Photo: USA Today Sports
Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy felt his team was walking in to a hornet's nest in Morgantown, and his Cowboys got stung on their way out. West Virginia took advantage of some Oklahoma State turnovers and scored a surprising 30-21 victory against a team that looked to be a Big 12 contender this season.
It is far too early to suggest Oklahoma State is out of the Big 12 hunt before October, but a loss to West Virginia is something few saw coming. The Mountaineers were blanked by Maryland last week (37-0) and had been scuffling on offense. West Virginia even looked to be going through another long afternoon in the first quarter following a 73-yard touchdown pass from J.W. Walsh to Josh Stewart. The defense was back on the field minutes later but it was this unit that provided the spark for West Virginia. A 58-yard interception returned for a touchdown by Ishmaeil Banks tied the game and West Virginia never really looked back.
West Virginia took a 24-14 lead in to the half with Florida State transfer Clint Trickett getting the start at quarterback. Trickett ended his day passing for 309 yards and a touchdown, but he was intercepted twice as well. West Virginia's offense did not put up the same numbers Oklahoma State did, but they managed to do enough to find a way to win and that could bode well for this program moving forward.
This is still a bit of a rebuilding year for West Virginia, but now they are 1-1 in Big 12 play and 3-2 overall. this season could have easily turned south for Dana Holgorsen's team, so building off of what worked against Oklahoma State could send the season heading in a different direction. West Virginia has Baylor next, which will not be easy given the offense the Bears pack. But it is better to head to Waco off a win rather than an 0-2 Big 12 record.
Follow Crystal Ball Run on Twitter and Facebook. Sign up for The Crystal Ball Run Newsletter today!
