Oklahoma State Football: West Virginia Post-Game Report Card

Defense: A

This one is pretty simple, and since the defense did what they always do, I’ll keep this short.

Yes, they got burned a lot in the second half, which was a very different story from previous weeks, as they usually made halftime adjustments and came out much improved.

But how about that first half? It was almost UTSA all over again.

Two fumbles in three possessions for West Virginia, both forced by Emmanul Ogbah, who rewarded himself with a touchdown on the first one.

The result of the second fumble? A short field for the Cowboys, which they needed desperately to score for most of the game.

Touchdown. 14-0 in the first quarter on the road in a place you’ve never won.

Yes, they ended up getting torched by Wendall Smallwood on the ground in the second half, but they clearly frustrated Skyler Howard for most of the game, forcing him to make terrible decisions.

The final stats?

Three sacks, eight tackles for loss, six pass breakups, one quarterback hurry, one interception, three fumbles.

More importantly, the defense held on the final possession of regulation with the game tied, and did their job to keep the Mountaineers out of the end zone in overtime.

The Cowboys won because of the defense, bottom line. Whether it was supplying short fields for the offense, robbing possessions from West Virginia, or coming through twice with the game on the line, they did it. They influenced the entire game, and dictated the flow.

Despite some gaudy offensive stats on the ground for the Mountaineers, Glenn Spencer’s unit deserves a big fat ‘A’ and a pizza party.

Next: Special Teams, Overall GPA