Oklahoma State Drills Baylor; Colorado Nails Beavers; Oklahoma Sooners Sand-Off Longhorns
No. 14 Oklahoma St sets yardage record, beats Baylor 59-16
The Associated Press
CLIFF BRUNT (AP Sports Writer),The Associated Press•Oct 15, 2017, 11:08 AM
No. 14 Oklahoma St sets yardage record, beats Baylor 59-16
Oklahoma State wide receiver Marcell Ateman (3) catches a pass in front of Baylor cornerback Blake Lynch (21) in the second an NCAA college football game in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Oct. 14, 2017. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) -- Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy and quarterback Mason Rudolph took their shirts off for an adoring crowd at a Homecoming pep rally on Friday, and the good times just continued on Saturday. Rudolph passed for 459 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another score to lead No. 14 Oklahoma State to a runaway 59-16 victory over Baylor.
''I'm having fun now,'' Gundy said. ''When we win, I'm having a good time.''
Rudolph guided an offense that gained a school-record 747 yards. James Washington caught six passes for 235 yards and a touchdown, and he ran for a 2-yard score.
After the game, Gundy said he was trying to send a waiver to the NCAA to get Washington an extra year of eligibility. He later said he was joking and asked the media not to print his comment. ''That would have only been better if I had my shirt off when I said it,'' Gundy joked. Rudolph and Washington, both seniors, got their first career wins in four tries against the Bears.
''I think it was important to the whole team,'' Washington said. ''Since I've been here, we've never beat Baylor, so going into this game, I felt like we had a chip on our shoulder, and we just really wanted to get a win from them for the guys that hadn't.''
Marcell Ateman caught four passes for 119 yards and a touchdown, and Justice Hill ran for 117 yards and a score for the Cowboys (5-1, 2-1 Big 12).
Oklahoma State grabbed control with a 28-point second quarter that made it 35-10 at halftime.
Terence Williams ran for 95 yards for Baylor (0-6, 0-3). Denzel Mims, one of the most productive receivers in the nation so far this season, was held to 20 yards on two catches.
''At the end of the day, Oklahoma State was just better than us,'' Baylor coach Matt Rhule said. ''We have to be honest with ourselves. In a lot of games, we've been able to hang in there. Today, we weren't able to hang in there. We have to get better, and we recognize that.''
TAKEAWAYS
Baylor: Things had started to look promising after close losses to Oklahoma and Kansas State last month, and the Bears actually scored first on Saturday. Very little went right after that. Now, the Bears are on the brink of a losing season.
''I mean, it's awful losing this many games in a row, but we are going to come back and we are going to get better,'' quarterback Zach Smith said. ''I think that has been noticeable that every week, we have come back and we have fought, so we have fought so we are going to keep doing that. We are going to continue to fight and have each other's backs.''
Oklahoma State: The Cowboys avoided the kind of slip that would have cost them a shot at chasing the Big 12 and national titles. Oklahoma State gave up 44 points in the loss to TCU and 34 in a close win over Texas Tech before allowing just 387 yards against Baylor.
''Defensively, we forced some turnovers,'' Gundy said. ''We got a fumble, a couple interceptions when it mattered. I thought we defended better on third downs.''
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Oklahoma State: The Cowboys could move ahead of Washington State after the Cougars lost to California on Friday night. Though Oklahoma State won big, the Cowboys were heavily favored against a winless team, so it won't carry much weight with voters.
WASHINGTON'S PERFORMANCE
Washington's 235 yards receiving was the second-best yardage total of his career and just the third time he has gained at least 200 yards receiving. His career-best total was 296 yards last season against Pittsburgh. He gained 200 yards his sophomore year against Texas Tech.
He also broke a tie with Hart Lee Dykes and moved into sole possession of third place in school history with 32 touchdown receptions.
Gundy said Washington won't make too big a deal about any of it. ''The good news with James Washington is, he stays humble,'' Gundy said. ''He's going to be the same now that he was before the game.''
SILVER LINING
Baylor ran 46 times for 219 yards. The Bears dominated time of possession, holding the ball for 35:39. ''We really focused on it,'' Baylor tight end Jordan Feuerbacher said. ''We basically made our whole game plan on running the ball. I feel like we dedicated more time to it in the bye week, and I think a couple of those things made a big difference.''
UP NEXT
Baylor: The Bears will host West Virginia on Saturday. The Mountaineers are coming off a 46-35 comeback win over Texas Tech.
Oklahoma State: The Cowboys will play at Texas on Saturday. The Longhorns are coming off a tough 29-24 loss to rival Oklahoma.
https://sports.yahoo.com/news/no-14-oklahoma-st-sets-yardage-record-beats-233003868--ncaaf.html
-----------------------------------------------------
Colorado beats Oregon State 36-33 for 1st conference win
The Associated Press
ANNE M. PETERSON (AP Sports Writer),The Associated Press•Oct 15, 2017, 11:03 AM
Colorado beats Oregon State 36-33 for 1st conference win
Colorado quarterback Steven Montez (12) gets past Oregon State's Manase Hungalu (55) on a scramble during the second half an NCAA college football game in Corvallis, Ore., Saturday, Oct. 14, 2017. (AP Photo/Timothy J. Gonzalez)
CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) -- Colorado's season didn't come down to the final minutes against Oregon State, but the Buffaloes certainly understood the importance of a victory over the Beavers.
Steven Montez threw a 13-yard touchdown to Bryce Bobo with 1:34 left and Colorado hung on for a 36-33 victory Saturday over Oregon State, which was playing its first game since the sudden departure of head coach Gary Andersen.
The win snapped a three-game losing streak and gave the Buffaloes their first win in Pac-12 conference play.
''It was a pretty big game. I mean, on the road, 0-3 in the Pac and we came in here and we needed to win.'' Montez said.
Montez threw for 168 yards and a pair of touchdowns and also caught a scoring pass from Bobo, who finished with nine catches for 126 yards. Phillip Lindsay ran for 185 yards and two touchdowns, falling just 5 yards short of reaching 1,000 yards rushing for the second-straight season.
Jordan Choukair's 52-yard field goal attempt for the Beavers with 10 seconds left was short, denying Oregon State of a shot at the upset. Ryan Nall finished with 172 yards rushing and three touchdowns in one of the team's most competitive games of the season.
Andersen and Oregon State unexpectedly parted ways Monday, and cornerbacks coach Cory Hall was appointed in the interim to guide the Beavers for the rest of the season.
The Beavers (1-6, 0-4 Pac-12) were coming off a particularly rough stretch, with losses to three straight ranked teams, Washington State, Washington and USC. Oregon State's lone victory this season came over lower-division Portland State.
''I felt that they fought hard, I felt that they showed a different side of Beaver football than I've seen since I've been here, and I couldn't be more happier for them,'' Hall said despite the loss. ''Just to see the right kind of emotion after a game like that. Times are changing.''
The Buffaloes (4-3, 1-3), who finished atop the Pac-12 South last season and met Washington in the league title game, were coming off a 45-42 loss to Arizona.
Nall, who missed last week's game at USC because of an ankle injury, returned for the Beavers and ran for a 4-yard touchdown for the early lead. But Lindsay answered for the Buffaloes with a 74-yard scoring run.
It was the second-longest of Lindsay's career, after a 75-yard TD run against Arizona last year. Last week Lindsay had a career-high 41 carries for 281 yards and three touchdowns against the Wildcats.
''Everybody knows that Phil's a freak. Phil's a freak of nature. The hardest runner you'll ever see, for real. Just totes that rock, makes people miss, and when he runs into the holes and backers are there to try and stop him and hit him, he's running through them like he was 230 pounds,'' Montez said.
The Beavers reclaimed the lead on a trio of field goals from 32, 37 and 20 yards out from Choukair.
Bobo hit Montez with a reverse pass for an 11-yard touchdown, narrowing the game before Choukair added a 31-yard field goal at the end of the half for a 19-14 Oregon State lead.
Oregon State's momentum was slowed in the second half when Darell Garretson's pass was intercepted by Evan Worthington and the Buffaloes capped the ensuing drive with Lindsay's 9-yard scoring run to go ahead 21-19.
Nall's 13-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter gave the lead back to the Beavers, but Montez found Bobo in the end zone with 9-yard touchdown pass and the two connected again on a two-point conversion for a 29-26 Colorado lead.
Nall also scored on a 4-yard scoring run with 4:22 left in the game.
THE TAKEAWAY
Colorado: Lindsay has a rushing touchdown in all seven games this season. ... He has run for 100-plus yards in 10 career games. ... Worthington has three interceptions this season.
Oregon State: Oregon State's first punt came in the third quarter. ... The Beavers got a scare when Garretson briefly went to the locker room after his pass was intercepted. But he returned in time for Oregon State's next series.
COLLINS OUT: Oregon State receiver Seth Collins did not suit up because of illness. Collins caught five passes for a season-high 91 yards against the Trojans, the latest step in the junior's incremental improvement this season. Collins missed the final two games of last season with an undisclosed ailment that left him hospitalized for nearly two weeks.
QUOTABLE: Soft-spoken Lindsay on chasing records: ''It's not about me,'' he said. ''At the end of the day, it's about getting that win.''
UP NEXT
Colorado plays at Washington State next Saturday night. The Cougars fell 37-3 at California on Friday night.
Oregon State has next weekend off to prepare for a Thursday night game at home against Stanford. The Cardinal were set to host Oregon in a late game Saturday.
https://sports.yahoo.com/news/colorado-beats-oregon-state-36-33-1st-conference-234036407--ncaaf.html
------------------------------------------------------
No. 12 Oklahoma tops Texas 29-24 after blowing 20-point lead
The Associated Press
SCHUYLER DIXON (AP Sports Writer),The Associated Press•Oct 15, 2017, 11:31 AM
No. 12 Oklahoma tops Texas 29-24 after blowing 20-point lead
Oklahoma tight end Mark Andrews (81) celebrates his touchdown catch during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Texas, Saturday, Oct. 14, 2017, in Dallas, Texas. Oklahoma won 29-24. (AP Photo/Ron Jenkins)
DALLAS (AP) -- Emotionally and physically spent just a few minutes earlier, Baker Mayfield found the energy to gallop into the Cotton Bowl tunnel joyously, ''Golden Hat'' trophy on his head, after beating his hometown Texas Longhorns again.
Mayfield threw 59 yards to Mark Andrews for the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter after Oklahoma had blown a 20-point lead, and the 12th-ranked Sooners held on to beat Texas 29-24 on Saturday.
Mayfield's second TD throw of more than 50 yards came 68 seconds after freshman quarterback Sam Ehlinger ran 8 yards to give the Longhorns their first lead after trailing 20-0 in the second quarter.
An Austin native who grew up often wearing Sooner gear, Mayfield came back after slowly leaving the field at the end of a second-half series, appearing to favor his right arm.
He didn't miss a play, and the decisive throw was perfect to Andrews running free down the sideline on the Texas side of the half-burnt orange, half-crimson Cotton Bowl in the middle of the Texas State Fair.
''For the older guys that were around here and got nicked up, it's realizing it's your last one,'' said Mayfield, a fifth-year senior and former Texas Tech walk-on who threw for 302 yards and two scores. ''You'll fight through a little extra pain. It was a mental decision for all of us.''
The win kept the playoff hopes alive for the Sooners (5-1, 2-1 Big 12) a week after a stunning home loss to Iowa State when they were ranked third with a nation-leading 14-game winning streak and had a 24-10 lead at halftime.
''The thought of the College Football playoff is not what's going through your head right there,'' Mayfield said about the moment when the Sooners were trailing 24-23. ''It's about doing your job and winning that game and beating Texas.''
Lincoln Riley, the youngest FBS head coach at 34, topped Tom Herman in the first Texas-OU matchup since 1947 with both coaches leading their teams for the first time. Bud Wilkinson, who led the Sooners to three national titles, was the losing coach in that game.
''I felt the strong sense to want to win this game the other two times as an offensive coordinator,'' said Riley, who held that job before Bob Stoops' surprising retirement in June. ''My job has changed. I get that. But my sense of responsibility to do my part for this team hasn't.''
Ehlinger, the second straight freshman to start against Oklahoma for Texas (3-3, 2-1), had to be replaced by last year's starter, Shane Buechele, on the drive after the Sooners went back in front.
After going to the pop-up medical tent when he went down hard on his right shoulder and helmet on the Texas sideline, Ehlinger returned five plays later. He said it was a precautionary check for a concussion.
The series ended on downs, and a final possession that started on the Texas 4 with 49 seconds left ended near midfield on a desperation lateral play, clinching an OU win that looked to be a blowout but ended up being the fourth straight decided by seven points or fewer.
''The atmosphere was incredible,'' Ehlinger said. ''Losing the game is not incredible. I'm looking forward to the next three years.''
THE AUSTIN BOYS
Ehlinger, a huge Texas fan while also growing up in Austin and attending one of Mayfield's rival high schools, threw for 278 yards and a touchdown and ran for a game-high 106 yards. ''He's a tough kid,'' Mayfield said. ''You can tell by the way he carries himself. He bounces back up after getting hit. Just how Austin boys do it, I guess.''
SOONER SCORING
Mayfield opened the scoring with a 54-yard pass to Jeff Badet, who was waiting in the end zone to make the catch as trailing safety Kris Boyd waved fruitlessly at the ball. Oklahoma's Trey Sermon had 96 yards rushing and a 42-yard pass on a trick play that set up one of Austin Seibert's three field goals.
HERMAN'S FIRST
Herman, who won his other meeting with Oklahoma as Houston's coach in last year's opener, was a graduate assistant at Texas under Mack Brown in 1999 and 2000. ''I don't know that you have time to soak it all in or reminisce or anything like that,'' he said. ''But it is a really unique college football experience.''
THE TAKEAWAY
Oklahoma: The Sooners had a school-record streak with at least 30 points stopped at 15 games, but that doesn't matter much. Each of the past three years, Oklahoma has lost at least once in the first five games. And the past two seasons, they haven't lost again in the regular season on the way to a final ranking of fifth.
Texas: The Longhorns stayed close with a defense that settled down after giving up 179 yards passing to Mayfield in the first quarter, and a couple of penalty-aided touchdown drives that finally got them within a score early in the fourth quarter. The ninth interception of the season for the Texas defense, leading to a first-half field goal, was the first off Mayfield.
UP NEXT
Oklahoma: At Kansas State next Saturday.
Texas: Home against No. 14 Oklahoma State next Saturday.
https://sports.yahoo.com/news/no-12-oklahoma-tops-texas-29-24-blowing-234658968--ncaaf.html
The Associated Press
CLIFF BRUNT (AP Sports Writer),The Associated Press•Oct 15, 2017, 11:08 AM
No. 14 Oklahoma St sets yardage record, beats Baylor 59-16
Oklahoma State wide receiver Marcell Ateman (3) catches a pass in front of Baylor cornerback Blake Lynch (21) in the second an NCAA college football game in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Oct. 14, 2017. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) -- Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy and quarterback Mason Rudolph took their shirts off for an adoring crowd at a Homecoming pep rally on Friday, and the good times just continued on Saturday. Rudolph passed for 459 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another score to lead No. 14 Oklahoma State to a runaway 59-16 victory over Baylor.
''I'm having fun now,'' Gundy said. ''When we win, I'm having a good time.''
Rudolph guided an offense that gained a school-record 747 yards. James Washington caught six passes for 235 yards and a touchdown, and he ran for a 2-yard score.
After the game, Gundy said he was trying to send a waiver to the NCAA to get Washington an extra year of eligibility. He later said he was joking and asked the media not to print his comment. ''That would have only been better if I had my shirt off when I said it,'' Gundy joked. Rudolph and Washington, both seniors, got their first career wins in four tries against the Bears.
''I think it was important to the whole team,'' Washington said. ''Since I've been here, we've never beat Baylor, so going into this game, I felt like we had a chip on our shoulder, and we just really wanted to get a win from them for the guys that hadn't.''
Marcell Ateman caught four passes for 119 yards and a touchdown, and Justice Hill ran for 117 yards and a score for the Cowboys (5-1, 2-1 Big 12).
Oklahoma State grabbed control with a 28-point second quarter that made it 35-10 at halftime.
Terence Williams ran for 95 yards for Baylor (0-6, 0-3). Denzel Mims, one of the most productive receivers in the nation so far this season, was held to 20 yards on two catches.
''At the end of the day, Oklahoma State was just better than us,'' Baylor coach Matt Rhule said. ''We have to be honest with ourselves. In a lot of games, we've been able to hang in there. Today, we weren't able to hang in there. We have to get better, and we recognize that.''
TAKEAWAYS
Baylor: Things had started to look promising after close losses to Oklahoma and Kansas State last month, and the Bears actually scored first on Saturday. Very little went right after that. Now, the Bears are on the brink of a losing season.
''I mean, it's awful losing this many games in a row, but we are going to come back and we are going to get better,'' quarterback Zach Smith said. ''I think that has been noticeable that every week, we have come back and we have fought, so we have fought so we are going to keep doing that. We are going to continue to fight and have each other's backs.''
Oklahoma State: The Cowboys avoided the kind of slip that would have cost them a shot at chasing the Big 12 and national titles. Oklahoma State gave up 44 points in the loss to TCU and 34 in a close win over Texas Tech before allowing just 387 yards against Baylor.
''Defensively, we forced some turnovers,'' Gundy said. ''We got a fumble, a couple interceptions when it mattered. I thought we defended better on third downs.''
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Oklahoma State: The Cowboys could move ahead of Washington State after the Cougars lost to California on Friday night. Though Oklahoma State won big, the Cowboys were heavily favored against a winless team, so it won't carry much weight with voters.
WASHINGTON'S PERFORMANCE
Washington's 235 yards receiving was the second-best yardage total of his career and just the third time he has gained at least 200 yards receiving. His career-best total was 296 yards last season against Pittsburgh. He gained 200 yards his sophomore year against Texas Tech.
He also broke a tie with Hart Lee Dykes and moved into sole possession of third place in school history with 32 touchdown receptions.
Gundy said Washington won't make too big a deal about any of it. ''The good news with James Washington is, he stays humble,'' Gundy said. ''He's going to be the same now that he was before the game.''
SILVER LINING
Baylor ran 46 times for 219 yards. The Bears dominated time of possession, holding the ball for 35:39. ''We really focused on it,'' Baylor tight end Jordan Feuerbacher said. ''We basically made our whole game plan on running the ball. I feel like we dedicated more time to it in the bye week, and I think a couple of those things made a big difference.''
UP NEXT
Baylor: The Bears will host West Virginia on Saturday. The Mountaineers are coming off a 46-35 comeback win over Texas Tech.
Oklahoma State: The Cowboys will play at Texas on Saturday. The Longhorns are coming off a tough 29-24 loss to rival Oklahoma.
https://sports.yahoo.com/news/no-14-oklahoma-st-sets-yardage-record-beats-233003868--ncaaf.html
-----------------------------------------------------
Colorado beats Oregon State 36-33 for 1st conference win
The Associated Press
ANNE M. PETERSON (AP Sports Writer),The Associated Press•Oct 15, 2017, 11:03 AM
Colorado beats Oregon State 36-33 for 1st conference win
Colorado quarterback Steven Montez (12) gets past Oregon State's Manase Hungalu (55) on a scramble during the second half an NCAA college football game in Corvallis, Ore., Saturday, Oct. 14, 2017. (AP Photo/Timothy J. Gonzalez)
CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) -- Colorado's season didn't come down to the final minutes against Oregon State, but the Buffaloes certainly understood the importance of a victory over the Beavers.
Steven Montez threw a 13-yard touchdown to Bryce Bobo with 1:34 left and Colorado hung on for a 36-33 victory Saturday over Oregon State, which was playing its first game since the sudden departure of head coach Gary Andersen.
The win snapped a three-game losing streak and gave the Buffaloes their first win in Pac-12 conference play.
''It was a pretty big game. I mean, on the road, 0-3 in the Pac and we came in here and we needed to win.'' Montez said.
Montez threw for 168 yards and a pair of touchdowns and also caught a scoring pass from Bobo, who finished with nine catches for 126 yards. Phillip Lindsay ran for 185 yards and two touchdowns, falling just 5 yards short of reaching 1,000 yards rushing for the second-straight season.
Jordan Choukair's 52-yard field goal attempt for the Beavers with 10 seconds left was short, denying Oregon State of a shot at the upset. Ryan Nall finished with 172 yards rushing and three touchdowns in one of the team's most competitive games of the season.
Andersen and Oregon State unexpectedly parted ways Monday, and cornerbacks coach Cory Hall was appointed in the interim to guide the Beavers for the rest of the season.
The Beavers (1-6, 0-4 Pac-12) were coming off a particularly rough stretch, with losses to three straight ranked teams, Washington State, Washington and USC. Oregon State's lone victory this season came over lower-division Portland State.
''I felt that they fought hard, I felt that they showed a different side of Beaver football than I've seen since I've been here, and I couldn't be more happier for them,'' Hall said despite the loss. ''Just to see the right kind of emotion after a game like that. Times are changing.''
The Buffaloes (4-3, 1-3), who finished atop the Pac-12 South last season and met Washington in the league title game, were coming off a 45-42 loss to Arizona.
Nall, who missed last week's game at USC because of an ankle injury, returned for the Beavers and ran for a 4-yard touchdown for the early lead. But Lindsay answered for the Buffaloes with a 74-yard scoring run.
It was the second-longest of Lindsay's career, after a 75-yard TD run against Arizona last year. Last week Lindsay had a career-high 41 carries for 281 yards and three touchdowns against the Wildcats.
''Everybody knows that Phil's a freak. Phil's a freak of nature. The hardest runner you'll ever see, for real. Just totes that rock, makes people miss, and when he runs into the holes and backers are there to try and stop him and hit him, he's running through them like he was 230 pounds,'' Montez said.
The Beavers reclaimed the lead on a trio of field goals from 32, 37 and 20 yards out from Choukair.
Bobo hit Montez with a reverse pass for an 11-yard touchdown, narrowing the game before Choukair added a 31-yard field goal at the end of the half for a 19-14 Oregon State lead.
Oregon State's momentum was slowed in the second half when Darell Garretson's pass was intercepted by Evan Worthington and the Buffaloes capped the ensuing drive with Lindsay's 9-yard scoring run to go ahead 21-19.
Nall's 13-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter gave the lead back to the Beavers, but Montez found Bobo in the end zone with 9-yard touchdown pass and the two connected again on a two-point conversion for a 29-26 Colorado lead.
Nall also scored on a 4-yard scoring run with 4:22 left in the game.
THE TAKEAWAY
Colorado: Lindsay has a rushing touchdown in all seven games this season. ... He has run for 100-plus yards in 10 career games. ... Worthington has three interceptions this season.
Oregon State: Oregon State's first punt came in the third quarter. ... The Beavers got a scare when Garretson briefly went to the locker room after his pass was intercepted. But he returned in time for Oregon State's next series.
COLLINS OUT: Oregon State receiver Seth Collins did not suit up because of illness. Collins caught five passes for a season-high 91 yards against the Trojans, the latest step in the junior's incremental improvement this season. Collins missed the final two games of last season with an undisclosed ailment that left him hospitalized for nearly two weeks.
QUOTABLE: Soft-spoken Lindsay on chasing records: ''It's not about me,'' he said. ''At the end of the day, it's about getting that win.''
UP NEXT
Colorado plays at Washington State next Saturday night. The Cougars fell 37-3 at California on Friday night.
Oregon State has next weekend off to prepare for a Thursday night game at home against Stanford. The Cardinal were set to host Oregon in a late game Saturday.
https://sports.yahoo.com/news/colorado-beats-oregon-state-36-33-1st-conference-234036407--ncaaf.html
------------------------------------------------------
No. 12 Oklahoma tops Texas 29-24 after blowing 20-point lead
The Associated Press
SCHUYLER DIXON (AP Sports Writer),The Associated Press•Oct 15, 2017, 11:31 AM
No. 12 Oklahoma tops Texas 29-24 after blowing 20-point lead
Oklahoma tight end Mark Andrews (81) celebrates his touchdown catch during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Texas, Saturday, Oct. 14, 2017, in Dallas, Texas. Oklahoma won 29-24. (AP Photo/Ron Jenkins)
DALLAS (AP) -- Emotionally and physically spent just a few minutes earlier, Baker Mayfield found the energy to gallop into the Cotton Bowl tunnel joyously, ''Golden Hat'' trophy on his head, after beating his hometown Texas Longhorns again.
Mayfield threw 59 yards to Mark Andrews for the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter after Oklahoma had blown a 20-point lead, and the 12th-ranked Sooners held on to beat Texas 29-24 on Saturday.
Mayfield's second TD throw of more than 50 yards came 68 seconds after freshman quarterback Sam Ehlinger ran 8 yards to give the Longhorns their first lead after trailing 20-0 in the second quarter.
An Austin native who grew up often wearing Sooner gear, Mayfield came back after slowly leaving the field at the end of a second-half series, appearing to favor his right arm.
He didn't miss a play, and the decisive throw was perfect to Andrews running free down the sideline on the Texas side of the half-burnt orange, half-crimson Cotton Bowl in the middle of the Texas State Fair.
''For the older guys that were around here and got nicked up, it's realizing it's your last one,'' said Mayfield, a fifth-year senior and former Texas Tech walk-on who threw for 302 yards and two scores. ''You'll fight through a little extra pain. It was a mental decision for all of us.''
The win kept the playoff hopes alive for the Sooners (5-1, 2-1 Big 12) a week after a stunning home loss to Iowa State when they were ranked third with a nation-leading 14-game winning streak and had a 24-10 lead at halftime.
''The thought of the College Football playoff is not what's going through your head right there,'' Mayfield said about the moment when the Sooners were trailing 24-23. ''It's about doing your job and winning that game and beating Texas.''
Lincoln Riley, the youngest FBS head coach at 34, topped Tom Herman in the first Texas-OU matchup since 1947 with both coaches leading their teams for the first time. Bud Wilkinson, who led the Sooners to three national titles, was the losing coach in that game.
''I felt the strong sense to want to win this game the other two times as an offensive coordinator,'' said Riley, who held that job before Bob Stoops' surprising retirement in June. ''My job has changed. I get that. But my sense of responsibility to do my part for this team hasn't.''
Ehlinger, the second straight freshman to start against Oklahoma for Texas (3-3, 2-1), had to be replaced by last year's starter, Shane Buechele, on the drive after the Sooners went back in front.
After going to the pop-up medical tent when he went down hard on his right shoulder and helmet on the Texas sideline, Ehlinger returned five plays later. He said it was a precautionary check for a concussion.
The series ended on downs, and a final possession that started on the Texas 4 with 49 seconds left ended near midfield on a desperation lateral play, clinching an OU win that looked to be a blowout but ended up being the fourth straight decided by seven points or fewer.
''The atmosphere was incredible,'' Ehlinger said. ''Losing the game is not incredible. I'm looking forward to the next three years.''
THE AUSTIN BOYS
Ehlinger, a huge Texas fan while also growing up in Austin and attending one of Mayfield's rival high schools, threw for 278 yards and a touchdown and ran for a game-high 106 yards. ''He's a tough kid,'' Mayfield said. ''You can tell by the way he carries himself. He bounces back up after getting hit. Just how Austin boys do it, I guess.''
SOONER SCORING
Mayfield opened the scoring with a 54-yard pass to Jeff Badet, who was waiting in the end zone to make the catch as trailing safety Kris Boyd waved fruitlessly at the ball. Oklahoma's Trey Sermon had 96 yards rushing and a 42-yard pass on a trick play that set up one of Austin Seibert's three field goals.
HERMAN'S FIRST
Herman, who won his other meeting with Oklahoma as Houston's coach in last year's opener, was a graduate assistant at Texas under Mack Brown in 1999 and 2000. ''I don't know that you have time to soak it all in or reminisce or anything like that,'' he said. ''But it is a really unique college football experience.''
THE TAKEAWAY
Oklahoma: The Sooners had a school-record streak with at least 30 points stopped at 15 games, but that doesn't matter much. Each of the past three years, Oklahoma has lost at least once in the first five games. And the past two seasons, they haven't lost again in the regular season on the way to a final ranking of fifth.
Texas: The Longhorns stayed close with a defense that settled down after giving up 179 yards passing to Mayfield in the first quarter, and a couple of penalty-aided touchdown drives that finally got them within a score early in the fourth quarter. The ninth interception of the season for the Texas defense, leading to a first-half field goal, was the first off Mayfield.
UP NEXT
Oklahoma: At Kansas State next Saturday.
Texas: Home against No. 14 Oklahoma State next Saturday.
https://sports.yahoo.com/news/no-12-oklahoma-tops-texas-29-24-blowing-234658968--ncaaf.html