Oklahoma State Visits West Virginia With Big 12 Stakes on the Line
The short version
- West Virginia beat Virginia 38-27 ahead of its biggest conference game since facing Oklahoma in 2018.
- Michael Hawkins Jr. earned Big 12 and Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week honors.
- Oklahoma State's Drew Mestemaker has thrown for 882 yards, 8 TDs and 4 INTs this season.
- The Cowboys upset Oregon in Week 2 behind Mestemaker's 317 passing yards and 109 rushing yards.
- Both teams' pass rushes are viewed as a key factor in Saturday's outcome.
The Mountaineers and Cowboys meet Saturday in Morgantown in a matchup that could shape both programs' conference seasons.
West Virginia enters Saturday's matchup with Oklahoma State coming off a 38-27 victory over Virginia, a result the program viewed as its most significant in some time. The Mountaineers now face what many consider their most important conference contest since the 2018 game against Oklahoma. It may also rank as the biggest home game at Milan Puskar Stadium since the Kyler Murray-led Sooners visited, aside from recent meetings with Pitt.
The stakes run in both directions. Oklahoma State arrived in Stillwater this season carrying considerable off-season expectations, and a road win in Morgantown would validate that buzz. With the Big 12 appearing wide open following BYU's play, the source notes that nearly every competitive program in the league has a path to contention.
The quarterback matchup features two very different players. West Virginia's Michael Hawkins Jr. is a dual-threat who earned Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week and Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week honors after the Virginia win. His running ability forces defenses to crowd the line of scrimmage to contain him and running back Cam Cook, which opens receivers such as DJ Epps and Jaden Bray for chunk plays when he scrambles.
Oklahoma State's Drew Mestemaker operates as a more traditional passer. At North Texas last season, he completed 69% of his throws for 4,379 yards with 34 touchdowns against 9 interceptions, adding just 89 rushing yards and 5 scores on 57 carries. This year he has connected on 66% of his passes for 882 yards, 8 touchdowns and 4 interceptions, with 102 yards and a touchdown on 12 rushes.
Mestemaker showed both sides of his game in the Cowboys' Week 2 upset of Oregon. He threw for 317 yards and 2 touchdowns and added 109 yards and another score on 6 carries, but also threw two costly interceptions. For comparison, West Virginia counterpart Beau Pribula managed negative rushing yardage on eight carries against Virginia.
Both teams' pass rushes could decide the outcome. West Virginia's rebuilt offensive line has been a major improvement over last season and a key reason the offense has clicked, but it has surrendered significant pressure through three weeks. Hawkins has made defenses pay for that pressure so far, though the source questions whether that formula holds up over a full season.
Oklahoma State rotates heavily along its defensive line, which keeps its linemen fresh and forces opposing blockers to handle a variety of skill sets. For the Cowboys to reach their goals, they need to keep Mestemaker clean and upright; for West Virginia, disrupting his timing could force him into contested throws.
The atmosphere could also play a role. A Gold Rush crowd under the lights at Milan Puskar Stadium ranks among the best settings in sports, and a vocal home audience can make life difficult for the visiting offense, potentially forcing burned timeouts and disrupted play calls.
Oklahoma State visits West Virginia on Saturday, September 26 at 7:00 PM EDT at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, with the game airing on FS1.
Games to watch
