TCU Falls To Oklahoma
{fshare id=4386}
NORMAN, Okla. — Baylor is scoring the points.
The Sooners are making the stops.
The two are headed toward what could be a monumental November collision in Waco, Texas.
The Sooners’ 20-17 victory over TCU on Saturday night gave them a good grip on the top of the Big 12 Conference standings.
“They whipped us on some plays,” coach Bob Stoops said. “We got them in enough plays to win the game.”
Oklahoma got them in more than enough plays in the first half before a shaky second half. It was enough for a victory for the No. 11 Sooners and a 2-0 start in the Big 12
TCU had just 135 yards of offense before its last offensive possession when it moved 76 yards. The Horned Frogs had just 10 first downs and none in the first half. And while the Oklahoma offense was shaky throughout, it got a Brennan Clay 75-yard touchdown run when TCU was threatening.
“It’s tough when the game is getting tight,” quarterback Blake Bell said. “When he breaks one like that, it’s a great feeling.”
Offensively, the Sooners had their moments, but they weren’t particularly sharp. The Sooners had 355 yards of total offense but just 4 yards and no first downs in
the third quarter.
“Offensively, we got some stuff we need to correct,” Bell said. “It was tough. I need to do a better job.”
Bell passed for 152 yards on a 20-of-31 attempts and ran for 61 yards, but the Sooners needed Clay’s run for some space.
TCU’s Trevone Boykin scored with 2:26 left before Oklahoma ran out the clock.
“You have to give Oklahoma a lot of credit,” TCU coach Gary Patterson said. “We were physically outmatched in the first half. In the second half, we had to find answers. I promise you, there are not going to be a lot of people who score 35 points on them this season.”
TCU didn’t come close to making a first down and had just nine plays in the first quarter. Dating to the Notre Dame game, the Sooners didn’t allow a first down in 10-consecutive series. It’s the longest streak by the Oklahoma defense since 2003.
Through their first seven possessions, the Frogs had 1 yard rushing. They picked up consecutive first downs midway through the third quarter and drove inside the OU 25.
After holding the Horned Frogs to just 16 total yards in the first half, the Sooners gave up two touchdowns, and TCU recovered an onside kick and had a fourth-quarter drive to take the lead.
But the No. 11 Sooners survived a scare, a week after winning at Notre Dame and a week before playing Texas in Dallas, improving to 5-0 and 2-0 in the Big 12.
After a dreadful first half where TCU had no first downs, the Horned Frogs scored the first 10 points of the second half and got within 13-10 heading into the fourth quarter. TCU had a chance to take the lead midway through the fourth quarter, but Oklahoma got the stop it needed and Clay scored on the next possession.
Meanwhile, the victory puts Oklahoma on track for meeting with major BCS implications with high-powered Baylor on Nov. 7. The Sooners still have games against Texas, at Kansas and home against Texas Tech before that would come to be, but for now it looks like the Sooners and the Bears are the class of the conference.
TCU fell to 2-3 overall and 0-2 in the Big 12.
Boykin had 166 yards passing and two rushing touchdowns.
Neither team had a turnover.
“We wanted to make things uncomfortable,” Oklahoma defensive coordinator Mike Stoops said. “For the most part, we did. Overall our guys played well.”
Well enough that it keeps Oklahoma and Baylor on track for what should be an amazing Nov. 7. Oregon and Stanford also play that night.
And while Baylor has had no problems scoring — the Bears whipped West Virginia on Saturday — the Sooners have been one of the best defensive teams in the nation. Oklahoma shut out ULM in its opener, held West Virginia to seven points, ran over Tulsa and then beat Notre Dame 35-21 in South Bend, Ind., last week.
“That is a good Oklahoma football team,” Patterson said. “We put ourselves in position to win it.”
