For a while on Saturday night in Morgantown, West Virginia looked like it was in control. The Mountaineers were running the football, feeding off the home crowd and had built an early 14-3 advantage over Oklahoma State.

Then everything fell apart.

Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker shredded West Virginia’s defense through the air, throwing for 389 yards and three touchdowns as the Cowboys came from behind to beat WVU 41-24 at Milan Puskar Stadium.

West Virginia dropped to 3-1 overall and 0-1 in Big 12 play, but the final score only tells part of the story.

This was a game WVU had opportunities to control. Instead, the Mountaineers watched it completely unravel in the second half.

 

WVU Starts Fast

West Virginia established its identity early. The Mountaineers wanted to run the football, and Oklahoma State initially had few answers.

Cam Cook broke loose for a 75-yard run that helped set up Michael Hawkins Jr.’s first rushing touchdown, and WVU eventually built a 14-3 lead early in the second quarter.

The running game was working. The crowd was involved. West Virginia appeared to have Oklahoma State exactly where it wanted it.

But the Cowboys slowly started working their way back into the game.

Oklahoma State scored 10 unanswered points to close the first half, including a 21-yard touchdown pass from Mestemaker to Justin Bowick with 1:25 remaining.

Suddenly, WVU’s comfortable advantage had disappeared. The Mountaineers went into halftime leading only 14-13.

That late Oklahoma State touchdown proved to be a warning of what was coming.

 

Everything Changed After Halftime

West Virginia came out of halftime and initially responded. Hawkins scored on a 9-yard run to give WVU a 21-13 advantage.

But from that point forward, the Mountaineers simply could not slow down Oklahoma State’s passing attack.

Mestemaker started attacking West Virginia down the field, and WVU had no answer.

Oklahoma State answered WVU’s touchdown with a four-play, 75-yard drive that took just 1:33 off the clock. Mestemaker connected with Terrence Lewis for a 4-yard touchdown and a successful two-point conversion tied the game at 21.

West Virginia later reclaimed the lead, 24-21, on Jack Cassidy’s 27-yard field goal.

Those would be WVU’s final points of the night.

Oklahoma State responded almost immediately. Three plays. 75 yards. Touchdown. Caleb Hawkins broke a 22-yard touchdown run to put Oklahoma State ahead 28-24.

West Virginia never recovered.

 

Mestemaker Destroys WVU’s Secondary

The biggest problem was obvious.

West Virginia could not stop the pass. Mestemaker completed 20 of 27 passes for 389 yards and three touchdowns.

His second-half numbers were even more damaging.

He completed 11 of 14 passes for 274 yards and two touchdowns after halftime, including 225 passing yards in the third quarter alone.

Wyatt Young became WVU’s biggest nightmare, catching eight passes for 192 yards and a touchdown.

Oklahoma State repeatedly created explosive plays through the air.

The Cowboys finished with 12 offensive plays of at least 20 yards, including 10 through the passing game. Seven of those explosive plays came after halftime, and four second-half passes went for at least 40 yards.

You simply cannot win Big 12 football games giving up that many explosive plays.

And West Virginia never made Mestemaker uncomfortable. The Mountaineers did not sack him once.

When a quarterback is completing passes downfield and you’re unable to pressure him, eventually something is going to break.

Saturday night, WVU’s defense broke.

 

From 24-21 to 41-24

The most alarming part of the loss was how quickly the game got away from West Virginia.

WVU led 24-21 with less than four minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Oklahoma State scored the final 20 points. The Cowboys went ahead 28-24 on Caleb Hawkins’ touchdown run, added a field goal early in the fourth quarter and then Mestemaker found Young for a 6-yard touchdown with 5:42 remaining.

Another Oklahoma State field goal produced the final 41-24 margin.

West Virginia didn’t score a single point in the fourth quarter. Even worse, WVU’s final four possessions ended with three failed fourth-down attempts and a punt.

A competitive football game had turned into a 17-point home loss.

 

WVU’s Running Game Deserved Better

The frustrating part for West Virginia is that there were positives offensively.

The Mountaineers ran for more than 330 yards. Cook was outstanding, rushing for 193 yards, while Hawkins added 102 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

WVU finished with 467 total yards and 29 first downs. Those numbers normally give you a chance to win.

But West Virginia became far too one-dimensional.

Hawkins completed just 10 of 22 passes for 132 yards with an interception. Oklahoma State also sacked him four times.

Eventually, the Cowboys realized WVU was going to have difficulty consistently beating them through the air.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma State was getting explosive plays almost whenever it needed them.

That was the difference.

 

609 Yards Is Unacceptable

There is no way around this number. 609 yards. That is how much offense Oklahoma State accumulated against West Virginia.

The Cowboys threw for 389 yards and rushed for another 220.

Mestemaker threw for 389. Caleb Hawkins rushed for 180. Young had 192 receiving yards. Oklahoma State averaged 9.0 yards every time it snapped the football.

That isn’t one bad series or one blown coverage. That is a defense getting consistently beaten.

Oklahoma State entered Morgantown and snapped an 18-game Big 12 losing streak that dated back to November 2023.

West Virginia allowed the Cowboys to do it on its home field.

 

WVU Has to Respond

One loss doesn’t destroy a season. West Virginia is still 3-1.

But Saturday night exposed some serious issues that cannot be ignored as Big 12 play begins.

The Mountaineers have proven they can run the football. They’ve proven Hawkins can hurt defenses with his legs. But WVU needs more consistency from the passing game, and defensively, something has to change.

You cannot surrender 609 yards. You cannot give up explosive pass after explosive pass. And you cannot lead 24-21 late in the third quarter at home and get outscored 20-0 the rest of the way.

West Virginia had control of this game. Then everything fell apart.

Now the question is how quickly the Mountaineers can put it back together.