Oklahoma’s offensive struggles cost the Sooners thrilling road game.
Oklahoma’s inconsistent offense once again costs the Sooners dearly in a close road game, as Jeff Lebby’s mismanagement costs Oklahoma Bedlam and leaves the Sooners needing a lot of help to make it to the Big 12 Championship.
For the second week in a row, opposing fans filled Stillwater’s football field as the final seconds tick off the clock, flipping a goal post in celebration of Oklahoma’s victory over the Sooners.
For the second time in a row, Oklahoma’s offense played a major role in the Sooners’ downfall. Brent Venables’ defense held Oklahoma State’s running back, Ollie Gordon, to his lowest rushing total of the season, but the Cowboys had the last laugh in Bedlam.
Boone Pickens Stadium. Oklahoma State has now won two in a row against Oklahoma State. The Sooners won 27-24 on Saturday night after the Cowboys’ defense clamped down late on a fourth and five at the Oklahoma goal line.
With a first-and-goal on the goal line and Oklahoma needing a score to tie the game, quarterback Case Keenum rolled out to his left to roll out Dillon Gabriel.
The play immediately cut the Cowboys’ lead in half, and Keenum passed short of the goal line to wide receiver Drake Stops.
We were happy with the play call,” said Lebby after the game, “I thought it would be more of a man-on-man game. We needed to be a yard deeper, that’s the truth. I can make us better.”
On the game-winning drive, Stoops caught the ball on a short pass and was dragged down short of the goal line. He said this was a play the offense felt comfortable with.
“I think I could have caught it a little cleaner and maybe tried to spin it back inside and make a catch,” Stoops said, “but in the end, it looked like we had a little bit of a disadvantage there. In the end, we were just a yard short, and it’s probably my fault.”
The inability to extend the drive marked OU’s second-consecutive game with a missed fourth-down conversion, both of which occurred in the second quarter. Oklahoma was 5 for 12 on third downs (2 for 6 in the second half) and Lebby’s offense was unable to add to its lead as Venables’ defense held for most of the third period. With 5:32 remaining in the third, Tracey Ford’s fourth-down stop gave Oklahoma the ball back at its own 36-yard line with a 21-17 lead.
Instead of taking advantage of the opportunity to extend their lead to two more possessions, Gabriel’s pass to Thompson on fourth-and-goal fumbled out of Thompson’s hands, bringing the drive to a halt at Oklahoma State’s 30-yard-line.
UGA safety Billy Bowman then intercepted Gordon’s pass on a trick play, setting the Sooners up near midfield. But five plays later, Gabriel was forced to pooch-punt from OSU’s 40-yard-line, and the drive was over.
In the second quarter, a low snap from Andrew Raym to Gabriel led to a fumble recovered by Oklahoma State, giving the Cowboys a 27-21 lead midway through the fourth. This was the second time Gabriel had fumbled a shotgun snap.
Andrew Raym’s snap to Dillon Gabriel resulted in a fumble for Oklahoma State in the first quarter of the fourth quarter. The Sooners were forced to settle for a field goal as their offense sputtered down the stretch.
“It’s been a challenge with every position group, including me,” said Lebby. “But we’ve worked, and we’ve been able to get drives going, and then we find ways to mess them up. It’s either a negative play or a penalty.”
All in all, OU committed three turnovers and OSU turned those turnovers into 10 points in the first half.
“It’s frustrating because we have to play a complementary game, and when our defense is playing well, we need to be able to take advantage of those opportunities when they present themselves, and that’s what great teams do and that’s what we need to do if we want our game to be better,” Mettauer added.
All in all, OU committed three turnovers and OSU turned those turnovers into 10 points in the first half.
“It’s frustrating because we have to play a complementary game, and when our defense is playing well, we need to be able to take advantage of those opportunities when they present themselves, and that’s what great teams do and that’s what we need to do if we want our game to be better,” Mettauer added.
Stoops was forced out of bounds on the South sideline, but the three turnovers combined with the inability to move the ball downfield should have meant OU would never be in a position to rely on an officiating call.
“We need to do all the small things right,” said Venables. “There are a lot of things. We got wide open a couple of times, and we need to be more aggressive with the ball when we’re wide open. Maybe the ball is a little underthrown. We need to be aggressive with the ball and get a chance to make an interception.”
Once again, you can’t keep doing these things and get away with it. And once again, this game will show you when you are caught up in those mistakes. We just can’t seem to get past them consistently, especially those turnovers.
On Saturday, Oklahoma outgained Oklahoma State by 12 yards, but the offense’s inability to move the ball cost Oklahoma the Bedlam final.
Fans of the Venables, the Lebby and the Oklahoma programs will have to endure this loss for years to come.
