Missouri took LSU to the wire, Maryland out-played Ohio State – for a half, and Texas and Oklahoma gave everyone a show in their annual Cotton Bowl showdown, all the way up until the Sooners scored late for the win (Boomer Sooner: Gabriel throws late TD pass as No. 12 Oklahoma beats No. 3 Texas in Red River rivalry).
There was plenty of entertainment in the early kickoff games, and Oklahoma scoring late to top Texas was the result that will impact college football for possibly the entire season.
The Sooners allowed Texas kicker Brent Auburn to hit a 47-yard field goal 1:15 left in the game, but then drove 75 yards with no time-outs and scored, on five plays, on a 3-yard pass from Dillon Gabriel to Nick Anderson with 15 seconds remaining to give OU a 34-30 lead. The Longhorns were flagged for a pass interference on the drive.
Texas would get the ball back, and quarterback Quinn Ewers managed to guide them to midfield quickly, and even got a pass into the end zone, but in a cluster of Texas and Oklahoma players, the ball was batted around and fell incomplete.
Texas, ranked third in the latest Associated Press poll, falls to 5-1 overall and 2-1 in the Big 12 Conference standings with the loss. Oklahoma, coming into the game ranked 12th, improves to 6-0 overall and 3-0 in Big 12 play.
Gabriel was 23-of-38 for 285 yards and the one touchdown. Ewers finished 31-of-37 for 346 yards, a touchdown to Gunnar Helm, and two interceptions.
Texas running back Jonathon Brooks went for 129 yards and a score, and Gabriel also ran for 113 yards and a score for the Sooners.
While that was happening in the Metroplex, LSU was trying to survive coach Eli Drinkwitz’s “other” SEC Tigers in Columbia, Missouri (Jayden Daniels dazzles in rallying No. 23 LSU to 49-39 shootout win over No. 21 Missouri), and Ohio State trailed for much of the first half, then took control late to top a scrappy Maryland team (McCord, Harrison and No. 4 Ohio State roar back in the second half to bury Maryland 37-17).
In other results from the early-kick games, Boston College topped Army, 27-24; Mississippi State snapped a three-game losing streak with a 41-28 win over Western Michigan in Starkville; Wisconsin dealt Rutgers its second loss of the season, 24-13; Virginia beat William & Mary, 27-13; and Toledo topped UMass, 41-24.
