OU-WVU Tale Of The Tape

Season stats and game predictions

Pocket Fives

	West Virginia	Oklahoma
Points Per Game	24.2	50.2
Points Allowed Per Game	30.3	20.3
Total Yards Per Game	326.2	621.7
Pass Yards Per Game	231.8	335.3
Rush Yards Per Game	94.3	286.3
Yards Allowed Per Game	382.5	340.3
Pass Yards Allowed	207.7	199.8
Rush Yards Allowed	174.8	140.5

QB- Austin Kendall vs Jalen Hurts  

The WVU QB has thrown for 9 td’s and 7 int’s and is coming into the game questionable. Kendall suffered an injury in last week’s game. Hurts has thrown for 1758 yards including 17 td’s and only 3 int’s. Advantage- OU

RB- Mckoy, Brown vs Brooks, Stevenson, Sermon

This isn’t really close. The OU offense is averaging over 286 yards per game on the ground while the Mountaineers come in with a measly 94.1. Advantage- OU

Washington Post

WR- James, Bush, Campbell vs Lamb, Haselwood, Rambo

Although the future for Sam James is bright, he is the best WR as a freshman. The Sooners have a giant advantage as Lamb is a consensus first-team midseason All-American. Lamb, Haselwood and Rambo are among the best receiving corps in the country. Advantage- OU

O-Line

Last year, OU had the Joe Moore award winning O-line, AKA the top offensive line in the country. This year, they have given up less sacks, average more yards per rush and carry than what last year’s team did. Did I also mention that 4 of those guys are playing on Sundays now? That’s an impressive stat. WVU has struggled mightily in the run game and protecting the QB. Advantage- OU

D-Line

A week after getting nine sacks against Texas, the confidence of the defense is at an all-time high. The OU d-line ranks number 1 in the nation in sacks per meaningful pass. The WVU d- line has a couple playmakers as well. Look for Dante and Darius Stills to apply pressure on Hurts. They have combined for eight sacks of their own between the two. The Sooners depth is the deciding factor in this matchup. Advantage- OU

The Oklahoman

LB- Chandler, Tonkery, Qualls vs Murray, White, Asamoah

The WVU trio of LBs have been stout early on. They three have combined for three sacks and 54 tackles through six games. The Sooner trio, including Asamoah (i think has a very high ceiling) has accumulated 41 tackles and 5.5 sacks. With Murray a potential first-second round draft pick, and a strong candidate for the Butkus Award, this gives the edge to the Sooners. Advantage- OU

CB- Norwood, Bailey, Mahone vs Motley, Brown, Davis

The most improved portion of the OU defense has to start with the dbs. The most noticeable player every week has been true freshman, Jaden Davis. Both teams have 4 int’s on the year and have defended just over 180 passes each. The Sooners rank 41 in total defense, including defending the pass. The Mountaineers rank 62nd overall. Advantage- OU

Special Teams

Oklahoma ranks 22nd in NET punting. Although this isn’t something that is common with the high-powered Lincoln Riley offense, it’s a critical tool in close games. WVU comes in at 41. Evan Staley, the Mountaineer kicker, is only 7/12 on his FG attempts. OU kicker, Gabe Brkic, is 5/5. Although the Staley has more attempts, I like a kicker that is confident and has connected on his first 5 in-a-row. Advantage-OU

Coaching- Brown vs Riley

Not a lot to say on this one. There is not a single matchup in terms of coaching, that Riley is not going to be a favorite in the Big 12. Advantage- OU

Predictions:

Final Score- OU 55 WVU 21

Sooners get 4 sacks, 2 int’s and Trey Sermon busts out for 112 yards and 2 td’s.

- Austin Wood