West Virginia (2-2, 1-0 Big 12) at Oklahoma State (3-2, 0-2), Saturday, 4 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
BetMGM College Football Odds: Oklahoma State by 4 1/2.
Series record: Oklahoma State leads 10-5.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Oklahoma State was picked to finish third in the Big 12 preseason poll and was expected to contend for a spot in the College Football Playoff. But the Cowboys have opened conference play with losses to Utah and Kansas State and are in danger of falling completely out of the league race. Running back Ollie Gordon II has gotten off to a relatively slow start this season but showed signs of regaining his form last week. West Virginia could emerge as a sleeper if it can pull out a win. Mountaineers coach Neal Brown would get a nice boost with a quality road win.
KEY MATCHUP
Oklahoma State QB Alan Bowman vs. West Virginia secondary. Bowman, the seventh-year quarterback, ranks seventh in FBS with 1,537 yards passing. He occasionally makes mistakes, but he has ample opportunities to do damage with a group of talented receivers because defenses are so focused on Gordon. West Virginia has one of the worst pass defenses in the nation and it will be tested.
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
West Virginia: RB Jahiem White. The 5-foot-7 sophomore has been limited to 194 yards on 37 carries in four games, an average of 48.5 yards. He led the Mountaineers with 842 rushing yards a year ago.
Oklahoma State: WR De'Zhaun Stribling. The big play threat has emerged as one of the nation's top playmakers. He ranks ninth in FBS with 502 yards receiving and averages 18.6 yards per catch. His presence has balanced Oklahoma State's passing game, creating space for receptions leader Brennan Presley on shorter routes.
FACTS & FIGURES
West Virginia has a 10-19 record on the road under Brown, including 10 losses by at least 17 points. The Mountaineers won 24-19 on their last trip to Stillwater, Oklahoma, in 2022. … West Virginia allowed Gordon to rush for 282 yards and four TDs in a 48-34 win a year ago in Morgantown, West Virginia. … The game will feature several of the Big 12’s top tacklers. Oklahoma State’s Trey Rucker and Nick Martin are 1-2 in total tackles, while West Virginia’s T.J. Jackson leads the conference with 8.5 tackles for loss and has 3.5 sacks.
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Oklahoma State wide receiver Brennan Presley (80) runs past Utah linebacker Sione Fotu (12) in the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Stillwater, Okla. (AP Photo/Mitch Alcala)
Whether a 2-year-old beaver named Nibi gets to stay with the rescuers she has known since she was a baby or must be released into the wild as winter approaches in Massachusetts has ended up in court — and caused such an uproar that even the governor has weighed in.
“To literally see people from around the world come together to protect this beaver is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen in my life,” said Adam Teper, an attorney representing Nibi's rescuers.
A judge on Tuesday said that for now, Nibi will allowed to stay in her home at Newhouse Wildlife Rescue in Chelmsford, located northwest of Boston. A hearing has been set for Friday in the case the rescuers filed against MassWildlife, the state's division of fisheries and wildlife, to stop the release.
Nibi has been a hit on the rescue group's social media since she was a baby, and posts about her impending release garnered thousands of comments. An online petition to save Nibi from being released has received over 25,000 signatures, lawmakers have weighed in as well, and this week Gov. Maura Healey pledged to make sure Nibi is protected.
Jane Newhouse, the rescue group's founder and president, said that after Nibi was found on the side of the road, they tried to reunite her with nearby beavers who could have been her parents but were unsuccessful. After that, attempts to get her to bond with other beavers also didn't work.
"It’s very difficult to consider releasing her when she only seems to like people and seems to have no interest in being wild or bonding with any of her own species,” Newhouse said.
Nibi has a large enclosure with a pool at the rescue operation, and will also wander in its yard and rehabilitation space, Newhouse said. “She pretty much has full run of the place. Everybody on my team is in love with her,” she said.
Newhouse said she had asked MassWildlife if she could get a permit for Nibi to become an educational beaver, allowing her to take the beaver to schools, libraries and town halls. But, she said, with the recent denial of that permission came the ordered release of Nibi.
MassWildlife did not reply immediately Wednesday to a request for comment.
Newhouse said that her fear is that a release would mean certain death for her beloved “diva” beaver, who doesn't know how to live in the wild right now.
“It doesn’t give her much time how to figure out how to build a lodge for the first time, how to build dams for the first time, how to store all of her food before winter sets in,” she said.
Newhouse said that beavers usually leave their parents between the ages of 2 and 3, so it's possible that over the next year Nibi will show more interest in wanting to be in the wild. But unless that happens, she wants to keep her safe.
“She loves her life here," Newhouse said. “She’s spoiled rotten, and she’s got lots of room to run around and her own little pond, all the food, fruit, veggies, nuts, berries she wants.”
This photo provided by Newhouse Wildlife Rescue shows Nibi as a kit at the Newhouse Wildlife Rescue in Chelmsford, Mass., in approximately 2022. (Jane Newhouse/Newhouse Wildlife Rescue via AP)
This photo provided by Newhouse Wildlife Rescue shows Nibi, a 1-year-old beaver, at the Newhouse Wildlife Rescue in Chelmsford, Mass., in approximately 2023. (Jane Newhouse/Newhouse Wildlife Rescue via AP)
This October 2024 photo provided by Newhouse Wildlife Rescue shows Nibi, a 1-year-old beaver, at the Newhouse Wildlife Rescue in Chelmsford, Mass. (Jane Newhouse/Newhouse Wildlife Rescue via AP)
