Fiesta Bowl matchup...why we win big.

[The Maestro]

I really like this matchup for the Sooners...especially if they implement a similar defense to the one used Saturday night.

Pat White is a stud and I hope he is healthy and ready to go.

Having said that, I know that OU always has the mindset of stop the run and force the pass. I think their style of offense plays to the strengths of our defense. While White beats a lot of Big Least teams with his speed, that will not be as much of a factor against us. With the way Beal and English are playing when healthy, I love our ends keeping him contained. As well, Lofton and Baker should get plenty of good chances to chase White down.

Make him pass...he is an average passer, not great. When he can run is when teams face a problem. Slaton needed to step up for WVU last Saturday when White got hurt...and he had 11 yards rushing against that vaunted Pitt Panther defense.

Once White is forced to throw, the real fun begins. I see more than a few picks being thrown. Just make sure we don't just rush on the edges cause White is prone to drop back and then take off running. Assume run on every play for the likes of Granger, McCoy and the middle backer.

As well, I think our offensive balance will cause WVU nightmares. I don't see too many teams with our talent and balance on their schedule.

And, bottom line, it is time to win a bowl game, especially a BCS game, and get back into the groove of being right into the national championship picture heading into 2008. A strong showing for the Sooners in the Fiesta Bowl could lead to a number one preseason ranking...and that lofty hype helps...just ask LSU who was proclaimed as one of the most talented teams all season long.

Here's to a big win, a 12-2 finish, a number two ranking in the final poll...and a wire to wire national title in 2008 as we head back to the Orange Bowl for a chance to repeat as wire to wire national champions with an Orange Bowl win since the last time we played there! ;)

[Pigface1]

It will be a long night for Pat White if OU comes to play and the coaches let the defense loose like they did the past two weeks.

[Dan Thompson]

I hope WVU does not wear those yellow uniforms. They hurt my eyes.

[MarylandSooner]

This season just goes to show you that you have to be very good and that you need alot of footballs to bounce your way throughout a long season.

I am saying this because I think that we are getting our swagger back - you know the swagger that we all been talking about not having for a while. I was at the game and I seen it first hand for long periods of time. With the way we were hitting people on Defense, to the near perfection of our passing game at times.

My wish for next year is a bruising, fast, defense, and an offense that can line-up and run over you when needed, and then use the pass to burn you.

If these things happen, we are looking at 14-0 2008.

[Civicus_Sooner]

Poor West Virginia.

[Civicus_Sooner]

Didn't the line move from 3.5 to 6.5 in like two hours?

I think we'll punish this team. They have a couple of nice plyers but the overal talent mismatch is HUGE.

[Octavian]

This match-up is a fabulous opportunity for OU to launch an '08 NC run.


If we play up to our potential --like we did against Mizzou-- and wipe out WV....we should reduce the Mountaineer offense into a one-dimensional group that has to face 3rd-and-long all night long. If we do that, it'll be ugly. And if we do that, OU would be a very attractive candidate for preseason #1 next year.


A big win would also get us off the bowl skid....which is very important for national perception and for our current classes which have yet to win a BCS bowl. Huge opportunity for OU.


Hopefully OU goes out to Glendale this year and takes care of business like we should.

[PhiDeltBeers]

I'll take OU and give them 3 TD's.

[Jason White's Third Knee]

We will punish WV. WV needs to call up espn and tell them to stop saying that OU should be in the BCS NC game.

I personally believe that as a US American, we hang 40+ on them. If our D keeps their fire lit, make it 50.

[salth2o]

I expected the line to open at OU -9 or 10 pts. I forsee a similar score from the Big 12 CCG.

OU 41
WV 16

[Civicus_Sooner]

I expected the line to open at OU -9 or 10 pts. I forsee a similar score from the Big 12 CCG.

OU 41
WV 16It opened at OU +3.5. I think it's up to 7 now.

[MojoRisen]

Don't under estimate WVU - they choked against PITT and White was out a couple of Quarters.

They blew out a decent UCONN team the week before 66-20. I do like how they run first with Slaton and White- but it is Slaton and White and if they come to play can cause some problems - that team that played Pitt is not what I typically see out of WVU being on the east coast - I think we can man handle them but we need to be aggressive on D again for sure.

We blitzed and mixed schemes all night on Mizzou - I like that much better than bend but don't break- you get in the O's head and keep them out of Rythem...

[cvsooner]

Probably the biggest factor in our favor is Stoops will not be embarassed in the Fiesta Bowl again. And we'll all get 7 gazillion reminders of the game last January and how Bozo State pulled out every trick in the book.

Shouldn't have to worry about the yellow unis, I think. Technically we're the home team so we should be in red. I think that means white jerseys for them.

[oudivesherpa]

Poor West Virginia.

This seems like the same posts as last years Fiesta Bowl--Let's not get over
confident--every team (with the exception of The Ohio State) in a BCS game is a quality team capable of beating it's opponent.

OU 34 WU 31

LSU 42 OSU 3

[The Maestro]

This seems like the same posts as last years Fiesta Bowl--Let's not get over
confident--every team (with the exception of The Ohio State) in a BCS game is a quality team capable of beating it's opponent.

OU 34 WU 31

LSU 42 OSU 3

Name the last team LSU "blew out"? They can't beat anyone by 39 right now.

Ohio State knows they are 0-8 vs. the SEC in bowl games. This one will be close...LSU is killing no one.

[Blitzkrieg]

WV is ranked 113 is passing offense.

[BoulderSooner79]

This seems like the same posts as last years Fiesta Bowl--Let's not get over
confident--every team (with the exception of The Ohio State) in a BCS game is a quality team capable of beating it's opponent.

OU 34 WU 31

LSU 42 OSU 3

This WVU team came out and torched UGA in the first half a couple of years back. UGA finally got on track in the 2nd half and looked to complete a comeback only to lose when WVU ran a successful fake punt and ran out the clock. UGA players said that the problem was they couldn't simulate the speed of the offense in practice or the quick option reads of Pat White. WVU is dangerous and reminds me of old OU wishbone teams. They didn't grind out yardage, they were a fast break offense built on big plays. The WVU defense is much improved over the last couple of years.

I think we match up as superior on both sides of the ball, but this is a quality team and i wouldn't judge them by the turd they laid Saturday.

[oudivesherpa]

Name the last team LSU "blew out"? They can't beat anyone by 39 right now.

Ohio State knows they are 0-8 vs. the SEC in bowl games. This one will be close...LSU is killing no one.


It's not LSU strength, it's Ohio State's weakness. OSU would finish no higher than third in the Big XII South. The only non-conference teams OSU played this year were from Ohio--and yet they missed the strongest Ohio Team--Cincinnati!

Since there appears to be a new rule that if you don't win your conference, you can't go to a BCS game, they should expand that rule--If you get Blown out of a BCS game two years in a row--you have to sit out the next year.

[cvsooner]

I agree you can't take WVU lightly. That's the sort of attitude that left us on the short side of the ledger at Colorado and Tech.

But, some interesting stats:

* The Mountaineers were 10-2 against the 47th-best strength of schedule in the nation. OU's is 39th by comparrison.

* Their two losses came at South Florida (21-13) on Sept. 28 and at home against Pitt (13-9) last weekend. Their wins came against Western Michigan (62-24), at Marshall (48-23), at Maryland (31-14), East Carolina (48-7), at Syracuse (55-14), Mississippi State (38-13), at Rutgers (31-3), Louisville (38-31) Connecticut (66-21) and at Cincinnati (28-23).

* Offensively, they're 11th in scoring offense (38.92), 19th in total offense (450.50), 4th in rushing offense (292.92) and 113th in passing offense (157.58).

* They have rushed the ball 589 times and attempted 246 passes, a 70 to 30 run-pass ratio.

* Defensively, they're 7th in scoring defense (17.25), 4th in total defense (291.92), 16th in rushing defense (107.58), 12th in pass defense (184.33) and 21st in pass efficiency defense.

* QB Pat White ranks 35th nationally (2nd among quarterbacks) in rushing (98.75) and 14th in passing efficiency, but only averages 150 yards passing per game.

* Running back Steve Slaton ranks 47th nationally in rushing (87.75), while freshman Noel Devine averages 47.18.

* The Sooners are 2-1 all-time against the Mountaineers. The last meeting was a 42-21 loss on Sept. 11, 1982.

[KHS Sooner]

Lofton and Baker should get plenty of good chances to chase White down.

Don't forget my boy Ryan Reynolds. Austin English should 100% or almost there. I really do like our chances in this game as long as we stop the run, if we do that I say we win by 14+ points, or maybe even more.

[D-Sweet]

This WVU team came out and torched UGA in the first half a couple of years back. UGA finally got on track in the 2nd half and looked to complete a comeback only to lose when WVU ran a successful fake punt and ran out the clock. UGA players said that the problem was they couldn't simulate the speed of the offense in practice or the quick option reads of Pat White. WVU is dangerous and reminds me of old OU wishbone teams. They didn't grind out yardage, they were a fast break offense built on big plays. The WVU defense is much improved over the last couple of years.

I think we match up as superior on both sides of the ball, but this is a quality team and i wouldn't judge them by the turd they laid Saturday.
Co-sign. They have a great line and some ballers in the backfield. If Pat White is healthy, they're going to be tough to shut down.

And don't forget that Rich Rodriguez is a really good coach. He'll have some special treats made just for us, I'll bet.

That said, I think we've got the best team in the country when Wilson mixes up the play-calling and Venables attacks on D.

[cvsooner]

WVU also doesn't seem a likely team to come back from a big deficit if they gotta throw the ball. So, ball control and score every drive and put this thing away early.

[Crimson Kid]

This is going to be a great game, i also believe that if our team can stop their run game, we should win.

[BoulderSooner79]

An OU/WVU match-up was the one I wanted before the season started - I thought it would be an interesting matchup. But I was hoping it would be in NO on Jan 7:rolleyes:

[stoops the eternal pimp]

I m sure there was a thread on here with a similar title to this a year ago...