With three-straight non-conference wins, the Oklahoma Sooners are raring to add one to the Big 12 win column against the West Virginia Mountaineers, who come into this game with back-to-back wins after just narrowly avoiding a close loss to Maryland.
Who will top this Big 12 matchup? Read on for our complete analysis of this conference showdown. For more college football content, head over to our preview of the Kansas State Wildcats vs. Auburn Tigers or see our list of the best games to watch this week.
[sc:NCAAFArticles ]Oklahoma Sooners vs. West Virginia Mountaineers Preview
Where: Milan Puskar Stadium, Morgantown, West Virginia
When: Saturday, September 20, 7:30 PM ET
Line: Oklahoma Sooners (-8) at West Virginia Mountaineers (+8) – view all NCAA Football lines
Betting on the Oklahoma Sooners
Quarterback Trevor Knight went 20-for-33 for 308 yards and a touchdown and added 17 more yards on five carries for another score as he led the Oklahoma Sooners to a 34-10 win against the Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday.
[sc:NCAA240banner ]Knight has now thrown for 300 yards and completed over 60 percent of his passes in consecutive games. Knight will have a chance to extend his streak to three straight games of 300 yards and 60 percent completions against the West Virginia, who allowed a mediocre Maryland offense to throw for 284 yards and four touchdowns on Saturday.
Knight’s main weapon in attacking the Mountaineers through the air will be talented wide receiver Sterling Shephard. Shepard caught five passes for 109 yards, including a long 45-yard reception against Tennessee, bringing his season totals to 17 catches on 335 yards. Although he didn’t add a score against the Volunteers, Shepard had back-to-back TDs in his first two games.
On the other side of the ball, the Sooners have a defense capable of providing some key takeaways, especially in the secondary. Cornerbacks Zack Sanchez and Julian Wilson already have four interceptions between them this season. Against the Volunteers, Sanchez added his third interception in three games this season (and fifth in his last six games). Meanwhile, Wilson intercepted a deflected pass and returned it for a 100-yard touchdown.
The Sooners also had five sacks to their credit, one of which caused a fumble for the third Tennessee turnover. Oklahoma’s stellar pass rush will be up against the Mountaineers’ offensive line which has allowed eight sacks over the course of their first three games. Applying pressure on West Virginia quarterback Clint Trickett will be critical in stopping the Mountaineers’ explosive passing offense.
The Oklahoma Sooners are 5-0 SU and 4-1 ATS in their last five games as favorites.
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Betting on the West Virginia Mountaineers
The West Virginia Mountaineers barely squeaked by Maryland on Saturday, as they needed Josh Lambert’s 47-yard field goal as time expired to win 40-37. This despite quarterback Clint Trickett putting up a career-best performance. The senior went 37-for-49 as he passed for a career-high 511 yards and four touchdowns.
A significant amount of those 511 yards came from some big plays from his receivers. Trickett had a 50-yard completion to Wendell Smallwood to setup a one-yard TD run by running back Rushel Shell. Meanwhile, Mario Alford caught a 43-yard TD pass to finish with 11 receptions for 131 yards and two scores.
But the star of the show was senior Kevin White, who had 13 catches for 216 yards. White is having a tremendous season, with 32 catches for 460 yards already in the first three games alone. Trickett will be wary of the Oklahoma cornerbacks, Sanchez and Wilson, and the threat of an interception, but he has an impressive array of receivers to which he can spread the ball around.
But the Mountaineers will be in deep trouble if Oklahoma does indeed shut their passing offense down. West Virginia hasn’t had much going for them on the ground as they needed 51 carries to gain 183 yards (3.1 yards per carry), but managed to add a score to go along with it.
After struggling on the ground against an unranked team, the Mountaineers may not be able to enjoy much success on the run against Oklahoma, who have allowed only 2.71 yards per carry through three games.
The Mountaineers also had problems holding on to the ball. They committed four turnovers (three inside the Maryland 30) and had a field-goal attempt blocked.
Nevertheless, West Virginia are very live underdogs capable of putting up a fight against the best teams. They covered a 22-point spread against Alabama and is 3-0 ATS overall (twice as an underdog). Similarly, the Mountaineers are 3-0 ATS in three games against Oklahoma since 2008.
Writer’s Prediction
West Virginia avoid another blowout, but still lose by double digits to the Oklahoma Sooners.
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