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University of Oklahoma Athletics
Game Primer: OU vs. Baylor
December 04, 2020 | Football
11 Oklahoma
Baylor
Saturday, Dec. 5 / 7 p.m. CT / Norman, Okla.
Opening Kick
• No. 11/13/13 Oklahoma (6-2, 5-2) tries for its sixth straight win when it hosts Baylor (2-5, 2-5) on Saturday at 7 p.m. CT inside Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. The game will be televised by FOX with Tim Brando and Spencer Tillman announcing.
• Saturday's contest will serve as a rematch of last year's Big 12 Championship Game, a 30-23 Oklahoma overtime win in Arlington, Texas. It was OU's fifth straight league title and nation-leading 49th all-time.
• Oklahoma owns a 27-3 (.900) record against Baylor and is 13-1 vs. the Bears in Norman. In the Big 12 era, the Sooners hold a 22-3 series advantage (10-1 at home).
• OU is 21-2 (.913) at home under fourth-year head coach Lincoln Riley. Its only defeats were a 38-31 decision against Iowa State on Oct. 7, 2017, and a 38-35 outcome vs. Kansas State on Sept. 26 of this season that snapped the Sooners' 17-game home winning streak.
• Oklahoma has won more Big 12 championships over the last 22 years (13) than it has lost home games. OU is 122-11 (.917) at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium since the start of the 1999 season, with all 133 of those games sellouts. It is the best home winning percentage among Power Five schools over the last 22 seasons (Ohio State is next at .894). OU has outscored its opponents by an average of 43-17 in those games. No program has won more than two Big 12 titles since the Sooners won their first in 2000 (Baylor won league crowns in 2013 and '14).
• A win Saturday would give Riley 43 in his head coaching career, which would tie the school record for a fourth-year OU coach. Bob Stoops went 43-9 (.827) in his first four seasons at OU (1999-2002).
• In the five games since (and including) their Oct. 10 contest vs. Texas, the Sooners rank first among Power Five teams with their 50.2 points per game.
• The Sooners have held their last two opponents (Kansas [nine] and Oklahoma State [13]) to a combined 22 points. The last time OU held opponents to 22 or fewer points over two games was in 2014 (Tulsa seven and Tennessee 10 in season's second and third outings).
• OU has scored at least 28 points in a school-record 60 consecutive contests. The next longest streak nationally since at least 1980 is 31 by UCF (2017-19). The next longest active streak is 21 games by Alabama.
• Oklahoma is 46-6 (.885) 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 (33-19; .635), while West Virginia ranks third (29-23; .558), TCU fourth (29-24; .547) and Texas fifth (28-24; .538).
• 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.
KEY STORYLINES
• The Sooners have won six straight games against Baylor (average score of 45-31) and have registered over 500 yards in five of the six contests (had 433 in last year's Big 12 Championship Game). OU has been particularly effective through the air during the streak, completing 72.0% of its passes for an average of 311.5 yards per game, 15.4 yards per completion, 11.1 yards per attempt, 19 touchdowns and a robust 198.0 passing efficiency rating.
• The last two OU-Baylor meetings in Norman have yielded a combined score of 111-57 (66-33 in 2018 and 45-24 in 2016). The Sooners averaged 9.0 yards per play in those contests while holding BU to 5.2 per play.
• After struggling in the run game early this season, OU has hit the 200-yard rushing mark in three of its last five games (191 in another) and has been bolstered by the return of senior running back Rhamondre Stevenson the last three outings. Stevenson, who missed the season's first five contests, has rushed for 332 yards and five touchdowns on 50 carries (6.6 yards per rush) in his three games. He ran for 87 yards and three TDs on 13 carries (6.7 average) in his season debut at Texas Tech, 104 yards and two scores on 11 carries (9.5 average) vs. Kansas and a career-high 141 yards vs. Oklahoma State (5.4 average). OU has averaged 55.0 points and rushed for 13 TDs in those three contests.
• Oklahoma ranks seventh nationally among teams that have played more than three games by allowing just 96.0 rushing yards per outing. The Sooners have held five of their eight opponents to 95 or fewer rushing yards and limited Texas to 89 yards through regulation in a four-overtime contest. OU held Missouri State to 54 rushing yards (2.2 average), Kansas State to 56 (2.2 average), TCU to 75 (3.0 average), Kansas to 95 (2.3 average) and Oklahoma State to 78. Baylor ranks last in the Big 12 with its 102.6 rushing yards per game.
• OU registered six sacks over the season's first three games (2.0 average) but has 24 over the last five contests (4.8 average). The Sooners lead the Big 12 and rank fifth nationally with their 3.8 sacks per game on the year. They rank ninth in the country by racking up 199 yards on their sacks. Redshirt sophomore outside linebacker Nik Bonitto is tied for second in the Big 12 with his 6.5 sacks (all over the last five games) while redshirt junior defensive lineman Isaiah Thomas is sixth with 5.5. Junior defensive end Ronnie Perkins missed the season's first five games but has 6.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and four QB hurries in his three outings.
• The Sooners have won five games in a row, keeping with a years-long trend of late-season success. In each of the last five seasons, OU won at least five consecutive games heading into its bowl contest (seven straight in 2015 [CFP], nine in 2016 [Sugar Bowl], eight in 2017 [CFP], seven in 2018 [CFP] and five last year [CFP]).
LAST YEAR VS. BAYLOR
• Oklahoma won a pair of thrillers over Baylor last season, registering a 34-31 comeback victory in Waco and taking a 30-23 overtime win in the Big 12 Championship Game.
• The Sooners trailed 28-3 midway through the second quarter (and 31-10 at halftime) of the first meeting before rallying for the biggest come-from-behind win in school history. Over the last game and a half vs. the Bears, OU posted advantages of 801-334 in total yards (297-50 on the ground; 504-284 through the air), 43-12 in first downs, 60:56-29:04 in possession time and 132-72 in total plays.
• In the meeting in Waco, No. 10/10/8 Oklahoma became the first team to ever beat a CFP-ranked opponent when trailing by 25 or more points. Teams had been a combined 0-162 (the CFP began in 2014). Baylor was No. 13 in the CFP rankings.
• In the second half, OU ran 58 plays to Baylor's 16, outgained the Bears by 299 yards (368-69), had 18 more first downs (22-4) and held a 24:20-5:40 advantage in time of possession.
• The Sooners snapped a five-game streak of not registering a takeaway. Safety Patrick Fields recovered a fumble forced by cornerback Parnell Motley on Baylor's first play of the third quarter, and linebacker Nik Bonitto sealed the victory with an interception at the OU 38-yard line with 29 seconds left. All four of defensive end Ronnie Perkins' tackles went for a loss and he finished with a career-high 3.0 sacks (for 14 yards).
• Jalen Hurts accounted for 411 yards of offense, including a school-record 305 in the second half, to earn Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week honors. He was 30 for 42 through the air (both season highs) for 297 yards and a career-high-tying four touchdowns. He also ran a season-high 27 times for 114 yards.
• Tight end Austin Stogner made his first two touchdown catches (5-yarder in second quarter and 3-yarder in third quarter) while fellow freshman Theo Wease registered a 19-yard TD grab early in the fourth quarter to make the score 31-24 Baylor. Brayden Willis notched his first career TD reception with 5:25 to go to tie the game at 31 before Gabe Brkic booted the game-winning 31-yard field goal with 1:45 remaining.
• In the Dec. 7 rematch, Oklahoma's defense turned in one of its best performances of the season to claim its fifth straight Big 12 crown and 13th in the 24-year history of the league. OU outgained Baylor 433 yards to 265 and held the Bears to eight first downs and 4.7 yards per play. BU didn't amass 100 yards of offense until 3:00 remained in the third quarter.
• The Sooners finished with a season-high-tying 15 tackles for loss (their most in a Big 12 Championship game) and 6.0 sacks. Safety Delarrin Turner-Yell was critical to the effort, logging eight tackles, a career-high 3.0 TFLs, a forced fumble and a pass breakup.
• CeeDee Lamb was named Most Outstanding Player after catching eight passes for 173 yards, including a 71-yarder in the first quarter that set up OU's first touchdown.
• Running backs Kennedy Brooks (59 total rushing yards) and Rhamondre Stevenson (48 total rushing yards) each scored a touchdown on the ground. Stevenson's 5-yard score came on OU's overtime possession.
• Ten of Baylor's 13 first-half points came off Oklahoma turnovers after the Bears inherited a short field.
EFFECTIVE LOCKER ROOM SPEECHES
• OU has dominated the first quarter this season, outscoring Missouri State (31-0), Kansas State (7-0), Iowa State (10-3), Texas (10-0), TCU (10-0), Texas Tech (21-7), Kansas (14-0) and Oklahoma State (21-7) by a combined 124-17 margin. The Sooners have limited the eight opponents to 476 total yards (average of 59.5) in the opening 15 minutes.
• During its current five-game winning streak, OU has outscored opponents 41-0 in the third quarter and has allowed just 148 total yards (on 46 plays) in the period. Texas (-9), TCU (-2), Texas Tech (8), Kansas (44) and Oklahoma State (17) combined for 58 rushing yards on 33 carries (1.8 yards per rush) in the third quarter.
"SPEED D" ON THE MOVE
• 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, among teams that have played more than three games, Oklahoma ranks in the top 20 nationally in a bevy of categories. It is third in opponent third down conversion percentage (27.1), fifth in sacks per game (3.8), seventh in rushing defense (96.0 ypg), 10th in tackles for loss per game (8.0), 13th in opponent first downs per game (17.3) and 17th in total defense (326.6 ypg).
• In 22 games under Grinch, OU has allowed 346.0 yards per outing. In the three seasons before his arrival in Norman (2016-18), the Sooners gave up 426.8 yards per contest.
• OU has allowed opponents to score on their opening drive of a game just four times in its 22 games under Grinch (Oklahoma State and LSU touchdowns last season; Iowa State field goal and Texas Tech TD this year). Sixteen of the opponent opening drives have lasted five plays or less.
• Since the start of the 2019 season, the Sooners rank fourth nationally in defensive third-down conversion percentage (30.3).
SNAKE IN THE GRASS
• Redshirt freshman Spencer 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.
• Rattler leads the nation's freshmen in passing touchdowns (22), passing offense (289.9 ypg), yards per pass attempt (10.0) and total offense (304.3 ypg). Among all players who have played more than three games, he ranks ninth in yards per pass attempt, 10th in passing TDs, 11th in pass efficiency rating (178.2), 13th in yards per completion (14.7), 14th in passing offense, 16th in completion percentage (68.1) and 19th in total offense.
• Rattler threw for at least two touchdown passes in seven of eight games (one vs. Kansas) and has registered at least three TD passes in four contests and had four in the Missouri State, Kansas State and Oklahoma State outings.
• In the first half of play, Rattler has completed 69.4% of his passes (100 of 144) for 1,579 yards (197.4 per first half) and 15 TDs.
MIMS HAVING UNPRECEDENTED EARLY SUCCESS
• Only eight games into his career, wide receiver Marvin Mims has already tied the OU freshman record with his seven receiving touchdowns. Current NFL players Mark Andrews (2015; played in 13 games) and CeeDee Lamb (2017; played in 14 games) also registered seven TD receptions (see the chart on page 2).
• Mims' seven touchdown catches are the most through the first eight games of an OU career by a freshman, with the previous high being six by Lamb.
• Mims shares the Big 12 lead and is tied for 16th in the country with his seven receiving touchdowns. No other freshman wide receiver nationally has more than five TD grabs.
• Mims is tied for the team lead with 28 catches for a team-high 483 yards. Lamb holds the OU freshman record with 807 receiving yards.
• Mims' seven TD receptions have averaged 33.3 yards. Three have gone for at least 50 yards (50, 58 and 61).
• Mims ranks seventh nationally with his 13.5 yards per punt return (148 yards on 11 returns).
IMPRESSIVE FOOT NOTES
• During Lincoln Riley's three-plus-year head coaching career, Oklahoma ranks fifth nationally with its 84.1% success rate on field goal attempts (69 for 82). Kansas State is the next best Big 12 school in the category during the span, ranking 18th at 80.5%.
• During the same period, the Sooners rank third nationally in PAT conversion percentage among teams with at least 150 attempts, converting 288 of 289 tries (99.7%). Only Georgia (205 for 205) and Virginia Tech (168 of 168) have a higher success rate.
• Redshirt sophomore kicker Gabe Brkic is 31 for 36 (.861) on career field goal attempts and has made all 90 of his PAT tries. The OU career record for field goal percentage is .833 (75 for 90) by Michael Hunnicutt (2011-14). Brkic is 14 for 19 on field goals this year and 37 for 37 on PATs.
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 coaches 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.
• Riley is the third-fastest OU head coach to reach 42 wins (50 games). Only College Football Hall of Famers Switzer (47 games) and Bud Wilkinson (49) did it faster.
HEISMAN U
• Quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray became Oklahoma's sixth and seventh Heisman Trophy winners in 2017 and '18, respectively, moving the Sooners into a tie with Notre Dame and Ohio State for the most Heisman winners. Other OU winners were quarterbacks Sam Bradford in 2008 and Jason White in 2003, and running backs Billy Sims in 1978, Steve Owens in 1969 and Billy Vessels in 1952.
• Quarterback Jalen Hurts was the 2019 Heisman Trophy runner-up and became 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.
• Oklahoma 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, Murray in 2018 [won], Mayfield in 2017 [won] and Mayfield [finished third] and receiver Dede Westbrook [finished fourth] in 2016). With Mayfield's and Murray's wins, OU is the only program to produce different quarterback winners in consecutive years.
• OU is tied for the most Heisman runners-up, as well (six). OU's second-place Heisman finishers were Kurt Burris (1954), Greg Pruitt (1972), Sims (1979), Josh Heupel (2000), Adrian Peterson (2004) and Hurts (2019).
• Oklahoma has produced four Heisman Trophy winners in the last 17 years. Only three other programs have produced four winners ever.
OKLAHOMA'S BIG 12 FIVE-PEAT
• OU's 2019 Big 12 championship marked the program's fifth straight league crown. The last time it won at least five consecutive conference titles 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. The last current Power Five program to win six straight outright conference titles is Oklahoma (12 in a row from 1948 to '59).
EXTRA POINTS
• Oklahoma is one of five teams this season (one of two among Power Five teams) to rank in the top 20 in both total offense and total defense. The others are BYU, Cincinnati, Clemson and Liberty. OU ranks 10th nationally in total offense (512.1 ypg) and 19th in total defense (326.6 ypg).
• Since the end of World War II, the Sooners are 24-5 in December non-bowl games. They have won four straight such contests and six of the last seven (last loss was in 2014; 38-35 to Oklahoma State in overtime in Norman).
• Over the last two seasons, Oklahoma has allowed only two opponent wide receivers to register at least 100 receiving yards in a game (Kansas' Stephon Robinson and LSU's Justin Jefferson; both last year).
• In their last two games, the Sooners held Kansas to a 40% pass completion rate (14-35 for 151 yards) and Oklahoma State to a 37.5% figure (15-40 for 168 yards). The last time OU held consecutive opponents to a 40%-or-less mark was in 2003 (37.4% vs. OSU and 28.6% vs. Texas A&M).
• The Sooners have racked up 24 sacks and 46 tackles for loss over the last five games, good for averages of 4.8 and 9.2 per outing. Over the last three contests, OU has registered more interceptions (five) than it has allowed touchdown passes (four).
• Oklahoma has won the time-of-possession battle in seven of eight games this season and ranks ninth nationally (among teams that have played more than three times) with its 33:50 average. In Riley's first three seasons as head coach, OU 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).
• Sophomore wide receiver Theo Wease has 21 catches for 308 yards over the last five games. Over his first 15 career outings he had 15 receptions for 229 yards.
• 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 eight games this season, OU leads the Big 12 and ranks 12th nationally in total offense (512.1).
• The last time OU 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 as head coach.
• Every Oklahoma freshman class from 1999-2018 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 76 games since Riley arrived in Norman in 2015, OU has punted more than its opponent just nine times.
Players Mentioned
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