STILLWATER, Okla. — With two crucial games standing between West Virginia and a berth in the Big 12 championship game, Dana Holgorsen believes he’s coaching a special team. Conversely, he doesn’t know what to make of this week’s opponent, Oklahoma State.
The Cowboys (5-5, 2-5) reside next-to-last in the conference standings despite two wins over ranked teams and coming within an incomplete two-point conversion of beating No. 6 Oklahoma.
“I can’t figure it out,” Holgorsen said. “They beat Texas. Boise is a good football team, and they beat them by over three touchdowns. They were a completion away from beating Oklahoma. Those are all really good teams. Then, they struggle against some other teams.”
No. 9 West Virginia (8-1, 6-1) is a five-point favorite entering Saturday’s game in Stillwater, where Holgorsen spent a transformative 2010 season as offensive coordinator before landing his current head-coaching post. This could wind up being his winningest and most decorated team yet, thanks to the productivity of quarterback Will Grier, receiver David Sills and linebacker David Long — all of whom factored heavily into last week’s 47-10 romp over TCU.
On pace to produce the highest-scoring season in program history, the Mountaineers average 40.9 points per game. Grier has thrown three or more touchdowns in all but one game and ranks third nationally in passing efficiency behind Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray and Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa.
“I think we’ve found our identity,” Grier said. “I think we’re in a good spot as an offense, but we have to realize the kind of effort and the finishing mentality that it takes to win football games in November.”
Sills has 12 touchdowns this season, ranking second among FBS receivers, and Gary Jennings has caught 10, which ranks No. 6. They are the only tandem in the nation with double-digit TD catches.
“We know they want to pass the ball,” said Oklahoma State cornerback Rodarius Williams. “We’re looking to shut those guys down and compete.”
As West Virginia seeks to start 9-1 for the first time in Holgorsen’s eight seasons, Oklahoma State’s psyche is a mystery coming off the 48-47 loss at Oklahoma. A missed PAT by Matt Amendola in the fourth quarter and a failed two-point pass with 1:03 remaining foiled the Cowboys’ chance at a Bedlam shocker.
“The loss last week was definitely tough, but we knew we left it all out on the field, so getting motivated for this next game was no problem at all,” said defensive end Jordan Brailford. “We feel like we have a great opportunity — with another top-10 coming into our house — to do something great like we did against Texas.”
Oklahoma State upset then-No. 6 Texas 38-35 on Oct. 27. Rewinding to September, it dominated No. 17 Boise State 44-21. But Boone Pickens Stadium hasn’t always been a safe haven, because the Pokes suffered home losses to Texas Tech (41-17) and Iowa State (48-42).
Senior quarterback Taylor Cornelius ranks eighth nationally at 312 passing yards per game, many of them targeting Tylan Wallace. Like Sills, he’s a Biletnikoff Award semifinalist, and Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said the sophomore Wallace is developing faster than program’s former greats, Justin Blackmon and James Washington.
“He is further ahead of guys that we’ve had that have won the award, and it’s not even close,” Gundy said.
Oklahoma also anticipates utilizing running back Justice Hill, who departed the Oklahoma game after only five carries with sore ribs. A junior who stands 70 rushing yards shy of his third consecutive 1,000-yard season, Hill’s breakaway speed concerns West Virginia defensive coordinator Tony Gibson. During last year’s game at Morgantown, Hill ripped off a 39-yard run and scored twice in OSU’s 50-39 victory.
“He’s probably have the best running back in the Big 12,” Gibson said. “He’s special. He’s a game changer.”