Raise your hand if you thought the score of the Baylor-Oklahoma game would look like that of a baseball game for most of the first half.
The No. 5 Bears and No. 10 Sooners seemed to out-stupid each other in the early going, committing dumb penalty after dumb penalty as each offense struggled to get untracked. Meanwhile, both defenses came to play.
It wasn’t until Baylor’s final two drives of the half that it started to look like its old self, driving 128 yards in its last two possessions to take a 24-5 lead over the Sooners at the break.
Prior those two drives, the normally prolific Baylor offense had managed just 98 yards and nine first downs through the first 27 minutes. Usually, that’s a number it reaches by its second possession.
The game was sloppy for much of the half, as the two teams combined for 16 penalties worth 133 yards. In fact, half of Oklahoma’s eight first downs came off of flags.
Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty rebounded from a slow start to go 8 of 19 for 126 yards and a touchdown while adding 37 yards and two scores on the ground. Meanwhile, the Sooners had just 95 total yards thanks to some good tackling by the Bears.
It looked nip and tuck for Baylor for a little while, but if the end of the second quarter is any indication, things could get ugly quick in the second half.