He found receiver Sterling Shepard 14 times for 177 yards and two touchdowns.
Advertisement
#3 Alabama 31, #20 Mississippi St. 6: Derrick Henry ran for 204 yards and two touchdowns and the visiting Crimson Tide (9-1, 6-1 SEC, No. 2 CFP) logged a season-high nine sacks and easily survived its last major test before the Iron Bowl game against Auburn in two weeks. But Oklahoma struck again before the half ended after Mayfield went 4/4 passing and then ran it in for a touchdown on a very important drive.
Less than a season removed from an 8-5 undoing, Oklahoma is now 9-1 and the class of the conference.
The win gave the Tigers (10-0, 7-0 ACC; No. 1 CFP) at least 10 wins for the fifth straight season and their s first 10-0 start since they won their only national championship in 1981. “It was really a challenge out there, but I’m really excited about the way our players played and fought the entire night”, OU coach Bob Stoops said. “It’s got to be a positive”.
Sooner quarterback Baker Mayfield threw for 270 yards and three touchdowns – including the game-clincher to Dimitri Flowers, with 4:58 remaining.
Baylor (8-1, 5-1) was sixth in the latest Playoff rankings. “But, Oklahoma played extremely well and got out of here with a win”.
“We’re going to see”, Baylor coach Art Briles said when asked how his team will react going forward.
Oklahoma State (10-0, 7-0 Big 12) trailed 24-7 and 31-21 before pulling out a victory that might not look impressive but was still critical in jockeying for one of the four spots in the College Football Playoff. Should Oklahoma State lose to either TCU or Baylor in its last two games, the Big 12 in all likelihood would find itself on the outside looking in of the national title race. Green ran for 1114 of his yards after the break and Sawyer threw his first career touchdown pass, finding wide receiver Shaun Nixon on a run-and-catch with 11:51 left in the game to put the Frogs up 20-10.
The Sooners played conservatively on the ensuing drive, and added three points to their lead with a 33-yard field goal by Austin Seibert to make the score 37-27 with 14:47 left in the game. Shepard was one catch away from tying his school record for most receptions in a game.
Mayfield has completed 70 percent of his passes on the season and, after Saturday’s win, has 31 touchdown passes to just five interceptions, plus six rushing touchdowns.
If the Sooners win next week at home against TCU and then in Bedlam against the Cowboys, they would clinch their ninth Big 12 title.
That pick was before halftime, when Blanchard jumped a route for an interception that led the second of Devin Chafin’s three touchdown runs.
The Bears trailed at halftime for the first time this season after Mayfield had a 2-yard TD run to make it 20-13 with 28 seconds left in the half.
All of those teams have played harder schedules then the Big 12 elite.
What hurt the Big 12 champion past year – a lack of a postseason conference title game – might actually end up helping this season.
The Bears were trying to be the first team to beat Stoops three times in a row, and the last two were by lopsided margins.
AMES, Iowa – Backup quarterback J.W. Walsh threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Jeff Carr with 3:06 left for Oklahoma State to help keep the unbeaten Cowboys in playoff contention. Coleman caught two passes that had floated out of bounds in the first half, and he dropped a slant before getting clobbered in the third quarter.
Oklahoma was up only 37-34 and apparently facing third-and-15 from this 17 after Mayfield threw an incompletion while under pressure. Blanchard was flagged for a horse collar, personal foul, reviving the Sooners and giving them a first down.
What also may have contributed was an injury to Bear starting quarterback Jarrett Stidham, who Briles later said was dealing with an injury for almost the entirety of the game Saturday. “Seeing his energy after plays don’t go our way, seeing how quick he gets up on the ball, it feeds to the rest of the team”.
On Baylor’s first play afer the Oklahoma touchdown, Stidham was picked off by Ahmad Thomas. There was an injury timeout, and trainers tended to Burt, though it was unclear if he was injured.
Royce Freeman ran for 105 yards and a score and Charles Nelson scored on a 75-yard run on one of the Ducks’ three touchdowns of more than 45 yards.
Advertisement
No. 16 Houston 35, No. 25 Memphis 34: HOUSTON – Backup quarterback Kyle Postma ran for the go-ahead score to help Houston (10-0) overcome a 20-point deficit, and Jake Elliott missed a 48-yard field goal with 19 seconds left for Memphis (8-2).
