Oklahoma vs. West Virginia Complete Game Preview

After a flawless nonconference slate, the Oklahoma Sooners will open up Big 12 play on the road against the West Virginia Mountaineers.

Don’t be fooled by the Mountaineers' record in recent years. The last two games between these two came down to the final minutes, with the Sooners escaping with victory—50-49 in 2012 and 16-7 in 2013.

With West Virginia poised to be a competitive threat to the Big 12 title, expect more of the same when these two take the field on Saturday.

Here’s everything you need to know.

Where: Milan Puskar Stadium

When: Saturday, September 20 at 7:30 p.m. ET

Watch: FOX

Live Stream: Sooner Sports

Listen: Sooner Sports Radio Network

Betting Line: Oklahoma (-8) per Odds Shark

Oklahoma Keys to Victory

Brett Deering/Getty Images

Knight will once again be at the center of things.

Get the Long Ball Working

Yes, you will notice this has been somewhat of a constant theme over the Sooners’ previews. But until quarterback Trevor Knight gets it right, expect to see this here every week.

Given the absence of Keith Ford, Knight will have to step up as a thrower even more. Although he threw for 308 yards against Tennessee, he only connected on 60.6 percent of his throws and Oklahoma was just 3 of 12 on third downs. 

Surprisingly, the Mountaineers secondary has actually played pretty solidly thus far. The team actually ranks three spots ahead of the Sooners at No. 39, allowing just 204.7 yards per game and has conceded just two touchdowns.

Get to Trickett

West Virginia quarterback Clint Trickett is on quite a tear. However, he won’t be able to beat anybody from his back.

Thus far, the Mountaineers rank just No. 102 in the nation, having allowed 8.0 sacks on the year. Conversely, Oklahoma’s defense ranks No. 21 with 9.0 sacks.

If the Sooners can constantly cause disruption in the West Virginia backfield, they can cause Trickett into some bad decisions. After all, this still is a quarterback who had 11 interceptions to just 14 touchdowns coming in.

West Virginia Keys to Victory

Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Can the Mountaineers pull off the upset?

Load the Box

Without Keith Ford, the Sooners rushing attack is given a major blow.

The Mountaineers should use that as an opening to pour salt in Oklahoma’s wound. Expect the defense to load the box and make the other two running backs prove they can fill the void that Ford left behind.

Given Sooners quarterback Trevor Knight’s inability to connect accurately with the long ball, this is a gamble that could pay off quite nicely for West Virginia.

Take Advantage of Playing at Home

In what should be a raucous atmosphere in Morgantown, the Mountaineers must take full advantage. 

It would help if the team is able to get on the board first and follow that up with a big stop. Quarterback Trevor Knight is still relatively new to making road starts, so the louder it is, the better for West Virginia.

If the Mountaineers can get a lead and build on it, the pressure could be too much for Oklahoma to overcome.

Oklahoma Players to Watch

Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

Ross (left) will need to step up.

RB Alex Ross (So.)

With the news that the Sooners will be without Keith Ford, per CBS Sports’ Tom Fornelli, the pressure will fall onto the team’s other backs.

Thus far, Ross has had a decent showing when touching the ball. The sophomore has rushed for 132 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries.

However, Ross struggled mightily against Tennessee last Saturday, only managing six yards on five carries with his longest run going for just three yards. That doesn’t even consider how ineffective he’s been in the pass game.

Taking away Ford takes away a major player from Oklahoma’s offense. It will be up to Ross to step up on Saturday.

LB Eric Striker (Jr.)

Striker played a significant role in limiting Vols quarterback Justin Worley’s effectiveness last weekend. 

Through three games, the junior has recorded 15 tackles (2.5 for loss), 0.5 sacks and three quarterback hurries. But stats can’t fully display just how important Striker is to the Sooners defense.

With Mountaineers quarterback Clint Trickett coming in hot, it will be up to Striker to disrupt the backfield. That could go a long way in shutting down West Virginia’s offensive production.

West Virginia Players to Watch

Nick Wass/Associated Press

Can Trickett keep his hot start going?

QB Clint Trickett (Sr.)

Just three games in, Trickett is almost having a career year.

The senior has thrown for 1,224 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception on 75.4 percent passing. He currently ranks third in the nation in passing yards and No. 4 in passing yards per game (408.0). 

Trickett exploded last weekend, throwing for 511 yards on an impressive 37-of-49 passing. He’s looked more poised and calm in the pocket than ever before.

If his Mountaineers are going to upset the mighty Sooners, he will need another big game.

RB Rushel Shell (So.)

West Virginia will need the rushing attack to be clicking, so it can take some pressure off of Trickett.

Shell appears to be the team’s best hope, as he had somewhat of a breakthrough performance against Maryland last Saturday. The sophomore rushed for 98 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries.

He will have to be a little more effective with his touches—3.6 yards per carry last weekend—if he wants to make noise against an Oklahoma front seven that ranks as one of the best in the nation.

What They Are Saying

Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press

How will Heupel adjust the offense without its top RB?

Oklahoma Co-Offensive Coordinator on playing without Keith Ford:

"

We are down one back that has performed really well for us. At the end of the day, we need to decide which guy is going to be the guy and how do we feature a guy. Like today we had all of them and we will need all of them for the entire season. The other two guys (Ross and Perine) are going to have to step up as well as the guys who haven’t.

"

Running back Alex Ross on potential for increased workload:

"

It’s going to be nice. We’ll take care of it. [Ross and Samaje Perine are] both conditioned really well so we’ll take on the load pretty well.

"

Running back Samaje Perine on running back rotation:

"

Going into this this summer we kind of knew that the rotation would be great and that we were going to work great as a team because we’re all young and we’ve been together since day one. The relationship has grown these past couple of weeks and there is only more to come.

 

"

All quotes are courtesy of SoonerSports.com

Prediction

Brett Deering/Getty Images

Expect the Sooners to sneak away with another win.

As we mentioned earlier, it would be a mistake for the Sooners to underestimate the Mountaineers in this one.

With that said, expect head coach Bob Stoops to have Oklahoma ready to play. One week after exposing Tennessee quarterback Justin Worley as human, the Sooners defense should do the same to West Virginia signal-caller Clint Trickett.

The home-field advantage will help the Mountaineers be able to hang around for a good majority of this game. Still, the team will never get within striking distance, falling to a far-superior Oklahoma team.

Prediction: Oklahoma 34-24

All stats, recruiting information and rankings used in this article are courtesy of CFBStats.com and 247Sports.

For complete coverage and everything Oklahoma football, you can reach Sebastian on Twitter and via email at [e-mail].