Not even Spencer Rattler could rescue the Crimson & Cream in crunch time.

On a brisk Saturday afternoon on the Brazos, the No. 8 Oklahoma Sooners were bested by the No. 13 Baylor Bears (8-2, 5-2) by a score of 27-14. With the loss, OU’s 17-game winning streak comes to an end, and it falls to 9-1 on the season, 6-1 in Big 12 play.

QB Caleb Williams did not pass the test of his first hostile environment in a true road game in Waco. On the day, the true freshman completed 10 of 19 passes for 146 yards and two interceptions. He also added 17 rushing yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. Spencer Rattler came in to spell CW in the second half, but even he had trouble against the Bears’ stifling defense with a 4-of-6 showing for 36 passing yards.

In the first half, Oklahoma struggled to get much of anything going offensively. Williams and company were routinely met by Baylor defenders in the backfield and along the line of scrimmage, and there were a number of drops from receivers that kept the Sooners from extending possessions. To make matters worse, Gabe Brkic missed a pair of field goal attempts (51 and 40 yards). The one positive came after a scoreless first quarter. Williams found RB Eric Gray for a 15-yard third down reception before running it into the end zone himself for a two-yard touchdown run.

Following the halftime break, it was much of the same story for the Sooners on offense, ultimately leading to a QB change from Williams to Rattler. Meanwhile, Alex Grinch’s defense could hardly force a stop to save its life. Besides a forced fumble by LB Brian Asamoah and recovery by EDGE Nik Bonitto, Oklahoma could not prevent Baylor from running the ball at will. In the end, BU outrushed OU to the tune of 296 to 78.

The close games finally caught up to OU in Waco. For most of this season, Lincoln Riley’s team played with fire, but they were able to overcome each test by showing up and making plays late. A lot went wrong in this one, and there is plenty of blame to go around from top to bottom. Looking forward, it would seem like the College Football Playoff may be just out of reach, but a trip to the Big 12 Championship Game is still squarely ahead with two contests left on the schedule.

Up next, Oklahoma returns to Norman to host Iowa State in the Sooners’ final home game of the season. In the last meeting, OU defeated the Cyclones inside AT&T Stadium for the 2020 Big 12 Championship. Kick-off is set for 11 a.m. CT on FOX.

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