Oklahoma 47, Oklahoma State 41: Sooners Survive Bedlam Game, Insane Fourth Quarter

The Bedlam Game, this year, included 40 points in the fourth quarter. But, as has been the case more often than not, it’s the Oklahoma Sooners that are still standing, after outgunning the nation’s top-ranked offense en route to a 47-41 win.

That final quarter was exhilarating, but it was also decisive: the score was 24-24 when it began, and Oklahoma’s offensive execution in the first half of the final period was what gave the Sooners the advantage. The Sooners kicked two field goals in the first 7:22 of the quarter, then matched the Cowboys, pyrotechnic play for pyrotechnic play, as the game went off the rails in the latter half of the period, each team scoring 17 points in the last six minutes of play, at one point trading two touchdowns apiece in just 1:32 of clock.

Yeah, like you thought it was going to calm down in Stillwater. Bedlam is the order of the day in the Bedlam Game.

Just moments after Oklahoma State scored on a Justin Gilbert kickoff return to cut Oklahoma’s lead to 40-38, Oklahoma went to the air to put up six points. Landry Jones lofted a pass beautifully to James Hanna, who took the ball the rest of the 76 yards for a touchdown, Oklahoma’s fourth through the air on the night. With the extra point, the Sooners restored their lead to a two-possession advantage, going up 47-38.

Oklahoma had tacked on three field goals after Oklahoma State tied the game at 24-24. With one drive, the Cowboys have all but erased that deficit.

The Cowboys stormed down the field in a hurry, scoring a touchdown on a six-play, 66-yard drive that took under two minutes off the clock. And it was Justin Blackmon, gamely running around on an ankle that has had him hobbling all night long, who caught the touchdown pass, a 15-yarder from Brandon Weeden, that enabled the Cowboys to cut the Oklahoma lead to 33-31.

We’ve had flurries of points, an interception for the ages, and a seesaw battle for the lead in Stillwater. The Bedlam Game is living up to the hype.

The Sooners have the lead now, a 27-24 edge that they obtained with a Jimmy Stevens field goal early in the fourth quarter. The kick capped a 16-play, 74-yard drive, but it was the second time Oklahoma had to settle for a field goal despite driving into the Cowboys’ red zone.

The interception Brodrick Brown set up with a sensational play late in the second quarter didn’t seem to change momentum at that moment. But maybe it was a slow-developing shift.

Since that pick, the Cowboys have outscored Oklahoma 14-3, and just tied this game for the first time since it was 0-0 on a 20-yard pass from Brandon Weeden to Josh Cooper.

Suddenly, Oklahoma State is alive. And again, it was the defense of the team with the top-ranked offense in the country making the big play — this time, perhaps an all-time great play.

Brodrick Brown jumped out of bounds, tipped a Landry Jones pass — seemingly, a pass that was merely thrown away — back into play, and Shaun Lewis intercepted it. It’s one of the better interceptions you will ever see, and it was Jones’ third pick of the night.

Want to squander a lot of momentum in a flash? A roughing the kicker penalty is a good way to do it.

Oklahoma State’s Justin Gilbert incurred one, colliding with Tress Way after going airborne to block the punt, and it gave Oklahoma a new set of downs deep in Cowboy territory. It didn’t take long for the Sooners to make use of that field position, scoring a touchdown just four plays later, on a pass from Landry Jones to Cameron Kenney.

Well, when I wrote that Oklahoma State had the firepower to get back in this game quickly, I didn’t mean on defense.

But Cowboys cornerback Shaun Lewis just snagged Landry Jones’ second interception of the night and took it 52 yards to paydirt, helping Oklahoma State cut the Sooners’ lead to 14-10. That qualifies as firepower, or at least as a tiny measure of pyrotechnics.

It sure seems like Oklahoma has this Bedlam Game handled.

After intercepting Brandon Weeden in Oklahoma State territory, the Sooners went 30 yards in six plays to add a second touchdown and go up 14-3 in Stillwater. (Dan Bailey kicked a late first quarter field goal for the Cowboys.)

It hasn’t quite been bedlam yet, but the Bedlam Game does have some points.

Oklahoma traveled 82 yards in 11 plays, and scored the game’s first touchdown on an eight-yard run by Trey Millard. After the extra point, the Sooners lead 7-0 in Stillwater.

Mike Gundy’s Cowboys already have a share of their first-ever Big 12 South title, but a spot in the Big 12 championship won’t be guaranteed without a win over the Sooners this weekend. Oklahoma State has won 10 of its 11 games this season and sits at 6-1 in-conference following last weekend’s 48-14 rout of Kansas in Lawrence. The Cowboys, who come into this season-finale having won four straight games, have only a 51-41 shootout loss to Nebraska as a negative on their record.

The Sooners are in familiar territory with this season marking the ninth time in the last 11 years that Oklahoma has a shot at the Big 12 South title as the regular season comes to a close. The Sooners, who are 9-2 overall and 5-2 in league play, are also coming off a big road win, knocking off Baylor last weekend, 53-24.