The gist
- Final: Oklahoma 23, Mississippi State 15. On the road, in Starkville, up 20-7 after three. Record moves to 4-3.
- Isaiah Sategna III is a WR1. Eight catches, 164 yards, and the opening touchdown. John Mateer went 22-of-29 for 283 and two scores — the cleanest game he has played in weeks.
- MSST was 1-for-11 on third down. That is not a defensive performance, that is a chokehold. Owen Heinecke stacked 10 tackles; Adepoju Adebawore added 1.5 sacks.
- The number that matters most: turnovers 1, takeaways 2. Last week against Kentucky it was 4 and 0. That is the exact flip last week’s recap said had to happen.
The recap
Oklahoma walked into Davis Wade needing a game to not look like Lexington looked, and got one. 23-15. On the road. Not pretty. Didn’t need to be.
The scoring went Oklahoma, Oklahoma, Oklahoma, with Tate Sandell punching a 42-yarder on the first possession, then Mateer finding Sategna from 36 just before the half, then Rocky Beers from 32 to open the third. 17-0 before Mississippi State even figured out which half they were in. Sandell added 30- and 38-yarders in the second half; the Bulldogs got a late touchdown and a two-point conversion with 2:10 left to make the scoreboard say 23-15 instead of 23-7, which is the game that was actually played.
The offense: 467 total yards, 283 of them through the air, 33:16 of possession. Mateer’s 22-of-29 is the highest completion percentage he has posted this season, and he did it without a turnover of his own in the first three quarters. Sategna’s 164-yard night is more receiving yards than Oklahoma’s entire offense put up at Michigan. Tory Blaylock didn’t break anything huge but churned 71 on 12 carries behind an interior that owned the line of scrimmage.
The defense is the story, though. One-for-eleven on third down. Eleven chances to extend a drive, ten failures. Fluff Bothwell still got his — 111 on 17 — but Parker Puckett was 17-of-24 for 158 and threw a pick, and Mississippi State didn’t score a touchdown of consequence until the game was already decided. Heinecke was everywhere. Adebawore lived in the backfield.
One warning: nine penalties for 75 yards. Three Oklahoma field goals when a touchdown might have been there. The margin tonight was comfortable; the margin against a real offense wouldn’t have been.
| Stat | Oklahoma | Mississippi State |
|---|---|---|
| Total Yards | 467 | 352 |
| Passing | 283 | 186 |
| Rushing | 184 | 166 |
| First Downs | 21 | 17 |
| 3rd Down | 7-16 | 1-11 |
| Penalties | 9-75 | 8-90 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of Possession | 33:16 | 26:44 |
What people are saying
The box score did the talking this week.
Our take
Here’s our read: this is the version of the defense we saw against New Mexico — not the one that got housed in Athens. One-for-eleven on third down against an SEC offense is not luck. It is a plan being executed by guys who were tired of being embarrassed, and it should be the floor from here, not the ceiling.
Hot take: Isaiah Sategna III is the WR1 this offense has been missing since the Red River game. The Beers touchdown and the Blaylock grind matter, but Sategna is the guy who makes a defense pick which problem to solve, and nobody picked right in Starkville.
Last week was four turnovers and zero takeaways. This week was one and two. If that doesn’t stick, nothing this season does.
The uncomfortable part: three second-half field goals. Oklahoma is 4-3 and sitting on 151 points through seven games. The defense can carry a 23-15 night. It cannot carry a 23-20 night against a quarterback who is actually dangerous, and South Carolina has one of those.
Next up
South Carolina comes to Norman on Oct. 31. Home game, Halloween night, 4-3 against another team currently playing for its season. Mark this down: if the Sooner offense goes under 24 at home against the Gamecocks, this win in Starkville was a mirage. Not “might’ve been.” Was. Twenty-four is the number.
Four and three with South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, LSU and Missouri still on the board is not the season anybody drew up in July. It is the season we have, and after Lexington, 4-3 feels a lot better than 3-4 would have. Make your picks — and if you’re rolling with the Sooners next week, that’s literally the game.