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STILLWATER, Okla. >> Wendell Smallwood ran for a career-high 132 yards to help No. 22 West Virginia defeat Oklahoma State 34-10 Saturday.
Smallwood stepped in for Rushel Shell, who sat out with a foot injury suffered during a win over then-No. 4 Baylor last week.
Clint Trickett passed for 238 yards and two touchdowns and Mario Alford caught seven passes for a season-high 136 yards for the Mountaineers (6-2, 4-1 Big 12), who won their fourth straight and beat the Cowboys for the second straight year.
West Virginia won despite Kevin White’s off day. The nation’s leader in yards receiving per game was held to 27 yards on three catches.
Daxx Garman passed for 242 and James Washington had five catches for 87 yards for Oklahoma State (5-3, 3-2).
White’s nation-leading streak of seven straight games with at least 100 yards receiving was snapped, but little else went wrong for West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen, who was Oklahoma State’s offensive coordinator in 2010.
It was Oklahoma State’s second straight poor offensive performance. The Cowboys were held to 258 yards last week in a 42-9 loss to TCU.
West Virginia marched down the field on its opening drive, and White caught a 19-yard touchdown pass from Trickett to open the scoring.
On the next drive, Trickett connected with Alford for a 79-yard touchdown pass to give the Mountaineers a 14-0 lead with 7:49 left in the first quarter. It was the longest pass of Trickett’s career and the longest catch for Alford.
Oklahoma State finally got on the board when Ben Grogan hit a 40-yard field-goal in the second quarter.
On the Cowboys’ next drive, Brandon Sheperd went 51 yards on a reverse, setting up Garman’s 8-yard touchdown pass to fullback Teddy Johnson, cutting West Virginia’s lead to 14-10.
Oklahoma State got inside the West Virginia 10 on its next drive, but Garman took a sack on third down, and Grogan missed a 36-yard field goal attempt.
West Virginia led 14-10 at halftime despite allowing 299 yards before the break. The Mountaineers scored touchdowns on their first two drives of the first half, but punted on their last five.
West Virginia’s Josh Lambert made a 39-yard field goal in the third quarter that bumped the Mountaineers’ lead up to 17-10, then added a 43-yarder with 10: 14 remaining in the game to make it 20-10. West Virginia’s Dravon Henry returned an interception 52 yards for a score to make it 27-10 with 4:44 remaining.
