Oklahoma remains on Big 12 football throne as it holds on 27-21 over Iowa State
Another year, another failed attempt to knock Oklahoma off its throne.
The Sooners remain the kings of Big 12 football, providing a reminder for a sixth straight year that they are the conference’s best with Saturday afternoon’s victory at AT&T Stadium.
Oklahoma 27, Iowa State 21.
“A little surreal,” OU coach Lincoln Riley said. “Just sit back and think, ‘Six in a row?’ That just doesn’t get done in college football very often. It’s so hard. We as coaches that have been here through it, all of our players, our staff, our fans, everybody that is a part of this football program, that cares about this football program, that roots for this program, you better appreciate what this is.
“This is awesome, awesome stuff by this team individually and our teams over the last several years.”
Give the Cyclones credit, though. They fought back from an early 17-0 deficit and were in the midst of a potential game-winning drive when Brock Purdy threw a desperation deep ball that landed in the hands of OU cornerback Tre Brown with just over one minute left.
After a couple of quarterback kneels by freshman Spencer Rattler, the Sooners were officially Big 12 champions once again.
Riley recalled an early-season moment in the locker room that helped his team get to this point. It happened after OU lost at Iowa State on Oct. 3 and fell to 0-2 in Big 12 play for the first time since 1998.
“I told them, ‘At a place like OU, there’s nowhere to hide,’” Riley said. “It’s not like we’re just going to go off and have a bad season and people aren’t going to pay attention. They always pay attention to OU. This is such a national powerhouse and there’s never anywhere to hide in this program, so you’ve got one choice and you’ve got to step up. I think everybody in our locker room knew that this was possible at that point and what a tremendous run it’s been.”
The Sooners (8-2), the No. 10 team in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, have won seven straight and secured a spot in a New Year’s Six game, likely the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on Dec. 30 at this same stadium. The Cyclones (8-3), ranked No. 6 by the CFP going into it, still have a chance to receive an at-large bid for a New Year’s Six game, or could be headed to the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio.
Rattler, who was named the game’s most outstanding player, out-shined Purdy throughout the day. Rattler accounted for a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown, finishing 22-of-34 passing for 272 yards with one TD. He also had 17 yards rushing and one TD on seven carries.
Purdy, meanwhile, threw three interceptions. He finished 27-of-40 passing for 322 yards with one TD. He also rushed for 33 yards on seven carries. Purdy hadn’t thrown an interception in the three previous games going into the title game.
Saturday reinforced that OU remains the class of the conference, but it looked prone to an upset after building a 24-7 halftime lead.
OU’s first five possessions of the second half resulted in punts, including two three-and-outs. That opened the door for Iowa State to get back in it, and the Cyclones did.
“Our team never gives up. One of our mottos is never die easy,” said ISU receiver Xavier Hutchinson, who had a game-high 10 catches for 114 yards. “I think you guys kind of saw that today, and I’m glad that the world got to see that today too. We can always make a comeback.”
The Cyclones had TD drives of 90- and 87-yards, both capped with short TD runs by Breece Hall. Hall’s 3-yard scoring run with just over five minutes in the game pulled Iowa State to within 24-21.
OU responded with a field-goal drive to take a 27-21 lead with two minutes left, giving ISU a chance to win it at the end. The Cyclones marched into Sooners territory, but saw their dreams dashed by Purdy’s final interception. On a third-and-11 from the OU 34, Purdy was under pressure and tried to force a deep pass to Hutchinson rather than throwing it away.
Oklahoma celebrated the interception on its sidelines, knowing the game was over.
It’s a storyline several within the Big 12 are all too familiar with when it comes to this stage. The Sooners spoil any script that isn’t continuing their streak.
Just ask Baylor last year. Or Texas in 2018. Or TCU in 2017. Iowa State had a chance to win its first conference championship in 108 years, but OU didn’t let it happen.
Once again, the Big 12 runs through Norman. But Iowa State showed it belonged too.
“You hate it that you’re a couple of points short in this game,” Iowa State coach Matt Campbell said. “But boy, oh, boy, you leave pretty dang proud that the culture, the character, and really the leadership that this program and this team has and the resolve it shows pretty much has showed up each and every day and each and every week from the start of the season till the end of the season. So I guess mission accomplished. We were who we were.”
Briefly
▪ The announced crowd was 18,720 as AT&T Stadium had limited capacity due to COVID-19 protocols.
▪ OU owns the all-time series against ISU 77-7-2, including a 16-2 record in the Big 12 era.
▪ OU freshman Marvin Mims finished with 101 yards receiving and one TD on seven catches.
▪ Saturday was Purdy’s third three-interception game of his career. He threw three against Baylor earlier this season, and three against Oklahoma State last season.
▪ Hall, ISU’s running back, finished with 79 yards rushing and two TDs on 23 carries. It marked the third consecutive game he failed to reach the 100-yard mark. He opened the season with eight straight 100-yard games.
▪ Hutchinson’s 10 receptions tied the Big 12 championship record for most receptions with Malcolm Kelly (2006), the former OU star who is now on TCU’s coaching staff.
This story was originally published December 19, 2020 at 3:11 PM.
