OU linebackers set a new record in number of tackles

NORMAN – In a shootout with Baylor last year, OU running back Trey Sermon rushed for 148 yards as the No. 3 Sooners survived, 49-41.

Now, with Sermon solidified as the No. 1 running, No. 5 Oklahoma (4-0, 1-0 in the Big 12) will get a crack at the much-improved Baylor Bears (3-1, 1-0 in the Big 12) with a 2:30 p.m. kickoff Saturday in Norman. The game is on ABC.

OU avoided what could have been a devastating loss to Army last Saturday with a 28-21 overtime win over the Black Knights. Sermon had a season-high 119 rushing yards on 18 carries (6.6 average) against Army.

Army outgained Oklahoma on ground, 339-190, but more importantly, the Black Knights had the ball for almost 45 minutes while the Sooners were limited to a little over 15 minutes on offense. OU’s limited time of possession set a new Big 12 records for the lowest number.

Army ran 87 offensive plays while OU had 40.

OU coach Lincoln Riley said he was not tempted to slow down the OU offensive to eat up the clock. “I think you can get too caught up in playing the clock game,” Riley said after the game. “The most important thing, offensively against them, is to score. You’ve got to score, and we felt like when we extended the game, that was going to play into our hands. We just really tried to do the things that we thought would help us score. At times we went fast, at times, we didn’t go fast. We milked plenty of clock on that last drive in regulation. It didn’t play into our decision making.”

“We knew what kind of game it was going to be going into this and playing Army,” OU quarterback Kyler Murray said. “It is really frustrating being the offense and having to watch the defense play all night. The defense did a great job and they persevered. But like I said, it is frustrating, and you have to make the most out of the possessions. I think that we did that the first half then the defense came out in the second half and did their job but unfortunately, I turned the ball over. I am just glad we got the win at the end of the day.”

OU linebackers Kenneth Murray (28 tackles – a new school record) and Curtis Bolton (23 tackles) had career days while trying to corral the Army rushing attack.

“They’re a tough team,” Kenneth Murray said. “That type of offense is a tough offense to play, and those guys are in the military, so their mindset is a tough mindset.

“For sure, it was a physical war in the trenches. Every play was a war in the trenches. This is what we knew it was going to be…”

Murray had six solo tackles and 22 assisted tackles and was named the national defensive player of the Week and Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week.

Baylor punter Drew Galitz was Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week as he averaged 45.6 yards in five punts in a 26-7 win over Kansas.  is 12th in the nation, averaging 45.2-yard average.

OU defensive coordinator Mike Stoops said it was hard to prepare for Army’s option attack because none of OU’s opponents run it.

“It’s extremely difficult,” Stoops said. “You can’t simulate the speed, the precision that they (Army) do it. Our guys are big, 330-pound guys trying to come off low, rip through gaps. It’s just not what our team is built to do.”

“We knew that it was going to be a slug fest,” Bolton said. “We knew we were going to come in and it was going to be a boxing match… I like to think of myself as a tough guy and Kenneth does the same so we were not going to let anyone come out there and roll over us.”

OU kicker Austin Siebert shocked the packed crowd when he missed a 33-yard field goal that would have won the game but instead sent it into overtime. OU quarterback Kyler Murray hit CeeDee Lamb for a 10-yard touchdown in OT and OU’s Parnell Motley intercepted an Army pass on the next series to seal the victory.

“Credit to Oklahoma, they made some great plays and they’ve got some unbelievable players,” said Army coach Jeff Monken. “Their quarterback, (Kyler) Murray, is an amazing player and he made some plays with his feet and arm. We found ourselves out of position a couple times and they made some big plays. That’s the story of the game. But, to have a goal line stop like we did down at the one-yard line, I don’t know the last time that’s happened to an Oklahoma team. For our guys to make that stop is incredible, so nothing but respect for our guys for the way we played.”

After OU scored a touchdown in overtime to take a 7-point lead, Army had to score a touchdown to keep from losing. A touchdown and a two-point conversion would have won the game for Army in overtime.

“We would’ve gone for two,” Monken said. “I just think in this environment, and to be coming from behind the whole game, we would’ve given it a whirl.”

The Army game took a physical toll on the Sooners who need time to recuperate.

“We’ve got two huge games before we get a bye,” said Stoops. “I think that’s when it’ll come. We’ve got to keep fighting. Our guys are playing a lot of snaps. We’re losing depth. Tyreece Lott has not been there. We need to get our guys back. [Marquise] Overton. We haven’t had a lot of guys. Our guys have played a lot of snaps inside. I don’t know what we played. 80-85 snaps? So that’s a lot again. Eventually it’s going to take its toll, but we’ve got to start developing some of these younger guys and get them some snaps.”