Oklahoma football: Numbers to know prior to West Virginia kickoff
By Chip Rouse
The numbers don’t lie and often tell the story. So, as you settle in and wait for the Oklahoma football game against West Virginia, we offer a few you should know ahead of kickoff on Saturday night.
The West Virginia game also marks the two-year anniversary of when OU’s iconic Sooner Schooner tipped over after a celebratory run on the field following an Oklahoma touchdown against West Virginia. The scary incident occurred midway through the second quarter with the Sooners’ leading 28-7.
The Conestoga-like covered wagon was making the turn on the field and headed back into the stadium tunnel. The Schooner leaned hard to the right and crashed to the ground. Fortunately, no one was injured, including “Boomer” and “Sooner,” the two ponies who lead the OU mascot wagon.
OU went on to win the game, the last one played between these two teams, 52-14.
Oklahoma is 8-0 against West Virginia since the Mountaineers became members of the Big 12 in 2012. Here are eight more numbers to know about the Saturday showdown at the Palace on the Prairie:
2 — Oklahoma’s seven forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries ranks No. 2 nationally.
4 — West Virginia is ranked No, 4 nationally this season in tackles for loss.
7 — OU quarterback Spencer Rattler, who wears the No. 7 jersey, had 10 touchdown passes this time last season. He has six through three games in 2021. He also had six interceptions through the first three games last season, but has just two this season (both coming in one game (Tulane).
11 — Current winning streak by Oklahoma. The Sooners have had 14 win streaks of at least 10 games in program history.
20 — The average winning margin in Lincoln Riley’s three wins over West Virginia as the OU head coach.
36.4 — West Virginia’s three opponents this season have been successful just 36-percent of the time in procuring points in the red zone. That ranks No. 1 in the nation.
51-0 — The Sooners have scored 51 unanswered points in the second quarter this season.
122-18 – West Virginia’s record since the 2000 season when scoring 30 or more points.