NORMAN, Okla. – First it was the father, then the son.
The West Virginia University Football Team has been stumped by two generations of Stoops.
From 2012-2016, then-Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops went 5-0 against the Mountaineers. The margin of victory ranged from one point to 28, but the outcome was always the same.
On Saturday night, there was only a sprinkle of Gold and Blue amidst the Crimson and Cream at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium as No. 17 Oklahoma routed WVU, 59-20.
It’s been seven years since the elder Stoops retired from OU. The Youngstown native’s progeny, senior wide receiver Drake Stoops, recorded a career-high 10 receptions for 164 yards and three touchdowns in the Sooners’ 59-20 victory over West Virginia.
“Drake Stoops is a helluva football player who maximizes his talent,” WVU head football coach Neal Brown said. “He’ll play in the NFL, and good for him.”
Will the Mountaineers ever face Bob Stoops’ grandson? Possibly. But it likely won’t be as conference rivals. The Sooners have decided to join the Southeastern Conference, effective next season.
Brown, however, is indifferent to the conclusion of the series. He went 1-3 against the Sooners as a head coach, following the legendary Don Nehlen and the late Bill Stewart as the only WVU coaches to defeat Oklahoma. Brown earned that 23-20 win last season in Morgantown for the Mountaineers’ only Big 12 win over the Sooners in 11 tries. The overall series is 12-3 in OU’s favor.
“I respect Oklahoma’s fan base, but I don’t care (that the series is ending),” Brown said. “Whoever’s on the schedule is who we’ll play.”
Brown did heap some praise on embattled OU offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby.
“Everywhere he’s been, they’ve had a good offense,” Brown said.
In response to Lebby’s critics, Brown responded, “I don’t listen to criticism from anyone I wouldn’t take advice from.”
Brown’s experience with OU precedes his time in Morgantown. He was the offensive coordinator at Texas Tech under then Tech head coach and current U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) from 2010-2012, going 1-2 against OU.
“I like coming (to Norman),” Brown said. “They have an electric atmosphere, and they’ve done well under Stoops, (Lincoln) Riley and (Brent) Venables.”
WVU managed to earn a ‘W’ over the elder Stoops, 48-28, in the 2008 Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona when Stewart stepped in as an interim coach for the 2007 Big East Champions after Rich Rodriguez accepted the Michigan job.
Prior to that, the unranked WVU last defeated Barry Switzer’s No. 9 OU, 41-27, Norman in the 1982 season opener, when the elder Stoops was a senior at the University of Iowa and Brown was a toddler in Kentucky. It’s the Mountaineers’ only victory in Norman to date.
If any Mountaineers join the XFL after this season, they may want to join Bob Stoops’ defending champion, Arlington Renegades, rather than risk facing the family that has WVU’s number.
BY MICHAEL SUDHALTER
