MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — In a game that featured West Virginia and Oklahoma combining for 1,372 yards and 115 points, it was one defense that rose to the occasion when it mattered most.
The Sooners scored two defensive touchdowns on fumbles by Will Grier, a momentous swing in their 59-56 win Friday night at Milan Puskar Stadium.
Linebacker Caleb Kelly slung Grier to the ground late in the second quarter and dislodged the ball. Kelly scooped it up himself and ran it in from 10 yards out. Curtis Bolton did the same in the fourth quarter, which ended up being the decisive blow that sent Oklahoma (11-1, 8-1) to its second consecutive Big 12 Championship game, where it will have its second shot at Texas on Dec. 1 in Arlington, Texas.
“Obviously, the two touchdowns defensively were probably the difference in the game,” coach Lincoln Riley said. “At the end of the day, when you score two touchdowns defensively, you like your chances. I’m so proud of those big plays.”
The Sooners defense, which has been maligned all season, could have been the goat Friday night. West Virginia gained 704 yards of offense and Grier threw for 539, the second-most in school history. But his inopportune turnovers became critical for Oklahoma.
“I felt like other than two or three big plays, we made West Virginia earn them,” Riley said. “We made them drive and they had to convert over 20 third and fourth downs, and a lot of those were long-yardage. We have to do a better job there, but I thought it was important that we held in there. It gave us opportunities to make big plays and we made two of them that were game-changing.”
It was the first time since 2011 that the Sooners returned two fumbles for touchdowns.
Oklahoma claimed its seventh consecutive win over West Virginia since the teams became Big 12 mates in 2012.
After their 20th straight road win, the Sooners are in position for a potential CFP berth.
Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray, a contender for the Heisman Trophy, threw one interception and lost a fumble himself, but mostly he made plays at crucial junctures. Murray finished with 364 yards passing and three touchdowns and rushed for 114 yards and a score.
“He was awesome,” Riley said. “Big moment in a big atmosphere. West Virginia did some things different and he just processed it all like he has all year. It was just a special, special performance by him.”
Overshadowed by all the chunk plays Murray provided was a 9-yard pass to CeeDee Lamb with 2 minutes left. That fourth-and-5 conversion from the WVU 41 prevented Grier’s final chance at a comeback.
“I just didn’t want to give them the ball back,” Riley said. “And if for some reason we don’t get (the first down), we’ve got some timeouts to use. If they’re all;e to score, we can either use some timeouts through the drive to give us time wait the ball back. I wanted us to be the last ones with the ball, either way.”