STILLWATER, Oklahoma — Jaylen Anderson rushed for 155 yards and two touchdowns, and West Virginia beat Oklahoma State 24-19 on Saturday afternoon.
Anderson, a redshirt freshman, had rushed for 120 yards all season before the game. But he broke loose in the third quarter for touchdown rushes of 54 and 57 yards over a three-minute span to give the Mountaineers momentum.
Anderson said he was just looking for a hole on the long runs and found an open space.
“I’ve waited a long time to see this,” he said. “It was just a dream come true.”
Anderson’s performance made an impression on West Virginia coach Neal Brown.
“He came,” Brown said. “He has a bright future. He must continue to mature. I think he’s shown some real signs.”
Anderson completed a ground attack in West Virginia, dashing 250 yards on a cold, rainy day when most fans stayed at home. Brown appreciated that his team stayed focused in inclement weather.
“Anytime you have an opportunity to dress up and play, it’s part of your resume and you should never waste one,” Brown said. “And our guys definitely didn’t do it today. I thought we played extremely hard, we played physically, in conditions as bad as you can play.
West Virginia (5-7, 3-6 Big 12) lost seven games in the series and Oklahoma State’s winning streak ended after 14 games. The Mountaineers ended the season with two wins out of three.
Oklahoma freshman Ollie Gordon rushed for a best 136 yards of the season with 136 yards and a touchdown.
Garret Rangel started as quarterback for the Cowboys in place of Spencer Sanders, who struggled with injuries throughout the season.
Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said it’s hard to know when Sanders will be available.
“It just depends on how he’s feeling and where our medical people are,” he said. “And it’s not an injury that’s black and white. It’s a gray area. So you just roll with how it goes.”
Rangel rushed for just 178 yards and was sacked four times, but the Cowboys still had a late chance to win. Oklahoma State (7-5, 4-5) took the lead 24-19 with 1:29 left, but Rangel threw four incomplete passes in a row.
Oklahoma State was leading 10-7 at halftime as the teams tumbled for just 301 yards combined.
West Virginia opened the second half with a shot on goal that ended with Anderson’s first touchdown run. His second gave the Mountaineers a 21-10 lead.
Gordon hit a 23-yard touchdown run later in the quarter, but the 2-point conversion backfired, leaving West Virginia 21-19. Casey Legg’s 34-yard field goal increased the Mountaineers’ lead to 24-19 with about six minutes remaining.
Oklahoma State failed to rally, and a team that won its first five games has now lost four of five.
Gundy said the main problem is injuries.
“I’m not frustrated,” he said. “The only time I would be frustrated is if our guys didn’t compete and play hard. And I didn’t see that this year, and I’m pretty sure I didn’t see that today.”
THE TAKE AWAY
West Virginia: The Mountaineers found something with their ground play in the third quarter. They gained 110 total yards in the first half but 181 in the third quarter, including 152 rushing.
State of Oklahoma: The Cowboys had numerous opportunities, but Rangel was just a little off target.
“Obviously it wasn’t a good day to throw passes,” Gundy said. “But he competed and made some plays. And sometimes he missed some shots and stuff.”
ANOTHER ONE
Oklahoma State Safety Jason Taylor II intercepted his sixth pass of the season. He became the fourth Oklahoma State player since 2000 to have a pick in three straight games. He intercepted a pass and recovered from a fumble the previous week against Oklahoma.
Taylor is a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the player who was voted college football’s best defenseman.
QUOTABLE
Gundy, on the three big rushing touchdowns the Cowboys allowed: “The bad news is they count. But other than that we played pretty well.”
NEXT
West Virginia: Season over.
State of Oklahoma: Bowl game pending.
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