The Oklahoma Sooners went into College Station, Texas, for their fourth road game of the season and came out with their second loss. Texas A&M stunned OU 33-19.
It was a rough one for the Sooners from the very start. A wild snap from sophomore center Ben Habern sailed past sophomore quarterback Landry Jones through the back of the end zone for a safety. After the first 11 seconds, the Aggies were enjoying a 2-0 lead.
Two plays later, A&M junior quarterback Ryan Tannehill and the offense were knocking on the door at the one yard line after a 48-yard quarterback run and a 21-yard pass. TAMU knocked it in for a touchdown on fourth and goal.
Less than three minutes into the game, the Aggies were on top 9-0. While TAMU did not score again until 1:25 left in the half, the Sooners were held scoreless in the first two quarters.
“We started off the game in a horrible way,” coach Bob Stoops said. “Within three minutes, we were down 9-0. I really felt good at half that it was only 12-0.”
A 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by the Aggies to start the second half made it 16-0. But the Sooners made one final push to save the ball game.
Just under four minutes later, the Sooners made it onto the scoreboard with a one-yard touchdown run by senior running back DeMarco Murray. Then, just over a minute later, the Sooners’ junior defensive back Jamell Fleming intercepted his second pass of the game and set up OU for a 45-yard field goal by sophomore kicker Patrick O’Hara.
By the end of third quarter, it was 19-17 after a 5-yard touchdown pass from Jones to true freshman wide receiver Trey Franks. The Sooners scored 17 points to TAMU’s seven in the third and held Texas A&M to just 12 yards of total offense.
“We came out in the third quarter and played well,” Stoops said. “The story of the game is we clawed our way back and missed some opportunities on three different occasions down on the one yard line. I see it as very similar to the way we lost at Missouri — we played hard, A&M just played better.”
Road games, though, have been OU’s struggle for the past several seasons. Fourth quarters also have been rough for the Sooners this year. Combine the two, and you get the fourth quarter of this game.
After driving all the way to the Aggies’ 32-yard line and being forced into a fourth down, fourth-string senior quarterback John Nimmo’s field goal fake pass bounced off the hands of junior tight end James Hanna for what would have been a touchdown.
After that, the momentum was gone, and the Sooners didn’t score again.
“I felt like we prepared well,” Franks said. “A&M is a good place to play, it’s pretty loud. We just couldn’t connect on that one big play. I feel like we were still in it and could have come back. We just didn’t finish it in the end.”
A&M capped the very next drive with a 23-yard touchdown pass. OU responded with a missed 36-yard O’Hara field goal, and A&M answered back with another long touchdown pass.
In Saturday’s game, OU was outgained by the Aggies offensively by just 10 yards, 372-362. Jones hit 36 of 59 targets for 290 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Road games have been OU’s Achilles’ Heel this season, and it’s not getting easier. After hosting Texas Tech on Saturday, the Sooners play their last two games on the road against Baylor and Oklahoma State.