Oklahoma Falls to Texas Tech in OT In Fitting End to a Miserable Regular Season

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

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.

"Obviously," said head coach Brent Venables, "got to do a better job coaching."

After OU controversially missed a 34-yard field goal on its overtime possession, Trey Wolff kicked a 34-yard field goal to end overtime as Tech prevailed and set off a raucous fan celebration on the field.

The fourth quarter was predictably wild and went back and forth.

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 123 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 struck to 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 C.J. 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.

"Not a good drive," Venable said. "At all." 

Shough then directed the Red Raider offense one last time in regulation, a 13-play, 50-yard drive that produced a game-tying 43-yard field goal by Wolff with three seconds left and sent the game to overtime.

Wolff’s field goal attempt was blocked at first, but the play was blown dead as OU coach Brent Venables called timeout.

"There's an opportunity to get them to think about it," Venables said. "You know, he hadn't been great on the day, as far as the field goals. So there's an opportunity to try to get in his head. It's a pressure moment. It's a big kick." 

In the first overtime, Stoops threw a reverse pass for 13 yards to Gabriel, who took a big hit and was injured on the sideline. 

The throw to Gabriel and the big hit "maybe threw us off a bit," Lebby said. " ... It’s frustrating. We didn’t capitalize."

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 over the right upright and was ruled wide right, turning the OT period over to the Red Raiders.

Venables said he thought the kick was good but admitted he didn't have a good angle from the sideline.

Just like last week's tense victory over Oklahoma State, the Sooners got out to a red-hot start, but then faded badly and had to fight down the stretch.

After 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 Gabriel on third-and-long, on which he wrested the ball away from 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.

Conversely, 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 Mims, three-and-interception, and three-and-out.

Mims finished the first half with 162 yards and two touchdowns on just five receptions.

"Guys made plays," offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby said. "We did have some drops again on some big plays. I thought for the most part we played good but didn’t play good enough to win."

Gabriel was 16-of-22 for 231 yards in the first half alone and finished the game 449 yards and six touchdown passes.

"It sucks, obviously," Gabriel said. "I'm not individual-driven. I play a team game that I love with teammates that I love. It's not the best feeling at all when you don't come out on the right side of it."

Eric Gray rushed for 161 yards, and Mims had 162 receiving.

"I thought (Gabriel) did a great job putting air under the ball," Lebby said. "But I think as much or more than anything, our guys made plays. We did a good job winning one-on-ones most of the night. We needed a couple more to play well enough to win."

Meanwhile, 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 flick 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, SaRodorick Thompson scored to cap off a 62-yard drive and put the Red Raiders up 30-24.

Wease then caught a 61-yard touchdown pass from Gabriel on a deep post. Wease  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 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.