Oklahoma State to Face West Virginia in Morgantown

Complete Notes Available Here

The Basics
The Oklahoma State football team (7-1 overall; 4-1 Big 12) travels to Morgantown to face West Virginia (4-4 overall; 2-3 Big 12) at 2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, November 6, at Milan Puskar Stadium.

On the Air
The game will be televised by ESPN with Bob Wischusen, Dan Orlovsky and Kris Budden on the call. It will also be carried live on the Cowboy Radio Network, with Dave Hunziker handling play-by-play, John Holcomb providing analysis and Robert Allen reporting from the sideline. Fans outside of the Cowboy Radio Network can listen to the OSU broadcast for free through The Varsity Network app.

In the Rankings
Oklahoma State is No. 11 in this week's edition of the AP Top 25, continuing a streak of 14 consecutive seasons in the poll. The streak, which began in 2008, is the 10th-longest active streak in the nation. Including this season, OSU has appeared in the top 15 of the AP poll in 12 of the past 14 seasons. It has also seen a top 10 ranking in the AP poll at some point in 10 of those 14 years. The Cowboys are also No. 11 in this week's USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll. OSU has been included in the coaches poll in each week of the 2021 season. Although the first 2021 College Football Playoff rankings won't be released until November 2, it's worth noting that OSU has been part of the CFP rankings in five of the past six seasons entering 2021. West Virginia is not ranked.

The Series
Saturday's game marks the 13th meeting between Oklahoma State and West Virginia in a series that began in 1928. The 2021 season also marks the 10th consecutive year the teams have met. The Cowboys own an 8-4 all-time series advantage, including a 3-2 edge in Morgantown. OSU has won six straight over the Mountaineers and has won each of the past three played in Morgantown. A win Saturday would extend the longest win streak for either team in the series. Mike Gundy is 7-2 in his career against West Virginia, while WVU coach Neal Brown is 0-2 against the Cowboys.

Oklahoma State from a Distance
Oklahoma State has established itself as a top-tier program in the nation in recent history, ranking among the top 11 programs nationally in wins since 2010. The Cowboys have won 72.5% of their games (108-41) during that timeframe and have school-record streaks of 15 consecutive bowl bids and 15 consecutive winning seasons. In 2021, the Cowboys are 7-1 and coming off a 55-3 win over Kansas. It was OSU's most dominant performance on both sides of the ball this year and the win marked OSU's largest margin of victory since a 54 point win over Southeastern Louisiana in 2016. More importantly, the win kept OSU in the top two of the league standings and kept the Cowboys in control of their own destiny in the Big 12. Led by 10 senior starters, the Oklahoma State defense is outstanding. The Cowboys lead the Big 12 in scoring defense, rushing defense, pass efficiency defense, first downs defense, third down conversion percentage defense, fourth down conversion percentage defense and defensive touchdowns. They also rank among the national leaders in each of those categories, including No. 3 in third down defense, No. 7 in total defense, No. 8 in first downs defense and No. 9 in rushing defense. The leader of the group is Butkus Award semifinalist and All-America candidate linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez, who is the Big 12 leader in tackles and ranks No. 4 among all active FBS players with 218 career solo stops. He's joined by several playmakers in the starting lineup, notably two-time all-conference safety Kolby Harvell-Peel and safety Jason Taylor II, who each had an interception vs. KU. Although the numbers don't reflect his impact due to the starters being relieved before halftime, quarterback Spencer Sanders had one of his most impressive showings last week as well. The junior passed for 157 yards and two touchdowns and added 53 rushing yards and a touchdown on seven carries. He also threw a key block (and one that drew national attention) on a reverse that paved the way for Brennan Presley to score in the second quarter. That play was also notable because it marked the fourth touchdown in the past two games for the sophomore wide receiver. He and leading receiver Tay Martin have led the way in the pass-catching department for a receiver group that includes six freshmen on the two-deep. The star of the offense to this point in the season though has been running back Jaylen Warren, who has averaged 134.0 rushing yards in his first six starts as a Cowboy and ranks among the FBS top 15 in rushing yards. On special teams, punter Tom Hutton has helped OSU rank No. 4 nationally in punt return defense, pinning opponents inside their own 20-yard line 16 times this year. Placekicker Tanner Brown is 6-for-8 on field goal attempts.

An Oklahoma State Win Would ...
• Keep the Cowboys in the top two of the 2021 Big 12 standings.
• Make it 8-1 or better for the first time since 2015 and for the fifth time in the Mike Gundy era.
• Make it 4-1 in its past five away games.
• Give it seven straight wins vs. the Mountaineers and four straight wins in Morgantown.
• Make the Cowboys 9-4 all-time vs. West Virginia and 4-2 vs. WVU in Morgantown.
• Improve Mike Gundy's career record vs. West Virginia to 8-2.
• Improve Mike Gundy's record in Big 12 games to 88-56.
• Give it wins in 10 of its past 11 games and 16 of its past 20 games, dating back to the 2020 season.
• Make it 144-67 in its history when playing as an AP-ranked team.
• Make it 132-38 in its history when playing as a higher AP-ranked team than its opponent.
• Make it 79-17 in its past 96 games vs. opponents outside of the AP Top 25, dating back to 2010.

Notable Streaks and Trends Entering the Game
• OSU has gone back-to-back games without turning the ball over.
• OSU's defense has allowed fewer than 100 yards of offense in a half in six of its past seven games. The Cowboys limited Baylor to 99 yards in the first, Tulsa to 89 yards in the first, Boise State to 64 yards in the second, K- State to 84 yards in the second, Texas to 92 yards in the second and Kansas to 49 yards in the first and 94 yards in the second.
• OSU has held 17 of its past 19 Big 12 opponents under their season scoring average.
• OSU has won 76 consecutive games when holding its opponent to fewer than 20 points, dating back to Sept. 13, 2003 – the longest active stretch of time in the FBS and longest since at least 1980.
• OSU has held its opponent scoreless on its game-opening drive in 20 of the past 25 games.
• OSU has held its opponent to less than a 50 percent third down conversion rate in 19 straight games.
• OSU has held its opponent to fewer than 20 first downs in seven straight games.
• According to ESPN, Spencer Sanders' QBR in the last two games (83.4 at Iowa State and 79.4 vs Kansas) both rank among the top five single-game performances of his career.
• Malcolm Rodriguez has recorded at least five tackles in 16 straight games.
• Jaylen Warren has more than 100 yards rushing in four of his past six games.
• OSU is 30-11 in its past 41 games decided by fewer than 10 points.
• OSU is 36-6 in its past 42 games when leading at halftime, dating back to Sept. 17, 2016.
• Dating back to 2005, OSU is 42-4 when not committing a turnover.
• Dating back to 2008, OSU is 68-8 when winning the turnover battle.
• OSU has won three of its last four overtime games.
• OSU has forced 21 turnovers in its past 12 games.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Tanner Brown

Kolby Harvell-Peel

Tom Hutton

Tay Martin

Brennan Presley

Malcolm Rodriguez

Spencer Sanders

Jason Taylor II

Jaylen Warren

Oklahoma State University Athletics