MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Texas is back in contention for a spot in the Big 12 Championship game after a 41-34 overtime win at Oklahoma State Saturday night. That result ensured that the top six teams in the league standings are separated by just one game with a little over a month to play in the regular season. WVU (4-2, 3-2 Big 12) visits Texas (4-2, 3-2 Big 12) Saturday at noon.
“They’re coming off a huge win against Oklahoma State, who was playing as good as anyone in the country,” said WVU head coach Neal Brown. “Texas is probably the most talented team in our league. We’ve got our hands full this week on a little bit of a unique schedule.”
All NCAA football players will have Tuesday off from official team activities on Election Day.
Texas linebacker Joseph Ossai was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week after collecting a dozen tackles (six for loss), three sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in the win at OSU. He also tracked down Spencer Sanders on the final play of overtime to secure the win.
“I don’t know to be honest with you, what teams game plans are in terms of how they handle Joseph Ossai and whether or not that is, quote-unquote, freeing up other guys. But I know those guys are definitely playing at a high level,” said Texas head coach Tom Herman.
“We held Oklahoma State at home to ten points in the second half and overtime. Not just that last play, but the way we played the entire second half is a big confidence booster for that side of the football.”
Much like the Longhorns, the Mountaineers delivered their best victory of the season in a 37-10 triumph over Kansas State.
“Our preparation was much improved,” Brown said. We practiced better throughout the week leading into it. I think we embraced who we have to be if we are going to play, not only on defense but well as a football team. That is a gritty team. We’re not at a point where we are very often the more talented team in our conference when we line up and play.”
51 years in the making
According to the WVU Sports Communications office, Bridgeport High School graduate Dylan Tonkery is the first Harrison County native to score a touchdown for the Mountaineers since Clarksburg’s Tom Williams scored on a 7-yard run in the 1969 season opener.
“Nobody deserves that pick-six more than Dylan Tonkery,” Brown said. “He is as good of a teammate as we have in our football program. He is completely unselfish. He is a team guy, is coachable and his teammates love him. I was super-fired up for Tonk to get that pick-six. That was the best he has played on defense all year.”
The news was not all good coming from Saturday’s game. Starting placekicker and Hampshire High graduate Evan Staley is lost for the season after suffering an injury on kickoff coverage in the first quarter. Cross Lanes Christian grad Casey Legg was 2-for-2 on field goals and 4-for-4 on PATs Saturday.
— Evan Staley (@EvanScott_1) November 1, 2020
“We all hurt for Evan. It was kind of a freak deal. We misfit a kickoff and it got to him, which you never want the kickoff to get to your kicker. But it did and his leg just gave out,” Brown said.
“Casey played in all but four games last year, so he has experience. He never gets too high or too low. He is not a guy that succumbs to pressure. That’s a benefit. He has a great personality to be a specialist.”
Standing by for TCU kickoff time
Next Saturday’s TCU-WVU game at Milan Puskar Stadium will be televised by FOX but the kickoff time is not set. The game has been designated with a six-day window. Kickoff time should be announced late Saturday.
Fields II secures Big 12 honor
WVU senior linebacker Tony Fields II has been named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week. The transfer from Arizona racked up fifteen tackles in Saturday’s win over K-State.