Sooners Stunned By Texas Tech, Winning Streak Snapped

Corey DeMoss, News9.com

NORMAN, Oklahoma – The Oklahoma Sooners could not overcome a big halftime deficit and their 39-game home winning streak came to an end with a 41-38 loss to Texas Tech Saturday.

The game got off to a fast start, with both teams scoring on their first drives to combine for 14 points in two minutes. But Texas Tech dominated the rest of the first half.

After gaining 55 yards on its first play of the game, OU only had 144 for the rest of the first half. The Sooners did not record a first down in the entire second quarter, and the defense had its share of struggles as well.

With Gabe Lynn subbing in for injured cornerback Jamell Fleming, the Red Raiders picked on Lynn all night. Texas Tech quarterback Seth Doege threw for 234 yards in the first half, with 83 of those yards and two touchdowns going to Alex Torres.

The Sooners went into halftime trailing 24-7, and a comeback would have been their biggest at home in school history.

Things started just as poorly in the second half, with OU going three-and-out again, and Texas Tech responding with another touchdown to Torres to build the lead to 31-7. But after that, Oklahoma replaced Gabe Lynn and the defense began to improve.

Landry Jones also connected with Kenny Stills for a 58-yard touchdown to give the offense a spark. That touchdown started a string of 17 unanswered points – after Texas Tech failed to convert fourth down on two different occasions – for the Sooners to cut the lead to just seven.

The momentum had swung in OU's favor, but Texas Tech fought back to score 10 straight points of their own to build a seemingly insurmountable 17-point lead with only seven minutes left in the game. But the Sooners would not go quietly.

Jones threw a 55-yard touchdown pass to Jaz Reynolds that ended a drive of only 53 seconds, and the defense came up with a quick stop to get the ball back. On the ensuing possession, OU narrowly missed another touchdown pass to Reynolds in the corner of the end zone and had to settle for a short field goal attempt.

But redshirt freshman kicker Michael Hunnicutt hit a 29-yard attempt off the right upright – his second missed field goal of the game – that prevented the Sooners from cutting it to a one-possession game.

The OU defense followed with a stop, but had to call its remaining timeouts to give the offense the ball back. Jones connected with tight end James Hanna on two consecutive plays, the second of which went for a 22-yard touchdown to cut the lead to three.

With only 90 seconds left in the game and no timeouts, the Sooners forced to attempt an onside kick. They failed to recover it, and Texas Tech kneeled to run out the clock.

The Sooners had not lost a game in Norman since 2005, when they fell 17-10 to TCU in the first game of the season. Texas Tech had not won in Norman in 15 years. The 39-game home winning streak was the longest in the nation, but that distinction now falls to Boise State, which has won 35 straight.