The Mountaineers defeated Oklahoma State 38-14 on the road Saturday to improve to 2-0 in conference play, 3-2 on the season.
Multiple things could be learned in a game where West Virginia took control early. The following lists five that particularly stood out.
Jahiem, Rushing Attack is Back
While the Oklahoma State defense hasn’t fared against the run to begin conference play, WVU’s run game was overpowering in the win. They had almost 400 yards rushing and were methodical for most of the game, allowing them to dominate in time of possession. Sophomore running back Jahiem White, West Virginia’s leading rusher Saturday, could have needed a performance like this to get back on track. His 158 yards against OSU were the most he’s had in a game this season and the second-most in a game in his Mountaineer career. Leading up to the game, WVU offensive coordinator Chad Scott said there was a lot more from White after a somewhat slow start to the season and that he was expecting a breakout.
Nicco Can Run the Offense
When West Virginia quarterback Garrett Greene went down early after an injury scare, backup Nicco Marchiol went in and helped the Mountaineers to two scores. Just plays after Greene’s exit, Marchiol fired a strike to Traylon Ray for West Virginia’s first touchdown of the game. On his second drive in, while they leaned strictly to the run game, Marchiol helped march West Virginia right down the field to add another touchdown. Leading up to the season, coaches talked about Marchiol’s ability to step in and run the offense comfortably, fans saw it on Saturday.
Hudson Clement Wide Receiver 1?
West Virginia has been looking for someone to step up in the passing game. This is now Hudson Clement’s second consecutive game as the leading receiver in terms of yards for the Mountaineers. While the passing game was not prevalent, Clement had three catches on five targets for 64 yards. On the season, Clement has just south of 300 yards on 17 catches and a touchdown. Will he continue to be the top target for WVU? Only time will tell.
Applying the Pressure, Takeaways
Entering the game, Oklahoma State had only allowed one sack the whole season. On Saturday, West Virginia got to the quarterback twice. They also had five tackles for loss and three quarterback hurries. Entering the game, the WVU defense only had only one interception. On Saturday, they had two and were able to score points off of one of them. With a Big 12 that is looking more competitive than ever, the Mountaineer defense will be crucial in how the team fares in the rest of the 2024 season.
Josiah Trotter
Josiah Trotter continues to look like one of West Virginia’s best defenders. He was the Mountaineers’ leading tackler for the third time this season, with six total tackles (two solo). On top of that, he also had a pass breakup in the back of the end zone and made a toe-tap interception. As the redshirt freshman continues to develop, playing time will only benefit him as he looks to be a cornerstone of West Virginia’s defense for time to come.
