KNOXVILLE, tenn. — Okla- homa continued its recent run of success against the Southeastern Conference with a dramatic overtime victory that Sooners coach Bob Stoops won’t soon forget.
Baker Mayfield threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Sterling Shepard in double overtime and No. 19 Oklahoma rallied from a 17-point deficit in a 31-24 victory Saturday over No. 23 Tennessee.
Stoops compared the victory to a 35-31 triumph over Texas A&M during the Sooners’ 2000 national championship season.
“It’s one of the more special wins, maybe my favorite of all of them,” Stoops said. “A little Sooner magic came back out. It reminded me of maybe like we’re back at A&M back in 2000, where we made some plays to win the game that you feel pretty fortunate and blessed to make.”
Zack Sanchez clinched Oklahoma’s victory by picking off a Joshua Dobbs pass in Tennessee’s second overtime possession, and yet again, the Volunteers had a reason to be frustrated by a top-25 foe.
Oklahoma (2-0) beat a Southeastern Conference team for the third straight year after capping the 2013 season with a Sugar Bowl victory over Alabama and knocking off Tennessee last season. The Sooners also won their sixth consecutive nonconference road game, a stretch that includes wins at Florida State in 2011 and at Notre Dame in 2013.
