Peyton Bowen's Blocked Kick Changed Oklahoma's Fortunes Against Missouri

NORMAN — A four-play sequence completely flipped Saturday’s contest between No. 8 Oklahoma and No. 22 Missouri.

Leading 3-0, Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz looked like he was going to go for it on fourth-and-3 from the Oklahoma 17-yard line.

The Tigers were ready to snap the ball out of a timeout, but Brent Venables halted play with a timeout of his own.

After the break, Missouri elected to kick the field goal, but OU safety Peyton Bowen came screaming in off the edge and blocked the kick.

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“It was — they kind of like tried to test us,” Bowen said after the Sooners’ 17-6 win. “So, I know they’re going to come out in some tricky stuff, and whenever they called timeout and then like Coach BV saw that; that’s how people are whenever they play us.

“They got to get our eyes wrong and do some other stuff, but having that blocked field goal, I feel like was a real turn of the tide in that game. They were doing pretty good on offense; I’m not going to lie.”

Bowen’s block gave the ball back to OU’s offense, and three plays later, John Mateer and Isaiah Sategna connected on a slant that the Oklahoma receiver took 87 yards to the house.

It gave the Sooners their first lead of the day — an advantage they refused to relinquish.

“What a great play that was,” Venables said. “… It really created a spark.

“… Huge play you get against the defense the quality of Missouri. You can create an explosive play, hit a guy on a runner and make some guys miss and leaves ‘em. An 80-yard … touchdown. That's a huge play in these kinds of games, absolutely.”

Sategna’s touchdown represented a big chunk of OU’s 276 total yards of offense.

Mateer completed just 13-of-29 passes for 86 yards and another score outside of the completion to Sategna, but it set in motion a five-minute stretch that saw the Sooners take a 14-3 lead.

“Really good design that (Ben) Arbuckle came up with and we got man like we wanted,” Mateer said. ”And I knew there was a backer underneath I had to navigate, and I did. Luckily, put it on his nose and he was able to run. … Bye, see ya. He’s really fast.”

Oklahoma Sooners, Isaiah Sategn — Oklahoma receiver Isaiah Sategna crosses the goal line on his 87-yard touchdown. | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The sequence has become a familiar formula for the Sooners.

Oklahoma’s offense has endured its fair share of struggles, but across this three-game winning streak, Mateer and his unit have often figured out how to brush struggles aside and put points on the board following a big special teams play or a defensive turnover.

And with OU one game away from a return to the College Football Playoff, the Sooners would be more than happy to replicate that formula one more time next week against LSU (2:30 p.m., ABC).

“Winning is the goal and it's all that matters," Mateer said. “Like, some people would say we should win pretty, and that's a good (Missouri) defense, and that’s a good team, you know? So I'm proud of the guys and proud of the offense.”