No. 8 Oklahoma followed its victory at Alabama with another dominant defensive performance against No. 22 Missouri.
John Mateer threw two touchdown passes in the second quarter, including an 87-yarder to Isaiah Sategna III, and the Sooners held the Tigers out of the end zone in a 17-6 victory Saturday.
Oklahoma (9-2) moved into prime playoff position by upsetting Alabama on the road last week and solidified that spot against its old Big 12 and Big Eight rival at home.
Missouri quarterback Beau Pribula returned to action after an ankle injury against Vanderbilt last month kept him out of the lineup for the last two games. The Penn State transfer was 20-for-36 for 231 yards and two interceptions.
The Tigers (7-4) came in with the top rushing offense in the SEC and were held to 70 yards on the ground by the SEC’s No. 1 defense. Mizzou’s Ahmad Hardy, the conference’s leading rusher at 135 yards per game, managed just 57 yards on 17 carries.
Oklahoma’s Peyton Bowen blocked a 35-yard field goal attempt by Robert Meyer with 7:42 left in the second quarter, with Mizzou leading 3-0.
Three plays later, Mateer found Sategna streaking over the middle, and the speedy receiver was gone to give Oklahoma its first lead of the game.
Mateer was 14-for-30 for 173 yards, and the Sooners running game again struggled to generate much on the ground (103 yards).
But playing without injured star edge rusher R Mason Thomas, the OU defense was still swarming. The Sooners had four sacks, 1.5 by Taylor Wein. Jacobe Johnson and Bowen had interceptions for the Sooners.
Tate Sandell’s 45-yard field goal early in the third quarter was the only scoring in the second half and more than enough for Oklahoma’s defense.
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The Sooners remain a CFP contender, but…
First, the good news for Oklahoma. With the victory, the Sooners improved their College Football Playoff odds to 75 percent, according to projections from The Athletic’s Austin Mock. With a win next week over LSU, Oklahoma should be a lock to earn a spot in the 12-team field after knocking off a third consecutive ranked opponent (after Tennessee and Alabama). The defense held Hardy to his second-worst output of the season.
Now the discouraging news: The Sooners do not look like a team capable of making a deep CFP run unless their offense makes drastic, immediate improvements. They struggled to sustain drives with four three-and-outs, and they struggled to generate big plays (only two covered more than 15 yards). Mateer completed a season-low 47 percent of his passes and was held under 200 passing yards for the fourth time in five games. A run game that was No. 99 nationally in yards per carry (3.82) failed to hit that low mark; the Sooners averaged only 3.4.
Entering Saturday, Oklahoma ranked 63rd nationally in scoring at 28.3 points per game. Among teams with a realistic shot at an at-large CFP bid, the Sooners were ahead of only Michigan (27.7 ppg). As good as Oklahoma’s defense has been this season, including Saturday, it’s hard to envision a long postseason with this offense. — Baker
What’s next for Drinkwitz?
All that’s left on Mizzou’s schedule is a road game against Arkansas next week, but there is still intrigue around the Tigers.
Coach Eliah Drinkwitz has been mentioned as a candidate for several high-profile job openings, including Florida, Auburn and Penn State. He is 45-28 in six seasons at Missouri, including 17 victories the last two seasons.
Drinkwitz has been critical of the coverage of the coaching carousel, which has been spinning fast with several Power 4 schools firing their coaches barely halfway through the season. His contract with Mizzou runs through 2029 and pays $9 million per year.
Expect most schools with openings to try to fill quickly when the regular season ends next week. If there is no word before then from Drinkwitz about a commitment to staying at Mizzou, the 42-year-old Oklahoma native is likely in play for another job. — Russo
