No. 18 TCU came to Norman Saturday night with no intention of laying down and accept what many people thought was coming.
Accepting the ball at its own 3 on its second possession of the game, TCU asked freshman back-up quarterback Foster Sawyer to throw from his own end zone. He hit Kolby Listenbee for a 44-yard gain, then found him again five plays later for a 37-yard touchdown lob, giving the Horned Frogs a quick and stunning 7-0 lead.
From there, though, the first half was all Oklahoma. The Sooners lead 23-7 at the break.
The Sooners tied the game on a 21-yard play-action pass from Baker Mayfield to Sterling Shepard with 22 seconds left in the first quarter, then nudged ahead with a pair of short Austin Seibert field goals. Mayfield then broke the game open by hitting Dede Westbrook for a 36-yard scoring strike. Seibert tacked on a 37-yard field goal as time expired in the half.
Considering the limitations of TCU’s offense -- playing without All-America candidates Trevone Boykin and Josh Doctson -- 23 may be enough for the Sooners. TCU rushed 15 times for only 40 yards in the half, and Sawyer completed 6-of-13 passes for 29 yards with two interceptions outside his two long completions to Listenbee.
Mayfield has completed 9-of-20 passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns while rushing 10 times for 42 yards. Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon combined to carry 21 times for 140 yards in the half, and OU racked up 193 yards as a team.
Considering the state of TCU’s offense, that figure may inflate like a hot air balloon in the second half.