No. 6 Oklahoma beats No. 8 Baylor 30-23 in OT for B12 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. 8 Baylor.
Now the Sooners wait to see if they are going to get in back in the College Football Playoff. That is 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 took on No. 1 LSU for the SEC title, Oklahoma (12-1, No. 6 CFP) 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 past 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, No. 7 CFP), 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 two-time Big 12 champion 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 quarterback used after starter Charlie Brewer left the game in the second quarter following a big hit he delivered on a defender.
There was an 8 1-yard catchand-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 quarter by Zeno, who had played in only one game and was the scout team quarterback 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 17of-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. He finished that series and played one more, apparently hitting his head on the ground when being sacked by Kenneth Murray, before
Gerry Bohanon took over.
Referee Mike Defee went to the sideline and asked Rhule to get Brewer checked out, because the ref said the quarterback “just seems a little bit out of it.”
Bohanon directed Baylor on scoring drives on its last two possessions before halftime. He threw a 33-yard touchdown to Tyquan Thornton before a 28-yard field goal by Mayers put the Bears up 13-10 at halftime — even with only 98 total yards — after they trailed 10-0.
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. THE TAKEAWAY >> Oklahoma: The Sooners are 10-1 in Big 12 championship games. They became the first Power Five team since Alabama from 1971-75 to win five consecutive outright conference titles. (Clemson had the chance to match that in the ACC on Saturday night). The 36-year-old Riley is 36-5 as head coach, with Big 12 titles in all three seasons since being promoted from offensive coordinator after Bob Stoops suddenly retired in the summer after winning his 10th Big 12 championship. Oklahoma has a 27-3 series advantage over the Bears, though this was the first game between them with both ranked in the Top 10.
Baylor: The 11 wins matched a school record, and Baylor still has a chance to break that in their bowl game. Rhule said while his
Bears are disappointed with the loss, he knows they will be ready for their bowl. UP NEXT >> Oklahoma waits for the College Football Playoff selection committee’s decision Sunday, on if the Sooners go back to the playoff or represent the Big 12 in the Sugar Bowl.
Baylor would go to the Sugar Bowl if the Sooners make the playoff, and could still be in a New Year’s Six game if they don’t.
PAC-12
SANTA CLARA, CALIF. >> CJ Verdell ran for 208 yards and broke open the game with two long touchdown runs in the fourth quarter, and No. 13 Oregon spoiled No. 5 Utah’s playoff hopes with a 37-15 victory in the Pac-12 championship game Friday night.
The Utes (11-2, No. 5 CFP) came into the game hoping to make a case for one of the four playoff spots with a conference title but instead got overmatched by Oregon (11-2, No. 13 CFP) and lost their second straight Pac-12 championship game.
They fell into a 20-0 hole in the first half and then gave up a 70yard TD run to Verdell after cutting the deficit to 23-15, paving the way for the winner of the Big 12 title game between Oklahoma and Baylor to get into the playoff as long as No. 1 LSU beats No. 4 Georgia for the SEC championship.
MAC
DETROIT >> Brett Gabbert threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Jack Sorenson early in the third quarter, and Miami of Ohio controlled most of the second half, beating Central Michigan 26-21 in the MidAmerican Conference title game Saturday.
The RedHawks (8-5) won a record 16th MAC championship despite doing little on offense in the first half. Trailing 14-10 after two quarters, Miami took the lead on Gabbert’s screen pass to Sorenson, and the RedHawks held off CMU (8-5) the rest of the way to win their first conference title since 2010.
Sam Sloman kicked four field goals, including a 48-yarder with 4:06 remaining to give Miami a 23-14 lead. CMU’s Tommy Lazzaro scored on a 4-yard run with 1:24 remaining, and the Chippewas recovered an onside kick — but were called offside. CMU was offside again on the re-kick, but it went out of bounds anyway, and Miami took over.
Sloman added a 42-yard field goal with 28 seconds left. A Hail Mary by CMU fell incomplete on the final play of the game.
Sun Belt
BOONE, N.C. >> Darrynton Evans scored three touchdowns and 20th-ranked Appalachian State repeated as Sun Belt Conference champions with a 45-38 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday.
Evans won the game’s MVP for the second straight season.
Zac Thomas threw for 149 yards and two touchdowns and Daetrich Harrington and Marcus Williams added touchdown runs. The Mountaineers racked up 416 yards on offense, including 267 on the ground in a dominating first half.
When asked on the field what bowl he expects his team to play in, first-year Mountaineers coach Eli Drinkwitz shouted to fans, “It better be the Cotton Bowl!”
The Mountaineers have now won at least a share of four straight Sun Belt championships. This was the second year there was a championship game.