Last year’s Fiesta Bowl between Boise State and favored Oklahoma Sooners was one of the most amazing games I have ever seen in any sport from any era. It was so amazing that I can’t imagine how, even a year later, the overtime loss could not still be imprinted on the mind of every Sooners player who was at the game. And even in those who were not, as they surely saw Boise State’s heroic chicanery on television.
Fast forward to tonight’s game, where the Sooners match up extremely well against a run-heavy West Virginia Mountaineers offense and smallish defensive front. I look for coach Stoops to have his team try to attack the Mountaineers secondary early on, as they will likely be sneaking up to help with run support. He is not going to allow his team let up for one minute this time around. If they don’t get the job done through the air, he knows that his 323-pound-per-player offensive line will be able to wear down the smaller Mountaineers defensive front, especially since he has two backs who can rotate to keep their legs fresh, both of whom are very good, tough inside runners.
When the Mountaineers take the field on offense, they run the ball. In 12 games through 2007, the Mountaineers ran the ball 343 times more than they passed. That is not going to cut it against the very good tacklers that the Sooners have on defense. Even their safeties like to play like linebackers. If the Mountaineers are going to have a chance, it will have to be by taking advantage of a Sooners secondary that is missing one of its key components to injury.
At the time of writing, the Yardstick for the Fiesta Bowl favors the Sooners by seven. Agree? Disagree? Join FanYard and make your predictions count!
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