>>>HUNTER’S OU-TENN REPORT CARD
Maybe the only thing matching the exhilaration of Sooner Magic appearing in Knoxville is the satisfaction of shutting up the S-E-C chanters.
Both happened Saturday night when No. 19 Oklahoma came from a 17-point deficit to defeat the No. 23 Tennessee Volunteers 31-24 in double overtime.
Baker Mayfield threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Sterling Shepard in the second overtime.
For Coach Bob Stoops it was reminiscent of the Sooners’ 35-31 triumph over Texas A&M during the Sooners’ 2000 national championship season.
“It’s one of the more special wins, maybe my favorite of all of them,” Stoops said. “A little Sooner magic came back out. It reminded me of maybe like we’re back at A&M back in 2000, where we made some plays to win the game that you feel pretty fortunate and blessed to make.”
Zack Sanchez clinched Oklahoma’s victory by picking off a Joshua Dobbs pass in Tennessee’s second overtime possession.
This is the third straight year Oklahoma has defeated an SEC team. Oklahoma defeated Alabama in the Sugar Bowl after the 2013 season and knocked off Tennessee last season. The Sooners also won their sixth straight nonconference road game, a stretch that also includes wins at Florida State in 2011 and at Notre Dame in 2013.
A little Sooner magic came back out. It reminded me of maybe like we’re back at A&M back in 2000, where we made some plays to win the game that you feel pretty fortunate and blessed to make. — Stoops
A little Sooner magic came back out. It reminded me of maybe like we’re back at A&M back in 2000, where we made some plays to win the game that you feel pretty fortunate and blessed to make. — Stoops
Stoops improved to 25-7 against current SEC programs.
This may have been the most dramatic of them all. Saturday’s win marked the first time the Sooners had trailed by 14 or more points at the end of the third quarter and went on the win the game since 1983 when OU trailed Oklahoma State 17-3 at the end of the third. The Sooners won that game 21-20.
Tennessee (1-1) went ahead 17-0 in the first 18 minutes of the game and still led 17-3 until Mayfield engineered two fourth-quarter touchdown drives. The Sooners silenced what had been a raucous sellout Neyland Stadium crowd of 102,455 – the largest gathering ever to see an Oklahoma game.
Oklahoma forced overtime on Mayfield’s 5-yard touchdown pass to Shepard in the right corner of the end zone with 40 seconds left. Tennessee went back ahead 24-17 on Jalen Hurd’s 8-yard touchdown run in its first overtime possession, but Oklahoma answered with Mayfield’s 1-yard keeper on fourth-and-goal.
A defense that had allowed 433 yards passing last week in a 59-30 victory over Bowling Green held Oklahoma’s offense in check for the first three quarters. Todd Kelly Jr. picked off two Mayfield passes. Trevor Daniel’s punting was allowing Tennessee to dominate the field position.
Oklahoma’s offense finally woke up just in time.
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