Oklahoma Sooners vs Oklahoma State Cowboys Match Player Stats On Dec 03, 2011

SportsDirect Inc. staff
Dec 3, 2011

Joseph Randle and Jeremy Smith each ran for two touchdowns and No. 5 Oklahoma State earned its first Big 12 title and BCS bowl berth with a 44-10 shellacking of visiting rival Oklahoma in the annual Bedlam game on Saturday.

Oklahoma State, which entered the game leading the nation in takeaways, forced five turnovers en route to its first conference championship since it won the Big Eight in 1976.

The Cowboys (11-1, 8-1 Big 12) ended an eight-game losing streak to No. 11 Oklahoma by rushing for 278 yards, two weeks after managing only 60 in a shocking 37-31 double-overtime loss to Iowa State that crushed their BCS title dreams.

They scored the first 10 points and broke the game open with two touchdowns in a span of 3:34 after Justin Blatnick returned Landry Jones’ fumble 59 yards to the Oklahoma 1-yard line late in the first half.

The Cowboys are likely headed toward a Fiesta Bowl matchup with No. 4 Stanford. However, a dominating performance against a ranked opponent such as this one could vault them past idle No. 2 Alabama when the last BCS standings are revealed Sunday.

The Sooners (9-3, 6-3), meanwhile, could be Cotton Bowl-bound. Wherever Oklahoma lands, it will be a disappointing end to a season that began with the Sooners as the odds-on-favorite to reach New Orleans.

The 106th meeting got out of hand quickly as Oklahoma State’s opportunistic defense came up with a game-changing turnover late in the first half when the Sooners were trying to cut into a 10-0 deficit.

Oklahoma drove to the Cowboys’ 19 with about five minutes left in the half, but Alex Elkins stripped Jones and Blatnick returned it 59 yards to the Oklahoma 1. Randle scored one play later to make it 17-0.

After the Sooners punted from the shadow of their own end zone on their next possession, Oklahoma State quickly went 43 yards in seven plays. Randle’s second touchdown made it 24-0 with 1:05 left in the half.

It was all Oklahoma State from that point on.

In a touching show of solidarity, both schools bands played "Amazing Grace'' at halftime in memory of Oklahoma State women's basketball coach Kurt Budke and assistant Miranda Serna, who were among four killed in a plane crash the day before the Cowboys loss to Iowa State.