Enemy Insider: Critical Questions Oklahoma State Football Fans Must Know Answered by West Virginia Expert
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The Oklahoma State Cowboys are set to open the Big 12 era of head coach Eric Morris’ first season against the West Virginia Mountaineers on Saturday.
Morris has never faced West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez on the field. But both teams are receiving votes in the AP Top 25. The Cowboys (2-1) or the Mountaineers (3-0) could find themselves in the Top 25 on Sunday with a win — and depending on what else happens around the country.
But Morris and the Cowboys are only worried about the Mountaineers. How worried should they be?
West Virginia On SI publisher Schuyler Callihan was kind enough to carve out a few minutes of his week to answer a handful of questions ahead of this Big 12 opener. Oklahoma State on SI's Matthew Postins did the same for WVU On SI earlier this week.
The New QB
Michael Hawkins Jr. had a huge game against Virginia. What has been his progression at quarterback at West Virginia so far and what do Oklahoma State fans need to be worried about?
Hawkins has taken complete ownership of this offense from the day he set foot on campus. The staff was blown away by how quickly he picked things up and earned the respect and trust of his teammates. Downfield throwing was something everyone on the outside questioned about him. You could see in his limited time with Oklahoma that he could do it; he just didn't have many opportunities. So far this season, Hawkins is 12/19 on throws beyond the sticks, and 17.1% of his throws are considered big-time throws by PFF, which leads the nation. If Oklahoma State sells out to stop the run, it won't be a fun night for them because he can make every throw. He's very decisive with the football and is not going to put the ball in harm's way very often — just one turnover-worthy play through the first three weeks.
Cam Cook's Impact
Cam Cook, like OSU’s Caleb Hawkins, was seen as a program-changing transfer in the backfield for WVU. What’s enabled him to get acclimated to the offense so quickly and how “connected” was he to the RichRod era at Jacksonville State? Has that helped?
Cook did not play for Rich Rod at Jax State, but he ran behind a Rick Trickett-coached offensive line there, who is now back on staff at WVU. When Trickett and Rich Rod are together, they put up some serious numbers. In the nine seasons they've coached together, they average north of 252 yards per game on the ground and 8.6 wins per season. Cook didn't know much about Rich Rod but trusted Trickett to have a well-coached offensive line to run behind, and it's much of the same zone scheme he was running at Jax State.
The Rebuilt WVU O-Line
It seemed like offensive line was a real issue for the Mountaineers last season. What’s enabled that group to take a jump in Year 2? Given the numbers Hawkins and Cook are putting up that improvement must be part of the puzzle?
Having a healthy QB and RB certainly helps. By the time WVU was one week into conference play last year, they were on their 5th quarterback and 6th running back. Hawkins and Cook are playmakers, which WVU did not have a year ago once Jahiem White and Jaden Bray went down. But in addition to bringing Trickett back to Morgantown, they went out and revamped the offensive line, getting a bunch of seasoned players who have played meaningful football at the FBS level.
They were super inexperienced last year. That line in 2025 had a combined 1,976 career snaps under their belt heading into the year. This season, the offensive line had a combined 5,528 snaps, and that's with true freshman Kevin Brown taking up one of those starting spots. Trickett is a technician. He doesn't care about height, weight, length, any of it. He will squeeze every ounce of potential out of his players by drilling the fundamentals and footwork.
How WVU Will Get to Drew
West Virginia has 10 sacks in three games. What’s enabled this pass rush to be so effective? How can it affect OSU quarterback Drew Mestemaker?
The pass rush has been rock solid, and a lot of that is due to Zac Alley's scheme. He gives a ton of exotic looks and really stirs the pot with his diet of play calls. One week they could play a bunch of 4-2-5 and sit in zone; the next week he may go more with a three-down look. Some weeks he'll call a lot of blitzes, and then the next week he may show it early and then peel off while still giving the look as if they are bringing the house to rush the QB. It's a VERY complex defense that confuses the daylights out of opposing quarterbacks because of how much they disguise. Every single snap, they are disguising something different. He learned that from all of his years with Brent Venables.
The Unsung Heroes
Who is the unsung hero on this team after three games? Who is the player or coach the Mountaineers can’t live without that might not immediately spring to mind if people are just looking at the box score?
Offense: RG Bubba Grayson. This offensive line is very deep, and they feel comfortable playing 8 or 9 guys if necessary. It sounds like coach-speak, but not with this group. They have eight guys in that room who have started games before at the FBS level. That said, Grayson is the guy who keeps that group intact because he played for Rick Trickett at Jax State and can be a coach on the field in a lot of ways. He has played a massive part in this offensive line's success, telling others in the room what Trickett wants and how it should be done. Plus, he's a pretty damn good football player too. One of those guys who really had to work for everything.
Defense: DL Nate Gabriel. One of the biggest question marks for WVU coming into this season was the defensive line. Did they have enough top-tier talent? Were they big enough? Were they experienced enough? Did they have enough depth? Everything you can think of. So far, that group has played really well, and it all starts with Gabriel, who leads the team with eight pressures. When your interior defensive lineman is pushing the nose of the pocket into the quarterback's lap, you're in business.
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Matthew Postins is the publisher of Oklahoma State on SI. He is an award-winning sports journalist who was formerly the editor of the College Football America Yearbook and covers the Big 12 Conference for Heartland College Sports.
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