The Moments That Defined Oklahoma's 23-15 Win Over Mississippi State

STARKVILLE, Miss. — The Sooners got back into the win column on Saturday.

Oklahoma defeated Mississippi State 23-15 to improve to 4-3. The Sooners played turnover-free football, and their defense played exceptionally as they avenged last week’s loss to Kentucky.

Here are the moments that defined OU’s win over the Bulldogs:

Oklahoma Sooners, Adepoju Adebawore — Oklahoma defensive end Adepoju Adebawore sacks Mississippi State's Kamario Taylor. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Oklahoma Sooners, Adepoju Adebawore, Taylor Wein — Oklahoma defensive ends Adepoju Adebawore and Taylor Wein celebrate after Adebawore's sack against Mississippi State. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Mississippi State got the ball first, but the Bulldogs did nothing with their first drive. OU defensive end Adepoju Adebawore sacked MSU quarterback Kamario Taylor — who made his first start since Oct. 3 after suffering a foot injury — on the second play of the game. Taylor completed a pass on third-and-long, but OU still forced a three-and-out.

Oklahoma Sooners, Isaiah Sategna — Oklahoma wide receiver Isaiah Sategna looks for space against Mississippi State. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Mississippi State’s punt after the three-and-out went for only 13 yards. On Oklahoma’s first offensive play, Isaiah Sategna took an end-around for a 12-yard gain.

Oklahoma Sooners, Tate Sandell — Oklahoma kicker Tate Sandell prepares to attempt a field goal against Mississippi State. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

After Sategna’s big play, the Sooners went for only eight yards on their next three plays. OU sent out kicker Tate Sandell, who made a 42-yard field goal for the first points of the game.

Oklahoma Sooners, David Stone — Oklahoma defensive tackle David Stone celebrates after logging a sack against Mississippi State. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Oklahoma Sooners, David Stone, Jayden Jackson — Oklahoma defensive tackles David Stone and Jayden Jackson celebrate after logging a sack against Mississippi State. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Mississippi State’s second drive didn’t go any better. After running back Fluff Bothwell gained five yards on a first-down run, Taylor took another sack two plays later, this time at the hands of defensive tackle David Stone. The Bulldogs punted again.

Oklahoma Sooners, Lloyd Avant — Oklahoma running back Lloyd Avant carries against Mississippi State. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

OU quarterback John Mateer connected with running back Lloyd Avant to move the chains once on the Sooners’ second drive. But a few plays later, they opted to punt again on fourth-and-short.

Mississippi State Bulldogs, Fluff Bothwell — Mississippi State running back Fluff Bothwell rushes against Oklahoma. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Finally, the Bulldogs moved the chains on their third possession. Bothwell found a gap in the middle of defense and ran for 37 yards to the OU 46-yard line.

Mississippi State Bulldogs, Anthony Evans III — Mississippi State wide receiver Anthony Evans III tries to make a catch against Oklahoma. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Oklahoma Sooners, Reggie Powers III — Oklahoma defensive back Reggie Powers III steps over Mississippi State's Anthony Evans III after making a tackle. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Oklahoma Sooners, Owen Heinecke — Oklahoma's Owen Heinecke sacks Mississippi State's Kamario Taylor. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Mississippi State, though, didn’t capitalize after Bothwell’s explosive play. Taylor threw an off-target deep ball to Anthony Evans III on the first down near midfield. Over the next two plays, the Bulldogs gained five yards to set up a fourth-and-5. MSU opted to go for it on fourth down, but linebacker Owen Heinecke sacked Taylor to force a turnover on downs.

Oklahoma Sooners, John Mateer — Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer rushes against Mississippi State. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

In the final few minutes of the first quarter, Mateer led OU’s offense down the field quickly. The Sooners marched down to the MSU 16-yard line, but a personal foul from Peyton Joseph sent them back and forced the drive to stall. OU again trotted out Sandell, who this time missed from 45 yards out on the first play of the second quarter.

Oklahoma Sooners, Jake Kreul — Oklahoma defensive end Jake Kreul pressures Mississippi State's Parker Puckett. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

The Bulldogs opened the second quarter with a new quarterback, as they replaced the injured Taylor with Parker Puckett. MSU’s first drive with Puckett went for only 23 yards before it opted to punt. Oklahoma started its next drive on the 13-yard line and went three-and-out with 10:04 left in the second quarter

Mississippi State Bulldogs, Anthony Evans — Mississippi State wide receiver Anthony Evans III breaks a tackle against Oklahoma. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Oklahoma Sooners, Trystan Haynes — Oklahoma defensive back Trystan Haynes tries to make a tackle against Mississippi State. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

After OU’s quick drive, Mississippi State took over at the 50-yard line. The Bulldogs converted a third-and-15 on a quick pass to Evans, who gained 17 yards and moved the chains. A few plays later, Puckett showed off his rushing abilities by scrambling to the six-yard line.

Oklahoma’s defense rose to the occasion immediately after Puckett’s nifty run. Heinecke forced the dual-threat quarterback to fumble on a designed run play, and defensive end Taylor Wein was there to recover the loose ball with 6:34 left in the second quarter.

Oklahoma Sooners, Jer'Michael Carter — Oklahoma wide receiver Jer'Michael Carter tries to break free against Mississippi State. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Despite starting the drive on their own four-yard line, the Sooners went down the field methodically. Oklahoma used runs of four-to-six yards and short passes to creep into Mississippi State territory. A personal foul called against the Bulldogs allowed them to get even deeper into enemy territory.

Mateer played his most efficient game on the ground and had a couple of key rushes on this methodical drive. An eight-yard scamper moved the chains before he set up a fourth-and-short with a six-yard run a few plays later. He then got past the sticks himself after the Sooners decided to go for it on fourth down with 57 seconds left in the second quarter.

One play after Mateer’s fourth-down run, the quarterback made an acrobatic throw to Sategna. The speedy wide receiver eluded a few Bulldog defenders and trotted into the end zone for a touchdown, giving OU a 10-0 lead at halftime.

Oklahoma Sooners, Tory Blaylock — Oklahoma running back Tory Blaylock breaks free against Mississippi State. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

The Sooners’ clean football continued on their first play of the third quarter, when sophomore tailback Tory Blaylock rushed for 47 yards to flip the field. The lengthy run marked OU’s longest of the 2026 season.

Oklahoma Sooners, Rocky Beers — Oklahoma tight end Rocky Beers celebrates with Isaiah Sategna after scoring a touchdown against Mississippi State. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Two plays after Blaylock’s run, Mateer hit a wide-open Rocky Beers in the end zone for a touchdown to give OU a 17-0 lead.

Mississippi State’s first drive of the half lasted only five plays. Oklahoma then had an opportunity to put the game out of reach. Mateer found Beers toward the sideline for a chunk play, but the transfer tight end fumbled after trying to hurdle a defender. MSU and former OU defensive back Kendel Dolby recovered the loose ball.

Mississippi State Bulldogs, Camden Capehart — Mississippi State's Camden Capehart scores a touchdown against Oklahoma. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

The Bulldogs scored after Beers’ miscue to make it a two-score game. Tight end Sam West threw a touchdown pass to wide receiver Camden Capehart to cut the deficit to 10 points.

Mateer did his part to get it back on the next drive. He launched a deep ball to Sategna, who came down with the ball for a 47-yard gain.

On a third-and-5 from MSU’s 12-yard line, Mateer threw an on-target ball to Beers at the goal line. Beers appeared to come down with the ball. But the referees determined that he never had possession after a Mississippi State defensive back knocked the ball loose. OU settled for a field goal to make it 20-7 with 3:33 left in the third quarter.

Oklahoma Sooners, Courtland Guillory — Oklahoma defensive back Courtland Guillory celebrates after breaking up a pass against Mississippi State. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

The Bulldogs’ offensive struggles continued on their final drive of the third quarter. They gained only 19 yards over six plays, and OU defensive back Courtland Guillory broke up a pass to force a turnover on downs.

Oklahoma, though, was unable to extend its lead. The Sooners got down to the MSU 27-yard line before their drive stalled. Sandell then missed his 45-yard field-goal attempt to keep their lead at 13 points.

Oklahoma Sooners, Brent Venables — Oklahoma coach Brent Venables celebrates after a defensive stop against Mississippi State. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Oklahoma’s defense logged another turnover on downs after Sandell’s miss to keep the margin at two scores. But Sandell missed again, this time failing to connect from 41 yards out.

Oklahoma Sooners, Peyton Bowen — Oklahoma defensive back Peyton Bowen tries to return an interception against Mississippi State. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

Finally, Mississippi State put together another quality drive, as the Bulldogs got into the red zone. But Puckett threw a meatball into the hands of defensive back Peyton Bowen, who returned the interception to the OU 24-yard line.

Even with a 13-point lead, OU stayed aggressive. Mateer threw a perfect ball to Sategna for a 48-yard gain to get back into Bulldogs territory. Sandell redeemed himself to end this drive, as his 38-yard kick went in to make it 23-7.

Mississippi State Bulldogs, Sanfrisco Magee — Mississippi State wide receiver Sanfrisco Magee celebrates after catching a touchdown pass against Oklahoma. | Carson Field / Sooners On SI

With 2:10 left in the game, Puckett connected with Sanfrisco Magee for a deep-ball touchdown. The Bulldogs then converted on their two-point conversion attempt to make it a one-score game (23-15).

With three timeouts left, Mississippi State opted not to attempt an onside kick. Oklahoma, though, moved the chains twice to ice the game and escape Starkville with a 23-15 win.

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