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Costly Turnovers Crippled Oklahoma Against Kansas

The Sooners struggled to gain full momentum in Lawrence, and turnovers played a big part in that.

Ross Lovelace

Costly Turnovers Crippled Oklahoma Against Kansas
Costly Turnovers Crippled Oklahoma Against Kansas /
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Until the final seconds, it seemed unfathomable. 

Oklahoma had beaten Kansas 18-straight times. The Jayhawks were, in the past, considered a no-sweat victory on the schedule every year.

A much-improved Kansas team pulled off the unthinkable, however, beating Oklahoma in the final minutes of the game. The Jayhawks stunned the Sooners and electrified the home crowd, signaling a field storming with a 38-33 win.

In a game decided by just five total points, the margin for error is extremely thin. Unfortunately for the Sooners, the errors were too much to overcome. Three turnovers throughout the course of the game ultimately plagued Oklahoma, despite a respectable comeback attempt in the fourth quarter.

In the end, Oklahoma’s careless mistakes with the football is what ultimately lost the game. The Sooners committed three turnovers in a game of inches, and fell short when the clock hit zero.

"Incredibly disappointed," head coach Brent Venables said after the loss. "(We) made too many mistakes today. Turned the ball over. Penalties. The timing of all of it was really poor.

"It’s discipline, or lack thereof," Venables said. "Eleven penalties for over 100 yards. Three turnovers, not taking care of the football. I thought our guys played with effort; I don’t think we always played real smart."

The first turnover was certainly the most costly, as Kansas scored directly off of it. In the first quarter with just under ten minutes to go, the Sooners had a short third down on its own side of the field. 

The defense had just given the ball back to the offense on a massive momentum stop and OU had a chance to take the air out of the crowd early. Dillon Gabriel opted out of a run-pass option and fired across field into the wind which proved the be a costly decision. Mello Dotson read Gabriel’s throw like a book, stepping in front of Jalil Farooq to intercept it and returning it for an easy touchdown.

"That was one I could have taken the throw option off of it," offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby said after the loss. "It was third-and-three there. The box was heavy so he was going to throw it. Got to the stop late. The guy jumped it and made a good play on it. A perfect world we’d throw it over the guy’s head and move on."

The Jayhawks started off the game with a gift-wrapped seven points thanks to an Oklahoma turnover. From there, the Sooners were battling to regain momentum all game long.

In the third quarter, Oklahoma’s gritty defense once again found a way. The Sooners held the Jayhawks to a field goal after the offense went scoreless on two straight possessions. 

Then, when Tawee Walker was having a day out of the backfield, Oklahoma lined up Jalil Farooq at running back. Farooq put his head down and ran it up the middle, fumbling in the process, and giving the ball back to Kansas in OU territory. The Jayhawks scored shortly after, stealing the momentum almost immediately.

"We talk a lot about it too," Lebby said. "You try to talk about it as much as anything, how you’re gonna take hits inside the core. It happened today. We had the turnovers. Things happened. That’s two reasons we’re standing here right now."

With 12 minutes left in the final frame, the Sooners suffered yet another crushing turnover — and this time, the clock was against them. Kansas scored to make it 32-27, and the Sooners needed a score to stay in it. 

The Jayhawks fired off what looked like a pooch kick, and defensive end Marcus Stripling muffed the kick and give possession right back to Kansas. Even though the Jayhawks walked away empty, it ate away time and stripped the Sooners of any potential momentum.

In a game decided by five points, coming down to the very last possession, every inch is crucial. The Sooners didn't value taking care of the ball and it bit them in a big way on Saturday. Oklahoma's College Football Playoff hopes now look slim to non-existent, and the Big 12 Championship certainly looks gloomy.

If the Sooners plan on making it interesting in Stillwater next Saturday, winning the turnover battle and taking care of the ball is a good place to start.

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Ross Lovelace
ROSS LOVELACE

Experience Ross is a young, up-and-coming sports reporter who has covered the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Oklahoma Sooners over the past six years. He's made guest appearances on various radio stations and has helped out with the All Sooners podcast whenever he gets the chance. Ross enjoys public speaking and has done so at multiple churches and high schools across the OKC metro area. In addition to writing, Ross has been the Play-by-Play announcer for Crossings’ basketball and football programs since 2020. In high school, Ross worked for self-starter blogs and latched onto Thunder Digest, where he discovered his passion for writing. From there, he worked for the OU Daily as a women's basketball reporter and was hired by All Sooners. Ross landed an internship with Sports Illustrated's Inside the Thunder and has since become a full-time contributor. One day, Ross hopes to work in the NBA. Work History Education Ross holds a bachelor's degree in Public Relations and a minor in Communication from the University of Oklahoma. Personal Born and raised in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Ross played basketball and wrote for his own Thunder blog at Crossings High School in OKC, OK. He enjoys reading, New York Jets football and a week at the beach. Ross is engaged to be married at the end of the year. His Twitter handle is @Rosslovelace.

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