Oklahoma Sooners

Bob Stoops made two aggressive decisions in the final minute of the fourth quarter. The first never got off the ground. The second backfired.

After OU’s touchdown make it 38-37, Stoops ordered Blake Bell and the Belldozer formation to stay on the field for the 2-point try. To that point, the Belldozer had been unstoppable accounting for five touchdowns and a fourth-down conversion on six attempts.

“I just had so much confidence in how we were running the plays with Blake Bell in there that we would get it,” Stoops said. “There was no hesitation. I was set to go.”

But after a Baylor timeout, guard Adam Shead was whistled for a false start, pushing the ball back to the eight-yard line and forcing the Sooners to settle for a tie.

Would a successful two-point conversion have changed the emotion of the game heading into Baylor’s final possession?

“Oh, you'd hope it does, but who knows,” Stoops said. “Whether we had the two points or not, who's to say that would have changed anything? I don't know.”

Stoops’ other gutsy call, however, did change the game. After OU tied the game, Baylor appeared content to run out the final 51 seconds and try for overtime. But after the Bears ran the ball up the middle Stoops called timeout.

“Well, you've got the wind. We had stopped them and we had stopped them. I think we were 3-of-13 in stopping them on third downs and I really thought, in the end, he would run it one more time and make us burn another timeout and then we had an opportunity on third down,” Stoops said after the game, explaining the decision. “They were still backed up, punting into the wind and we had an opportunity to get a return and have one time out and maybe have a chance for a field goal.”

Instead, Griffin scrambled for 22 and eight yards, getting out of bounds on both. One play later, he found Terrance Williams with eight seconds left for the game-winning touchdown pass.

Baylor coach Art Briles said Stoops’ timeout changed his mind to go for the win in regulation:

"Well we had a tie ball game, we had an overtime game. We felt like we could get into it. The problem was we had 51 seconds and no timeouts, they had three timeouts. We knew we had to go 80 yards because they were kicking with the wind, we knew we'd start at the 20. We knew if we ran the ball then they'd call timeout, run the ball again, timeout, run the ball again, timeout. If you're not making a first down then you're punting with 42 seconds left and there's a chance they're going to get the ball down there on the 40 yard line, make two plays, kick the field goal and then you're in trouble. We felt like we'd run the ball and see what their plan was, how they were going to play it. Were they going to try to win it in regulation? Were they going to let us go? So we ran it, they called a timeout, there's 46 seconds left and were second-and-6. And so then we say, `ok, we better make some first downs and get this thing out of here, if we can.' Now if you don't, you throw an incomplete pass and you're safe on the timeout, but at least you're attempting to get the ball down the field and work it. So our position was we were going to try to work our way down the field, see where we could get. Fortunately, Robert scrambled, got to midfield, got out of bounds, then the whole things flips. Then the ball's in our court and he was able to make an outstanding play right there at the end."

IN THE WEEK LEADING up to the loss against Texas Tech, Stoops admitted that his team was not as focused as it should have been.

Stoops was adamant that wasn’t the case in this loss.

“There's none of that we weren't ready for this game,” Stoops said. That is not the case. We were very much. We worked hard, we prepared and we just didn't play well enough to give ourselves a chance to win.”

THE SOONERS LOST ANOTHER key player in defensive end Ronnell Lewis, who suffered a grade 2 MCL knee sprain.

The injury occurred during the second quarter when Lewis chased Baylor’s Kendall Wright from behind on a 55-yard pass play. Before the play was over, Lewis went down and immediately clutched his knee. Lewis was fitted with a brace and watched the second half in street clothes.

Stoops indicated after the game that Lewis would likely miss the rest of the regular season.

“I would think that's probably two or three weeks and I'm just guessing at that,” Stoops said. “It will heal on its own but it will take a while.”

After Lewis left, the Sooners seem to struggle getting pressure on Griffin, who was under duress and took some serious shots in the first quarter. Did Lewis’ absence significantly hamper the pass rush?

“If I say that then that's an excuse,” Stoops said. “But it doesn't help you when those guys are out. You're not as complete and as strong as you've been. But we've still got to be able to make plays.”

SPEAKING OF INJURIES, wide receiver Jaz Reynolds was wearing a sling on his left arm as he walked to the bus after Saturday’s game. Reynolds injured the shoulder after making a catch then getting popped in the fourth quarter. He returned to the game.

Reynolds was scheduled to get the shoulder examined Sunday.

“Hurting a lil but I won't find out long term damage til late,” he tweeted around noon Sunday.

Reynolds led the Sooners with seven catches for 114 yards.

THE BELLDOZER HAS BEEN a revelation for the offense the last month of the season. A month ago, OU ranked No. 83 nationally in converting red zone opportunities into touchdowns. Today, because of the Belldozer, the Sooners rank No. 41. Also, despite playing in only four games this season, Bell is now ranks No. 12 in the conference with seven rushing touchdowns.

“The guys have been doing a good job executing those plays,” Stoops said.

Bell, who rushed for four touchdowns against Baylor, became just the second OU quarterback to run for four scores in game. The other was J.C. Watts, who rushed for four touchdowns in 1980 against Oklahoma State.

WACO, Texas -- Oklahoma defensive end Ronnell Lewis could miss the rest of the regular season after suffering a sprained MCL during the second quarter of OU’s 45-38 loss Saturday at Baylor.

“I would think that’s probably at least two or three weeks,” coach Bob Stoops said. “It will heal on its own. But it’ll take awhile.”

The injury occurred during the second quarter on a 55-yard pass play. As Lewis chased Baylor’s Kendall Wright from behind, he went down and immediately clutched his knee. Lewis was fitted with a brace and watched the second half in street clothes.

Along with fellow end Frank Alexander, Lewis has been OU’s best defensive player all season. He is third on the team with 59 tackles, second with 13 tackles for loss and tied for second with 5.5 sacks. Until Lewis returns, David King likely will start at end.

WACO, Texas -- Robert Griffin III made his way into Baylor's locker room, but paused when he opened the door.

Nobody was there.

"I was like, where'd everybody go?"

They were still on the field celebrating. There was a postgame party at Floyd Casey Stadium, and everybody wearing green and gold was invited. The Bears had swiped the Sooners' picnic basket.

Before tonight, Baylor had never had a chance to celebrate a win over Oklahoma.

With a 34-yard toss from Griffin to Terrance Williams in the back corner of the end zone, that all changed.

"There at the end, God works in mysterious ways," Griffin said with a wide smile. "When I looked down the field, I saw him one-on-one. All this is happening in milliseconds, so I saw him one-on-one and I was like, 'Well, I’ll give him a shot.' I threw it up, and he made a great catch."

Baylor 45, Oklahoma 38.

That play, coach Art Briles admitted, was "not the way we drew it up."

"The dude has had the ability to take over a game by himself," said Baylor linebacker Elliot Coffey, "and you saw it."

We all saw it. We saw Griffin prove once again he's the best deep-ball passer in college football, throwing four touchdown passes, even if one of them unbelievably deflected off Tevin Reese's hands and helmet before floating into Kendall Wright's hands for a game-changing 87-yard score.

Griffin could only shake his head at that one, but he finished with a school-record 476 yards on 21-of-34 passing, breaking his own single-season school record for passing yards. He was also the Bears' leading rusher with 72 yards.

"Another day at the office for Robert," Briles said. "He’s been doing that for three or four years. When the ball’s in his hand, he’s going to make good things happen, because he’s very intelligent, very passionate and very gifted."

Said Baylor safety Ahmad Dixon: "You can't really defend him. You have to just take what he gives you."

No run was bigger than a 22-yard scramble on second down on the game's final drive, when Baylor had just 51 seconds left and no timeouts. Oklahoma had three, and when the Bears looked content to try to run it and settle for overtime, the Sooners used one. Baylor knew it needed a first down. The man they call RG3 provided those precious 22 yards.

"Then the whole thing flips," Briles said.

The aggressive move backfired, and the Sooners' fate was in the hands of the most dangerous player in the Big 12. Baylor should have known.

"Robert Griffin’s the best in the game," running back Terrance Ganaway said. "When the ball’s in his hands, expect big things."

The late toss to Williams was the biggest, and Griffin barely saw it. He took a big hit, but saw Williams haul it in. He wasn't sure, but the offensive linemen that mobbed him confirmed it.

"Robert, you just won us the game," they told him.

He got up, took a moment to kneel near midfield, then pointed to the sky and jogged to the sideline. He just wrote maybe the most memorable chapter in Baylor history. They'll never forget this night in Waco.

"When you work for something extremely hard for a lot of years, and you finally get it, it’s a great feeling," Griffin said. "We worked for this. We haven’t been waiting for it. We’ve been preparing for it. And it finally came to pass."

Baylor's already been through the whole bowl eligibility brouhaha. That's so 2010. Saturday was the third time Floyd Casey Stadium's field has been stormed in the past two seasons. Baylor's already equaled its win total from 2010 with two games remaining, and the Bears might be favored in both. Then there's a bowl game.

That's not lost on Griffin.

"It's great, but you've still got to show up every day and go to work. Go to practice. Watch film. That's something I've learned to appreciate, because the year I was hurt, I couldn't practice," said Griffin, who missed the final nine games of the 2009 season with a torn ACL. "I couldn't walk. I couldn't go to the bathroom by myself. My mom had to help me. My fiancee had to help me. So, when things like that happen to you, it makes you appreciate everything."

America learned to appreciate Griffin once again, too. He captured the nation's attention with a game-winning drive on the first weekend of the season against TCU, but the Bears suffered a pair of losses and dropped out of the Top 25. A slew of losses from top-ranked teams, though, combined with RG3's heroics?

The Heisman race has gotten a sudden face-lift.

"They say we needed a signature win," Griffin said with a laugh. "And we got it."

WACO, Texas--Chalk this one up among the greatest wins in Baylor history.

Art Briles has done a lot of big things at Baylor, but this is among the biggest. Baylor ended one of the most lopsided all-time series in college football with a 45-38 win, the first for the Bears in 21 tries throughout the history of college football.

Lots more to come tonight, but here's some instant analysis.

How the game was won: Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III rolled to his left and hit Terrance Williams for a 34-yard touchdown pass with eight seconds left and the Bears recovered a squib kick. One kneel by RG3 and the Baylor fans stormed the field for the second time this season.

Turning point: Baylor reversed momentum and answered two quick touchdowns by Oklahoma to open the second half with three touchdowns of their own, highlighted by a crazy 87-yard touchdown catch by Kendall Wright that bounced off Tevin Reese's hands and helmet before floating into Wright's hands in stride. Easily one of the plays of the year in the Big 12, if not all of college football. Oklahoma threatened to run away with the game, but Baylor wasn't shaken. The Bears did what they do best -- throw the ball deep -- and snatched back control of the ballgame.

Player of the game: Griffin III, QB, Baylor. Who else? RG3 was the man for the Bears. He threw for 479 yards and four touchdowns without a turnover, torching Oklahoma's secondary in the second half and breaking a few records in the process. Speaking of which ...

Record performance: Griffin broke his own single-game record for passing yards in a game (479) and broke his own record for passing yards in a season, all on the same night. He also helped his team get one of the biggest wins in school history. Not a bad day's work.

Second guessing: Baylor faced a 4th-and-1 in its own territory early in the third quarter, but decided to go for it. That's OK, I guess, but running Griffin into the pile from the shotgun? Not good. Oklahoma stuffed it, celebrated and scored right away to take the lead. What would this game have looked like if the Bears simply punted there?

What Baylor learned: It really can go head-to-head with the Big 12 titans and get a win. The Bears have ascended to the second tier of the Big 12, but failed to prove themselves against an elite opponent. Safe to say this game qualifies. The Sooners had a lot to play for and couldn't get it done.

What Oklahoma learned: Life without Ryan Broyles is going to be hard. The Sooners host Iowa State next Saturday, but they'll face a similarly dangerous offense in Oklahoma State on Dec. 3. The offense put 38 on the board Saturday night and it wasn't enough. Don't be surprised if 38 isn't enough against the Cowboys, either, with a Big 12 title hanging in the balance.

What it means: Oklahoma's national title hopes are kaput. Oklahoma State's loss on Friday night didn't help, but there's an SEC West logjam at the top of the BCS and Oregon lost earlier on Saturday. The Sooners were still alive ... until they weren't. A Big 12 title is still on the table for the Sooners, but a season that began with a beeline to the national title game will come up short. Big 12 titles are great and always difficult to win, but Oklahoma fans have come to expect more. They won't get their eighth national title in 2011.

WACO, Texas -- Oklahoma defensive lineman Ronnell Lewis went down and clutched his knee on a 55-yard catch-and-run from Kendall Wright in the second quarter.

He won't be back.

Lewis is on Oklahoma's sidelines in street clothes and a knee brace. That's a big loss for the Sooners. Frank Alexander has been Oklahoma's best defender this year, but Lewis is a close second. Both are in contention for the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.

The Sooners defense will need to play well without him, too. Baylor scored on an unbelievable 87-yard play that caromed off Tevin Reese and floated right to a wide-open Kendall Wright in stride downfield, tying the score at 24.

You won't see that too often, but the Sooners had a similar touchdown pass to Jermaine Gresham against Oklahoma State back in 2008.

Oklahoma has been dominant in the third quarter all season.

Two quick touchdowns against Baylor and that streak has continued. Oklahoma has taken a 24-17 lead in just 3:39 of game time in the second half.

Oklahoma has now outscored opponents 132-10 in the third quarter this season.

Landry Jones has been on the money so far, too. He hit James Hanna for a 54-yard gain on the half's opening drive and found Kenny Stills for a 31-yard gain on the second drive.

Those were sandwiched around a fourth-down stop in Baylor territory that ignited a huge celebration on the OU sidelines.

The Sooners looked like they missed receiver Ryan Broyles badly in the first half, which featured just one touchdown.

All of a sudden, that doesn't look like the case.

WACO, Texas -- I'll go ahead and do it.

No. 5 Oklahoma's officially on upset alert.

Baylor's gone step-for-step with the Sooners on both sides of the ball, and the scoreboard shows it. The Bears lead 17-10.

Both teams have caught a few breaks and bad calls, but this one looks like it's going down to the wire.

Time for a bit of halftime analysis after the Bears jogged into the tunnel to raucous cheers and a "B-U! B-U!" chant.

Turning point: Kendall Wright took a short pass and weaved his way for a 55-yard gain, outrunning Oklahoma's defense. On the play, OU defensive end Ronnell Lewis went down, too. The Bears scored two plays later on a 15-yard run by Terrance Ganaway, and you got the sense that Baylor and its fans started to believe they could win.

Stat of the half: It's been an ugly half. We've already seen 12 penalties for 114 yards.

Best player in the half: Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor. Griffin connected on a 69-yard touchdown pass to Tevin Reese that counted and was thrown perfectly. Another 80-yard bomb on the opening drive was thrown perfectly and didn't count because of a hold. Still, he's 8-of-13 for 197 yards and a touchdown and has played mistake-free football. He has to stay that way. He's got OU safety Javon Harris on his heels.

What Baylor needs to do: Keep poking at the Sooners and keep testing them deep. Baylor did a better job of handling the Sooners' blitzes in the second quarter and giving Griffin III some time to make plays. The Bears kept working the screen game to receivers on the outside, and the Sooners backed off a bit. The running game's only worked when Baylor's offensive tempo has been at its highest, so the solution there seems pretty obvious, too. Counter-intuitive to moving the clock, yes, but it's much too early to think about anything like that just yet. The Bears need to keep moving the ball.

What Oklahoma needs to do: A big win seems like it's almost out of the question now. Baylor's not a team that's going to be pushed around tonight on either side of the ball. This game may stay low scoring, and as the road team, when the Sooners get opportunities to score, they have to take advantage. They've done that so far, outside of a Trey Franks fumble on a long run and a third-down sack to take them out of field goal range. It's telling that they've taken advantage of opportunities and still only have 10 points.

WACO, Texas -- I wouldn't flick the upset alert switch just yet, but Baylor's looking like a top-25 team through the first quarter against Oklahoma.

The Sooners and Bears are locked in an uncharacteristic defensive battle and tied at 3.

The Bears secondary has slowed Sooners quarterback Landry Jones tonight while the Bears offense has struggled with a fast, physical pass rush from maybe the best defensive-end duo in the country, Frank Alexander and Ronnell Lewis.

The defense has taken its knocks this season, and that didn't change early. The Bears broke up two passes before giving up a 26-yard completion to Kenny Stills to convert a deflating third down.

Oklahoma receiver Trey Franks broke a long gain on the next play, but who was there? The Bears secondary, flipping Franks and forcing a fumble.

This one hasn't gone how anyone projected it, but the Bears will take it.

Three points after one quarter for an offense like Oklahoma's? Maybe there's something to the way the Bears play at home. They haven't lost at Floyd Casey Stadium this season.

WACO, Texas -- Oklahoma's pursuing Baylor's running game aggressively, and it's paid off.

The Bears carried the ball six times on their opening drive.

Four went for losses. One was for no gain. The other went 6 yards.

Oklahoma looked bent on flying to the ball and making Baylor's offense one-dimensional.

Baylor, though, tried to answer. Robert Griffin III is looking deep, but his only connection, an 80-yard touchdown to Kendall Wright, was erased by a hold. The Bears ran a double pass from Griffin to Jerod Monk to Terrance Williams, too.

The Bears are trying to soften up the Sooners defense, but Oklahoma's bringing all kinds of blitzes and put a handful of big pops on RG3 on the opening drive.

Baylor will have to hit on a couple of those deep balls before the Sooners back off.

Additionally, we've already had five penalties for 60 yards tonight. An odd start on that front.

David Ubben previews tonight’s Oklahoma-Baylor game from Waco.