COLUMBUS – Heisman Trophy candidate Baker Mayfield shredded the young Buckeye defensive secondary for 386 yards as No. 5/6 Oklahoma spoiled second-ranked Ohio State’s first home game of the season by beating OSU, 31-16.
By the end of the game, mamy of the OSU fans who were among the crowd of 109,088 — largest ever for a home opener and second largest in Ohio Stadium history — had left Ohio Stadium but the Sooner faithful stuck around to cheer as their players danced and planted their “OU” flag in the Block “O” at midfield in celebration.
“We got beat by a good team, a very good team, and a quarterback that was dynamic,” head coach Urban Meyer said afterwards.
Mayfield completed 27 of 35 pass attempts for three touchdowns without throwing an interception to power the Sooners’ 490 yards of offense.
“I thought our defense hung in there against, like I said, a very good player,” Meyer said.
Buckeye quarterback J.T. Barrett was 19-for-35 for 183 yards while adding 66 rushing yards for Ohio State but also threw a costly interception.
“We didn’t play very well. A lot of it is going to be on him,” Meyer said.
“But I’m going to make it perfectly clear,” he added. “There is not a bullseye on J.T. Barrett.”
Ohio State managed 350 yards of total offense, 157 in their most productive quarter, the third.
Freshman J.K. Dobbins, coming off a record-setting debut at Indiana, led Ohio State’s rushing attack with 72 yards and the Buckeyes’ only touchdown.
Sean Nuernberger kicked three field goals.
After keeping the game close in the first half, Oklahoma scored four touchdowns on its first five possessions of the second half.
Trailing 13-10 late in the third quarter
Mayfield picked apart the Buckeye defense during a four-play, 92-yard drive that gave the Sooners their first lead of the game with 2:17 remaining in the quarter.
After Ohio State turned the ball over on downs at the start of the fourth quarter, Oklahoma marched 64 yards in seven plays and Mayfield’s 10-yard scoring strike to Trey Sermon extended the Sooners’ lead to 24-17 with 11:11 to play in the game.
Parnell Motley’s interception of a Barrett pass on the next play from scrimmage gave the Sooners the ball back on the Buckeye 27-yard line and Mayfield’s 22-yard pass to Jeff Badet put the ball on the 3-yard line, setting a touchdown run by Jordan Smallwood that put the final nail in Ohio State’s coffin.
Nuernberger’s third field goal, a 32-yarder with 2:57 left in the game capped the scoring.
The pollsters may be cruel to the Buckeyes this week but there are at least 10 more games in which they can play their way back into the good gracea of the College Football Playoff committee.
Most of the damage the Sooners suffered during the 3-3 first half was self-inflcted, as they turned the ball over twice despite outgaining the Buckeyes 222-87.
Sparked by Parris Campbell’s return of the second half kickoff to the Oklamoha 44, the Buckeyes took the lead again, 10-3, on J.K. Dobbins’ 6-yard touchdown, only to see Mayfield and the Sooners tie the score again with quick 5-play drive.
After a 31-yard pass from J.T. Barrett to Austin Mack was ruled a completion following a video review, Ohio State regained the lead on a 25-yard Nuernberger field goal before Mayfield and the Sooners took control of the rest of the game.