Oklahoma football: Notable numbers in Bedlam 15-rounder

It was a record-breaking day for both Oklahoma football teams, but the end result was pretty much the same as it has been throughout the 112 games in the Bedlam Series.

In a game that was in the balance right up to the very end, the Sooners held on to post a 62-52 shootout victory over Oklahoma State that was even closer than the final score indicated.

A controversial targeting call against OU’s Will Johnson on a third-down play wiped out an interception by Sooner freshman Tre Brown, giving Oklahoma State an automatic first down and brand new life at the Oklahoma 40-yard line with under two minutes remaining in the game.

To many Sooner fans, the ill-fated turn of events felt like the game officials had just awarded the victory to Oklahoma State, especially the way quarterback Mason Rudolph had been playing all afternoon against the stressed Oklahoma defense.

Call it Sooner Magic or a gift from the football gods, but the young Oklahoma defense made its defensive stand of the game, forcing the Oklahoma State offense to turn the ball over on downs when Rudolph overthrew his receiver in the end zone on 4th-and eight from the OU 38-yard line.

That preserved the 55-52 Oklahoma advantage, and Sooner freshman running back Trey Sermon added extra icing with a 53-yard touchdown run with just 42 ticks left on the game clock.

The 114 total points scored in the game represented an all-time record in the Bedlam football series, just one of a number of record-breaking or record-tying performances on a perfect fall afternoon for football at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, where the Sooners have now won seven of the last eight Bedlam games played there.

Here are a Baker’s dozen more notable numbers from a game that will be remembered for some time:

0 – Baker Mayfield has never lost a true road game in his three seasons at Oklahoma. He is 13-0 in such games playing for OU.

1 – First-year head coach Lincoln Riley won his first Bedlam game as the OU head coach. That puts the 34-year-old head coach in good company with the likes of Bud Wilkinson, Barry Switzer and Bob Stoops, all of whom were victorious in their first Bedlam game as head coach.

10 – The victory over Oklahoma State gives OU 10 consecutive wins in the month of November.

11:22 – Oklahoma had the ball for 11 minutes and 22 seconds longer than Oklahoma State did in the game, yet the Cowboys ran 12 more offensive plays than the Sooners (88 to 76).

15 – The Sooners now have 15 consecutive road victories, the longest active streak among FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) teams. As the higher-ranked team, Oklahoma is 13-0 against Oklahoma State.

15-1 – Oklahoma’s record against Oklahoma State when both teams are ranked in the Associated Press Top 25.

23-9 – Oklahoma’s won-loss record in games when ESPN’s “College GameDay” is present.

35 – Baker Mayfield threw five touchdown passes in the game. He has now thrown a TD pass in 35 consecutive games. That is one behind the Big 12 record holder, Graham Harrell of Texas Tech.

100 – This was Rodney Anderson’s third consecutive game exceeding 100 yards rushing. He finished with 111 rushing yards on 21 carries, an average of 5.3 yards per carry.

146-99 – Points margin by which the Sooners have won their last three trips to Stillwater.

265 – Receiving yards for sophomore Marquise Brown, breaking the school record held by Dede Westrook (232 yards vs. Texas in 2016)

598 – Passing yards in the game by OU’s Baker Mayfield. That sets a new school record previously held by Landry Jones.

785 – Oklahoma’s 785 yards of total offense was the fourth most in school history.