Nov 19, 2016; Morgantown, WV, USA; Oklahoma Sooners running back Samaje Perine (32) runs the ball during the second quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Milan Puskar Stadium. Photo Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Ninth-ranked Oklahoma, continuing to make up ground for two September losses, overpowered No. 14 West Virginia 56-28 on a snowy Saturday night.
Behind 160 rushing yards from Samaje Perine and 147 by Joe Mixon, the Sooners (9-2, 8-0 Big 12) ran it 64 times on 79 plays to win their eighth straight game overall and their fifth consecutive against the Mountaineers (8-2, 5-2).
Quarterback Baker Mayfield completed nine passes — two for touchdowns — and tacked on two rushing scores as Oklahoma remained alive for a College Football Playoff berth.
“The way we’re playing right now, I think we deserve some consideration,” Mayfield said. “It’s all about who’s playing the best at the time. We have to have to have some stuff happen for us to make it in there, but we’ve just got to take care of business and keep making statements.”
West Virginia’s Justin Crawford ran 24 times for a career-high 331 yards, but lost a first-quarter fumble at the Sooners’ 4-yard line.
Mountaineers quarterback Skyler Howard ran for two second-half touchdowns but not before throwing a pick-six interception that linebacker Jordan Evans returned 80 yards to make it 41-7.
That was West Virginithe fourth costly turnover for West Virginia.
“Can’t make mistakes against a good football team,” Mountaineers coach Dana Holgorsen said. “Everybody wants to say they are not very good because of what happened earlier in the year. They are a different football team right now than they were earlier.”
West Virginia still had a chance after Howard threw a 37-yard touchdown to Ka’Raun White that closed the gap to 41-28 with 10 minutes to go.
But the Sooners countered with a 65-yard drive capped by Mayfield’s 1-yard run. The quarterback tacked on another 1-yard score in the final 27 seconds.
“Maybe in the second half we might have been too conservative, but that’s OK,” Sooners coach Bob Stoops said. “You had to take time off the clock. We managed it the right way and still came out with a 28-point win.”
Howard finished 12-of-27 passing for 191 yards. He ended another threat at the Oklahoma 3 on a botched snap with center Tyler Orlosky.
Capitalizing on West Virginia red-zone fumbles, the Sooners marched 96 and 97 yards for second-quarter touchdowns. Mixon’s 5-yard run stretched the lead to 28-0 before Perine’s 9-yarder made it 34-0.
Both Sooners running backs eclipsed the 100-yard mark in the first half, reducing the early workload for Mayfield. He was only 4-of-7 passing at the break.
“Once we got down to talking about ‘Championship November,’ we have to be at our best,” said Perine who carried 31 times. “We’re getting there.”
Mayfield’s 5-yard pass to Jeffrey Mead made it 21-0, capping a 78-yard, nine-play drive.
That followed Dede Westbrook taking a third-and-8 screen 75 yards by shaking free from linebacker Justin Arndt.
A fumbled punt at the West Virginia 34 set up Oklahoma’s first score, a 2-yard run by Perine on a direct snap from the Wildcat formation.
A 20-yard pass from Howard to Jovan Durante 1:13 before half trimmed the deficit to 34-7.
NOTES: West Virginia entered with the Big 12’s stingiest defense, allowing 20.6 points per game. Oklahoma surpassed that total with 3:24 left in the opening quarter. … The Mountaineers were riddled by personal fouls early, including unsportsmanlike conduct flags against defensive linemen Noble Nwachukwu and Christian Brown on the same play. … Crawford’s big night left him 13 yards shy of the West Virginia single-game rushing record set by Tavon Austin against Oklahoma in 2012.
