LUBBOCK, TX — Oklahoma’s season mercifully ended on Saturday night at Jones AT&T Stadium, another forgettable loss in a season replete with them.
While this one at times looked painfully familiar to Sooner Nation, it also sunk to new lows.
The Sooners blew a 17-point lead and fell 51-48 in overtime to Texas Tech in the 2022 season finale for both teams.
OU fell to 6-6 overall and 3-6 in Big 12 play, while Texas Tech improved to 7-5 and 5-4.
Trey Wolff kicked a 34-yard field goal to end overtime as Tech prevailed and set off a raucous fan celebration on the field.
Trailing 38-31 at the start of the fourth quarter, Oklahoma tied it at 38 when Dillon Gabriel connected with Brayden Willis on a 5-yard touchdown with 10:37 left to play.
That TD was set up by Gabriel’s 49-yard pass to Theo Wease, who caught a 61-yard touchdown earlier in the game. Wease, who hasn’t been used much lately, finished with a career-high 127 yards. His previous high of 102 was set here two years ago.
That lead was short-lived, however, as Texas Tech’s Tyler Shough took his team 75 yards for a 45-38 lead with 8:43 to play. After Shough hit Myles Price over the middle for 19 yards, he connected with Jerand Bradley on a 44-yard missile for the TD.
Gabriel hooked up with Willis for 37 yards and Drake Stoops for 24 to set up his 1-yard TD toss to Jalil Farooq to tie it at 45 with 7:24 left.
Then CJ Coldon stepped up yet again by intercepting Shough — Coldon’s team-leading fourth of the season.
That set up Zach Schmit’s 41-yard field goal that put the Sooners in front 48-45 with 4:04 to play.
Shough then directed the Red Raider offense one last time in regulation, driving for a game-tying 43-yard field goal by Trey Wolff with three seconds left and sending the game to overtime.
Wolff’s first field goal attempt was blocked, but the play was blown dead as Brent Venables called timeout.
In the first overtime, Drake Stoops threw a reverse pass for 13 yards to Gabriel, who took a big hit and was injured on the sideline. Willis took the next snap, but Gabriel returned and handed off, then took a sack on third down to bring on Schmit for a 34-yard field goal.
Schmit’s chip-shot, however, sailed wide right, turning the OT over to the Red Raiders.
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Just like last week, the Sooners got off to a red-hot start, but then faded badly and had to fight down the stretch.
After Zach Schmit’s 41-yard field goal staked OU to a 17-0 lead early in the second quarter, Tech went 75 yards for a touchdown, 75 yards for a touchdown, 29 yards for a touchdown and 77 yards for a field goal on the final play of the half.
The short touchdown drive was set up by Dadrion Taylor-Demerson’s leaping interception of Dillon Gabriel on third-and-long, on which he wrestled the ball away from Drake Stoops to gain possession and set up the late touchdown.
The Red Raiders’ field goal just before half covered nearly the entire length of the field in just 48 seconds and cut the Sooners’ halftime lead to just 24-23.
Texas Tech’s first four possessions netted just 23 yards and zero points, while their last five possessions of the first half produced 260 yards and 24 points.
After Schmit’s field goal, OU’s last four possessions of the half went three-and-out, one-play 77-yard touchdown pass from Gabriel to Marvin Mims, three-and-interception, and three-and-out.
Mims finished the first half with 162 yards and two touchdowns on just five receptions.
Gabriel was 16-of-22 for 231 yards in the first half alone and finished the game with 449 yards and six touchdown passes.
Eric Gray rushed for 161 yards, and Mavin Mims had 162 receiving.
Shough threw for 436 yards and two TDs.
The Sooners also left points on the field again, this time a sure touchdown by Willis on a fake field goal that would have made it 21-0 in the first quarter. Instead, as holder Michael Turk rose up to throw a jump pass to Willis, Willis dropped it.
The craziness continued in the third quarter, though.
After Oklahoma’s promising drive to start the second half quickly fizzled out, Saroderick Thompson scored to cap off a 62-yard drive and put the Red Raiders up 30-24.
Theo Wease then caught a 61-yard touchdown pass from Gabriel on a deep post. Wease, who hasn’t been used much lately, was wide open, then held off contact from two defenders as he sprinted to the end zone for a 31-30 lead.
Tech scored immediately when backup quarterback Donovan Smith came out of the backfield and caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from starter Tyler Shough wide open behind the secondary to finish off another 62-yard drive. That rebuilt Tech’s lead to 38-31, setting up the wild fourth quarter.
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