Sooners Survive Shootout, Advance to National Title — While the Mahawg Family Steals the Headlines

Atlanta, GA — The Peach Bowl turned into a brawl, but the Sooners stood tall. Behind a steady arm from John Mateer, the bruising legs of Xavier Robinson, and a defense that bent but never snapped, #1 Oklahoma outlasted #4 Texas Tech, 34–26, to punch their ticket to the College Football Playoff National Championship in Miami.

Coach Lovie Mahawg lit his trademark cigar on the turf at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and summed up the night in one line:

“This ain’t for the faint of heart. This is playoff football, and we just proved again why Oklahoma’s the meanest team in America.”

Sooners Balance Attack

Quarterback John Mateer was sharp, completing 21-of-30 passes for 214 yards and 2 TDs, including strikes to Isaiah Sategna and Deion Burks. When the Sooners needed muscle, Xavier Robinson delivered, pounding out 89 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns, including a bruising fourth-quarter score that put the game on ice.

Coach Mahawg praised Robinson’s grit:

“That boy runs angry. He don’t just move the chains, he takes a piece of your soul with him every carry.”

Kicker Tate Sandel was clutch, drilling both of his field goal attempts, including a 55-yarder that silenced Tech’s comeback hopes.

Defense Closes the Door

Texas Tech piled up 364 passing yards, but OU’s defense stiffened in the red zone. Eli Bowen led the charge with 12 tackles and 3 TFLs, while Marvin Jones Jr. and R. Mason Thomas each recorded sacks at critical moments.

Mahawg loved the grit:

“Tech can throw it all over the yard, but when it counted, we made them settle for threes while we punched in sevens. That’s the difference.”

Family Chaos: Tug Mahawg’s Wild Week

Even as the Sooners celebrated, the national spotlight swerved to Lovie’s younger brother, Tug Mahawg, whose bizarre exit at Miami and lightning-fast hiring at Georgia left the sport in chaos. Tug walked out on the Hurricanes mid-quarterfinal, “retired” less than a day later, and then was unveiled as Georgia’s new head coach immediately after Kirby Smart’s firing.

When asked about the drama, Coach Lovie Mahawg shook his head with a grin:

“Tug’s always been the wild one. Me? I coach ball games. Him? He turns ’em into soap operas.”

But he made it clear where his focus lies:

“He can have Georgia, Miami, or Mars for all I care. I’ve got one thing on my plate — bringing a damn trophy back to Norman.”

A photorealistic image of two fictional football coaches standing side by side on a stadium field. On the left is Oklahoma Sooners head coach Lovie Mahawg, a middle-aged man with dark hair, a mustache, and a crimson OU pullover and visor, holding a cigar. On the right is his younger brother Tug Mahawg, depicted as a stocky man with short dark hair and stubble, wearing a black Georgia Bulldogs polo shirt and a gray cap. The stadium lights shine brightly in the background, highlighting the contrast between the two brothers.

On to Miami

The Sooners now advance to the National Championship Game at Hard Rock Stadium, where they’ll face the winner of the Fiesta Bowl showdown between #10 Michigan and #3 Texas.

Mahawg left Sooner Nation with one final promise:

“One more game. Sixty more minutes. We ain’t leaving Miami without that trophy.”

🔥 Sooners 34, Red Raiders 26. Perfection stays alive. The train keeps rolling. Next stop: Miami.

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