Telling the Bedlam story: OU 28-13
Every play matters in a college football game but some do a better job of explaining the outcome than others. Here are the five plays that told the story of Oklahoma’s 28-13 victory over Oklahoma State in Bedlam.
OU 28, OSU 13
Play No. 1: Stoops goes high
It was an electric atmosphere to begin Bedlam, but OU had to make sure it gave the 84,000 fans a reason to get excited.
Oh, that’ll work, Drake Stoops.
On the first drive of the game, Stoops made an acrobatic, leaping catch for a 33-yard gain to have the Sooners knocking on the door for the end zone.
“He’s a stud. He did a great job,” offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby said. “I’m proud of him and proud of what he’s done to put himself in these positions. He’s created so much trust inside the locker room and with the staff. I can’t say enough good about him.”
Dillon Gabriel walked in on the next play, and the first quarter blitz was on. Stoops finished with six catches for 89 yards and a touchdown.
Play No. 2: Farooq is on fire
We stay in the first quarter because how could you not? It’s 7-0 Sooners, but OU is on its way to get seven more.
It wasn’t a great day for Gabriel or for wide receiver Jalil Farooq, but this was a special connection down the sideline for the 30-yard touchdown.
Good play call, good design, good execution. A 93-yard drive punctuated emphatically with Farooq strolling into the end zone.
Play No. 3: Laulu ‘no way’
We’re still in the first half of the first quarter, see a trend here? OSU is facing a third-and-one from its 24 yard line when Jonah Laulu enters the chat.
Spencer Sanders tries to thread that sucker in, but Woodi Washington makes a great play on the ball to pop it up in the air and look what Laulu found.
“I was dropping back, and he threw the ball,” Laulu said. “I turned and sprinted to get the ball. I just saw the ball in my hands, and I was like, ‘no way.’ I tried to turn and run. I was trying to move, but my legs weren’t cooperating. I tried to get what I could for the offense, but we still scored. It was just crazy. It didn’t feel real at all.”
Laulu returned the ball to the four yard line, and Eric Gray punched it in two plays later to give OU a 21-0 lead with 7:57 left in the first quarter.
Play No. 4: Bowman baits Sanders
The Sooners picked off Sanders four times, but none was more pretty than this one by Billy Bowman to start the second quarter.
The Sooners were up 28-0, but OSU was making its first sustained drive of the game and facing a third-and-nine at the OU 23 yard line.
Sanders looks like he has Jaden Bray for a wide open touchdown, but Bowman was just baiting the whole time. He jumped in front, picked it off and thwarted the threat.
Give a lot of credit to Marcus Stripling as well for providing the pressure, one of OU’s 12 quarterback hurries in the game.
Play No. 5: White gets his senior moment
Sometimes, the script gets written correctly. If nobody else, didn’t it feel like DaShaun White deserved to have at least one magical moment in his final OU home game?
He got two on back-to-back drives, but we’ll stick with the first one that finally felt like it ended any real threat of OSU pulling off the comeback.
It’s now 28-13 OU with just under six minutes left. OSU has a second-and-10 at the OU 16 yard line. Sanders is too high with his throw, and it’s a gift-wrapped interception for White in the end zone. White takes a knee for the touchback, and the emotions are just going through him.
“It just kind of felt... I appreciate this fanbase so much,” White said. “I've always felt like this has been my home and I felt the love quite a bit. Just kind of felt good to have that moment with the fans right there.”
White would get a third down sack on the following drive as the defense never let up despite being on the field for 102 plays.
Final quote
“A really cool night for me. To be a part of this as the head coach and watch these seniors walk off the field holding the trophy and just having some joy. Got a long ways to go but this was another step in the right direction.” – Brent Venables