Huge Third Quarter Leads Sooners To Victory

The Oklahoma Sooners dominated the third quarter to beat Texas A&M 41-25 Saturday in Norman.

Both defenses performed well in the first half, with OU holding a 13-10 lead going into the locker room. That marked the first time Texas A&M trailed at halftime all season; the Aggies have struggled in the second half all year, and that continued Saturday.

The Sooners forced two interceptions in the quarter and turned both into touchdowns. They scored a total of four touchdowns in only seven minutes and inflated their lead to 41-10.

But as the Sooners pulled away, star wide receiver Ryan Broyles went down with a serious knee injury. After the game, head coach Bob Stoops announced Broyles tore his ACL and his career at OU is over.

When Broyles left, the Sooners' offense stagnated and the defense let off the gas. They only gained 46 yards in the fourth quarter and did not score, while Texas A&M added two touchdowns to make the final score closer. But the outcome was never in doubt.

One week after setting a new school record with 505 yards, Landry Jones struggled at times dealing with high winds. He completed less than 50 percent of his passes and finished with 255 yards, marking the first time this season he failed to throw for more than 300 yards.

With starting running back Dominique Whaley out for the season with a broken ankle, Roy Finch took over the starting spot and finished with 99 yards on 26 carries. Third string quarterback Blake Bell also entered the game every time OU had a 3rd-and-short, and ended up with 12 carries for 37 yards and two touchdowns.

Texas A&M finished with 527 yards, but more than 200 of those yards came in garbage time during the fourth quarter. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill attempted 64 passes – compared to 38 for Jones – and had 379 yards with two touchdowns, but three interceptions.

The outcome ended Texas A&M's five-game winning streak on the road, and gave the Sooners their first home win since their 39-game winning streak in Norman ended against Texas Tech.