Oklahoma football: Five best Sooner games of the decade
By Chip Rouse
No. 2 — Oklahoma at Baylor, Nov. 14, 2015
Baker Mayfield and the 12th-ranked Sooners went on the road in mid-November 2015 to face an undefeated Baylor Bears team that was undefeated at 8-0, riding a 20-game home winning streak and ranked No. 6 in the College Football Playoff rankings.
It was Mayfield’s first season as the Oklahoma starting quarterback and his first trip to Waco, Texas, and newly built McClane Stadium on the banks of the Brazos River.
Baylor jumped out to an early 7-0 lead, going 80 yards in eight plays in its first possession, but that was the last time the Bears would lead in this game as the Sooners came right back with an 11-play, 65-yard touchdown drive to go ahead 7-6.
OU led 20-13 at the half, but Baylor opened the second half with a long touchdown drive to draw even at 20 apiece. Oklahoma scored touchdowns on its next two possessions, however — a seven-yard pass from Mayfield to Sterling Shepard and a 56-yard touchdown run by Samaje Perine — to go up by 14, 34-20, and the Sooners managed to hold off the Bears from there.
Behind Mayfield’s 270 passing yards and three touchdowns and 166 yards rushing by Perine, Oklahoma totaled 511 yards of offense in posting a 44-34 victory and handing Baylor its first defeat of the season. The loss also ended the Bear’s hopes of making it into the College Football Playoff that season.
Shepard also had a big game for OU with 14 catches for 177 yards and a couple of touchdowns.
Jarrett Stidham, a true freshman, was the quarterback for Baylor, and was making just his second start, filling in for the injured Seth Russell. Stidham threw for 257 yards and two touchdowns, but also threw two interceptions.
Coming into the game, Baylor had won its last eight games against opponents ranked in the top 25.