MORGANTOWN — Even though it’s six games into the season, Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy admits he’s still learning about his team.
After coming out on top of a third straight white-knuckle win, this one a 33-26 overtime decision over West Virginia, Gundy is at least certain of one thing: “Knock wood, we’re pretty good at the end of games.
“I’m guessing that TV loves us. When OSU is on, don’t turn it off until the buzzer goes off.”
It was the eighth straight win, dating back to last season, for the No. 19 Cowboys (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) and their first at Milan Puskar Stadium in three tries.
Lately, the Cowboys have been surviving in dramatic fashion. They escaped with a 30-27 win at Texas Sept. 26 on Ben Grogan’s 40-yard field goal with six seconds left. Last week, Grogan’s 37-yard field goal with 32 seconds left lifted them past Kansas State, 36-34.
Against the Mountaineers, it was a tired team that made just enough plays – a 2-yard run by J.W. Walsh and a defensive stop at the end – that decided the outcome.
“I noticed some fatigue in practice this week. I was hoping we could fight through it,” Gundy said. “The guys were able to rally at the end and find a way to win.”
OSU will have a much-needed off week next week after three straight nail biters.
“My hair’s going to start falling out soon, but it’s great,” said OSU linebacker Chad Whitener, who forced a fumble and recovered a fumble in the first half.
Walsh, a senior and former starter who is backing up sophomore Mason Rudolph, led the way. He carried twice for 7 yards to bring the ball down to the WVU 1-yard line in overtime. On fourth and 1, he got the call again and knifed through the middle of the line for a touchdown.
Gundy said the Cowboys changed their blocking schemes after regulation and made a determined effort to run the ball. He bypassed the chance to kick a field goal, instead putting his faith in a running game that accounted for just 109 yards on 32 attempts in regulation.
“I didn’t feel one yard was worth kicking a field goal on the road,” Gundy said. “We’re on the road in front of 60,000 people, and we have to get one yard to win the game.”
Walsh spoke of redemption after being part of two losses at Milan Puskar Stadium. He spelled Rudolph throughout the game, finishing with 17 yards rushing on four carries and adding a 4-yard touchdown pass to tight end Blake Jarwin in the third quarter to put the Cowboys up 23-9. Walsh has accounted for at least one score — rushing or passing — in every game this season.
“We didn’t do much with designed runs in regulation,” he said. “The (West Virginia) defense didn’t see it coming. They had no idea what hit them.”
What hit the Mountaineers was the product of a week’s work of preparation.
WVU looked poised to tie the score when Rushel Shell’s 1-yard brought the ball to the OSU 4. But Shell was thrown for a 7-yard loss by Jordan Burton and Tre Flowers on the next play. Facing fourth and goal from the OSU 11, Skyler Howard’s pass to Daikiel Shorts sailed high.
“We knew what we needed to do,” Whitener said. “We wanted to go back to calling a game where we needed to stop the run.”
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