The Red River Rivalry will have a part two this season, but this time it will be in the Big 12 Championship Game a week from now. The Oklahoma Sooners got there with a wild 59-56 win over the 13th-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers on Friday night. Kyler Murray threw for three touchdowns and ran for another for the sixth-ranked Sooners, who also rolled off two defensive touchdowns to stay ahead on the road, improving to 11-1 and keeping their College Football Playoff hopes alive. The Sooners are seemingly the Big 12's final chance of being represented in the final four on New Year's Eve.
Murray also threw for 364 yards for Oklahoma, who totaled 668 yards, which was 36 less than the Mountaineers had on their home field. The Heisman hopeful quarterback was supported by a 10-yard fumble returned for a touchdown by Caleb Kelly in the second quarter, and then a 48-yard such return by Curtis Bolton in the fourth quarter. The latter gave the Sooners a 10-point lead, this after Grant Calcatterra's two-yard touchdown pass gave the Sooners the lead for good.
The defeat for the Mountaineers is their second loss in as many weeks against a team from Oklahoma, as they fell to 8-3 on the season. The loss comes despite Will Grier throwing for a career-high 539 yards and four touchdowns, but he did lose two fumbles on the night, both of which were returned for touchdowns. The Mountaineers attempted to rally late, as Marttell Pettaway had a 17-yard touchdown run to make it a one score game with 4:20 left. But that was the closest West Virginia would get from there, as Oklahoma moved on to battle an opponent that was determined earlier in the day.
And that opponent was the 14th-ranked Texas Longhorns, who overcame a slow start on Friday to beat the Kansas Jayhawks, 24-17. Quarterback Sam Ehlinger stepped up after a seven-point first half, using a hot second half to throw for two touchdowns and run for another in the Longhorns' ninth win of the season. He also had to overcome two interceptions, which was Texas' only two turnovers, as he threw for 154 yards, which was just enough to avoid a major upset against the lowly Jayhawks.
After holding a 7-0 lead at halftime, the Longhorns wasted no time extending that advantage to 24-7 after the break, and yet never trailed on the road. The Jayhawks did make things interesting after Cameron Dicker's 34-yard field goal gave Texas a 17-point lead. Peyton Bender caught a 31-yard touchdown pass from Daylon Charlot to pull within six, as Kansas recovered the onside kick, but could not find the end zone one more time to pull off the upset. They scored all 17 of their points in the fourth quarter, but still fell to 3-9 overall and 1-8 in conference play.
The win for Texas was their third in a row, as Tre Watson ran for 79 yards on 14 carries, helping his team hand the Jayhawks their fourth straight defeat. This is David Beaty's final season with the team, as he has already announced that he will not return next season, and has already been replaced by former LSU head coach Les Miles. With the Jayhawks not being bowl eligible, this was the final game of his Jayhawk career, as he leaves with a dismal 6-46 record. Although, he did pull off an upset of TCU this season and ended Kansas' 46-game road losing streak. Meanwhile, the Longhorns move on to battle the Sooners for the Big 12 Championship next Saturday.
Murray also threw for 364 yards for Oklahoma, who totaled 668 yards, which was 36 less than the Mountaineers had on their home field. The Heisman hopeful quarterback was supported by a 10-yard fumble returned for a touchdown by Caleb Kelly in the second quarter, and then a 48-yard such return by Curtis Bolton in the fourth quarter. The latter gave the Sooners a 10-point lead, this after Grant Calcatterra's two-yard touchdown pass gave the Sooners the lead for good.
The defeat for the Mountaineers is their second loss in as many weeks against a team from Oklahoma, as they fell to 8-3 on the season. The loss comes despite Will Grier throwing for a career-high 539 yards and four touchdowns, but he did lose two fumbles on the night, both of which were returned for touchdowns. The Mountaineers attempted to rally late, as Marttell Pettaway had a 17-yard touchdown run to make it a one score game with 4:20 left. But that was the closest West Virginia would get from there, as Oklahoma moved on to battle an opponent that was determined earlier in the day.
And that opponent was the 14th-ranked Texas Longhorns, who overcame a slow start on Friday to beat the Kansas Jayhawks, 24-17. Quarterback Sam Ehlinger stepped up after a seven-point first half, using a hot second half to throw for two touchdowns and run for another in the Longhorns' ninth win of the season. He also had to overcome two interceptions, which was Texas' only two turnovers, as he threw for 154 yards, which was just enough to avoid a major upset against the lowly Jayhawks.
After holding a 7-0 lead at halftime, the Longhorns wasted no time extending that advantage to 24-7 after the break, and yet never trailed on the road. The Jayhawks did make things interesting after Cameron Dicker's 34-yard field goal gave Texas a 17-point lead. Peyton Bender caught a 31-yard touchdown pass from Daylon Charlot to pull within six, as Kansas recovered the onside kick, but could not find the end zone one more time to pull off the upset. They scored all 17 of their points in the fourth quarter, but still fell to 3-9 overall and 1-8 in conference play.
The win for Texas was their third in a row, as Tre Watson ran for 79 yards on 14 carries, helping his team hand the Jayhawks their fourth straight defeat. This is David Beaty's final season with the team, as he has already announced that he will not return next season, and has already been replaced by former LSU head coach Les Miles. With the Jayhawks not being bowl eligible, this was the final game of his Jayhawk career, as he leaves with a dismal 6-46 record. Although, he did pull off an upset of TCU this season and ended Kansas' 46-game road losing streak. Meanwhile, the Longhorns move on to battle the Sooners for the Big 12 Championship next Saturday.
