What Happened Last Time Oklahoma State Cowboys Faced West Virginia Mountaineers

When the Oklahoma State Cowboys face the West Virginia Mountaineers they’ll be triying to heal a two-year old wound.

Oklahoma State Cowboys quarterback Alan Bowman. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Up until West Virginia joined the Big 12 Conference, the Mountaineers and the Oklahoma State Cowboys rarely met.

When the Mountaineers joined the league, the Cowboys had only faced them three times. There was a 1987 meeting in the Sun Bowl in El Paso. Go back further and one will find back-to-back meetings in 1928 and 1929.

Once WVU joined the league there were annual meetings until last season. After the Big 12 expanded to 16 teams the league went to an unbalanced schedule. The Cowboys didn't face the Mountaineers last year. Their last meeting was on Oct. 5, 2024. That's a meeting the Cowboys would like to avenge when they meet this season in the Big 12 opener for both teams.

What Happened Last Time Oklahoma State Met West Virginia?

West Virginia Mountaineers running back Jaheim White. | Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images

After two league contests, Oklahoma State was beginning to figure out there was a talent deficit between itself and the rest of the conference.  Then-West Virginia head coach Neal Brown was facing the heat when it came to his job. The two teams met in Stillwater and from the beginning it was West Virginia's game.

The Mountaineers scored the first 24 points of the game, all before halftime. Michael Hayes II kicked a field goal, followed by a 10-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Nicco Marichol to wide receiver Traylon Ray. In the second quarter, running back Jaheim White had a 10-yard touchdown run and quarterback Garrett Greene had a 15-yard touchdown run. Nearly 25 minutes into the game the Mountaineers had a 24-0 lead.

The Cowboys defense had no answers for White, who rushed for 158 and basically had his way all afternoon. West Virginia gained 558 total yards but rushed for 389 of it. That allowed the Mountaineers to possess the ball for more than 41 minutes. There isn’t much any team can do with less than 20 minutes of time of possession. Plus, the Cowboys’ offense wasn’t explosive anymore.

OSU had 227 total yards. Running back Ollie Gordon II was shut down as he rushed for only 50 yards before a leg injury caused him to leave the game. That left the contest in quarterback Alan Bowman’s hands and he threw two interceptions. Losing Gordon hurt. He rushed for 282 yards and four touchdowns in the 2023 meeting in Morgantown, a game the Cowboys won, 48-34.

Bowman did hit Rashod Owens for an 8-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter, but the Mountaineers answered with a C.J. Donaldson 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. By controlling the clock, the Mountaineers made their big 24-0 start to the game stick.

Oklahoma State will be looking for a little revenge on the road, a dish two years in the making.