MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia’s defense was touted for being one of two in the nation not to allow a play over 50 yards this season. Friday’s game against Oklahoma abruptly changed that.
It only took seven plays for the Sooners to put a swift end to that oddity when quarterback Kyler Murray bolted down the sideline for a 55-yard touchdown. It was the first touchdown for OU, and only the beginning of a long night for the Mountaineers.
After struggling last week at Oklahoma State, WVU allowed 668 yards and 45 points in the 59-56 loss.
It was the last game on Mountaineer Field for four defensive starters – safeties Dravon Askew-Henry and Toyous Avery, as well as defensive linemen Jabril Robinson and Kenny Bigelow.
“That’s the worst part of this job is seeing that happen to those guys. … other than playing Oklahoma,” defensive coordinator Tony Gibson said.
Gibson blamed a lack of discipline for the first-half surge where the Sooners scored four touchdowns on five possessions.
“The most disappointing thing all night long was on their first three touchdowns, they were just flat-out missed assignments, stuff that we don’t do,” Gibson said. “I don’t know what got into us, but on their first 21 points, that was out guys just doing dumb mistakes that they don’t normally make.”
Gibson also credited the Sooners’ skill players for making great plays when needed, including a 30-yard lob to Marquise Brown on an important third-and-10 in the third quarter. Against a blitz, Murray dropped in a perfect pass over Askew-Henry’s head.
“It was either drop eight or bring the house,” Murray said. “They ended up bringing the house. That’s the throw you make when you practice you whole life — an inside fade, one-on-one. For us, it’s just like practice.”
OU’s offense was too potent to excuse those breakdowns.
“As a defensive player, you absolutely hate these games,” WVU defensive end Reese Donahue said. “How many points did our offense score? The point is, it was over 50. When you score 50 points, you should win the game. That falls on the defense. If we would have gotten stops and gotten off the field, then we would have won the game.”
Murray finished with 364 yards and three touchdowns through the air while adding 114 on the ground. Running back Kennedy Brooks had 182 yards, including another a 68-yard touchdown run up the middle where he went untouched.