The Oklahoma Sooners (8-2, 5-2 Big 12) escaped from Lavell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah with a 31-24 win on Saturday against BYU (5-5, 2-5) in their final Big 12 road game. OU struggled to tackle as they gave up several big runs to BYU but the Sooner secondary came through with a 100 yard Pick-6 by Billy Bowman that took the momentum away from the Cougars.
Oklahoma running back Gavin Sawchuk had a big day and came through when coach Brent Venables needed it. Sawchuk ended the day with 14 carries for 107 yards and the game-winning 16-yard touchdown.
The biggest surprise of the day was that back-up quarterback Jackson Arnold was called upon to help finish the game for Oklahoma when Dillon Gabriel was unable to play due to what may be a concussion.
Gabriel had a strong performance Saturday, going 13 of 21 for 191 yards and two touchdowns before being hurt. Arnold went 5 of 9 for 33 yards and had eight carries for 24 yards.
OU is in a four-way tie for second place in the Big 12 Conference with Iowa State, Kansas State and Oklahoma State. BYU is in a five-way tie for ninth with Baylor, Houston, TCU and UCF.
Oklahoma is the only team in the country to score 59-plus points in at least three games this season (73 vs. Arkansas State, 66 at Tulsa, 59 vs. West Virginia) and one of just two teams (USC is the other) to score 50-plus points in at least four games on the year (OU also scored 50 vs. Iowa State).
The Sooners are a league-best 174-60 (.744) in regular season Big 12 play since the conference began in 1996. The current Big 12 program with the next best winning percentage is Texas, (155-79; .662). Sixth-year receiver Drake Stoops leads the Big 12 this season with his career-high 62 receptions and nine receiving touchdowns (his previous career highs were 39 and three last season). His 692 receiving yards are fifth most in the league and also represent a career high, topping his previous high of 393 last year. Stoops’ 22 receptions and four receiving TDs over the last two weeks are tied for the most nationally while his 298 receiving yards during the stretch are sixth most in the country. He is coming off back-to-back career highs in receiving yards, totaling 12 catches for 134 yards and a TD at Oklahoma State two weeks ago and 10 grabs for 164 yards and a career-high three TDs vs. West Virginia on Saturday. The 164 yards were the most by a Sooner in four seasons (CeeDee Lamb).
