Oklahoma claimed their fifth Big 12 title in a 30-23 overtime thriller versus Baylor. Here are three reason why the Sooners came away with the victory.
Cee. Dee. Lamb.
Quite simply, CeeDee Lamb was the best player on the football field today. While Baylor’s James Lynch gave him a run for his money, Lamb put together one of the best performances of his illustrious career as a Sooner. He finished with 8 catches for 173 yards. Not only was his production their, it was timely. He consistently made plays when the Sooners needed it, right down to the facemask he got in overtime to set up the winning score. He had a phenomenal game in last year’s Big 12 Championship and this year was no difference. Lamb earned player of the game.
1a. Alex Grinch 1b. The Defense
Alex Grinch’s Speed D held the Bears to 265 yards on the day, and totaled six sacks. They had pass breakup after pass breakup, and outside of two big throw’s from Jacob Zeno, they played a great game. They allowed only 16 point in a scoreless first quarter, and came up with a big stop in overtime to seal the deal.
Winning on the Ground
The Sooners rushed for 146 yards on the ground to Baylor’s 35, a testament to both Oklahoma’s run-stop and ground-game. Their rushing attack wasn’t up to par with the rest of their season, but they still had nearly 150 yards rushing. Kennedy Brooks finished with 59 yards on 17 carries with one touchdown, and Rhamondre Stevenson ran for 48 yards and 8 carries with a touchdown. John Lovett finished as Baylor’s leading rusher with 3 carries for 19 yards, followed by Gerry Bohanan who ran it nine times for 15 yards.