West Virginia got some encouraging news on Thursday night as it continued to sort through its availability report for the Big 12 opener against Oklahoma State.
The biggest takeaway for WVU was that wide receiver Jaden Bray and offensive lineman Nick Krahe are no longer on the report, a strong sign both are ready to play this weekend in Morgantown. Cornerback Nick Taylor was added, but he is listed as probable.
For the Mountaineers, Bray’s status is the one that really matters. He took a hard hit to the hip after hauling in an impressive contested catch downfield late in the fourth quarter, but the latest update points to him being good to go. Given what he has dealt with in his career - including missing most of the last two seasons because of a foot injury - it was an early-season scare, but it appears to have passed.
Bray also has obvious motivation in this one. Oklahoma State is his former school, and even though the Cowboys have a different roster and a different staff than the one that recruited him to Stillwater, this matchup still means something.
Strachan’s name staying on the report as probable is another positive for WVU. He made his Mountaineer debut last week, played seven snaps, and Rich Rodriguez said his workload should increase against the Cowboys.
Krahe’s return matters just as much up front. The starting left guard missed part of the Virginia game with an ankle injury before Josh Aisosa filled in and played well until Krahe could get taped up and come back. West Virginia’s offensive line has been building week by week, and the last thing the group needs is anything slowing that chemistry down.
On the other side, Oklahoma State’s report did not change.
In Other News...
Nick Saban Just Put More Weight On WVU's Big 12 Opener
Nick Saban added an unexpected layer of attention to West Virginias Big 12 opener this week when the Alabama coach and Mountaineers native weighed in on the matchup during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. Saban backed West Virginia to beat Oklahoma State, pointing to his confidence in the Mountaineers running game and noting the pride people in the state have in the team and coach Rich Rodriguez.
The pick carries a little extra intrigue because Saban had gone against West Virginia a week earlier when he chose Virginia over the Mountaineers. Now his latest nod gives Saturdays game a bit more buzz, even if it changes nothing about what West Virginia still has to handle on the field as it opens conference play. [Read more 🡒]
WVUs Oklahoma State Test Turns On A Brutal Late Collapse
West Virginias trip to Oklahoma State turned into the kind of game that can swing on a single mistake, with the Mountaineers hanging around deep into the second half before the whole thing started to unravel. The simulation had plenty of offense on both sides and enough back-and-forth scoring to keep the matchup tight, setting up a finish that felt every bit like a Big 12 shootout.
In the end, the decisive play was as brutal as it gets for a road team trying to survive in Stillwater: a late fumble return touchdown that broke the game open and sent Oklahoma State to a 42-34 win. For West Virginia, the result in the simulated report serves as another reminder that in this league, one untimely turnover can undo a nights worth of good work in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Phil Steele Just Added Fuel To West Virginia's Biggest Early Test
Phil Steele is already looking at West Virginias first real Big 12 measuring stick and likes what he sees. The longtime college football analyst said he expects the Mountaineers to handle their conference opener against Oklahoma State, pointing to a team he believes has enough balance on both sides of the ball to make an early statement. He singled out the kind of players who can swing a September game and framed West Virginia as a program with the pieces to start league play on the right foot.
Oklahoma State, meanwhile, comes into the matchup carrying some recent questions, and Steele also pointed to the bigger picture around the Cowboys performance against Oregon. For West Virginia, the intrigue is less about reputation and more about whether the preseason confidence holds up when the games start counting in Big 12 play. A win here would do more than validate an analysts prediction - it would immediately alter the tone around a Mountaineers team trying to establish itself early. [Read more 🡒]