The Oklahoma Sooners have certainly made it interesting this season. That didn’t change on Saturday night as they defeated Texas Tech 49-27. The Sooners have seemingly not had a complete performance since defeating Ohio State in the second game of the year. However, in a weekend where five top 25 teams were defeated it is important to survive and advance.
Sooners Survive Bedlam Primer, Defeat Texas Tech 49-27
Defensive Inconsistency Continues
The success of this 2017 campaign for Oklahoma is predicated on how well the defense performs. Outside of one game, the defense has been up and down. That trend continued Saturday as Texas Tech had success early and often, but the Oklahoma defense settled down to win going away.
The first quarter ended with Texas Tech putting up 226 yards and 20 points. Touchdown passes of 70 and 42 yards were again the culprit against a much maligned Sooner secondary. Conversely, the defense played much better over the final three quarters. The Red Raiders only had 211 yards and seven points over the final three quarters.
Baker Mayfield, Offense Keeps Rolling
Luckily, the offense has not been a problem for the Sooners all season. That trend continued as Oklahoma 617 yards of offense in the game. Fresh off his best game as a Sooner a week ago, Rodney Anderson topped it this week. Anderson torched the Red Raider defense for 181 yards on the ground. Comparatively, Abdul Adams got back in the mix for the Sooners with 95 yards of his own.
Baker Mayfield kept his Heisman hopes alive with another solid performance. He accounted for five total scores while throwing for 281 yards and four touchdowns through the air. Mayfield also enjoyed a bit of a welcome back party for one of his partners in crime. Ceedee Lamb, who has been hampered by a shoulder injury, had nine catches for 147 yards and two scores. Not to be forgotten, the dependable tight end for the Sooners, Mark Andrews hauled in six grabs for 79 yards and a score of his own.
Looking Ahead for the Oklahoma Sooners
Even with the inconsistent play of the opening frame, this was easily the most complete win for the Sooners since September. Oklahoma seems now to be healthy and operating on all cylinders. If the Sooner defense can play with the consistency and toughness that they did in Columbus, they can certainly make it back into the top four in the country.
Bedlam and a home date with TCU loom ahead in the next two weeks for the Sooners. It’s two weeks that will provide the story of what this season can be for the Sooners. Win both and Oklahoma is right in the mix for both a conference title as well as a playoff berth. However, a loss in just one of these games would kick the Sooners out of the playoff talk and the outside of the conference race.
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