Tracking The Trends: OSU Vs. West Virginia

The Oklahoma State football team hosts West Virginia for Senior Day on Saturday in the final home game of 2018 at Boone Pickens Stadium. A look at some of the streaks and trends heading into the game:
 
Talking Points vs. West Virginia – Offense

• Wide receiver Tylan Wallace is one of 11 Biletnikoff Award semifinalists - a well-deserved honor for a player who is averaging more catches and yards per game than each of the past three Biletnikoff Award winners. Oklahoma State has produced three Biletnikoff Award winners, which is more than any other school.
• Wallace leads all Power Five players in first-down catches with 55 on the year (an incredible 81 percent of his receptions). His 18.85 yards per catch is also greater than 13 of the past 15 Biletnikoff Award winners and leads all FBS players with a minimum of 50 catches. Additionally, Wallace has 23 catches of least 20 yards and 54 catches of at least 10 yards to lead all FBS players in both categories.
• Wallace also been at his best on his biggest stages. In OSU's two games against top-six opponents this season, Wallace has totaled 442 receiving yards, 20 catches and 4 touchdowns. (222 yards, 10 rec., 2 TD vs. No. 6 Texas and 220 yards, 10 rec., 2 TD at No. 6 Oklahoma). Those two games mark just the third time in school history an OSU player has had two 200-yard games in a season, and the first time it's been done against two ranked teams.
• Quarterback Taylor Cornelius has delivered the ball on all of Wallace's receptions, with last week's game marking the best of his career thus far. Cornelius passed for 501 yards to set an OSU Bedlam record, mark the third-highest total in a game in OSU history and set a new career high. It was also the most passing yards for a player against OU this season by more than 100 yards. 501 passing yards marked the fifth-best single game total in FBS this season and the highest total in a Big 12 conference game this season.
• The Cowboy offense also tied a school record last week with 39 first downs in the game. It was the most first downs for any team against an FBS opponent this season. Cornelius alone accounted for 29 first downs via passing or rushing, matching OU's team total in the game.
• Doak Walker candidate Justice Hill already has his name all over the record books, but he is closing in on another accomplishment that's only been done once before in OSU history: three seasons with at least 1,000 rushing yards. Needing only 70 more rushing yards to eclipse 1,000 this year, Hill would join OSU Heisman runner-up Terry Miller (1975-77) as the only players in school history to do it. He would also become just the ninth player in Big 12 history to accomplish the feat, joining Adrian Peterson (OU), Brad Smith (Missouri), Cedric Benson (UT), De'Mond Parker (OU) Darren Davis (ISU), Darren Sproles (KSU), Ricky Williams (UT) and Samaje Perine (OU).
• Freshman running back Chuba Hubbard showed what the future might hold for the OSU backfield last week. With Hill leaving the game in the first quarter, Hubbard stepped in to record his first career 100-yard rushing game with 104 yards on a career-best 22 carries. He added a career-best three touchdowns. He also set a career high with five catches for 49 receiving yards. He led OSU's offense with three total touchdowns in the game, marking the first time this season a Cowboy has scored three rushing touchdowns in a game. He also finished with 176 all-purpose yards and 153 yards of total offense.
 
Talking Points vs. West Virginia – Defense

• Senior safety Kenneth Edison-McGruder stepped up in a big way last week, as each of the following stats represented a game high for all players and career-high for Edison-McGruder: 12 total tackles, 9 solo stops, 2.0 sacks, 10 yards lost from sacks, 3.0 tackles for loss and 11 yards from tackles for loss. It represented the best game for a long-time Cowboy who has had a shifting role throughout his time in Stillwater.
• Oklahoma State has done its best work when getting to the quarterback and blowing up plays in the backfield. Through 12 weeks of the college football season, OSU ranks No. 3 nationally in team sacks per game, averaging 3.6 per contest. The Cowboys have led the nation in sacks for the majority of the season and need 10 more this season to set a new school record.
• The Cowboys also rank No. 13 nationally in team tackles for loss per game.
• Defensive end Jordan Brailford has been OSU's best player on defense and has led the way in getting to the quarterback. He has nine sacks this season and his average of 0.9 per game ranks No. 7 in FBS.
• Red zone defense has been another strong suit for the Cowboys of late. OSU held Baylor to just two scores in five red zone opportunities, highlighted by a Rodarius Williams interception in the end zone to stop Baylor's opening drive of the game. OSU opponents have only scored on 76.3 percent of their red zone chances this season, putting the Cowboys at No. 22 in FBS when it comes to red zone defense.
• Justin Phillips is a fifth-year senior linebacker in the middle of OSU's defense and is its unquestioned leader. Phillips leads the team in tackles and solo tackles this year and his 25 career starts are the most on the defense.

Notable Streaks and Trends Entering the West Virginia Game

• Oklahoma State has won 23 of its last 32 games overall.
• OSU is 16-5 in its last 21 games decided by less than 10 points.
• OSU has scored a touchdown on its opening drive in five of its last six games.
• OSU has won 20 of its last 21 games when leading at halftime, dating to Sept. 17, 2016.
• Justice Hill has a rushing touchdown in 14 of his last 16 games.
• Justice Hill has rushed for at least 100 yards in five of 10 games this season, in 12 of his last 20 games and in 16 of his last 27 games. He has 19 100-yard rushing games in his career.
• Matt Ammendola has made 24 of his last 30 field goal attempts, and 26 of his last 33 tries.
• OSU has won three straight overtime games.
• OSU has had at least one 100-yard receiver in 12 of its last 15 games.
• OSU has had a 100-yard rusher in 15 of its last 24 games.
• OSU has outrushed its opponent in 16 of its last 24 games and in 18 of its last 27 games.
• Oklahoma State has won 37 of its last 51 games overall, dating back to the end of the 2014 season.
• OSU has forced at least one turnover in 34 of its last 37 games and in 43 of the last 47 games, dating to 2015.
• Dating back to 2005, the Cowboys have won 35 of their last 37 games when not committing a turnover.
• Dating back to 2008, the Cowboys have won 58 of their last 63 games when winning the turnover battle.
• Dillon Stoner has at least one catch in each of his last 22 games.