Brawl breaks out in West Virginia vs Oklahoma

For much of the game, Saturday night’s battle between West Virginia and Oklahoma has been a one-sided affair. And after Sooners star receiver Drake Stoops hauled in his third touchdown grab of the game, it wasn’t just the scoreboard that got out of hand.

Upon making the catch, Stoops took a shot from West Virginia safety Anthony Wilson. After Wilson delivered the bone-jarring hit, he briefly stood over the Oklahoma receiver, who was lying on the ground in pain. Stoops’ teammates took exception to the Mountaineers’ safety, standing over him and looking down while he was injured. And that started a brawl between the two teams, which you can see in the video below.

A fight broke out after the lights went out 😳 pic.twitter.com/YdW37aTaYF

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 12, 2023

Wilson’s hit on Stoops did initially draw a targeting penalty, but after review, it was picked up. Also, no players were ejected because of the brawl, as it was likely difficult for the officials to pinpoint what happened with the stadium lights lowered in celebration of the touchdown.

Unfortunately, it was not over following the spat between the two teams. On the very next play, Oklahoma’s extra point attempt, senior offensive lineman McKade Mettauer was ejected from the game after he went after Wilson and continued to do so after the whistle was blown.

Stoops and Gabriel have big nights for Oklahoma

Stoops would eventually get up, shake off the hit, and continue the game. And what a game it would turn out to be for the Sooners wide receiver. Oklahoma crushed West Virginia 59-20, picking up win number eight. Stoops finished the night with 10 catches for 164 yards and was on the receiving end of three of Dillon Gabriel’s five touchdown passes.

Speaking of Gabriel, it was a career night for the Sooners star signal caller. The redshirt senior finished the night with 473 total yards of offense and an Oklahoma record of eight total touchdowns in a game at the quarterback position. But most importantly, Oklahoma picked up a pivotal win, knocking off a would-be contender for a spot in the Big 12 title game in the process.

Now the Sooners sit in a three-way tie with Oklahoma State and Kansas State at 5-2 in the conference as all three teams compete for a spot in the championship game. Oklahoma rival Texas has the inside track as they sit atop the Big 12 with a 9-1 record and are 6-1 in the conference.