Oklahoma State vs. West Virginia College Football Week 6 Preview, TV Schedule, Prediction

By Jason Fletcher
West Virginia vs. Oklahoma State College Football Week 6 Preview, TV Schedule, Prediction
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TV Schedule: Saturday, October 10, 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2

Location: Milan Puskar Stadium, Morgantown, West Virginia

Line: West Virginia (-6.5)

The West Virginia Mountaineers will play host to the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Saturday night from Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown. The Mountaineers will be attempting to get back on track after a 44-24 defeat at the hands of the Oklahoma Sooners last week, a game in which quarterback Skyler Howard turned the ball over five times. Oklahoma State, on the other hand, will be looking to keep an undefeated record after a 36-34 comeback-victory at home over Kansas State last week.

While the Mountaineers play extremely well at home, the team will have a difficult time overcoming the loss of star safety Karl Joseph. Joseph blew out his knee at practice on Tuesday and will miss the remainder of the season. He’s the emotional leader of the defense and also one of the best safeties in the entire country. Without Joseph patrolling the defensive backfield, the Mountaineers could be vulnerable in the secondary against a high-powered Oklahoma State offense.

With the potential of the Oklahoma State offense putting up a lot of points, it will be vital for Howard to recover from a horrible game at Oklahoma. Of his five turnovers, the Sooners produced 20 points. The Mountaineers are averaging well over 200 yards per game rushing so as long as Howard can protect the ball, the offense should be able to put up some points.

Oklahoma State is coming off back-to-back nail-biting wins over Texas and Kansas State. The Cowboys are led on offense by true sophomore quarterback Mason Rudolph, who is averaging 358 yards passing per game. With Joseph out for the Mountaineers, look for Rudolph to shred the defense, especially in the deep passing game.

The Cowboys’ defense has allowed just under 20 points and only 310 yards per game this season on its way to a 5-0 start. It’s really hard to decipher whether the defense is that much improved or if it’s due to the lack of competition on the schedule. I can guarantee head coach Mike Gundy will find out how good his defense is on Saturday.

Look for this game to be a shootout. While both defenses have put up some solid numbers this season, neither has faced the type of offenses that will be on display Saturday evening. Even though the Mountaineers face Oklahoma last week, the Sooners are more of a running team as opposed to Oklahoma State who can’t run the ball a lick. Both quarterbacks will likely throw for 300 yards and multiple touchdowns, but I’ll give the edge to the Mountaineers playing at home.

Prediction: West Virginia 38, Oklahoma State 34

Jason Fletcher is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @JasonFletcher25, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google+.

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