Sooners state their case
Oklahoma appears poised for a playoff berth winning Big 12 title
ARLINGTON, Texas — No. 6 Oklahoma has done all it can, winning a fifth Big 12 title in a row with another close win over No. 7 Baylor.
Now the Sooners wait to see if they are going to get in back in the College Football Playoff. It’s up to the selection committee.
“I hope they see the Big 12 champions. They’ve got a job to do, I get that,” coach Lincoln Riley said after Oklahoma’s 30-23 overtime win Saturday.
“We’ve had a job to do as a team, which was continuing to improve through the year, trust the things that we could and ultimately win the Big 12 championship,” he said. “We’ve done that.”
Rhamondre Stevenson had a 5-yard touchdown run in overtime, and then true freshman Jacob Zeno — whose two long passes in the fourth quarter helped tie the game — was under constant pressure when the Bears got their last chance.
A day after No. 5 Utah lost in the Pac-12 championship game, and before No. 4 Georgia fell to No. 2 LSU 37-10 for the SEC title, Oklahoma (12-1) became the first team in any league to win 10 conference championship games. It was the 13th Big 12 title overall for the Sooners, who went to the playoff three of the last four seasons.
Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby said he likes the league’s case for a playoff spot.
It was the second time in four games that Oklahoma beat the Bears (11-2), who in coach Matt Rhule’s debut season two years ago lost 11 games with a depleted roster in the aftermath of a scandal that led to the firing of coach Art Briles.
Rhule feels Oklahoma should be in the playoff no matter what else happens.
As for his team, Rhule told them, “Feel that pain of watching those guys pull that stuff out and celebrate, and let that drive you in the offseason. But at the same time, also understand what we’ve done.”
The Bears tied the game after Zeno came in during the fourth quarter, the second QB used after starter Charlie Brewer left the game in the second quarter following a big hit he delivered on a defender.
There was a 1-yard catch-and-run touchdown by Trestan Ebner with 9:41 left in regulation and a 78-yarder to Chris Platt that set up John Mayers’ third field goal, a 27-yarder with 3:25 left to make it 23-all.
“It’s not supposed to be easy,” Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts said.
After Oklahoma scored on three plays to start overtime, the Sooners put the heat on Zeno. He was sacked for a 10-yard loss, and then he was under duress again when he flung a game-ending pass that fell to the turf harmlessly.
The Bears had only 105 total yards before the 81-yard TD pass in the fourth by Zeno, who had played in only one game and was the scout team QB imitating Hurts in practice this week. They finished with 265.
Hurts, who last year led Alabama’s comeback win over Georgia in the SEC title game, was 17-of-24 passing for 278 yards and a touchdown. CeeDee Lamb had eight catches for 173 yards after missing the previous game against the Bears.
Brewer was taken out of the game not long after bulling over a defender at the end of a 7-yard run early in the second quarter.
Three weeks after their biggest comeback ever, a 34-31 win at Baylor after a 25-point deficit, the Sooners jumped ahead 10-0 on the Bears.
Lamb turned a short catch into a 71-yard gain to the 7 on Oklahoma’s second drive, setting up Kennedy Brooks’ 6-yard TD run. On the next drive, Lamb’s 26-yard catch to the Baylor 19 came before Gabe Brkic kicked the first of his three field goals.