No. 6 Oklahoma beats UCF 31-29 after Knights miss game-tying 2-point conversion

No. 6 Oklahoma got a scare from UCF but moved to 7-0 with a 31-29 home win.

UCF scored a TD with 1:16 to go when John Rhys Plumlee found Javon Baker in the end zone to cut Oklahoma’s lead to two. But the Knights failed to tie the game when they went with a running back pass for the two-point conversion attempt and it lost six yards.

The Knights had a brief moment of hope on the ensuing onside kick after the ball bounced around, but Oklahoma’s Austin Stogner fell on the ball to ensure the win.

The Sooners scored 14 consecutive points in the fourth quarter to flip a 23-17 UCF lead into a 31-23 advantage. UCF kicked two field goals in the third quarter after the game was tied 17-17 at halftime but Oklahoma took the lead with 9:16 to go on an 11-yard TD pass from Dillon Gabriel to Drake Stoops.

Oklahoma made it an eight-point advantage on a 30-yard run by Gavin Sawchuk with 3:13 to go. But UCF responded with a 75-play drive that gave the Knights a chance to send the game to overtime.

The win pushes Oklahoma to 4-0 in the Big 12 after what was a sluggish first three quarters for the Sooners. Oklahoma punted twice and missed two field goals and fell behind 17-14 in the second quarter when Plumlee found a wide-open Baker for an 86-yard TD.

Gabriel finished the game 25-of-38 passing for 253 yards with three TDs and an interception. UCF was able to get consistent pressure on the Heisman contender for much of the game.

Plumlee was 16-of-30 passing for 248 yards and those two TDs to Baker. Oklahoma’s Nic Anderson also caught two TDs as he had five catches for 105 yards. Baker had five grabs for 134 yards.

UCF is now 3-4 overall and 0-4 in its first season in the Big 12. The Knights will need to get three wins over the next five games to make a bowl. Oklahoma heads to a 5-2 Kansas team in Week 8 before visiting Oklahoma State for what could be the final Bedlam rivalry game for the foreseeable future on Nov. 4.