Field Level Media
Dec 7, 2019
Rhamondre Stevenson rumbled into the end zone from the 5-yard line on the first possession of overtime, and the Oklahoma defense did the rest as the No. 6 Sooners outlasted No. 7 Baylor 30-23 to win the Big 12 Championship game on Saturday in Arlington, Texas.
Oklahoma (12-1) expanded its streak of outright league championships to five straight, the longest among Power Five programs since Alabama won five in a row from 1971 to '75. The Sooners made their statement to be a part of the College Football Playoff, and they now have won 52 games in a row after leading after the third quarter.
Jalen Hurts passed for 287 yards and a touchdown for Oklahoma in the win, with 173 of those passing yards going to CeeDee Lamb.
Jacob Zeno, the Bears' third-string quarterback, threw an 81-yard TD pass to Trestan Ebner five minutes into the fourth quarter on his first pass of the game (and just his fourth this season), and added a 78-yard catch-and-run to Chris Platt with six minutes to play.
The latter set the table for John Mayers' 27-yard field goal to tie the game at 23 with 3:25 remaining, and the game went into overtime.
But Zeno ran out of magic in the extra period, throwing three incomplete passes and getting sacked while in desperation mode and Baylor (11-2) needing a touchdown to send the game to a second OT period. Zeno ended up with 159 yards passing as the Bears managed just 265 total yards.
Oklahoma built a 10-0 first-quarter lead via a 6-yard touchdown run by Kennedy Brooks and Gabe Brkic's 44-yard field goal.
Baylor responded in the second quarter, beginning with Mayers' 44-yard FG. Backup quarterback Gerry Bohanon, forced into action midway through the second quarter when starter Charlie Brewer suffered a head injury, then hit Tyquan Thornton on 33-yard touchdown pass.
Mayers' 28-yard field goal with 8 seconds remaining handed Baylor a 13-10 lead at intermission.
Brkic tied the game with a 24-yard field goal halfway through the third quarter. The Sooners then jumped in front on Hurts' 18-yard TD pass to Nick Basquine with 3:46 to play in the third before Brkic expanded the lead to 23-13 with another 24-yard FG with 10:31 to play in the game.
--Field Level Media