Sept. 20 Oklahoma 45, at West Virginia 33

And You Care Because … Samaje Perine ran for four scores with three coming in the second half, and Alex Ross returned a kickoff 100 yard for a score as Oklahoma blew open a tight game. West Virginia stayed in it in the first half on two Clint Trickett touchdown passes and a Rushel Shell score, but the OU offense took over in the second half and finished with over 300 rushing yards. The Mountaineers only got into the end zone once in the second half.

What Else? Oklahoma RB Samaje Perine ran 34 times for 242 yards and four scores.

– West Virginia QB Clint Trickett completed 25-of-41 passes for 376 yards and two touchdowns with two picks. Kevin White caught ten passes for 173 yards and a score.

– Oklahoma QB Trevor Knight completed 16-of-29 passes for 205 yards with a pick and caught a pass for a four-yard score. He didn’t run.

– Total Yards: West Virginia 513 – Oklahoma 510
Game Rating: B

By Phil Harrison
Pound, pound, pound. When the game was tight and momentum up for the taking, that’s exactly what Oklahoma did to slow down West Virginia offense, and wear down its defense in the second half.

And the guy responsible for pulling the sled? How about the brawny freshman running back Samaje Perine. He carried the ball a whopping 34 times for 242 yards and four touchdowns. Put some paint and a turret on him and you’ve got yourself a Boomer Sooner tank. As big of a weapon as what Oklahoma quarterback Trevor Knight is, the Sooner coaching staff can rest easy with the emergence of Perine, knowing that they can dial up the running game at will and play multiple styles as a balanced squad.

That’s not the case for West Virginia. You know what’s coming, and until the Mountaineers can field a real, live defense to go with all of that mad-scientist offense, it’ll continue to fall short in games. Scoring all of those points is a three-ring circus, but every game can’t hinge on outscoring opponents when there’s going to be a few situations in a year that the defense has to make stops.

The Mountain men couldn’t muster the stops it needed in the key situations tonight, and as a result, the Sooners are still on the path to really big things. And with a solid defense and the ability to run or throw the ball, you’ve got to like their chances.