Oklahoma vs TCU recap: 3 things we learned
Recapping what we learned from the Oklahoma Sooners’ wild 52-46 win over the No. 21 TCU Horned Frogs on Saturday night in Forth Worth.
The Oklahoma Sooners took an early lead in the race for the Big 12 championship with a dramatic 52-46 win over the No. 21 TCU Horned Frogs on Saturday evening at Amon G. Carter Stadium.
Following a pair of ugly nonconference looses, Oklahoma couldn’t have been too confident after fumbling on the third play of the game, which led to a Kenny Hill touchdown pass one snap later. Hill tossed three quick touchdowns to give the Horned Frogs a 21-7 lead early in the second.
Baker Mayfield and Dede Westbrook then led a frenzied comeback with 28 straight Sooner points in the second quarter. More importantly, the Sooners were able to limit the explosive plays for a stretch and got some pressure on Hill.
After the margin was stretched to 49-24, TCU rallied with three quick touchdowns early in the fourth to set up a wild final five minutes. Mayfield bled some clock with a couple of big passes resulting in a field goal and 52-46 Sooner lead with 1:55 to go, and the Oklahoma defense finally held, aided by a controversial intentional grounding call.
While its hard to tell if such a shootout was due more to good offense or terrible defense, we still learned a few things about both teams.
1. Baker Mayfield can still provide a major spark for the Sooners
Mayfield turned in a magical 2015 campaign worthy of Heisman consideration, and was the biggest reason the Sooners qualified for the College Football Playoff. The Texas Tech transfer threw for 3700 yards and recorded 43 touchdowns to help Oklahoma exceed expectations in an 11-2 campaign.
With Mayfield returning, the Sooners opened the season at No. 3 and were expected to challenge for a playoff berth again. However, Mayfield didn’t play quite at the same level in Oklahoma’s losses to Houston and Ohio State in nonconference play.
It was far from Mayfield’s fault, as the Sooners’ receivers and offensive line did not play well at all. Still, Oklahoma would have hoped for better from Mayfield, particuarly in the Ohio State game where he went 17/32 for 226 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Mayfield erased any doubts with a terrific performance against the Horned Frogs, completing 23 of 30 passes for 274 yards and two touchdowns, along with 55 yards and two scores on the ground. Despite the disparaging pair of losses, Mayfield came out fired up and kept Oklahoma from falling too far behind in the early stages.
If Mayfield can play at that level, the Sooners can run through the rest of their schedule, even if there are problems on the rest of the roster.
2. There is some semblance of hope for the Sooners defense
Giving up 46 points isn’t exactly ideal, but the Sooners defense actually played much better than in previous weeks and has a few things to be optimistic about moving forward.
The Sooners looked overmatched by both Houston and Ohio State on the defensive side of the ball. Oklahoma’s defensive line couldn’t generate any pressure with just five sacks on the season, the starting right cornerback position was a revolving door, and the group struggled to generate students. It looked like things weren’t going to get better, at least unless coordinator Mike Stoops was fired.
Oklahoma couldn’t contain TCU for the entire game and was lit up by Taj Williams, but played well in the second and third quarter while the offense built a big enough lead to win. Stoops brought a ton of pressure, with Obo Okoronkwo and Charles Walker harassing Hill constantly. The Sooners also recorded their first interception of the year at a key moment in the first quarter when TCU could have ran away with the game.
It was far from perfect, and Oklahoma isn’t going to a turn into a defensive juggernaut anytime soon. Still, the Sooners should be encourage to see the defense do just enough to support the offense after the disastrous Ohio State game.
3. TCU is in major trouble without KaVontae Turpin
This loss was obviously not on the TCU offense, which put up over 500 yards and 46 points. However, the Horned Frogs need to execute on just about every drive to make up for their defensive woes, which is going to be difficult for the time being.
Williams blew past the Oklahoma secondary with five catches for 210 yards and two touchdowns, and Hill turned in an effort reminiscent of his early days at Texas A&M. The Horned Frogs got into trouble in the second and third quarter, when the offense looked out of sync.
Having just 65 rushing yards doesn’t help, but the Horned Frogs really missed Turpin on Saturday. Turpin, one of the most explosive playmakers in the nation, could have made the difference during that stretch where the Horned Frogs couldn’t move the ball or come close to stopping Mayfield.
As Turpin has a PCL injury, he could miss several games, which could mean a few more losses in Big 12 play for the Horned Frogs. There are plenty of playmakers on the TCU offense, but even it can’t do enough with Turpin out to recover from the defensive problems.