Key Match-Ups for West Virginia Start with Stopping the Stills - Match-Ups and Predictions

Oklahoma State having lost some luster with the close call against Tulsa is looking to defend the homefield and their championship hopes in the Big 12 opener with WVU.

It's the Big 12 opener in Stillwater. That feels so strange, but why shouldn't it. This entire year of 2020 has been strange from the COVID-19 pandemic to all of the other issues surrounding college football, right down to the decisions to play. After the Big 12, SEC, and ACC left the other behind they are now all making comebacks. 

Oklahoma State played their lone non conference game last Saturday and the 16-7 win over Tulsa was strange starting with Spencer Sanders injury and leaving the Cowboys to spin through the quarterback depth chart before landing on the freshman that had recently been in quarantine. Good thing he was out and Shane Illingworth became a hero in his first college football game. 

The Cowboys also lost a pair of offensive linemen and on defense executed with outstanding precision, especially on third downs in holding the Golden Hurricane offense to 0-of-11 on third down tries. This was a game unseen in some years as the Cowboys defense played the heavy hand most of the game to lead the team to the win. 

Now the favored Cowboys need to heal up, buck up, and get ready for a West Virginia team that feels they might be the Big 12 Conference sleeper to jump into the upper echelon of the standings. Neal Brown is a shape coach with an aggressive offensive style and a defense led by two very athletic and powerful defensive interior linemen. 

Josh Sills (72) will be very important for that offensive line effort to block the Stills brothers.                Photo from Bruce Waterfield, OSU Athletics

Key Match-Up #1: Oklahoma State offensive guards Josh Sills and Hunter Woodard and center Ry Schneider vs. West Virginia defensive linemen Darius and Dante Stills

Make no mistake, this is the key match-up for both teams on Saturday. Combined, the Stills brothers have over 37 tackles-for-loss in their career. They are the more explosive, disruptive type of interior defensive linemen that won't totally wall off the front, but will create those negative plays against the offense that put them behind the chains. Now they are getting an Oklahoma State offensive line that is reeling from departures. Cowboys offensive line coach said this week that he will get his best guys ready to play and you can trust that. The goal on Saturday is to make sure the explosive plays on offense for the Cowboys outweigh the negative plays that the Stills brothers help create. The running game has to be established and early and the quarterback, Sanders or more likely Shane Illingworth must be protected. 

Tylan Wallace circus catch on first pass thrown by Shane Illingworth.

© Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports

Key Match-Up #2: Oklahoma State receivers Tylan Wallace, Braydon Johnson, and Tay Martin vs. West Virginia cornerbacks Dreshun Miller and Nicktroy Fortune

Here's the biggest mismatch favoring the Cowboys. Last week Tylan Wallace waited until the late third quarter to erupt against a big crew of corners and safeties from Tulsa. The Golden Hurricane has the tallest secondary and one of the tallest defensive units in college football. They used plenty of press man coverage and it worked for them at least until the Cowboys started going vertical. West Virginia lost both of their starting corners from last season and this will be a telling match-up provided the offensive line gives the quarterback protection. You need the running game, but the passing game is where you should get the most explosive players.

Illingworth is wiser than you would think a freshman quarterback would be.

USA Today Sports Images - Rob Ferguson

Key Match-Up #3: Oklahoma State quarterback Shane Illingworth vs. West Virginia middle linebacker Tony Fields II

Fields transferred in from Arizona and he is a "Malcolm Rodriguez" type of player in the middle. He is really athletic and really smart in projecting where the offense is going. If Fields is not taken care of and accounted for then is likely going to mess up a lot of your plans in both the ground game and through the air. 

Pokes Prediction

West Virginia (+10)        17

@#15-Oklahoma State 28

2:30 p.m. on ABC

West Virginia will score some points as Jarret Doege is a talented quarterback and has some good playmakers at receiver. They won't be able to control the game and I believe the Cowboys will hit some big plays in the passing game. If West Virginia decides to devote extra attention to Tylan Wallace, there are others that can make them pay for that (Braydon Johnson, Dillon Stoner, Tay Martin, Landon Wolf, and Brennan Presley). I also believe the Cowboys will find a way to run the football and I expect a bounce back from Chuba Hubbard. 

Big 12 Predictions

Season: Record vs. Spread - 5-3  Record Straight Up - 5-3

Last Week: Record vs. Spread - 0-1 Records Straight Up - 1-0

Tulsa                                20

@#11-Oklahoma State   52

Actual Score: 16-7 Oklahoma State

Houston                          26

@Baylor                           28

Game was Postponed

This Week - Saturday, Sept. 26

Kansas State                    13

@#3-Oklahoma  (-25)   48

11 a.m. on FOX

Iowa State  (-2)                26

@TCU                               20

12:30 p.m. on FS1

#8-Texas  (-14)               42           

@Texas Tech                    14

2:30 p.m. on FOX

Kansas                              16

@Baylor (-18)                   35

6:30 p.m. on ESPNU