Oklahoma outlasts Oklahoma State in insane Bedlam game: 3 takeaways

Here’s what we learned from the No. 5 Oklahoma Sooners taking down the No. 11 Oklahoma State Cowboys, 62-52, on Saturday afternoon in Stillwater.

Bedlam is one of the most anticipated matchups in college football every year, and Saturday’s showdown between the No. 5 Oklahoma Sooners and No. 11 Oklahoma State Cowboys did not disappoint.

As expected, both ultra-explosive offenses came out firing on all cylinders to start the tense rivalry showdown. Baker Mayfield overcame an early interception by tossing a pair of touchdown passes in the first quarter while the Sooners managed to force a field goal on Oklahoma State’s first drive to take a 14-10 lead heading into the second.

Things really took off in the second quarter with both teams combining for 52 points. Mayfield added two more touchdowns to give Oklahoma a lead as large as 28-17, but Mason Rudolph countered with two scores of his own to keep the game competitive. With just 39 seconds remaining in the half, Justice Hill broke off a 30-yard touchdown run to knot things up at 38, setting up a thrilling finish.

Out of the break, the Sooners suddenly remembered how to play defense, impressively shutting out Oklahoma State in the third quarter. With the Cowboys driving for a go-ahead touchdown, Will Johnson picked off Rudolph in the end zone, and Oklahoma took a 48-38 advantage three plays later thanks to long receptions by Mark Andrews and Rodney Anderson.

The Cowboys, unfortunately, lost All-American wide receiver James Washington to an ankle injury shortly after but were not done yet. Rudolph found Tyron Johnson on a 33-yard touchdown pass on the opening drive of the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 48-45 with 12:30 to go.

Mayfield would simply not let the Cowboys enjoy any momentum, and hit emerging star Marquise Brown on a 77-yard score just a few seconds later. Again the Cowboys would counter quickly, as Johnson’s second touchdown made it a 55-52 at the 9:51 mark.

The Sooners, who couldn’t run the ball effectively all day, then turned in an impressive clock-chewing drive, only to have Mayfield picked off by Chris Whitener near his own end zone, setting up Rudolph with 2:59 to go. With Oklahoma State driving, Ogbonnia Okoronkwo tallied the Sooners’ first sack of the day, and Rudolph appeared to be intercepted by Tre Brown one play later, only for the play to be overturned on an extensively ruled targeting call.

Oklahoma was left with two true freshmen at cornerback but impressively managed to stop Rudolph on four straight plays to seal the victory. Trey Sermon added a 53-yard touchdown run for good measure to make the final score 62-52 for Oklahoma’s third straight Bedlam victory.

The two teams combined for 1,432 yards of offense in the thrilling shootout, with a few school and Bedlam records falling along the way. Here’s what we learned from Oklahoma’s wild rivalry win on Saturday afternoon.

Three takeaways

Marquise Brown is a welcome playmaking addition to the Oklahoma offense

One of the big questions coming into the season was who, if anyone, could replace Oklahoma’s lost production at wide receiver after Dede Westbrook moved on to the NFL. The Sooners may have found their answer on Saturday with a huge game from Brown.

At College of the Canyons last season, Brown racked up 50 catches for 754 yards and 10 touchdowns to become one of the most sought-after JUCO players in college football. Oklahoma welcomed Brown’s production early in the year, as he ranked third on the team entering Saturday with 478 yards, including a huge game in a tough win at Kansas State on Oct. 21.

Brown now looks like Mayfield’s top target after piling up nine catches for 265 yards and two scores, both of which were at least 77 yards. With Anderson’s versatility out of the backfield and Mayfield’s improvisational ability, having another big-play threat in Brown could make the Sooners unstoppable.

Both teams will lose again without defensive improvement 

As great as their offenses are, both Oklahoma and Oklahoma State’s major bowl hopes rest on getting better defensive performances over the rest of the year.

Oklahoma has struggled on the defensive end in Big 12 play, but at least knows it has the potential to be better after holding Ohio State to 350 yards and 16 points in a huge road win earlier this season. With so much youth in the secondary, the Sooners need to do a better job generating a pass rush, as they were unable to get to Rudolph until late.

Meanwhile, Mike Gundy needs to go back to the drawing board on defense, which might start with moving on from coordinator Glenn Spencer. While the Cowboys racked up five sacks and picked off Mayfield twice, they could not limit big plays whatsoever and will be disappointed to waste another year with one of the most prolific offenses in the country.

Baker Mayfield is your new Heisman leader 

Late mistake aside, Mayfield was terrific on Saturday, and will now be atop the Heisman race after modest games from fellow contenders over the weekend.

With Saquon Barkley, J.T. Barrett and Bryce Love taking over the Heisman race since Oklahoma’s loss to Iowa State, Mayfield was somewhat forgotten from a national perspective. That’s going to change after Saturday’s game, as Mayfield went 24-of-36 for a school-record 598 yards and five touchdowns, along with another score on the ground.

Meanwhile, Barkley was limited to just 63 yards in a loss to Michigan State, Barrett regressed heavily in a blowout defeat at Iowa, and Love was held in check outside of one long touchdown run. If Oklahoma wins out to make the playoff and Mayfield continues at his current pace, he will take home the Heisman Trophy.