West Virginia vs. Oklahoma State: Score and Twitter Reaction

Saturday began with nine unbeaten teams in major college football, but that number dwindled as the Oklahoma State Cowboys upset the No. 10-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers 37-20 at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

WVU fell to 6-1 overall and 3-1 in the Big 12 with the loss, while OSU improved to 6-2 overall and 4-1 in the conference.

Three Mountaineers turnovers led to 17 Cowboys points, while Oklahoma State didn't turn the ball over at all.

Saturday marked West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen's third game in Stillwater since leaving his post as Oklahoma State's offensive coordinator at the end of the 2010 season, but his return was spoiled by junior quarterback Mason Rudolph, who threw for 273 yards and three touchdowns and added another score on the ground.

Bryan Keating of KOCO-TV in Oklahoma City wasn't surprised by the result despite West Virginia's previously unblemished record:

After the teams traded field goals on their opening possessions of the game, Oklahoma State took a 6-3 lead late in the first quarter by virtue of a 25-yard make by kicker Ben Grogan.

That advantage was short-lived, however, as West Virginia's ensuing drive covered 75 yards in 12 plays and culminated with a beautiful 19-yard touchdown connection between senior quarterback Skyler Howard and junior wide receiver Shelton Gibson, as the team's official Twitter account showed:

West Virginia had a chance to build on its 10-6 lead after making the Cowboys punt, but a crucial mistake swung the momentum.

Junior defensive lineman Vincent Taylor strip-sacked Howard, who tried to make something out of nothing, and Oklahoma State recovered at West Virginia's 8-yard line.

As Bleacher Report's Matt Hayes pointed, the play didn't reflect Howard's status as a veteran leader:

Oklahoma State made the great field position count as Rudolph found junior wide receiver Chris Lacy for a five-yard touchdown to help his team go up 13-10.

After a missed field goal on West Virginia's next drive, Rudolph orchestrated an impressive foray downfield that covered 78 yards in 15 plays and left just 15 seconds remaining in the first half.

Rudolph evaded the pass rush on several occasions, which prompted James Poling of the Oklahoman to suggest he could be playing on Sundays in the near future:

The final play of the drive was a quick screen to sophomore wideout Jalen McCleskey, who scored from three yards out to help make it 20-10, as the Big 12 showed:

Both teams struggled to score for much of the third quarter, but Oklahoma State made the first big play of the second half when junior cornerback Ramon Richards intercepted Howard after the ball deflected off junior receiver Ka'Raun White's hands.

As the Cowboys' Twitter account showed, Richards returned it all the way to West Virginia's 9-yard line:

"

WATCH: The Ramon Richards interception and return that set up the last #OKState touchdown https://t.co/KyaCyGaoCW

— Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) October 29, 2016"

The Cowboys scored three plays later on a two-yard run by Rudolph to help extend the lead to 27-10.

Keenan Cummings of WVSports.com pointed out that uncharacteristic miscues were to blame for the Mountaineers' struggles Saturday:

While WVU appeared to be out of it, it made things interesting in the fourth quarter, as a 12-yard touchdown run by Howard and a short field goal helped the Mountaineers close the deficit to seven.

With the Mountaineers changing the feel of the game, the Cowboys came through with a huge drive, and Rudolph and Lacy hooked up for another touchdown with 5:15 left to help restore the 14-point lead:

West Virginia continued to battle, but Howard was picked off again with 4:17 remaining in the game, and the Cowboys added three more points to put the contest out of reach.

Saturday's result further jumbled a competitive Big 12 title race with little separation.

Oklahoma, Baylor and West Virginia entered the day as the only teams with perfect Big 12 records, but the Mountaineers fell from those ranks and were surpassed by Oklahoma State in the standings.

The Cowboys still have a meeting with the Sooners on their schedule, and depending on how Baylor fares, that means they are still in the championship hunt.

Reaching the College Football Playoff will be difficult for both OSU and WVU because of the Big 12's lack of a conference title game, but Saturday's clash had big-time implications for some of college football's most prestigious bowl games.

Postgame Reaction

Saturday's win was a big one for Oklahoma State not only because it kept the Cowboys in Big 12 title contention, but also because it was Mike Gundy's 100th victory as a head coach.

Gundy was complimentary of his team after the triumph and made it clear how he felt about his players afterward, according to Kyle Fredrickson of the Oklahoman:

The coach also praised his team for getting the job done in all three phases:

Saturday was homecoming at OSU, and Gundy felt as though picking up the win on such a big day made it even more important:

Holgorsen was matter of fact about what primarily caused his team to lose for the first time in 2016, per Allan Taylor of the WV MetroNews:

He also discussed his defense not coming through in the clutch after the offense shrunk Oklahoma State's lead to seven in the fourth quarter:

The Mountaineers had some major shortcomings on both sides of the ball Saturday, and they'll have to be fixed quickly to remain at the forefront of the Big 12 championship race.

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter.