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Oklahoma football: What fans should know about OU-West Virginia

By Chip Rouse

Sep 25, 2021; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Jadon Haselwood (11) cannot make a diving catch as West Virginia Mountaineers safety Scottie Young (19) defends during the second half at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 25, 2021; Norman, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Jadon Haselwood (11) cannot make a diving catch as West Virginia Mountaineers safety Scottie Young (19) defends during the second half at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oklahoma football returns to national television this week, albeit in the 11 a.m. window at West Virginia.

While the game will kick off at 11 a.m. on FOX Sports 1 for viewers in the Central time zone, it will actually be 12 noon. This is the sixth time in 10 games that Oklahoma has been assigned the early broadcast window.

The FS1 announce team will be Adam Alexander and Devin Gardner.

Oklahoma (5-4, 2-4) is seeking its sixth win of the season, which would make the Sooners bowl eligible for the 24th consecutive season. The Sooners have a 4-0 all-time record playing at West Virginia’s Milan-Puskar Stadium and are 9-0 against the Mountaineers as members of the Big 12.

Both teams are averaging around 33 points a game, and all four of OU’s previous visits to West Virginia have been high scoring games. The Sooners haven’t played at West Virginia since the 2018 season and that was a 59-56 shootout won by Oklahoma in a quarterback battle between Kyler Murray of Oklahoma and West Virginia’s Will Grier.

The 2020 game originally schedule to be played at West Virginia was cancelled because of a COVID-19 outbreak within the Mountaineer team.

Saturday’s game will be the first time in the 13 games the Sooners have played against West Virginia that OU has not been ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. Nine times Oklahoma was ranked in the top 10 and seven times in the top five.

Since the beginning of the 2010 season, Oklahoma has only played eight regular-season games when unranked in the AP poll. That includes last weekend when the Sooners hosted and lost to Baylor in Norman. OU has won six of the eight games.

Oklahoma narrowly escaped with a 16-13 win over the Mountaineers last season in Norman.

In Brent Venables’ 13 seasons previously at Oklahoma as a defensive coach and defensive coordinator on Bob Stoops’ staff, he was involved in just one game against West Virginia, and that was in 2008 when the Mountaineers defeated OU 48-27 in the Fiesta Bowl. This is his first game as a head coach against West Virginia, coached by Neal Brown, who is still looking for his first win over the Sooners in three tries.

Las Vegas oddsmakers have established Oklahoma as a 7.5-point favorite against West Virginia on Saturday.

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