Oklahoma State football is not trending in the right direction, as the Cowboys lost their third straight game, and third Big 12 contest, 38-14 to West Virginia on Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater.

OSU (3-3, 0-3 Big 12) was picked as one of the preseason favorites to contend for the Big 12 title but hasn’t lived up to that expectation.

“I want to give credit to Coach Brown and West Virginia,” OSU head coach Mike Gundy said after the game. “They had good plans, they did a good job and they executed. I told the team that we got so far behind early in the game, that offensively it sets us back where we can’t really stay balanced, and it makes it difficult for us. Defensively, we can’t get off the field. In the first three possessions, I can’t remember exactly, but we had several third downs we can’t get off the field, that we needed to get off the field.”

Gundy was referring to the fact that West Viriginia converted 9-of-15 third downs in the game.

“I’ve got a ton of respect for Mike Gundy and what they’ve done from a program perspective,” West Virginia head coach Neal Brown said. “I’m not sure how many times I’ve been here, but the last two we’ve been able to come in here and win. Those are special wins. Today was special. I thought our preparation staff-wise, player-wise, mentally, physically and emotionally — I thought our guys were ready to go.”

Starting quarterback Alan Bowman threw two interceptions before he was benched in the third quarter. He finished the day having completed 10-of-19 passes for 116 yards and one touchdown.    The Cowboys finished with just 227 total yards, including 36 yards rushing.

Gundy was asked about improvements, if any, that can be made to the offensive game plan.

“Our scheme is fine,” he said. “I’ve got to look at it, but I didn’t think we run blocked very well, I thought we got pushed around inside today, but again, I’m on the ground. In most cases, you’re not going to wholesale change in the middle of the season. You’ve got to continue what you’re doing; you can make small changes, but you got to get better at what you’re doing, versus just saying that you’re going to go to something new.”

The Mountaineers (3-2, 2-0 Big 12) were led by running back Jahiem White who carried the ball 19 times for 158 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Garrett Greene completed 9-of-15 passes for 159 yards and he rushed for 86. C.J. Donaldson Jr. added 77 yards rushing and two touchdowns for the Mountaineers. West Virginia gained a total of 558 yards, 389 of those yards coming on the ground.

Cowboys running back Ollie Gordon II left the game in the third quarter with a leg injury and did not return. He finished with 50 yards on 13 carries. Last year at West Virginia, he ran for 282 yards and four touchdowns and led the Cowboys to a 48-34 victory.

“I know Oklahoma State’s fans are going to talk about Ollie Gordon, but that dude is a player,” Brown said. “And for us to hold him to that amount of yards, I think says a lot about the will of our guys. Offensively, we talked about it Monday, that we haven’t ran the ball, up until today, the way we are capable of. I think it was a team approach. When you do as much in the run game as we do, it’s an all-11 effort. Our quarterback is a factor, our running backs are a factor, especially C.J. Donaldson, and our tight ends, this is the best they’ve played.”

The Mountaineers’ Greene temporarily left the game at the end of a 39-yard run in the first quarter, and Nicco Marchiol stepped in at quarterback. He threw a nine-yard touchdown pass to Traylon Ray to give the Mountaineers a 10-0 edge.

The Mountaineers led 24-0 in the second quarter before OSU got on the board. Rashod Owens caught an eight-yard touchdown pass from Bowman.

West Virginia scored again and lead 31-7 at halftime.

Following a scoreless third quarter, the Cowboys and Mountaineers exchanged touchdowns in the fourth quarter for the final 38-14 score.

OSU is off this week before a Friday night matchup at BYU on Oct. 18 at 9:15 p.m. CDT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.