early-season talking points around the program.
The reasons are not hard to see, at least in broad terms. Pass protection has been an issue, and the receiver play has also factored into the equation, making it easier to understand why the offense has leaned so heavily on the ground game. Still, the bigger question hovering over West Virginia is whether a more balanced approach would make the attack harder to defend and more effective overall, even if the current numbers suggest Rodriguez is still searching for the right mix. [Read more 🡒]
Mountaineers Around The NFL Are Giving WVU Fans Plenty To Track
Week 3 of the 2026 NFL season gave West Virginia fans plenty of familiar names to watch, with eight former Mountaineers appearing in games and five of them opening in the starting lineup. Geno Smith had the biggest statistical day of the group, working efficiently for the New York Jets by completing 31 of 37 passes for 321 yards and three touchdowns, while Rasul Douglas contributed for the Washington Commanders with three tackles and a pass breakup.
Around the league, the rest of the Mountaineers alumni turned in a mix of snaps, roles and availability that kept WVU followers checking box scores well beyond Sunday afternoon. Some were active in different capacities, while others landed on reserve or inactive lists, a reminder that the Mountaineers NFL footprint remains spread across multiple teams and situations as the season gets moving. [Read more 🡒]