Kickoff: 6 PM CT
Location: Milan Puskar Stadium (Morgantown, West Virginia)
Television: FS1
Radio: Cowboy Radio Network
Twitter: Follow @HeartlandPokes for live tweets during the game
The Oklahoma State Cowboys (2-1) open up conference play on Saturday against the West Virginia Mountaineers (3-0). Both teams already have a win against a top-25 team so far this season, but they have taken very different roads to get to this game.
After dropping the season opener at Tulsa against the Golden Hurricane, the Cowboys have looked like a completely different football team, closer to what was expected of them in the preseason. Quarterback Drew Mestemaker has played well the last couple of weeks, and Oklahoma State is going to need him to lead with confidence if they want to pick up a win in a tough road environment.
West Virginia entered the season picked to finish at the bottom of the conference, but after a win against #25 Virginia last week, the Mountaineers look like another of the Big 12’s teams that isn’t going to go quietly into the night. Quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. has been spectacular in his first three games for West Virginia, accounting for 11 total touchdowns (5 passing, 6 rushing).
With a point total prediction of 60+ points, this game could quickly turn into a shootout like one of the Big 12 games of old. Both the Cowboys and the Mountaineers have high-powered offenses, so defense is going to be key to getting the win for both teams. Oklahoma State had a stiff game plan in their win against the Oregon Ducks a couple of weeks ago, and they didn’t allow a single point against Murray State last week. West Virginia hasn’t been quite as solid on the defensive end, so if the Cowboys can establish the run game early through Caleb Hawkins and Ayo Adeyi, then Drew Mestemaker will have a better opportunity to do some damage through the air.
How the Cowboys Win
Stopping Michael Hawkins Jr. should be priority #1 for the Oklahoma State defense. Hawkins isn’t an established passer, although he’s been more than good enough so far, but he is a real threat on the ground. He leads the Mountaineers in rushing yards and touchdowns, so keeping him contained and forcing him to throw the ball will give the Cowboys a good chance at keeping West Virginia off the scoreboard.
Offensively, the Cowboys need to continue to be efficient. Drew Mestemaker is still young, so his decision-making at times has led to mistakes; establishing the run early would go a long way in opening up the offense.
How the Mountaineers Win
West Virginia’s offense is more than capable of scoring enough points to win this game, but can the defense get the stops necessary to keep the Mountaineers ahead? If they can slow down the Cowboys, or even force a turnover or two, the crowd will keep the momentum on their side, giving them the edge if the score is close late in the game.
Odds & Predictions
Staff Score Predictions
| Staff | Prediction |
|---|---|
| Caleb | West Virginia 38 – Oklahoma State 24 |
| Craig | West Virginia 28 – Oklahoma State 24 |
| Matt | West Virginia 35 – Oklahoma State 31 |
| Zack | Oklahoma State 38 – West Virginia 34 |
An Oklahoma State Win Would…
- Give the Cowboys six straight wins at West Virginia.
- Mark OSU’s first conference win since November 25, 2023, ending an 18-game Big 12 losing streak.
- Improve the Cowboys’ all-time record against West Virginia to 11-6.
- Give the Cowboys wins in nine of the past 11 meetings with WVU.
- Improve OSU’s record against WVU in Morgantown to 6-2.
- Mark OSU’s 137th win since the beginning of the 2010 season, ranking among the top 15 in the FBS
Notable Streaks and Trends Entering the Game
- Dating back to 2008, OSU is 83-14 when winning the turnover battle.
- Dating back to 2005, OSU is 50-7 when not committing a turnover.
- OSU has won 88 of its past 91 games when holding its opponent to fewer than 20 points, dating back to Sept. 13, 2003. Including games when opponents have scored 20 points or fewer, OSU has won 96 of its past 100.
- OSU is 41-23 in its past 64 games decided by fewer than 10 points.
- OSU is 54-10 in its past 64 games when leading at halftime, dating back to Sept. 17, 2016.
- OSU has won five of its past seven overtime games.
- Drew Mestemaker has passed for at least 200 yards in 18-straight games – the longest active streak in the FBS. He’s passed for at least 250 yards in seven of his past eight games.
- Mestemaker has thrown at least one touchdown in 17 of his past 18 games.
- Caleb Hawkins has scored multiple touchdowns in six of his past 10 games. He’s scored at least three touchdowns in five of his past nine.
- Hawkins has rushed for at least 100 yards in five of his past nine games.
- Wyatt Young has had more than 100 receiving yards in six of his past 11 games.
- Israel Polk has at least one catch in each of his past 25 games played.
- Miles Coleman has at least one catch in each of his past 22 games played.
- Wyatt Young has at least one catch in each of his past 18 games played.
- Caleb Hawkins has at least one catch in each of his past 16 games played.
- Chris Barnes has at least one catch in each of his past 14 games played.
- Ethan Wesloski has made at least one tackle in 42 consecutive games, including every game he’s played since the beginning of the 2023 season. He’s had at least three tackles in 14 straight games.
- Jack Puckett has made at least one tackle in 34 of the 37 games of his career and at least three tackles in 30 games. He played at the Div. II level until 2026.
- Isaiah Chisom has made at least two tackles in 29 straight games.
- Quinton Hammonds has made at least two tackles in 14 straight games.
- Jaleel Johnson has made at least two tackles in 10 of his past 12 games.
- Christian Bodnar has made at least three tackles in eight of his past nine games.
- LaDainian Fields has started nine straight games for OSU, the longest streak of any player on the roster.