All Sooners

Oklahoma-West Virginia Observations: LIVE In-Game Blog

John Hoover, Ryan Chapman and Randall Sweet offer their real-time observations from Norman as No. 17 Oklahoma takes on West Virginia.

SI Editorial

In this story:

NORMAN — AllSooners offers real-time observations throughout today's contest at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium as the No. 17-ranked Sooners try to halt their losing skid, hosting the West Virginia Mountaineers. Newest posts are at the top. Just keep your browser open and refresh often.

10:00 p.m.

Final stats:

— JH

Final stats.
Final stats / OU Stats

9:55 p.m.

That's it. The losing streak is over ... emphatically.

— JH

Sooners win it.
Sooners win it / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

9:06 p.m.

Well, a lot happened there.

First, Drake Stoops makes a tough 9-yard touchdown catch while getting shellacked by West Virginia’s Anthony Wilson.

Wilson then stood over Stoops, which Dillon Gabriel and a number of other Sooners took exception to, kicking off a bunch of pushing and shoving after the whistle.

Wilson was called for a targeting, but it was wiped by a review.

Somehow that’s the only flag that counted for that one.

All told, the Sooners are up 52-20 with 13:46 left in the game.

Then... the extra point happened. 

McKade Mettauer blocked Wilson with some extra gusto after the PAT, and was nailed with not one but two unsportsmanlike conduct flags, so he'll miss the rest of this one. Quite the cluster. 

— RC 

9:00 p.m.

Here are the stats at the end of the third quarter:

Stats at the end of the third quarter
Stats at the end of the third quarter / OU Stats

— RC 

8:40 p.m.

All-clear for Spears-Jennings. No foul for targeting. We play on.

— RC 

8:38 p.m.

Robert Spears-Jennings delivered a pop covering that last punt.

So much so that he appeared to nervously peek toward the ref as he left the field, almost expecting the flag to come out for targeting.

And… now the play is under review. Credit to Real Brown for persisting to get the referees to take a second look at that play.

— RC 

8:13 p.m.

Drake Stoops opens the second half with a 60-yard touchdown pass from Dillon Gabriel — that was about 90 percent Stoops. He made a fingertip grab, stayed inbounds, cut upfield, cut behind a defender, then cut up again and powered his way through a tackler inside the 5-yard line (with an assist from Jalil Farooq). Then, for good measure, he spiked the football and was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct on the celebration.

OU leads it 38-14, 13:48 to play in the third quarter.

— JH

7:50 p.m.

Stats at the half:

Halftime stats
Halftime stats / OU Stats

— RC 

7:40 p.m.

OU leads it big at halftime.

— JH

OU leads it big at half.
OU leads it big at half / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

7:47 p.m.

Think Oklahoma would like that final drive back. 

Looked like the Sooners were covering a Hail Mary on the fourth-and-9 out of the timeout, despite the fact that West Virginia could pick up a first down.

Kani Walker then gets flagged for a ghost pass interference, and the Mountaineers capitalize to cut OU’s lead to 31-14 after Kole Taylor’s 3-yard touchdown catch with seven seconds left in the half.

— RC 

7:36 p.m.

Walter Rouse gets flagged for the false start, but it took Oklahoma until 1:13 left in the first half to draw its first penalty of the day. Much improved in that department.

— RC 

7:34 p.m.

Brent Venables with a fist pump that looked like a punch out of a Marvel movie after that goal-line stand. So many Sooners in on the stop: Kip Lewis, Da’Jon Terry, Kendel Dolby, Robert Spears-Jennings and a handful of others.

Massive moment, especially after the 49-yard reception by WVU. Now the offense will try to go 99 yards.

— JH

7:32 p.m.

Another goal line stand. Oklahoma stuffs Donaldson on fourth-and-goal (under review).

So that’s a huge stand against Texas, repelling UCF three times before a penalty, and now this. The Sooners defense has found something there.

— RC 

7:23 p.m.

Oklahoma has scored on each of its first five drives (four touchdowns, one field goal).

The Sooners already have six passing plays of more than 15 yards (the shortest of those was a 19-yard strike to Nic Anderson), and four rushes of over 10 yards.

There are six and a half minutes left in the second quarter.

— RC 

7:20 p.m.

Dillon Gabriel wants back in the Heisman race. He just threw a dart to Jayden Gibson for a 32-yard touchdown to give Oklahoma a 31-7 lead with 6:20 til halftime, and he was 3-for-3 on the drive with throws of 23 yards to Drake Stoops, 26 yards to Jalil Farooq and 32 yards to Gibson.

Someone in the press box just expressed it’s the best the offense has looked all season, and that OC Jeff Lebby was in his bag tonight.

Not incorrect.

Gabriel has two rushing TDs and two throwing TDs, and the Sooners are rolling to a bounce-back victory.

— JH

7:16 p.m.

That’s back to back punt returns fumbled by Gavin Freeman. He recovers this one at least, but the last one almost cost the Sooners a field goal.

This is a young man who has loads of ability but seems to have lost his confidence.

Fumbling the football on a punt is pretty unforgivable. Time for the coaching staff to make a change there.

— JH

7:09 p.m.

Dillon Gabriel has been absolutely on fire running the football tonight. Just popped a 23-yard rush and has two short TD runs.

Kinda makes you think it might have worked last week in Stillwater.

Gabriel finishes another TD drive in style with a 3-yard scoring toss to Austin Stogner. It’s Gabriel’s third throw to Stogner on this drive.

OU leads it 24-7, 9:06 to play in the half.

— JH

7:04 p.m.

Right after calling timeout ahead of WVU’s fourth-down play at midfield, Kobie McKinzie and Isaiah Coe just got into a shouting match. Probably nothing, but they got into each other’s face and even head-butted each other as they debated what the defensive call was.

Garrett Greene throws incomplete as McKinzie almost intercepts his pass on fourth-and-2 and OU takes over at the 46 with 12:03 til halftime.

— JH

7:00 p.m.

True freshman cornerback Makari Vickers is down for the Sooners.

Linebacker Dasan McCullough still on the sideline without his helmet on. He’s now away from the rest of the defenders waiting to get subbed in, and is standing by Gentry Williams. Odd.

— RC

6:56 p.m.

Nic Anderson started the second quarter off with a bang, catching the ball and running for 63 yards to set OU up in first-and-goal.

Oklahoma was unable to cash in this time, however, clearing the way for Zach Schmit to hit a 23-yard field goal to extend the Sooners’ lead to 17-7 with 13:54 left until halftime.

— RC 

6:52 p.m.

First quarter stats in Norman:

Oklahoma vs. West Virginia First Quarter Stats
First quarter stats / OU Stats

— RC 

6:50 p.m.

That's the first quarter. Sooners up.

— JH

Brent Venables and Neal Brown
Brent Venables and Neal Brown / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

6:49 p.m.

For the third straight week, Oklahoma gets away with a costly fumble.

Against Kansas and Oklahoma State, the defense forced a field goal.

This week, West Virginia kicker Michael Hayes missed his second kick of the year, and OU holds strong.

— RC 

6:47 p.m.

This is the stage of the game — just scored a touchdown and got a stop — that Oklahoma wasted so many opportunities against Oklahoma State.

So what happens? Gavin Freeman fumbles the punt return after a three-and-out (Kani Walker was blocked into him, but after the fumble) and the Sooners are once again not playing complementary football.

WVU ball after a 40-yard turn of field position.

— JH

6:45 p.m.

It was Kobie McKinzie alongside Kip Lewis for that three-and-out performance for the OU defense. Interestingly, Dasan McCullough didn’t even have his helmet on for the drive, though he was standing with the rest of the defenders looking to go into the game. Not sure what’s going on there.

— RC 

6:41 p.m.

A couple of huge third down catches, one on third-and-2 from Drake Stoops and one on third-and-13 from Nic Anderson, fueled that Oklahoma touchdown drive. Gavin Sawchuk also had a nice run as well.

But it was Dillon Gabriel’s draw on third-and-goal that got the job done to put OU on top 14-7 with 3:16 left in the first quarter.

— RC

6:27 p.m.

That 30-yard run by Gavin Sawchuk was about as close as I’ve seen to the performance he had against Florida State. Burst through the line of scrimmage and then bobbed and weaved his way into the open field.

Even last week’s touchdown was more straightforward (which Oklahoma will obviously take), but this run had a little bit more to it with his subtle shifts in direction.

— RC 

6:25 p.m.

After skipping his opening throw, Dillon Gabriel hits Nic Anderson in stride for 19 yards, then escapes pressure and floats one down the sideline to Austin Stogner for 23 yards. Gavin Sawchuk pops one for 30 yards to the 2, and OU is back in business after Gabriel’s 2-yard TD run on third-and goal.

It’s 7-7, 8:27 left in the first quarter.

— JH

6:22 p.m.

Oklahoma’s starters on offense:

Rouse - Green - Raym - Mettauer - Sexton

Anderson - Stogner - Stoops - Farooq

Gabriel - Sawchuk

— RC 

6:17 p.m.

Except for an offensive pass interference penalty, which officials met over and decided wasn’t pass interference, Oklahoma’s defense offered almost no resistance on WVU’s opening drive of 8 plays and 75 yards. Where’s the mindset of this football team? Early returns are that it’s absolutely not in a good place.

C.J. Donaldson scores easily on an off-tackle run and WVU leads 7-0 with 11:00 left in the opening quarter. 

— JH

6:14 p.m.

Danny Stutsman, who’s missed the last 1 1/2 games, just threw Jaheim White, who’s averaging 8.5 yards per carry, to the ground for minimal gain. WVU picks up a third down conversion on the next play, then hits a deep ball down the right sideline, because that’s what WVU does.

— JH

6:11 p.m.

Oklahoma’s defensive starters:

Bothroyd - Lacey - Coe - Downs

Stutsman - Lewis - Dolby

K. Walker - Spears-Jennings - Bowman - Washington

— RC 

6:08 p.m.

Oklahoma wins the toss again, moves to 9-1 on coin tosses this year.

Sooners defer, so we get the Garrett Greene show up first.

— RC 

6:01 p.m.

Per the video board, Jacob Sexton is your projected starter at right tackle. Gavin Sawchuk gets the nod at running back as well.

— RC 

5:48 p.m.

McKade Mettauer and Danny Stutsman are your 2023 recipients of the Bob Kalsu Memorial Award. That goes to the Sooners who most display character and dedication on and off the field.

— JH 

5:35 p.m.

Jacob Sexton, who played well at left tackle for the Sooners against Kansas, is going through warmups as if he’ll fill Guyton’s spot at right tackle tonight.

— RC 

5:27 p.m.

Running backs Tawee Walker and Marcus Major are both dressed out. Might be as close to healthy as the running back room has been since Texas.

— RC 

5:24 p.m.

Oklahoma safety Key Lawrence is dressed out. He exited early in Bedlam, but Brent Venables didn’t give an update on his status this week. We shall see how much he takes part in this contest.

— RC 

5:21 p.m.

Oklahoma right guard Tyler Guyton is in sweats as the Sooners take the field in uniform. He won’t be a go today. Tight end Blake Smith is also not dressed out, and neither is defensive end Reggie Grimes.

— RC 

5:17 p.m.

Players are starting to hit the field in uniform for the warmups, but I’ll just be transparent. It’s going to be a bit more difficult to track who is who today. The numbers on the alternate jerseys are tough to make out, even through binoculars.

But we will persist.

For what it’s worth, Matt Zenitz of On3 reported earlier today that OU linebacker Danny Stutsman is expected to return today against the Mountaineers.

More updates to follow.

— RC 

Published
SI Editorial
SI EDITORIAL

Home/Football