Three storylines for OSU-West Virginia
BY JIMMIE TRAMEL World Sports Writer
Saturday, November 10, 2012
11/10/12 at 5:45 AM
Things to watch during Saturday's game.
Match game
Who runs Dana Holgorsen's offense better, West Virginia or Oklahoma State?
In the spring of 2010, Holgorsen installed an offensive system that allowed OSU to rank third nationally in total offense.
Holgorsen left to become head coach at West Virginia. Todd Monken was hired to replace Holgorsen - with the caveat that the Cowboys keep running Holgorsen's offense.
Because Holgorsen didn't leave a paper playbook behind (he doesn't have one), Monken was taught the offense by people in the OSU program.
The Cowboys rank second in total yards this season.
The Mountaineers rank 19th in total offense. They are 1-4 under Holgorsen when being outgained.
The red zone
Quinn Sharp has kicked 18 field goals. Ball State's Steven Schott is the only player in FBS who has kicked more field goals than the OSU senior.
That's a good thing, right? Well, sort of. That's something OSU's football publicists can put on Sharp's Lou Groza Award resume. But it's also a not-so-good thing.
The Cowboys want to be better at maximizing red-zone opportunities. On paper, they seem to be doing fine. They rank eighth nationally in red-zone offense, scoring on 41-of-45 chances.
But closer inspection reveals 28 TDs and 13 field goals (five of Sharp's field goals came from outside the red zone).
Improving in short-yardage situations would move the sticks and help the Cowboys get touchdowns instead of field goals.
The quarterbacks
Regardless of OSU's quarterback situation - Wes Lunt was knocked out of a game against Kansas State last week and Clint Chelf began preseason as a third-team QB - the advantage at the game's most important position belongs to West Virginia.
Senior Geno Smith has completed 72 percent of his passes. He ranks No. 1 in the nation in points responsible for (22.5), No. 2 in completion percentage and completions per game (31.3), No. 3 in passing yards, No. 6 in total offense (345.13) and No. 12 in passing efficiency (162.88).
Smith led the Mountaineer offense to 70 points in a victory over Baylor. He was virtually flawless in that game and finished 45-of-51 passing (with eight TDs) for an 88.2 completion rate.
Original Print Headline: OSU-West Virginia: Three Storylines
