All Sooners

Big 12 Memories, Pt. 2: Oklahoma vs. Everybody

With OU's final appearance at Big 12 Media Days this week, AllSooners looks back on the highs and lows of the Sooners' 27 years in the conference.

Ryan Chapman

In this story:

ARLINGTON, TX — Day 2 of 2023's Big 12 Media Days represents Oklahoma's last trip around the car wash at AT&T Stadium as members of the conference. 

AllSooners.com wraps up a two-part series recapping the program's history in the Big 12 with the eight remaining conference members in the Big 12 era (since 1996).

Read More Big 12 Memories:

Kansas State

The Setting

No. 8 Oklahoma (5-0, 2-0)

at No. 2 Kansas State (6-0, 2-0)

Oct. 14, 2000, Manhattan

The Game

Fresh off a 63-14 beatdown of the Texas Longhorns, Bob Stoops’ resurgent Oklahoma Sooners had another seemingly gargantuan task ahead — waltz into Manhattan and upend Stoops’ former boss and college football legend Bill Synder.

OU picked up where it left off in the Cotton Bowl as Josh Heupel’s high-flying Oklahoma attack paired with a dominant defense to race out to a 31-14 halftime lead over the Wildcats.

The intermission only brought temporary relief to Kansas State.

Early in the third quarter, Heupel flipped the ball out to Antwone Savage, who outran the Kansas State defense for a 74-yard touchdown, announcing Oklahoma’s romp of Texas was no fluke.

Heupel finished the game 29-for-37 for 374 yards through the air, setting up a monumental bout with the the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the midst of Red October.

Final Score

OU 41, KSU 31

Honorable Mention

2000: Oklahoma 27, KSU 24

In a Big 12 title game rematch, the teams played to a first half stalemate. A fourth quarter touchdown grab from Andre Woolfolk paired with a field goal was all the insurance the Sooners needed to hold off the Wildcats for a second time, punching OU’s ticket to the BCS Championship game.

Forgettable

2012: KSU 24, OU 19

Landry Jones’ Sooners (2-0) fumbled and bumbled through an early conference opener, falling to Collin Klein’s Kansas State Wildcats (3-0) in Norman 24-19. KSU capitalized on Jones’ fumble deep inside OU territory to take an early 7-3 lead, the first of a pile of Sooner errors. Blake Bell later fumbled out of the “Belldozer” package, and a late Jones interception sealed the defeat as the Wildcats emerged victorious.

Big 12 Series History

OU leads 14-8

Texas Tech

The Setting

No. 2 Texas Tech (10-0, 6-0)

at No. 5 Oklahoma (9-1, 5-1)

Nov. 22, 2008, Norman

The Game

Oklahoma lost to Texas 45-35 in one of the biggest Red River Rivalry games of the 21st century in 2008, but Mike Leach’s Texas Tech Red Raiders gave OU life.

Michael Crabtree’s tightrope act in Lubbock lifted the Red Raiders past the Longhorns, meaning if the Sooners could beat Texas Tech at home, OU would force a three-way tie in the Big 12 South standings, offering a path to the Big 12 title game and the national title beyond.

With Sam Bradford at the head of the most explosive offense college football had seen to date, Oklahoma throttled Texas Tech.

The Sooners poured on 35 second quarter points, opening a 42-7 halftime lead.

FB - Sam Bradford, 2008 Texas Tech, Jump Around
Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford shredded Texas Tech in 2008 / Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Oklahoma threw four touchdown passes and DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown combined to punch in another five scores on the ground.

The party on the field spilled over into the stands as House of Pain’s “Jump Around” blared over the loud speakers, rocking a cold Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium to the beat as the Sooners closed in on a Big 12 Championship appearance against Missouri with the emphatic victory.

Final Score

OU 65, Texas Tech 21

Honorable Mention

2016: Oklahoma 66, Texas Tech 59

Baker Mayfield’s return to Lubbock provided plenty of fireworks — though probably too many for the scoreboard operators to keep up with.

Defense was optional as Mayfield and Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes battled, each leading their own offenses to 854 total yards apiece.

Mayfield finished the contest completing 27-of-36 passes for 545 yards and seven touchdowns, only to be outdone by Mahomes’ 52-for-88 for 734 yards and five scores.

The No. 16-ranked Sooners eventually won the contest 66-59, as the high-powered attacks rewrote plenty of offensive records.

Forgettable

2011: Texas Tech 41 Oklahoma 38

Bad weather delayed the night contest between the No. 3-ranked Sooners and Texas Tech in 2011, serving as an omen for how the following game would play out. Tommy Tuberville’s Red Raiders, led by quarterback Seth Doege, outscored OU 17-0 in the second quarter to take a 24-7 advantage into halftime. Landry Jones battled back, but Oklahoma was unable to slow down Doege and the Red Raiders put up 572 yards of total offense. The upset snapped OU’s 39-game home winning streak, handing head coach Bob Stoops only his third loss at Owen Field as Oklahoma’s head coach.

Big 12 Series History

OU leads 20-7

West Virginia

The Setting

No. 6 Oklahoma (10-1, 7-1)

at No. 12 West Virginia (8-2, 6-2)

Nov. 23, 2018, Morgantown

The Game

Points were practically being given away in 2018’s Black Friday battle between Oklahoma and West Virginia.

Heisman Trophy hopefuls Kyler Murray and Will Grier went blow-for-blow for the right to take on Texas in the 2018 Big 12 Championship, and neither quarterback disappointed.

Murray went 20-for-27 through the air for 363 yards and three touchdowns while throwing one pick, also running for 114 yards on the ground including a 55-yard house call.

FB - Kyler Murray, 2018 West Virginia
Despite Kyler Murray's heroics, Oklahoma needed two defensive scores to hold off West Virginia on Black Friday in 2018 / Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports

Grier went 32-for-49 for 539 yards and four passing touchdowns, but a pair of defensive plays proved to be the difference for the Sooners.

OU linebackers Caleb Kelly and Curtis Bolton both returned fumbles for touchdowns, with Bolton’s 48-yard return int he fourth quarter providing the Sooners the necessary breathing room to knock off the Mountaineers.

Final Score

OU 59, West Virginia 56

Honorable Mention

2012: Oklahoma 50, West Virginia 49

The No. 12-ranked Oklahoma Sooners (7-2, 5-1) didn’t have a banner day on defense but Landry Jones was good enough to get the job done in Morgantown in 2012. West Virginia’s (5-4, 2-4) do-everything-man Tavon Austin ran for 344 yards and two touchdowns on just 21 carries, adding another four catches and 82 yards through the air to power the Mountaineer attack, but Jones had the last laugh. The OU quarterback threw for 554 yards and six scores on 38-of-51 passing, including checking into a 5-yard touchdown pass by sending Kenny Stills on a slant with 24 seconds left to win the contest.

Forgettable

2022: West Virginia 23 Oklahoma 20

Oklahoma’s last trip to Morgantown as members of the Big 12 was one to forget. West Virginia backup quarterback Garrett Greene took over in the rain to outlast OU’s misfiring attack. Greene took a beating on the ground, carrying the ball for a pair of touchdowns to help down the Sooners. Oklahoma kicker Zach Schmit missed a 46-yard field goal that would have put OU up 23-20 with 6:24 left in the game, and Jeff Lebby’s offense wouldn’t take the field again. Greene and the Mountaineer offense stayed on the field for the remaining of the game, draining the clock for kicker Casey Legg to bang through a 25-yard field goal as time expired to give West Virginia its first win over OU in Big 12 play.

Big 12 Series History

OU leads 9-1

Iowa State

The Setting

No. 12 Oklahoma (7-2, 6-2)

vs No. 6 Iowa State (8-2, 6-1)

Dec. 19, 2020, Arlington

The Game

The pandemic season was odd in so many ways, it was almost fitting that No. 12 Oklahoma would need to avenge an earlier season loss to No. 6 Iowa State to capture another Big 12 crown.

In typical Lincoln Riley fashion, the Sooners burst out to a big lead, taking a 24-7 advantage into halftime, before holding on for dear life to close out the win.

Oklahoma defensive back Tre Brown's interception sealed the 2020 Big 12 Championship for the Sooners.  / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Redshirt freshman quarterback Spencer Rattler played within himself, finishing 22-for-34 for 272 yards and one touchdown with no turnovers, but needed a Tre Brown interception with 1:05 left to truly seal the victory.

Still, the victory over the Cyclones helped the Sooners erase an 0-2 start to Big 12 play to end the year atop the league, though the Sooners did miss out on the College Football Playoff.

Final Score

OU 27, Iowa State 21

Honorable Mention

2019: Oklahoma 42, Iowa State 41

Jalen Hurts’ only encounter with Iowa State was a memorable one under the lights on Owen Field. Hurts connected with CeeDee Lamb for a pair of first half strikes, and the Sooner quarterback ran in another pair of touchdowns to put OU up 35-14 at the half, but the Cyclones stormed back. Brock Purdy helped reel off 20 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, but Parnell Motley saved the day by picking off Purdy as ISU coach Matt Campbell rolled the dice and went for two with 24 seconds left.

Forgettable

2017: Iowa State 38, Oklahoma 31

Baker Mayfield’s storybook final season in Norman took an unexpected turn on Oct. 7, 2017. Iowa State backup quarterback Kyle Kempt threw three touchdown passes to help Iowa State stun the Sooners on their home field, as Matt Campbell’s team outscored OU 25-7 in the second half to pull the upset. Allen Lazard caught the go-ahead touchdown from Kempt with 2:19 left, and Mayfield was unable to figure out the Cyclones’ umbrella defense on OU’s final possession of the game, turning the ball over on downs to succumb to the visitors.

Big 12 Series History

OU leads 18-2

Published
Ryan Chapman
RYAN CHAPMAN

Ryan is deputy editor at AllSooners and covers a number of sports in and around Norman and Oklahoma City. Working both as a journalist and a sports talk radio host, Ryan has covered the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the United States Men’s National Soccer Team, the Oklahoma City Energy and more. Since 2019, Ryan has simultaneously pursued a career as both a writer and a sports talk radio host, working for the Flagship for Oklahoma sports, 107.7 The Franchise, as well as AllSooners.com. Ryan serves as a contributor to The Franchise’s website, TheFranchiseOK.com, which was recognized as having the “Best Website” in 2022 by the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters. Ryan holds an associate’s degree in Journalism from Oklahoma City Community College in Oklahoma City, OK. 

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