The Sooners got great news this week as Jalil Farooq — who has been out since the season opener — and Deion Burks — who has missed the last five games — both returned for the highly anticipated matchup with No. 25 Missouri. Unfortunately, the injury bug struck again, as leading rusher Jovantae Barnes — fresh off a career day — was ruled out for this game.
With Farooq and Burks back, you’d think Oklahoma’s first-quarter offense would come from an actual offensive player, but no — it came from punter Luke Elzinga. Yes, you heard that right. Elzinga connected with Bauer Sharp on a fake punt for a 43-yard gain, setting up OU in the red zone.
It’s been a rough year for Oklahoma’s offensive line, which started another new combination today due to Michael Taquin’s absence. This time, it was Logan Howland, Heath Ozaeta, Troy Everett, Febechi Nwaiwu, and Spencer Brown. That new mix struggled quickly, giving up two straight sacks after the fake punt and putting the Sooners in a 3rd-and-25 hole, where they couldn’t convert.
Zach Schmit came in and nailed a 40-yard field goal to give OU a 3-0 lead. On the following possession, Missouri faced a 4th-and-1 and handed the ball to their star receiver Luther Burden — but he was met by Billy Bowman, who delivered a huge hit and forced a turnover on downs.
After the turnover, the Sooners tacked on another 35-yard field goal from Schmit, extending their lead to 6-0. Oklahoma then forced a punt, but Peyton Bowen muffed it, giving Missouri possession at the OU 22. The Tigers capitalized with a 25-yard field goal to cut the lead to 6-3.
Sensing a pattern? Oklahoma’s scoring came exclusively from punter Elzinga and kicker Schmit. Schmit continued his stellar day, drilling a career-high 56-yard field goal as time expired in the first half, giving the Sooners a 9-3 lead at the break.
The Sooners’ defense opened the second half by forcing a quick three-and-out, but a risky call by Brent Venables to go for it on 4th-and-1 ended in failure when Taylor Tatum was stopped short, giving Missouri a short field. That decision came back to haunt Oklahoma, as former Sooner Theo Wease caught a 13-yard touchdown pass, putting the Tigers up 10-9. The momentum had shifted, and Oklahoma’s offense, which had been stagnant, needed a spark.
Faced with another fourth down, the Sooners turned to true freshman power back Xavier Robinson, who powered his way to a first down. On the following third down, Jackson Arnold targeted Jacob Jordan, but the pass was dropped, leading to a punt. The defense again came through, forcing Missouri to punt.
With time winding down in the third quarter, the Sooners had a critical third-and-three. After burning a timeout to regroup, Arnold connected with Burks for a 14-yard gain — but Burks fumbled, giving Missouri another short field. The Tigers capitalized quickly, scoring on a 5-yard touchdown reception. A missed PAT kept the score at 16-9. The Sooners were still within one score, but they needed a touchdown — something they’d struggled to find all game.
Oklahoma’s response came courtesy of Robinson, who carried the load with seven rushes for 48 yards on the ensuing drive. It was capped off by a trick play, with Taylor Tatum tossing an 18-yard touchdown pass to Arnold, tying the game at 16.
On Missouri’s next possession, Sammy Omosigho forced a fumble, which was scooped up by Bowman and returned 43 yards for a touchdown, giving Oklahoma a 23-16 lead. Now, the Sooners just needed one more stop to secure bowl eligibility, but Missouri had other plans.
On 3rd-and-16 with just over a minute left, Pyne connected with Burden for a 33-yard gain, putting Missouri in the red zone. Moments later, Pyne found Wease for a 10-yard touchdown — his second of the game — tying it at 23. Oklahoma had one last chance, getting the ball with 1:03 to play.
The question: did Arnold have a game-winning drive in him? The answer was a resounding no. Instead, he fumbled, and Missouri returned it 17 yards for a touchdown, sealing a 30-23 victory. It was a crushing end and Arnold’s second fumble of the night.
The Sooners fell to 5-5 (1-5) and now need a win against either No. 11 Alabama or No. 15 LSU to secure bowl eligibility. Adding to their woes, Burks took a hard hit late and was helped off the field.
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