Oklahoma 20, TCU 17
NORMAN, Okla. -- The Oklahoma defense was dominant in the first half, shaky in the second half and just good enough in the end.
The result was a 20-17 Sooners victory over TCU and a good grip on the top of the Big 12 Conference standings.
TCU didn't come close to making a first down and had just nine plays in the first quarter. Dating back to the Notre Dame game, the Sooners didn't allow a first down in 10-consecutive series. It's the longest streak by the OU defense since 2003.
Through their first seven possessions, the Frogs had 1-yard rushing. They picked up consecutive first downs midway through the third quarter and drove inside the OU 25.
After holding the Horned Frogs to just 16 total yards in the first half, OU gave up a pair of touchdowns, while TCU recovered an onside kick and had a fourth-quarter drive to take the lead.
But the No. 11 Sooners survived a scare, a week after winning at Notre Dame and a week before playing Texas in Dallas, improving to 5-0 and 2-0 in the Big 12.
Oklahoma quarterback Blake Bell passed for 152 yards on a 20-of-31 effort and ran for another 61, but the Sooners needed a late 76-yard run by Brennan Clay to give themselves a 20-10 lead with 4:37 left. TCU's Trevone Boykin scored with 2:26 left but OU ran out the clock from there.
After a dreadful first half where TCU had no first downs, the Horned Frogs scored the first 10 points of the second half and got within 13-10 heading into the fourth quarter. TCU had a chance to take the lead midway through the fourth quarter, but OU finally got the stop it needed and Clay scored on the next possession.
Meanwhile, the victory puts OU on track for meeting with major BCS implications with high-powered Baylor on Nov. 7. The Sooners still have games against Texas, at Kansas and home against Texas Tech before that would come to be, but for now it looks like the Sooners and the Bears are the class of the conference.
TCU fell to 2-3 overall and 0-2 in the Big 12.
Boykin had 166 yards passing. Neither team had a turnover.
