West Virginia looked sloppy in their win against William and Mary. Now they have to face an Oklahoma team that only allowed their opponent to cross midfield twice last weekend. While the Mountaineers are a little bit better than the UL-Monroe Warhawks, they should count themselves lucky if they are able to get two touchdowns on Saturday.
Last week, quarterback Paul Millard surprised many people by playing a decent game. In the past he struggled whenever he entered the game, but he seemed much more poised against William and Mary. He was 19 of 25 with 237 yards and one touchdown. While those numbers aren’t too impressive Millard still proved many Mountaineer fans wrong. One problem Millard encountered was when the defense was able to get through the offensive line. He seemed to panic and made a few desperation throws. Millard even lost a fumble when the pressure became too much for him. This is something the Sooners will do time and time again, except they will probably force him to fumble a few times and they should be able to come away with an interception or two.
Many people thought that transfer Clint Trickett would be starting for the Mountaineers against William and Mary. This was not the case since Millard was getting most of the reps throughout the game. Trickett did come in for only a few series and went 0 for 2 with a sack. He had no problem getting the ball to its target, but the receivers just couldn’t hold on. Even though he did struggle last week, head coach Dana Holgorsen has said that both Trickett and Millard will get playing time against Oklahoma. Though the Sooners only came away with one interception last week, they should have no problem picking off these two quarterbacks at least twice.
The Mountaineers' biggest bright spot on offense were the running backs. Combined they had 41 carries for 192 yards and two touchdowns. Charles Sims led the way with 23 carries
for 120 yards and one touchdown. The other one came from Wendell Smallwood. Unlike last season when the Mountaineers could pass the ball on every down, this season the running backs will have a much larger role. Dreamius Smith was another standout back and with him running with Sims and Smallwood they could turn out to be a good three-headed running attack. If the Mountaineers do score on Saturday it will likely be because of the running backs. Luckily for West Virginia this is one area that Oklahoma failed to stop and they allowed the Warhawks, including their quarterback, to run wild on them.
While the running backs grabbed the spotlight against William and Mary, the wide receivers did their part as well. Millard’s favorite target was Ronald Carswell, who had two receptions for 73 yards and a touchdown. Daikiel Shorts also got in on the action recording seven catches for 63 yards. Not only will these two receivers, but all of them will have to shine when they go up against a formidable Oklahoma secondary.
The Mountaineer defense looked a little better than last year, but they'll have to be more than a little better against Oklahoma. They came away with an interception, but allowed the Tribe to convert third downs time and again. This cannot fly against the Sooners; since not only will they pick up big first downs, their receivers are capable of easily burning the Mountaineer secondary for long touchdowns. Defensive coordinator Keith Patterson may have exaggerated when he said that the corners this year were faster than last year because they certainly did not look that way on Saturday.
One area last year that the Mountaineers struggled in more than their defense was their special teams play. Both Corey Smith and Tyler Bitancurt were atrocious at their jobs and many fans were glad to see them go, but at the same time worried about what the new guys would be like. Freshman kicker Josh Lambert had a pretty successful debut going 1 for 2 on field goals and being perfect on extra point attempts. His missed kick came from 55 yards out, which is something Holgorsen and special teams coordinator Joe DeForest would never let Bitancurt do. Sophomore punter Nick O’Toole played excellently, with his kicks going twice as long if not further than Smith’s ever would. Plus O’Toole oddly resembles Daniel Day Lewis as Bill the Butcher from Gangs of New York, with one of the coolest mustaches ever.
One Sooner the Mountaineer defense has to account for is quarterback Trevor Knight. Knight played exceptionally well last week, showcasing his not only with his throwing ability, but his rushing ability too. He went 11 of 28 for 86 yards with three touchdowns and one interception, but he tore up some turf with thirteen carries for 103 yards. West Virginia has to be able to pick him off at least twice if they want to get into his head and at the very least keep this game close. With Knight being a freshman he may experience some early problems against the defense and if he does WVU has to take advantage of all such opportunities.
The Mountaineers prospects for winning this game are bleak. After their performance last week, there is very little chance they can keep this game close at all. The Sooners are a much faster and more physical team and they will probably be too much for this young Mountaineer team to handle. Kickoff for this game is set for 7 PM and can be seen on Fox.
Prediction: Oklahoma-40 WVU-17
WVU Player of the Game: Charles Sims 15 carries 130 yards 1 TD
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