Oklahoma vs Oklahoma State: Score, highlights and recap

The Oklahoma Sooners rode running backs Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon to their second straight Big 12 championship.

Oklahoma left no doubt that they are the best team in the Big 12. Coming into this game, Oklahoma State had a chance to cause a real stir in the College Football Playoff by upsetting their rivals on the road, but the Sooners overcame the loss of Dede Westbrook to power through to a win. They have now won their second straight Big 12 Championship, as well as their 10th in 18 seasons under Bob Stoops.

The Sooners struggled to get their offense going in the first and trailed 3-0 at the end of the quarter. The Cowboys could hardly get anything going either, as their field goal came as a result of a bad snap at the one-yard line.

But at the start of the second, we saw an all-too-familiar sight when Baker Mayfield connected with Dede Westbrook for a 69-yard touchdown. Once Oklahoma got down to the one-yard line thanks to a 67-yard catch by their fullback, it looked like they would add another touchdown. But Joe Mixon dropped a sure thing, and they had to settle for three.

Oklahoma State answered right back when a 44-yard catch by James Washington set them up in the red zone. From there, Chris Carson punched it in from six yards out to tie the game at 10. Mason Rudolph added a touchdown on the very next drive on a zone read.

While all of this was going on, Dede Westbrook was on the receiving end of a brutal hit by Jordan Sterns. Even though he got him below the shoulders, his head hit the turf pretty hard, and he didn’t return to the game. It’s a shame, because prior to that hit, he had 111 yards and a touchdown on four catches. He was on his way to boosting his Heisman stock with a great showing. Instead, he leaves with an injury, which is a big blow to the Sooners.

It looked like Oklahoma was shocked after Westbrook left, but they responded well. Geno Lewis tied the game heading into halftime, while Samaje Perine capped off an opening-drive touchdown in the third to give them the lead. Joe Mixon then caught a touchdown pass to extend the lead to 31-17, and in a great moment, he went over to hug Dede.

Oklahoma State was in desperate need of a spark, and for Mason Rudolph to pick up his game. On his first 14 pass attempts, he completed just five of them for 74 yards. He finally got something going when he found Jhajuan Seales for a 54-yard completion, but he couldn’t generate anything in the red zone. While the Cowboys should’ve gone for it on fourth down, they instead settled for a field goal.

Perine was terrorizing the Cowboys all game long, but he fumbled the ball to start the fourth quarter and suffered a head injury. However, after successfully converting a fourth down, Ben Grogan missed a field goal that would’ve made it a one possession game.

Joe Mixon capitalized on that by going 79 yards to the house on the very next play to make it 38-20. And when they had a chance to add another touchdown to that at the very end, Perine instead took a knee at the one-yard line in a respectful gesture.

Three stars

Samaje Perine – The emergence of Joe Mixon made it easy to forget how great Perine is, but he reminded everyone of that. He tore through Oklahoma State’s defense with 239 yards on 37 carries. However, the Sooners were still able to make use of Mixon as a pass-catcher. Even without Dede Westbrook, the Sooners have an extremely balanced rushing attack. It’s why their offense is so potent.

Joe Mixon – I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Joe Mixon along with Samaje Perine. By contrast, he only had 11 carries, but he made the most of them by going for 99 yards and the clinching touchdown. He also caught a touchdown out of the backfield and added 19 receiving yards.

Baker Mayfield – Most quarterbacks would cave under pressure after losing their best playmaker. Not Baker Mayfield, who continued to spread the ball to his weapons after Westbrook went down. Finishing with 288 yards and three touchdowns, it’s pretty clear that Mayfield makes Westbrook look great, rather than the other way around.

Highlights

"Showtime in Norman! Touchdown @OU_Football! #Bedlam https://t.co/K9Jbb644j9— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) December 3, 2016"

"Mason Rudolph keeps it and gives @CowboyFB the lead! #Bedlam https://t.co/eR9QcsVdSy— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) December 3, 2016"

"This is just ridiculous. Joe Mixon to the house! #Bedlam https://t.co/wJGZV6V6d0— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) December 3, 2016"

What’s next

The regular season is over for both teams, and they can now look forward to bowl season. It’s safe to say Oklahoma won’t be in the College Football Playoff despite winning this game. Although, as Big 12 champions, they will be playing in the Sugar Bowl.

Next: Ranking The 25 Best Rivalries In College Football

Oklahoma has one of the most complete offenses in the country, and they had an answer for everything the Cowboys tried to do. They’re one of the teams that nobody wants to play come bowl season.