Both teams enter with real momentum after signature victories. West Virginia (3-0) is coming off a win over a ranked Virginia team in Charlotte that has them right outside the rankings. Oklahoma State (2-1) is also closing in on the rankings. They beat Murray State, 59-0, and beat No. 6 Oregon in week two, 39-31. The Cowboys enter a hostile environment at Milan Puskar Stadium for the Gold Rush game. The game is on FS1 at 7 p.m. Eastern. Read more: Keys to the game: WVU hosts Oklahoma State in Big 12 opener.
Oklahoma State preview
Oklahoma State went 1-11 last season and completely overhauled the roster. First-year coach Eric Morris, who brought key players and some of his staff from North Texas, had a rocky start. They lost at Tulsa, 24-10, to start the season. They silenced any doubt of a turnaround with an impressive victory in Stillwater against Oregon. That victory snapped a 21-game losing streak against FBS competition. They followed that with a shutout against Murray State.
Drew Mestemaker led the nation in passing last season at North Texas with 4,379 passing yards. He also threw 34 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He added five touchdowns on the ground. Mestemaker is off to a fast start in his third collegiate season. He has completed 65.8% of passes for 882 yards, eight touchdowns, and four interceptions.
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Caleb Hawkins leads the backfield with 261 rushing yards on five yards per carry. He has one rushing touchdown. He had 1,434 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns last season at North Texas with Mestemaker.
Mestemaker’s go-to target is Justin Bowick, who is in his fifth season with his fourth different team. He has 16 receptions and 281 receiving yards, with three touchdowns. All of those marks lead the team. Wyatt Young trails him with 14 receptions, 218 yards, and two touchdowns. He came from North Texas, where he put up 70 receptions, 1,264 yards, and 10 touchdowns with Mestemaker last season.
Contain Mestemaker
Mestemaker has shown flashes of using his legs. He only had 89 rushing yards last season, but broke off a 75-yard run on the Cowboys’ first offensive play against Oregon. He finished the game with 109 rushing yards and a touchdown. Against Tulsa, he only had three yards and had negative six yards against Murray State last week. It is something WVU’s defense needs to be aware of throughout the game.
His real talent is through the air, and the Mountaineers have been exploited this season. Virginia had four passing plays of 15+ yards last week, and three plays of 10+ rushing yards. That was an improvement from the first two weeks. Coastal Carolina had 10 passing plays of 15+ yards, while UT Martin had two. The defense cannot give up many explosive plays against this offense, or it could turn into a shootout.
Get rushing attack rolling early
Michael Hawkins Jr. and Cam Cook are the backbone of this team. They have combined for 639 rushing yards and nine touchdowns this season. Hawkins is averaging 7.3 yards per attempt, while Cook is at 4.5 yards per attempt. Defenses have to account for all 11 players against WVU, and that is a major advantage. The better the rushing attack, the more they have to stack the box and key on Hawkins.
The Cowboys allow 100 rushing yards per game and 167.3 passing yards per game. They played tough against Oregon, allowing 281 total yards, 191 passing yards, and 90 rushing yards. The Mountaineers have to run the ball effectively and set the tone early. It will open up that passing attack.
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DJ Epps is the leading receiver for WVU with eight receptions, 240 yards, and three touchdowns. He has emerged as a go-to target for Hawkins, who is extremely efficient. Hawkins has 477 passing yards, five touchdowns, zero interceptions, and a 68.4% completion percentage. They may need to get others involved if they have trouble running the ball.
Jaden Bray played his first three seasons at Oklahoma State before coming to Morgantown. Bray came down hard on his hip last week and was on the injury report early in the week. He is now off the report and good to go for Saturday.
Win the first quarter and use the crowd
The Mountaineers fell behind against Virginia in the first quarter and rallied back to win. This is not a matchup that you want to fall behind. Oklahoma State is one of the best offenses in the nation and can put up a lot of points. They average the sixth-most yards per game and score 36 points per game.
West Virginia can also use the crowd to its advantage. This is the biggest game in Morgantown and feels like a game that can change the trajectory of the season. Milan Puskar Stadium should be loud and electric, which can cause problems for Oklahoma State. The Mountaineers must give them something to cheer for and start the game with a quick start.
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