OSU 3-2-1 kickoff: What kind of encore does Cowboys' Ollie Gordon have vs. West Virginia?

Aiming for a third straight victory, Oklahoma State must survive a trip to the mountains.

The Cowboys (4-2, 2-1 Big 12) face West Virginia (4-2, 2-1) at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Morgantown, West Virginia. The game will be televised on ESPN.

Here are three players to watch, two big questions and one wild prediction for the game:

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3 players to watch in OSU vs. West Virginia

Linebacker Xavier Benson: The outside linebacker is coming off his best game of the season, with six tackles and half a sack. He’s been a stabilizing presence for a young defense and against a quarterback that does not make a ton of mistakes and can move like Garrett Greene, Benson’s presence will be needed.

Kicker Alex Hale: The Australian was named the Lou Groza Award Star of the Week for the second straight week after he made 4 of 5 field goals. Hale has now made 9 of 11 in the past two weeks, with one miss being a block. He’s kicking from long distances — three are longer than 50 yards — and he will likely be needed on a miserable weather day that is expected.

Wide receiver Rashod Owens: Another veteran, Owens is coming off a career night in which he set highs with nine receptions for 112 yards. He’s had a reception of at least 40 yards in two straight games since taking over for injured De’Zhaun Stribling on the outside. Owens and quarterback Alan Bowman have a strong connection and it’s opened up the offense in new ways.

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2 big questions in OSU vs. West Virginia

Will Ollie Gordon II again carry the load offensively? The past three games have seen Gordon carry the football 18, 21 and 29 times — all career highs. It would be silly to expect 30 carries for the sophomore, but crazier things have happened. Gordon is clearly the most dynamic player and a gamechanger. Just look at his performance last week — 168 yards rushing and 116 yards receiving — to understand that. He also dominated against the Mountaineers a year ago, so they’re well aware of his impact.

Will OSU’s young secondary continue its fast development? OSU has just two seniors in the secondary and have already lost Lyrik Rawls — a starting safety — to injury. That’s put redshirt freshman Cameron Epps and true freshman Dylan Smith into larger roles. So far, they’ve delivered. They’ve combined for three interceptions in the past two games. The secondary actually has four picks in the past two games, showing tremendous upside while basically learning on the fly at times.

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1 wild prediction in OSU vs. West Virginia

Bowman will throw three touchdowns. The Cowboys’ veteran passer has thrown two touchdowns twice in the past three games but has yet to reach this total. He’s working on improving his footwork. And OSU’s passing attack is starting to let loose, particularly with the addition of Gordon in the passing game. And even in rainy conditions the Cowboys can thrive behind Bowman through the air.

—Jacob Unruh, Staff writer

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Will Oklahoma State football's Ollie Gordon stay hot at West Virginia?