PAYING ATTENTION: A
The Cowboys were alert, especially on the kicking units. West Virginia tried a sharp squib after cutting its deficit to 31-24 early in the third quarter, but OSU's Torrance Carr recovered at midfield. And two bouncing OSU kicks were recovered by Cowboys. A kickoff bounced over a Mountaineer, then bounced off the head of WVU's Andrew Buie, and Nico Ornelas recovered for OSU at the Mountaineer 14-yard line. In the third quarter, a bouncing OSU punt caromed off WVU's Austin, and OSU's Teddy Johnson recovered at the Mountaineer 12.
FIREARM CELEBRATION: A
In this month that activated Oklahoma's new open-carry law, the sidelines were patrolled by two iconic mascots. Pistol Pete didn't have the monopoly on guns. The Mountaineer, who has become a Big 12 favorite everywhere he's gone, roamed Boone Pickens Stadium with his musket. He said he felt right at home.
OFFENSIVE CLEANLINESS: A
The Cowboys were hit with 11 penalties for 108 yards, but most of the penalties, Gundy said he could live with. Some were acts of aggression (illegal block, inadvertent facemask, roughing the quarterback). Only a couple were mental errors. OSU's offense had a delay of game penalty that didn't matter, since it was backed up to its own half-yard line anyway. Flanker Brandon Webb had a false start. That was about it. Plus, the only Cowboy fumble came when Chelf flung the ball out of bounds while being sacked late in the first half.
