Mayfield, Anderson Lead No. 9 Sooners Past K-State, 42-35

Rodney Anderson ran 22 yards for the go-ahead score with 7 seconds remaining, Baker Mayfield threw for 410 yards and accounted for four touchdowns and No. 9 Oklahoma rallied for a wild 42-35 victory over Kansas State on Saturday night. 

Anderson finished with 147 yards rushing for the Sooners (6-1, 3-1 Big 12). They trailed 21-10 at the break proceeded to shred the overmatched secondary of the Wildcats (3-4, 1-3) in the second half. 

Kansas State sophomore Alex Delton’s first career touchdown pass with 2:25 left tied it at 35, but Mayfield and Anderson calmly went to work. The two-time Heisman Trophy finalist hit on a series of throws downfield before Anderson took a carry around the left side for the decisive score. 

Making his second career start, Delton finished with 161 yards rushing and three TDs while going 12 of 14 for 144 yards through the air. Alex Barnes added 108 yards and a touchdown on just six carries.

It was the Sooners’ nation-leading 14th consecutive true road victory, and it extended their run of dominance in Manhattan. They haven’t lost to the Wildcats in their home stadium since 1996.

It was Kansas State that was rolling from the second play of the game, when Barnes took a handoff up the middle for a 75-yard TD run. The Sooners needed just a couple minutes for Mayfield to provide the answer, but his touchdown toss to tight end Mark Andrews was his highlight of the half.

Mayfield threw a pick in the end zone on the Sooners’ ensuing possession, just his second of the season. Then he was inexplicably split wide as Oklahoma went to the Wildcat set in short-yardage spots.

Kansas State stuffed Trey Sermon and Dimitri Flowers for no gain on consecutive plays to force one turnover on downs, then dumped Flowers for a loss at the goal line to force a field goal.

Delton’s two touchdown runs staked Kansas State to a 21-10 lead at the break.

But whatever momentum the Wildcats took into the locker room stayed there, because Mayfield and the Sooners got going in the second half. They went 80 yards for a touchdown on their first possession, 69 yards for a field goal on their second and 93 yards for another touchdown.

The 2-point conversion gave them a 28-21 lead with 14:19 left, their first of the game.

It took a snap over Seibert’s head on a punt midway through the fourth quarter for the Wildcats to draw even, which they did on Delton’s third TD run. But Mayfield’s 66-yard pitch-and-catch to Marquise Brown set up his go-ahead TD toss to Anderson with 5:16 to go.

Kansas State drove downfield to tie it at 35 on Delton’s first career TD pass, but it came with 2:25 still on the clock. And that was enough time for Oklahoma to score one more time.

Oklahoma showed off its deep stable of offensive weapons. Mayfield had with 69 yards rushing, Brown had six catches for 126 yards and tight end Mark Andrews had a team-high seven catches for 61 yards. That helped make up for freshman running back Trey Sermon, who had just four carries for 18 yards.

Oklahoma returns home to play Texas Tech nEXT Saturday night.