West Virginia University Football Power Rankings Week 9

1. Wendell Smallwood

Playing in place of an injured Rushel Shell, Smallwood allowed the Mountaineers to not miss a beat with their run game turning 23 carries into 132 yards and adding a reception for 14 yards. WVU has a nice combination with Shell and Smallwood and Saturday marked the second straight game where Smallwood had over 20 carries.

Previous ranking unranked

2. Mario Alford

Alford burned the Cowboys on the second possession of the game with a 79-yard touchdown reception and finished the day with seven catches for 136 yards and the aforementioned touchdown.

Previous ranking #7

3. Kevin White

This might seem really high for a guy who only had three catches, but his mere presence on the field forced Oklahoma State to devote two players to attempt to cover him, which opened up the field for the rest of the Mountaineer playmakers to do their thing. Put another way if Kevin White did not play this past Saturday I do not think the run game and Alford have the same level of success.

Previous ranking #1

4. Dravon Henry

Henry had two interceptions the second of which he returned for a touchdown that essentially sealed the victory for the Mountaineers. Not a bad day for a true freshman playing in the Big 12.

Previous ranking unranked

5. Josh Lambert

No fifty yarders this week, but Lambert was perfect on two field goals and four extra points.

Previous ranking #4

6. Dreamius Smith

Smith had another nice day and seems to be coming into form after largely being an afterthought through the first few games. Against the Cowboys Smith had 72 yards and a touchdown on five carries including a big third down run and a late touchdown that added some style points to the Mountaineers win.

Previous ranking unranked

7. Clint Trickett

Trickett's stat line is not as eye popping as it has been the rest of the season, but in a game where WVU opted to win with ball control and defense Trickett made just enough plays to provide some cushion, and did a nice job of managing the game the rest of the way.

Previous ranking #2

8. Karl Joseph

Per cfbstats.com Joseph had eight tackles and a quarterback hurry against the Cowboys, and is currently second on the team with 58 total tackles.

Previous ranking unranked

9. Nick Kwiatkoski

Kwiatkoski turned in another solid performance with seven tackles and a quarterback hurry. He continues to lead the team with 62 total tackles for the year.

Previous ranking #9

10. Nick O'Toole

O'Toole had a nice day punting the ball averaging 41 yards a punt on seven punts with a long of 56 yards.

Previous ranking unranked