WVU Football's Stars of the Game Vs. Oklahoma State

West Virginia was able to claim touchdowns on each of their first two possessions and that was all the edge the Old Gold and Blue needed on Saturday in their 34-10 victory over the Cowboys at Oklahoma State’s T. Boone Pickens Stadium.

WVU is in second place in the Big 12 Standings with a 4-1 record in the conference and an overall mark of 6-2. The loss dropped OSU into fifth place at 3-2 in the BIg 12 and a 5-3 record overall.

The Mountaineers’ defense sacked Oklahoma State junior quarterback Daxx Garman twice, picked off two of his passes and held the Cowboys to just 2-of-15 on third downs. In contrast, the West Virginia offense went 9-of-18 on third downs.

Time to check the rest of the box score, and look back at the four players that helped WVU to capture an outstanding victory on the road.

1) Wendell Smallwood rose to the occasion while filling in for the injured Rushel Shell at running back as he averaged 5.7 yards per carry against the Cowboys. The 5-foot-11, 200-pound sophomore gained 132 yards on 23 carries.

2) It was senior wide receiver Mario Alford’s turn to be at the top of the score sheet as he had 7 receptions for 136 yards and one touchdown. He caught a pass from Clint Trickett on a quick slant and then outran the Oklahoma State secondary for a 79-yard touchdown at 7:49 of the first quarter. It was WVU’s longest scoring play from scrimmage this season.

3) Freshman free safety Dravon Henry had two interceptions and the second one put the game away when he picked off Daxx Garman’s pass which was meant for David Glidden out in the flat on third down with 4:44 left in the game, and ran 52 yards for a touchdown.

4) Trickett saw his eight-game streak of 300-yard passing games come to an end as he was sacked four times by the Cowboys. The 6-foot-2 redshirt senior signal caller completed 21 of 30 for 238 yards, no interceptions, and two touchdowns.

Offense Honorable Mentions: Senior running back Dreamius Smith contributed 72 rushing yards on just five carries and a touchdown. Junior wide receiver Jordan Thompson hauled in five passes for 46 yards on the day.

Defense Honorable Mentions: Redshirt senior defensive lineman Shaquille Riddick had one sack, while senior defensive lineman Dontrill Hyman and redshirt junior linebacker Edward Muldrow combined for the other sack of Garman.

Special Teams Honorable Mention: Redshirt sophomore placekicker Josh Lambert was called on twice in the second half as he made a 39-yard field goal at 9:59 of the third quarter and a 43-yard field goal at 10:14 of the fourth quarter. He was also good on all four of his extra-point attempts.

WVU Football: Four Players Who Led Mountaineers Victory Over Oklahoma State

By Larry Snyder | Oct 26, 2014