Cowboys Sack Mountaineers, Roll to 24-3 Win
Oklahoma State took care of business in Morgantown, WV, as they roll to a 24-3 win over West Virginia. This game marked the first time the Cowboy defense has held an opponent to less than a touchdown in back-to-back games since the 1948 and 1949 seasons.
With the win, the Pokes move to 8-1 on the season and 5-1 in Big 12 play. This marks the Pokes’ best start since the 2015 season.
It was a solid defensive performance from the Cowboys in the first half as they held the Mountaineers to just 61-yards, 63 coming through the air, -2 on the ground. They also combined for four total sacks on Jarret Doege.
However, that strong defensive play would carry over into the third quarter as the Pokes combined for three more sacks, holding the Mountaineers to just one rushing yards through the first three quarters. By the end of the game, the Pokes had sacked Doege eight yards for a loss of 75 yards.
“It was crazy,” head coach Mike Gundy told the Cowboy Radio Network. “I mean, I know I watched the tape and studied it the right way, but the last few weeks [West Virginia] was really good up front on both sides of the ball. I told our defense, I mean they just dominated them, I don’t know what else you can say. If you say anything else, I mean it really kind of goes on deaf ears I would think.”
Malcolm Rodriguez led the way for the Pokes with nine total tackles, but Devin Harper and Brock Martin each finished with two sacks apiece.
Christian Holmes put an exclamation mark on this defensive performance as he hauls in his first interception of the season with just under six minutes left to go in the game.
On the game, the Cowboys held the Mountaineers to just 133 yards of total offense, 116 yards through the air and just 17 yards on the ground.
“Eight sacks and 17 yards rushing on 33 carries, I don’t know that we’ve ever seen a game like this,” coach Gundy told the Cowboy Radio Network.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Cowboys picked things up as the first quarter rolled into the second. They’d finish the first half with 173 total yards, 116 coming through the air. For the second week in a row, the Cowboys posted a third-quarter touchdown as Spencer Sanders found Tay Martin in the corner of the end zone with yet another fade for their second touchdown connection of this game to put the Pokes up 17-3.
The first TD fade from Sanders to Martin was a six-yard fade for the Pokes first touchdown of the day.
Sanders went 21-of-31 on the day for 182 yards through the air with two touchdowns. He had 10 carries for 18 yards.
Jaylen Warren led the way for the Pokes on the ground with 16 carries for 78 yards and one touchdown.
As for the receiving game, Brennan Presley and Jaylen Warren were close, but Martin led the way with seven receptions for 63 yards and two touchdowns and Presley with six receptions for 53 yards.
The Cowboys will host TCU on Saturday, Nov. 13 for the blackout game. The athletic department will also unveil and statue honoring the great Barry Sanders, as well as induct him into the Cowboy Football Ring of Honor.