It wasn't pretty, but it was effective — and that might be all that matters.

Oklahoma slugged out a 38-28 win against Missouri, erasing an 11-point deficit in the first quarter and a shaky performance that plagued OU throughout the game.

Payback? Revenge?

Not at first.

Missouri came firing out of the gate like a team on a mission. The Tigers — who said all week they weren't going to be intimidated playing the No. 1 team at home — overwhelmed the Sooners after they landed the first blow.

"They came out here and they punched us in the mouth first, and I think we were kind of shocked they came out and fought like that," junior quarterback Landry Jones said.

Oklahoma opened up the game with its offense on the field. OU's high-powered attack was stifled by Mizzou, which held the Sooners to a three and out. To top it off, OU was penalized for a false start – its first such penalty of the season. Things weren't looking so hot for Oklahoma.

But it didn't stop there.

Mizzou gashed OU's defense on five consecutive plays for seven, 14, 32, 10 and 12 yards. The same defense that was held in such high regard after shutting down Florida State was suddenly stumbling around the field, giving the Tigers ample running room.

After 60 minutes against Florida State, the Seminoles had 27 rushing yards on 26 attempts. After four minutes, Missouri running back Henry Josey had 36 rushing yards on three carries.

And it didn't stop there.

Josey finished with 137 rushing yards and one touchdown, while Mizzou quarterback James Franklin tallied 121 rushing yards and two touchdowns — career bests for the first-year starter.

It didn't stop there, either.

Franklin, who looked every bit the better quarterback at the start of the game, started off 5-of-5 for 124 yards and a touchdown. The sophomore quarterback ended up tossing for two scores to go along with his 291 yards passing.

All in all, the Tigers racked up 532 yards of offense.

Whew. Not a bad night's work against the No. 1 team in college football. Right?

"We played like a 25th-, 30th-ranked team," senior linebacker Travis Lewis said. "We are not the No. 1 ranked team in the nation right now."

Oh.

So it wasn't the type of dominating performance the Sooners would have hoped for. Not the kick in the teeth the players have been waiting to give the Tigers. After all, Oklahoma has been angry — even if it has been in private — about the way Mizzou derailed its perfect season last October.

Things weren't going right. The offense wasn't clicking and the defense couldn't stop anybody, but there's one small detail that can't be forgotten: Oklahoma won the game. By 10 points, even.

After sleepwalking through the first quarter, OU woke up and exploded for 28 unanswered points.

Still, Oklahoma wasn't at its sharpest. Jones threw two interceptions, and the defense gave up tons of yards — mostly from several big plays.

The Sooners weren't inspired.

"For whatever reason, there just wasn't quite as much energy and emotion, and that's disappointing in my eyes because I thought we were more mature than that," OU coach Bob Stoops said.

The Sooners weren't consistent.

"It was just kind of up and down," Jones said. "One series we would look really good, and the next series we wouldn't."

But the Sooners weren't losers.

Oklahoma sits at 3-0 and as the top-ranked team in the nation. OU has kept itself in the thick of the Big 12 title and national championship race. The Sooners have all of their goals ahead of them. They still control their own destiny — they've just learned multiple ways to do so.

Three games, three types of triumphs.

The blowout win? Check. The gritty, fourth-quarter win in a hostile environment? Check. The sloppy, closer-than-expected win at home? Check.

Things won't always be easy, but the players understand that success is something they must work for.

"The OU on the side of your helmet doesn't really speak for your play," Jones said. "You've got to bring it every week, especially in the Big 12 and against good teams."

Judging by the mood after the victory against Missouri, "bringing it" is something the Sooners plan to address this week at practice. And as they should. OU has looming matchups with Texas, Texas A&M and Oklahoma State lurking in the coming months.

But as the Sooners work on "bringing it," it would benefit them to remember this: You beat Missouri. You got that W. You are still on track.

It might not always be pretty, but if it's effective — well, then that's all that matters.

Chris Lusk is a journalism senior and the editor in chief of The Daily. You can follow him on Twitter at @ChrisLusk.