SportsDirect Inc. staff
Nov 3, 2012
No. 12 Oklahoma 35, Iowa State 20: Landry Jones passed for 405 yards and four touchdowns as the 12th-ranked Sooners rebounded from a tough loss and posted a 14th straight win over host Iowa State.
Brennan Clay ran for 157 yards and a touchdown in place of leading rusher Damien Williams for Oklahoma (6-2, 4-1 Big 12), which bounced back from last week's devastating home loss to Notre Dame that ended its slim national title hopes. The Sooners improved to 20-0 following a defeat since 2004.
The Cyclones (5-4, 2-4) struggled to stop Oklahoma without star linebacker Jake Knott, the Big 12's leading tackler, who underwent season-ending shoulder surgery on Monday.
Iowa State hung tough early, but the turning point came late in the first half. Durrell Givens intercepted Jones twice on consecutive attempts, but the Cyclones had to settle for a pair of field goals and trailed 7-6 with 1:04 to play.
Jones then drove the Sooners 75 yards in 50 seconds, with his 21-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Stills giving Oklahoma a 14-6 halftime lead. The Sooners extended their advantage by taking the second-half kickoff and driving 75 yards in 14 plays.
After Jarvis West's 19-yard touchdown run cut the lead to 21-13, Clay answered with an 18-yard touchdown run that made it 28-13 with 2:04 to play in the third. Jones' 31-yard touchdown pass to Stills early in the fourth put the game out of reach.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Oklahoma outgained Iowa State 325-84 in the first half. ... After a scoreless first quarter, Oklahoma took a 7-0 lead early in the second on a 20-yard touchdown pass from Jones to Sterling Shepard. Jones capped the 90-yard drive with a perfect back-shoulder throw to Shepard in the corner of the end zone on 3rd-and-9. ... Williams started despite a sprained ankle, but limped off late in the second quarter. He had three carries for seven yards.