The early game of the year in the Big 12 was an entertaining affair, but there’s no doubt that No. 15 Oklahoma was the better team after downing No. 23 West Virginia 44-24. The Sooners started the game quickly and finished with a flurry of points in the fourth quarter, cementing their status as a viable third contender for the Big 12 title.
West Virginia vs. Oklahoma final score, with 3 things to know from the Sooners’ 44-24 win
The Sooners firmly established themselves in the Big 12’s highest tier with a big win over the Mountaineers on Saturday.
Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
The first half squarely belonged to Oklahoma. They jumped out to an early lead and built it to 24-7 at halftime, nearly doubling West Virginia’s total yardage (296-157) despite a number of stupid penalties.
The second half was much more balanced, with West Virginia quickly closing the gap with 10 points over the span of three minutes. But the Mountaineers could never quite catch the Sooners, the teams trading haymaker after haymaker down the stretch. The death knell for West Virginia's hopes came with just under 10 minutes left, though. Down 34-24, Eric Striker crushed Skyler Howard, jarred the ball loose, and Evans scooped up the ball and returned it for a touchdown to make it 41-24. Any hope for a comeback after that was snuffed out by another another of Howard's four turnovers on the day.
Baker Mayfield was very productive, throwing for 320 yards and three touchdown passes. The running game wasn't particularly great, but Joe Mixon did have a nice 35 yard touchdown run. Dede Westbrook led the receivers with 107 yards on five catches, but Durron Neal had a 71 yard touchdown reception and Sterling Shepard caught another touchdown pass.
Howard had his moments, but second half turnovers killed West Virginia's chances. He ended the game 17-32 for 173 yards, a touchdown, and three picks. Wendell Smallwood had 111 rushing yards, and Jovon Durante had a touchdown reception.
Three things to know
1. Good defenses can get beaten by big plays. Both West Virginia and Oklahoma have strong defenses, but they’re not perfect. Both teams were susceptible to big plays, showing that while they’re good, they’re not necessarily great. Oklahoma had three touchdowns of at least 28 yards or longer, and West Virginia scored on a 50 yard run by Skyler Howard.
2. Eric Striker was a force. The Sooners’ defensive leader was an absolute monster, racking up 13 tackles, three tackles for a loss, two sacks, and a forced fumble. West Virginia scored a respectable number of points, but Oklahoma forced them into a bunch of bad decisions, and Striker was leading the way for them.
3. The Big 12’s Big Two really is a Big Three now. All the talk was about Baylor and TCU heading into the season, but Oklahoma looks like they’re right there with the Bears and Horned Frogs. We’ve become jaded by late season slumps by Oklahoma, but they look great right now.
See More:
