Baker Mayfield might just be the magician the Sooners need to get back to prominence.
After a dismal first half, Mayfield rallied No. 19 Oklahoma from a 17-point deficit and ultimately led the Sooners to a 31-24 victory against No. 23 Tennessee in double overtime.
Even though the season is only two weeks old, Mayfield's performance was one of the most exciting of the year as he passed for three scores and ran for one in the fourth quarter and overtime to get the Sooners the improbable victory and a 2-0 start to the season.
Tennessee jumped out to a 17-0 lead thanks to strong play by quarterback Josh Dobbs, who threw for a score and ran for a score. Oklahoma struggled to get anything going on offense as the Tennessee defense that allowed more than 400 passing yards to Bowling Green a week ago was stout against Oklahoma’s air raid style.
But once Tennessee took that early lead, it struggled to get anything else going as the Oklahoma defense started holding its ground. However, the OU offense didn’t really come along until late in the third quarter when Austin Seibert hit a 35-yard field goal to cut the lead to 14.
From there, it was all Mayfield improvising. On several occasions, he broke multiple tackles in the backfield to either find an open player downfield or scramble for yardage. Then he started getting help from running back Samaje Perine and receiver Sterling Shepard, who both had touchdowns in the fourth quarter to tie the game.
Tennessee scored first in overtime, but Mayfield answered on a fourth-down run thanks to a block by Perine to give him a path into the end zone.
Mayfield found Shepard wide open in on the right side in the second overtime, and Shepard jumped over a defender and tap danced into the end zone for what would ultimately be the game-winning score.
Dobbs tried to will his team back in the second overtime, but threw an interception to Zack Sanchez to end the game.
The win gives Oklahoma back-to-back victories against the Vols in as many years, but it also gives the Sooners a much-needed confidence victory on the road.
Tennessee drops to 1-1 and likely out of the Top 25.
For more Tennessee news, visit VolQuest.com.
For more Oklahoma news, visit SoonerScoop.com.
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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday
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