The Oklahoma State Cowboys came into their week nine match-up against West Virginia needing a win. The Mountaineers were one of the two undefeated teams in the Big 12. West Virginia went into the game ranked number 10 in the AP Poll, while the Cowboys were unranked. In addition, the Mountaineers were one of the last hopes that the Big 12 had to make the playoffs, along with the Baylor Bears. Now let’s take a look at the game recap and takeaways from Oklahoma State’s win over West Virginia.
The Mountaineers would get one of their two leads on the day after a field goal on the opening drive of the game. Cowboys kicker Ben Grogan would get his team on the board with two straight field goals, to take the lead. Quarterback Mason Rudolph took control for the rest of the first half with two touchdown passes in the second quarter. The Cowboys took a 20-10 lead into halftime. OSU outscored the Mountaineers 17-10 in the second half, behind solid efforts from Rudolph and receiver Chris Lacy. Three West Virginia turnovers and 10 straight points to finish the game would seal a 37-20 win for the Cowboys.
Takeaways from Oklahoma State’s Win Over West Virginia
Mason Rudolph is Playing Like a First Round NFL Draft Pick
Rudolph has been great at home this season for the Cowboys. He added another 273 yards passing and four total touchdowns to his impressive season stats. He now has more than 2,500 yards passing with 17 passing touchdowns, to only two interceptions. Considering he has been sacked the ninth most times of any quarterback in the country (23 times), what he’s done this season is admirable. He showed the ability to hit routes at every level of the field on Saturday. Rudolph hit receiver James Washington on multiple out routes. He also hit Lacy and Jalen McCleskey multiple times on intermediate and fade routes. The overall development or Rudolph has to look good to NFL scouts.
The Front Seven is the Strength of the Defense
The Cowboys defense looked great against a West Virginia offense that averaged more than 450 total yards of offense, coming into the game. According to Pistols Firing, OSU defensive tackle Vincent Taylor was awarded Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week with his forced fumble and 2.5 sack effort. Taylor contributed to the Cowboys forcing three turnovers on the day. Mountaineer quarterback Skyler Howard also threw two interceptions to go along with one fumble. Linebacker Chad Whitener also led the way with 13 tackles and one sack. The Cowboys defense will continue to rely on the strong play of their front seven. Tough games against Kansas State, Texas Tech, TCU, and Oklahoma are still on the schedule.
Oklahoma State is an Important Contender in the Big 12 Title Race
The Big 12 was effectively taken out of College Football Playoff contention after this weekend. With both Baylor and West Virginia losing, there are no undefeated teams left in the conference. Since the focus of the conference is not on making the playoff anymore, the attention turns to the Big 12 title race. The Oklahoma Sooners are the only team left undefeated in conference play. They are currently considered the front runner to win the Big 12. However, Oklahoma State, Baylor, and West Virginia, still have only one loss and are very much alive in the title race. Considering the Cowboys have already played Baylor and West Virginia, they could have an easier road to the title than the Sooners, who still have yet to play all three teams. The road to the Big 12 title could come down to Bedlam, which is set for December 3rd in Norman.
Up Next
The Oklahoma State Cowboys are heading to Manhattan to take on the Kansas State Wildcats. The Cowboys are sitting at 6-2 (4-1), while the Wildcats are 5-3 (3-2). This will be a tough test for the Cowboys as they look to continue their four game winning streak.
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