College Football Week 13 Upset Pick: Jarret Doege Leads WVU Past OK State

• West Virginia hosts Oklahoma State in a Big 12 matchup on Saturday, Nov. 23
• The Mountaineers need to win out to gain bowl eligibility
• Can new QB Jarret Doege lead WVU past the Cowboys?

West Virginia (4-6, 2-5 Big 12) will look to keep its bowl hopes alive when they face Chuba Hubbard and the OK State Cowboys (7-3, 4-3 Big 12) on Saturday, Nov. 23 (12:00 PM ET).

Mountaineers QB Jarret Doege impressed in his first start against Kansas State last weekend, while Oklahoma State will be without starting QB Spencer Sanders for this game.

Can the Mountaineers deliver an upset victory for their home fans in their final game at Milan Puskar Stadium?

Oklahoma State vs West Virginia Odds

The Matchup 

The Mountaineers snapped a five-game losing streak when they beat Kansas State, 24-20, in Week 12. West Virginia needs to win out against Oklahoma State and TCU to gain bowl eligibility.

The Cowboys are coming off a third straight win after they beat Kansas, 31-13, last weekend. The Cowboys can still make the Big 12 Championship Game, but they will need Oklahoma to lose to TCU this weekend and then win Bedlam in Week 14.

OK State has the advantage on the ground due to Chuba Hubbard, but West Virginia has been better in the air. Both teams are allowing over 400 yards per game this season but coming off good defensive efforts in Week 12.

Oklahoma State won this matchup, 45-41, last season thanks to a big performance from QB Taylor Cornelius, who outdueled future third-round NFL draft pick Will Grier. It doesn’t look like the Cowboys will have their current starting QB for this matchup at Mountaineer Field, though.

Spencer Sanders Out For Regular Season

Oklahoma State’s starting QB, Spencer Sanders, will not play Saturday after injuring his hand against Kansas. Sanders reportedly had surgery on his thumb and will be out for the rest of the regular season. This is a big blow for the Cowboys, as Sanders has thrown for over 2,000 yards and 16 TDs this season.

West Virginia made a QB change last game, turning to Jarret Doege over the struggling Austin Kendall. The Bowling Green transfer impressed in his first start, completing 20-of-30 passes for 234 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions against a solid K-State defense.

Jarret Doege has been named the @Big12Conference Newcomer of the Week

➡️ https://t.co/uvPITvbu2K#HailWV pic.twitter.com/1wtTrkCGVu

— West Virginia Football (@WVUfootball) November 18, 2019

You can’t expect West Virginia’s defense to shutdown the nation’s leading rusher in Hubbard (1,726 yards), but the injury to Sanders and the promising play of Doege gives West Virginia a good chance of winning the battle in the air.

Cowboys Letdown Spot

This has big potential to be a letdown spot for Oklahoma State. The Cowboys are riding high right now and could be caught looking ahead to their biggest game of the season against the Sooners in Week 14.

#Bedlam in prime time next week.

🗓 https://t.co/Qb5AmWjQY7#ChampionshipNovember #OUDNA pic.twitter.com/R5pCh81U1P

— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) November 18, 2019

West Virginia has appeared to turn a corner with a strong performance on both side sides of the ball against Kansas State. Bill Snyder Family Stadium is a very tough environment to play in, and West Virginia’s defense was able to go in and rack up 10 tackles for loss, two sacks, and two interceptions against a well-coached and disciplined offense.

West Virginia has suffered three straight losses at home and will be motivated to turn in a big performance for their fans. They won’t be leaving this crowd with another dud in the home-season finale.

Betting Advice

This should be a tight game, and relatively low-scoring considering heavy rain is in the forecast and Sanders is out. Oklahoma State has already struggled in road losses to Texas and Texas Tech this season and not having home-field advantage in tough conditions will hurt.

West Virginia coach Neal Brown is no stranger to beating top-25 teams. He helped Troy beat LSU in Death Valley in 2017 and then did it again with West Virginia against No. 24 Kansas State last weekend. With the Mountaineers returning home and fighting for Bowl eligibility, Brown has the experience and tools to do it again Saturday.

Hubbard will have another big game for the Cowboys on his quest for 2,000 yards, but Doege’s early chemistry with a plethora of talented wide receivers will lead the Mountaineers to a second consecutive upset victory.

Pick: West Virginia (+200)