What Does Neal Brown Expect From Oklahoma State?

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – No matter what their opponent has endured, WVU head coach Neal Brown knows his team can’t underestimate anyone. Brown made that very clear while previewing West Virginia’s matchup with Oklahoma State on Monday.

The Cowboys might be coming off back-to-back losses, but Brown knows Oklahoma State has tons of talent and Stillwater is always a tough place to play.

“They’ve dealt with adversity before. They’ve come back. We fully expect to get their best,” said Brown, who also admitted he’d probably rather OSU be riding high than in desperation mode with an 0-2 conference record.

Brown pointed to Oklahoma State’s schedule being a factor in their rough start to conference play. The Cowboys’ losses have been to preseason favorite Utah and perennial contender Kansas State, making it possible they will still beat weaker competition and dig themselves out similar to what happened last season.

Brown even called OSU running back Ollie Gordon a “special” player and said he fully expects him to be at his best despite failing to reach 100 yards in a game yet this season.

“He’s going to have breakout games. I just hope it’s not against us.”

Gordon did register one of the best performances of college career against the Mountaineers in 2023. He ran for a total of 282 yards, with 141 yards coming in the fourth quarter alone. Gordon scored four touchdowns in Oklahoma State’s 48-34 win in Morgantown.

Oddsmakers still believe in OSU enough to favor them at home against West Virginia.

When major sportsbooks opened their initial lines on Sunday, FanDuel and DraftKings both had the Cowboys as a slight favorite. DraftKings opened with the line at -5 in favor of OSU while FanDuel placed it a bit closer at -3.5.

WVU Considered Underdogs on Road Despite Oklahoma State’s Losing Streak

As West Virginia enjoyed the day off, their next opponent experienced another tough loss. Oklahoma State will now head into their matchup with WVU very vulnerable after losing to Kansas State.

The Cowboys fell to the Wildcats by the convincing score of 42-20, dropping their second straight conference game. Despite three overall wins on the season, Oklahoma State is now 0-2 in the Big 12 standings.

West Virginia and Oklahoma State will kickoff at 4 pm ET and 3 pm local time in Stillwater. The game will air nationally on ESPN2.

For a related story, WVU dropped significantly in ESPN FPI during bye week.