The Sooners made the most of it in a run to the Big 12 title in a year when two small private schools, Baylor and TCU, were supposed to dominate the Big 12 and reprise their roles as co-champions a year ago, when both beat the Sooners.
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“It was hard to do, but that’s why coach Stoops is great”, center Ty Darlington said. “I’m just humbled and speechless by what we’ve done, but we’re not done yet”. It was Mixon’s sixth rushing touchdown of the year and his 10th overall score.
Already assured of a bowl game for the sixth consecutive season, the Bears could play on New Year’s Day for the third year in a row.
Many people will surely complain that Oklahoma’s loss to Texas should have a more negative impact on their standing, but that is not a strong argument. The Sooners were coming off a disappointing 8-5 season that included a season-ending 34-point loss to Clemson in the Russell Athletic Bowl. Either undefeated Iowa or an 11-1 Michigan State team will occupy a second slot as the Big Ten Championship serves as a defacto quarterfinal match-up for the college football playoff committee. North Carolina entered the top-10 ahead of its matchup with No. 1 Clemson in the ACC title game, while Notre Dame is at No. 9 after its second loss of the season. The Sooners are obviously the more talented team, but Oklahoma State has to be better in a rivalry game with such high stakes.
As the clock ticked passed 11 p.m. Saturday, players admitted they need a break.
When coach Art Briles was asked Monday about potentially playing in the Sugar Bowl, he responded, “Well, I’d be running as fast as I could to get that berth, because it’s worth chasing”.
A victory over Florida State looks even better now the Seminoles have knocked off the Florida Gators in stunning fashion. The other, Josh Heupel, won him his lone national title as the quarterback on Oklahoma’s 2000 team. The Cowboys had proved they could win a tight game, three of their wins, Iowa State, Kansas State, and Texas were by four points or less.
“There’s a lot of tension in the air”, Oklahoma cornerback Jordan Thomas, who intercepted two passes and returned one for a touchdown, said.
“They pretty much outcoached us”, Cowboys defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah said.
Perine and Mixon both went on to rush for another touchdown each; Mayfield also scored on a five-yard run.
Mayfield’s 5-yard keeper in the third quarter put the Sooners up 51-23. The sophomore added a 25-yard touchdown in the second quarter and surpassed the 3,000-yard mark for his career late in the game.
Darlington pestered his quarterback with questions about whether he’d be OK all week, past the point of annoyance.
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No. 19 Mississippi 38, No. 23 Mississippi State 27: STARKVILLE, Miss.
