Big 12 Power Rankings: OSU Stunned By Mountaineers

Sep 28, 2013; Morgantown, WV, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers safety

(25) celebrates with teammates after making an interception late in the fourth quarter against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

7. West Virginia Mountaineers

Record: 3-2 (1-1)

Previous Ranking: 8 (Trend: Up)

Last Week: WVU 30, #11 OSU 21

This Week: at Baylor

Next Week: Bye

West Virginia made just enough plays at critical times to pull off a stunning upset over the Cowboys.

Three OSU turnovers turned into 13 WVU points, highlighted by a 58-yard interception return for a touchdown by Ishmael Banks. Those turnovers combined with 10 OSU penalties and a Mountaineer defensive effort that completely shutdown the Cowboys running game were the major differences in the game.

“Gutty effort” would be the cliché best used for the way WVU won as opposed to great play. But credit has to be given to the Mountaineers for making the plays they needed to make because OSU certainly didn’t make them.

The reward for this effort is a road trip to Waco, Texas to play Baylor, who is primed to prove to everyone they are for real.

West Virginia simply does not have the capability of on offense to score enough points to beat Baylor, though their defense could pose some issues for the Bears. They’ll need another game like last Saturday’s – a sloppy, turnover riddled game – to beat Baylor.