Oklahoma football: OU’s record 1st quarter rapidly becomes a no-show

The Oklahoma football Sooners were on the short end of most every offensive category against No. 24 Oklahoma State on Saturday night, except the one that counts the most: the scoreboard.

There are many games a team is going to win against a ranked opponent while scoring no points, gaining just two first downs and 69 yards of total offense in second half and running 28 fewer plays than your opponent.

But that’s what Oklahoma achieved in the 2022 Bedlam game against the Cowboys of OSU. It was the Sooners’ 91st win in the 117-game history of the rivalry series. Those 91 wins are the most by Oklahoma against any opponent and the second most by any FBS team against one program.

Oklahoma’s record-setting opening quarter — 28 points and 299 yards of offense — proved to be the difference in the game.

Here are a dozen more numbers that help tell the story of Oklahoma’s Bedlam win:

.07 — Oklahoma’s success ratio on third-down conversions vs. Oklahoma State (1 of 14). That follows a 1 for 11 performance a week ago at West Virginia.

2 — Earlier this season an Oklahoma loss helped put three different Big 12 teams in the Associated Press Top 25. With the win over No. 24 Oklahoma State, OU can now take credit for knocking two team out of the top 25 (Kansas and Oklahoma State).

6 — Senior WR Drake Stoops has a career-high six catches for 89 yards and a23-yard touchdown reception.

9 — The Sooner defense has allowed just nine points in the first half in the last two games (6 at West Virginia and 3 by Oklahoma State). The last time OU allowed nine or fewer points in the first half in consecutive Big 12 games was in 2012.

11 — OU punter Michael Turk punted 11 times in the game and averaged 49.0 yards per kick. The last time an Oklahoma punter had that many punts in a game was Jeff Ferguson in 2001. Perhaps his best play of the game, however, was afterwards when he proposed to Sooner softball star Grace Lyons.

14 of 18 — Quarterback Dillon Gabriel completed 14 of 18 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter Saturday night and was 6 of 22 for 35 yards and no touchdowns over the final three quarters.

15-3 — Oklahoma’s record against Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy.

25 — Oklahoma has won 25 of its last 29 November games, including 12 against AP Top-25 teams.

102 — Offensive plays by Oklahoma State compared to just 74 by Oklahoma.

365 — The Sooners had 365 yards of offense in the first half but just 69 in the second half.

1,203 — Running back Eric Gray has gained 1,203 rushing yards this season and is averaging 6.5 yards per attempt. The former Tennessee transfer now ranks 18th among OU single-season rushing leaders with at least two more games to go.

84,132 — The announced attendance at the game on Saturday night, the 146th consecutive sellout at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium of a regularly scheduled Oklahoma home game. That is the second longest active streak in the nation.