Sooners get revenge for only defeat

NO. 5 OKLA. 39, NO. 9 TEXAS 27

A RLINGTON, TEX A S » Kyler Murray threw for 379 yards and three touchdowns as No. 5 Oklahoma beat No. 9 Texas 39-27 in the Big 12 championship game Saturday, with the Sooners avenging their only loss and making their case for a return to the College Football Playoff.

Murray, the Heisman Trophycontending dual-threat quarterback who was 25-of-34 passing, threw two of his TDS to Grant Calcaterra. That included an impressive one-handed grab for an 18-yard score on a third-and-10 play with two minutes left as the Sooners (12-1, No. 5 CFP) won their seventh consecutive game.

“That catch will live on in Oklahoma history forever,” coach Lincoln Riley said. “What a play.”

Oklahoma is the first Power Five team to win four consecutive outright conference titles since Florida in the SEC in the mid1990s.

“We’re thrilled by the victory. It’s been a challenging year, which they all are,” Riley said. “But to sit here now as four-time defending Big 12 champion, man, that sounds good.”

Sam Ehlinger was 23-of-36 passing for 349 yards with two touchdowns, and he 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.

The Sooners went ahead to stay on Austin Seibert’s third field goal, a 31-yarder with 12:37 left that was good after ricocheting off the top of the left upright to make it 30-27.

“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.”