Oct. 17-19, 2019

O U V S . W E S T V I R G I N I A G A M E D AY P R E V I E W E D I T I O N | I N P R I N T B E F O R E H O M E G A M E S O U D A I LY. C O M | 11 A . M . O N F O X

OUDAILY Gameday Preview

K9 TO FIVE

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Kenneth Murray on the hunt for Oklahoma’s fifth Butkus Award

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GAMEDAY PREVIEW

• Oct. 17-19, 2019

‘THAT HEARTBEAT IS NO. 9’

Murray-led defense strives for more on road to Butkus goal GEORGE STOIA @GeorgeStoia

An apex predator is defined in the MerriamWebster dictionary as “a predator at the top of a food chain.”

Lions, tigers, great white sharks.

And Kenneth Murray — at least according to Brian Bosworth.

“There’s a multitude of levels when it comes to linebackers. Kenneth has shown he’s an apex predator athlete,” Bosworth said of OU’s starting middle linebacker. “He loves to hunt.

He’s not afraid to fight. And he’s shown that a little in the past, but more so this year by saying, ‘I’m the guy.’”

Nearly every game, written across Murray’s black tape under his eyes are the words “Be The 5th.” It’s on his Twitter, Instagram and just about anywhere else he can put it, too.

The junior has made it clear that his goal is to win Oklahoma’s fifth Butkus Award, an accolade given to the best linebacker in college football. He would join Bosworth, who won it in 1985 and 1986, Rocky Ca l mu s, w h o w o n i t i n 2001, and Teddy Lehman, who won it in 2003, as the only Sooners to bring the esteemed trophy back to Norman.

“Those guys are special leaders,” Murray said. “They just play the game in a special way. I try to be that for our defense the best I can.”

Murray, who has started at middle linebacker in every game since the start of the 2017 season, is having the best year of his career.

He was named the preseason Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and made the preseason watch list for the Butkus Award, despite skepticism about Murray’s potential from those outside of the program. But through six games, he’s proved the doubters wrong and totaled 42 tackles, six for loss, and 2.5 sacks. And he may have just had the best game of his career in the biggest game of the season against Texas.

So what do Bosworth, Calmus and Lehman think of Murray?

“He’s gotten better. He’s more experienced, his body continues to develop ... but

the biggest difference is the scheme,” said Lehman, who played at OU from 2001 to 2003 and now is the color commentator for OU football’s radio broadcast.

“He’s clearly one of the leading voices on this team,” said Calmus, who played at OU from 1999 to 2001 and now is a high school football coach in Franklin, Tennessee.

“He’s a guy that, when you look at where this defense was a year ago, you point to for why it’s changed,” said Bosworth, who played at OU from 1984 to 1986 and now lives in California, where he’s appeared in multiple commercials and movies.

Bosworth is right; the way Murray goes is the way OU’s defense goes.

And if he continues playing like he is, he may not only bring home Oklahoma’s fifth Butkus Award but also be instrumental in OU’s potential eighth national title.

“I’d love to see it. I’d love to see OU become a place again where great linebackers want to come,” Calmus said. “It would be awesome to add another one to the trophy case, to the family.

We’d be the top school for Butkus winners. I know if he does that, then the team is doing well, too. I’d like to see it all the way around. I’d like to give up that 2000 national title, as well. Let’s get another one of those.”

Before the season, Lehman and Murray talked about expectations.

Lehman told him this was the biggest season of his career, and that with new defensive coordinator Alex Grinch at the helm, he had a chance to do something special.

“I just told him to take advantage of the opportunity,” Lehman said. “He’s a really good kid. This football thing is important to him.

He wants to be great. He is willing to do all the things required to be great ... and that’s why I’ve always known he’s going to be great, is because he won’t take ‘no’ for an answer.”

Lehman was right. Murray has flourished in Grinch’s system. He looks like a completely different player than he did a year ago, and so does Oklahoma’s defense.

Murray has played loose this season, with little hesitation and an abundance of speed.

His statistics are down from a year ago, though, averaging seven tackles per

JACKSON STEWART/CRIMSON QUARTERLY

Junior linebacker Kenneth Murray waves at Texas fans after making a tackle during the Red River Showdown at the Cotton Bowl Oct. 12.

game compared to 11.1 in 2018 — Lehman averaged nine in 2003, Calmus nine in 2001 and Bosworth 11 in 1985 and 10.5 in 1986.

But Murray doesn’t have to be OU’s leading tackler every game.

Grinch’s system, known as “Speed D,” is designed so the defense isn’t relying on one player to make a play.

This has allowed Murray to be free and play more to his ability.

“One thing I’ve noticed is his defensive line. To be a great linebacker, you have to have a great defensive line,” Calmus said. “Those guys are getting pressure and making the quarterback uncomfortable. That lets him fly around ... He looks like he feels free. He’s not second-guessing himself. So he’s fun to watch. It’s good to see we have that type of linebacker that it seems we’ve been missing for a while.”

Murray’s statistics may not be the best in the country — he ranks 142nd in the country in tackles and 10th in the Big 12. But he’s making impact with his presence.

He’s physical at the point of attack and almost always is first to the ball. He’s versatile, with the ability to come off the edge while also being

able to drop back in coverage. And he’s consistent, rarely making mistakes.

“He’s starting to become that special player by dictating the offense, making them account for him,” said Bosworth, who is the only player to win the Butkus Award twice. “They’re starting to say, ‘Where is No. 9?

We’ve got to run away from No. 9. We’ve got to throw away from No. 9. We’ve got to put a body on No. 9.’ So if No. 9 is in the offense’s mind, No. 9 is doing something right.”

Contenders for the Heisman often must have a “Heisman moment” — a play or a game that defined their season. If the same were said about the Butkus, Murray certainly had a moment against Texas.

He was dominant against the Longhorns and totaled five tackles, 2.5 for loss, and one sack.

“For me, that was kind of the game where I said, ‘OK, this kid can seriously do this thing,’” Calmus said.

Oklahoma, who is currently tied with Alabama for the most Butkus Award winners in school history, hasn’t had a great middle linebacker in some time. Guys like Rufus Alexander, Curtis Lofton and Travis Lewis,

who came after Calmus and Lehman in the early 2000s, have been in the conversation for the Butkus, but OU hasn’t had a serious contender in nearly a decade.

Murray’s biggest competition is likely Alabama’s Anfernee Jennings, Ohio State’s Malik Har r ison, Wisconsin’s Zack Baun and LSU’s Jacob Phillips, who was once an Oklahoma commit.

For Murray to take the win, he’ll need to continue to improve as well as the entire Sooner defense.

“What has to happen is you have to play good defense as a football team. You have to be on a defense that is known nationally. And I think they’re getting there,” Lehman said. “His path and my path are going to be completely different. He’s had to learn all this stuff on his own. I got to watch Torrance Marshall and Rocky Calmus.

I watched Rocky Calmus win it, and I was like ‘OK, that’s how you do it. That’s what you do.’

“Kenneth has had to do it on his own. ... He’s stuck through it. With all the criticism Oklahoma has had about its defense, and criticism he’s taken personally — to be where he’s at right now, I couldn’t be happier

for the guy.”

L ehman, Calmus and Bosworth all admit they’re a little biased, but they agree Mur ray should w in the award.

“If your goal is to select the best linebacker in the country and you’re looking at it from all criteria, then I honestly don’t know if there is a better candidate,” Lehman said. “The guy has got absolutely everything. He’s going to be a high draft pick.”

Murray will have the stats and the highlight reel plays for his Butkus portfolio come season’s end.

But, as the three past winners are quick to point out, it’s Murray’s leadership that the 51 voters of the Butkus Award should be looking at.

“There’s a heartbeat on the field,” Bosworth said. “A team relies on that heartbeat to not only get them going and keep them going, but to finish the game.

Those are the special players you should be looking at.

I know there’s 11 guys on the field, but there’s only one heartbeat.

“Who’s that heartbeat?

That heartbeat is No. 9.”

George Stoia

georgestoia@ou.edu

This week’s DAILY predictions After picking up a win over No. 15 Texas, the fifth-ranked Sooners are returning to Norman to take on West Virginia.

Here are the predictions from The Daily’s sports desk: OU 52, WEST VIRGINIA 14

OU 48, WEST VIRGINIA 17

Coming off its biggest win of the season against Texas, Oklahoma should have no problem with the Mountaineers. Jalen Hurts should GEORGE have a field day against West Virginia STOIA, and, if former OU quarterback Austin SPORTS Kendall is out, the Sooner defense EDITOR should have another solid performance for a second consecutive week.

If Oklahoma doesn’t turn the ball over and can force West Virginia into tough situations offensively, it should have no problem with the Mountaineers. I’ll take the Sooners in a blowout.

The No. 5 Sooners still have a head full of steam after their 34-27 win over the Longhorns, and it doesn’t look like they’ll slow down against West Virginia. To make matCALEB ters worse for the Mountaineers, MCCOURRY, Oklahoma transfer quarterback ASSISTANT Austin Kendall is deemed “questionSPORTS able” by head coach Neal Brown.

EDITOR This isn’t good for the Mountaineers, who are about to face a Sooner defense that just tallied nine sacks on Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger. I’ll take the Sooners in a rout.

George Stoia

OU 52, WEST VIRGINIA 24 There’s a good chance Oklahoma is going to start out a tad flat after the emotional win over Texas last week, but they’ll quickly piece everything VIC together and win big.

REYNOLDS, The offense will return to form SENIOR against a mediocre Mountaineer SPORTS defense, and the Sooner defense REPORTER will continue to show signs of greatness. West Virginia has struggled on offense, and starting quarterback Austin Kendall may not even play due to injury. Expect another Sooner blowout in Norman.

Caleb McCourry

georgestoia@ou.edu

caleb.a.mccourry-1@ou.edu

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GAMEDAY PREVIEW

Oct. 17-19, 2019 •

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Stevenson embraces obstacles JUCO transfer brings physicality to Sooners’ offense CALEB MCCOURRY @CalebMac21

Then-Cerritos College head coach Frank Mazzotta didn’t know who Rhamondre Stevenson was or what he was willing to do to play at the college level when he showed up in the summer of 2017.

As the head coach of a school that doesn’t recruit outside of California, Mazzotta didn’t expect a sensational talent like Stevenson to show up from the Las Vegas school system with a smile and a wish to play. He didn’t know about the summer of taking adult education classes before his senior year of high school just so he could get the grades to play in the NCAA. He didn’t know how willing Stevenson was to trust the process of the JUCO route, sharing time with other running backs ahead of him.

Mazzotta didn’t know that Stevenson had the talent to eventually move on to play for Oklahoma, scoring five touchdowns in his first five games as a Sooner, or that his bruising running style and his speed would average 191.9 rushing yards per game at Cerritos, while racking up 2,111 rushing yards in just 11 games.

“All I know is he showed up,” Mazzotta said. “It was just a great surprise for us.”

The talent was always there for Stevenson, but high school grades below NCAA standards were a roadblock that made the running back take the JUCO route. OU fans are quite fond of players who took the same road, such as Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and Josh Heupel to name a few.

Stevenson was already poised for the next level by the time he showed up at Cerritos. With a transformative summer in 2015 that Stevenson describes as a “reality check” and a supporting cast of family and friends, Stevenson readied himself for an Oklahoma career that’s only getting started .

“Rhamondre had a tough road,” said Stevenson’s father, Robert. “He stuck in it, but it wasn’t tough to him.

It was more tough on me and his mom more than anything. But he kept in it. I guess he’s seen the big picture.

“He worked hard to get where he’s at.”

‘Eat, sleep, work out. It was just a grind the whole summer.’

Stevenson’s stature is deceiving.

He was one of the bigger players on all of his teams grow ing up, whether it was youth football or high school, and defenders didn’t know just how fast or shifty he was when he got the ball.

That uncertainty didn’t go away when he reached 6 feet tall and 230 pounds by the time he got to Centennial High School in Las Vegas.

“Let’s speak on what he can’t do,” said Ty Flanagan, a childhood friend of Stevenson’s, who plays running back at Idaho State. “At that size he had great speed, real shifty. He runs like a smaller back. And he comes with power. He’s great at blocking.”

What Sooner fans see today when Stevenson runs — finding openings and having defenders bounce off him — is exactly what he did all through his career. He became one of Nevada’s best football players in his class.

He was getting offers early from schools like BYU and USC. The only thing in his way was his grades. He was able to stay eligible throughout

Junior running back Rhamondre Stevenson stiff-arms his opponent during the game against Kansas Oct. 5.

high school, but eligibility in high school — a required 2.0 GPA — was different from the NCAA’s requirements. In recent years, the required GPA for core classes like math and English has been raised from 2.0 to 2.3 in order to play in the NCAA. Stevenson didn’t do well in those classes his freshman year, and he had to work to replace those grades.

“It’s a lot of guys in Vegas that they have all the talent in the world,” said Bill Murphy, whose little brother played with Stevenson in Pop Warner football. “They just can’t make it out because of academics.”

rings and more. Stevenson also took three-hour classes two to three times a day for the entire summer. He stayed with five other student-athletes who sought A rave’s gu i d a n c e, w i t h Murphy and Flanagan in the mix.

“Eat, sleep, work out,” Flanagan said. “It was just a grind the whole summer.”

Arave, now 47, took Stevenson and everyone else to multiple seven-on-seven tournaments in Idaho, where Arave is from. Arave coached them all summer and made sure everyone stayed active and worked on their academics.

‘Man, you gotta really be on your stuff out here.’

As Stevenson prepared to make the jump from high school to college, Robert was nervous for his son.

Even at the junior college level, the transition can be concerning. Stevenson was joining a Cerritos College team that already had two other running backs to lean on. Stevenson didn’t bat an eye, and in his first season he ran for 501 yards and three touchdowns while sharing time.

“He never showed any lack of interest or disrespect because of that,” said Frank

CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY

Junior running back Rhamondre Stevenson after scoring a touchdown during the game against Kansas Oct. 5.

Stevenson wasn’t going to let the number 2.3 get in the way of a high school career that saw him run for 1,457 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns his junior season. He consulted Ben Arave, a former high school coach who was known in the Las Vegas area for taking in high school athletes and getting them eligible for the next level. Stevenson needed to replace some grades he had his freshman year at Centennial by taking adult education classes during the summer, and Arave wanted him to focus on school while also staying in shape for football.

“Rhamondre did everything in his power, that’s why he ended up going to adult school,” said Stevenson’s mother, Juran. “He was ready to do whatever he needed to do.”

Stevenson decided to stay with Arave in his home in Henderson, Nevada, outside of Las Vegas for the summer so he could be closer to the adult education classes he would attend to bring up his GPA. Arave had him and the others doing anything to gain muscle: running hills, weightlifting in the garage, pull up bars, gymnastics

“That’s when we really went full throttle,” Arave said. “(Stevenson) embraced it fully, which I greatly appreciate.”

Murphy, who was living with Arave at the time and played linebacker at the UNLV, remembers seeing Arave and Stevenson stay up late doing homework.

“He had no idea that he was going to get eligible,” Murphy said. “He was just hoping he would get eligible because it was a tough, tough process for him to get his credits.”

Stevenson finished his four years at Centennial with a career-average 114.5 rushing yards per game, tallying 1,832 yards and 19 touchdowns, per MaxPreps, and although he worked to get his credit back, he didn’t quite make the cut for the 2.3 core GPA requirement.

He and his family decided for him to go to Cerritos College, a community college in Norwalk, California.

“I saw a guy who was just kind of at the cusp of going down into deep despair or going the route that he did go,” Murphy said. “I saw a guy that was determined, working every day as hard as he could.”

Montera, who coache d Stevenson and the running backs at Cerritos and has coached at the program for a total of 36 years since he started in 1972. “We had three guys, and we tried to play them equally.”

In 2017, Stevenson became the go-to back in his second season. Montera said he admits they probably should’ve played him more his first season, but Stevenson didn’t falter. He knew he was going to be fine.

“He told me and a few o t h e r guys, ‘ I’ m g o n na get 2,000 yards,’” said Carl Odom, a running back at Cerritos College who played with Stevenson in 2018.

“Everyone kind of laughed.

He went out there and did it. ... It was cool to see him put his money where his mouth is.”

Stevenson put up video-game numbers, running for 2,111 yards and 16 touchdowns. He ran for over 200 yards in four different games, one of them for 339 yards and three touchdowns.

“I’ve been watching him do that forever,” Robert said.

“I mean, I was the one nervous when he went to high school. When he graduated from junior high school,

I was telling him, ‘Man, you gotta run hard, you gotta run fast, you’ve got to be more physical.’ I was the nervous one. And he was like, ‘All right, dad.’ And he’d get out there and do the same thing.

When he went to college out at Cerritos I was like, ‘Wow, look at these big dudes.’ I’d say, ‘Man, you gotta really be on your stuff out here.’

“I’m nervous again. But he gets out there and does the same thing.”

It didn’t take long for Stevenson to garner attention and make people realize what his family, coaches and teammates have known all along — that Stevenson was ready for the next level.

OU came calling in fall 2018, and Robert said the decision was easy to make.

“When we got a call from Lincoln Riley,” Robert said, “I was crying and laughing at the same time, because I knew it was going to happen.

I was just happy for him and all the work he put in.”

Stevenson finished his career at Cerritos with 2,612 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns in 21 games. There, he got his degree in kinesiology, and he now studies human relations at OU. He also played some of the best football Cerritos has ever seen.

“He showed us that, no matter if you have to take the JUCO route, it’s about how you finish,” Odom said.

“He was unbelievable,” Montera said. “I’d be very surprised if he’s not playing on Sundays.”

‘I think he has really good feet for a big guy.

He reminds me a lot of ways of Samaje (Perine).’

Stevenson has yet to show any signs of being timid.

The first time Stevenson was available to talk to the media was after OU’s 48-14 win over UCL A in September, where he rushed for 37 yards and a touchdown. Stevenson already had three touchdowns in three games. He was gaining more momentum.

Stevenson was fresh out of practice when he arrived to a room full of reporters.

The sweat was still dripping down his forehead. Yet when he walked in, and media members with recorders and cameras started pointing their devices at him as they crowded around, the JUCO transfer smiled.

He cracked jokes. A reporter asked him which NFL running back he bases his game on and reminded him of the time Trey Sermon compared him to former NFL running back Jamaal Charles.

“I see what he’s saying,” Stevenson said before pausing and letting out a laugh.

“But without the speed

CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY

— I’m not a blazer like that.

The hair, probably.”

Soon after, he claimed he’s more of a Marshawn Lynch kind of guy. And rightfully so.

Stevenson brings physicality to Oklahoma’s running back unit while also honing his elusive running skills.

Defenders bounce off him, and his ability to stay on his feet is above average. He’s already being compared to OU’s all-time leading rusher.

“The physicality shows up,” head coach Lincoln Riley said. “I think he has really good feet for a big guy.

He reminds me a lot of ways of Samaje (Perine). I think they are extremely similarly built, low to the ground, balanced. He catches the ball very naturally. He’s got a nice skill set. He’s just going to get better and better.”

Stevenson was finally where he wanted to be — in Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium with the ball in his hands, in the fourth quarter of Oklahoma’s 49-31 season-opening win over Houston. Everything he’d worked for had finally paid off.

Two yards into his first rushing attempt, the ball was stripped by a Cougar defender, resulting in a turnover that put Houston on the Sooners’ side of the 50-yard line. That didn’t deter him.

Two drives later, Stevenson ran 21 yards for his first touchdown as a Sooner.

Since then, Stevenson has rushed for 356 yards in six games and five touchdowns in his first five games at Oklahoma. He’s proved to be a reliable back, even while sharing time with running backs Kennedy Brooks and Trey Sermon. When Brooks couldn’t make the trip to Oklahoma’s 45-20 win over Kansas, Stevenson stepped in and ran for 109 yards and a touchdown.

Riley’s trust in Stevenson goes as far as letting the firstyear Sooner have six carries in OU’s 34-27 win over Texas in the Red River Showdown, where he ran 24 yards to the Texas 9-yard line in the fourth quarter to put the Sooners in scoring position to ice the game.

After not making the 2.3 GPA cutline, finding his way in school and taking the JUCO route, Stevenson is now exactly where he’s supposed to be. He’s the leading rusher of the Oklahoma running back unit, and he’s just getting started.

“He’s worked so hard for it,” Juran said. “He didn’t give up. A lot of people would’ve most likely given up — because he had to do a lot to get to where he’s at now.”

Caleb McCourry

caleb.a.mccourry-1@ou.edu

4

GAMEDAY PREVIEW

• Oct. 17-19, 2019

MEET THE OPPONENT WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS

CALEB MCCOURRY @CalebMac21

The No. 5 Sooners will host West Virginia (3-3, 1-2 Big 12) at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 19.

Oklahoma will face first-year West Virginia head coach Neal Brown, and though the return of Oklahoma transfer Austin Kendall would’ve been interesting, Brown listed him as “questionable” after he took a big hit in the first quarter of WVU’s 38-14 loss to Iowa State.

Meet the Sooners’ opponent — West Virginia: HEAD COACH: NEAL BROWN Before being hired by the Mountaineers after now-Houston head coach Dana Holgorsen’s departure, Brown was the head coach of Troy from 2015 to 2018, where he garnered a 35-16 record (23-9 Sun Belt).

The first-year West Virginia coach has held coaching positions at Texas Tech, Sacred Heart, Delaware, Kentucky and UMass.

OFFENSE West Virginia lost Kendall in the first quarter of its 38-14 loss to Iowa State after the Oklahoma transfer took a big hit. He didn’t return to the game. Junior quarterback Jack Allison finished the game with 140 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

Kendall has thrown for 1,247 yards, nine touchdowns and seven interceptions this season. The Mountaineers average 326.2 yards of total offense per game.

CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY

The Sooners take down the ball carrier in the game against West Virginia in Morgantown Nov. 23, 2018.

DEFENSE West Virginia’s defense allows 207.67 passing yards p e r ga m e, w h i c h ra n k s 54th in the Football Bowl Subdivision. The team has also allowed an average of 174.8 rushing yards through six games.

The Mountaineers’ playmakers are senior cornerback Keith Washington II, who has three interceptions and 11 tackles in five games, and freshman safety Tykee

Smith, who tallied five tackles and a pick-six, the team’s only defensive touchdown, in West Virginia’s 38-14 loss to Iowa State.

Freshman wide receiver Sam James is the team’s leading receiver with 359 yards. The newcomer has two touchdowns and averages 9.7 yards on the catch.

Smith is an up-and-comer for the Mountaineers and has 21 tackles on the season.

Washington Jr. has three interceptions and 11 tackles in five games.

PLAYERS TO WATCH It’s still unclear who will be the starting quarterback among Kendall, Allison a n d re d s h i r t f re s h m a n Trey Lowe. Brown still puts Kendall as questionable, and there’s a chance Kendall doesn’t get to play on the Caleb McCourry field he transferred from. caleb.a.mccourry-1@ou.edu

OU VS. WEST VIRGINIA When: 11 a.m. Saturday Where: Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Television: FOX Live stream: FoxSportsGo Radio: 95.3 FM and 107.7 FM (Oklahoma City)

THREE KEYS TO BEATING

WEST VIRGINIA VIC REYNOLDS

@vicareynolds victor.reynolds@ou.edu

n ow o p e n - d o w n t o w n

norman

To-go happy hour JACKSON STEWART/CRIMSON QUARTERLY

Senior quarterback Jalen Hurts and junior wide receiver CeeDee Lamb celebrate during the game Oct. 12.

1.

BUILD ON MOMENTUM FROM LAST WEEK

monday-thursday 4-7pm $15 pepperoni pizzas $12 cheese pizzas

The Sooners had their most impressive all-around game against Texas. The defense suffocated the Longhorn offense, and the offensive line had one of its better outings all season.

After an emotional win, it could be easy for Oklahoma to have a hangover game against the struggling Mountaineers (3-3, 1-2 Big 12). Instead of losing focus and overlooking a weaker opponent, the Sooners need to take the few things they did poorly last week and improve on them.

The Sooners have been the subject of lots of praise from the media after their win. It could be easy to lose focus at Saturday’s game and struggle against a team they should beat easily. It is important for the Sooners to continue to increase their collective energy and build on the momentum from last Saturday.

2.

FORCE TURNOVERS

It’s no secret that defensive coordinator Alex Grinch wants his team to force turnovers. He’s stressed that over and over again since his hire in January, but it’s an area in which his team is struggling to produce.

Through six games, they have forced only six turnovers, which is half of Grinch’s goal of two per game. That’s not to say there have been a lack of opportunities, as they have dropped multiple seemingly easy interceptions over the past couple games.

Fortunately for Grinch’s group, taking the ball away from West Virginia won’t be an impossible task. In West Virginia’s matchup with Texas two weeks ago, quarterback Austin Kendall threw four interceptions against the Longhorns, who were missing multiple defensive starters.

The game could be an opportunity for Oklahoma to hit Grinch’s goal of two takeaways per game.

3.

TIGHTEN UP OFFENSIVE MISTAKES

The most concerning aspect of the Sooners’ last win was the two turnovers from senior quarterback Jalen Hurts.

Hurts had two turnovers in the red zone — an interception and a fumble — while Oklahoma was up 7-0. Those both left important scoring opportunities on the floor, a mistake the Sooners can’t afford if they make it to the College Football Playoff.

It’s hard to win games when the team loses the turnover battle 2-0. Games against opponents like West Virginia are good opportunities for the Sooners to improve on certain areas of the game, especially turnovers.

If the Sooners can improve on the little things they struggle with, it could prove valuable in the long run.

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