West Virginia Football: Game-by-game predictions for 2017
By Phil Poling
Mike Gundy and his mullet come to Morgantown days before Halloween, but there is nothing that’ll scare this Oklahoma State team in 2017.
Mason Rudolph is primed and ready for a Big 12 title run, and if things go as expected, Rudolph will be in the running for the Heisman. Not to mention if both teams are undefeated, College Gameday returning to Morgantown will certainly be a huge topic. The below video was from 2011 when the LSU Tigers came to town.
Rudolph has some incredible weapons at his disposal on offense with the likes of James Washington, Jalen McCleskey and LSU-transfer Tyron Johnson at wide receiver. Washington and McCleskey combined for 2,192 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns in 2016 while Johnson is a former 5-star recruit.
More: 5 reasons Mason Rudolph is the Big 12’s best QB
Sophomore running back Justice Hill — who compiled over 1,000 total yards as a freshman — will look to balance things out in the running game, keeping defenses off balance. Other than Hill, the position is inexperienced, but Rudolph and the receivers will compensate.
The Mountaineers suffered their first loss a season ago against the Cowboys in Stillwater, but will return the favor this season in Morgantown.
In typical Big 12 fashion, the visiting Cowboys get into a shootout with the hometown Mountaineers. Don’t they know the WVU rifle team’s won five straight NCAA titles? The football team’s got their own gunslinger in Grier, and boy was he on target. College Gameday’s Kirk Herbstreit will even be singing Grier’s praises. With a big-time victory over an undefeated program like Oklahoma State, with College Gameday in town, the Mountaineers will be in the driver’s seat moving forward.
The Big 12 Championship Game returning in 2017 introduces the opportunity for a rematch of these two, coming on championship weekend.