A bend-but-not-break Sooner defense kept Oklahoma in the game despite a sputtering offense for most of the contest against West Virginia on Saturday night.
But in the end, QB Spencer Rattler, undaunted by boo birds from the stands, led the Sooners on 54 yard final drive, completing all six pass attempts and placing Oklahoma in position to line kicker Gabe Brkic up for the game-winning field goal.
Like most everyone in the stadium expected (after all, he’s hit two 50+ yarders this season), Brkic hit the 30 yarder as the final seconds ticked off the clock.
And Oklahoma won 16-13.
“I wasn’t thinking about nothing … like parallel parking, baby,” Brikic told a reporter after the game.
Late in the fourth quarter it looked like it would be the Mountaineers who would get a chance to break the 13-13 tie.
West Virginia marched down the field to the Oklahoma 28 yard line, but with only 3:39 left to play a muffed snap took them out of FG range. The ensuing punt put the Sooners back at their own 8 yard line, and the Rattler-led march — something that had been missing for most of the game — began.
It was a major moment in Rattler’s college career, faced with adversity and the clock ticking.
“It takes a lot of balls to do what we did there at the end, and I hope people see that,” Lincoln Riley said after the game.
What Oklahoma did was drive down the field when they needed to do so.
Drives like that were missing earlier in the game, in large part because of break downs in the Sooner offensive line, which did not give Rattler enough time to throw down field.
That’s when boos range out, beginning in Memorial Stadium’s student section, then spreading elsewhere.
“I don’t worry about that at all. I don’t listen to ’em. They’re not on the field,” Rattler told ABC’s Holly Rowe in his post-game interview.
Still, Rattler recognized that the offense is not where it needs to be.
“We’re gonna put it together. I have no doubt in that.”
Rattler finished the game completing 26 of 36 passes for 256 yards, with one touchdown and one interception (a tipped ball).
Mike Woods caught eight passes for 86 yards for the Sooners.
For most of the game, though, it was the defense that carried the team. They held West Virginia to merely 62 yards offense in the second half.
West Virginia converted only four of 14 third downs. The Mountaineers managed only 47 yards rushing.
But rushing was also Oklahoma’s weakness, finishing the game with only 57 total rushing yards. Most attempts to run the ball were blown up by a tenacious WVU defense.
The narrow victory keeps Oklahoma undefeated and gives them their first conference win of the season.
It was their third game to win by seven or fewer points this season, which no doubt has fans on edge.
At this rate, the Sooners will get nicknamed the cardiac kids.
In the end it was the star kicker who saved the day. Brkic hit 28- and 35-yard field goals earlier to keep the score tied.
If his game winning field goal was like parking a car, on this Saturday night it was a sedan with some dents and in need of a tune-up.
NEXT: At Kansas State, 2:30 pm October 2; TV: FOX
Feature photo: Trey Young/OU Daily
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