With Gordon yet to get going, the Mountaineers are cautious as they try to contain Oklahoma State's tailback

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Ollie Gordon didn’t start his junior season the way he wanted.

The West Virginia coaching staff hopes that trend continues for another week and into the Cowboys' sixth game of the season, Saturday at 4 p.m. against the Mountaineers at Boone Pickens Stadium.

However, if history repeats itself, Gordon could be in for a standout performance against a program against which he put together the most memorable performance of his career just last season.

During the Cowboys' 48-34 win at Morgantown in 2023, Gordon rushed for 282 yards and four touchdowns on 29 carries, while saving his best for last with 145 yards and three touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

“I watched this game a lot,” WVU defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley said. “It’s tough because with nine minutes to go in the game there’s a lot more good than bad up to that point.”

Gordon took the lead down the stretch and helped the Cowboys to a road win, and the following week he nearly matched that performance with 271 rushing yards and two touchdowns in a win over Cincinnati.

“We didn’t pass in the split zone a couple of times,” West Virginia head coach Neal Brown said. “That hit us. He had three explosive runs and two of them were in the split zone and we just didn’t do a good job of it.”

It was part of a Doak Walker Award-winning season for Gordon in which he led the FBS with 1,732 rushing yards on 285 carries and 21 touchdowns.

In five games in 2024, Gordon has surpassed 100 yards on the ground once, coming in the season opener against South Dakota State. In four games since then against FBS competition, Gordon has caught 60 carries for 208 yards and a touchdown. All four of his TDs came in Oklahoma State's first two games.

“I watched a lot during the week off and I know there are some questions as to why he doesn’t have stats,” Lesley said. “I didn’t attach any importance to it. I saw the boy at his best. He is an elite player. It was around this time last year that they found a way to make it work.”

In two career games against West Virginia, Gordon caught 46 carries for 418 yards and five touchdowns.

“He is a great player. He’s going to be an NFL player,” Brown said. “The special thing about him is his great size and speed. We need to make sure we have multiple hats on the ball. We can't expect our boys to play 1v1 situations and always beat him. He has played well this season. I don't think his numbers tell the truth. He will have breakout games. I just hope it’s not against us.”

At 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, Gordon remains a tough tackle running behind an offensive line that has given up one sack this season.

West Virginia has the luxury of two weeks of preparation to slow Gordon down, even though the Mountaineers allowed a season-high 247 yards on the ground in their last game against Kansas.

West Virginia will need to perform better in its third matchup with Gordon if it hopes for a fourth win in 13 meetings with the Cowboys since joining the Big 12 Conference.

“It starts with Ollie Gordon. He’s special,” Gordon said. “I don’t know if we attacked him in the fourth quarter last year, but he’s a special player.”