Instant Recap: West Virginia falls to Oklahoma State, fails to clinch Big 12 championship game berth

If the West Virginia Mountaineers still want a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game on December 1st, they’re going to have to go through the biggest dog in the yard on Black Friday to get it after failing to take care of business this evening against the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

The Mountaineers (8-2, 6-2 Big 12) had everything going their way, taking a 31-14 lead into the locker room at the half, but a disastrous third quarter for the Mountaineers allowed the Cowboys (6-5, 3-5 Big 12) to climb right back into the game.

Playcalling in the second half was questionable at best. There were plenty of opportunities for West Virginia to move the ball on the Pokes, but we were - once again - left scratching our heads at some of the decisions made by Jake Spavital. The lone touchdown in the second half felt as though it happened in spite of ourselves.

Ultimately, the Mountaineers had a shot to pull it out in the end, but just fell short. It’s a tale as old as time.

The fat lady isn’t singing quite yet, but she’s doing her vocal exercises. Time to regroup, put this one behind us and set our sights on a long overdue win over the Oklahoma Sooners next Friday night.

Key Takeaways

• Kennedy McKoy was outstanding. He finished for 148 yards and 2 touchdowns on 21 carries. The rest of the run game was unremarkable.
• Will Grier was 27-of-48 for 364 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also fumbled the ball once in the redzone.
• Trevon Wesco continues to build his case to hear his name called in the 2019 NFL Draft. Wesco caught two passes for 51 yards, including an incredible one-handed grab and run for 43 yards in the fourth quarter.
• The Mountaineer defense forced four turnovers, but gave up 604 yards to the Oklahoma State offense. How much of that allowed yardage can be blamed on just being gassed is up for debate.

West Virginia can still make the Big 12 championship game with a win next week over the Oklahoma Sooners in Morgantown. That game kicks off at 8:00PM ET in front of a sell-out crowd and will be broadcast on ESPN.