Winners and losers from West Virginia's heartbreaking Week 3 loss to Oklahoma State

The West Virginia Mountaineersdropped their first game of the seasonand moved to 3-1 after Oklahoma State soundly defeated them 41-24 in Morgantown on Saturday night. In this weekly series, we take a look at who the team's winners and losers were against the Cowboys.

In other words, it's sort of a stocks up, stocks down situation? Who (or what) was encouraging in the game, and who (or what) gave you cause for concern? Let's dive in.

Winner: Milan Puskar Stadium and West Virginia's fans

It's weird to say that a team's fans can be among the winners after a home loss, but let us explain the perspective here. Milan Puskar Stadium is historically known as a feared place to play. In recent seasons, however, it lost that aura.

But on Saturday, it was clear that the fans understood the assignment and can still turn out in droves in Morgantown. The crowd was on of the largest in loudest in recent memory. The Gold Rush looked amazing. The student section was packed. The fans stuck around late into the fourth quarter, when it was clear the game was over. It was everything the team needs from it's home stadium.

If the Mountaineers want to return to national prominence and be a legitimate Big 12 contender, one of the needed steps is to turn Morgantown into a terrifying place for opposing teams to visit. Despite the loss, Saturday night felt like a step toward that.

Loser: Zac Alley and West Virginia's defense

Instead of highlighting individual players here, let's shine a spotlight on the fact that the defensive effort as a whole was dismal on Saturday night, and it is just another disappointing effort in a string of such performances from highly-paid defensive coordinator Zac Alley.

West Virginia gave up 609 offensive yards to Oklahoma State. Drew Mestemaker completed 74% of his passes for 329 yards and three touchdowns. The Mountaineers got just one quarterback hit and no sacks on 28 drop backs. Oklahoma State also ran the ball for over 200 yards. 11 different West Virginia players combined for 18 missed tackles, including seven who started the first play of the game.

There have to be answers, and there needs to be a change. Rich Rodriguezmade that clearand took accountability for it as the team's head coach after the loss. But he's not the only calling the players, so Alley walks out with his stock continuing to plummet after Saturday night.

Winner: Cam Cook

Cam Cook had 193 yards on 29 carries, including four rushes of 10-or-more yards and a 75-yarder to set up an early touchdown. He also forced five missed tackles. Cook was highly touted after leading the FBS in rushing last season, and is living up to that hype early for the Mountaineers.

He's a very tough running back to bring down, and with West Virginia's run game accumulating over 300 yards on Saturday night, it's clear that what Cook does is critical for the Mountaineers. We're still concerned about his health holding up through the entire season with this many carries, but it's also clearly a strategy that's working.

Loser: Michael Hawkins Jr.

So here's another weird one: Hawkins Jr. had 103 net rushing yards and three touchdowns, and forced nine missed tackles. So what exactly brings his stock down after this game?

Well, it's easy to forget when the quarterback is getting 28 carries a game, but the position is responsible for creating a threat in the passing game, as well. Hawkins Jr. was unable to do that against the Cowboys, going 10-for-22 through the air for 122 yards, one interception, and zero touchdowns. One-dimensional teams are easier to beat, and Hawkins Jr. needs to make more happen through the air if West Virginia wants to be a Big 12 contender.

Add us as a preferred source onGoogle

Follow