This is the type of game where the WVU defense needs to earn its postgame snack boxes.

Will the Mountaineers all of a sudden turn into the 1985 Chicago Bears against at team like Oklahoma State, which piles up points like Mike Gundy gains inches on his mullet? That’s a very likely “no.” There are too many instances of WVU’s defense turning in a performance like the second half against Baylor, where the Bears inexplicably climbed back into what once was a blowout.

Yet if there’s a silver lining, it’s the way WVU played defensively in the first half of that game, how it neutralized a decent Baylor offense. Oklahoma State will get its yards. It will score its points. If WVU can end a few OSU drives early, maybe grab a fumble or an interception, that should allow the Mountaineers’ juggernaut offense to make the Cowboys pay for the mistake. That’s something the Mountaineers have in their favor: Oklahoma State will have as much trouble slowing WVU’s offense down.

If the Mountaineers want a spot in the Big 12 title game, they must win Saturday’s game. For that to happen, WVU’s defense doesn’t have to be great. It just has to be good enough.