Oklahoma State @ West Virginia preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 10, 2012 ) West Virginia 34, Oklahoma State 55

No. 11 Oklahoma State looks to reel off its fourth straight season-opening road win when the Cowboys travel to West Virginia for Saturday's Big 12 opener. Oklahoma State tallied 115 points in its last two games and is tied for 10th in the country in scoring at 45.3 points per game coming out of an early bye week. Sophomore quarterback J.W. Walsh has 642 passing yards and five touchdowns through three games.

On the contrary, West Virginia has scored seven total points in its two losses. Coming off a 37-0 shutout to Maryland, the Mountaineers will look to stay above .500 under third-year coach Dana Holgorsen, who served as Oklahoma State’s offensive coordinator in 2010. Senior Charles Sims (328) and junior Dreamius Smith (251) have combined for 579 rushing yards and four touchdowns.

TV: Noon p.m. ET, ESPN. LINE: Oklahoma State -18.

ABOUT OKLAHOMA STATE (3-0, 0-0 Big 12): After beating out senior Clint Chelf for the starting job, Walsh has completed 41-of-57 passes in his last two games for 507 yards and five touchdowns. Senior Jeremy Smith leads the team with six rushing touchdowns, including three first-half scores in the Cowboys’ 59-3 win against Lamar last week. Oklahoma State racked up 426 total yards in that victory.

ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA (2-2, 0-1 Big 12): Redshirt freshman Ford Childress is expected to start his third consecutive game despite floundering against the Terrapins last week. After a strong performance against Georgia State in his debut, Childress completed just 11-of-22 passes for 88 yards while committing three of West Virginia’s six turnovers. The Mountaineers will also need to improve on just 2-of-12 third-down conversions to have a chance against the favored Cowboys.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Oklahoma State is 16-5 on the road since the start of the 2010 season.

2. The Cowboys ranks 17th in the country in scoring defense at 13.7 points per game.

3. Sophomore WR Ronald Carswell leads West Virginia with 196 receiving yards. He has nine receptions and a touchdown.

PREDICTION: Oklahoma State 27, West Virginia 10