Oklahoma State vs. West Virginia Prediction, Game Preview

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As if losing to Oklahoma wasn’t tough enough, now West Virginia has to go on without its All-America-caliber safety, Karl Joseph, who suffered a knee injury in a recent practice to knock him out for the year. One of the nation’s better all-around defenders and playmakers, he was second on the team with 20 tackles to go along with five picks – coming up with three in the opener against Georgia Southern and one against both Maryland and Oklahoma. More than that, he was one of the team’s key leaders, veterans and hitters. While he’s not all that big, he has the ability to pack a wallop and is always around the ball.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma State took a big hit of its own with linebacker Ryan Simmons also lost for the year with a knee injury. While he’s not the impact player for the Cowboy D that Joseph is for West Virginia, he was a decent part of the rotation this season coming off a 96-tackle season. The fifth-year senior only made 14 stops this year.

West Virginia (3-1) might have suffered a major setback with the loss to Oklahoma, and an even bigger one with the knee injury suffered by Joseph, but it’s still deep in the mix for the Big 12 title if it can pull off the win over Oklahoma State (5-0). The Cowboys might not be all that impressive, but they’re unbeaten and 2-0 in Big 12 play. Check out the Oklahoma State vs. West Virginia prediction and game preview.

Oklahoma State vs. West Virginia Game Preview

Broadcast

Date: Saturday, Oct. 10
Game Time: 7:00 pm
Venue: Milan Puskar Stadium, Morgantown, WV
Network: ESPN2

Why You Need To Care

Just how good is Oklahoma State? It was helped by an official’s error – yeah, it happened early on – to slip by a Kansas State team that doesn’t have any quarterbacks left, and it was the one team that couldn’t seem to figure out how to destroy Texas. Even so, the offense is moving, the team is unbeaten, and with Kansas and Texas Tech up next, 8-0 is right there for the taking with a win over the Mountaineers.

West Virginia was playing as sharp and as well as any team over the first three weeks, but it also didn’t face anyone with a pulse. This is still a very strong, very talented team despite the problems against Oklahoma, but this whole thing could go very south very fast with road games at Baylor and TCU up next. Win the next three, be in the mix to be the One True Champion. Lose the next three, and this turns into a mega-clunker of a year.

Why Oklahoma State Will Win

How did Oklahoma stop the West Virginia momentum? It shut down the Mountaineer receivers. Everything was rolling over the first part of the season, and then Skyler Howard and the passing attack couldn’t get things moving down the field against OU with just 173 yards and three picks. Mason Rudolph and the Oklahoma State passing game have been ultra-efficient with 13 touchdown passes and just four picks as a team while hitting over 66% of their passes. Without Joseph around, the Mountaineer secondary that got ripped by OU is about to have a bad day.

Why West Virginia Will Win

UTSA, Texas and Kansas State tried to run the ball on Oklahoma State, but with no passing game to throw out as any sort of a threat, the ground attack didn’t really work. Statistically, the OSU run defense is fantastic, but West Virginia is about to commit to the ground with a good, strong attack that can pound it 50 times a game to go along with a passing threat that’s far better than it showed against Oklahoma. The Mountaineers might only average around four yards per carry, but they can control the game because of it.

Player Who Matters

With Joseph out of the mix, now it’s up to Dravon Askew-Henry to be the new star of the secondary – or at least at safety. A rising all-around playmaker, he has the athleticism and skills to play anywhere in the secondary, but he’s enough of a physical defender to be a bigger factor against the run. Can he be the ball-hawker that Joseph was? That’s asking for way too much, but it’s up to him to double his tackles – he has just 15 on the year – and take over.

What’s Going To Happen?

West Virginia rallies. Oklahoma State has a good, sound team with a rising superstar in Rudolph under center, but at home the Mountaineers will come up with a balanced enough game to get by and keep the season alive. Expect it to be a good one – this will hinge on one key play in the fourth quarter.