MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Off to a 3-0 start for the first time in eight years, West Virginia looks to carryover momentum garnered from a strong finish to non-conference play when it begins the Big 12 portion of its schedule at 7 p.m. Saturday by welcoming Oklahoma State to Milan Puskar Stadium.
The league opener for both teams can be seen on FS1.
It was mission accomplished in non-conference play for West Virginia, which is fresh off a 38-27 victory against then-No. 25 Virginia last Saturday night in Charlotte.
Mountaineers’ head coach Rich Rodriguez now wants to see his team reset, refocus and build off the effort that has his team on the cusp of a national ranking and at No. 28 in this week’s Associated Press Top 25.
“Going into Big 12 play, all the games are going to be competitive,” WVU head coach Rich Rodriguez said. “The conference games always mean the most, unless you’re playing Pitt. Outside of that, the conference games are the ones that are most important. A lot of [his team’s focus], I determine by how we practice on Tuesday and Wednesday. Our Tuesday and Wednesday practices don’t vary too much. They’ll go a little bit shorter as the season goes along, but for the most part, we’re back to work like it’s the first day of camp.”
Among the top storylines centered around WVU over the season’s first few weeks is the emergence of quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. While Rodriguez did not publicly name a starting signal-caller leading up to the September 5 season opener, Hawkins has shown why he earned the nod.
Hawkins has been nearly flawless as a passer and is 26-for-38 with 477 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions. He’s also the team’s leading rusher with 322 yards and six rushing scores on 44 carries.
“You can see his confidence is growing,” Rodriguez said.
Hawkins and tailback Cam Cook (70 carries, 317 yards, 3 TDs) have been West Virginia’s featured offensive playmakers, and slot receiver DJ Epps has made the most of eight receptions, which have totaled 240 yards and produced three touchdowns.
The Mountaineers overcame an early 7-0 deficit last week and led 21-14 at halftime, continuing a theme of strong opening halves over the season’s first month. WVU has outscored the opposition 42-14 in the first quarter and 73-14 in the first half.
“There’s going to be different tests over the next two months of the season, but the competitiveness and staying engaged in the game was really good,” Rodriguez said. “That was the part we preached about before the game. Everybody has to be aware of the situation, stay engaged in the game, don’t worry about the score and just go play. For the most part, we did that Saturday.”
Third down success has also been critical to the offensive outputs with the Mountaineers 15th nationally in conversion rate at 53.3 percent (24-for-45).
That mark figures to be put to the test against Oklahoma State. The Cowboys (2-1) are tops among FBS teams in third-down defense, having prevented opponents from converting on 31 of 37 attempts.
“A lot of it, if it’s third-and-long and it’s not there, your quarterback makes a play with his feet,” Rodriguez said. “Mike has helped with that a little bit. Outside of that, staying out of third and really long situations really helps that third-down deal.”
West Virginia’s defense put forth a strong showing against Virginia and will need another one if it hopes to slow a Cowboys’ offense averaging the sixth most yards per game among all FBS teams at 528.
Under first-year head coach Eric Morris, the Cowboys have been balanced, rushing 122 times and passing 120 among their 242 plays from scrimmage.
Quarterback Drew Mestemaker followed Morris from North Texas to Stillwater and has been exceptional the last two games after Week 1 struggles in a loss to Tulsa. Mestemaker helped guide the Cowboys to an impressive 39-31 victory against then-No. 6 Oregon two weeks ago, and his ability to get the ball out quickly makes rushing the passer a tough task.
The Mountaineers have a respectable 10 sacks, but adding to that total will be challenging against an experienced and accomplished quarterback who was last season’s American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year.
Wideouts Justin Bowick and Wyatt Young have been Mestemaker’s primary targets. Bowick enters Week 4 with 16 receptions for 281 yards and three touchdowns, while Young, a North Texas transfer, has caught 14 passes for 218 yards and two TDs.
The Cowboys’ passing attack has benefited from a strong run game led by another North Texas transfer in tailback Caleb Hawkins. Hawkins has rushed for 261 yards on 52 carries early into his Cowboys’ career one year after setting the FBS record for touchdowns by a freshman with 29.
“They’ve done a great job of putting this team together in the short period of time that he’s been there,” Rodriguez said. “They’re doing a fabulous job.
“I don’t know his methodology or anything like that, but if you watch the film and see guys playing hard and not making a lot of mistakes, you can tell they have it together. He has a good plan for it. He’s a young guy, but he’s not a first-time head coach, and he knows how to build a program.”
With Oklahoma State having lost 24-10 at Tulsa in its only road game thus far, Morris is eager to see how his team responds to what he anticipates will be a frenzied environment in Morgantown. The Cowboys have won five straight games at WVU and are tied with Miami for the longest active win streak in Morgantown.
“I know a night game and how hostile this crowd can be, especially when they get it going and obviously they have great momentum coming off a big win,” Morris said. “They really got after Virginia, which prides themselves on physicality, which is super impressive to watch. Being able to talk to the guys about what’s in front of them and the travel. Is it ideal? Absolutely not. Playing loud music and understanding what the fan atmosphere is going to be going into a road game with that kind of environment. But that’s why these kids love this game. It’s what you’ve dreamed about your whole life to play in games like this. It’s something we have to embrace as a program.”