Countdown to Kickoff – Oklahoma State
November 26, 2022 08:00 AM | Football
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia concludes its regular season today with a road game at Oklahoma State at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
West Virginia (4-7, 2-6) is coming off a 48-31 loss to now-15th-ranked Kansas State last Saturday at Milan Puskar Stadium. Sophomore Garrett Greene earned his first start at quarterback one week after leading WVU to a come-from-behind 23-20 win over Oklahoma – West Virginia's first against the Sooners since joining the Big 12 in 2012.
Greene completed 15 of his 27 pass attempts for 204 yards and three touchdowns and ran for a 13-yard score. The Tallahassee, Florida, resident's 2022 passing numbers show 35 completions in 64 attempts for 445 yards and five touchdowns with a pair of interceptions, both coming in the K-State game.
He ran for 119 yards and two touchdowns in the Oklahoma victory and has now accounted for 1,191 all-purpose yards in 21 games with the bulk of his playing time coming in the last two.
"I think there were some really good things he did and some stuff he needs to get better," West Virginia coach Neal Brown said. "He's got to be better with his eyes, and I think the biggest improvement from last week to this week is he's got to take the layups. He's always looking for the big play, and you've got to take the easy ones, and we didn't do a good job of taking some of the easy things Kansas State was giving us last week."
This will be the first time Brown will be employing a mobile quarterback against Oklahoma State's aggressive pass rush that has caused major problems for the Mountaineers in recent games. A strip-sack for a touchdown was a big factor in the Cowboys' 27-13 victory over West Virginia in Stillwater two years ago, and last year, once OSU got up by two scores, it was able to pin its ears back and sack Jarrett Doege a total of eight times for the day.
In three prior games against OSU, West Virginia has allowed 16 sacks and 33 tackles for losses totaling 170 yards. This year, Oklahoma State's pressure numbers are similar with the Cowboys getting to opposing quarterbacks 23 times and accumulating 79 total TFLs for minus-240 yards.
Additionally, OSU defenders have hurried the quarterback 72 times.
"They're going to pressure and play man coverage, and we've got to be prepared for that," Brown said.
The negative yardage plays West Virginia has sustained against Oklahoma State have factored in significantly to its poor rushing totals against the Cowboys. WVU has managed an average of only 37 yards per game on the ground, including last year's anemic 17 yards.
Oklahoma State (7-4, 4-4), which reached as high as No. 7 in the polls following its 41-31 win against Texas Tech, saw its playoff hopes dashed a week later when it lost 43-40 in two overtimes at TCU.
During that game, senior quarterback Spencer Sanders got injured and the remaining six games have been a rollercoaster ride for the Cowboys. Oklahoma State outlasted Texas, 41-34, on homecoming but lost its next two games on the road at Kansas State and Kansas by a combined score of 85-16.
Back at Boone Pickens Stadium, however, OSU clipped Iowa State 20-14 before last Saturday's 28-13 loss at Oklahoma.
"They're experiencing some adversity, too, in the second half of the season," Brown noted, "but it's a group that plays a whole lot better at home."
OSU is just 1-4 on the road while winning all six home games this year. The Cowboys currently have the sixth-longest active home winning streak with 14 straight wins dating back to its 41-34 overtime loss to Texas on Oct. 31, 2020.
By comparison, West Virginia is only 1-5 in road games this season and has lost its three conference road contests by an average margin of 24.3 points per game.
Here is today's Countdown to Kickoff:
10 – West Virginia ranks TENTH nationally in punt return defense this week, allowing just 2.71 yards per return.
9 – Casey Legg missed his first field goal attempt of the season during last Saturday's loss to Kansas State, but he's still NINTH in the country in field goal percentage (92.9%).
8 – The Mountaineers have completed at least 20 passes in EIGHT of 11 games this season.
7 – Oklahoma State currently owns a SEVEN-game winning streak against West Virginia. The Cowboys last lost to the Mountaineers in Stillwater in 2014.
6 – Opponents have passed for more than 250 yards just SIX times in the last 18 games against WVU's defense.
5 – FIVE West Virginia players have more than 40 game's-worth of experience heading into today's finale: Dante Stills (58), Exree Loe (53), Sam James (49), Bryce Ford-Wheaton (45) and Jordan Jefferson (41).
4 – Senior Sam James is now FOURTH in the Big 12 in receiving yardage with 726. It's the most he's had in his five seasons at WVU.
3 – In its last THREE games against Oklahoma State, all losses, West Virginia has allowed 16 sacks and 33 tackles for negative yardage.
2 – WVU has TWO of the top five receivers in the Big 12 in receptions per game – No. 2 Bryce Ford-Wheaton (5.45) and No. 4 Kaden Prather (5.00).
1 – Senior Dante Stills, playing his final WVU game, ranks FIRST in school history in career tackles for loss with 52½.
West Virginia is looking to snap its seven-game losing streak to the Cowboys and end its season on a positive note.
"This is our last game," Brown said. "We don't like it, but it is what it is. I think this week is about gratitude, and we're thankful for a lot of different things, including the opportunity to finish on the right note. This will be the last time this team will be together, and we'll make it a good week and a fun week for the guys. I fully expect us to go out and play hard and give ourselves a chance to win."
The Cowboys plan to recognize their 26 senior players beforehand.
Today's game will kick off at noon ET and will be televised nationally on ESPN2 (Jay Alter and Charles Arbuckle).
Mountaineer Sports Network coverage on stations throughout West Virginia begins with the GoMart Mountaineer Tailgate Show at 9 a.m. leading into regular network coverage with Tony Caridi, Dwight Wallace, and Jed Drenning at 11 a.m.
Listeners can access the broadcast online at WVUsports.com, the WVU Gameday and The Varsity Network apps, or on satellite radio SiriusXM channel 135 or channel 200 on the XM app.
West Virginia (4-7, 2-6) is coming off a 48-31 loss to now-15th-ranked Kansas State last Saturday at Milan Puskar Stadium. Sophomore Garrett Greene earned his first start at quarterback one week after leading WVU to a come-from-behind 23-20 win over Oklahoma – West Virginia's first against the Sooners since joining the Big 12 in 2012.
Greene completed 15 of his 27 pass attempts for 204 yards and three touchdowns and ran for a 13-yard score. The Tallahassee, Florida, resident's 2022 passing numbers show 35 completions in 64 attempts for 445 yards and five touchdowns with a pair of interceptions, both coming in the K-State game.
He ran for 119 yards and two touchdowns in the Oklahoma victory and has now accounted for 1,191 all-purpose yards in 21 games with the bulk of his playing time coming in the last two.
"I think there were some really good things he did and some stuff he needs to get better," West Virginia coach Neal Brown said. "He's got to be better with his eyes, and I think the biggest improvement from last week to this week is he's got to take the layups. He's always looking for the big play, and you've got to take the easy ones, and we didn't do a good job of taking some of the easy things Kansas State was giving us last week."
This will be the first time Brown will be employing a mobile quarterback against Oklahoma State's aggressive pass rush that has caused major problems for the Mountaineers in recent games. A strip-sack for a touchdown was a big factor in the Cowboys' 27-13 victory over West Virginia in Stillwater two years ago, and last year, once OSU got up by two scores, it was able to pin its ears back and sack Jarrett Doege a total of eight times for the day.
In three prior games against OSU, West Virginia has allowed 16 sacks and 33 tackles for losses totaling 170 yards. This year, Oklahoma State's pressure numbers are similar with the Cowboys getting to opposing quarterbacks 23 times and accumulating 79 total TFLs for minus-240 yards.
Additionally, OSU defenders have hurried the quarterback 72 times.
"They're going to pressure and play man coverage, and we've got to be prepared for that," Brown said.
The negative yardage plays West Virginia has sustained against Oklahoma State have factored in significantly to its poor rushing totals against the Cowboys. WVU has managed an average of only 37 yards per game on the ground, including last year's anemic 17 yards.
Oklahoma State (7-4, 4-4), which reached as high as No. 7 in the polls following its 41-31 win against Texas Tech, saw its playoff hopes dashed a week later when it lost 43-40 in two overtimes at TCU.
During that game, senior quarterback Spencer Sanders got injured and the remaining six games have been a rollercoaster ride for the Cowboys. Oklahoma State outlasted Texas, 41-34, on homecoming but lost its next two games on the road at Kansas State and Kansas by a combined score of 85-16.
Back at Boone Pickens Stadium, however, OSU clipped Iowa State 20-14 before last Saturday's 28-13 loss at Oklahoma.
"They're experiencing some adversity, too, in the second half of the season," Brown noted, "but it's a group that plays a whole lot better at home."
OSU is just 1-4 on the road while winning all six home games this year. The Cowboys currently have the sixth-longest active home winning streak with 14 straight wins dating back to its 41-34 overtime loss to Texas on Oct. 31, 2020.
By comparison, West Virginia is only 1-5 in road games this season and has lost its three conference road contests by an average margin of 24.3 points per game.
Here is today's Countdown to Kickoff:
10 – West Virginia ranks TENTH nationally in punt return defense this week, allowing just 2.71 yards per return.
9 – Casey Legg missed his first field goal attempt of the season during last Saturday's loss to Kansas State, but he's still NINTH in the country in field goal percentage (92.9%).
8 – The Mountaineers have completed at least 20 passes in EIGHT of 11 games this season.
7 – Oklahoma State currently owns a SEVEN-game winning streak against West Virginia. The Cowboys last lost to the Mountaineers in Stillwater in 2014.
6 – Opponents have passed for more than 250 yards just SIX times in the last 18 games against WVU's defense.
5 – FIVE West Virginia players have more than 40 game's-worth of experience heading into today's finale: Dante Stills (58), Exree Loe (53), Sam James (49), Bryce Ford-Wheaton (45) and Jordan Jefferson (41).
4 – Senior Sam James is now FOURTH in the Big 12 in receiving yardage with 726. It's the most he's had in his five seasons at WVU.
3 – In its last THREE games against Oklahoma State, all losses, West Virginia has allowed 16 sacks and 33 tackles for negative yardage.
2 – WVU has TWO of the top five receivers in the Big 12 in receptions per game – No. 2 Bryce Ford-Wheaton (5.45) and No. 4 Kaden Prather (5.00).
1 – Senior Dante Stills, playing his final WVU game, ranks FIRST in school history in career tackles for loss with 52½.
West Virginia is looking to snap its seven-game losing streak to the Cowboys and end its season on a positive note.
"This is our last game," Brown said. "We don't like it, but it is what it is. I think this week is about gratitude, and we're thankful for a lot of different things, including the opportunity to finish on the right note. This will be the last time this team will be together, and we'll make it a good week and a fun week for the guys. I fully expect us to go out and play hard and give ourselves a chance to win."
The Cowboys plan to recognize their 26 senior players beforehand.
Today's game will kick off at noon ET and will be televised nationally on ESPN2 (Jay Alter and Charles Arbuckle).
Mountaineer Sports Network coverage on stations throughout West Virginia begins with the GoMart Mountaineer Tailgate Show at 9 a.m. leading into regular network coverage with Tony Caridi, Dwight Wallace, and Jed Drenning at 11 a.m.
Listeners can access the broadcast online at WVUsports.com, the WVU Gameday and The Varsity Network apps, or on satellite radio SiriusXM channel 135 or channel 200 on the XM app.
Players Mentioned
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