College Football: 25 most unforgettable games of the 21st century
By Phil Poling
No. 22: West Virginia vs. Oklahoma, Jan. 2, 2008
Prior to their recent battles as members of the Big 12, the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Oklahoma Sooners took the field in 2008 for the BCS Fiesta Bowl. The Sooners, however, had a bit too much dip on their chip.
West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez had just bolted from Morgantown for the Michigan Wolverines job, leaving Bill Stewart as the interim head coach for the Mountaineers.
This is where it all went wrong for Oklahoma. Outside of West Virginia – the team and the actual state – nobody believed the Mountaineers would win. Stewart had a message for his players.
"“It’s Mountaineer pride! Nothing cheap! From the heart! Strain them! Damn I’m proud to be a Mountaineer! I picked you a good one, didn’t I? Huh? We got a good one. We are going to out-strain and out-hit these guys. Let them know. Leave no doubt tonight! Leave no doubt tonight! No doubt! They shouldn’t have played the Old Gold and Blue. Not this night!” – Bill Stewart, Interim West Virginia Head Coach"
West Virginia went on to pound Oklahoma, leading 20-6 at the half and never trailing throughout the contest. Pat White quarterbacked the ‘Eers to victory with over 300 all-purpose yards and freshman Noel Devine pitched in 100 yards on the ground for West Virginia.
The Sooners pulled within five after 10 consecutive points to start the third quarter, but West Virginia rattled off back-to-back touchdown drives and put it in cruise control from there.
This game was a memorable one for Mountaineer Nation, though. Not just because of the final score and winning a bowl game, but because of everything that transpired: Rodriguez left them, nobody believed in them, Oklahoma overlooked them. Fullback Owen Schmitt said it best, but sometimes written words don’t do emotional quotes justice.