Oklahoma now has a legit path to the College Football Playoff. It’s offense has no more time to waste if it wants to make it.
NORMAN, Okla. — During halftime of No. 7 Oklahoma’s (10-1, 7-1) 28-24 win over TCU, the idea of the Sooners heading back to the College Football Playoff became more real.
Oklahoma was taking it to TCU, almost doubling them up in yards and only a fumble on a promising drive being the lone blemish in what was a dominant half of football.
Out in the valley of the desert, Arizona State had taken a two possession lead over College Football Playoff hopeful Oregon.
The door was swinging open for Oklahoma to reach its preseason expectations and goals, but then the Sooners needed a game-sealing interception by Brendan ‘Bookie’ Radley-Hiles to allow Oklahoma to walk right back into the Playoff conversation.
With that opportunity now officially looming, the Sooners have no more time to waste—they must put it all together.
“Turnovers – and we say it all the time on defense – equal victories,” said Jalen Hurts at Monday’s weekly press conference. “You have to win the turnover margin. We have to do a better job of it. I have to do a better job of it. I’m going to focus on it, focus on the things that I have to focus on, and prepare this week and get ready to play better.”
It was two second-half turnovers against Iowa State that allowed the Cyclones to climb back into a 21-point game and almost win in Norman, Oklahoma.
It was two first-half turnovers against Baylor that put the Sooners in a 28-3 hole, then a third in the red zone that could have ended their season.
It was two red zone turnovers in the second-half against TCU that allowed the Horned Frogs to potentially win last Saturday’s game in the fourth-quarter.
Then, one can add in the overthrows and bad reads by Jalen Hurts—one to Charleston Rambo in the first-half of TCU comes to mind—that have put a ceiling on where this offense could be.
Rambo said after the TCU game that it was frustrating because Hurts makes those kind of throws in practice.
Hurts said after the game that he could remember the missed throws as if he was still out there playing. That he can’t turn the ball over.
“I think Coach Riley said it, we did dominate the game,” Hurts then said on Monday. “We played really well. We just can’t turn the ball over. I think that’s what it was. We had an opportunity to score a lot of points. I ended up turning it over at times. That’s something we have to eliminate and we will. We have to go to work.”
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