Oklahoma football: Notable numbers from a satisfying Sooner win
By Chip Rouse
Oklahoma football has won nine of 10 games against TCU since the Horned Frogs have been members of the Big 12.
As Sooner head coach Lincoln Riley pointed out in his postgame press conference on Saturday, playing against a Gary Patterson-coached team is always going to be a challenge, and to do what we did today, and on their field, is a real accomplishment.
Oklahoma recorded 498 yards of total offense against one of the better defenses in the Big 12. The Sooners had produced over 500 yards of offense in five of the previous six meetings between these two teams and came within a couple of yards of doing so again on Saturday.
The Sooners led 10-0 over TCU after one quarter on Saturday and increased their first-quarter scoring margin over opponents in the opening quarter this season to a dominating 68-3. OU has cumulatively outscored its opponents in every quarter this season but the fourth. And it happened again at TCU with the Horned Frogs outscoring the Sooners 7-6 in the final frame.
OU’s opponents have outscored the Sooners 52-23 in the final quarter, which is the prime reason Oklahoma has been criticized this season for its inability to close out games.
Here are some other numbers that help tell the story of Oklahoma’s big road victory at TCU:
3/9 — The Oklahoma defense recorded three sacks and nine tackles for loss in the TCU game. OU has 19 tackles for loss in its last two games.
5.8 — Average yards per carry by OU running back T.J. Pledger over his last two games. He rushed for 122 yards against TCU and 131 against Texas, both times on 22 carries.
8 — Solo tackles by Sooner defensive back Brendan “Bookie” Radley-Hiles against TCU. That led both teams on Saturday.
14-2 — The Sooners’ record in true road games in four seasons with Lincoln Riley as head coach.
21 of 22 — OU has won 21 of its last 22 games immediately following the Texas game.
29.0 — Sophomore wide receiver Theo Wease caught three passes for a career-high 87 yards, an average of 29 yards per catch.
33:17 — For the fifth straight game Oklahoma won the time of possession (33:17 to 26:43). The Sooners rank sixth among FBS teams in that category.
41 — TCU rushing yards against Oklahoma before QB Max Duggan’s 34-yard scramble.
42-8 — Oklahoma’s record away from home since the 2012 season.
43 — Freshman RB Seth McGowan returned to action after missing the Texas game because of concussion protocol. On the Sooners first possession at TCU, he caught a 43-yard pass from Spencer Rattler that led to OU’s first touchdown.
201 — Passing yards by Spencer Rattler on Saturday on second down alone. He completed seven of nine passes in the game on second down.
12,000 — Fans in attendance at TCU’s Amon G. Carter Stadium for the game on Saturday.