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HIGH STAKES AHEAD Junior running back Samaje Perine is tackled by senior linebacker Justin Arndt during the first half of the game Nov. 19. in Morgantown, W.Va. Perine rushed for 160 yards in the game.
Sooners need to bolster defense going into Bedlam
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AP POLL 1. Alabama
2. Ohio State 3. Michigan 4. Clemson 5. Wisconsin 6. Washington 7. Oklahoma 8. Penn State 9. Colorado 10. Oklahoma State 11. Louisville 12. USC 13. Florida 14. Western Michigan 15. Florida State 16. Auburn 17. Nebraska 18. Houston 19. West Virginia 20. Boise State 21. Utah 22. Texas A&M 23. Washington State 24. Tennessee 25. LSU Source: AP Poll
SPENSER DAVIS • @DAVIS_SPENSER
ORGANTOWN, W. Va — Almost lost in the Sooners’ dominating 56-28 win over West Virginia Nov. 19 was a defensive performance from Oklahoma that left a lot to be desired. Thanks to a furious second-half comeback from the Mountaineers that saw West Virginia put up 21 unanswered points, Oklahoma’s defense will be a major concern as the Sooners prepare for a de facto Big 12 Championship game on Dec. 3. OU allowed just seven points in the first half, but it epitomized a bend-but-don’t-break style. The Sooners permitted 259 first-half rushing yards on a fruitful 12.9 yards per carry. Oklahoma avoided further damage thanks to a litany of Mountaineer mistakes, including a pair of fumbles inside the Sooners’ five-yard line. For the game, West Virginia running back Justin Crawford totaled 331 yards on 24 carries — good enough for 13.8 yards per rush. It was the most prolific rushing attack by a single player against a Sooner defense since West Virginia’s Tavon Austin tallied 344 yards on the ground in 2012. Mountaineer quarterback Skyler Howard still threw the ball 27 times, completing 12 for 191 yards
and two touchdowns. Despite the relative improvement for the Sooners’ secondary — Oklahoma is No. 9 in the Big 12 with 287.5 passing yards allowed per game — OU has a major test coming up on Dec. 3, and defensive coordinator Mike Stoops knows it. “We just gotta suck it up and do it one more time,” Stoops said. “We went into this situation a year ago and played well. I’m sure they’re not real happy about that, but we know what we’ve got to do to win.” Bedlam will be for a conference title for the second consecutive season. The Sooners won 58-23 a year ago, but the outlook of the game is much different this year. Cowboys’ quarterback Mason Rudolph is healthy this time, and the Sooners have struggled defensively all season after consistently holding off Big 12 offenses in 2015. O k l a h o m a S t a t e ’s Ja m e s Washington leads a stellar core of wide receivers, followed by Jalen McCleskey, Jhajuan Seales and Chris Lacy. Rudolph is having a career-year and trails only Baker Mayfield in Big 12 quarterback efficiency. But the biggest change is perhaps the Cowboys’ rushing ability, led by true freshman Justice Hill. He accounted for 154 yards on more than nine yards per carry in
Oklahoma State’s 31-6 drubbing of TCU in Fort Worth and has 980 yards on the season. “To me, they seem like they’re running the ball better, obviously, today,” Stoops added. “They totally dominated TCU. They’re playing their best football right now.” Oklahoma has limited opponents’ run games frequently this season, with major slip-ups coming against Ohio State and now West Virginia. OU is No. 2 in the Big 12 in rushing yards allowed per game (155.6), but tied for No. 7 in the conference in yards allowed per carry (4.5). If the Sooners can’t fix those issues by Dec. 3, the Cowboys offense will be difficult to stop. With a win over the Sooners, Oklahoma State would become perhaps the most-talked about team ahead of the final College Football Playoff rankings. Though the Cowboys have two losses, their first to Central Michigan came on a hail mary that, by rule, should never have happened. Many have asserted that the Cowboys should be treated as a one-loss Big 12 Champion should Oklahoma State find a way to win in Norman. OU head coach Bob Stoops agrees. “They’re playing really well. In my eyes, they’ve only got one one
loss if you play by the rules,” Stoops said. “So really good football team and playing well right now, like I like to think we are, so it will be exciting to be on our field playing for a Big 12 championship. It’s as good as it gets.” Oklahoma survived against the Mountaineers because it forced turnovers — something the Sooners failed to do in early-season losses to Houston and Ohio State. Mike Stoops says to expect more of the same if OU is to win another Big 12 Championship. “We have to make plays like that. We’re not a defense that can just overwhelm anybody right now,” he said. “That’s just not the personnel that we have. We have to come up with big plays and turnovers.” Spenser Davis
davis.spenser@ou.edu
NEXT GAME
Opponent: Oklahoma State Channel: TBA Time: TBA Date: Dec. 3 Place: Norman Source: soonersports.com
Westbrook runs past West Virginia to win Receiver makes two catches count during Sooners’ snowy sweep JESSE POUND @jesserpound
Morgantown, W. Va — Light flurries turned into heavy flakes as Milan Puskar Stadium became a snow globe at kickoff, with No. 9 Oklahoma and No. 14 West Virginia trading early mistakes as the Big 12 title picture remained obscured. Then the snow stopped, and receiver Dede Westbrook caught a quick screen pass, tossed linebacker Justin Arndt to the ground
and outran every West Virginia defender to the end zone for a 75-yard touchdown, giving the Sooners (9-2, 8-0 Big 12) a 14-0 lead in a game the Mountaineers couldn’t simply shake up and start again. Fa n s w e r e s o o n p o u r i n g through the exits as West Virginia (8-2, 5-2 Big 12) fell further behind in what became a 56-28 loss, their energy and excitement ripped away by the speedy receiver from Cameron, Texas. “With as much as we figured we were going to run it, we knew we were going to have to loosen them up and take advantage of the throws that we did have,” offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley said after the game. “We had a
good call … our guys blocked it great, and then Dede did what great players do.” Poor weather had made sporadic appearances all day in Morgantown, but it reached its peak at the beginning of what was arguably West Virginia’s biggest home game in nearly a decade. “Just crazy how the warmup couldn’t have been nicer — I thought ‘Oh man this is going to be a perfect day,’” Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops said. “And I came back out, and it was a whiteout.” Hopes of a memorable Mountaineer win took a fatal blow as Westbrook raced to the end zone. The play was the first reception of the game after the Sooners
struggled with drops in the opening minutes. Westbrook’s heroics helped to jump-start what became a 34-0 Sooners’ run to open the game. “It definitely helped,” Orlando Brown said. “It was a great play by Coach Riley, and we were able to execute it.” The Mountaineers couldn’t find their footing early, losing three fumbles and squandering 80 yards to penalties in the first half on the way to a four-touchdown loss. The Sooners seemed to settle down after Westbrook’s catch, but Riley didn’t see the safe screen pass as a simple confidence builder. “I foresee them all as big plays. They don’t always work out like that,” Riley said. “When you draw
them up as a staff, when you work on them all week, you foresee a lot of them.” Westbrook, who was not available to the media after the game, only had two catches on the day, but he made them count. He finished with 100 yards receiving, which was more than enough as the Sooners were able to lean on the running game to put away the Mountaineers. “Dede didn’t have three or four like he has in so many other games,” Stoops said. “But that one he made, he popped that, and that was special.” Jesse Pound
jesserpound@gmail.com