Game Primer: OU vs. West Virginia

Oklahoma

West Virginia

Saturday, Nov. 12 / 11 a.m. CT / Morgantown, W. Va.

OPENING KICK

• Oklahoma (5-4, 2-4 Big 12) will try for its 10th straight win over West Virginia when it takes on the Mountaineers (3-6, 1-5) on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown. The game will air on FS1 with Adam Alexander and Devin Gardner announcing.

• Oklahoma owns an 11-2 (.846) record against West Virginia and is 4-0 vs. the Mountaineers in Morgantown. In the Big 12 era, the Sooners hold a 9-0 series advantage and have averaged 44 points per game.

• The four OU-WVU all-time meetings in Morgantown have been high-scoring affairs for both programs. The contests, all Sooners wins, have yielded 376 total points, or 94 per game. OU's four-game low is 45 points (in 2014) and WVU's is 26 (in 2016).

• The Sooners haven't played at West Virginia since 2018. Their scheduled 2020 game in Morgantown did not occur. The matchup was originally scheduled for Nov. 28 that year but was postponed when OU temporarily paused organized team activities due to COVID-19 tests and contact tracing. The Dec. 12 rematch was canceled after WVU shut down its football operations for seven days.

• Saturday's game will mark the first for OU in its series against West Virginia in which it isn't ranked in the AP poll at the time of competition. The Sooners were ranked in each of the first 13 meetings, which included nine top-10 rankings and seven top-five rankings. OU's average AP ranking when facing WVU has been No. 7.

• Even with its 2-4 conference start, OU is 56-12 (.824) in regular season Big 12 play since the beginning of the 2015 season. Oklahoma State ranks second during that period (45-24; .652), TCU third (39-30; .565), Texas fourth (36-32; .529), Baylor fifth (35-34; .507) West Virginia sixth (34-34; .500) and Kansas State seventh (34-35; .493).

• OU is 155-37 (.807) in regular season Big 12 play since the start of the 2000 season. That's 28 more wins than the program with the next most victories during that period (Texas; 127-65) and 44 more than the program with the third most (Oklahoma State; 111-82).

Drake Stoops vs Baylor lead

KEY STORYLINES

• Oklahoma is the only program West Virginia has not defeated since joining the Big 12 prior to the 2012 season. The Sooners are 9-0 against the Mountaineers during that span and have scored at least 44 points in seven of those contests (average score of 44-28 in the nine games), including six of the last seven meetings (average score of 48-28 in the seven).

• OU is 4-0 at WVU and has averaged 53.0 points and 581.3 yards per game in those matchups. It has rushed for 1,029 yards (257.3 average) and passed for 1,296 (324.0 average) in those contests and scored 25 offensive TDs and three defensive TDs (one in 2016 and two in 2018). The Sooners won 50-49 in 2012, 45-33 in 2014, 58-26 in 2016 and 59-56 in 2018.

• Oklahoma has rushed for over 300 yards in each of its last three games in Morgantown (average of 307.0). The Sooners ran for 301 yards (6.5 per carry) in 2014, 316 (4.9 per carry) in 2016 and 304 (8.0 per carry) in 2018. In OU's only other game at WVU in 2012, it rushed for just 108 yards (3.5 per carry) but got 554 passing yards from Landry Jones.

• Oklahoma has won 24 of its last 27 November games, with 11 of those wins coming against AP Top 25 teams. The three losses came last year, 27-14 at Baylor and 37-33 at Oklahoma State, and 38-35 last week to Baylor 38-35. Prior to last year's Baylor contest, OU's last November loss was in 2014 against Baylor in Norman.

• The Sooners lead the Big 12 and rank 12th in the country (sixth among Power 5 teams) with their 219.8 rushing yards per game. OU senior Eric Gray, who has six 100-yard rushing games this season, including in each of his last three outings, ranks fourth in the Big 12 with his 100.2 rushing yards per contest and ranks 10th nationally by averaging 6.4 yards per carry. West Virginia ranks fourth in the Big 12 by allowing 137.3 rushing yards per game. It held its three non-conference opponents to 64.3 rushing yards per contest but its six league foes have averaged 173.8.

• Oklahoma ranks 10th in the country with its 7.6 tackles for loss per game and is 17th with its 29.1 TFL yardage per contest. However, it has dropped considerably in the two categories over the last six games. Since Big 12 play started, OU is averaging 4.8 TFLs and 15.8 TFL yards per game after averaging 10.7 and 55.7 through the season's first three contests.

• The Sooners rank 123d out of 131 FBS teams this season in average time of possession (26:38) and have held a TOP advantage in just one of their nine games (30:19-29:41 vs. Kansas). Conversely, West Virginia ranks 35th with an average TOP of 31:16. In its 31-14 loss to Iowa State on Saturday, WVU possessed the ball for just 21:45.

LAST YEAR VS. WEST VIRGINIA

• Gabe Brkic kicked a 30-yard field goal with no time remaining to lift No. 4/3 Oklahoma to a 16-13 home win over West Virginia last year on Sept. 25 in Norman. The play marked what is believed to be OU's first-ever game-winning kick with zeroes on the clock and gave the Sooners their only lead of the evening.

• On a night that yielded few offensive yards or big plays for either team, OU outgained WVU 313-226 (4.9 yards per play to 3.6). The Sooners gained just 57 yards on the ground but held the Mountaineers to 47 (1.6 per carry).

• With the game tied at 13, OU took possession on its own 8-yard line with 3:39 left in the fourth quarter and proceeded to go 80 yards on 14 plays to set up Brkic for his game-winner. Brkic connected on all three of his field goal attempts on the night (28, 35 and 30 yards), with each coming in the second half.

• West Virginia gained 75 yards on its first possession and took a 7-0 lead but registered only 151 yards the rest of the night (62 in the second half and -9 in the fourth quarter). WVU converted 4 of 5 third downs in the first quarter but was 0 for 9 the remainder of the game.

• OU quarterback Spencer Rattler completed 26 of 36 passes (72.2%) for 256 yards and a touchdown. He was 6 for 6 for 54 yards on the game-winning drive and completed 15 of his final 16 attempts.

• Michael Woods II had a career-high eight receptions for 86 yards (54 yards after the catch) while Austin Stogner caught the TD pass (5-yarder on OU's opening drive).

• Linebacker Brian Asamoah and safety Pat Fields led the Sooners with nine tackles apiece and safety Delarrin Turner-Yell registered his second career interception on the first play of the second quarter.

• The Sooners' 16 points were their fewest since getting beat 40-6 by Clemson in the Russell Athletic Bowl on Dec. 29, 2014. The 16 points were their fewest in victory since downing West Virginia 16-7 Sept. 7, 2013, in Norman.

• OU trailed 10-7 at halftime, marking its first home deficit at the half since trailing Ohio State 35-17 in 2016.

Gabe Brkic

LAST TIME IN MORGANTOWN

• The last time Oklahoma played at West Virginia was in 2018, a 59-56 Sooners win that still stands as the third-highest-scoring game in Sooners history (115 points).

• No. 6 OU prevailed over the No. 12 Mountaineers on a Friday night to record their 20th consecutive true road win and secure a berth in its 10th Big 12 Championship Game. The Sooners finished with 668 total yards and averaged 10.3 yards per play.

• Quarterback Kyler Murray, who won OU's seventh Heisman Trophy two weeks later, completed 20 of 27 pass attempts for 364 yards and three touchdowns, and rushed nine times for an OU-career-high 114 yards (12.7 average) and a 55-yard score. It was his second game of the year to throw for at least 300 yards and rush for at least 100 (no other player in school history had done it once), and ninth to throw for at least three touchdown passes. Murray was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week for the fifth time of the year.

• Marquise Brown caught 11 passes for 243 yards, the second-highest yardage total in school history. He caught touchdown passes of 25 yards and 45 yards, and added non-scoring receptions of 26, 30 and 65 yards.

• Kennedy Brooks rushed 21 times for 182 yards (8.7 average) and scored on a 68-yard run in the second quarter to give OU a 28-21 lead. It marked his third straight game with at least 165 rushing yards, and he was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week for the third time.

• OU's lone two defensive touchdowns of the season proved huge. Caleb Kelly, who finished with a career-high 14 tackles, sacked WVU QB Will Grier, forced a fumble on the play and returned it 10 yards to put the Sooners ahead 35-21 with 3:06 left in the first half. Fellow linebacker Curtis Bolton recovered a fumble forced by Kenneth Mann and returned it 48 yards for a 59-49 advantage with 9:58 to go in the fourth quarter. It was Bolton's third touchdown of the year (two on blocked punts). The game marked OU's first since 2011 against Texas that it scored two defensive TDs.

• Trey Sermon (1-yard rush) and Grant Calcaterra (2-yard reception) scored OU's other two touchdowns.

ROAD WARRIORS

• Oklahoma has won 30 of its last 35 true road games, with the only losses during that stretch coming in 2019 at Kansas State (48-41), 2020 at Iowa State (37-30), 2021 at Baylor (27-14) and Oklahoma State (37-33), and this season at TCU (55-24).

• The 2019 defeat at K-State snapped OU's 22-game true road winning streak (it hadn't lost since Oct 4, 2014, at TCU), which was the second longest such streak nationally since at least the end of World War II. During the 22-game streak, OU outscored foes 1,076-626 (49-28 average) and outgained them by 3,621 yards (583-419 average).

• The Sooners have outgained their opponent in 27 of their last 35 true road games.

• OU has scored at least 30 points in 37 of its last 40 true road games (school-record 35-game streak was stopped last season at Baylor). The next highest total by an FBS team over its last 40 true road contests is 30 (Ohio State).

NOTING THE OFFENSE

• Despite ranking 123rd nationally in average time of possession, Oklahoma is tied for 19th with its 2.7 plays per game of at least 30 yards.

• OU has scored on 29 of its 33 red-zone opportunities this season (24 touchdowns and five field goals).

• Quarterback Dillon Gabriel has completed 151 of 235 passes (64.3%) this season for 2,027 yards, 16 touchdowns and four interceptions. He has also rushed for 250 net yards and four touchdowns, including a 61-yard score at Nebraska. Gabriel ranks 24th nationally (second in Big 12) in passing efficiency rating (155.8), 19th in yards per completion (13.4), 24th in yards per pass attempt (8.6), 36th in passing yards per game (253.4) and 38th in passing TDs despite exiting OU's game at TCU in the second quarter and missing the game against Texas due to injury.

• Gabriel's 167 pass attempts before his first interception (three games ago vs. Kansas) were the most by a player to start an OU career, more than doubling the previous record of 80 set by Jalen Hurts in 2019. The total also represented the third most consecutive passes attempted without an INT in school history (Baker Mayfield had a streak of 200 and Jason White had 194).

• Through nine games this season, junior wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. ranks fourth in the Big 12 with his 17.8 yards per catch and second in receiving yards (678), despite ranking 10th in the league with his 4.2 receptions per game.

• Mims has 15 career receptions of at least 40 yards (registered a 42-yard catch in the season opener against UTEP, a 58-yard TD reception against Kent State and a 50-yard TD against Kansas State). CeeDee Lamb (2017-19) holds the school record with 21 receptions of 40 or more yards. Mims also has nine career receptions of 50 or more yards, and eight of those have gone for touchdowns.

• Senior running back Eric Gray leads an OU rushing attack that averages a Big 12-leading 219.8 yards per game, 4.9 yards per carry and 2.3 touchdowns per game. Gray ranks 10th nationally with his 6.4 yards per carry, ranks fourth in the Big 12 (18th nationally) with his 100.2 rushing yards per game and paces the team with his eight rushing TDs. Freshman Jovantae Barnes, who has missed the last two games due to injury, ranks second on the team with his 316 rushing yards (45.1 per game) and averages 4.4 yards per carry. He turned in a 100-yard, two-touchdown game at TCU.

• Gray and junior receiver Marvin Mims Jr. rank fourth and 11th in the Big 12 in all-purpose yards per game with their 119.9 and 84.8 respective averages.

• Fifth-year senior tight end Brayden Willis has shown his versatility on the field this season by handling the football in a variety of ways. He leads the team with five touchdown receptions and ranks second with 25 catches and 347 receiving yards. He has also thrown a touchdown pass and rushed nine times for 24 yards. Against Kansas three games ago, he turned in a career-high 102-yard receiving performance that included a 26-yard touchdown catch. It was his first career 100-yard receiving game (previous high was 81 at TCU on Oct. 1). His five receptions tied a career high (also had five vs. Kansas State on Sept. 24).

• Oklahoma has totaled at least 200 rushing yards and 200 passing yards in five of its nine games this season (259 rushing/233 passing vs. UTEP; 312/268 at Nebraska; 220/330 vs. Kansas State; 298/403 vs. Kansas; 238/261 vs. Baylor). OU has gained at least 200 rushing yards and 200 passing yards in 51 of 101 games since the start of the 2015 season (50% of its contests over the last seven-plus seasons).

• OU has scored touchdowns on 39 offensive possessions this season, and only 18 of those TD drives have taken longer than two minutes of game clock (54% of TD drives have taken less than 2:00). The Sooners' 39 touchdown drives this season have averaged 7.2 plays, 66.6 yards and 2:08 of game clock.

GETTING DEFENSIVE

• Oklahoma is tied for eighth nationally with its 68 tackles for loss and ranks 15th with its 262 TFL yardage. OU ranks 10th nationally by averaging 7.6 TFLs per game.

• Sophomore linebacker Danny Stutsman and senior linebacker David Ugwoegbu rank third and fourth in the Big 12 with their 77 and 74 respective total tackles.

• Since the start of Big 12 play, Ugwoegbu has averaged 9.2 tackles per game. His career-high 15 tackles against Kansas State were the most by a Sooner since the 2018 season, and he followed that output with 10 stops at TCU, 10 against Texas and eight against Kansas. He has made at least six tackles in every game this season. Ugwoegbu has also notched 6.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, two QB hurries and was credited with the tackle on OU's safety against Kent State.

• Stutsman leads the team with 8.6 tackles per game and 9.0 TFLs and has notched 1.5 sacks, three pass breakups three QB hurries and an interception. He established then-career highs in tackles in each of the first two games, logging nine stops against UTEP and 12 (4.0 TFLs) against Kent State before making 10 tackles against Kansas State and a career-high 13 against Texas. He also tallied 10 stops against Baylor. He has recorded at least seven stops in seven of nine games and double-digit tackles four times. Prior to his performance vs. Kent State, the last Sooner to register four TFLs in a game was Ronnie Perkins at Baylor in 2019.

• Sophomore safety Billy Bowman set career highs in tackles each of the first two weeks (nine vs. UTEP and 11 vs. Kent State) and has registered at least nine tackles in three of his six full games this season. He registered his first career interception against Baylor on Saturday. Against Kent State, he forced and recovered a fumble on the same play. He entered the TCU game ranked fourth in the league with 33 stops, but missed nearly three full games with an injury (he left the TCU game in the first quarter and did not return). He returned to action at Iowa State and tallied two assisted tackles.

• Fifth-year senior and cheetah linebacker DaShaun White ranks third on the team with 57 total tackles and third in QB hurries (three), and leads the squad with five pass breakups. He has also recorded 3.5 TFLs and one sack. White, who ranks second at OU in career starts among linebackers (45), notched his first career interception in the game against Kansas and established a career high with 14 tackles at Iowa State. He has recorded at least eight tackles in each of OU's last three contests.

• Junior defensive end Reggie Grimes leads the Sooners with 4.0 sacks (totaling 31 lost yards) and is second on the team with 7.0 tackles for loss (totaling 37 lost yards). Seven of his 15 tackles this season have been for lost yardage.

• OU has registered an interception in seven of its nine games this season (in each of the first three and in the last four) and has 10 interceptions overall. The Sooners intercepted three passes at Iowa State, their first game with three interceptions since the 2020 Cotton Bowl vs. Florida and the second time in three meetings against Iowa State they picked off three passes (also in the 2020 Big 12 Championship).

• Freshman DB Gentry Williams intercepted a pass in the end zone in the fourth quarter of the season opener against UTEP, redshirt senior DB Justin Harrington notched his first career interception against Kent State and junior DB Key Lawrence hauled in his first career pick in the end zone at Nebraska. Senior DB C.J. Coldon notched his first interception at OU (had two while at Wyoming) against Texas and had another vs. Kansas. Stutsman (first career INT), Woodi Washington and Justin Broiles all recorded their first interceptions of the season at Iowa State.

Jordan Kelley vs Baylor lead

SPECIAL TEAMS HAVE BEEN SPECIAL

• In his first season as OU's placekicker, redshirt sophomore Zach Schmit is 8 for 10 on field goal attempts and has made all 39 of his PAT tries. He is 3 for 4 on field goal attempts beyond 40 yards (long of 44). His lone misses came at Nebraska (a 39-yarder) and against Baylor (a career-long 55-yard attempt). He also scored a touchdown on a fake field goal Oct. 29 at Iowa State and totaled 15 points in the game (made field goals of 41 and 34 yards and converted all three PATs).

• Sixth-year punter Michael Turk leads the Big 12 and ranks eighth nationally with his 45.9 yards per punt. The Oct. 31 Co-Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week (he threw a TD pass and averaged 49.3 yards on his six punts at Iowa State) has 13 punts of at least 50 yards, including five 60-yarders (long of 61). In 2021, his first year at OU, Turk set a single-season school record by averaging 51.2 yards per punt, smashing the previous record of 47.8 yards by Jack Jacobs in 1940.

• OU ranks 18th nationally with its 13.6 yards per punt return. Marvin Mims Jr. would rank fourth nationally with his 15.9 yards per return (127 yards on eight returns) if he met the statistical minimum of 1.2 punt returns per game. The Sooners have already almost doubled their total punt return yards from last year (12 returns for 69 yards in 2021; 10 returns for 136 yards this season).

OU'S BIG 12 DOMINATION

• Oklahoma's 14 Big 12 titles have all come since 2000 and are 11 more than the program with the next most. Baylor and Texas have each won three Big 12 championships and are followed by Kansas State and Nebraska (two each), and Colorado, Oklahoma State, TCU and Texas A&M (one each). For perspective, the two Power Five programs with the next most conference titles this millennium are Ohio State (11 in Big Ten) and Oregon (eight in Pac-10/Pac-12).

• Since 2010, OU has won eight Big 12 titles and is followed by Baylor (three) and Kansas State, Oklahoma State and TCU (one each).

• Since 2000, OU has won more Big 12 championships (14) than it has lost home games (12).

• Oklahoma is the only program to win at least three straight Big 12 titles, and it has done so twice (2006-08 and 2015-20). Baylor (2013-14) is the only other program to win two Big 12 championships in a row.

• At 11-1, the Sooners are the only program with a winning record in Big 12 Championship games. Texas (3-3) and Baylor (1-1) have the next best marks.

• Every OU freshman class from 1999-2019 has won at least one Big 12 championship and all but the 2011 and 2020 freshman classes have won at least two. The 2015, 2016 and 2017 freshman classes each won four Big 12 titles.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL'S BEST

• During the modern era of college football (since the end of World War II), the Sooners are the nation's No. 1 team with more wins (689) than any other program (next most is 653 by Alabama).

• Oklahoma has finished in the top 5 of the AP poll a nation-leading 33 times.

• OU leads all FBS programs with 50 all-time conference championships. The rest of the top five includes Nebraska (46), Michigan (43), Ohio State (39) and USC (37). The Sooners' 14 league titles since 2000 are the most among Power Five programs (Ohio State ranks second with 11).

• No program has more all-time 10-win seasons than Oklahoma, which is tied with Alabama with 41 (OU has a nation-leading 18 10-win campaigns since 2000). In addition, OU's 27 seasons with at least 11 wins are the most in college football history.

• Since former head coach Bob Stoops arrived in Norman in 1999, OU leads the country with its 12,108 points scored, which is 545 more than second-place Boise State (11,563) and 953 more than third-place Oregon (11,155).

• OU's 80 consensus All-Americans since 1950 are the most nationally (Alabama ranks second with 74 and Ohio State third with 72). Since 2000, the Sooners have produced 30 consensus All-Americans, second only to Alabama.

• OU is the only program that has produced at least four NFL Draft picks each of the last 15 years.

EXTRA POINTS

• A win over West Virginia would make Oklahoma bowl eligible. OU owns the nation's second-longest active streak of bowl appearances at 23. The next-longest streak in school history was eight (1975-82).

• Oklahoma is tied for fourth in the Big 12 with 10 interceptions while West Virginia is last with three. OU has registered six interceptions in its last three games (two vs. Kansas, three at Iowa State and one vs. Baylor). Nine Sooners have accounted for the team's 10 pickoffs.

• OU's Brayden Willis is tied for seventh nationally among tight ends with five receiving touchdowns.

• Since the start of the 2017 season, Oklahoma ranks first in the Big 12 and sixth nationally with its 82.5% success rate on field goal attempts (104 for 126). During the same period, the Sooners rank first nationally in kicking points per game (9.5) and fourth in PAT conversion percentage among teams with at least 225 attempts, converting 401 of 403 tries (99.5%).

• Forty-seven of OU's 115 players (41%) are new to the program this season, while 60 players (52%) had never played in a game for the Sooners prior to the opener vs. UTEP. Of the 47 new players, 24 are on offense, 20 are on defense and three are special-teamers (one kicker, one punter and one long snapper).

• Since 2000, OU is the only Power 5 program in the country that has not had a losing record in any season.

• Since the start of the 2012 season, OU is 84-6 when scoring at least 35 points and 73-3 when scoring at least 40.

• OU has won 81 straight games when holding opponents to 23 or fewer points. The last time OU held an opponent to 23 or fewer points and lost was in 2009 (fell 10-3 at Nebraska on Nov. 7).

• The Sooners are tied for third with their four College Football Playoff appearances (2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019). They are the only Big 12 program to qualify for the CFP.

• Oklahoma is tied for the national lead with five No. 1 overall NFL Draft picks. OU has produced three No. 1 overall picks in the last 13 years alone. No other school has produced more than one during that period.