The Sports Xchange
Oct 29, 2016
NORMAN, Okla. -- Oklahoma's offense kept rolling Saturday night. This time, its defense joined the fun.
The No. 16 Sooners dominated Kansas, beating the Jayhawks 56-3 in front of 86,301 at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
Baker Mayfield threw four touchdown passes, wide receiver Dede Westbrook scored a pair of touchdowns and running backs Abdul Adams and Joe Mixon combined for 165 rushing yards.
Oklahoma (6-2, 5-0 Big 12) moved into sole possession of first place in the Big 12 after previously undefeated Baylor and West Virginia fell earlier Saturday.
It was the fourth game this season the Sooners scored 50 points or more, and their second consecutive after a 66-59 shootout win at Texas Tech a week earlier.
Kansas (1-7, 0-5) has dropped seven consecutive games.
The game was tight early until the Sooners broke it open with three second-quarter scores and kept things moving offensively in the third.
Westbrook finished with five catches for 105 yards and a touchdown, his fifth consecutive game with more than 100 receiving yards. He scored multiple touchdowns for the fifth consecutive game as well.
But while Oklahoma's offense has been strong since beginning Big 12 play, its defense had allowed an average of more than 36 points per game.
The Sooners bottled Kansas' offense up, holding the Jayhawks to 170 yards of total offense, including just 49 rushing yards.
Last week against Texas Tech, the Sooners scored on six consecutive drives before running the clock out to end that win, but the offense sputtered at the start Saturday.
It took Westbrook, the Oklahoma's offensive spark plug since Big 12 play began, to get things going with his special teams play.
Westbrook fielded a punt at the Sooners' 29 and cut straight through the Kansas coverage unit for a 71-yard touchdown.
It was Oklahoma's first punt return for a touchdown since the final game of the 2013 season. The Sooners had only attempted to return nine punts this season before Westbrook's touchdown.
Oklahoma got a scare late in the first quarter when Mixon had to leave the game after suffering a leg injury on a 22-yard reception.
The Sooners were down to only one healthy running back at that point--freshman Adams. Early in the season, Oklahoma lost Daniel Brooks and Rodney Anderson to season-ending injuries. Two weeks ago, Samaje Perine suffered a pulled hamstring and will miss at least one more game.
Even without much of a running game -- the Sooners ran for just 68 yards in the first half -- Oklahoma built a 28-3 lead on three second-quarter touchdown passes by Mayfield.
Mayfield hit Westbrook for 41 yards, Mark Andrews for 15 and wrapped up the half with a 9-yard scoring pass to Dimitri Flowers just before halftime.
NOTES: Oklahoma was without DE Amani Bledsoe, who was suspended indefinitely. The Sooners were already without their two starting DEs, Matt Dimon and Charles Walker, who are out with injury. ... Kansas S Mike Lee was injured in the second quarter making a tackle on Oklahoma WR Geno Lewis. ... Sooner LBs Caleb Kelly and Ricky DeBerry made their first career starts. ... Oklahoma travels to Iowa State on Thursday. ... Kansas plays at West Virginia on Friday.