W.Va. sees its playoff hopes fade

STILLWATER, Okla. — Taylor Cornelius threw a touchdown pass to Tylan Wallace with 42 seconds remaining to rally Oklahoma State past No. 9 West Virginia 45-41 on Saturday.

Will Grier led West Virginia (8-2, 6-2 Big 12) to the Oklahoma State 14 but couldn’t connect with David Sills V on the final play. The loss all but ended West Virginia’s shot at the College Football Playoff. West Virginia faces Oklahoma on Friday and still has a shot at reaching the Big 12 title game.

Cornelius passed for 338 yards and five touchdowns and ran for 106 and another score for Oklahoma State (6-5, 3-5). Down 31-14 at the half, the Cowboys won despite top rusher Justice Hill sitting out with a rib injury.

“Our coaches made tremendous adjustments at halftime,” Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said. “I couldn’t be prouder.”

Chuba Hubbard rushed for a career-high 134 yards for Oklahoma State, and Dillon Stoner caught nine passes for a career-best 127 yards.

Grier’s 6-yard touchdown run on fourth down in the fourth quarter gave West Virginia a 41-31 lead, but Cornelius’ 16-yard touchdown run and a stop by Oklahoma State’s defense put the Cowboys in position to win.

Cornelius took it from there and closed out his home career with a huge win. It’s the first time Oklahoma State has beaten Top 10 teams in back-to-back home games. In between, the Cowboys lost a 48-47 heartbreaker at Oklahoma.