It Wasn't Historic, but Oklahoma Holds Off Nebraska

Sooners needed a blocked PAT runback and a defensive stand at the end to outlast Nebraska in renewing their ancient rivalry on Saturday.

NORMAN — History has its place in football.

This was something different.

Oklahoma and Nebraska met on Saturday at Owen Field, a game that has been under contract for nine years and, frankly, has been on fans’ wish list since they last met in 2010.

The Cornhuskers’ 2011 departure for the Big Ten Conference, Oklahoma’s future departure for the Southeastern Conference, the 1971 Game of the Century, their memorable matchups in 2000, 2006, 2010 — and so many more — it all was tucked back into the dusty pages of history once this one got kicked off.

Nebraska, a 22.5-point underdog, played like a version of the Big Red from 20 years ago, but Oklahoma prevailed 23-16 in a compelling intra-conference showdown between old rivals.

No. 3-ranked OU improved to 3-0, while Nebraska fell to 2-2.

OU senior and captain Pat Fields turned in the biggest play of the day, snatching a blocked extra point out of the air and racing 106 yards the other way for a defensive 2-point play.

Instead of 14-10, it was 16-9, and Fields’ runback at least temporarily scissored whatever momentum Nebraska had established from a nine-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. It was Isaiah Coe who bull-rushed up the middle and blocked Connor Culp’s PAT.

The first half was a 7-3 defensive standstill — each team scored on its opening possession — but both offenses got going in the second half.

Jeremiah Hall’s touchdown grab from Spencer Rattler — the ninth TD catch of Hall’s career — put the Sooners up 14-3 late in the third quarter.

Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez scored the Huskers’ first TD of the day with eight seconds left in the third (right before Coe’s block and Fields’ return).

The Sooners made it 23-9 with 10:24 to play when Kennedy Brooks smashed in from 2-yards out to finish a 65-yard drive.

Omar Manning’s 21-yard catch across the middle on a bullet from Martinez made it 23-16 with 5:38 left.

Oklahoma had a chance to put the game away with an offensive drive, but the Sooners couldn’t convert a third-and-short, giving the ball back to Martinez deep in Husker territory with just 57 seconds left.

That’s when the OU defense rose up, sacking Martinez on first down (Perrion Winfrey) and third down (Nik Bonitto), then tackling Rahmir Johnson short of the first down on fourth and long.

OU returns home for the Big 12 Conference opener next week with a 6:30 p.m. game against West Virginia.