Bears force Sooners to sweat a bit
WACO — Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield had a bit more respect for Baylor after the game. He also had another victory.
After being caught on video before the game with some smack talk directed at his winless opponent, Mayfield threw three touchdowns, and the thirdranked Sooners overcame the feisty Bears 49-41 on Saturday night to stretch the nation’ s longest winning streak to 14 games.
“You don’t realize that some teams and guys, when they get their backs up against the wall, that’ s when they play their best,” Mayfield said. “I’d compare it to how we went into Ohio State week. Everybody was picking them, and nobody really cared about us. It’s the same feeling.”
Asked if he respected Baylor afterward, Mayfield responded, “Absolutely.”
Mayfield’s last TD pass was the go-ahead score and came on the next snap after the quarterback’s unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty. He completed 13 of 19 passes for 283 yards, including TDs on his first two drives, a sO U piled up 634 total yards.
Abdul Adams had a 99yard touchdown for the Sooners (4-0, 1-0 Big 12), with his school-record run coming after a botched kick off return.
Baylor (0-4, 0-1) led 31-28 after Connor Martin’s 46yard field goal late in the third quarter, but Oklahoma answered.”
Adams, who finished with 11 carries for 164 yards, picked up 33 yards on three consecutive runs before the penalty was announced against Mayfield. It wasn’t clear what the quarterback did, but on the next play he found Jeff Badet for a 48yard touchdown.
Trey Sermon ran 12 times for 148 yards and two touchdowns, with the OU freshman getting all of that in the fourth quarter.
Sermon’s first carries came after the Bears’ first three-and-out to start the fourth quarter. He scored on a 34-yard run when he was hit near the 20 and kept his balance. He had a 60-yard run on the next Sooners possession before his 9- yard TD made it 49-31.
Denzel Mims’ third TD catch —an acrobatic grab in the back of the end zone — got Baylor within 49-41 with 1:41 left. The Bears then recovered an onside kick, but Zach Smith was sacked and fumbled after two incompletions. Smith threw for 463 yards with four TDs.