Game Primer: OU vs. Baylor

Saturday, November 13

Waco, TX

11:00 AM

University of Oklahoma

Baylor

Photo by: © Copyright Joshua R. Gateley 2020

November 12, 2021 | Football

Gameday Central FOX OU Radio En Español Live Stats

^8/4 Oklahoma

^13/18 Baylor

Saturday, Nov. 13 / 11 a.m. CT / Waco, Texas

FOX / Radio / Live Stats / Game Notes

OPENING KICK

• No. 8/4/4 Oklahoma (9-0, 6-0 Big 12) goes for its eighth straight win over Baylor (7-2, 4-2) and 18th consecutive victory overall when it plays the No. 12/18/18 Bears on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT at McLane Stadium in Waco, Texas. The game will be televised by FOX with Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt and Jenny Taft announcing.

• The Sooners' 17-game winning streak is the seventh longest in program history and their longest since winning 20 straight over the 2000 and '01 seasons. It is also the longest active streak in the country, with only one other program (Georgia at 13) owning a streak longer than nine games. OU's last loss came on Oct. 3, 2020, at Iowa State.

• Oklahoma is off to the 15th 9-0 start in program history but first since 2004 when it won its first 12 games under head coach Bob Stoops.

• OU has registered winning streaks of at least seven games in a school-record seven straight seasons. The previous program record for seven-game winning streaks was six consecutive campaigns (1953-58) under Bud Wilkinson. Since 1980, only Boise State (11 straight seasons; 2002-12) and Alabama (10 straight seasons; 2011-20) have also posted winning streaks of at least seven games in seven consecutive years.

• Oklahoma owns a 28-3 (.903) record against Baylor and is 13-2 vs. the Bears in Waco. In the Big 12 era, the Sooners hold a 23-3 series advantage (11-2 in Waco).

• Dating back to the start of the 2012 season, Oklahoma is 46-8 (.852) in regular season games away from home. OU has scored at least 30 points in 47 of those 54 contests.

• Oklahoma is 17-2 (.895) in true road games under Lincoln Riley and the average score in those contests has been 43-30. It is the nation's second-best true-road-game record since the start of the 2017 season (Ohio State is 18-2). OU's 541.2 offensive yards per game and 5.6 yards per rush in true road contests during the stretch lead the nation.

• OU has won as many Big 12 titles the last six seasons (six) as it has lost games against Big 12 opponents (58-6 record; includes four Big 12 Championship games).

• Come Saturday, Oklahoma will have been Big 12 champion for 2,178 consecutive days.

• OU is 152-31 (.831) in regular season Big 12 play since the start of the 2000 season. That's 30 more wins than the program with the next most victories during that period (Texas; 122-61) and 47 more than the program with the third most (Oklahoma State; 105-79).

KEY STORYLINES

• Oklahoma has won 23 straight November games (11 contests against teams ranked in the AP Top 25) and 26 of its last 27. Since the start of the 2000 season, OU is 67-11 (.859) in the month. Riley is 14-0 in November as head coach (six games against AP-ranked teams). OU's last November loss was in 2014 against Baylor in Norman.

• The Sooners have won seven straight games against Baylor (average score of 42-29) and have registered over 500 yards in five of the seven contests. OU has been particularly effective through the air during the streak, completing 71.9% of its passes (141-196) for an average of 294.6 yards per game, 14.6 yards per completion, 10.5 yards per attempt, 21 touchdowns and a robust 190.6 passing efficiency rating.

• OU's last game in Waco two seasons ago (Nov. 16, 2019) saw the Sooners mount the biggest comeback win in school history. Baylor, which entered the game 9-0, stormed to a 28-3 early second-quarter lead and a 31-10 halftime advantage before OU rallied for a 34-31 victory. It outgained the Bears 368-69 after halftime, registered 18 more first downs (22-4) and held a 24:20-5:40 advantage in possession time. See the "Last Time in Waco" section of the notes on page 3 for more game details.

• Since taking over quarterback responsibilities with 6:41 left in the second quarter vs. Texas four games ago, freshman Caleb Williams has completed 72 of 98 pass attempts (73.5%) for 1,087 yards and 14 touchdowns against one interception (211.7 pass efficiency rating is the nation's best since Oct. 9). He has also rushed 26 times for 227 yards (8.7 average) and TDs of 66, 41 and 40 yards in the four games. Williams is a semifinalist for the Walter Camp Player of the Year and Davey O'Brien QB of the Year awards.

• Despite being held to 72 rushing yards in its last game against Texas Tech, OU is averaging 215.3 rushing yards per contest and a nation-leading 6.6 yards per carry since Oct. 9 (last four outings). Redshirt junior Kennedy Brooks is averaging 121.0 rushing yards and has run for five touchdowns over the last four games. Brooks ran for over 1,000 yards each of his first two seasons and with 802 rushing yards so far this year (89.1 per game; 6.1 per carry) is well on his way to that mark again. The only Sooners to ever record three 1,000-yard rushing seasons were De'Mond Parker (1996-98), Adrian Peterson (2004-06) and Samaje Perine (2014-16).

• The Sooners averaged 38.4 points per game, 433.4 yards per game and 6.3 yards per play over the season's first five contests. Over the last four outings they have posted respective averages of 48.5, 531.5 and 8.6. The 48.5 points per game and 8.6 yards per play are the second most and most nationally, respectively, since Oct. 9.

• Among teams with at least 30 red zone trips this season, OU ranks first nationally with its 98% score rate (47 scores on 48 trips). Thirty-seven of its 47 red zone scores (79%) have been touchdowns. The 47 red zone scores and 37 red zone TDs are most in the country. The Sooners have scored on each of their last 42 red zone trips. Baylor has scored on 34 of its 37 red zone trips this season (92%).

• OU is tied for third nationally this season with its 14 forced fumbles and is tied for fifth with 10 fumble recoveries. The Sooners had three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries all of last season. Baylor has lost four fumbles this year.

• Three Sooners rank in the top nine in the Big 12 in sacks this season. Defensive lineman Isaiah Thomas is tied for fifth in the league with 5.5 sacks while outside linebacker Nik Bonitto is tied for seventh with 5.0 and defensive lineman Perrion Winfrey is tied for ninth with 4.5. OU recorded 13 sacks over the season's first three contests but has a total of seven over the last six games.

Caleb Williams

ROAD WARRIORS

• Oklahoma has won 28 of its last 30 true road games, with the only losses during that stretch coming in 2019 at Kansas State (48-41) and last season at Iowa State (37-30).

• The 2019 defeat at K-State snapped OU's 22-game true road winning streak (it 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 by 3,621 yards (583-419 average).

• The Sooners have outgained their opponent in 25 of their last 30 true road games.

• OU has scored at least 30 points in each of its last 35 true road games.

LAST YEAR VS. BAYLOR

• No. 11/13/13 Oklahoma clinched a berth in the Big 12 Championship Game for the fourth straight year with its 27-14 home win over Baylor on Dec. 5, 2020, in Norman. The Sooners limited the Bears to 288 total yards, 25 rushing yards (on 26 attempts) and a 54% completion rate.

• OU led 10-0 at halftime and was up 27-7 until Baylor scored a touchdown with 59 seconds left in the game.

• Quarterback Spencer Rattler completed 20 of 28 passes (71%) for 193 yards and two touchdowns (one interception). It marked his eighth game (out of nine) to throw for at least two scores on the season.

• Senior running back Rhamondre Stevenson rushed for a game-high 50 yards on 15 carries (3.3 average; also caught five passes for 48 yards).

• Rattler's TD passes were to receiver Theo Wease (9-yarder in third quarter) and tight end/H-back Brayden Willis (8-yarder in fourth quarter). For Wease, who caught five passes for a team-high 66 yards, it was his third TD catch in two games. Willis' score was his first of the season.

• The story of the night was OU's defense, particularly on the ground. Baylor's 25 rushing yards (0.96 yards per carry) were the fewest surrendered by the Sooners since they limited Kansas to 19 in 2014. OU recorded three sacks (-28 yards).

• Baylor quarterback Charlie Brewer attempted 56 passes but only completed 30 of them for an average of 4.7 yards per throw. OU redshirt junior Tre Norwood and freshman D.J. Graham each registered interceptions. It was Norwood's team-high third of the season and fourth of his career, while Graham registered the first of his career.

• Redshirt junior defensive lineman Isaiah Thomas finished with career highs of six tackles (four solo), 3.0 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.

• Oklahoma gained 264 yards of total offense, its fewest of the Riley era (previous low was 278 yards against Texas in 2015) and the program's fewest since 2014 (232 vs. Texas).

LAST TIME IN WACO – COMEBACK FOR THE AGES

• No. 10/10/8 Oklahoma trailed No. 13/12/10 Baylor 28-3 midway through the second quarter before pulling off the largest comeback victory in program history in a 34-31 win in Waco two years ago to hand the Bears (9-1) their first loss of the season.

• According to ESPN Stats & Info, OU's 21-point halftime deficit (31-10) was the largest overcome to defeat an FBS team that entered the game 9-0 or better since NCAA classification began in 1937. Also, the Sooners became the first team to ever beat a CFP-ranked team when trailing by 25 or more points. Teams had been a combined 0-162 (the CFP began in 2014).

• 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' recorded two key takeaways during their second-half rally. 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.

• 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. The senior also ran a season-high 27 times for 114 yards.

• Eventual Biletnikoff Award finalist CeeDee Lamb missed the game due to a medical issue, but several pass catchers filled the void. Freshman tight end Austin Stogner made his first two touchdown catches (5-yarder in second quarter and 3-yarder in third quarter) while frosh receiver Theo Wease registered his second TD grab early in the fourth quarter (19-yarder) to make the score 31-24 Baylor. Sophomore H-back Brayden Willis notched his first career TD reception with 5:25 to go to tie the game at 31.

• Redshirt freshman kicker Gabe Brkic was 2 for 2 on field goals (39-yarder to put OU up 3-0 in the first quarter and the game-winning 31-yarder with 1:45 to go).

• Redshirt sophomore Kennedy Brooks ran 18 times for 93 yards and caught a career-high four passes for 22 yards.

• All four of sophomore defensive lineman Ronnie Perkins' tackles went for a loss, and he finished with a career-high 3.0 sacks (for 14 yards).

• All four of OU's touchdown drives took at least 12 plays.

Celebration

BONITTO, BRKIC NAMED MIDSEASON ALL-AMERICANS

• Outside linebacker Nik Bonitto and placekicker Gabe Brkic each earned midseason All-America honors from Sporting News and The Athletic. They were first-team selections by Sporting News and second-team picks by The Athletic.

• Bonitto, a redshirt junior, has racked up 28 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and a team-high 5.0 sacks. His seven quarterback hurries are three more than the Sooner with the next-highest total and his two fumble recoveries are tied for seventh most in the country. Bonitto set a school record with his 70-yard fumble return at Kansas State.

• Also a redshirt junior, Brkic ranks sixth nationally with his 17 field goals and 1.9 field goals per game. He is 17 for 20 on the year (.850) and leads the country with his five makes from 50 yards or farther (on six attempts). Brkic, who is also 42 for 42 on PAT tries, leads the Big 12 and ranks seventh nationally among all players with his 93 points.

DEFENSE PLAYS BIG HAND IN 17-GAME WINNING STREAK

• Oklahoma's defense has figured prominently in the program's 17-game winning streak that started on Oct. 10, 2020, against Texas. Here are some notes pertaining to the stretch:

• OU has held 14 of its last 17 opponents below a 50% third-down conversion rate and 10 of the Sooners' last 14 opponents have failed to convert more than 33% of third downs. OU ranks 15th nationally during the time period with its 34.1% opponent third-down conversion rate. In fact, OU ranks seventh nationally in the category since the start of the 2019 season (defensive coordinator Alex Grinch's first year in Norman) with its 32.7% figure.

• The Sooners have totaled 51 sacks over their last 17 games to rank 11th nationally since Oct. 10, 2020. In the same time frame, OU has registered 122 tackles for loss for an average of 7.2 per game and a total of 501 lost yards.

• OU has registered at least one takeaway in 15 straight games and in 16 of the last 17. It is plus-16 in turnover margin (32 takeaways to 16 turnovers) during the 17-game winning streak.

• The Sooners have 20 interceptions over their last 17 games to rank eighth nationally since Oct. 10, 2020.

NOTING THE OFFENSE

• Oklahoma ranks sixth nationally with its 42.9 points per game and 14th with its 477.0 yards per game.

• OU's 1.9 punts per game are the fewest in the country. The Sooners did not punt against Tulane or Kansas State and punted just once vs. Western Carolina, Kansas and Texas Tech.

• The Sooners have committed only eight turnovers through nine games and one of those was by the defense (fumble on a fumble return vs. TCU).

• Freshman quarterback Caleb Williams has completed 71.6% of his passes (78 of 109) for 1,189 yards and 14 touchdowns with one interception and ranks second nationally (to Coastal Carolina's Grayson McCall) with his 203.7 efficiency rating. He has also been highly effective with his feet, running for 288 yards and four scores on only 31 carries (9.3 yards per rush). He has four of OU's seven longest rushes of the season (66 yards for a TD vs. Texas is tied for team's longest, 59 vs. Western Carolina is fourth longest, 41 vs. TCU is sixth longest and 40 vs. Kansas is seventh longest).

• Despite playing just two series the last three-and-a-half games (also didn't play in the second half against Western Carolina), redshirt sophomore quarterback Spencer Rattler ranks first in the Big 12 and second nationally in completion percentage (75.0) and fourth in the league in completions (135). He tied a school record for TD passes in a half with five vs. Western Carolina and has thrown at least one TD pass in 16 of his 17 career starts (OU is 15-2).

• Rattler has completed 50 of his last 61 pass attempts (82%).

• Five Sooners have caught at least 22 passes. Receiver Marvin Mims ranks third on the squad in receptions (26) but leads the team with 605 receiving yards (next most is 319). Mims ranks third nationally and first in the Big 12 with his 23.3 yards per catch. All four of his touchdowns this season have come in the last four games (two vs. Texas and two vs. Texas Tech).

• Receiver Jadon Haselwood paces OU with 33 catches (for 316 yards; 9.6 average) and six receiving touchdowns. He had one career receiving TD entering the season but has four over the last three games (three vs. TCU).

• Receivers Mario Williams (29; three TDs) and Michael Woods II (25; two TDs) rank third and fourth on the team in receptions. Tight end/H-back Jeremiah Hall is tied for second with four TD grabs.

• Haselwood, who missed all but three games last season due to injury, has made his first nine career starts this year. He was the consensus No. 1 national receiver in the 2019 recruiting class, while Williams was ESPN's No. 1 receiver in the 2021 class. Woods and Williams started the first seven contests this season but did not play in the Oct. 23 win at Kansas. Woods also missed the Oct. 30 Texas Tech game.

• Redshirt junior Kennedy Brooks and junior Eric Gray have shared the vast majority of the rushing workload this season. Brooks leads the team in carries (131), rushing yards (802), rushing yards per game (89.1) and rushing touchdowns (nine). He has 484 rushing yards over the last four contests (121.0 per game). Gray, a transfer from Tennessee, started OU's first five games and has rushed 64 times for 303 yards (4.7 per carry; 33.7 yards per game; one TD) and has 15 catches for 175 yards and a touchdown. Walk-ons Jaden Knowles and Todd Hudson earned carries against Western Carolina and each scored two TDs.

• Redshirt sophomore running back Marcus Major sat out each of OU's first five games this season but was deemed eligible by the NCAA the day before the Oct. 9 game against Texas. He made his season debut Oct. 16 vs. TCU but didn't register his first carries until last game vs. Texas Tech (29 yards on five rushes).

OU FOOT NOTES

• Redshirt junior kicker and Lou Groza Award semifinalist Gabe Brkic ranks sixth nationally this season with 17 field goals (on 20 attempts; .850) and is 5 for 6 on tries from over 50 yards (next most makes is three). Brkic ranked third in the country last season by averaging 2.0 field goal makes per game and this year ranks sixth by averaging 1.9.

• Nationally, only six field goals have been made from at least 56 yards this season and Brkic has two of the makes (both 56-yarders). He is tied with LSU's Cade York for the national lead with nine makes from 50-plus yards since the start of the 2020 season, while no other player has made more than six 50-yarders. Brkic's 10 career makes from 50 or farther are the most in OU history (next highest total is four). He also sits atop the Sooners' career chart with 19 makes from at least 40 yards.

• Brkic, who was a 2020 first-team All-Big 12 selection (coaches and AP) and Groza Award semifinalist, is 54 for 63 (.857) on career field goal attempts. The OU career record for field goal percentage is .833 (75 for 90) by Michael Hunnicutt (2011-14). Brkic has also made all 142 of his PAT tries. Only Austin Seibert (162) has a longer streak of makes in school history.

• During Lincoln Riley's five-year head coaching career, Oklahoma ranks first in the Big 12 and fourth nationally with its 84.5% success rate on field goal attempts (93 for 110). Kansas State is the next best Big 12 school in the category during the span, ranking 21st at 78.9%.

• During the same period, the Sooners rank second nationally in PAT conversion percentage among teams with at least 150 attempts, converting 347 of 348 tries (99.7%). Only Virginia Tech (194 of 194) has a higher success rate.

• Redshirt senior punter Michael Turk transferred to OU from Arizona State in August and earned the starting job. The 2019 and '20 first-team All-Pac-12 selection averaged 46.2 yards per punt over the last two seasons and totaled 28 boots that went at least 50 yards. He has only punted 17 times this year (1.9 per game) and is averaging 51.2 yards per punt (has nine punts over 50 yards, including an 85-yarder vs. Texas which tied as the third longest in OU history). He also holds the best and third-best single-game punting averages in school history (min. three punts; 59.7 vs. TCU and 58.0 vs. Texas).

OU'S BIG 12 DOMINATION

• Oklahoma's win over Iowa State in the 2020 Big 12 Championship resulted in the Sooners' sixth straight Big 12 title and 14th since 2000 (no other program has won more than two during the span). For perspective, the two Power Five programs with the next most conference titles this millennium are Ohio State (11 in Big Ten) and Oregon (eight in Pac-10/Pac-12).

• The Sooners' 14 Big 12 titles are 11 more than the program with the next most. Texas has won three Big 12 championships and is followed by Baylor, Kansas State and Nebraska (two each), and Colorado, Oklahoma State, TCU and Texas A&M (one each). Colorado and Nebraska left the Big 12 after the 2010 season and Texas A&M departed after the 2011 campaign.

• Since 2010, OU has won eight Big 12 titles and is followed by Baylor (two) and Kansas State, Oklahoma State and TCU (one each).

• Oklahoma is the only program to win at least three straight Big 12 titles, and it has done so twice (2006-08 and 2015-20). Baylor (2013-14) is the only other program to win two Big 12 championships in a row.

• At 11-1, the Sooners are the only program with a winning record in Big 12 Championship games. Texas has the next best mark at 3-3.

• Since Lincoln Riley came to Norman as offensive coordinator in 2015, OU has posted a 53-6 (.898) record in regular season Big 12 play. The next best mark during the period is 39-21 (.650) by Oklahoma State.

• Oklahoma and Clemson are each riding streaks of six outright conference championships. The last current Power Five program to win at least six straight outright league titles was OU when it claimed 12 Big Six/Seven crowns in a row under legendary Bud Wilkinson (1948-59).

• Every OU freshman class from 1999-2019 has won at least one Big 12 championship and all but the 2011 freshman class have won at least two. The 2015, 2016 and 2017 freshman classes each won four Big 12 titles.

YEAR THREE OF "SPEED D"

• Hired in January 2019, coordinator and safeties coach Alex Grinch, who was a 2019 Broyles Award semifinalist, has overseen major improvement on the defensive side of the ball in his three seasons in Norman.

• OU ranked third nationally last season in interceptions (16), fourth in opponent third-down conversion percentage (27.9), sixth in sacks per game (3.6), ninth in rushing defense (105.1 ypg) and passing defense efficiency rating (112.9), 16th in tackles for loss per game (7.5) and 29th in total defense (350.6 ypg) and scoring defense (21.7 ppg).

• Grinch's unit was particularly stingy down the stretch in 2020. After Nov. 1 (five games), OU led the nation in interceptions per game (2.2) and ranked second in sacks per game (4.0) and passing defense efficiency rating (94.5), fourth in opponent third-down conversion percentage (25.0), sixth in scoring defense (15.4 ppg), eighth in passing yards per attempt (5.4), ninth in opponent passing completion percentage (51.4), 14th in rushing yards per game (112.2) and 18th in rushing yards per carry (3.4).

• Oklahoma's 1.45 interceptions per game last season were its second most in the last 17 years (1.53 in 2015). The team's 16 interceptions were its most in a season since registering 20 in 2015 (13 games) and were three more than it registered over the 2018 (six) and 2019 (seven) seasons combined. And from the second quarter of the Dec. 5 game vs. Baylor through the first quarter of the Dec. 30 Cotton Bowl vs. Florida, the Sooners registered eight interceptions over an eight-quarter stretch (two vs. Baylor, three vs. Iowa State and three vs. Florida).

• In 34 games under Grinch, OU has allowed only six opponent wide receivers to register at least 100 receiving yards in a contest.

• Over OU's last 22 contests, only three running backs have rushed for 100 yards in a game against the Sooners (Iowa State's Breece Hall [139 yards] did it in the third game of last season while Texas' Bijan Robinson [137] and Kansas' Devin Neal [100] did it this season). OU ranks 19th nationally by permitting just 3.3 yards per carry this year.

• Redshirt senior defensive lineman Isaiah Thomas has recorded at least half a tackle for loss in 18 of the last 20 games (14-game streak was snapped Sept. 25 vs. West Virginia). Since the start of the 2020 season, Thomas has OU highs of 21.0 tackles for loss and 14.0 sacks (tied with Nik Bonitto). He has 9.0 TFLs (team-high 5.5 sacks) and three forced fumbles this year.

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 in his fifth year as head coach.

• Since the start of the 2015 campaign, OU ranks first nationally in scoring (44.3 ppg; next most is 41.9), total offense (539.4; next most is 501.7), yards per play (7.7; next most is 7.0), TDs from scrimmage (486), pass efficiency rating (185.0; next best is 173.6) and completion percentage (69.5). It ranks third in passing offense (318.3) and ninth in rushing offense (221.1). No other program during the span ranks in the top 15 in passing and rushing offense.

• In 88 games since the start of the 2015 season, OU has registered at least 500 yards of total offense 58 times (next most is 48 [Ohio State]), including in 48 of the last 71 outings, topped the 600-yard mark on 28 occasions and gone over 700 yards seven times. Similarly, OU has scored at least 30 points in 76 of 88 games since Riley's arrival, at least 40 points 55 times, at least 50 points 33 times and at least 60 points 11 times.

Marvin Mims

RILEY'S FAST START

• The FBS'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, 36-6 and 45-8, he also holds the OU record for most wins by a head coach in his first two, three and four seasons (Barry Switzer held the records of 21 and 32, and Bob Stoops held the record of 43). He needs two more wins to set the outright record for victories in the first five years of an OU coaching career (Stoops holds that standard with 55 [1999-03]).

• Riley is the only person to ever win an outright FBS conference title in each of his first four seasons as a collegiate head coach.

• No one in the previous 125 years won more games in their first three seasons as a college head coach than Riley did from 2017-19. Penn's George Woodruff (1892-94) was the last to win more than 36 games in his first three seasons.

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 (682) than any other program (next most is 641 by Alabama).

• Oklahoma is the highest-scoring program in college football history with 37,242 points (in 1,308 games).

• OU leads all FBS programs with 50 all-time conference championships. The rest of the top five includes Nebraska (46), Michigan (42), Ohio State (39) and USC (37). The Sooners' 14 league titles since 2000 are the most among Power Five programs (Ohio State ranks second with 11).

• No program has more all-time 10-win seasons than Oklahoma, which is tied with Alabama with 40 (OU has a nation-leading 17 10-win campaigns 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 (244; next most is 240 by Ohio State) and points scored (11,687; next most is 10,642 by Oregon).

EXTRA POINTS

• Oklahoma is one of four remaining undefeated teams (Georgia, Cincinnati and UTSA are also 9-0).

• OU has already tied the single-season school record with five wins by seven or fewer points (also in 2010 and 2019). In fact, for the first time in program history, the Sooners won four consecutive games by seven or fewer points each (beat Nebraska by seven, West Virginia by three, Kansas State by six and Texas by seven). They also beat Tulane 40-35 in the opener.

• The Sooners are 47-10-1 all-time as the No. 4-ranked team in the AP poll (17-4-1 on the road). Oklahoma's last road game as the AP's fourth-ranked team came on Oct. 6, 2014 (a 37-33 loss at TCU). OU has faced Baylor twice while ranked fourth: a 49-9 road win in 2002 and a 52-21 home victory in 2007.

• Oklahoma has won its last five games against AP Top 25 opponents. It went 4-0 against AP-ranked opponents last season, marking the first time since 2002 it won every game vs. AP Top 25 foes.

• Redshirt senior linebacker Bryan Mead played in his 56th career game Sept. 25 against West Virginia to break the previous school record of 55 games that was held by former quarterback and holder Connor McGinnis. Mead has now played in 61 contests.

• The Sooners have outscored their opponents by a combined 98-26 margin in the second quarter this season.

• OU head coach Lincoln Riley turned 38 on Sept. 5. He was the youngest FBS head coach (33) at the time of his hiring in 2017 and is the seventh-youngest today.

• Co-offensive coordinator and inside receivers coach Cale Gundy is OU's all-time leader in victories (275) as a player (31) and/or coach (244). Barry Switzer ranks second with 215, all as an assistant or head coach.

• The Sooners are tied with Clemson for the second-longest current streak of New Year's Six bowl appearances (six). They trail Ohio State (seven) and are followed by Georgia (four), Florida (three), Oregon (two) and six programs with one.

• OU is the only program that has produced at least four NFL Draft picks each of the last 14 years.