Sooners Survive Tulsa’s Air Attack to Win by Two Touchdowns, 52-38
By Chip Rouse
After leading by three touchdowns early against a fired up Tulsa team that didn’t have the word quit in its game plan, the Sooners discovered that no lead is safe when you go against an offense similar to your own, and found themselves in an aerial dogfight and a final outcome that was too close for comfort, even in coming away with a 52-38 victory.
Oklahoma and Tulsa combined for 1,376 yards of total offense on Saturday afternoon at OU’s Owen Field, 914 of it coming through the air. Both teams virtually advanced the ball at will, neither defense having much success slowing down prolific passing display put on by the two quarterbacks, Baker Mayfield of Oklahoma, and Dane Evans of Tulsa.
Sep 19, 2015; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Jarvis Baxter (1) runs for a touchdown after a reception while being pursued by Tulsa Golden Hurricane defensive end Derrick Alexander (54) during the third quarter at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Mayfield completed 32 of 38 passes for 487 yards and four touchdowns, his best as the Sooner QB. The Texas Tech transfer also got it done with his legs, adding another 85 yards rushing. In total, Mayfield accounted for six of the Sooners seven touchdowns on the day.
Tulsa’s Evans had an equally outstanding game, throwing for 427 yards and four touchdowns, with senior wide receiver Keeyaris Garrett on the receiving end of 14 of Evans’ passes for 189 yards.
Even with all of the passes thrown in the game (89 total), neither quarterback threw an interception.
When they weren’t getting it done through the air, both teams turned to their top running backs for hard-earned yards on the ground. OU’s Samaje Perine, found the going tough in the first half but broke out in the second half, totaling 152 yards on 22 rushing attempts for roughly seven yards per carry.
Not to be outdone, Zack Langer of Tulsa rambled for 161 yards on 31 carries.
Oklahoma ended up with 773 yards of total offense (487 passing, 286 rushing) to Tulsa’s 603.
The Sooners were playing short-handed on the back end of their defense. Starting cornerback Jordan Thomas was held out of the game for what was described by OU sources as “an internal team matter.” Freshman P.J. Mbanasor replaced Thomas in the Sooner secondary and was taken to school on multiple occasions by the talented and more experienced Golden Hurricane receivers.
There were a number of positives that came out of the game for the Sooners, despite the surprisingly close margin of victory. But the game also brought out some significant concerns that will need to be quickly addressed if OU’s success this season is to continue.
The good news is that the Sooners have a bye week coming up and do not play again until Oct. 3, when West Virginia comes to Norman. Looks like they will be able to put the extra practice time to good use.