Game Primer: OU vs. LSU

Saturday, December 28

Atlanta, GA

3:00 PM

University of Oklahoma

LSU

December 27, 2019 | Football

ESPN OU Radio Live Stats Scene Setter Bowl Central

⁴Oklahoma vs. ¹LSU

Saturday, Dec. 28 / 3 p.m. CT / Mercedes Benz Stadium

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OPENING KICK

• No. 4 Oklahoma (12-1, 8-1 Big 12) continues pursuit of its eighth national championship when it meets No. 1 LSU (13-0, 8-0 SEC) Saturday, Dec. 28 at 3 p.m. CT in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. The game will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and be televised by ESPN with Sean McDonough, Todd Blackledge, Holly Rowe and Laura Rutledge announcing.

• Oklahoma is making its third consecutive College Football Playoff appearance and fourth in five seasons. Only Alabama and Clemson (five each) have more appearances than OU. Ohio State is making its third appearance and LSU its first.

• OU is making its first Peach Bowl appearance and will be playing its first game in Georgia. LSU is 5-1 in the Peach Bowl.

• This marks Oklahoma's 53rd bowl appearance, seventh most nationally. Thirty-eight of those 53 have come in bowls that comprise the current New Year's Six (Orange [20], Sugar [8], Fiesta [5], Cotton [2], Rose [2] and Peach [1]). The 38 does not include OU's BCS Championship Game appearance on Jan. 1, 2009.

• The Sooners own a 29-22-1 (.567) bowl record. Their 29 bowl wins are tied with Penn State and Texas for the fourth most nationally.

• Oklahoma is 58-34-2 (.628) in AP top-10 matchups, and 19-9 (.679) since the start of the 2000 season. It is 20-14-2 (.583) as the lower ranked team in such games.

• OU is making its 21st consecutive bowl appearance, by far the longest streak in school history (the previous record was eight from the 1975-82 seasons under Barry Switzer). The streak, which began in Bob Stoops' 1999 debut season as head coach, is the third-longest active bowl streak in the nation recognized by the NCAA (Virginia Tech 27, Georgia 23).

• OU's current streak of five straight outright league championships is the longest among Power Five programs since Alabama won five in a row from 1971 to '75 (Clemson is also riding a five-game outright streak [ACC]).

• OU owns a 109-48-8 (.685) record against teams currently in the SEC.

• This season marked the first in the 24-year history of the Big 12 the Sooners led the conference in both total offense (526.9 ypg; next most was 462.8) and total defense (330.6 ypg; next fewest was 357.6) in league play. The only other team to do it was co-national champion Nebraska in 1997.

• The Sooners are averaging a national-best 8.2 yards per offensive play, which is just below their own FBS single-season record of 8.6 yards per play set last season.

• This marks the fifth straight season Oklahoma has won at least five consecutive games heading into its bowl contest (seven in 2015 [CFP], nine in 2016, eight in 2017 [CFP], seven in 2018 [CFP] and five this year [CFP]).

• Entering the Nov. 16 Baylor game, OU ranked 118th by averaging just 63.2 plays per game. Since the beginning of that contest, though, it ranks 10th nationally (second among teams that have played four games during the span) by averaging 78.8 plays (95 at Baylor, 85 vs. TCU, 61 at Oklahoma State, 74 vs. Baylor).

• OU has won at least 10 games 40 times in its history, most of any program. It has double-digit wins in each of the last five seasons, nine of the last 10 and in 17 of the last 20. Its 26 seasons of at least 11 victories are also the most nationally and it has nine seasons of at least 12 wins (12 in each of the last three campaigns).

• Lincoln Riley owns the OU records for wins by a head coach in a debut season (12; previous record was 10 by Barry Switzer and Chuck Fairbanks), first two seasons (24; previous record was 21 by Switzer) and first three seasons (36; previous record was 32 by Switzer).

• Oklahoma has won 37 of its last 46 games away from Norman (80.4%).

KEY STORYLINES

• The Peach Bowl will mark the third meeting between Oklahoma and LSU, with each program owning a Sugar Bowl win. The Sooners posted a 35-0 victory to end the 1949 season and the Tigers prevailed 21-14 in the BCS title game to cap the 2003 campaign.

• Oklahoma has played six games against SEC teams over the last seven seasons and has gone 4-2. OU scored at least 31 points in each of those six contests and has averaged 38. The Sooners downed No. 3 Alabama 45-31 in the Sugar Bowl to end the 2013 season, beat Tennessee 34-10 in 2014 in Norman, outlasted No. 23 Tennessee 31-24 in double-overtime in 2015 in Knoxville, and handled No. 17 Auburn 35-19 in the Sugar Bowl to cap the 2016 season. Two years ago in the Rose Bowl (CFP semifinal), OU led Georgia 31-17 at halftime but lost 54-48 in double-overtime. The Sooners dropped a 45-34 contest to Alabama in last year's Orange Bowl (CFP semifinal).

• This year's Peach Bowl will feature the nation's top two offenses in terms of yards per game. LSU leads the country with its 554.4 yards per contest and OU ranks second at 554.2. The Sooners average a national-best 8.2 yards per offensive play while the Tigers rank third at 7.8.

• Oklahoma's Jalen Hurts will be the first quarterback to start a College Football Playoff game for two schools. He started two CFP games in each of the 2016 and 2017 seasons for Alabama. He also played in both of the Crimson Tide's CFP games last year in a reserve role. The Peach Bowl will mark Hurts' seventh CFP contest.

• Mercedes-Benz Stadium is where Hurts was the star for Alabama in last year's SEC Championship vs. Georgia, rallying his team to a 35-28 win after it trailed 28-21 when he replaced injured starter Tua Tagovailoa with 11:15 left in the fourth quarter. Hurts took the Crimson Tide 69 yards on his first drive that culminated with a 10-yard game-tying touchdown pass to Jerry Jeudy with 5:19 left. On UA's next possession, Hurts capped a 52-yard drive with a 15-yard run with 1:04 remaining for the game's final points. He completed 7 of 9 passes for 82 yards and had five carries for 28 yards on his two drives. Hurts and Alabama won the national title the previous season in the same stadium when they beat Georgia 26-23 in overtime.

• Hurts started games against LSU his freshman and sophomore seasons and led Alabama to wins in both. In 2016, Hurts ran for 114 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries while completing 10 of 19 passes for 107 yards (one interception) in a 10-0 road win. In 2017, he ran 14 times for 44 yards and a TD while completing 11 of 24 passes for 183 yards and a score in a 24-10 home victory. He did not play in the meeting last season, a 29-0 Crimson Tide win in Baton Rouge.

• Since trailing Baylor 31-10 at halftime on Nov. 16, Oklahoma has held the Bears, TCU, Oklahoma State and Baylor again to a combined 873 yards (62.4 per quarter) while gaining 1,762 yards itself over the last three and-a-half games. During that span, the Sooners have held major advantages in plays (278-168), first downs (95-43) and time of possession 134:30-74:30).

• In a stat that speaks to their success on both sides of the ball, the Sooners have run just 72 more plays than their opponents this season (5.5 more per game) but have outgained them by a staggering 2,907 yards, or 1.65 miles. OU ranks second nationally in total offense (554.2 ypg) despite ranking 80th in plays per game (just 68.0).

• Oklahoma led the nation last season in both yards per pass attempt (11.3) and yards per rush (6.6). This year, it ranks first nationally (min. 10 attempts per game) with its 11.4 yards per pass attempt (FBS record is 11.7 by OU in 2017) and ranks fourth with its 6.1 yards per rush.

OU vs. AP'S NO. 1

• Oklahoma is 7-14-2 (.348) all-time against the AP No. 1 team. When the Sooners are ranked in the AP's top 10, though, they are 7-7-2 (.500) against the No. 1 squad. When they are ranked in the AP's top 5 they are 5-5-1. The last time they played the AP No. 1 team was in last year's CFP Semifinal at the Orange Bowl in Miami (Alabama beat No. 4 OU 45-34). The last time they beat the AP No. 1 team was in the 2007 Big 12 Championship game when No. 9 OU posted a 38-17 win over Missouri in San Antonio.

• The College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Peach Bowl will mark the 21st AP top-four matchup in Oklahoma history, with the Sooners holding a 14-15-1 record in such contests. OU is 2-2 in top-four matchups when it is the No. 4-ranked team (all four games were in the Orange Bowl). The Sooners beat No. 2 Florida State 18-17 in the 1980 season and downed No. 1 Maryland 7-0 to end the 1953 campaign. They lost to No. 2 Tennessee 17-0 in the 1938 season finale (OU's first bowl game) and dropped a 45-34 decision to No. 1 Alabama last season (CFP semifinal).

REMARKABLE DEFENSIVE TURNAROUND

• Hired in January, coordinator and safeties coach Alex Grinch, who is a 2019 Broyles Award semifinalist, has overseen major improvement on the defensive side of the ball this season.

• Oklahoma ranks ninth nationally in opponent third-down conversion percentage (30.1; last year ranked 119th at 46.4), 11th in tackles for loss per game (7.8; last year ranked 57th at 5.6), 24th in total defense (330.6 ypg; last year ranked 114th at 453.8); 24th in passing defense (198.5 ypg; last year ranked 130th at 294.0), 30th in sacks per game (2.7; last year ranked 49th at 2.1), 32nd in rushing defense (132.1 ypg; last year ranked 59th at 159.8) and 50th in scoring defense (24.5 ppg; last year ranked 101st at 33.3).

• In Big 12 play, OU led the league in total defense (330.6 ypg) and passing defense (190.4 ypg), and ranked second in rushing defense (140.1 ypg), pass defense efficiency (125.7 rating) and third- and fourth-down conversion percentage (33.3 each).

• OU has forced a punt on its opponent's first possession in 12 of 13 games.

• Oklahoma has allowed more than 6.0 yards per play once in its 13 games this season (6.9 by Iowa State). In the 41 games from 2016-18, OU allowed at least 6.0 yards per play 20 times.

• Seven of OU's top 10 tacklers this season are freshmen or sophomores. Four sophomore defenders (S Pat Fields, DL Ronnie Perkins, S Delarrin Turner-Yell and LB DaShaun White) have started every game, and another (DB Brendan Radley-Hiles) has started 12. Two redshirt freshmen (LB Nik Bonitto [seven] and DL Jalen Redmond [three]) and two true freshmen (CB Jaden Davis and OLB David Ugwoegbu) have each started at least one.

"AIR RAID" A MISNOMER

• Fans and media have often referred to Oklahoma's offense under Lincoln Riley as the "Air Raid." The label is not exactly accurate, however, as the Sooners have rushed more than they've thrown in each of the five years since Riley arrived in Norman, and that's counting plays in which the quarterback was sacked as pass plays (officially they are recorded as rushes). OU's rushing play percentage was 52.6 in 2015, 57.7 in 2016, 53.1 in 2017 and 54.7 in 2018. Through 13 games this season, 58.4% of the Sooners' plays have been rushes.

CONTROL FREAKS

• The Sooners ran 95 plays at Baylor on Nov. 16 and 85 plays vs. TCU on Nov. 23. Prior to that Baylor contest, Oklahoma had not run 80 or more plays in a game since the 2018 Rose Bowl vs. Georgia (81 plays; double overtime game), and had not done so in a regulation game since 2017 vs. Texas Tech (81). The last time OU ran at least 180 plays over two games was in 2015 (87 plays at Baylor and 95 plays vs. TCU).

• Two of OU's three highest total possession times since 2015 have come in the last four weeks (41:11 at Baylor and 39:31 vs. TCU). The other was in 2016 at West Virginia (39:54).

• OU's average possession time of 37:50 the last four weeks is the second highest nationally (38:16 by Coastal Carolina). The Sooners have run the ball 210 times in their 315 plays the last four games (66.7% of the time).

RILEY'S FAST START

• The Football Bowl Subdivision's youngest head coach (33) at the time of his hiring, Lincoln Riley was named Oklahoma's 22nd head man on June 7, 2017, and quickly set school records for wins by a first-year head coach (12) and victories in his first two seasons (24) and first three seasons (36). No one at any school in the last 125 years (since Penn's George Woodruff in 1892-94) has won more games in his first three seasons as a college head coach. In addition to his 36-5 record, Riley has won three Big 12 titles, participated in three College Football Playoffs and produced seven first-team All-Americans, two Heisman Trophy winners and two No. 1 overall NFL Draft picks as OU's head coach. He turned 36 on Sept. 5 and is the FBS's fifth-youngest head coach.

• Riley is just the fourth FBS head coach since at least 1996 to win three conference titles in his first three years as a head coach. Marshall's Bob Pruett [1997-99], Miami's Larry Coker [2001-03] and Oregon's Chip Kelly [2009-11] also accomplished the feat.

HURTS IS HEISMAN RUNNER-UP

• Senior quarterback Jalen Hurts was the 2019 Heisman Trophy runner-up. LSU quarterback Joe Burrow won the award and was followed by Hurts and Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields and defensive end Chase Young.

• Hurts was Oklahoma's 11th Heisman finalist, most of any school (finalists were first named in 1982). Miami (Fla.) ranks second with nine finalists, Alabama ranks third with eight and Florida ranks fourth with seven.

• OU boasts 10 Heisman finalists in the last 20 years (since 2000), which is four more than the program with the next most during that span (Alabama has six).

• OU is the first program to ever produce five Heisman finalists in a four-year period (Hurts, QB Kyler Murray in 2018 [won], QB Baker Mayfield in 2017 [won] and Mayfield [finished third] and WR Dede Westbrook [finished fourth] in 2016).

• The Sooners are tied with Notre Dame and Ohio State for the most Heisman Trophy winners at seven each. Joining Mayfield and Murray as winners were QB Sam Bradford in 2008, QB Jason White in 2003, RB Billy Sims in 1978, RB Steve Owens in 1969 and RB Billy Vessels in 1952.

HURTS HAS THRIVED AS SOONER

• A graduate transfer from Alabama who arrived at Oklahoma in January, Jalen Hurts owns a 38-3 career record as a starter. This year he has completed 222 of 309 passes (71.8%; school record is 70.9%) for 3,634 yards (279.5 per game) and 32 touchdowns with seven interceptions. He has also rushed 219 times for a team-high 1,255 yards (96.5 per game) and 18 TDs. Hurts leads the nation in yards per pass attempt (11.8; FBS record is 11.6), yards per completion (16.4), points responsible for per game (23.7; tied) and touchdowns accounted for (51; tied), and is third in total offense (376.1 yards per game) and passing efficiency rating (200.3; FBS record is 199.4), fourth in completion percentage, seventh in rushing TDs and 10th in passing TDs.

• Hurts and Florida's Tim Tebow are the only two players since 1996 to record at least 32 passing TDs and at least 18 rushing TDs in a season (Tebow had 32 and 23, respectively, in 2007 when he won the Heisman).

• Hurts became only the third FBS player to register at least 3,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards by the 11th game of a season. The feat was also accomplished by Louisville's Lamar Jackson in 2016 and '17 and Texas A&M's Johnny Manziel in 2012 (Jackson [2016] and Manziel won the Heisman Trophy).

• Hurts already ranks second in OU single-season history in quarterback rushing yards. He needs 34 rushing yards to tie Jack Mildren's record of 1,289 in 1971. Hurts also needs two rushing TDs to tie Mildren's single-season record of 20 by a QB (also in 1971).

• Hurts has posted five passing efficiency ratings over 245.0 this season. Since at least 1996, the most efficiency ratings over 245.0 recorded by an FBS player in a season (min. 15 attempts) had been three (Mayfield, 2017).

• Hurts is the only player nationally this season with five games of two-plus rushing TDs and two-plus passing TDs (Louisiana-Monroe's Caleb Evans [three] is the only other player with more than two).

Jalen Hurts

NO LITTLE LAMB

• Consensus first-team All-American and Biletnikoff Award Finalist CeeDee Lamb is continuing his rapid ascent on OU's charts this season. The junior wide receiver from Richmond, Texas, who was also a Maxwell Award semifinalist, ranks second in career receiving touchdowns (32), fourth in receiving yards (3,173) and tied for sixth in receptions (169) despite playing in just his third season.

• In 12 games this year (he missed the Nov. 16 contest at Baylor due to medical reasons), Lamb has posted team highs of 58 catches, 1,208 receiving yards and 14 receiving touchdowns. He ranks third nationally in receiving TDs, seventh in yards per reception (20.8) and 11th in receiving yards per game (100.7).

• Lamb caught at least one touchdown pass in each of OU's first six games this season, running his streak going back to last year to eight contests. He has caught at least one TD pass in nine of his 12 games this year and has 11 TD receptions over his last nine outings. He was named Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week and Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week after his career-high 10 catches for 171 yards and three touchdowns vs. Texas on Oct. 12.

• Lamb is tied for third among active FBS players (and No. 1 among non-seniors) in career receiving TDs (32). The non-senior with the next-highest total is Clemson junior Tee Higgins (27). Lamb ranks third among active FBS players with 3,173 career receiving yards, and again is No. 1 among non-seniors.

• A starter in 38 of his 40 career games, Lamb owns the OU all-time record for games of at least 160 receiving yards with six (he Ryan Broyles and Sterling Shepard last game). Lamb is also tied with Broyles for first in school history with 23 career receptions of at least 40 yards.

K9 MORE THAN JUST BARK

• Junior linebacker Kenneth Murray, who ranked second in the Big 12 and 13th nationally last season with his 155 total tackles (most by a Sooner since Curtis Lofton had 157 in 2007), was a first-team All-Big 12 selection and a semifinalist for the Butkus, Bednarik and Lott IMPACT Trophy awards, as well as an ESPN midseason All-American. He has registered team highs of 95 tackles and 16.0 tackles for loss (career high), including 4.0 sacks, four pass breakups and five QB hurries. He was named the Lott IMPACT Player of the Week after wins over Houston (Sept. 1) and at Baylor (Nov. 16).

• Nicknamed "K9" (he wears No. 9), Murray registered nine games of double-digit tackles last season as a second-team All-Big 12 performer, including three contests of at least 15 stops (28 vs. Army [most by an FBS player since at least 2000], 17 vs. Baylor and 15 vs. Alabama in CFP Semifinal at the Orange Bowl).

• Murray, who has started all 41 games since the start of 2017, has 36 career tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks.

HERE'S THE KICKER

• Lou Groza Award semifinalist Gabe Brkic is one of two placekickers nationally who have made all of their field goal attempts this season (Air Force's Jake Koehnke is 12 for 12) and is the only one who has made all of his field goal and extra point tries. The redshirt freshman, who took over OU's placekicking duties in the season's fourth game (vs. Texas Tech), is 17 for 17 on field goals and 48 for 48 on PATs.

• Brkic's streak of 17 made field goals is the longest in school history (Scott Blanton held the previous mark of 15 straight in 1992-93). No OU kicker has ever made all of his field goal and extra-point attempts for an entire season (Michael Keeling was a combined 42 of 43 [97.7%] in 1979).

• Brkic is tied for ninth in school single-season history with his 17 field goal makes. He needs just two conversions to move into a tie for fourth.

• Brkic is following four-year kicker Austin Seibert, who is OU's and the Big 12's all-time leading scorer, and the FBS' career leader in scoring among kickers (499 points).

Lead, Brkic

OFFENSE HAS ROLLED UNDER RILEY

• Oklahoma owns the nation's most productive offense since the start of the 2015 season, which was Lincoln Riley's first year as OU's offensive coordinator. Riley still calls plays as head coach.

• Since the start of the 2015 season, OU ranks first nationally in points per game (44.9; next most is 41.6), total offense (558.3; next most is 516.4), touchdowns from scrimmage (378; next most is 365), pass efficiency rating (190.6; next best is 167.6) and yards per pass attempt (10.8; tied), second in completion percentage (69.5), third in passing offense (323.3) and eighth in rushing offense (235.0).

OKLAHOMA'S BIG 12 FIVE-PEAT

• Oklahoma's 2019 Big 12 title marked the program's fifth straight league crown. The last time the Sooners won at least five consecutive conference championships was 1972-80 under head coaches Chuck Fairbanks (1972) and Barry Switzer.

• OU is the only program to win at least three straight Big 12 titles, and it has done so twice (also from 2006-08). Baylor (2013-14) is the only other program to win two Big 12 championships in a row.

• OU's and Clemson's current streaks of five straight outright league championships are the longest among Power Five programs since Alabama won five in a row from 1971 to '75.

BIG 12'S BELL COW

• Oklahoma has won 13 Big 12 titles in the first 24 years of the league, with no other program during that span winning more than three. All 13 of OU's Big 12 titles have come in the last 20 years, with no other program winning more than two during the span. Texas ranks second with three Big 12 titles (last one in 2009; OU has won seven since then). OU is 140-29 (.828) in regular season Big 12 play since the start of the 2000 season. That's 25 more wins than the program with the next most victories during that period (Texas; 115-54) and 46 more than the program with the third most (Oklahoma State; 94-75).

COLLEGE FOOTBALL'S BEST

• During the modern era of college football (since the end of World War II), the Sooners are the nation's No. 1 team with more wins (664) than any other program (next most is 621 by Ohio State).

• OU is the highest-scoring program in college football history with 36,355 points (in 1,287 games).

• No program has more all-time 10-win seasons than Oklahoma, which has 40. In addition, OU's 26 seasons with at least 11 wins are the most in college football history.

• Since former head coach Bob Stoops arrived in Norman in 1999, OU leads all Power Five conference programs in wins (226) and points scored (10,752).

• Only Alabama (122) and Ohio State (105) have been ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll more weeks than Oklahoma (101).

• The Sooners have made 418 all-time appearances in the AP poll's top five, more than any other program (Alabama is next with 411 and Ohio State third with 386). That means OU has been in the top five in 36 percent of all AP polls (1,167 total polls), which started in 1936. OU has made 23 AP top-5 appearances since the start of 2017.

CeeDee Lamb

EXTRA POINTS

• Oklahoma leads the Big 12 in total offense (554.2 ypg) and total defense (330.6 ypg). In the previous 23 years of the league, OU has never been atop both categories at the end of a season.

• OU has been ranked in the AP's top 10 in 52 of the last 54 polls. The only times it wasn't during that stretch was following its 2017 loss to Iowa State (fell from third to 12th) and following its 2018 loss to Texas (seventh to 11th).

• The Sooners have won 52 straight games when leading after the third quarter. The last such loss came on Dec. 6, 2014, when they led Oklahoma State 28-14 entering the fourth quarter but lost 38-35 in overtime.

• In Big 12 play, three Sooners finished in the top six in points per game, including the top two. Quarterback Jalen Hurts was first at 10.0, kicker Gabe Brkic was second at 9.7 and receiver CeeDee Lamb was sixth at 8.5.

• Each of redshirt senior receiver Lee Morris' last 27 receptions (all 18 this season, final nine last season) have resulted in a first down. The last time he caught a pass that didn't go for a first down was Oct. 27, 2018, vs. Kansas State. Thirty-eight of his 41 career receptions have gone for a first down or touchdown.

• Oklahoma has outscored its opponents 151-42 in the first quarter this season.

• In 67 games since Lincoln Riley arrived in Norman in 2015, OU has punted more than its opponent just seven times. On five of those seven occasions it was just one more punt.

• Seventeen true freshmen and 12 redshirt freshmen have played for Oklahoma this season.

• The Sooners have won more Big 12 titles the last five seasons (five) than they have lost games against Big 12 opponents (44-4 record; includes three Big 12 Championship games).

• Since the start of his sophomore season at Alabama, Hurts has posted a 5.7-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio (57 TDs to 10 INTs).