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Tulsa quarterback Davis Brin (7) is tackled by Oklahoma State defensive end Collin Oliver (30) during a NCAA college football game on Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021, in Stillwater, Okla.
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Surging West Virginia offense facing toughest test in Oklahoma State

AP

Surging West Virginia offense facing toughest test in Oklahoma State

Coaches don’t tend to last at one school for very long without the ability to adapt. Mike Gundy is the case in point.

The Oklahoma State boss in his 17th season has built his reputation on explosive offenses. From Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon to future Steelers Mason Rudolph and James Washington, the Cowboys reliably lived up to Big 12 conference stereotypes by piling up the points.

Now defense has become their calling card as they’ve raced out to a 7-1 start and the No. 11 perch in the Associated Press poll. The results have been impressive for West Virginia to behold as it prepares to welcome Gundy and Co. to Morgantown this Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff at Milan Puskar Stadium.

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“They’ve been lights out,” coach Neal Brown said Tuesday at his weekly news conference. “They’re one of the top teams in the entire country defensively. If you look, they’ve got nine seniors. If you go back, I think it’s nine seniors and two juniors that start. And those guys have played a ton of football.”

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It shows. Through eight games, the Cowboys lead the Big 12 in points allowed per game at 18. They rank second in yards allowed per game at 295. The most points they’ve allowed in any game is 24.

It’s not as if they’ve been playing a bunch of offensive slouches, either.

A month ago, they held a Baylor offense that ranks second in the conference in yards per game (465.5) to just 14 points and forced standout quarterback Gerry Bohanon into his lowest completion percentage of the season (48.1%.). Three weeks ago, they generated two key interceptions against Texas’ second-ranked scoring offense, allowing them to limit the damage done by standout back Bijan Robinson and escape with a 32-24 win.

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And two weeks ago against an Iowa State team loaded with preseason All-Big 12 picks, they made enough plays to give their offense a chance to win. Two missed field goals proved fatal in a 24-21 loss.

That’s a pretty dominant run. And an imposing one for a West Virginia offense that’s been inconsistent in 2021.

“This one is really good,” Mountaineers offensive coordinator Gerad Parker said of his opposing unit this weekend. “Just an attacking mentality.”

That’s evidenced in the Cowboys’ 22 sacks, which are tied for the league lead with Kansas State. And they come from a variety of sources.

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Defensive end Collin Oliver leads the way with 4 1/2. Linebacker Devin Harper and defensive end Brock Martin have 2 1/2 each. And a whopping 11 other players have at least a half sack.

The reason they can all be so aggressive is that they’re very solid in the secondary and trust their defensive backs to make plays when necessary.

It starts with safety Kolby Harvell-Peel, a preseason All-Big 12 selection who has lived up to his billing with three interceptions. And it trickles down to his teammates, who’ve combined for seven total picks — a number that ranks behind only Baylor’s nine in the conference.

“Those guys, they’ve got faith in their players,” Parker said. “They put them out there and believe in them, and obviously it’s worked.”

None of this is to say that the Cowboys’ offense is easily overlooked. Running back Jaylen Warren has had a nice season with 850 yards at a clip of 4.9 per carry.

Quarterback Colby Sanders, meanwhile, has proven capable of delivering the ball downfield for big plays. Receivers Tay Martin, Brennan Presley and Rashod Owens all average better than 13.4 yards per reception.

This group just hasn’t been Rudolph-era productive. It ranks eighth in scoring at 29.4 points per game, just two tenths behind West Virginia at 29.6.

That means the Mountaineers will likely be in the game if they can avoid the long offensive droughts that plagued them earlier in the season.

Easier said than done against this unit, but quarterback Jarret Doege and company are on a bit of a roll. He’s coming off a career day against Iowa State. All-Big 12 running back Leddie Brown has finally established some momentum with back-to-back 100-yard games. And the offensive line has been doing a better job of giving Doege time to throw.

Whether that will add up to a winning performance Saturday remains to be seen. But at the very least, it helps to know things will be clicking as well as they have all season.

“They’re going to bring some pressure,” Doege said. “We’ve got to win our one-on-ones, we’ve got to protect again and I’ve really got to be decisive in my decisions again.”

Adam Bittner: abittner@post-gazette.com and Twitter @fugimaster24.

First Published: November 5, 2021, 11:00 a.m.

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