MORGANTOWN — In a game that came down to a 4th down conversion with two minutes left and where West Virginia and Oklahoma combined for 1,372 yards and 115 points, it was one defense that rose to the occasion when it mattered most.
The Sooners scored two defensive touchdowns on fumbles by Will Grier, which led to 14 points in their 59-56 win over the Mountaineers on Friday night at Milan Puskar Stadium.
Caleb Kelly slung Grier to the ground late in the second quarter, which lodged the ball out of his hand, and Taylor scooped it up himself and ran it in for the first scoop and score. Curtis Bolton scooped the ball and scored in the fourth quarter, which ended up being the decisive blow that sent Oklahoma (11-1, 8-1) to its second-consecutive Big 12 Championship game, where it will have its second shot at Texas on Dec. 1 in Arlington, Texas.
“Obviously, the two touchdowns defensively were probably the difference in the game,” coach Lincoln Riley said. “At the end of the day, when you score two touchdowns defensively, you like your chances. I’m so proud of those big plays.”
The Sooners defense, which has been maligned all season, were far from extraordinary. West Virginia had 704 yards of total offense and Grier through for 539 yards, the second most in school history in a single game. But in a game where turnovers were critical to the team’s success, the Sooners came up with the biggest defensive plays of all – not only forcing turnovers but scoring.
“I felt like other than two or three big plays, we made West Virginia earn them,” Riley said. “We made them drive and they had to convert over 20 third and fourth downs, and a lot of those were long-yardage. We have to do a better job there, but I thought it was important that we held in there. It gave us opportunities to make big plays and we made two of them that were game-changing.”
It was the first time since 2011 that the Sooners returned to fumbles for touchdowns.
It was also Oklahoma’s seventh win over West Virginia since the Mountaineers joined the Big 12 in 2012, and WVU remains winless against the Sooners in conference play.
It was also OU’s 20th-straight true road win, which is one of the biggest reasons the Sooners, sitting at No. 6 in the College Football Playoff rankings, are in position for a Big 12 title and potential CFP berth.
Like Grier, OU quarterback Kyler Murray is also contending for the Heisman Trophy, and he put up stellar numbers and made plays when his team needed him to. He finished with 364 yards passing and three touchdowns while also rushing for 114 yards and a score.
“He was awesome,” Riley said. “Big moment in a big atmosphere – West Virginia did some things different and he just processed it all like he has all year. It was just a special, special performance by him.”
In a game that featured West Virginia and Oklahoma combining for 1,372 yards and 115 points, it was one defense that proved opportunistic when it mattered most.
The Sooners scored two defensive touchdowns on fumbles by Will Grier, momentous swings in their 59-56 win Friday night at Milan Puskar Stadium.
Linebacker Caleb Kelly slung Grier to the ground late in the second quarter and dislodged the ball. Kelly scooped it up himself and ran it in from 10 yards out. Curtis Bolton did the same in the fourth quarter, which ended up being the decisive blow that sent Oklahoma (11-1, 8-1) to its second consecutive Big 12 Championship game, where it will have its second shot at Texas on Dec. 1 in Arlington, Texas.
“Obviously, the two touchdowns defensively were probably the difference in the game,” coach Lincoln Riley said. “At the end of the day, when you score two touchdowns defensively, you like your chances. I’m so proud of those big plays.”
The Sooners defense, which has been maligned all season, could have been the goat Friday night. West Virginia gained 704 yards of offense and Grier threw for 539, the second-most in school history. But his inopportune turnovers became critical for Oklahoma.
“I felt like other than two or three big plays, we made West Virginia earn them,” Riley said. “We made them drive and they had to convert over 20 third and fourth downs, and a lot of those were long-yardage. We have to do a better job there, but I thought it was important that we held in there. It gave us opportunities to make big plays and we made two of them that were game-changing.”
It was the first time since 2011 that the Sooners returned two fumbles for touchdowns.
Oklahoma claimed its seventh consecutive win over West Virginia since the teams became Big 12 mates in 2012.
After their 20th straight road win, the Sooners are in position for a potential CFP berth.
Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray, a contender for the Heisman Trophy, threw one interception but mostly made plays at crucial junctures. He finished with 364 yards passing and three touchdowns while also rushing for 114 yards and a score.
“He was awesome,” Riley said. “Big moment in a big atmosphere. West Virginia did some things different and he just processed it all like he has all year. It was just a special, special performance by him.”
Overshadowed by all the chunk plays Murray provided was a 9-yard pass to CeeDee Lamb with 2 minutes left. That fourth-and-5 conversion from the WVU 41 prevented Grier’s final chance at a comeback.
“I just didn’t want to give them the ball back,” Riley said. “And if for some reason we don’t get (the first down), we’ve got some timeouts to use. If they’re able to score, we can either use some timeouts through the drive to give us time wait the ball back. I wanted us to be the last ones with the ball, either way.”
