Locked On Jayhawks - Daily Podcast On Kansas Jayhawks Football & Basketball - BIG 12 SQUAD - The Big 12 had a WILD Week Three | What happened with Kansas?

Episode Date: September 23, 2026

West Virginia surges into Big 12 contention as Mike Hawkins Jr. dazzles with 11 touchdowns and a 70% completion rate, silencing doubters and igniting Mountaineer pride. Can Neal Brown’s squad sustain their dominance, or will Oklahoma State’s revamped defense, under Eric Morris, spoil the homecoming in a high-stakes fistfight? The Big 12 Squad unpacks the psychological edge Rich Rodriguez’s legacy brings to Morgantown and debates whether Hawkins can thrive if forced to air it out against elite competition. Drake Toll and local Locked On experts break down Houston’s playoff hopes after a nail-biting loss to Texas Tech, analyze key tiebreaker scenarios, and weigh BYU and Utah’s battle for Big 12 supremacy. From deep-dive stats on West Virginia’s ground game to heated exchanges on media recognition and playoff selection bias, this episode delivers insider perspectives on conference chaos and the next statement win to watch. Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!KALSHIFor a limited time, Download Kalshi and use code Locked On to get $25 when you trade $25. Kalshi. Trade what’s next.  SupplyHouseVisit https://SupplyHouse.com/TM to learn more about becoming a Trade Master.  Use promo code S H 5 College for five percent off your first order.  SupplyHouse. Real people. Real service. OdooGreat organizations win because operations matter. And that’s why you should get Odoo. Try for free today at https://Odoo.com/lockedon. SquareGet up to $200 off Square hardware when you sign up at https://square.com/go/COLLEGE ! #squarepod LARINECOGive Larine a try. Right now, Larine Co is offering our listeners up to 50% off at https://BUYLARINE.com/LOCKEDONCOLLEGE. 5-Hour ENERGYBring on the sweetness with Cotton Candy 5-hour ENERGY®️ shots—available online now at https:/5hourENERGY.com or on Amazon. GametimeToday's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase. Terms and conditions apply.FanDuelToday's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. It’s time to put your knowledge to the test with College Football Pick’Em from FanDuel.  Download the FanDuel app and play College Football Pick'Em for free. Only on FanDuel.  Join all the action at https://FANDUEL.COM  FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

They called me a liar, a clickbaiter. They said I was an evil human being who was hunting down views, all because I told them the truth about West Virginia. This is the Dose Grande Squad. You're talking ball with the Big 12 squad. From Oklahoma State to Utah, from Kansas State to BYU. From Houston to Texas Tech, it's the local experts of the Lockdown Podcast Network,

bringing you scoops, breakdowns, and the most comprehensive preview of the upcoming Big 12 weekend. Buckle up, it's the Big 12 Squad, and we have a seat for you. Know her feelings and thin skin allowed. Squad up, you're part of the Big 12 Squad. Happy Wednesday, everybody. Welcome to the Dose Grande Squad. I'm Drake Toll from America's number one Big 12 podcast, Locked on Big 12. Thank you for making this show your first listen every single day.

There he is. Cody Stoball, Locked on Oklahoma. Oklahoma State, feeling jasy. There's J.T. Worcester still of Locked on Uts, a pure contender in this conference. Certainly we will talk all about Houston with Parker Ainsworth of Locked on Coogs. And ladies and gentlemen, here he comes. Standing at six foot five, West Virginia, the Mountaineers, he is mountaineer. Paul, my friend, it's West Virginia, the pride of every mountaine.

The show is yours, the floor is yours, the conference might be yours, my friend. Good day to you. So, you know, like I've been the same, brother, it's been seven years, right? I mean, it's almost like the woman from the Titanic. It's been 84 years. You know, like, that's how we feel. I was actually just on the phone with one of the players' dad. And, you know, we were talking about it.

He was like, man, I was like, he was like, I was so upset at the fan base because there was so much negativity going into the game. I'm like, dude, it's been seven years, literally. Like, we're always waiting for the other shoe to drop. And it didn't drop. for the first time in a while, you got to understand where we're coming from here. And I just hit a show on it. It's because of Rich Rodriguez.

It really is. He's got this team psychologically in a place where they're constantly needing his validation. He's never giving it to them. Always wanting them to crawl back for more. And they're motivated to go into a place of where they've been. And, you know, through three games, I mean, you can look at Khalil Tate. You can look at Pat White. you know, there's not many

quarterbacks that have started out as hot as Mike Hawkins Jr. 11 touchdowns, no turnovers through three games. I mean, that's elite stuff. Almost 70% of his balls being completed, 477 yards, 332 on the ground, 800 total yards, 11 touchdowns,

what it comes out to, over 260 yards a game on his own. So to say that he's not, you know, one of the best players in our league right now will be crazy. and it's Oklahoma State Hate Week. If we're going to keep talking about West Virginia and Mike Hawkins and the balls that he throw, we need to call him Michael or put a bigger space between Mike Hawking. There needs to be some separation there.

Mike Hawk and the pristine nature of his balls is very fair on today's show, just so long as we, so long as we enunciate. Annunciation is key. Cody, I don't even know what that word means. Am I crazy?

I think that Oklahoma State's better than West Virginia. And like this actually is a bigger time. Are we going to make this a preview show? Wow. Oh my gosh. Hey, well, Parker, you haven't answered for your crimes yet.

Parker's hurt. He's just hurt. You got to hold the phone. You get us are casting stones to the glass house, man. I'm frustrated because it feels like things are kind of at our control at this point already because of the way that not everyone plays each other. Yeah. So, like, Houston plays tech, and, like, they lose the tech last week and by two.

It's very, everyone's laughed to me at this point, right? But let's say Houston goes undefeated the rest of the way. They go 11 and 1. That doesn't mean they're in the Big 12 championship game and have another shot at it. Because B.O. you can go undefeated and Tech can go undefeated, and it doesn't matter. I'd be surprised. Is that going to happen? I think JT's nodding.

Like, I don't think so. But, like, it doesn't matter. Like, Houston can. go 11 and 1 and come in third, and this is not a three-bid league, so that's the way it goes, you know. That's where I'm at. I do think, though, that I'm glad for everyone's sake here

that Paul took out some ACC squad because, like, I'm getting kind of stick of them. I got really. And the thing is, of course, crazy is, like, is, you know, a Virginia's fan base. What a horrible shelling from them. I couldn't believe how bad that looked for them. It was 90-10, 95-5, West Virginia there.

crazy. By the way, Drake, there is an image in the in the in the in the in the overlays that I'll have you look at and approve before you put it on screen. I made it yesterday. It's hilarious. You know what? Whatever. This is I'm given Paul one of these a fall one every fall. It does say Hawk to a get it because Michael Hawkins. Paul did AI an image. Once we taught Paul AI things went south. It's dangerous. Really funky, really fast. You know that screen you've seen where it's like the 50 different social media accounts are working together on AI? That's actually just Paul working all this. Just Paul.

And look, sometimes he creates magic where you're like, oh, Paul, how sweet, how cute, that's so nice. And then other times he creates monsters. Paul strikes again. Yeah, JT, what's up? When you have a performance like that, though,

you can create whatever you want MP. I was on big, locked on Big 12 last week, and I doubted the Mountaineers a thought for you was going to win that game. I want a pro right away. I'm really impressive what I saw from West Virginia, Paul. I think I was wrong about this team. I'm not ready to say there are for sure contender, but I really like what I saw.

Go. Wait, wait, wait, somebody to the door. Oh, wait, is that, oh, it's me in the mirror. It's the guy who said West Virginia would win outright. Would win outright. You're welcome. I'd like to point out that I, too, had West Virginia undefeated until this ball game.

And I would also like to. to point out that that was before I saw this new version of Drew Messamaker and Caleb Hawkins and Wyatt Young. No doubt, West Virginia, Kansas State easily have the two best running games in the conference. I think that their quarterback, running back duos

are very, very important. I see you over there. I saw Connor Wigman getting his run on. Calm down there, Parker. But Mike Hawkins has a different level of ability athletically. I think Avery Johnson does as well. My only thing is nobody's been able to force

Russ Virginia to throw the ball exclusively yet to get back to a ball game. I'm sorry? I just, I think that's not right. You know, I mean, at the end of the day, like, yes, you're right. Nobody's made us one-dimensional and forced us to throw it. Well, then what I say was wrong.

But when we've thrown it, it's been a smashing success. You know what I mean? 26 times. When we choose to throw it. Yeah. Yeah. I will say, I was chuckling mostly, Cody, though, not at, I was hoping that Caleb Hawkins had a fun. name like Mike Hawkins to

middle name like a fun middle name we can make a full name out of it and it didn't work out and I don't get my but to Cody's point and a bit of Paul's point here's kind of the middle where I land with this and I made this case a couple times through the first three games this season when most you're most of teams playing nobody two of your three games for everybody's been nobody right

outside like Colorado your quarterback shouldn't throw the ball more than 17 times a game like that's what I'm looking for if Devon Damp here goes 12 for 17 but the team runs the ball for 311 yards look at let and think here's the example Fernando Mendoza at Indiana last year. They'd throw him 19 times a game.

He'd go 15 for 19 against Michigan, and Indiana will win by 36 points. Like, what? Because you ran the ball. I mean, you didn't. You utilize the pass to compliment the run. I think West Virginia is kind of in that zone of, you're right.

Cody, to say, if you stop the run, then we haven't seen West Virginia forced into the pass. But by the way, no one's going to stop the run. They're going to get 180 yards on the ground. They may lose a couple games. the 180 yards, but they're still going to get that 180. And here's what I mean. The second you get pressure on Mike Hawkins,

we sacked him. He's 23 yards upfield. He doesn't exist anymore. He has disappeared into the ether and has a first down. So there are ways that Oklahoma State wins this game, for sure. One of them is shutting down the pass. But to write off the pass already, I agree with Paul, it's still a little premature.

We have not gotten to Parker yet. He literally lost a game and we haven't heard that much from Parker. He only got like a little blurb in. We've got to get to that. We've got to get to that. All right. I didn't even get to my point. This is the preview show.

It's the reaction show. And you're on the preview show. Cody, we'll get that the third segment. Can we appease each other there? Hit me, Goose. Okay. You know I love you. You know that, right?

I do. I do. I also want to hear you say, my name is Drake Toll, and I'm picking West Virginia to win the Daggle and Ball game. I also want to hear that. My name is Drake Toll, and I am picking West Virginia to win this weekend.

No, Gang-up ball game. Said the gag-up ball game. It's going to be mid-2000s-level biblical there this weekend. It's going to be in the 2000s-level. It's going to be 2015-48-45, West Virginia sneaks one out. But we'll talk about that on squad shows later this week and over the course of today's show. When we return, if you're listening on audio, J-Catch joins the show.

It's locked on Big 12th, the Doseig Vrante Squad. Today's show is brought to you by our friends at Kalshi. Calshade's exactly where I go for prediction market. And I'm actually putting down trades against peers. It's not like the mean, evil house has got you. No, it's against each other. Who makes the playoffs? Who wins the conference?

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That's O'DOO slash locked on. Odo.com slash locked on today with Odu. J. Katch of Lockdown Cougars talking all things, BYU joining the show and Hatch. Before we jump right back into this week in the Big 12 conference with Parker Rainsworth of Lockedon, Fuggs who has gone black screen on us. Parker, are you there? Parker. Can you hear me?

Yeah, man. Yeah, you know what? You weren't that cute anyway. It's fine. His Wi-Fi is coming up just short today. He's the prince of darkness now, boys. He's the Prince of Darkness. Oh, no. Hatch, super fast. BYU, you got left out of the AP poll by one voter this week, Jerry Humphrey.

And I did. Hey, by the way, don't mention that to him or he'll block you and untag himself from whatever you post about him. That's a... That's an insane thing. Oh, no. I have news for you, Jake. What you did?

I did a show about this. I called an idiot in the same way if I leave my car keys inside when I go to my car. I'm like, oh, I'm an idiot. I forgot that. Joining locked on Big 12. Thursday morning,

8 o'clock Eastern time to be released. Jerry Humphrey the 3rd. The AP Motor. Jerry Humper Jr. Jerry Humphrey Jr. He speaks out, Hatch, to the people. I did tell him BYU fans would love him to death

for taking a platform and justifying or explaining himself and so I'm very excited to hear his thoughts and I think it will go well. I look forward to this because to have him 13th one week and then the very next week drop him completely out.

I think he forgot. I think he just simply forgot the team in this point. Even if he didn't, he better lie. He better lie. Yes, MP, you're right. He better lie because that's the only way to justify to say, hey, You just, and it happens.

Trust me, it's happened before where you just happen to forget a team when you're going through those rankings. And it happens. But I am very interested to hear him talk about it and address the topic head on. If you work in media, I mean, I get to the end of these reaction shows that I released on Sunday. And I'm like, did I get the UCF game? I did the, oh, okay. There's always one that you're like, oh, did I get all the games in there? So Jerry will join the show Thursday morning.

That is a tease for all big 12 fans who would like to learn more about how the AP poll works. Sure. Those are quite, and look, I call him an idiot on my show. I'm not going to shy down. I'm going to call him an idiot when he joins the show. And from there, him and I can go back. I'm excited for this. It's going to be really good.

Now, Parker, he's, even if he doubles down on it, you won't. No, I'm saying, like, I'm going to say, hey, Jerry, I called you an idiot. I got to stand by it, man. Back it up. Like, you know, I think he seems like a really good sport about the whole thing, at least to me. He didn't block me, which we're happy about. Parker Rainesworth. Someone didn't block him.

I don't, I mean, Houston jumps out to lead in this game. I wouldn't say Houston played particularly well. I wouldn't say that Texas Tech played particularly well. I would say each team looked like they were playing their first top 25 team of the season. They looked like they were trying to figure out how to play top-end competition in 2026. By the way, it turns out Oregon State actually is really good. Both these teams. Who said that?

Someone said them on the show once in time. Oops. I preach it. Both these teams are wading through competition. And tech, you play this game on a neutral site. They're dead even. These teams are 50-50. Houston's still in the AP Top 25.

I appreciate that. Why did the Cougars lose? It's a broad statement on purpose. A broad question, I should say. Yeah, so I was trying to, I got the all 22 from a buddy, I think, a mutual friend in the team chat, but I was trying to watch like why and figure out why. They essentially didn't run the ball in the second or fourth quarters and still put up 175 yards on the ground at 4.8 yards of carry.

And I can't see a skimmy. thing that tech did that got them out of it. Obviously, the two minute drill at the end, you're just trying to beat the clock, but they had the ball in the middle of the fourth quarter and earlier in the fourth quarter, and they went three now passing the ball. And it doesn't make a whole lot of sense when you were getting at least positive yardage every time he handed it off. And I think that's kind of kind of psyching yourself out of it.

You know, they've got these, you know, big, high caliber, defensive linemen, and you're kind of talking yourself out of something in a crucial moment. On the whole, you know, I thought that. that tech played as far as a two-point conversion itself goes there at the end. They played an excellent coverage deal where they had split out with the running back. And then they didn't let Amari Thomas cross the field. He's very clearly the target there. And when Wegman sees that he's not opened, Wegman just scrambles, says,

hey, maybe he'll receive it was a block for me. And they kind of do, but it's a linebacker that catches him. Meanwhile, we're all talking about how short two inches is. And I have been told by reputable sources. That's a long ways. Oh, my gosh. Oh, my goodness. We had Mike Hawk and his precise and his precise balls.

And now we have. Why don't you mention that? Because on the college football show, I didn't make a joke about this, didn't I, Parker? Yeah, yeah. No, but I think that the way we look good. He had a couple of mistakes. I have not really appreciated the like, oh, Texas Tech spotted you 10. Like Houston earned 10 points.

They probably should have a touch on the first drive. They got three. they flush They should tie Thomas Casalanos is more effective with both arms tied behind his back

I just want to make that note really quickly But the interception Houston flushes him to his away from his throwing hand like that that's on the Houston defense too

and he just can't throw it away Calvin Samson Take away the ball dominant hand Yeah but anyway I think that on the whole Houston

showed they can play with the top teams of the conference as I said in the first segment you get one more chance against Utah, but if Houston goes 11-01, that does not mean that they're in the big 12 championship game.

And I think that because we're in a bid that does not get the respect and needs and cannot put three teams in playoff apparently, that's the shame. You can maybe make an argument for a second team, and I think we will all probably make that. It's going to be really hard to argue for a third. Parker, you're better off losing to Kansas than you are Texas Tech

because of tiebreakers. You're better off losing to Kansas and that being your 11 and 1 than you are, Texas Tech because you're tiebreaker. Get to the end of the season. And Kansas is not in the picture. Texas Tech is. That's kind of backwards.

Yeah. If Houston is 11 and 1 guys, and their only losses that way against Texas Tech, I would be shocked if they were left out of the playoffs. They have a win at Utah. Parker is different than what happened with BYU last year.

They lost by 20 and two separate times to the same team. If that's your only loss and you win 11 games, I genuinely think you're a plastic. But they're not going to put it. We'll see. They're not going to put a third big 12 team in.

They're just not. If they have a, an 11-win team. I really think they matter. If we have three 11-win teams, we'll see what happens from there. I believe that fully. I think the way it loses and things like that have to matter. And if Houston wins 11 games with as good as they look, I really like what I saw from Houston. I think they can actually get there. I have time out. I have petition. Let's have Houston finish 11 and 1, BYU at 12 and 0, Texas Tech at 12 and O and just not play the conference title.

That's my solution. Or let's have a really fun conversation where it's like Baylor plays UCF, loser gets fired. Right? Like, something fun. That's good. That's good. Let's have Tulsa and Oklahoma State in the Big 12 championship. Tulsa and Tulsa, Oregon State, winner gets in the conference.

Oh, oh, hey. So, Drake, back up your point there. Remember, BYU got penalized. You're playing that conference title game, that dropped the spot. Even to play in a conference title game, we got penalized. Alabama is not a penalized.

You want some real controversy. What's that? If Texas Tech and BYU, you're 12 and O, tech beats BYU, and then move Tech in Houston, not BYU. Oh, that's a real. Interesting. They so would do that.

They hate religion. They hate religion. Yeah, you would say that. Look at the beast, the BCS. The computers hated religion. The people hated religion. Like, for some reason. The reason they made the BCS was BYU.

The reason they canned the BCS also BYU. They have been the university responsible for changing our format multiple times now. Sorry for your 84 championship counted. And then they made sure that it would never count again. Trust me, they made it for four decades where you couldn't get back to it. Correct.

All right. Let's go into, I do want to hash out. Utah, BYU, you have both emerged as top tier teams in the conference for sure.

And then let's give a sneak peek of what you'll hear on later this week's squad show. Mountain Year Paul, Cody Stelvo, Oklahoma State Western. I imagine you guys are going to cross over

at least a couple times, right? Come on. Yeah, we've already done. We already have, actually, yeah. Yeah, we're going to be glued to that.

It's the Dose Grande squad. Today's show is brought to you by Supply House. I'm still working on the screen, didn't porch out here. And it's been weeks. It's been weeks. But Supply House is helping me. I'm getting closer to where I want to be with the whole deal.

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It is the Dose Grande Squad, and we have six of our beautiful Big 12 folks that are right here right now. Before we get into Oklahoma State and West Virginia, because we are still reacting to what happened last year. We'll jump all the way to the previews. J.T. Make your case that Utah is better than BYU.

I think you can based on what we've seen so far. Utah's been more dominant than BYU. You now part of that, Jake, before you jump on me. Obviously, is the level of competition they've played. But, man, Devin Dan peers off to a really good start this season. It's the best wide receiver core they've had in a long time. The defense has been dominant. I mean, holding team to just 24 points.

So I be really good about Utah now. Arkansas. I know. I know, but how many points, Jay 10? What are you, that's less than Georgia? They held them less than Georgia did. What do you do when you play bad teams? You blow them out.

You don't let them in the game. Last. Colorado State. What's that? That's about Colorado State, buddy. You didn't blow them out. You didn't finish the game. To be fair to JT's point, I have been saying BYU you need to, you know, shore up these games. And BYU...

And they're not going to, which is a problem, which is a problem. Like, I'll put the threes out there. And then you allow 14 points. Now, Heather Dinnich is like, BYU sucks this week. Because she only looks at the score. Hatch, make the case. The CFP this week, she's a sweet lady. Hatch, I'll give you the platform. now. Make the case that BYU is better than Utah, because a lot of folks are putting these as their number one and number two in the Big 12 conference right now.

Best opponent of the two schools have played is just a little bit. Arizona. It's Arizona by a country mile. They beat by like two points. They beat Arizona on a Hail Mary last play. No. That's what Heather Dinnich told me. I know. I know. I know. But while I completely get where you guys are coming from, the BYU needs to finish games, I completely concur with your assessment. I'm just saying that I've got 10 years of evidence that Kalani Satake, that is not his MO, and it never will be his MO.

He was very clear about that. He did have a pretty good answer today when I asked him about game control, probably the best term to use, and he kind of said, he knows what people are saying out there about him. He made it very clear that, hey, he wants his backups to get game action

because his thought process early on right now with some of these opponents, the Utah, Texas, Colorado States, the BYU is blowing away. He wants the backups to get a little and he's going to expect that they're going to go out there and perform. Now against Colorado State, they didn't do it. They yielded 16 points, two two-point conversions and two touchdowns. That's not good enough.

And he called them greedy, speaking of his backups in his postgame comments that I was there in Colorado to watch him say that. And I get that. But the way BYU handled their business against Arizona, and it was a tell of two halves, BYU went into the locker room, trailing the Arizona Wildcats, and then pitched a second half shutout, keeping Noah Fafita. and the Arizona offense, which is pretty darn good, to less than 100 total yards and a half of football and shutting them out on the scoreboard,

that is why I believe BYU is the best, because they beat the best team of the six of these two schools have played. By the way, I want to give some flowers here to hatch. Man, and a lot of us with the Locked-on podcast network, there are still universities, and this has nothing to do with Locked-on. There are universities who do not recognize podcasters as journalists or members of the media,

or those who are boots on the ground and covering. And these guys on screen right now are that you're listening to cover their teams every day. closer than almost anybody in existence. Credit to Hatch for building the rapport with BYU and other universities being credentialed. So we still have guys with Loxon that are fighting that battle day in and day out to be recognized that are fighting hard, that cover this team much closer and for way less money than a lot of these big name reporters who have sold out. Credit to you guys, credit to Hatch, kind of paving the way for the way the locked on is seen across the board.

So you mentioned being these press conferences. That's huge for this network. It's huge for how we grow and build for more representation for our shows. So you two guys can figure it out and kiss later. Mountaineer, Paul. Honor code violation. I understand. It's an auto foot violations, sir.

We're not wrong. Cody Stovall. Paul, give me a preview. You and Cody, we're going to get the break down. This is the game of the week in the Big 12 conference. Why does West Virginia win? All right. I'll try to make it quick because I know Cody's been raring to go over there for a bit.

You know, real quick, I want to go back to my call. just for a second on the passing part of this, and I'll get into it. Number one nationally and expected plays attempted per pass. Number two, nationally an explosive pass rate. Number two, in yards for passing attempt. Number one, and nationally in percentage of passes thrown deep. Number three in PFF passing grade. Number two, an overall PFF quarterback grade.

Number one in big time throw percentage. I mean, I think that that's just a misnomer to think that he can't throw it. He had 49 touchdowns and three interceptions of senior in high school. throwing the ball. So I think it's just people haven't seen it yet. Maybe that's fair. I'll take that. But I'm not saying he's a messemaker at all. But I mean, at the end of the day, he can throw it better than people think. As far as for the preview, I'll say this. Oklahoma State needs to buckle their chin straps up in this game. Miss Virginia is going to come in there and you're going to have to fight. I'm not even just saying that. Like, this is what, what Rich Rodriguez's teams are. It's in the past, they didn't

have the talent, but they had the fight and the effort and the strain. And a lot of the ways, that's why you beat Georgia. That's why you beat Clemson. That's why you beat Oklahoma and those BCS bowl games is because West Virginia always is always going to be the more, usually the more in-shaped team, the more tougher team, or at least try to be. And I think in this game, that's why West Virginia wins just because they're going to be tougher.

You know, Cody and to the point on toughness, you have one program in year two, one program that's building in year one under Eric Morris. I don't think it's a knock on Oklahoma State here, of course. And I do think Drew Messmaker is the best natural passer in the Big 12 conference. And he makes mistakes. Sophomore mistakes at the power four level. But he's the best natural passer in the Big 12 conference. Why does Oklahoma State win this game?

Well, I think Paul hit part of it right on the nail on the head, the physicality, right? We got tested against Tulsa. We weren't physical enough. We weren't ready to play that game. We weren't inspired to play that game, and it showed up. Since then, Eric Morris had to completely restructure practice. He said we went old school mode. We've been getting rid of thud.

We've been hitting people in the face mask on a repeated basis. And you've seen a big difference in Oklahoma State because of that. So like Paul mentions, I don't think there's any disillusionment in cowboy country amongst the people in the locker room. They know they're not going to be able to roll up to Morgan Town and just out-talent anybody. This does need to be a fist fight in a phone booth because it is a night game. and I think Oklahoma State is prepared to do that. And I also think that this is a game where they are going to be tested deep.

And are they capable? Absolutely. But I never said that Mike Hawkins couldn't throw. I said that nobody thus far this year has made Mike Hawkins have to throw. That's the difference. And I'll also add, I know it's Murray State, right? You're supposed to do your job. But we only had four missed tackles last weekend. That means this defense is a little bit better than a lot of people want to give credit for it

because the only team that did better last week was Georgia. And they play in this fun thing called the SEC. Do we have an SEC defense? No, we probably don't. But I guarantee you you're about to see some wrinkles out of Scholar Cassidy that not even Oregon got to see. Guess who leads the country in broken tackles, by the way? Mike Hawkins.

Mike Hawkins and Cam Cooke. Those are the tough time. Immovable, immovable object. Can't stopable for. Listen, last year, Cam Cook, for his third all time, only behind Cam Scatabo and Ashti for, for broken tackles in the sleeve.

I know those names. So you buckle that chin strap up because it's going to be a fun game. JT. really quick before we get out of here, we're about to enter a Big 12 play. I love that everyone on the screen right now has a team capable of winning this conference.

I think that's great for college football. It's fun for the Big 12. I'm hyped for this Big 12 slate to get underway. Hey, J.T. It's the Isaac Terrell revenge game this weekend for you, boys. Oh, good poll from Lehigh High School. Good, sir. Good sir. Good poll.

Utah native. The bailer bears might win the conference? No, I'm BYU. Oh, God. He thinks I'm the BYU guy. That's Mountaineer Paul. Locked on Westridge.

Jay Catch. Talking all things, Cougars of BYU, Y, T. Wester, so locked on youth. Parker Rainesworth, locked on Couges talking to Houston. And Coach Burnin's

couch, Couch, Bernan. Stovall. All day. That's us. That's us. That's a week.

It's Cody Stoball. Oh, I didn't see that. It always will be. Locked on. We'll do it again on Friday for some more squad action. The Dose Grande Squad.

Oh.