The matchup of West Virginia’s defensive front against Oklahoma State’s rushing attack will be a major difference maker this Saturday. The Cowboys are second in the conference in rushing while the Mountaineers are second in rush defense.
The Mountaineer defense has been inconsistent against the run. In WVU’s loss to Iowa State in October, the defense gave up 31 missed tackles and allowed David Montgomery to run for over 6.5 yards per carry. But in their 47-10 trashing of against TCU last week, the Horned Frogs recorded -7 rushing yards and seven fumbles.
The biggest impact player for the Mountaineer front is linebacker David Long Jr.