Garrett Greene Sparks West Virginia to First Big 12 Win Over Oklahoma

Morgantown, W.Va – An ugly day turned into an ugly game early on between West Virginia and Oklahoma.

The sloppiness produced a scoreless first quarter that included the biggest offensive play for the Mountaineers being a pass of a scramble by Garrett Greene to Sam James with about two minutes left. Greene came in for starting quarterback JT Daniels towards the end of the quarter. This was likely just to get Greene some playing time and to add a spark to the offense, but Daniels was just 3 for 7 for 25 yards with an interception before Greene entered the game.

Greene’s ability to run added a dimension for WVU that Oklahoma has struggled with all season. It was clear if WVU was going to beat the Sooners, it would happen on the ground.

It looked like the game would see its first touchdown off a 6-yard strike by Sooners quarterback Dillon Gabriel, but the score ended up being washed away by the refs. Oklahoma did put up the first points of the day with a 32-yard field goal. A rainy afternoon led to a 3-0 score late in the first half.

Daniels took back over under center on the following Mountaineer possession, but a drive that was led by running back Justin Johnson, and one that was actually compiling positive yards, was ruined off a fumble. This then gave the Sooners the ball and another opportunity to churn the clock and maybe even finally reach the end zone. That did not happen and WVU was fortunate enough to get the ball back with a few minutes remaining. But after an inability to get much going, a big sack that created a 4th down and 18 forced a punt by WVU.

One pass changed the dynamic of it all. Gabriel threw up a rope for a 67-yard completion to wide receiver Marvin Mims. Eric Gray then ran it 12 yards to the outside for the Sooners touchdown. Oklahoma increased their advantage to 10-0, but that was was not the score as both teams headed into the locker room for half time. Greene, who returned in at quarterback for the final possession of the half, used his legs to march WVU down the field for the touchdown. However, that was not it for the excitement before the half came to a close. The score at the half would become 12-6 after Oklahoma recovered a fumble recovery on the extra point attempt by the Mountaineers. The Sooners received two more points for their efforts.

Much like in the first half, it was Greene offering excitement for WVU fans. Greene even helped guide WVU to its first lead of the game after a long drive in the middle of the third quarter was capped off with a touchdown catch by Bryce Ford-Wheaton, bringing the score to 13-12.

That lead did not last long though. Gray was able to carry the Oklahoma offense throughout a touchdown drive that ended with a short run and then was finalized by Gabriel getting in for a successful two-point conversion.

Greene was not done yet though. He managed to tie the game with a 11-yard run. Greene added a little celebration on the scamper and it was knotted up at 20 with less than 10 minutes to go in a game that became interesting, even though the weather got uglier throughout the day.

West Virginia eventually found themselves in a situation they would take every time – having the ball in the final minutes with a chance to win. Greene and running back Justin Johnson Jr. traded off runs and Ford-Wheaton caught extended a couple screen passes to get WVU into scoring position.

After a couple successful runs that saw Greene pump his fist enjoying every second of leading what would become the game winning drive. West Virginia keeps their bowl eligibility hopes alive, moving to 4-6 and earning just their second victory over a conference opponent.

Does this jump start a strong finish to a disappointing season? Does this mean Greene is now WVU’s starting quarterback the rest of the way, or at least next week? All those questions are to be answered now with the program’s first win over Oklahoma since joining the Big 12 under their belt.