West Virginia football blown out by Oklahoma
The West Virginia football team finished the 2017 regular season on a sour note against Oklahoma on Saturday.
Pretty much doomed from the start, the Sooners took a commanding lead early and never trailed in a 59-31 rout of the Mountaineers in Norman, Oklahoma.
West Virginia trailed, 45-10, at halftime after allowing the Sooners to score four touchdowns and field goal in the second quarter, alone. West Virginia surrendered 646 total yards to the Sooners. The defense was gassed and didn’t hold up as well as it has recently in the wins against Kansas State and Iowa State.
Oklahoma proved to be a different kind of beast, though. The Sooners torched West Virginia all day and exposed its true shortcomings. This WVU team wasn’t built to compete with the top squad in the Big 12 Conference. The Sooners proved their dominance and showed they can compete with any team in the nation. OU will get that chance by playing in the Big 12 Conference Championship Game. With a win, the Sooners will prove their worth in the College Football Playoff.
Meanwhile, the West Virginia football team will have a month off to contemplate its future with the hop of getting back on track for a bowl game. At least the Mountaineers have a chance to end the season on a high note after suffering back-to-back losses.
More from Hail WV
- Every West Virginia potential March Madness venue in 2023 NCAA Tournament
- West Virginia March Madness Schedule: When do the Mountaineers play next? (Updated March 12)
- West Virginia vs. Kansas prediction and odds for Saturday, February 25 (Take Mountaineers as underdogs)
- WVU Football Recruiting: Mountaineers make Malik Hartford’s short list
- Previewing WVU basketball against Oklahoma State
Against Oklahoma, West Virginia showed it truly misses starting quarterback Will Grier. In his place, Chris Chugunov was making his first collegiate start. Chugunov finished with 137 passing yards on 10 of 20 passing. He didn’t throw an interception, though, but did not throw a touchdown pass.
Kennedy McKoy had his best game rushing for the Mountaineers and showed he can carry the load in the next few years. He had three touchdowns and finished with 137 yards on 25 carries. Justin Crawford carried 17 times and tallied 97 yards. Martell Pettaway scored a touchdown and finished with 19 yards on seven carries.
Catching passes for the Mountaineers, David Sills led with three receptions for 77 yards. Chugunov was able to spread the ball around as Marcus Simms, Gary Jennings, Ka’Raun White, Elijah Wellman and Trevon Wesco also caught passes.
The Mountaineers will now wait to hear their bowl fate. The destination could be from Memphis, Tennessee all the way out to Arizona. The bowl game berth will likely take West Virginia to a location it has already played.
Next: 30 best games in WVU football history
West Virginia has played in the Liberty Bowl in Memphis and the Cactus Bowl in Arizona. WVU beat Arizona State in the Cactus Bowl and fell to Texas A&M in the Liberty Bowl. Any postseason chance to win a game is a blessing to every program in the country.