No one from OU has forgotten what happened last season against Missouri.
In the first game between the former Big 12 foes since the Sooners joined the Southeastern Conference, OU gave up a 23-16 lead in the final two minutes and allowed two touchdowns to fall 30-23. The game-winning touchdown came in a scoop-and-score with 22 seconds remaining.
Now, just over a year later, the loss to the Tigers serves as a motivator for the Sooners as the two teams meet on Saturday — this time with OU controlling its path to the College Football Playoff.
“We’ve been talking about it a little bit,” sophomore defensive back Eli Bowen said of last year’s loss. “(We’re) coming in a little bit more motivated because of that, cause we can’t go 0-2.”
The Tigers return to Norman for the first time since 2011 at 7-3, with uncertainty surrounding the status of starting quarterback senior Beau Pribula following an ankle injury. Missouri sophomore running back Ahmad Hardy is the centerpiece for the Tigers’ offense, entering the weekend as the nation’s leading rusher with 1,346 rushing yards.
Saturday will present a different look for OU’s defense, which has faced two pass-heavy opponents in its past two games. The Sooners enter the matchup ranked No. 1 in the SEC and No. 3 in the country in run defense.
However, the OU defense is confident that it will be put in a position to succeed and welcomes the challenge that the Tigers’ offense will bring on Saturday.
“The coaches are gonna come up with an amazing game plan,” junior linebacker Sammy Omosigho said. “... Hardy is an amazing player, [they have] an amazing run game, amazing offense, so it’s gonna be a good team and a good challenge for us.”
After surviving two of the most hostile environments in college football in the past two games, the Sooners return home for the final two games of the regular season.
The path ahead looks more favorable, with Missouri currently unranked and LSU at the end of a turbulent season that led to the firing of former head coach Brian Kelly.
But OU will still need to perform in all three phases to avoid a slip-up that could derail its playoff hopes.
It starts with the Tigers on Saturday morning, where the Sooners hope the home crowd will bring the loud and passionate energy.
“I feel like (the fans) should be here screaming loud, helping us get this (win),” sophomore defensive back Jaydan Hardy said. “... Just help us out, bring that fanbase back here and finish strong at home.”
This story was edited by Laurie Jones.
