NORMAN, OK – Norman got drenched, the field turned into a mud track, and every breath hung thick in the cold wet air — but No. 1 Oklahoma didn’t blink. In a steady, relentless rain, the Sooners controlled all four quarters and muscled past Texas Tech 42–14 at Owen Field.
What the weather tried to take away, Lovie Mahawg’s team replaced with toughness, ball security, and a refusal to let a sloppy track slow their precision. OU’s offensive balance and defensive teeth showed up again, even as raindrops hammered the turf from kickoff to zeros.
Coach Mahawg put it simply:
“If it’s raining, we run. If it’s pouring, we run harder.”
And that’s exactly how Saturday looked.
FIRST QUARTER — Establishing the Tone in the Rain
The Sooners wasted no time setting the tempo. Sophomore QB Jake Wakefield — playing one of the most composed games of his season — opened the scoring by finding Elijah Thomas on a crisp 6-yard strike with just over two minutes left in the first.
Wakefield’s touch was steady from the start, even with the ball slick and the wind swirling. He knew the offense needed a rhythm throw early, and Thomas delivered.
OU led 7–0 after one, with Mahawg saying afterward:
“First drive in weather like this tells you everything. Either you shrink in it, or you get meaner. We got meaner.”
SECOND QUARTER — Brown Powers Through the Storm
Rain or shine, Isaac Brown doesn’t bow to a challenge.
Early in the second frame, the All-America tailback punched in a 1-yard touchdown to put OU up 14–0. Tech answered quickly with a 15-yard pass from Hoover to Eakin, narrowing it to 14–7.
But Brown wasn’t finished.
On the very next OU possession, the junior tailback blasted off on a 55-yard touchdown run, breaking through the left side, spinning out of one tackle, and outrunning two safeties untouched into the end zone. The Tech linebackers froze on the mesh — and Brown punished them for it.
OU went into the half up 14–7, with Mahawg giving Brown one of the simplest compliments a back can get:
“That boy cuts like the ground’s dry even when it ain’t.”
THIRD QUARTER — Wakefield Takes Control
The Sooners opened the second half by unleashing a precision passing sequence from Wakefield.
He hit Kaden Helms for a 12-yard TD on a perfectly layered ball over the linebacker. It capped a drive where Wakefield looked like he had complete command of the game despite the conditions: ball tucked tight, eyes downfield, sliding protections, staying patient.
Tech responded with a 6-yard score from Williams, but that was their last spark of the night.
OU closed the quarter up 28–14, and Mahawg emphasized the QB’s growth:
“Jake’s learning that leadership ain’t about yelling. It’s about being the same guy in the storm as you are in the sunshine.”
FOURTH QUARTER — Defense Slams the Door
Norman was soaked, but the Sooners’ defensive fire never dimmed.
Senior safety Peyton Bowen delivered the knockout moment — scooping a fumble and taking it 60 yards to the house, sliding on his knees through the end zone like a kid on a rainy playground.
Wakefield later returned to the airwaves, tossing another touchdown to Kaden Helms — this time from two yards out — polishing off a complete offensive showing.
OU’s defense finished with:
- Taurean York: 7 tackles, 2 TFL, 1.5 sacks
- Jaxson Hardy & Diego Droogsma: 5 tackles each
- Kip Lewis: 1 INT, 1 PBU
Texas Tech finished with just 465 total yards, but OU turned them away repeatedly when it mattered most. Zero giveaways, zero blown coverages, and outstanding tackling from front to back.
Mahawg was blunt afterward:
“Turnovers win in the rain. We took it. They gave it. That’s the whole story.”
Then he smirked and added:
“Well, that and Isaac being Isaac.”
OFFENSIVE STATS — Rain Game Dominance
Jake Wakefield — QB
- 22/33, 230 yards, 3 TD
- 0 interceptions
- 66% completion despite steady rain
Wakefield played within himself, didn’t force a single throw, and was excellent at protecting the football.
Isaac Brown — HB
- 22 carries, 170 yards (7.7 AVG), 2 TD
- 22 YAC | 2 runs of 20+ yards
- Smooth, violent, patient — everything at once
Receiving Leaders
- Elijah Thomas: 6 | 52 yards | TD
- Brown: 4 | 48 yards
- Sheltron: 4 | 51 yards
- Helms: 4 | 27 yards | 2 TD
- Sategna: 3 | 49 yards
Mahawg again praised his wideouts after a rainy but sure-handed performance:
“Not one drop in weather like that? That’s culture.”
FINAL: No. 1 Oklahoma 42, Texas Tech 14
The rain washed over Norman for four quarters, but none of it washed out the Sooners’ identity. Mahawg’s squad stayed patient, stayed powerful, and played the game that works in any weather: run the ball, hit your layups, take the turnovers, walk out with the win.
OU moves to 11–0, still No. 1, still controlling its path to the Big 12 Championship and the College Football Playoff.
Mahawg walked off the soaked sideline with a grin, rain dripping off his visor, and said:
“If this is the weather the football gods are sending, then send more. My boys will play in anything.”
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