Stormin in Norman
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Oklahoma football: Storylines surrounding Sooners-Cowboys in Bedlam

By Chip Rouse

STILLWATER, OK - NOVEMBER 30: Quarterback Jalen Hurts #1 of the Oklahoma Sooners breaks free for a 28-yard touchdown run against defensive lineman Troy James #94 of the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the first quarter on November 30, 2019 at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
STILLWATER, OK - NOVEMBER 30: Quarterback Jalen Hurts #1 of the Oklahoma Sooners breaks free for a 28-yard touchdown run against defensive lineman Troy James #94 of the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the first quarter on November 30, 2019 at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images) /
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The Oklahoma football Sooners have had more success against Oklahoma State in terms of total wins than any other opponent.

The Sooners are 90-19-7 all-time against their in-state rivals, an .806 winning percentage, and are 43-9-2 when the game is played in Norman, which is the site for the 117th renewal of the Bedlam series in football on Saturday.

According to the 2022 NCAA Records Book 25 FBS matchups have taken place at least 110 times. Among those, Oklahoma’s .806 winning percentage over Oklahoma State leads the list.

OU is 8-2 in its last 10 games against the in-state Cowboys, including a 37-33 loss in last year’s game. The Sooners actually led 33-21 early in the fourth quarter last season in Stillwater but was unable to hold on to the end.

The Sooners have scored at least 33 points in each of the last 10 games with their Bedlam rivals and have averaged 43 points a game. Since the start of the 2012 season, Oklahoma is 84-6 when scoring at least 35 points.

As you would imagine, there are always numerous storylines associated with an annual rivalry game, and Bedlam is no exception. Here are some of the compelling storylines associated with 2022 Bedlam football:

  • This is Brent Venables’ first go-around as head coach in a Bedlam game, but it is not his first rodeo when it comes to an Oklahoma-Oklahoma State football game. As a member of Bob Stoops’ coaching staff from 1999-2011 (as co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach from 1999-2003 and associate head coach, defensive coordinator and linebackers coach from 2004-2011), Venables was 10-3 in games against Oklahoma State. The Sooners only lost once at home in a Bedlam game while Venables was on Stoops’ staff.
  • In addition to the OU-Oklahoma State rivalry, this game was also a brotherly rivalry for 30 years. Mike Gundy was a quarterback, assistant and for the past 18 years as head coach at Oklahoma State. His younger brother, Cale Gundy, was a quarterback and longtime coaching assistant at Oklahoma. Since 1990, Cale’s first season at OU, the Sooners’ record against Oklahoma State is 23-8-1. This all came to an end when Cale resigned prior to the start of this season after using a racial slur in a team film session.
  • A win over Oklahoma State on Saturday would make Oklahoma bowl eligible for the 24th consecutive season, the second-longest active streak nationally.
  • Oklahoma State quarterback Spencer Sanders has been battling a shoulder injury which caused him to miss most of a 48-0 loss to Kansas State, a 37-16 loss to Kansas and most of the Cowboys’ 20-14 win last week over Iowa State. His status for Saturday’s game with Oklahoma is still unclear, but Oklahoma is planning for him to play. Sanders is 1-2 against OU in his three seasons as the starting quarterback at Oklahoma State.
  • The last time Oklahoma entered a Bedlam game as an unranked team was in 2009. A 6-5 Oklahoma team hosted No. 11 Oklahoma State that season. The unranked Sooners limited the Oklahoma State offense to just 109 total yards and shut out the Cowboys 27-0.
  • OU running back Eric Gray has rushed for over 100 yards in each of his last four games. He is averaging 6.7 yards per carry, sixth-best nationally. Oklahoma State ranks seventh in the Big 12 in rushing defense, below West Virginia, which yielded 211 rushing yards to Gray last weekend.

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