Game Primer: OU at West Virginia

⁸ Oklahoma

¹⁰ West Virginia

Saturday, Nov. 19 / 7 p.m. CT / Milan Puskar Stadium / Morgantown, WV

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Game Notes

OPENING KICK

• No. 9/8/8 Oklahoma (8-2, 7-0) goes for its 15th straight Big 12 win when it travels to face No. 14/10/9 West Virginia (8-1, 5-1) on Saturday at 7 p.m. CT at Milan Puskar Stadium (60,000) in Morgantown. The game will be televised by ABC to a full national audience with Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit and Sam Ponder announcing.

• OU can clinch an outright Big 12 championship Saturday if it beats West Virginia and if TCU wins at home against Oklahoma State (kickoff at 11 a.m. CT).

• The Sooners and Mountaineers own a combined 12-1 league record this season, with the lone defeat suffered by West Virginia at Oklahoma State (37-20 on Oct. 29).

OU can clinch an outright Big 12 championship Saturday if it beats West Virginia and if TCU wins at home against Oklahoma State (kickoff at 11 a.m. CT).

• Bob Stoops is 4-1 vs. West Virginia as OU's coach and has won four in a row (all since WVU joined the Big 12). The lone loss came in the Fiesta Bowl to cap the 2007 season.

• The Sooners are 53-37-2 (.587) all-time in AP top-10 matchups, including 14-9 (.609) under Stoops. When OU is the higher ranked team in such contests, OU is 33-19 (.635) all-time and 8-3 (.727) under Stoops.

• OU is 383-71-6 (.839) all-time as a top-10 team, 108-25 (.812) under Stoops.

• Oklahoma is coming off a 45-24 home win over No. 25 Baylor. Baker Mayfield threw for 300 yards and accounted for three TDs, Joe Mixon (124) and Samaje Perine (100) each hit the 100-yard rushing mark and Dede Westbrook registered 88 receiving yards and two TDs as the Sooners won for the 100th time in 109 home games under Stoops. Stoops has won as many Big 12 titles as he has lost home games (nine each).

• West Virginia was outgained 536 yards to 383 yards by Texas on Saturday but pulled out a 24-20 road win. The Mountaineers, who overcame four turnovers (three interceptions), staved off a potential game-winning drive by UT that ended at the WVU 27-yard line as time expired. West Virginia's only deficit was 3-0 and its largest lead was 17-3.

FIVE KEY STORYLINES

• Oklahoma owns a 6-2 all-time record against West Virginia and is 4-0 in the series since the Mountaineers joined the Big 12. The Sooners are 2-0 in Morgantown (won 50-49 in 2012 and 45-33 in 2014). Last year in Norman, OU registered five takeaways and seven sacks while outgaining WVU 7.4 yards per play to 4.3 in a 44-24 victory to open Big 12 play.

• OU has won its last 10 true road games and 21 of its last 23. It is the longest streak of Bob Stoops' career and tied for the fourth longest in program history. The Sooners have outscored their last 10 true road opponents, 503-261 (50-26 average), and have scored at least 30 points in each of their last 15 true road contests.

• Saturday's game will pit the Big 12's top offense and top defense in league play against each other. In conference action, Oklahoma leads the Big 12 in total offense (591.1 yards per game) and scoring offense (48.0 points per game), while West Virginia ranks first in total defense (383.3 ypg) and scoring defense (20.2 ppg). On the other sides of the ball, the Sooners rank third in total defense (441.7 ypg) while the Mountaineers are sixth in total offense (478.2 ypg).

• In Big 12 play, OU ranks first in the league in pass completion percentage (73.8; next highest is 66.8) and first in pass completion percentage defense (54.9; next best is 58.0). The Sooners have completed better than 70 percent of their passes in six of seven conference games (60.6 in the other), and have held all seven league opponents to under 60-percent passing. They held Baylor to a 45.6 completion percentage Saturday (21-of-46) and registered two interceptions.

• OU's Dede Westbrook will be looking to continue the most impressive string of receiving production in school history. Over the last seven contests, the Biletnikoff Award semifinalist has 1,100 receiving yards and 14 receiving touchdowns, both program records for a seven-game stretch (the next highest yardage total is 985). His 14 receiving TDs are one shy of the single-season school record and have averaged 45.4 yards (10 have been 40 yards or longer). Only two FBS players have more receiving TDs on the entire season than Westbrook has in the last seven outings. The senior's 11 catches of at least 40 yards (all in the last seven games) are more than 97 teams have on the season.

SCOUTING WEST VIRGINIA

• No. 10/9 West Virginia is off to its best start under sixth-year head coach Dana Holgorsen at 8-1. The Mountaineers sit in third in the Big 12 Conference standings at 5-1 with their lone loss coming at Oklahoma State (37-20 on Oct. 29).

• West Virginia has been strong on both sides of the ball this season. The Mountaineers lead the conference in scoring defense, giving up just 20.6 points per game (19th nationally) and sit in third in total defense, allowing 409.8 yards per outing. The WVU defense has been balanced this season, ranking fourth in the league in rushing yards allowed (156.0 per game) and fifth in passing yards allowed (253.8 per game).

• Redshirt senior linebacker Justin Arndt leads the team with 58 tackles, and has logged 3.0 sacks (tied for the team lead) and 5.0 tackles for loss on the year. Redshirt senior cornerback Rasul Douglas leads the Big 12 and ranks third nationally with six interceptions. He is also second on the team with 50 tackles and has added six pass breakups.

• On offense, the Mountaineers rank sixth in the Big 12 and 19th nationally with their 496.3 yards per contest, and are averaging 32.2 points per game (seventh in the Big 12, 47th nationally). WVU has been strong on the ground with 211.4 yards per game rushing (fourth in the Big 12 and 34th nationally). Through the air, it averages 285.1 yards per game (fifth in the league and 25th nationally).

• Senior quarterback Skyler Howard averages 284.7 passing yards per game to rank 22nd nationally. He has completed 64 percent of his passes and thrown for 17 touchdowns against nine interceptions. Junior running back Justin Crawford leads the WVU ground attack with 599 yards and four touchdowns on 98 carries (6.1 per rush). Howard has added six rushing scores of his own. Senior wide receiver Daikiel Shorts leads the team with 51 receptions for 753 yards and four touchdowns. Redshirt junior Shelton Gibson isn't far behind with 35 catches for 701 yards. Gibson has a team-high six TD receptions.

LAST YEAR VS. THE MOUNTAINEERS

• West Virginia entered last year's game in Norman ranked first nationally in scoring defense (12.7 ppg) and turnover margin (+3.0 per game), and first in the Big 12 in passing defense (154.0 ypg). But Oklahoma reversed all of those trends in a 44-24 win, the Sooners' fourth in four tries since WVU joined the Big 12. OU threw for 320 yards and forced five turnovers while committing two.

• Quarterback Baker Mayfield threw for 320 yards and three touchdowns. His 71-yard TD pass to Durron Neal late in the third quarter capped a three-play, 95-yard drive. It also put OU up 34-24.

• OU ran 28 fewer plays than West Virginia but outgained it 427 yards to 369 (7.4 yards per play to 4.3). WVU entered the game averaging 6.8 yards per play.

• The Sooners took a 24-7 lead to halftime after freshman running back Joe Mixon scored on a 35-yard run with 2:16 left in the second quarter. WVU had not surrendered a first-half point in its first three games. The Mountaineers outscored OU 17-3 to start the third quarter before Neal's TD.

• Oklahoma added seven sacks to its five takeaways, both program highs since the Sugar Bowl win over Alabama to end the 2013 season. Former OU outside linebacker Eric Striker tied career highs with 12 tackles and three tackles for loss (including two sacks) while also forcing a fourth-quarter fumble that was returned 41 yards by linebacker Jordan Evans for OU's final TD.

• West Virginia quarterback Skyler Howard had one interception entering the game, but the Sooners picked him off three times. Cornerback Jordan Thomas registered his first two career interceptions, while safety Ahmad Thomas added the second of his career.

• Senior Sterling Shepard and redshirt freshman Mark Andrews each caught TD passes. Shepard's was a 28-yarder and Andrews' was a 17-yarder.

OU-WVU BARN BURNERS IN MORGANTOWN

• Both of Oklahoma's games in Morgantown were highly entertaining, and both were OU wins. In 2012, the Sooners and Mountaineers combined for 1,440 yards and 99 points. Landry Jones, who threw for a still-standing OU record of 554 yards and a then-record-tying six touchdowns, hit receiver Kenny Stills for a 5-yard score on fourth down with 24 seconds left in the fourth quarter for a 50-49 victory. Four Sooners finished with at least 91 receiving yards. While OU dominated aerially, WVU piled up 458 rushing yards. Receiver Tavon Austin finished with a Big 12-record 572 all-purpose yards (school-record 344 rushing on 16.4 per carry; 82 receiving; 146 on kick returns).

• Two years ago, the Sooners rack up most of their 510 yards on the ground. OU ran for 301 yards, 242 of them from freshman Samaje Perine. Perine averaged 7.1 yards on his 34 carries and found the end zone four times in introducing himself to the college football world. WVU quarterback Clint Trickett threw for 376 yards but was intercepted twice and sacked three times. The game was tied at 24 at halftime, but Perine's three second-half TDs carried OU to victory.

JUST CALL HIM "TD" WESTBROOK

• Senior Dede Westbrook is on a remarkable seven-game tear, amassing 51 catches for 1,100 yards and 14 touchdowns since the start of Big 12 play Oct. 1. He also returned a punt 71 yards for a score three weeks ago against Kansas. The 1,100 yards are the most ever by a Sooner in a seven-game stretch, as are the 14 receiving TDs.

Dede Westbrook is the only player in school history to score more than five TDs (rushing or receiving) of 40-plus yards in one season. He has 10. He is also the only Sooner to record six straight 100-yard receiving games in one year (no one had ever strung together more than four in one season).

• Westbrook leads Power Five players in receiving yards (1,254) and receiving yards per game (125.4), and ranks second with 14 receiving touchdowns.

• Westbrook also leads all Power Five players by averaging 207.7 all-purpose yards per game since Oct. 1.

• Not only does Westbrook have the most receiving yards in the country since Oct. 1, no player is within 185 yards of him.

• Twenty-three times in OU history a player has registered at least 1,500 all-purpose yards in a season. Westbrook's 19.3 yards per touch this season are most of any of them (next is 17.0).

• Westbrook's 15 total TDs over the last seven games are 11 more than he had in the first 16 games of his career. His 14 receiving scores (two at TCU; three vs. Texas; three vs. K-State; two at Texas Tech; one vs. Kansas, one at Iowa State, two vs. Baylor) came (in order) from 67, 40, 71, 42, 47, 26, 8, 88, 49, 23, 41, 65, 29 and 40 yards (an average of 45.4 yards).

• Westbrook's 14 TD catches over the last seven games are more than 44 teams (21 Power Five teams) have on the season. Only 10 teams have more receptions of at least 60 yards this year than Westbrook's four.

• Westbrook is the only player in school history to score more than five TDs (rushing or receiving) of 40-plus yards in one season. He has 10. He is also the only Sooner to record six straight 100-yard receiving games in one year (no one had ever strung together more than four in one season).

• Only two FBS players have more receiving TDs this season than Westbrook's 14 in the last seven games, and only eight FBS players have more receiving yards on the year than Westbrook has in the past seven outings. Westbrook has more receiving yards this season (1,254) than Army, Kent State, Navy, New Mexico and Tulane each do.

• In Big 12 play, Westbrook ranks first in the conference in receptions (7.3 per game), receiving yards (157.1 per game), points (13.1 per game) and all-purpose yards (207.7 per game).

• Westbrook's 157.1 receiving yards per Big 12 game are 53 more than the next closest player (Oklahoma State's James Washington; 104.7).

• Westbrook's 1,997 career receiving yards are the most ever by an OU player in their first 23 games. The second-year Sooner already ranks eighth in school history in receiving yards (needs 12 to tie Antwone Savage [1999-02] for seventh).

MAYFIELD EVEN BETTER THIS YEAR

• Junior quarterback Baker Mayfield has been even more effective this year than he was in 2015 when he finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting and was named national player of the year by Sporting News. Mayfield, who completed 68.1 percent of his passes for 3,700 yards and 36 touchdowns against only seven interceptions last year, is 214-for-296 (career-high 72.0 percent) this season with 33 TDs and seven picks. He ranks first nationally in passing efficiency rating (195.2; the NCAA single-season record is 191.8) and yards per pass attempt (10.9; only two other players are above 10.0), second in completion percentage, fifth in passing TDs (33) and sixth in points responsible for per game (22.6).

• Mayfield has been especially effective in Big 12 play, leading the league in passing TDs (26; Texas Tech's Patrick Mahomes ranks second with 20), completion percentage (.749; Oklahoma State's Mason Rudolph is next at .671) and pass efficency rating (207.1; Rudolph ranks second at 170.9 and West Virginia's Skyler Howard is third at 142.7). He has thrown for 345.6 yards per league contest and has also run for 127 yards and four scores during the stretch.

• Mayfield ranks second in the nation with his 18 completions of at least 40 yards (Western Kentucky's Mike White has 19 in one more game).

• Mayfield's 21 TD passes the last five outings are the most ever by a Sooner in a five-game stretch.

• Mayfield is the only player in OU history to register at least 5,000 passing yards (6,912) and at least 500 rushing yards (536) in a career.

• Mayfield has accounted for 80 touchdowns as a Sooner, the most by a player in the first 23 games of an OU career. His 69 TD passes trail only Sam Bradford's 70 as the most in the first 23 games of an OU career.

• Mayfield ranks first at OU in career completion percentage (.698; Bradford ranks second at .676) and career passing efficiency (182.68; Bradford ranks second at 175.62).

NOT YOUR AVERAGE JOE

• For his career, redshirt sophomore running back Joe Mixon is averaging 6.87 yards per carry, most in the 18-year Bob Stoops era among players with at least 100 attempts.

Joe Mixon leads the country with his 193.9 all-purpose yards per game. He is averaging a team-high 104.1 rushing yards per contest (ranks second in Big 12), 46.7 receiving yards (ranks second on team), 25.9 yards per kickoff return (ranks second in Big 12) and 6.2 yards per punt return.

• Mixon leads the country with his 193.9 all-purpose yards per game this season. He is averaging a team-high 104.1 rushing yards per game (ranks second in Big 12), 46.7 receiving yards per contest (ranks second on team), 25.9 yards per kickoff return (ranks second in Big 12) and 6.2 yards per punt return.

• On Oct. 22 at Texas Tech, Mixon became one of only two FBS players since 1996 to register three receiving TDs and two rushing TDs in one game (Air Force's Tim McVey did it last year against New Mexico).

• Mixon has accounted for 11 touchdowns on the season in four different fashions. His scoring pass to Dede Westbrook Oct. 15 vs. Kansas State made him the first player in school history and only FBS player this year to register TDs via pass, rush, reception and kickoff return in the same season.

PERINE APPROACHING OU CAREER RUSHING MARK

• After a stellar season that saw a continuation of his bruising, powerful style, RB Samaje Perine picked up third-team All-America honors last year and was selected to the All-Big 12 First Team. The Pflugerville, Texas, product racked up 1,713 rushing yards as a freshman (6.5 per carry) and 1,349 more as a sophomore last season (6.0 per carry). With 575 more yards this season (on 111 carries), Perine already ranks seventh in Oklahoma history with 3,637 career rushing yards and is just 481 yards shy of Billy Sims' school record of 4,118 yards.

• Despite getting hurt in the first quarter against Kansas State on Oct. 15 and not returning, Perine is averaging 106.5 yards per Big 12 game and has six TDs in his four league outings. Last Saturday's Baylor game was his first after missing three full contests.

NOTING OU'S DEFENSE

• Oklahoma ranks 81st out of 128 teams in total defense by allowing 429.5 yards per contest, but it has faced five of the nation's top 15 offenses in its 10 games. Texas Tech ranks second nationally in total offense at 580.2 yards per game, Baylor ranks sixth (537.6), Ohio State 11th at 511.4, TCU 12th at 510.0 yards and Texas 14th at 508.5. The Sooners held three of those five teams to yardage totals below their current average. OU's final two foes also rank in the top 20 in total offense (West Virginia is No. 19 and Oklahoma State No. 20).

• Due mainly to injuries, 22 different Sooners have started on defense through 10 games. Seven of those players are freshmen (five) or first-year junior college transfers (two). Ten defensive players who were on OU's opening-week depth chart have missed a combined 42 games due to injury this season.

• Despite giving up 854 yards to Texas Tech on Oct. 22, OU ranks third in Big 12 play in total defense by giving up 441.7 per game. The Sooners have surrendered an average of just 373.0 yards in their other six league contests.

• OU, which leads the Big 12 and ranks 30th nationally in rushing defense (132.4 yards per game), has held seven of its 10 opponents to 130 or fewer yards on the ground (89 by Houston, 78 by ULM, 65 by TCU, 110 by Texas, 120 by Texas Tech, 49 by Kansas and 130 by Iowa State).

• Cornerback Jordan Thomas ranks third in the nation and first in the Big 12 with his 1.6 passes defended per game. Twelve of his 16 passes defended on the year have come in the last six games and 14 have come in the last seven outings.

• Outside linebacker Ogbonnia Okoronkwo ranks third in the Big 12 and 32nd nationally with his 0.8 sacks per game. His 7.0 sacks are fourth most in a season by an OU linebacker.

• Inside linebacker Jordan Evans ranks sixth in the Big 12 with his 7.6 tackles per contest. He also has a team-high three interceptions.

SOONERS HAVE DOMINATED BIG 12 ERA

• OU's performance in the Big 12 Conference since Bob Stoops took over in 1999 has been nothing short of dominant. The Sooners have won nine Big 12 titles in Stoops' 17 seasons, with no other program during that span winning more than two.

• Since the first year of the Big 12 in 1996, OU has claimed nine league titles and is followed by Texas (three), Baylor, Kansas State and Nebraska (two each), and Colorado, Oklahoma State, TCU and Texas A&M (one each).

• OU owns a league-best 119-29 (.804) record in regular season Big 12 games during the Stoops era. Texas ranks second with a 104-44 (.703) record and is followed by TCU (24-18; .571), Oklahoma State (82-66; .554), Kansas State (81-66; .551), Texas Tech (73-75; .493), West Virginia (20-22; .476), Baylor (50-97; .340), Iowa State (42-106; .284) and Kansas (32-116; .216).

EXTRA POINTS

• Oklahoma wide receiver Dede Westbrook (207.7) and running back Joe Mixon (200.0) rank first and third in the Big 12 in all-purpose yards per conference game. Only one other player (Texas' D'Onta Foreman at 200.1) averages more than 131.0 yards per contest.

• In Big 12 play, OU leads the league in scoring offense (48.0), total offense (591.1), pass efficiency (203.8), third-down conversion percentage (55.3), sacks allowed per game (1.3), rushing defense (123.7) and punt return average (13.7). It ranks second in passing offense (354.3), first downs per game (26.1), pass efficiency defense (127.7), time of possession (33:03) and penalty yards (47.0).

• Saturday's game will mark the second matchup between Oklahoma and West Virginia when both are in the AP top 10. The lone previous occasion saw No. 9 WVU beat No. 4 OU 48-28 in the Fiesta Bowl to cap the 2007 season.

• Oklahoma is 24-5-2 (.806) all-time as the No. 8 team in the AP poll, including 8-2 (.800) under Bob Stoops.

• The Sooners are 4-2 under Bob Stoops in true road games against a fellow AP top-10 opponent.

• OU leads the nation with its 2.6 plays from scrimmage of least 40 yards per game.

• The Sooners are tied with Western Kentucky for the national lead with 17 offensive TDs of at least 40 yards (OU has played 10 games to the Hilltoppers' 11).

• OU has registered more than 500 yards of total offense in 14 of its last 17 regular season games (averaging 572.8 yards in those 17 contests). It has won all 14 of those games that it reached 500 yards (averaged 51.8 points in the 14 victories).

• OU is 55-12 (.821) under Stoops in November games and has won eight straight such contests (and 11 of the last 12).

OPENING KICK

FIVE KEY STORYLINES

SCOUTING WEST VIRGINIA

LAST YEAR VS. THE MOUNTAINEERS

OU-WVU BARN BURNERS IN MORGANTOWN

JUST CALL HIM "TD" WESTBROOK

MAYFIELD EVEN BETTER THIS YEAR

NOT YOUR AVERAGE JOE

PERINE APPROACHING OU CAREER RUSHING MARK

NOTING OU'S DEFENSE

SOONERS HAVE DOMINATED BIG 12 ERA

EXTRA POINTS

Players Mentioned

Mark Andrews

Mark Andrews

Jordan Evans

Baker Mayfield

Baker Mayfield

Joe Mixon

Joe Mixon

Durron Neal

Ogbonnia Okoronkwo

Samaje Perine

Samaje Perine

Sterling Shepard

Sterling Shepard

Eric Striker

Ahmad Thomas

Jordan Thomas

Dede Westbrook

Dede Westbrook

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