How Oklahoma's Offense Succumbed to the Dreadful Conditions in Morgantown

MORGANTOWN, WV — Oklahoma should be accustomed to bad weather in Morgantown.

Baker Mayfield and Samaje Perine trudged through the snow in 2016 to hang 56 points on West Virginia in 2016.

Kyler Murray was aided by a pair of defensive touchdowns on a freezing night in 2018 for OU to overpower the Mountaineers 59-56.

Playing a day game at Milan Puskar Stadium for the first time in 2022, Dillon Gabriel and the offense failed to navigate a cold, wet day.

Gabriel completed 17-of-28 passes for 190 yards Saturday in Oklahoma’s 23-20 loss to West Virginia (4-6 overall, 2-5 Big 12).

But it was the plays that didn’t show up in the box score that cost the Sooners (5-5, 2-5).

The left-handed quarterback struggled to make plays through the air on crucial downs, and a number of key drops saw OU’s offense come to a grinding halt.

Running back Eric Gray was effective, rushing for 211 yards and two scores, but Gabriel’s up-and-down day caused Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby to rely on the running game late, and the Mountaineers were prepared for it.

“I thought Dillon was solid,” Lebby said. “I had to take the ball out of his hands, which I hate there in the fourth quarter because of the conditions with the rain. That’s the other part of it.

“It’s our fault for not having more plays but only 10 plays in the fourth quarter, got to run the football effectively in some situational stuff. We ran the ball really well today and then situationally did not. We’ve got to be better.”

Brent Venables downplayed the importance of the conditions after the game, noting that his team need to find a way to perform regardless of the weather.

“It didn't affect (West Virginia),” he said. “They were playing on the same field. Whatever it's doing on our sideline, it's doing on theirs.”

West Virginia quarterback JT Daniels struggled early, but Neal Brown’s decision to move to backup Garrett Greene proved to be a good one.

Greene completed 12-of-22 passing attempts for 138 yards and one touchdown in the rain, but his ability to extend plays with his legs was the difference.

He sparked the Mountaineer offense with 120 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown on 14 carries, limiting the damage caused by the storm.

“The weather played a factor,” Brown said. “… Most of the time when it’s wet and you’re playing on Astroturf, the passing game isn’t affected. But it wasn’t steady.

“You get a certain number of balls. But when it gets late, those balls start getting slick.”

The lack of grip on the football hurt OU wide receiver Marvin Mims in the third quarter.

In the second quarter, Mims appeared to be open for a walk-in touchdown, but Gabriel’s pass slipped through his hands and bounced off the turf.

The temperature in the stadium dropped after halftime, and Mims said the cold added to the difficulty of the catch.

“At that point, it was raining a lot,” Mims said. “Ball came. Took my gloves off, it was hard to catch with water. Then my hands were cold, so I didn’t feel it to, like, grab it. It just went right through.

“… For me, (the weather) was affecting me. West Virginia had the same conditions, so.”

The gloomy skies foreshadowed Oklahoma’s dreary day in Morgantown, and now the Sooners have just two more chances to clinch bowl eligibility.

OU will have a chance to bounce back with an emotional win next Saturday in Bedlam when Oklahoma State comes to Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

Want to join the discussion? Click here to become a member of the AllSooners message board community today!

Sign up for your premium membership to AllSooners.com today, and get access to the entire Fan Nation premium network!

Follow AllSooners on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest OU news.

Get your OU tickets from SI Tickets HERE.