Instacap: Oklahoma State Outlasts West Virginia 50-39 in Sloppy Affair

The start was the sloppiest I’ve seen in years, but the end product — a 50-39 win over No. 22 West Virginia in rainy Morgantown — was all that really mattered on Saturday.

Outside of a combined 9 (!!) turnovers by both teams, it was a mostly Oklahoma State-controlled game on both sides of the ball. The coming out party for true freshman running back J.D. King was the storyline of the day, though. He stepped in to relieve the injured Justice Hill, and carried the ball 36 times for 142 yards and poured in a pair of touchdowns — one on the ground and one through the air.

Lol pic.twitter.com/lToD0FZC1s

— Barstool OK State (@BarstoolOKST) October 28, 2017

Mason Rudolph, who set the all-time OSU record for touchdowns thrown, went 20-for-34 through the air for 216 yards and accounted for four total scores on the day. James Washington was the main recipient of that production, as he hauled in 91 yards and scored 2 touchdowns, including this one that all but iced it late.

Nail meet coffin pic.twitter.com/LZBiXJhjRx

— Barstool OK State (@BarstoolOKST) October 28, 2017

Justice Hill was injured on the second play of the day, however he made a triumphant return in the second half. He finished with 12 carries for 86 yards, and officically sealed it with this untouched scamper.

PT. II pic.twitter.com/RiH5BYktCZ

— Barstool OK State (@BarstoolOKST) October 28, 2017

The offense was a major reason for the win, but the defense deserves the majority of the credit. OSU held WVU to 2-of-15 on third down, recovered a fumble, and had four interceptions on the day. Although they gave up 39 points, 14 were non-offensive scores — a pick-six and a blocked punt recovered in the end zone. A truly banner day for Glenn Spencer’s squad.

The only major weakness OSU showed against WVU was its poor special teams play, which has been a struggle all season. Matt Ammendola missed a field goal, Zach Sinor was blocked on a punt and also botched the hold on an extra point, and a poor kickoff gifted the ‘Eers prime field position on one occasion.

Although special teams is obviously a major concern, it’s encouraging to see both the offense and defense coming together. Bedlam awaits next Saturday.