NORMAN — Blame it on a Texas hangover, blame it on the lack of a running agame, blame it on whatever.
OU struggled to find much momentum on the offensive side until late, left points on the board, and the defense had to carry the load for much of Saturday’s matchup against UCF at Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
But the Sooners did enough to pull it out, ultimately beating the Knights 31-29 to stay undefeated, at the top of the Big 12 and keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive.
The game came down to UCF’s two-point conversion with 1:16 remaining after the Knights pulled within two on a fourth-down touchdown pass.
Gus Malzahn tried some trickery, getting the ball to Xavier Townsend on a lateral. Townsend looked for the pass but didn’t find an open target and was stopped in the backfield.
There was still another moment of concern for the Sooners (7-0, 4-0 Big 12), though, as the onside kick squirted under the OU front line, but the Sooners recovered to put the game away.
Here are five takeaways from OU’s win:
More: How Dillon Gabriel’s family is making every OU football game ‘like a Thanksgiving’
OU couldn’t get much going on the ground for much of the day.
With a patchwork offensive line and without leading rusher Tawee Walker or Jovantae Barnes available, OU tried a variety of things in the backfield.
Wide receivers Jalil Farooq and Drake Stoops spent some time there.
But in the end, the Sooners went back to relying on Marcus Major and Gavin Sawchuk to get the job done.
After rushing for just 115 yards through the first three quarters, the Sooners rushed for 92 in the fourth quarter before their late knees brought them back to a total of 189 rushing yards for the game.
Major led the way with 19 carries for 82 yards while Sawchuk had 10 carries for 63 yards — including a 30-yard touchdown run with 3:13 left.
Sawchuk made his first career start after Walker was out due to a personal matter, according to a Rivals report.
The Sooners didn’t have a run longer than 11 yards until Dillon Gabriel’s 14-yard run in the final minute of the third quarter.
More: What are the stories behind OU football players’ tattoos? Dillon Gabriel, Sooners explain
Freshman Peyton Bowen continues to emerge as a star in the secondary for the Sooners.
But for much of Saturday, Bowen was quiet, as he missed a chunk of the game.
But when Bowen re-entered late in the the game on a third-and-6 from the UCF 42, he immediately made his presence known.
Bowen blitzed off the edge, crushing Knights quarterback John Rhys Plumlee for a 9-yard sack that forced UCF to punt, trailing 24-23.
More: Mussatto: OU football survives scare from UCF, but it’s no Texas hangover for Sooners
Freshman Cayden Green and redshirt senior transfer Caleb Shaffer made their first career starts at guard Saturday, with mixed results for the Sooners.
Green had been rotating with Troy Everett at the left guard spot since Savion Byrd was injured against Tulsa in the non-conference finale.
Shaffer entered late in the win over Texas after starter McKade Mettauer went down with an ankle injury.
Mettauer dressed out and played at least one snap on special teams but did not appear on offense.Byrd played his first offensive snaps since his injury, taking over for Shaffer in the fourth quarter.
More: OU football report card: Mixed grades as Sooners spurn UCF’s upset bid to stay unbeaten
With Andrel Anthony out, the Sooners’ wide receiver rotation figured to look a bit different against UCF (3-4, 0-4 Big 12).
The biggest beneficiary was redshirt freshman Nic Anderson, who had touchdown catches of 29 and 42 yards from Dillon Gabriel in the first half.
Anderson extended his team high for touchdown catches to eight, the most for an OU player since Marvin Mims had nine in the truncated 2020 season.
Anderson finished with a season-high five catches for 105 yards. Anderson’s previous career high was three catches for 120 yards against Tulsa.
More: ‘Our guys were ready’: How Kendel Dolby, OU football denied UCF from late tying score
OU had some chances to build momentum the big defensive stands multiple times, but were derailed because of penalties.
In the first half, the Sooners looked like they’d come up with a big goal-line stand for the second consecutive week, as Kip Lewis and Rondell Bothroyd stopped Mark-Antony Richards for a 1-yard loss on third-and-goal from the 1 early in the second quarter.
But instead of leaving the Knights pondering whether to go for it or accept the field goal, linebacker Jaren Kanak was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct, giving UCF an automatic first down.
Knights quarterback John Rhys Plumlee carried it in on the next play to tie the game 7-7.
In the third quarter, OU got a huge defensive play when Jordan Kelley forced Plumlee into an intentional-grounding penalty, pinning the Knights at their own 3.
But on the very next play, Sooners’ cornerback Woodi Washington was called for a pass interference penalty, wiping out the momentum that had built the play before.
Perhaps the penalty that most infuriated Brent Venables was one that was called on UCF.
On Javon Baker’s 82-yard touchdown catch late in the first half, Baker appeared to blow a kiss toward the OU sideline while he was running wide open.
Baker and another UCF player were flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct on the play, but just for their actions after the score, allowing the touchdown to stand.
Venables argued the penalty should’ve been called before the score, but to no avail.
The Sooners finished with six penalties for 37 yards.
More: OU football erases largest deficit of the season vs. UCF & more stats from Sooners’ win
Sarah Wilson is your guide to the latest trends, viral sensations, and internet phenomena. With a finger on the pulse of digital culture, she explores what’s trending across social media and pop culture, keeping readers in the know about the latest online sensations.
