Oklahoma State University Athletics
The Sunday Wrap - West Virginia
October 26, 2014 | Cowboy Football
Oct. 26, 2014
STILLWATER - Oklahoma State allowed West Virginia to score touchdowns on each of its first two possessions and that is all the advantage the Mountaineers needed in their 34-10 win over the Cowboys in Boone Pickens Stadium.
The Pokes trailed, 14-10, at the half and were very much in the game, but WVU minimized OSU's comeback chances by piling up a 12:09-to-2:51 advantage in time of possession in the third quarter. The Mountaineers ran 25 offensive plays in the third quarter to OSU's seven. Still, trailing only 17-10 going into the fourth quarter, the Cowboys remained in position to make a move.
WVU kicker Josh Lambert turned it into a two-possession game by knocking in a 43-yard field goal with 10:14 remaining, which made the Cowboy offense one-dimensional. West Virginia pounced on that opportunity when Dravon Harris picked off a Daxx Garman pass and returned it 52 yards for a touchdown to put the game away.
Performance on third down - both offensively and defensively - was a key factor in the contest, as the Cowboys were 2-of-15 when they needed to move the chains, while West Virginia rolled to a 9-of-18 showing on third down.
Perhaps the brightest spot for Oklahoma State was the performance of cornerback Kevin Peterson, who largely shut down one of the nation's leading receivers by limiting Kevin White to three catches for 27 yards.
The Loss to West Virginia...
• Was only the seventh for OSU since the grand opening of Boone Pickens Stadium in 2009.
• Was only the third for the Pokes in their last 25 home games.
• Was only the third for OSU in their last 17 Big 12 Conference games played in Stillwater.
• Snapped the Cowboys' four-game home winning streak.
• Was the Cowboys' first on Homecoming since 2010.
Standouts vs. West Virginia
Offense
WR James Washington | 6-0 | 193 | Freshman | Stamford, TX/Stamford
Making the first start of his career with Jhajuan Seales out of the lineup, freshman receiver James Washington rose to the occasion by setting a new career high with five receptions and matching his existing career best with 87 receiving yards.
Defense
CB Kevin Peterson | 5-11 | 185 | Junior | Wagoner, OK/Wagoner
Drawing the assignment of covering the nation's leading receiver, Kevin Peterson essentially shut down Mountaineer standout Kevin White by limiting him to three catches for 27 yards. White entered the game leading the nation with 145.7 receiving yards per game and was second nationally with 9.9 receptions per contest. White had 100 receiving yards or more in seven consecutive games until crossing paths with Peterson, who spent the bulk of the game blanketing him. More remarkable than Peterson's stat line was the fact that WVU hardly even tried to challenge him. White was targeted just six times in the game and only one of his receptions resulted in a first down - a touchdown grab in the first quarter that was one of the only plays in the game in which he wasn't matched up against Peterson.
And
FS Jordan Sterns | 6-1 | 205 | Sophomore | Cibolo, TX/Steele
Jordan Sterns had 20 tackles, a half-tackle for loss and a pass breakup against West Virginia. His 20 tackles were the most for a Cowboy since 2001 and made him only the six OSU player to register 20 tackles in a game since 1984. Only seven players in the nation have recorded 20 or more tackles in a game this season. Sterns is the only underclassman to do it.
Special Teams
P Kip Smith | 6-1 | 235 | Senior | Broomfield, CO/Legacy/UCLA
Kip Smith punted five times against West Virginia, with four of those being downed inside the 20. Smith's five punts yielded a grand total of negative-one return yard. Smith boomed a career-long 71 yarder in the contest. He was also effective as a kickoff specialist, using his hang time and directional kicking prowess to limit the Mountaineers to 10.5 yards per kickoff return. To put that into perspective, WVU entered the contest ranking sixth nationally with 26.43 yards per kickoff return.
