Big 12 Football Standings 2012: WVU drops to tie for 8th

The Mountaineers lost their fifth straight game this past week and dropped to eighth place in the Big 12.

WVU football: Tavon Austin's running a silver lining in Oklahoma loss

The West Virginia Mountaineers might have lost a fifth consecutive game Saturday against Oklahoma, but they learned something that could be extremely valuable going forward: how to integrate an explosive runner in Dana Holgorsen's pass-heavy offense.

Tavon Austin played running back in high school, but the wide receiver had only gotten 37 carries in the first three years of his West Virginia career while making his name as a target for Geno Smith. Saturday, Austin lined up in the backfield with ridiculously successful results, running 21 times for a school-record 344 yards, coming only six short of an NCAA record for all-purpose yards. For Holgorsen, the performance in the 50-49 loss was a revelation:

"We haven’t been able to run the ball, so we had to do something," Holgorsen said. "It probably should have been done four years ago. In hindsight, we should have done it prior to this."

Austin, 5'9 and blessed with tremendous speed, seems as well suited for a role in the backfield as one catching passes. Although he's considered one of the top receivers in the 2013 draft class, his performance Saturday more than proves his ability to play as a running back as well. Austin said that the position switch was the result of conversations he had with the coaching staff about his abilities as a runner:

"I had said a couple things to coach Holgorsen and the coaching staff about putting me back there a couple times," said Austin, who rushed for 2,660 yards and scored 34 touchdowns as a senior at Dunbar High in Baltimore. "I didn’t think I was going to get it 21 times. I always told them that’s what I did in high school, and I still have it a little bit."

Oklahoma vs. West Virginia reaction: passing defense dooms Mountaineers again

Once again, it was the passing defense that let down West Virginia in a 50-49 loss to Oklahoma on Saturday. The Smoking Musket wonders if changes in scheme is what has plagued the passing defense this season.

Oklahoma vs. West Virginia score: WVU down after 1st quarter

After the first quarter, WVU trails No. 12 Oklahoma, 10-3. The game did not begin well, as Landry Jones led the Sooners downfield for a touchdown on the opening possession, delivering a touchdown pass on a four-yard strike to Trey Millard. It got worse on WVU's first possession, which ended when Aaron Colvin picked off Geno Smith's pass at the Oklahoma 45 and ran it back for 22 yards to the Mountaineers' 33.

WVU managed a stop, though, holding the Sooners to a 33-yard field goal. The Mountaineers then turned to the exciting Tavon Austin, who frequently lined up in the backfield. The speedy Austin reeled off a 31-yard run that got the Mountaineers into the red zone. A few plays later, Smith passed to Stedman Bailey on 3rd-and-8, and Bailey just missed the first down on a play that was upheld on review. The Mountaineers had to settle for a field goal, and Oklahoma had the ball back as the quarter came to an end.

Oklahoma vs. West Virginia 2012: TV schedule, game time, spread and more

West Virginia takes on the Sooners at home, where an upset victory would mean bowl eligibility for the Mountaineers.

Oklahoma vs. West Virginia: Sooners defense could pose problems for WVU

An improved defense is part of the reason the Oklahoma Sooners have earned a No. 12 ranking, but the West Virginia Mountaineers will still try to beat them with their high-power attack as they hope to snap a four-game losing streak.