Completed Event: Football versus Illinois State on August 30, 2025 , Win , 35, to, 3
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University of Oklahoma Athletics
Photo by: Ty Russell
Game Primer: OU at TCU
October 23, 2020 | Football
Oklahoma
TCU
Saturday, Oct. 24 / 11 a.m. CT / Fort Worth, Texas
OPENING KICK
• Oklahoma (2-2, 1-2) goes for its seventh straight win over TCU (1-2, 1-2) when it travels to face the Horned Frogs on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT inside Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth. The game will be televised by ABC with Joe Tessitore, Greg McElroy and Holly Rowe announcing.
• The Sooners have won 24 of their last 26 true road games and are 13-2 in such contests under fourth-year head coach Lincoln Riley.
• Dating back to the start of the 2012 season, Oklahoma is 41-8 (.837) in regular season games away from home. OU has scored at least 30 points in 42 of those 49 contests.
• Oklahoma has won 20 of its last 21 games immediately following its regular season matchup vs. Texas. The lone loss during the stretch — to Kansas State in Norman in 2014 — was by one point (31-30).
• OU has scored at least 28 points in a school-record 56 consecutive games. The next longest streak nationally since at least 1980 is 31 by UCF (2017-19). The next longest active streak is 18 games by SMU.
• Oklahoma is 42-6 (.875) in regular season Big 12 play since the start of the 2015 season, which coincides with Riley's arrival at OU as offensive coordinator. Oklahoma State ranks second during that period (30-17; .638) while West Virginia ranks third (27-21; .563), TCU fourth (26-22; .542) and Texas fifth (25-23; .521).
• The Sooners have ranked in the top seven nationally in total offense each of Riley's five years calling plays and in the top three each of the last four seasons (7th in 2015 [530.2 ypg]; 2nd in 2016 [554.8]; 1st in 2017 [579.6]; 1st in 2018 [570.3]; and 3rd in 2019 [537.6]). Through four games this season, OU leads the Big 12 and ranks 10th in total offense (502.0).
• OU is in its third straight week of being unranked in the AP Top 25 after being ranked in every poll since Sept. 25, 2016. The Sooners had appeared in 64 straight AP polls prior to the Sept. 9 poll, which was the third longest streak nationally (Alabama has a streak of 203 consecutive appearances and Clemson has a streak of 92) and the sixth longest in program history.
• Since the start of the 1999 season (Bob Stoops' first as head coach), OU is 20-7 (.741) when not ranked in the AP poll.
• The Sooners beat TCU 41-17 in the 2017 Big 12 Championship game in Arlington, Texas. It was the first Big 12 title contest since 2010.
KEY STORYLINES
• Oklahoma is 8-1 against TCU since the Horned Frogs joined the Big 12 Conference prior to the 2012 season. The Sooners' lone loss was a 37-33 decision in 2014 in Fort Worth. Each of the first five meetings after TCU joined the league were decided by seven or fewer points, but OU has won the last four — all since Lincoln Riley became head coach — by an average of 18 points.
• The Sooners have statistically dominated each of their last six matchups against TCU, all wins. Over those six contests, Oklahoma has outgained the Horned Frogs 3,111 yards to 2,124 (+164.5 ypg) and owns a 150-97 advantage in first downs (56-23 over the last two years). It has gained over 500 yards in five of the six meetings and had 461 in the other. OU has been particularly dominant in the run game, outgaining TCU 1,700 yards to 715 (+164.2 ypg).
• Oklahoma has rushed for at least 200 yards in each of its last six games against the Horned Frogs and has averaged 283.3 rushing yards in those contests. The Sooners posted rushing totals of 333 yards in 2015, 260 in 2016, 200 and 218 in 2017, 323 in 2018 and 366 last season. In contrast, OU has held TCU to an average of 119.2 rushing yards in those games (high of 161 in 2015).
• Quarterback Spencer Rattler ranks first nationally among freshmen in total offense (313.3 ypg), passing offense (296.5 ypg) and passing touchdowns (13). He has thrown for at least two touchdowns in all four contests, at least three TDs in three games and for four TDs in the Missouri State and Kansas State outings.
• Oklahoma has won the time-of-possession battle in all four games this season and ranks second nationally with its 34:44 average (Charlotte is at 34:46). In Riley's first three seasons as head coach, OU had never ranked better than 23rd in the country in the statistic (31:50 in 2017). Since the Sooners began tracking time of possession in 1992, only one OU squad has recorded a figure above 33:00 minutes per game (33:11 in 2004).
• Each of TCU's three games and Oklahoma's last three have been one-possession outcomes. The Horned Frogs' three contests have been decided by an average of 4.0 points, while the Sooners' last three games have been decided by an average of 6.0 points (3.3 not including overtime).
ROAD WARRIORS
• Oklahoma has won 24 of its last 26 true road games, with the only losses during that stretch coming last year at Kansas State (48-41) and two games ago at Iowa State (37-30).
• Last year's defeat at K-State snapped OU's 22-game true road winning streak (the Sooners hadn't lost since Oct 4, 2014, at TCU), which was the second longest such streak nationally since at least the end of World War II.
• During the 22-game streak, OU outscored opponents 1,076-626 (49-28 average) and outgained them 12,829 yards to 9,208 (583-419 average).
• Oklahoma has outgained its opponent in 23 of its last 26 true road games.
• OU has scored at least 30 points in each of its last 31 true road games and at least 41 points in 21 of them.
• The Sooners are 7-1 all-time at TCU.
LAST YEAR VS. TCU
• No. 9/8/7 Oklahoma outgained TCU by 307 yards (511-204), had 30 first downs to the Horned Frogs' 11 and held a 39:31-20:29 advantage in time of possession, but after racing to a 21-0 second-quarter lead had to hang on for a 28-24 home win on Nov. 23, 2019, that was the 400th in Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium history. OU clinched a berth in the Big 12 Championship with the victory.
• After OU failed to convert on fourth down while holding a four-point lead late in the fourth quarter, sophomore Brendan Radley-Hiles intercepted a TCU pass at the OU 32-yard line on a fourth-and-6 play with 1:41 to go to help the Sooners escape with the win. It was OU's second game-sealing pick in as many weeks.
• TCU's 45 plays, 204 total yards, 65 passing yards, 4.53 yards per play, one third-down conversion (on nine tries) and 11 first downs all represented OU opponent season lows. Â
• Oklahoma ran 85 plays to TCU's 45. The Horned Frogs' 45 snaps were the fewest by an OU opponent since Colorado ran 44 plays in a 24-3 Sooners win in 2006. Â
• OU's 366 rushing yards were its most since it racked up 405 in 2015 against Texas Tech. Its 64 rushing attempts were its most since 2016 vs. West Virginia (also 64).
• Jalen Hurts threw for two touchdown passes and ran for 173 yards and two more scores, while Kennedy Brooks finished with 149 rushing yards. Charleston Rambo caught a career-high six passes for 77 yards and CeeDee Lamb (5 yards) and Brayden Willis (20 yards) reeled in OU's touchdown passes.
• TCU registered three takeaways on the night to OU's one. Included was a 98-yard interception return for a touchdown by Vernon Scott early in the fourth quarter that accounted for the game's final points.
"SPEED D" IN THE RANKINGS
• Hired in January 2019, Oklahoma defensive coordinator and safeties coach Alex Grinch, who was a 2019 Broyles Award semifinalist, has presided over a significant turnaround on the defensive side of the ball.
• So far this season, Oklahoma ranks in the top 25 nationally in a bevy of categories. It is 11th in opponent third down conversion percentage (28.6), 12th in rushing defense (96.5 ypg), 17th in opponent pass completion percentage (56.8), 18th in sacks per game (3.0), 20th in total defense (342.5 ypg) and 24th in tackles for loss per game (7.0).
• The Sooners made huge strides in Grinch's first season last year, ranking 17th nationally in opponent third-down conversion percentage (32.2; in 2018 [before Grinch's arrival] they ranked 119th at 46.4), 17th in tackles for loss per game (7.4; in 2018 ranked 79th at 5.6), 32nd in rushing defense (134.1 ypg; in 2018 ranked 59th at 159.8), 34th in sacks per game (2.6; in 2018 ranked 49th at 2.1), 38th in total defense (356.4 ypg; in 2018 ranked 114th at 453.8), 58th in passing defense (222.4 ypg; in 2018 ranked 130th at 294.0) and 64th in scoring defense (27.3 ppg; in 2018 ranked 101st at 33.3).
• In 2019 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).
SNAKE IN THE GRASS
• Redshirt freshman Spencer Rattler, the consensus No. 1 quarterback in the 2019 recruiting class, threw for a state-record 11,083 yards (116 passing touchdowns) and ran for over 1,000 yards (14 TDs) in his career at Pinnacle High School in Phoenix, Ariz. The 2018 Elite 11 MVP was the No. 9 overall national recruit by 247Sports, No. 13 by Rivals and No. 29 by ESPN.
• Rattler appeared in three Oklahoma games last season, completing 7 of 11 passes for 81 yards and a touchdown without an interception. He also ran three times for 23 yards.
• Rattler is OU's fourth starting QB in four seasons. Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray won the Heisman Trophy in 2017 and 2018, respectively, while Jalen Hurts was the 2019 Heisman runner-up.
• So far this season, Rattler is tied for fifth nationally in touchdown passes (13) and ranks sixth in completion percentage (71.3), sixth in passing efficiency rating (174.1), 12th in total offense (313.3 ypg), 14th in passing offense (296.5 ypg) and 15th in yards per pass attempt (9.2).
• Rattler has thrown for at least two touchdown passes in all four games this season, has thrown for at least three in three contests and for four in each of the Missouri State and Kansas State outings.
• In his starting debut in the season opener against Missouri State, Rattler completed 14 of 17 passes for 290 yards and four touchdowns (no interceptions) in only one half of work. He followed with 30-for-41 effort for 387 yards and four more TDs (three interceptions) against Kansas State, and a 25-for-36 performance for 300 yards and two TDs (one interception) at Iowa State. Versus Texas, he was 23 for 35 for 209 yards and three scores (one interception).
• In the first half of play, Rattler has completed 78.8% of his passes (52 of 66) for 746 yards and nine TDs.
• Rattler has 67 net rushing yards on the season and has scored a TD on the ground in each of the last two games.
YOUNG RUNNING BACKS ROOM
• Oklahoma, which has produced a Big 12-high six individual 1,000-yard-rushing seasons by running backs over the past five years (the next most in the league during that span is three) and has led the Big 12 in rushing offense in all three of Lincoln Riley's campaigns as head coach, is dividing its carries in 2020 among a largely inexperienced group.
• OU returned just 20.4% of its rushing yards and only 18.4% of its rushing touchdowns from last season.
• Senior Rhamondre Stevenson was OU's leading returning rusher entering the season but has yet to play in 2020. He ran 64 times for 515 yards and six TDs in his debut season last year, and his 8.0 yards per rush led the nation among players with at least 50 carries.
• Junior T.J. Pledger carried 10 times for 65 yards and a score last season. He missed this year's opener against Missouri State before starting against Kansas State (41 yards on 13 carries), Iowa State (47 yards on 11 carries) and Texas (career highs of 131 yards, two TDs and 22 carries).
• Redshirt freshman Marcus Major ran 10 times for 28 yards in his three contests in 2019. He rushed 11 times for 31 yards against Missouri State this season and didn't carry the ball again until last game against Texas (43 yards and his first career TD on 12 rushes).
• Freshman Seth McGowan was a consensus four-star recruit who was rated as the nation's No. 13 running back by Rivals and No. 16 by 247Sports and ESPN after rushing for more than 3,700 yards and 45 touchdowns at Mesquite Poteet High School in Texas. He led OU in rushing in its first three games this season (61 and a TD vs. Missouri State, 73 and a TD vs. Kansas State and 47 at Iowa State [tied with Pledger]) before missing the Texas outing.
IMPRESSIVE FOOT NOTE
• During Lincoln Riley's three-plus-year head coaching career, Oklahoma ranks second nationally with its 85.5% success rate on field goal attempts (59 for 69). The Sooners trail only Florida, which has converted 91.9% of its tries (57 for 62) since the start of the 2017 season. TCU is the next best Big 12 school in the category during the span (80.3%; 57 of 71).
• During the same period, the Sooners rank third nationally in PAT conversion percentage among teams with at least 150 attempts, converting 264 of 265 tries (99.6%). Only Georgia (189 for 189) and Utah State (170 for 170) have higher success rates.
"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, 54.7 in 2018 and 57.3 last season. This season has been different so far, with the Sooners running 47.0 percent of the time.
RILEY'S FAST START
• The Football Bowl Subdivision's youngest head coach (33) at the time of his hiring, Lincoln Riley became just the fifth mentor in FBS history with no previous head-coaching experience at a four-year college to win at least 12 games in his debut season. At 24-4 and 36-6, he also holds the OU record for most wins by a head coach in his first two and first three seasons (Barry Switzer held the records of 21 and 32). No one in the last 125 years won more games in their first three seasons as a college head coach (Penn's George Woodruff was the last from 1892 to '94).
• Riley is one of just four 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.
OFFENSE CONTINUES TO ROLL 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 campaign, OU ranks first nationally in scoring (44.5 ppg; next most is 41.4), total offense (551.9; next most is 512.6), yards per play (7.7; next most is 6.9), touchdowns from scrimmage (403), pass efficiency rating (187.8; next best is 170.6) and yards per pass attempt (10.6), second in completion percentage (69.4), third in passing offense (323.9) and 10th in rushing offense (228.0).
• In 72 games since the start of the 2015 season, OU has registered at least 500 yards of total offense 51 times (next most is 42), including in 41 of the last 55 outings, topped the 600-yard mark on 25 occasions and gone over 700 yards seven times. Similarly, OU has scored at least 30 points in 64 of 72 games since Riley's arrival, at least 40 points 46 times, at least 50 points 26 times and at least 60 points eight times.
• This season, the Sooners lead the Big 12 in total offense (502.0 ypg), passing offense (358.0 ypg), passing efficiency rating (172.6) and first downs (26.8 per game), and ranks second in scoring offense (41.5 ppg).
BIG 12'S BELL COW
• Since the first year of the Big 12 in 1996, OU has claimed 13 league titles and is followed by Texas (three), Baylor, Kansas State and Nebraska (two each), and Colorado, Oklahoma State, TCU and Texas A&M (one each). All 13 of the Sooners' titles have come since the start of the 2000 campaign, with no other program during that span winning more than two. OU is 141-31 (.820) 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; 116-56) and 45 more than the program with the third most (Oklahoma State; 96-75).
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 (666) than any other program (next most is 624 by Alabama).
• Oklahoma is the highest-scoring program in college football history with 36,549 points (in 1,292 games).
• OU leads all FBS programs with 49 all-time conference championships. The rest of the top five includes Nebraska (46), Michigan (42), Ohio State (38) and USC (37). The Sooners' 13 league titles since 2000 are the most among Power Five programs (Ohio State ranks second with 10).
• No program has more all-time 10-win seasons than Oklahoma, which has 40 (including a nation-leading 17 since 2000). 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 (228) and points scored (10,946).
EXTRA POINTS
• Over its two meetings against TCU the last two seasons, OU outgained the Horned Frogs by 568 yards (1,047-479) and posted a 56-23 advantage in first downs.
• This year's Oklahoma squad is looking to become the fifth in program history to win a conference title with two league losses. The four occasions it happened were in 1976 (5-2 in Big Eight; shared with Colorado and Oklahoma State) and 2002, 2007 and 2010 (6-2 in Big 12; won Big 12 Championship games). No OU team has ever won a conference title after a 0-2 league start and no Sooners squad has ever won a conference championship with three league losses.
• The last time Oklahoma started a season 1-2 was 2016. That team was victorious in its final nine games to finish 10-2, won Big 12 and Sugar Bowl titles and earned a final No. 5 AP ranking. It was Bob Stoops' final year at the Sooners' helm.
• Sooners freshman Marvin Mims has a team-high four touchdown catches and registered three of those over the first two contests. He became the program's first player since redshirt freshman receiver Ryan Broyles in 2008 to register three TD receptions in his first two career games (Broyles is OU's career records holder for receptions, receiving yards and receiving TDs). Mims is the Texas high school record holder for receiving yards in a career (5,485) and in a season (2,629 on 117 receptions and 32 touchdowns last year). He has 15 catches for 196 yards this season and ranks second nationally with his 16.8 yards per punt return (101 yards on six returns).
• Oklahoma has absolutely dominated the first quarter this season, outscoring Missouri State (31-0), Kansas State (7-0), Iowa State (10-3) and Texas (10-0) by a combined 58-3 margin. The Sooners have limited the three opponents to 186 total yards on 53 plays (3.5 average) in the opening 15 minutes. OU holds a 96-37 first-half scoring advantage and has given up just 509 yards on 110 plays (4.6 average) in the opening half of play.
• Every Oklahoma freshman class since 1999 has won at least two Big 12 championships. Baylor's 2011, 2012 and 2013 freshman classes are the only other ones that have won two Big 12 titles (BU won league crowns in 2013 and '14).
• In 72 games since Lincoln Riley arrived in Norman in 2015, OU has punted more than its opponent just nine times.
• OU is the only program that has produced at least four NFL Draft picks each of the last 13 years.
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