The Sooners drove down the field and kicked a winning field goal as time expired in their game against West Virginia. Here are our best shots from the 16-13 game:
Filmed by Collin McDaniel and Justin Jayne
Edited by Collin McDaniel
Despite allowing a 17-play drive to begin the game, the Oklahoma defense wasn’t worried.
West Virginia (2-2, 0-1 Big 12) came out the gate with a 62-yard touchdown drive that melted over nine minutes of clock. OU’s (4-0, 1-0) defense allowed three first-down conversions — two on third down and one on fourth down — before facing an early deficit.
The Mountaineers’ first-quarter touchdown would be their last, however. The Sooners’ defense kept WVU out of the end zone for the remainder of the game. The response is rooted in a simple mindset that eliminates panic.
“It’s just a next play mentality,” senior safety Pat Fields said after No. 4 OU’s 16-13 win over West Virginia on Saturday night in Norman. “Whatever hard things come, whatever bad things come, we forget about it. We’re just immune to all the emotions.”
#SpeedD has fought back strong since the opening drive. pic.twitter.com/6sr7OHIam5
— Sooner Gridiron (@soonergridiron) September 26, 2021
The Sooners’ defense bought into that statement, preached by defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, and allowed zero third-down conversions after the first quarter. And on a night where redshirt sophomore quarterback Spencer Rattler and the Oklahoma offense struggled, the defense picked up the slack, allowing just six points and 151 yards the rest of the game.
OU’s defense forced a turnover — an interception by senior safety Delarrin Turner-Yell before he exited with an injury — and imposed three consecutive punts before West Virginia took a 10-7 lead with a field goal before halftime.
Thomas with the pressure. Turner-Yell the int.#OUDNA | #SpeedD pic.twitter.com/vb1yXr9wrB
— Sooner Gridiron (@soonergridiron) September 26, 2021
“My hope would be that it becomes commonplace that the chief issue over the course of a game was the opening drive,” Grinch said. “And we get to talk about one drive we’re disappointed in. And that certainly is absolutely the case. … It turns out one drive doesn’t beat you.”
Saturday marked another occasion where the script was flipped and Oklahoma’s defensive prowess outweighed OU head coach Lincoln Riley’s typical high-flying offense that has yet to find its stride. The Sooners have won back-to-back games without scoring more than 23 points for the first time since 1987.
In Riley’s first four seasons, OU averaged 47.3 points across its first four games. But in 2021, the Sooners have averaged 38.75, a figure inflated by their 76-0 win over FCS Western Carolina, providing further evidence of the defense’s importance this season.
However, Riley said great teams find multiple ways to win. Even Rattler, who has seen the defense struggle in his three years with the program, said he has a lot of trust in the unit and hopes the offense can match its energy going forward.
“It was our recipe for winning tonight,” Riley said of the defense. “It just was, it was the way the game unfolded. Defensively we bowed up and held a good offense down.”
Fields referenced sophomore cornerback D.J. Graham’s one-handed interception against Nebraska last week as proof of the defense’s forget-it demeanor. Four plays before his highlight-reel grab, Graham was torched for a 55-yard gain in the fourth quarter.
Against West Virginia, the Sooners were led defensively by redshirt junior linebacker Brian Asamoah and Fields, who recorded nine tackles each. The group had only five tackles for loss and one sack, as Grinch said the Mountaineers’ quick passes made it difficult to create pressure.
Oklahoma earned its first lead as time expired, when redshirt junior Gabe Brkic nailed a game-winning field goal from 30 yards. OU’s offense, which also didn’t score after its first drive, grinded out just enough production to capitalize on the defense’s effort. WVU had -9 yards of offense in the fourth quarter.
“We pride ourselves on finishing games, finishing plays and finishing every rep,” said senior nose guard Perrion Winfrey, who notched the Sooners’ lone sack. “To be able to go out there every play and give it our all and be able to hold teams to the amount of points we are holding them to compared to what it was before I committed to the university is a blessing.”
Oklahoma has won its three games against FBS opponents by a combined 15 points this season. While its offense hasn’t started clicking, its defense has kept OU’s national championship hopes alive, allowing 29 total points in its past three matchups.
Heading into next week’s game against Kansas State, a team that’s beaten the Sooners four times in the past nine seasons, the defense is all in on Grinch’s mantra of forgetting the score or the close calls they have had this season.
“It’s just that next-rep mentality, that’s truly all Grinch talks about,” Winfrey said. “No matter what happened, we have to go out there and play again. … That’s just what we do. We focus on the next rep. We never stay in the past. We always stay in the present moment.”
