MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — No. 11 Oklahoma State pulled out a 50-39 win over No. 22 West Virginia at Milan Puskar Stadium.
A recap of the live updates, analysis and your much-appreciated feedback from the game:
Final notes:
— The game featured nine turnovers, five by West Virginia. Will Grier threw four interceptions after having thrown five all season.
— Grier finished 20-of-42 for 285 yards, with two fourth-quarter touchdowns.
— Mason Rudolph was held to a season-low 216 yards passing but Oklahoma State compensated with a 246-62 rushing edge.
Fourth quarter
TOUCHDOWN: Ka’Raun White 9-yard pass from Grier (1:25) OSU leads 50-39
West Virginia’s offense delivered too little, too late against a sinking Cowboys zone. Grier’s pass yo White was followd by a two-point pass to Sills. (Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards in 2:22)
TOUCHDOWN: Justice Hill 18-yard run (3:47) OSU leads 50-31
The Cowboys recovered the onside kick and sealed the game with a seven-play drive capped by Hill. (Drive: 7 plays, 47 yards in 3:45)
TOUCHDOWN: Marcus Simms 60-yard pass from Grier (7:32) OSU leads 43-31
West Virginia’s offense put together its first scoring drive of the second half, with Simms catching a deep ball over a cornerback who badly misjudged the throw. (Drive: 3 plays, 80 yards in 0:44)
TOUCHDOWN: James Washington 19-yard pass from Rudolph (8:22) OSU leads 43-24
Washington beat Elijah Bailey along the sideline and the Cowboys capitalized on the turnover. The 2-point pass failed. (Drive: 2 plays, 17 yards in 0:41)
— TURNOVER ALERT: Cornerback A.J. Green jumped over Ka’Raun White to make the interception, Grier’s fourth of the day, and made a 58-yard return.
TOUCHDOWN: Hill 5-yard run (10:38) OSU leads 37-24
Returning from that early injury, Hill squirted through a couple tacklers on a third-down touchdown run. The West Virginia sideline was livid about a poorly thrown third-and-11 pass on which an official flagged cornernback Hakeem Bailey for pass interference on Chris Lacy. (Drive: 9 plays, 48 yards in 3:42)
—West Virginia’s offense punted after a third-and-8 shotgun snap surprised Grier, resulting in an 11-yard loss.
Third quarter
— Oklahoma State could not slow the momentum by picking up a first down, and star receiver James Washington absorbed an awkward-looking hit to his right knee on a third-and-2 incompletion.
TOUCHDOWN: Kenny Robinson 39-yard interception return (3:05) OSU leads 30-24
A second-and-10 mistake by Mason Rudolph kept the comeback cooking as he threw late toward the sideline and into Robinson’s numbers. (Drive: 0 plays, 0 yards in 0:00)
TOUCHDOWN: Marvin Gross blocked punt recovery in end zone (3:55) OSU leads 30-17
Osman Kamara came unblocked off the right edge, deflected Zach Sinor’s punt, and Gross recovered inches across the goal line. (Drive: 0 plays, 0 yards in 0:00)
— Another three-and-out for WVU, whose last four drives have netted 3 yards and two interceptions.
— OSU started a second straight drive in Mountaineers’ territory and came up empty again. This time Matt Ammendola missed a 49-yard field goal wide right.
— TURNOVER ALERT: After a potential 50-yard gain bounced off the face mask of a diving Ka’Raun White, Grier’s third interception of the day sailed into the arms of Jerel Morrow. The passing game hasn’t looked so out-of-sync all season, partly attributable to the pressure OSU is bringing.
— TURNOVER ALERT: Thanks to Stoner’s 20-yard punt return, the Cowboys set up at the West Virginia 37 looking for add-on insurance. That backfired when freshman running back LD Brown dropped a pitch and David Long recovered at the WVU 38.
— Backed up to its 10 by a kick-return penalty, WVU gained 1 yard before punting.
TOUCHDOWN: JD King 6-yard pass from Rudolph (11:21) OSU leads 30-10
King eclipsed 100 yards rushing on the drive and lent a physical finish to the scoring catch by surging through two tacklers to reach the pylon. Credit Rudolph with a patient check-down on the third-and-goal play also. West Virginia’s defense experienced a coverage bust when Dillon Stoner ran wide-open for a 27-yard gain. (Drive: 7 plays, 61 yards in 2:25)
— So much for West Virginia taking the football to open the second half. Facing a third-and-10 blitz, Grier lobbed a deep ball that Simms never saw, but A.J. Green did. The interception set up OSU at its 39.
Halftime notes
— Oklahoma State has outgained the Mountaineers 276-147, including 164-30 on the ground.
— Will Grier is 9-of-17 for 117 yards with one interception. Mason Rudolph has started 11-of-16 for 112 yards and one score.
— WVU stands 0-of-6 on third downs, while the Cowboys are 5-of-11.
— Each team has two turnovers, but Oklahoma State leads 14-0 in points off those turnovers.
Second quarter
TOUCHDOWN: Kennedy McKoy 1-yard run (0:20) OSU leads 23-10
A crucial answer for the Mountaineers’ morale before the half. After Ka’Raun White beat A.J. Green for a 36-yard gain, McKoy converted a fourth-and-2 from the 5. (Drive: 8 plays, 60 yards in 1:32)
— Long registered back-to-back TFLs and the Mountaineers defense forced a quick punt.
— With rain falling, Simms dropped a first-down pass and Grier threw incomplete for Kennedy McKoy on a third-down try. West Virginia punted after a three-and-out.
TOUCHDOWN: J.D. King 20-yard run (4:46) OSU leads 23-3
Oklahoma State struck for the quick-change score, with King taking a delayed handoff up the middle. (Drive: 1 plays, 20 yards in 0:08)
— TURNOVER ALERT: Crawford fumbled on a hit by defensive end Jordan Braiford, and OSU took over at the Mountaineers’ 20.
— The Cowboys went three-and-out when Battle knocked away a third-down pass for Washington.
— Thanks to an OSU unsportsmanlike conduct flag, WVU started at its 40. Thanks to a Cole Walterscheid sack on first down, WVU didn’t capitalize. Billy Kinney’s 22-yard wrong-way bouncing punt didn’t help the mood.
FIELD GOAL: Matt Ammendola 35-yarder (13:31) OSU leads 16-3
Washington made a 14-yard grab and Sion Finefeuiaki caught a 17-yard pass, but the Pokes’ drive mostly relied on eight runs by King, including a fourth-and-2 conversion at the WVU 17. David Long’s 4-yard TFL essentially stopped the threat. (Drive: 13 plays, 57 yards in 5:28)
FIELD GOAL: Evan Staley 23-yarder (13:31) OSU leads 13-3
Grier’s 40-yard sideline pass to Sills gave the crowd life before the drive bogged down inside the Cowboys’ 5. Grier’s third-down scramble to the 2 was spotted back at the 6, where he bobbled the ball on a fumble out of bounds. Staley came on for his first career points. (Drive: 8 plays, 70 yards in 2:31)
First quarter
TOUCHDOWN: Rudolph 1-yard run (1:02) OSU leads 13-0
OSU’s third-down offense was on point here: A third-and-8 pass to Ateman for 13, a third-and-8 draw that King took for 23 yards, and a third-and-8 pass to Chris Lacy that gained 10. Rudolph surged in on the keeper but OSU flubbed the extra-point on a mishandled snap. (Drive: 14 plays, 77 yards in 5:14)
— West Virginia endured a painful three-and-out, with Grier absorbing a blow to the chest from linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga.
TOUCHDOWN: Washington 13-yard pass from Rudolph (7:20) OSU leads 7-0
Washington’s 33rd career touchdown — his first in four games against WVU — was a screen that benefited from nice blocking by receiver Dillon Stoner on cornerback Mike Daniels. Earlier in the drive, the Mountaineers missed a chance for their third straight turnover when Elijah Battle dropped an easy interception. On fourth-and-inches at the 31, OSU brought on its big package only to see Rudolph find Washington on a 13-yard slant against Daniels. (Drive: 8 plays, 51 yards in 2:50)
— TURNOVER ALERT: Ensuing play after the fumble recovery, Grier threw a beat too early on a slant for Sills and Ramon Richards made the interception. The safety’s 24-yard return reached the Cowboys’ 49.
— TURNOVER ALERT: J.D. King fumbled on a huge pop by linebacker Al-Rasheed Benton, and Daniels recovered at the OSU 36.
— Unable to fully capitalize on the turnover, WVU settled for a first down on a sack that went awry (Cole Walterscheid flagged for a questionable horse collar) and Crawford runs. Ultimately, Grier pooch punted on fourth-and-8 from the OSU 40.
— TURNOVER ALERT: Hill ripped off a 39-yard run on the opening snap (thanks to Dravon Askew-Henry’s taking a brutal backside angle), but the WVU defense answered big on the second play. A crushing hit by Kyzir White and Xavier Preston sandwiched Hill and jarred the ball loose. White recovered at the Mountaineers 33 and Hill walked off favoring his left arm.
Pregame notes
— West Virginia kicker Mike Molina (5-of-8 on field goals this season) was in sweats on the sideline during warmups. I’m told he aggravated a hip flexor during practice late in the week. Evan Staley now slated to handle the field-goal duties along with kickoffs.
— Mason Rudolph owns 28 wins as a starting quarterback, tied for most in Oklahoma State history with his coach, Mike Gundy.
— Rudolph also needs nine completions to match Brandon Weeden’s career mark of 767.
— My Four-Down Territory preview features a look at the dynamic James Washington, OSU’s solid run defense, those darling quarterbacks.
— My column on things Will Grier and Al-Rasheed Benton are trying to do better during a season in which they’ve been very good.
— This week’s Episode 13 of “Sweet Spot with A.T” podcast set a record for views and remains five-star rated on iTunes. This makes no sense to me, or my colleagues Keenan Cummings and Matt Keller, but much obliged for all the support.
— Oklahoma State opened as a 6-point favorite but the line has grown to 9 today. Here are our MetroNews staff picks:
