Sooners hit new low; Bruins ride high
There’s bad, there’s really bad, and then there’s Oklahoma. The Sooners aren’t just one of the biggest flops of the season in the Bowl Subdivision – they’re a disaster on both sides of the ball heading toward the program’s worst finish this century.
Saturday was rock bottom. Texas demolished Oklahoma 49-0 to hand the Sooners a third loss in a row for the first time since 1998, the year before Bob Stoops arrived and returned the program to national prominence.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Quinn Ewers threw for 289 yards and four touchdowns in his first game back under center after an early-season injury, star running back Bijan Robinson added 130 rushing yards and the Longhorns’ defense allowed just 195 yards, holding a Big 12 opponent under 200 yards for the first time since 2014.
With quarterback Dillon Gabriel out with an injury, five Oklahoma players combined to make 17 pass attempts for just 39 yards with two interceptions.
The 49-point margin of defeat is by far the Sooners’ most in the Red River Rivalry, dwarfing 33-point losses in 1941 and 2005, and stands as the program’s most lopsided loss altogether since losing by 62 points to Nebraska in 1997. The shutout was Oklahoma’s first since 1998, snapping a FBS-best stretch of 167 games with at least one offensive touchdown.
What stands out is the lack of competitiveness. TCU embarrassed OU in last week’s 55-27 rout. The loss to the Longhorns is one of the lowest moments in modern program history. Dating to last month’s loss to Kansas State, the defense has been among the very worst in the Power Five with no obvious answers in sight.
After winning three straight to open the year and rising as high as No. 5 in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll, the Sooners have dropped two in a row by 30 or more points for the first time in program history.
This rapid fall from grace has already engulfed coach Brent Venables’ first season and threatens to define his broader tenure. Inheriting a team fresh off a successful run under Lincoln Riley but decimated by transfers and attrition, Venables may be fortunate to pull off bowl eligibility given what remains in Big 12 play.
The Sooners will likely be underdogs in next Saturday’s must-win game against Kansas – an absolutely insane thought and sentence that would’ve been impossible to believe just weeks ago.
That’s where we are just midway through Venables’ first season: OU may be lucky to get to the postseason. That puts the Sooners at the front of the line for Saturday’s biggest winners and losers.
Winners
UCLA: All of the holdouts need to get on board: UCLA is for real in Chip Kelly’s fifth season. The latest piece of evidence, joining last week’s impressive win against Washington, is a 42-32 victory against Utah that vaults the Bruins into prime position to reach the Pac-12 championship game and even factor into the College Football Playoff.
Texas: An underwhelming start has been turned around with convincing wins against West Virginia and OU. Now 4-2 and surging in the Big 12 standings, the Longhorns have moved beyond the two painful losses – to Alabama and Texas Tech by a combined four points – and become a legitimate contender for the conference championship and New Year’s Six bowl bid.
Notre Dame: The Irish have turned their season around after a sour start with a third win in a row against a quality opponent. This one was even more impressive than topping California and North Carolina. Notre Dame got another nice game from quarterback Drew Pyne, who finished with 262 passing yards and three touchdowns, and beat Brigham Young 28-20 in a neutral-site matchup in Las Vegas.
Kansas State: Kansas State’s 10-9 win at Iowa State won’t win any beauty contests but will keep the Wildcats in position to make a strong run at the Big 12 championship in the second half.
Mississippi State: The Bulldogs are building a case for being seen as the second-best team in the SEC West after handling Arkansas a 40-17 loss, the Razorbacks’ third in a row.
TCU: That TCU has quickly found a groove in Sonny Dykes’ scheme has the program back in contention for the Big 12 crown after a disappointing end to former coach Gary Patterson’s tenure. After topping OU last week, TCU’s offense rallied in the second half for a 38-31 win against Kansas that leaves the Horned Frogs as one of the small group of unbeaten teams still standing in the Power Five.
Hendon Hooker: He can’t be stopped. Hooker had 239 passing yards, 56 yards on the ground, two touchdowns and no interceptions as Tennessee put on a clinic with a 40-13 romp over LSU.
Losers
Texas A&M: Alabama, playing without Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young, turned the ball over four times, missed two field goals and still beat the Aggies 24-20 with a late goal-line stand.
Florida State: In range of the gamewinning field goal with under a minute left, Florida State threw an interception in the end zone and lost 19-17 to North Carolina State.
Iowa’s offense: The defense isn’t just good; it’s borderline spectacular. Now, the offense isn’t just bad; it’s nearly historically awful. Last nationally in yards per game heading into the weekend, the Hawkeyes put up just 226 yards and managed a pair of field goals to lose 9-6.
Michigan State: The Spartans are not good. Not just worse than expected. The Spartans are simply not good: not good on offense, not good on defense, not good across the board. Ohio State scored 35 points, gained 429 yards of offense and racked up 18 first downs in the first half alone and cruised to a 49-20 win.
Arkansas: The Razorbacks’ first loss, 23-21 to Texas A&M, was easily avoidable had the Razorbacks put their foot down when up 14-0 in the first half. Last week’s defeat, 49-26 to Alabama, was a 28-23 game before the Crimson Tide pulled away. Saturday’s was different: Mississippi State dominated from kickoff, likely ending Arkansas’ odds of a major bowl.
Kansas: Losing a close one to TCU doesn’t raise any major red flags, though there are some concerns about the status of quarterback Jalon Daniels, who left the game with an apparent upper-body injury. (His replacement, Jason Bean, was terrific as Daniels’ absence.)