The 2008 Fiesta Bowl on FOX
West Virginia (10-2) vs. Oklahoma (11-2)
Live from University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ
January 2, 2008
8:30pm ET
720p & DD5.1


Pat White and Steve Slaton lead the Mountaineers' potent rushing attack. OU boasts the third-ranked scoring offense behind QB Sam Bradford, who led the nation in passing efficiency.


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Fearless Predictions: Fiesta Bowl
by Rich Cirminiello

This Tostitos Fiesta Bowl battle between West Virginia and Oklahoma could wind up being the most intriguing of the entire 32-game bowl season.

The Mountaineers and Sooners descend upon Glendale with something to prove, West Virginia for inexplicably gagging to Pittsburgh on Dec. 1, and Oklahoma for losing its last three BCS bowl games, including last year's Fiesta Bowl to Boise State. Both programs are awash in skill position talent, coming within a break or two from finishing the regular season at the top of the polls. While the winner gets an ounce of redemption and a top 10 ranking, the loser will carry the burden of failing to finish strong with it throughout the offseason. There'll be plenty at stake in the desert, even if the game isn't deciding a national title.

How does West Virginia bounce back after losing the Backyard Brawl to a 28-point dog, squandering a chance to play for a national championship? It won't be easy, considering how badly it choked under pressure on Dec. 1, and how hard it'll be to move forward without head coach Rich Rodriguez and offensive coordinator Calvin Magee, both of whom are now employed by Michigan.

A month ago, Rodriguez was the unquestioned leader of the program, but today he's being sued by the University, an awkward turn of events that can't be helping the focus of the West Virginia players as some, like RB Steve Slaton, will likely look even harder at the possibility of moving on early to the next level. The Big East champs had gotten a reprieve from its Sept. 28 loss at South Florida, yet couldn't close the deal versus rival Pitt, losing 13-9.

For the Mountaineers, it's they're first Fiesta Bowl since Major Harris was in Morgantown in 1989, and they're third consecutive January bowl game, beating Georgia in the 2006 Sugar Bowl and Georgia Tech in the 2007 Gator Bowl.

Just like the last two years, as QB Patrick White goes, so goes West Virginia. The junior sat out most of the Pitt game with a dislocated right thumb, which no doubt impacted the final score. White is expected to play on Jan. 2, an absolute necessity if the Mountaineers stand a chance to deliver an upset. When he's out in the open field, zig-zagging through defenders, there's no more dangerous individual at the college level. White leads the 'Eers with 1,185 yards rushing, and is also No. 14 nationally in passing efficiency, a dual-threat combination that can close the talent gap at other positions.

No. 5 versus Oklahoma's No. 8 run defense is one of the most intriguing duels of the postseason. Sooner starting CB Reggie Smith will not play, nor will his backup Lendy Holmes, so White's improved passing skills should be on display even more than usual in Arizona.

Oklahoma earned an automatic berth in the Fiesta Bowl with its rout of then-No. 1 Missouri in the Big 12 championship game. Although the Sooners rolled through their schedule, winning by an average of 25 points, plans for ending the season in New Orleans got derailed by a 45-yard field goal at the end of regulation in Boulder, and a seven-point loss in Lubbock, in which concussed starting QB Sam Bradford played only two possessions. Two wins over Mizzou wound up not being enough to grab a spot in the title game, as LSU was tabbed as the most deserving of the two-loss teams.

A juicy subplot involves Bob Stoops, one of the game's premier coaches, who's lost his last three January bowl games, twice getting ambushed on defense. His reputation is secure, but it sure would help to avoid a fourth loss in-a-row.

Go ahead and try to find the weak link on this Oklahoma team. Well, it's defending the deep ball, but that's not West Virginia football. Once it became obvious that Bradford was a freshman in academics only, the Sooners were a complete team that could run or pass the ball, and play at a high level on defense that's become a hallmark of the program in the Stoops era. Oklahoma does have one of the worst punt return units in the Big 12, but good luck exploiting that weakness.

The key has been Bradford, the nation's leader in passing efficiency, who gives the program the offensive balance it's lacked since Jason White graduated, teaming up regularly with TE Jermaine Gresham, and WRs Malcolm Kelly and Juaquin Iglesias. A picture of poise in the pocket, Bradford will play in a few more of these high-profile bowl games before leaving Norman.

It's not the national championship. It's not even the marquee BCS bowl game (the Sugar and Rose got more attention). It's an important game for the future of the two programs, and both teams will play like it.

Players to watch: Oklahoma will be without explosive freshman RB DeMarco Murray, but the running game won't skip a beat. Veteran Allen Patrick excelled down the stretch when his workload increased, running for 202 yards and two scores against Oklahoma State, and 88 yards and a touchdown versus Missouri. A physical, between-the-tackles runner, he'll try to keep the good times rolling against a West Virginia defense that allows just 107 yards a game on the ground. It always helps to be running behind massive G Duke Robinson and one of the toughest offensive lines in America.

On defense, the Sooners will benefit from the healthy return of DE Auston English, who was tearing up the Big 12 before injuring his ankle in the Nov. 3 win over Texas A&M. Although he may not get many opportunities for sacks, he does have the quickness to prevent the speedy Mountaineers from getting to the outside. Pencil LB Curtis Lofton, one of the nation's most instinctive linebackers, in for about 15 tackles and a couple of snot-knocking hits. The team-leader with 142 stops, he's never too far from the ball.

Assuming his thumb doesn't cause any complications, White will make his share of big plays, but against Oklahoma, he's going to need more help. Additional production from RB Steve Slaton, for instance, would be nice. A Heisman contender entering the season, the junior ran for more than 100 yards just twice in the final eight games. To put a dent in one of the nation's top defenses, West Virginia is going to need some assistance from Slaton and freshmen scatbacks, Noel Devine and Jock Sanders.

The Mountaineer defense has been one of the huge shockers of the 2007 season in the Big East, leading the league in total defense and scoring defense. The unit has to find a way to get an upfield push on that hulking Sooner line, which means DE Johnny Dingle and LB Marc Magro must close out the best years of their college careers with another disruptive game. Dingle has been a 12-game beast, spending a big portion of the year in opposing backfields. Magro is a high-motor guy needed to keep Patrick and RB Chris Brown from busting into the secondary.

Oklahoma will win if... White is the only Mountaineer that does serious damage. Against opponents, such as Connecticut and Cincinnati, White's capable of carrying West Virginia on his back, but that's not going to happen versus this Oklahoma team. If the Sooners are able to contain Slaton, Devine, and WR Darius Reynaud, White alone won't be able to solve a defense that's No. 1 or No. 2 in the Big 12 in every major statistical category, and landed eight players on the all-conference team.

West Virginia will win if... it starts fast, a la the Sugar Bowl two years ago. After hearing for weeks about their season-ending collapse to Pittsburgh, the Mountaineers can ill-afford to get out of the blocks slowly, especially against this deep and determined Oklahoma team. They've got to shock the Sooners in the first quarter with a bolt of lightning down the sidelines from one of the speedsters. Although the West Virginia players will say all the right things leading up to the game, they'll need an early explosion to shake the month-long malaise.

What will happen: The West Virginia defense has been fantastic all year, but this is the game that the curtain gets pulled back on Jeff Casteel's kids. The Oklahoma offense, purring since Bradford's return from a concussion, has too many weapons for a collection of kids that are predominantly overachievers. White will do something amazing, but the Sooners have already proven they can keep a diverse offense from erupting, twice holding Mizzou below its season scoring average. Oklahoma will out class West Virginia, giving its fans something to beef about if two-loss LSU narrowly gets by Ohio State in the Superdome.

Line: Oklahoma -6.5

Fearless Prediction: Oklahoma 38... West Virginia 27

let's hope WVU shows up tonight so we're not stuck with another bcs blowout.

Don't even know if I'll watch it! The college bowl game yesterday on Fox OTA with a non-multicasting station (5.1 in DC) had abysmal HD PQ what with the softness & lack of sharpness on distant shots. It had no pixellating the short time I watched it but otherwise it was a shame IMO to call it HD. 14 or 15 Mps, when Fox could provide about 5 more, oh me!

wvu needs slaton to show up tonight, or else it could get ugly... whatever happened to him, anyway? he basically disappeared late in the year... if slaton DOES show up, this might end up being the best of the bcs games...

i'm gonna watch for sure... there's not much football left... might as well savor it while we have it...

hopefully the game will start before 8:50 tonight...

Can anyone else comment on their PQ? So far, the pregame festivities are very
unimpressive. Almost stretch-o-vision quality.

Viewing OTA on DFW on FOX 4.1

I hope it gets better. The Fiesta Bowl in 2007 was the best PQ of a football game I had ever seen last year.

WNYW-DT New York via Cablevision

PQ is soft, almost like FOX NFL Sunday pre game shows from the studio. No stretching, so I don't know what the poster a couple posts above was commenting about stretching for.

Didn't watch the Sugar Bowl last night to compare to.

PQ is very poor on all shots. The main cams are very soft, the field-level cams are grainy, and the graphic transitions are blocky which is unusual for Fox HD. Last year's game at the same venue on the same channel was far superior to this. Fox is only sending out 11-12Mbit/s on the video compared to the ~15 we saw last year, which could explain some of the lack of detail. KSAZ-DT Phoenix via Cox cable.

Wow, I was expecting a lot out of this game after last year, but this is much worse than last night's game in terms of PQ, which was itself very unimpressive. The main cam shots look VERY soft. I was honestly wondering if I was on the HD station or not at first glance. I'm seeing lots of noise, which makes very little sense. It seems like they really dropped the ball considering the amazing PQ last year.

Watching on WBRC-DT Birmingham, AL via Charter.

pq reasonable. as noted, a bit soft. no pixelation on main cams. decent color. a bit of noise. closeups are good. pixelation on down and distance graphic.

pretty good sound thus far. nice "hitting" sounds. reasonably immersive.

comcast south jersey.

REALLY dumb tostitos commercials.

Looks soft here in Baton Rouge on WGMB-DT OTA, and looks just as bad on WVUE on D* out of New Orleans. Sugar Bowl last night looked much better than this.

For some reason last night I couldn't stay locked onto the signal (KMPH Fresno), so I ended up watching the non-HD local Fox broadcast. Tonight though I've gotten consistent good picture.

Can't say the same for the game though... I'd like to see a few touchdowns. Maybe the second half is going to be better. (6-3 WVU right now).

wvu needs slaton to show up tonight, or else it could get ugly...

yet another brilliant prediction from me.... :o so much for them needing slaton so bad...

WFTX-DT Cape Coral OTA

Looking good in FOX HD, 720p and 5.1 audio.

let's hope WVU shows up tonight so we're not stuck with another bcs blowout.

Looks like it's going to be another BCS blowout...at the hands of WVU :)

Still a long way to go though...

Coach Rod can eat crap....we don't need him. HUGE TD just now. 40-21.

I hope I didn't speak too soon. :(

Yeah.....DEVINE!!!!! 48-28 and the picture is looking GREAT now.

PQ looks about the same as the Sugar Bowl....very uninspiring or eye-popping. Cotton Bowl by far the best looking game out of the Fox telecasts thus far.

On a sidenote, this PxP team is excellent.

PQ looks about the same as the Sugar Bowl....very uninspiring or eye-popping. Cotton Bowl by far the best looking game out of the Fox telecasts thus far.

On a sidenote, this PxP team is excellent.

what is PxP?

what is PxP?

Play by play

Hope y'all in West Virginia are indoors at the moment and that your couches are in a safe place...lol...

My couch is safe, but I fear for those in Morgantown!!!!!

The 'Ears played with Heart tonight, plain and simple. Amazing. I had hope today, but was hoping they'd make it respectable. I always said that WVU can beat any team in the nation (with the current players) when they are on. Tonight, they were on. What an emotional ending with the Interim coach Stewart and Schmidt. I'm going to have a hard time getting up for work in a few hours...

Like others have mentions, PQ was quite soft, but what do you expect, it's FOX. Anyways, Oklahoma is a joke. They are 1-4 in bowl games since the 2003 season and this is the 2nd year in a row they've blow it to an underdog. Also what is a Sooner? I've been watching college football since 2002 or 2003 and I still don't know what it is. We all know what a Terp is and say a Wolverine is, but what the hell is a Sooner? My only conclusion is... the Sooner Oklahoma gets its ass whooped, the Sooner I can get the hell out of the stadium and leave.

Like others have mentions, PQ was quite soft, but what do you expect, it's FOX. Anyways, Oklahoma is a joke. They are 1-4 in bowl games since the 2003 season and this is the 2nd year in a row they've blow it to an underdog. Also what is a Sooner? I've been watching college football since 2002 or 2003 and I still don't know what it is. We all know what a Terp is and say a Wolverine is, but what the hell is a Sooner? My only conclusion is... the Sooner Oklahoma gets its ass whooped, the Sooner I can get the hell out of the stadium and leave.

WVU was only an "Underdog" because of the events that have transpired over the last few weeks. If you follow college ball, I'm sure you know what I speak of. WVU was not an Underdog like Boise State. WVU has one 3 straight bowl games beating top 10 teams (Georgia, Georgia Tech and now Oklahoma). Remember, WVU was ranked 2nd in the nation up to it's last game when it played very flat and lost to Pitt at home in a very dissapointing game. But, that is one of the biggest rivalry games in College football and I don't care how you are ranked, those are always close games. So, WVU was an underdog, but not by your definition...or at least the implied definition in my opinion from reading your post. If you watched the award ceremony, I think you see how we feel about our State.

Jimmy Johnson just said that WVU would have beaten ANY team in the country the way they played tonight. White acounted for over 356 yards alone. I wouldn't say the suck because they got beat by WVU. I think WVU proved to be a top team in the nation. Yes, OK had 3 starters not playing, but WVU lost two of their starters in the first half.

WVU was only an "Underdog" because of the events that have transpired over the last few weeks. If you follow college ball, I'm sure you know what I speak of. WVU was not an Underdog like Boise State. WVU has one 3 straight bowl games beating top 10 teams (Georgia, Georgia Tech and now Oklahoma). Remember, WVU was ranked 2nd in the nation up to it's last game when it played very flat and lost to Pitt at home in a very dissapointing game. But, that is one of the biggest rivalry games in College football and I don't care how you are ranked, those are always close games. So, WVU was an underdog, but not by your definition...or at least the implied definition in my opinion from reading your post. If you watched the award ceremony, I think you see how we feel about our State.

Jimmy Johnson just said that WVU would have beaten ANY team in the country the way they played tonight. White acounted for over 356 yards alone. I wouldn't say the suck because they got beat by WVU. I think WVU proved to be a top team in the nation. Yes, OK had 3 starters not playing, but WVU lost two of their starters in the first half.


I think WVU is a great team with Slaton, White and Devine, but with how they finished and with Rodriguez being gone I don't think anybody expected OU to get gang banged so bad by them. I think coming in WVU had a great chance at winning, by I think alot of us college fans expected OU being able to roll with them down to the wire considering the circumstances WVU had to deal with.

Also what is a Sooner? I've been watching college football since 2002 or 2003 and I still don't know what it is. We all know what a Terp is and what a Wolverine is, but what the hell is a Sooner?

At first, the “Sooners” was a derogatory nickname given to early Oklahoma land rush cheaters who unlawfully sneaked into the offered “unassigned lands” territory prior to 1889 and staked claims before the land run officially started. The territory was opened by President Benjamin Harrison with his Indian Appropriation Act of 1889, in which settlers basically participated in a race to claim a piece of land for themselves. This event was portrayed in the movie Far and Away, starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, in 1992. Early legal settlers had a very low opinion of Sooners of course. This began to change by 1908 when the University of Oklahoma named the football team the "Sooners." Like many nicknames, this one's negative connotations faded over time and the name, Sooners, is now worn with pride and represents the hardy pioneer spirit of Oklahoma. OU's fight song is from the term "Boomer Sooner" and is another (interesting) story.

I think WVU is a great team with Slaton, White and Devine, but with how they finished and with Rodriguez being gone I don't think anybody expected OU to get gang banged so bad by them. I think coming in WVU had a great chance at winning, by I think alot of us college fans expected OU being able to roll with them down to the wire considering the circumstances WVU had to deal with.

The good thing, for WVU, is that these "Out of Conference Teams" can't defend their spread offense. A few of the Big East teams have figured it out, such as South Florida and what appears to be Pitt. WVU has shocked the OoC teams in the last 3 bowl games because if you aren't used to it, it's a very difficult offense to defend against. Especially with the talent they have.

I was shocked that there were so many dropped passes, especially in the first quarter by WVU. White put the ball in several hands, and they just dropped them.

About the picture quality, was that game shot with 1080i cameras and then transcoded to 720p? Does anybody know? It had a very different look to it as compared to the standard 720p broadcast. I saw the same thing back when OU played USC for the title in January of 2005.

-Reagan

Doesn't anyone have any screen caps of this game? I just want to compare what I watched last night. Pretty soft overall picture.

I've had my new TV for half a year, and every weekend I call my cousin to come watch a game with me, and he's always working. He calls me last night, and says I want to drop off a few presents and maybe we can watch the Orange Bowl.

The one time I get to show off my TV, it's when Fox is doing HD. LOL

Is it just me or do day games outside look better than night games in HD?Sometimes these dome stadiums look horriable on HDTV, no matter what the network. Noticed it on NFL and the bowl games. Just how much does inside lighting effect HD?

bwo,

Some of the engineers who post here have mentioned what you just said, lighting is a key component of picture quality. I recall that CBS installed extra lighting in the Miami stadium for last year's super bowl.

-Reagan