Oklahoma State football: 3 takeaways from win over West Virginia
By Phil Poling
3. Chuba Hubbard isn’t the Pokes best running back
After their season-opener against Tulsa, it wasn’t Chuba Hubbard who looked like the best back for Oklahoma State. He got the bulk of the carries with 27, but totaled just 93 yards for an average of 3.4 yards-per-carry. That’s decent, but his backup, LD Brown, had nine attempts for 61 yards — a 6.8 per-carry average.
Against the Mountaineers, it was Brown who kicked off the scoring with a first quarter run that covered 66 yards. He finished with 11 carries for 103 yards, but West Virginia’s defense is also better than advertised; they’re no slouch.
That isn’t to say Hubbard won’t get his touches, though. He carried 22 times against West Virginia for 101 yards while also going over the 3,000-yard mark for his career on the ground, but he did fumble twice, including down the stretch in the fourth quarter. He made up for it with a game-sealing touchdown, but those fumbles are something to keep an eye on.
Expect to see a heavy dosage of LD Brown moving forward, especially if Hubbard doesn’t get back to his usual form of terrorizing defenses. Even if Brown’s the guy moving, though, the Cowboys’ offense won’t miss a beat.