No. 18 Oklahoma Sooners (7-2, 3-2 SEC) kept their College Football Playoff hopes alive by escaping No. 14 Tennessee (6-3, 3-3 SEC) in a scintillating 33-27 victory inside raucous Neyland Stadium on Saturday night.

Quarterback John Mateer completed 19of-29 passes for 159 yards and ran 16 times for 80 yards, making plays with his legs when the Sooners needed them most.

Running back Xavier Robinson scampered 16 times for 115 yards for the OU offense, while linebacker Owen Heinecke was all over the field for Oklahoma’s defense, totaling 13 tackles, a sack, and 1.5 tackles for loss.

Kicker Tate Sandell was the Sooners’ most valuable player, connecting on all four of his field goal attempts — three of which came from more than 50 yards away.

OU and Tennessee matched each other with 17 second-half points, scoring seven and 10 in the third and fourth quarters respectively. Tennessee took a 17-16 lead on a touchdown pass early in the third quarter, but a 52-yard drive resulted in a fouryard touchdown run by Robinson, pushing the Sooners ahead 23-17. Sandell nailed another 55-yard field goal, and Mateer sealed the game with a late touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

Up next, OU heads into its second and final bye week of the season before returning to face No. 4 Alabama on Nov. 21 in Tuscaloosa.