“I can sense they have a little more urgency,” he said, “but it is pretty much the same all season.”

Reunion of sorts

OU offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson will be coaching against one of his former mentors in the Fiesta Bowl. West Virginia interim head coach Bill Stewart was the offensive line coach at North Carolina when Wilson was a graduate assistant for two seasons in the mid 1980s.

“I’m just grateful that Coach (Dick) Crum didn’t run me off and hire Kevin because he was a whole lot smarter than me back then,” Stewart joked Friday. “I just hope he is not a lot smarter than me this week. He’s a tremendous football coach and a tremendous friend.”

Strength vs. strength

Something will have to give in the Fiesta Bowl when it comes to running the football. OU enters the game with the eighth best rushing defense in the NCAA’s bowl subdivision.

The unit has only allowed 2.83 yards per carry and 13 rushing touchdowns this season. If it holds West Virginia to something around those numbers it could be a blowout.

The Mountaineers have the fourth best rushing offense in the bowl subdivision, averaging 292.92. They are one of only four teams to average over 290 yards rushing a game this season.

If West Virginia were to put up its average numbers, it would eclipse the high for a Sooner opponent this season by nearly 100 yards.

OSU gained 195 against OU Nov. 25.

John Shinn

366-3536

jshinn@normantranscript.com