West Virginia (10-2) vs. Oklahoma
(11-2)
January
2nd,
8:00 p.m. ET, Fox
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Forget the BCS Championship game. This battle between West Virginia
and Oklahoma could wind up being the most intriguing of the entire
32-game bowl season.
The Mountaineers and Sooners descend upon Glendale with something to
prove, West Virginia for inexplicably gagging to Pittsburgh on Dec.
1, and Oklahoma for losing its last three BCS bowl games, including
last year’s Fiesta Bowl to Boise State. Both programs are awash in
skill position talent, coming within a break or two from finishing
the regular season at the top of the polls. While the winner gets
an ounce of redemption and a top 10 ranking, the loser will carry
the burden of failing to finish strong with it throughout the
offseason. There’ll be plenty at stake in the desert, even if the
game isn’t deciding a national title.
 |
|
National
Rankings |
|
West
Virginia |
Oklahoma |
|
Total Offense |
|
18th 450.50 ypg |
17th 451.23 ypg |
|
Total Defense |
|
4th 291.92 ypg |
18th 324 ypg |
|
Scoring Offense |
|
11th 38.92 ppg |
3rd 43.38 ppg |
|
Scoring Defense |
|
7th 17.25 ppg |
9th 18.15 ppg |
|
Run Offense |
|
4th 292.92 ypg |
30th 191.77 ypg |
|
Run Defense |
|
15th 107.58 ypg |
7th 91.92 ypg |
|
Pass Offense |
|
113th 157.58 ypg |
36th 259.46 ypg |
|
Pass Defense |
|
13th 184.33 ypg |
67th 232.08 ypg |
|
Turnover Margin |
|
10th 1.00 |
18th 0.69 |
|
West
Virginia
West Mich
W 62-24
at Marshall
W 48-23
at Mary.
W 31-14
E Carolina
W 48-7
at South Fla
L 21-13
at Syra.
W 55-14
Miss St
W 38-13
at
Rutgers W 31-3
Louisville
W 38-31
at Cincy
W 28-23
Conn,
W 66-21
Pitt
L 13-9 |
Oklahoma
North Texas
W 79-10
Miami
W 51-13
Utah State
W 54-3
at Tulsa
W 62-21
at Colorado
L 27-24
vs.
Texas W 28-21
Missouri
W 41-31
at Iowa State
W 17-7
Texas A&M W 42-14
Baylor
W 52-21
at Tex Tech
L 34-27
Oklahoma St
W 49-17
Big 12 Championship
Missouri W 38-17 |
|
Position
Ratings
relative to each
other |
|
WV |
5
highest
1 lowest |
OU |
|
5 |
Quarterbacks |
4.5 |
|
5 |
RBs |
4.5 |
|
3.5 |
Receivers |
5 |
|
4 |
O
Line |
5 |
|
4 |
D
Line |
4 |
|
3.5 |
Linebackers |
4.5 |
|
4 |
Secondary |
4 |
|
4.5 |
Spec
Teams |
4.5 |
|
2 |
Coaching |
5 |
|
How does West Virginia bounce back after losing the Backyard Brawl
to a 28-point dog, squandering a chance to play for a national
championship? It won’t be easy, considering how badly it choked
under pressure on Dec. 1, and how hard it’ll be to move forward
without head coach Rich Rodriguez and offensive coordinator Calvin
Magee, both of whom are now employed by Michigan.
A month ago, Rodriguez was the unquestioned leader of the program,
but today he’s being sued by the University, an awkward turn of
events that can’t be helping the focus of the West Virginia players
as some, like RB Steve Slaton, will likely look even harder at the
possibility of moving on early to the next level. The Big East
champs had gotten a reprieve from its Sept. 28 loss at South
Florida, yet couldn’t close the deal versus rival Pitt, losing
13-9. For the Mountaineers, it’s they’re first Fiesta Bowl since
Major Harris was in Morgantown in 1989, and they’re third
consecutive January bowl game, beating Georgia in the 2006 Sugar
Bowl and Georgia Tech in the 2007 Gator Bowl.
Just like the last two years, as QB Patrick White goes, so goes West
Virginia. The junior sat out most of the Pitt game with a
dislocated right thumb, which no doubt impacted the final score.
White is expected to play on Jan. 2, an absolute necessity if the
Mountaineers stand a chance to deliver an upset. When he’s out in
the open field, zig-zagging through defenders, there’s no more
dangerous individual at the college level. White leads the ‘eers
with 1,185 yards rushing, and is also No. 14 nationally in passing
efficiency, a dual-threat combination that can close the talent gap
at other positions. No. 5 versus Oklahoma’s No. 8 run defense is
one of the most intriguing duels of the postseason. Sooner starting
CB Reggie Smith will not play, nor will his backup Lendy Holmes, so
White’s improved passing skills should be on display even more than
usual in Arizona.
Oklahoma earned an automatic berth in the Fiesta Bowl with its rout
of then-No. 1 Missouri in the Big 12 Championship game. Although
the Sooners rolled through their schedule, winning by an average of
25 points, plans for ending the season in New Orleans got derailed
by a 45-yard field goal at the end of regulation in Boulder, and a
seven-point loss in Lubbock, in which concussed starting QB Sam
Bradford played only two possessions. Two wins over Mizzou wound up
not being enough to grab a spot in the title game, as LSU was tabbed
as the most deserving of the two-loss teams. A juicy subplot
involves Bob Stoops, one of the game’s premier coaches, who’s lost
his last three January bowl games, twice getting ambushed on
defense. His reputation is secure, but it sure would help to avoid
a fourth loss in-a-row.
Go ahead and try to find the weak link on this Oklahoma team. Well,
it’s defending the deep ball, but that’s not West Virginia
football. Once it became obvious that Bradford was a freshman in
academics only, the Sooners were a complete team that could run or
pass the ball, and play at a high level on defense that’s become a
hallmark of the program in the Stoops era. Oklahoma does have one
of the worst punt return units in the Big 12, but good luck
exploiting that weakness. The key has been Bradford, the nation’s
leader in passing efficiency, who gives the program the offensive
balance it’s lacked since Jason White graduated, teaming up
regularly with TE Jermaine Gresham, and WRs Malcolm Kelly and
Juaquin Iglesias. A picture of poise in the pocket, Bradford will
play in a few more of these high-profile bowl games before leaving
Norman.
It’s not the national championship. It’s not even the marquee BCS
bowl game (the Sugar and Rose appear to be getting more attention).
It’s an important game for the future of the two programs, and both
teams will play like it.
Players to watch:
… Oklahoma will be without explosive freshman RB DeMarco Murray,
but the running game won’t skip a beat. Veteran Allen Patrick
excelled down the stretch when his workload increased, running for
202 yards and two scores against Oklahoma State, and 88 yards and a
touchdown versus Missouri. A physical, between-the-tackles runner,
he’ll try to keep the good times rolling against a West Virginia
defense that allows just 107 yards a game on the ground. It always
helps to be running behind massive G Duke Robinson and one of
the toughest offensive lines in America. On defense, the Sooners
will benefit from the healthy return of DE Auston English,
who was tearing up the Big 12 before injuring his ankle in the Nov.
3 win over Texas A&M. Although he may not get many opportunities
for sacks, he does have the quickness to prevent the speedy
Mountaineers from getting to the outside. Pencil LB Curtis
Lofton, one of the nation’s most instinctive linebackers, in for
about 15 tackles and a couple of snot-knocking hits. The
team-leader with 142 stops, he’s never too far from the ball.
Assuming his thumb doesn’t cause any complications, White will make
his share of big plays, but against Oklahoma, he’s going to need
more help. Additional production from RB Steve Slaton, for
instance, would be nice. A Heisman contender entering the season,
the junior ran for more than 100 yards just twice in the final eight
games. To put a dent in one of the nation’s top defenses, West
Virginia is going to need some assistance from Slaton and freshmen
scatbacks, Noel Devine and Jock Sanders. The
Mountaineer defense has been one of the huge shockers of the 2007
season in the Big East, leading the league in total defense and
scoring defense. The unit has to find a way to get an upfield push
on that hulking Sooner line, which means DE Johnny Dingle and
LB Marc Magro must close out the best years of their college
careers with another disruptive game. Dingle has been a 12-game
beast, spending a big portion of the year in opposing backfields.
Magro is a high-motor guy needed to keep Patrick and RB Chris
Brown from busting into the secondary.
Oklahoma will win if... White is the only Mountaineer that
does serious damage. Against opponents, such as Connecticut and
Cincinnati, White’s capable of carrying West Virginia on his back,
but that’s not going to happen versus this Oklahoma team. If the
Sooners are able to contain Slaton, Devine, and WR Darius Reynaud,
White alone won’t be able to solve a defense that’s No. 1 or No. 2
in the Big 12 in every major statistical category, and landed eight
players on the all-conference team.
West Virginia will win if... it starts fast, a la the
Sugar Bowl two years ago. After hearing for weeks about their
season-ending collapse to Pittsburgh, the Mountaineers can
ill-afford to get out of the blocks slowly, especially against this
deep and determined Oklahoma team. They’ve got to shock the Sooners
in the first quarter with a bolt of lightning down the sidelines
from one of the speedsters. Although the West Virginia players will
say all the right things leading up to the game, they’ll need an
early explosion to shake the month-long malaise.
What will happen: The West Virginia defense has been
fantastic all year, but this is the game that the curtain gets
pulled back on Jeff Casteel’s kids. The Oklahoma offense, purring
since Bradford’s return from a concussion, has too many weapons for
a collection of kids that are predominantly overachievers. White
will do something amazing, but the Sooners have already proven they
can keep a diverse offense from erupting, twice holding Mizzou below
its season scoring average. Oklahoma will out class West Virginia,
giving its fans something to beef about if two-loss LSU narrowly
gets by Ohio State in the Superdome.
Line: Oklahoma -6.5 ... CFN Prediction: Oklahoma
38... West Virginia 27
2008 Fiesta Bowl History, Each Team's Best Bowl Moments, & More
