2-point play in last minute decides game
Frogs opt to go for win, but pass is batted away
NORMAN, Okla. — Oklahoma’s Steven Parker batted away Bram Kohlhausen’s 2-point conversion attempt with less than a minute left, and the seventh-ranked Sooners survived a late comeback attempt to beat No. 11 TCU 30-29 on Saturday night.
After trailing 30-13 in the fourth quarter, TCU had a chance to tie the game after Kohlhausen’s 14-yard touchdown pass to Emanuel Porter with 51 seconds remaining. Instead, the Horned Frogs went for the win by attempting the 2-point conversion but were turned away by Parker’s late play.
Samaje Perine ran for 188 yards and a touchdown and Heisman Trophy contender Baker Mayfield completed 9 of 20 passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns for Oklahoma (10-1, 7-1 Big 12, No. 7 CFP) before leaving with an apparent head injury after the first half.
Oklahoma, winners of six straight, will have the opportunity to claim the Big 12 championship next week when it plays No. 4 Oklahoma State.
The Big 12 has the tiebreaker it lacked last season, so a win for Oklahoma in the Bedlam Series would give it the title no matter what Baylor does against TCU next week because the Sooners beat the Bears.
Without offensive stars Trevone Boykin and Josh Doctson, the Horned Frogs (9-2, 6-2, No. 18 CFP) turned the ball over four times, leading to 24 Oklahoma points.
Freshman Foster Sawyer started in Boykin’s place and enjoyed a strong first quarter, completing seven of his first eight passes for 103 yards and a touchdown that put the Horned Frogs up 7-0. He was just 1-of-10 after that with three interceptions and eventually was replaced midway through the third quarter by Kohlhausen.
Kohlhausen led the fourth-quarter comeback attempt, completing five of 11 passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns. Aaron Green rushed for 127 yards — 96 in the second half — and a touchdown.
With OU leading 23-7, Mayfield did not come out to start the second half. He was shaken up early in the second quarter by a helmet-to-helmet hit from TCU linebacker Ty Summers, who was ejected for targeting, but did finish the first half.
Trevor Knight played the rest of the game, completing five of 16 passes for 76 yards, with one interception.
Three plays into the third quarter, Perine got hurt after catching Knight’s short pass and turning it into a 16-yard play. Unable to put any weight on his left foot, he came out for several minutes but returned during Oklahoma’s next possession. Perine proved he was OK on a 72-yard touchdown run, putting OU up 30-13 with 7:55 left in the third.