Oklahoma State @ West Virginia preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 25, 2014 ) West Virginia 34, Oklahoma State 10

No. 19 Oklahoma State will put a seven-game winning streak on the line when it travels to West Virginia in Big 12 Conference action on Saturday night. The game pits Mountaineers head coach Dana Holgorsen, who was offensive coordinator for Oklahoma State in 2010, against his former boss in Cowboys head coach Mike Gundy with Holgorsen holding a 2-0 record against his mentor, including a 34-10 victory last season in Stillwater, Okla.

The contest also features two of the top defenses in the pass-happy Big 12 in Oklahoma State, which is yielding a conference best 310.0 yards per game, and West Virginia, which is second (337.2) but tops the Big 12 in scoring defense by allowing just 16.8 points per game. However, both teams must replace key defenders this week as Oklahoma State senior middle linebacker Ryan Simmons, who had made 31 consecutive starts and had 203 career tackles, underwent season-ending knee surgery on Tuesday while West Virginia announced on Wednesday that senior All-American safety Karl Joseph, who leads the nation with five interceptions, suffered a season-ending knee injury in a non-contact drill on Tuesday. "I am devastated and heartbroken for Karl," Holgorsen said. "Karl is an All-American, a fierce competitor, a leader and I know he will have a full recovery, and I can't wait to watch him on Sundays next fall."

TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2. LINE: West Virginia -7

ABOUT OKLAHOMA STATE (5-0, 2-0 Big 12): Sophomore quarterback Mason Rudolph has not passed for fewer than 260 yards in eight career starts and threw for a career-high 437 yards and three touchdowns in a 36-34 victory over Kansas State last week. Junior wide receiver Marcell Ateman (101) and sophomore wideout James Washington (100) each reached 100 receiving yards in the win, the first time since 2012 that Cowboys had a duo accomplish that feat. Junior defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah, considered a potential Top 10 NFL Draft pick, already has 10 tackles for loss and leads a Cowboys defense that has a league-best 22 sacks.

ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA (3-1, 0-1): Junior QB Skyler Howard ranks 11th nationally in passing efficiency (165.1), completing 75-of-116 passes for 1,089 yards, 10 touchdowns and four interceptions but comes in off a forgettable performance in a 44-24 loss at Oklahoma during which he threw three interceptions, lost two fumbles and was sacked seven times. Junior Wendell Smallwood gained 110 yards on 22 carries in the Oklahoma loss and leads a strong Mountaineers ground attack that is averaging 214.2 yard per game while sophomore Shelton Gibson (15 catches, 364 yards, 4 TDs) and freshman Jovon Durante (15 catches, 226 yards, 3 TDs) have emerged as Howard's top targets. The defense, which will sorely miss the hard-hitting Joseph, held Oklahoma to 107 yards rushing and is led by senior LB Nick Kwiatkoski who has a team best 29 tackles, including 4.5 for loss.

EXTRA POINTS

1. West Virginia leads the all-time series, 4-2, including 2-0 in Morgantown.

2. Oklahoma State's two top running backs, juniors Chris Carson (ankle) and Rennie Childs (concussion symptoms), sat out last week's win over Kansas State but are expected to play this week.

3. Oklahoma State junior K Ben Grogan has kicked game-winning field goals in the final minute of back-to-back wins over Texas (30-27) and Kansas State (36-34) but has also missed three point-after attempts this season.

PREDICTION: Oklahoma State 31, West Virginia 28