NORMAN, Okla. — Given a few extra moments to think about it, Bob Stoops made a pivotal decision about how best to stave off a surprising charge from Utah State.
Needing less than a yard to move the chains, he put the ball in DeMarco Murray’s hands and went for it on a fourth down in his own territory.
Murray needed to dive and stretch the ball out in front of him as he headed toward the sideline, picking up the most crucial of his career-best 218 yards rushing and sending No. 7 Oklahoma to a 31-24 victory against the Aggies on Saturday night.
“I thought we could make a half a yard,” Stoops said. “And I was almost wrong.”
Two plays later, Murray went zooming down the left sideline for a 63-yard touchdown run — his second of the night — to extend the Sooners’ lead to 28-17 midway through the third quarter. That was just enough to hold off Utah State and Diondre Borel, who shredded Oklahoma’s inexperienced secondary for 341 yards and two touchdowns.
“No disrespect to Utah State, but they should have never been that close to us,” said Murray, who also had a 1-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.
Oklahoma’s Jamell Fleming secured the 800th win in the program’s history by intercepting Borel’s pass in the final 5 minutes, dragging his feet to stay inbounds near the sideline. The Sooners are only the seventh Division I school to reach that mark, joining a handful of powerhouses including Michigan, Texas and Notre Dame.
“As players, we thought we were at the top of the world, ranked seventh, all that,” linebacker Travis Lewis said. “A Utah State team comes in here, and they almost beat us. So, it’s a great humbling experience as a team, as a defense and as players.”
The Aggies nearly got the biggest win in the history of the program. They have only one victory against a top 25 team, and they have never beaten a top 10 team.
