All Sooners

How One Player Chose To Stay Put After Oklahoma's Last Bedlam Loss

Loyalty, relationships factored into Jalil Farooq's decision not to transfer when Lincoln Riley left Sooners.

Tim Willert

In this story:

NORMAN — Jalil Farooq was a freshman the last time Oklahoma visited Stillwater for Bedlam in 2021.

It was an experience he'd just as soon forget.

The Sooners not only squandered a 9-point fourth quarter lead and lost to Oklahoma State, 37-33, they lost their head coach the next day when Lincoln Riley announced he was leaving to coach USC.

"You know, dealing with the loss and then having to deal with that is never a good feeling," Farooq said Monday after practice. "You’re filled with emotion that’s just ... unexpected. It’s more of a shocking feeling. Just got to start thinking what’s best for you in that moment, in my opinion.”

After suffering its first loss of the season to Kansas, No. 10 Oklahoma (7-1, 4-1 Big 12) will look to get back on track at 2:30 p.m. Saturday inside Boone Pickens Stadium against the resurgent Cowboys (6-2, 4-1), who have won four in a row.

The winner will remain atop the conference standings in what will be the last Bedlam matchup for the foreseeable future.

Unlike some teammates who followed Riley to Los Angeles, Farooq, now a junior wide receiver, chose to remain at OU.

“I feel like growing up my parents raised me big on loyalty," he said. "So even though Lincoln Riley recruited me, I just feel like I committed to Oklahoma — I didn’t just commit to Lincoln Riley, even though I still have love for my guy. 

"Coach (Cale) Gundy one of the guys also that I stayed here for. Just having a relationship with some of the coaches that came in in my recruiting process, just rekindling our relationships, knowing who they are as people and knowing what our program was capable of in the future.”

Farooq had little to say about the rivalry with Oklahoma State, choosing to treat it like just another game.

"Um ... not really big on the rivalry," he said. "It's just the next game up. We're looking to go 1-0. That's it."

Asked how the week leading up to Bedlam compared to Texas week, Farooq said "No different at all. Texas was the next game on our schedule. So OSU is too.”

One thing's for certain, Oklahoma State fans will bring the noise, especially those seated near the OU bench. 

Farooq knows from previous experience

“Yeah, it’s going to be an extremely loud environment," he said. "Just got to be ready to play, ready to tune out the noise, execute when we need to and just do our job.”

"The fans, they definitely have an impact on the game. We just got to get the momentum when we can and take advantage of our opportunity. Shut the crowd up.”

Something the Sooners had trouble doing when they last played the Cowboys in Stillwater.

“Just a lot of going back and forth, a lot of turnovers on the field, punt blocks — it just was an intense game all around the board," Farooq said. "They had good special teams. We did too. Special teams is a big part of the game, so we’re making sure we look at those details. We could take advantage of those opportunities.”

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Tim Willert
TIM WILLERT

AllSooners staff writer Tim Willert has covered news and sports for 29 years as a reporter and editor for daily and online publications, including The Oklahoman and The Norman Transcript. 

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