Tag: 2021 week 4

Threat Assessment: A deep dive into the Mountaineers before week 4

Get to know the strength, weakness, and threat level of West Virginia before they roll into town to play the Sooners in week 4

Opponent: West Virginia

Record: 2-1

Threat level (1-10): 7

Rundown:  

If the Mountaineers can find a way to hold onto the football, they could be a pretty good team this year. Through just three games, they have coughed up four fumbles and three interceptions and rank 124th in the FBS in turnovers lost.

Takeaways proved to be the difference-maker in week one. West Virginia was perfectly capable of knocking off Maryland, going 4-5 in the red zone and starting with terrific field position after 217 return yards. But a muffed kickoff return and a pair of Jarret Doege interceptions spotted the Terrapins an extra three possessions and the 30-24 win.

Much like Oklahoma against Tulane and Nebraska, West Virginia grabbed a big lead against Virginia Tech before the Hokies clawed their way back into it. The passing game dried up in the second half, and the Mountaineers survived by bludgeoning VT quarterback Braxton Burmeister with six sacks.

Strength: Rush defense

WVU allows a meager 2.6 yards per rushing attempt.

Weakness: Ball security

At -6, the Mountaineers hold the second-worst turnover margin in the FBS.

Monitor:

Redshirt freshman quarterback Garrett Green. Head coach Neal Brown likes to incorporate him in running situations.

Up Next: Leddie Brown

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Oklahoma Sooners vs. West Virginia Mountaineers: Sooners Wire Staff Predictions

The Oklahoma Sooners open Big 12 play in a prime-time matchup with West Virginia. Who comes out on top? Our Sooners Wire staff predicts the outcome.

After a year off due to a cancellation in the COVID-19 season of 2020, the Oklahoma Sooners and West Virginia Mountaineers renew a one-sided matchup that’s seen OU win each of the last eight matchups since WVU joined the Big 12.

Prior to realignment, the Mountaineers enjoyed a two-game win streak over the Sooners.

West Virginia comes to Norman riding high off an upset win over then no. 15 ranked Virginia Tech. The Sooners got a big win in an important matchup over the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Nebraska wasn’t ranked and hasn’t been the most competitive college football program over the last few years, but they got the win.

Now, as the Sooners and the Mountaineers get set to kick off their Big 12 schedule, the two teams look to be two of the better defensive units in the conference this season. Will Spencer Rattler be able to bounce back from a lackluster performance a week ago? Can the Oklahoma Sooners running game continue to be productive against a strong West Virginia defense? Soon, we’ll find out.

NEXT: Our staff provides their predictions for this week’s matchup.

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Jalen Redmond to miss time with knee injury, who steps up for the Sooners in his absence?

With Jalen Redmond set to miss some time, which Oklahoma Sooners will step up and fill the void left by one of OU’s most productive players?

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According to a report from All Sooners SI, coming off his best game of the season, it looks like Jalen Redmond will be forced to miss some time due to a meniscus tear in his knee.

It’s a massive letdown after Redmond led the team in pressures in the week three win over Nebraska per Pro Football Focus. He was a dominant force, recording 1.5 sacks. After missing time from opting out due to COVID-19 concerns, Redmond looked to be back to the form that helped him lead the Oklahoma Sooners in sacks in 2019.

As the leader in snaps among interior defensive linemen, Redmond leaves a massive hole that needs to be filled. In particular, his pass-rush snaps, which are tied for the team lead with Isaiah Thomas, will be missed greatly.

Perrion Winfrey is still around to provide his bullish play on the interior, and Isaiah Thomas could help out there as he did in 2020, but who else could step into a more significant role and fill Redmond’s shoes while he’s out?

Stepping in to replace Redmond will be a contingent of Josh Ellison, Isaiah Coe, Kori Roberson, LaRon Stokes, and Kelvin Gilliam. Ellison and Coe will get the first crack with the defense to fill in for Redmond, and both have played well in their roles as rotational defensive linemen.

Isaiah Coe and Josh Ellison are tied with Perrion Winfrey in Pro Football Focus’ “stops*” metric with four. They’ve been productive for the Sooners this season.

Coe has one sack and three tackles for loss on the season and hasn’t missed a tackle. Ellison also has a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss.

The Sooners won’t be able to completely replicate Jalen Redmond’s production with just one guy. But a steady rotation of Coe and Ellison should be able to bear the weight on the interior left in Redmond’s absence.

*PFF considers a stop a play that constitutes a loss for the offense. It could be a sack, a tackle for loss, a tackle for a short gain, a pass defended, or a tackle that prevented the ball carrier from picking up a first down on third or fourth down. 

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