Oklahoma lassos Big 12
No. 5-ranked Sooners defeat Texas for title in last-ditch effort at playoff spot
ARLINGTON, Texas — Kyler Murray had another Heisman Trophy-worthy performance, Oklahoma’s much-maligned defense made some big key plays and the fifth-ranked Sooners won yet another conference title.
Now the 12-time Big 12 Conference champions wait to find out if all that is good enough to get back into the College Football Playoff.
“There’s no doubt we have a playoff-worthy team, but I understand that there’s other factors there too that we can’t control,” coach Lincoln Riley said. “We’ve done all we can.”
Murray was 25-of-34 passing for 379 yards and three touchdowns as the Sooners beat No. 9 Texas, 39-27, in the Big 12 championship Saturday at AT&T Stadium, avenging their only loss and making their case for their third playoff appearance in four years.
Two of Murray’s touchdown throws were to Grant Calcaterra, who had an impressive one-handed grab for an 18-yard score on a third-and-10 play with two minutes left.
“That catch will live on in Oklahoma history forever,” Riley said.
The Sooners (12-1) won their seventh consecutive game — and became the first power five team to win four outright conference titles in a row since Florida in the Southeastern Conference in the mid-1990s.
Sam Ehlinger was 23-of-36 passing for 349 yards with two touchdowns and also ran for two scores for Texas (9-4). But his final pass was picked off by Tre Norwood at the 1 in the final minute, and there also was a critical safety.
Two plays after Oklahoma’s only turnover, when receiver CeeDee Lamb fumbled inside the 10 after a 54yard catch-and-run with nine minutes left, the Sooners got points anyway. Cornerback Tre Brown blitzed and sacked Ehlinger in the end zone for a safety that made it 32-27.
“Our defense did a great job getting the ball back to us, offensively we didn’t take care of our part of the bargain,” Ehlinger said. “That’s on us, that’s on me. I will make it my mission to never let this team or this school feel this disappointment again.”
That was a huge play for a much-maligned Sooners defense that had allowed at least 40 points in each of the previous four games — three of those being Oklahoma victories by a combined nine points.
Asked if the Sooners defense is good enough to win a national title this season, Riley quickly answered yes.
“Based on we beat everybody on our schedule. You’ve got to win by one point, these games, the last time I checked,” Riley said. “We’ve had some of our best performances here the last couple of weeks, in huge, huge games, huge moments against dynamic offenses.”
Lamb caught the ball near midfield, cut inside, and spun around another defender toward the middle of the field when he was crushed from behind by linebacker Gary Johnson, knocking the ball loose. Lamb did have six catches for 167 yards, including a 28yard touchdown in the first half.