Oklahoma State Rallies Past West Virginia 41-24 in Big 12 Opener

Oklahoma State beat West Virginia 41-24 on Saturday night, September 26, 2026, rallying from a second-half deficit to win both teams’ Big 12 opener at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, West Virginia. Quarterback Drew Mestemaker threw for a season-high 389 yards and three touchdowns, and running back Caleb Hawkins added a season-high 180 rushing yards, as the Cowboys pulled away with a big second-half surge in front of an announced crowd of 57,756.

What was the final score of Oklahoma State vs. West Virginia?

Oklahoma State won 41-24, closing the game on a 28-10 run across the third and fourth quarters after a tight first half. The two teams were separated by a single point at halftime, 14-13 in West Virginia’s favor, before Oklahoma State took over after the break.

Both teams entered the night 3-0, so the result also decided which program would open Big 12 play 1-0 rather than 0-1.

How did Oklahoma State come back to win?

Oklahoma State trailed by as much as eight points early in the third quarter before Mestemaker directed five straight scoring drives to take control of the game. After Mestemaker threw an interception on Oklahoma State’s first possession of the second half, West Virginia extended its lead. From there, Mestemaker answered by finding Terrence Lewis for a 4-yard touchdown to tie the score at 21, then set up a Hawkins touchdown run, a field goal, and a short touchdown catch by Wyatt Young that put the game away with 5:42 left in the fourth quarter.

What were the key individual stats from the game?

Mestemaker completed 20 of 27 passes for 389 yards and three touchdowns, and Wyatt Young caught eight passes for a season-high 192 yards and a score. Hawkins rushed for 180 yards and a touchdown on the ground, and kicker Sam Keltner made all four of his field-goal attempts, from 30, 19, 29 and 47 yards. Oklahoma State finished with 609 total yards, 359 of them after halftime.

West Virginia’s offense was not without production. Quarterback Mike Hawkins Jr. ran for three touchdowns and running back Cam Cook rushed for 193 yards, and the Mountaineers finished with 334 rushing yards as a team. Hawkins Jr., who came in as the nation’s leading rushing quarterback, struggled through the air, completing 10 of 22 passes for 132 yards.

What does this win mean for Oklahoma State’s Big 12 record?

The win snapped an 18-game losing streak for Oklahoma State in Big 12 games, a stretch that spanned the entire 2024 and 2025 seasons. Oklahoma State finished both of those seasons winless in conference play, going 0-9 in the Big 12 in 2024 and again 0-9 in 2025. Saturday’s victory came in first-year head coach Eric Morris’s fourth game leading the program; Morris was hired away from North Texas in late 2025 and brought Mestemaker, Hawkins and Young with him from that program.

What’s next for Oklahoma State and West Virginia?

Oklahoma State has a bye week before hosting UCF on Saturday, October 10, 2026, while West Virginia travels to Iowa State the following Saturday. Both teams sit at 3-1 overall entering that stretch, with Oklahoma State at 1-0 in Big 12 play and West Virginia at 0-1.

Saturday’s result also extended Oklahoma State’s success at this particular venue — the Cowboys have now won six straight meetings with West Virginia played in Morgantown. For West Virginia, the loss came in a building that was loud and full for the occasion, but a defense that couldn’t generate pressure on Mestemaker let the game get away in the second half. We’ll be watching how both teams look as Big 12 play continues into October.