Oklahoma Sooners Football: Ranking Bob’s Best Bedlam Wins

Bob Stoops has done well against Oklahoma’s in-state rival during his time with the Sooners, compiling a record of 13-4 in Bedlam games. Here are Bob’s five best wins in the rivalry.

5. 2004: Oklahoma 38, Oklahoma State 35

This game featured several memorable plays from both teams. Sooner fans will always remember Mark Bradley’s tip drill and Adrian Peterson’s 80-yarder. OSU fans will remember the heroics of DeJuan Woods, but they’ll also remember a number of missed opportunities, most notably a missed field goal that would’ve tied the game late. Miles began his career as a thorn in Stoops’ side, and it was nice to see him leave the rivalry on the losing end.

4. 2010: Oklahoma 47, Oklahoma State 41

This game had a normal, respectable score with just under six minutes to go after Jimmy Stevens converted a chip shot to make it 33-24 in favor of the Sooners. But utter chaos ensued, as 31 total points would be scored in the final minutes. Landry Jones kept OU’s head above water down the stretch, connecting with Cameron Kenney and James Hanna for long scores from OU’s end of the field, both of which were in response to quick OSU touchdowns. The playmaking in this game was incredible, with the overall highlight of the night coming on this OSU interception of Jones in which the ball was tipped back into play while sailing out of bounds. In the end, OU came away with the W and went on to win the final Big 12 Championship game (the ones starting next year don’t count as title games as far as I’m concerned).

3. 2015: Oklahoma 58, Oklahoma State 23

As is the case in 2016, the Bedlam game was a de facto Big 12 Championship game in 2015. Throughout Stoops’ tenure, OSU had always given OU a battle in Stillwater. But that wouldn’t be the case in 2015, as OU would unload on OSU en route to the College Football Playoff. The Sooners made a lot of big plays that night, but the lasting memory from this one definitely involves reindeer sodomy. Poor, poor Rudolph.

2. 2013: Oklahoma 33, Oklahoma State 24

This was the only instance during Stoops’ tenure in which I wasn’t confident about OU’s chances coming into the game (Yep, I thought we had a decent shot in 2011, and I was very, very wrong). However, OU came to play, and this one ended up being a dogfight the whole way through. In the end, the Sooners made some big plays and caught some lucky breaks, and OSU’s fans (and cheerleaders) didn’t handle the outcome very well.

1. 2003: Oklahoma 52, Oklahoma State 9

OSU had defeated OU two years in a row entering the 2003 matchup, and if you lived in this state you were made well aware of that fact on a daily basis. In 2001, Rashaun Woods made a miraculous catch in the south endzone at Memorial Stadium to sink OU, and in 2002 he beat OU deep multiple times (I’m looking at you, Eric Bassey) in Stillwater to claim another win for Les Miles and the Cowboys. A lot of hype surrounded the 2003 matchup, with OU coming into the game ranked No. 1 and undefeated, while OSU had suffered just one early-season loss at Nebraska. Oklahoma State fans (and Les Miles) liked OSU’s chances, but that confidence was short-lived. OU absolutely overwhelmed the Cowboys from start to finish in what would be the first of eight consecutive victories for Stoops in the series.

Honorable Mention

1999: Oklahoma 44, Oklahoma State 7 - Bob Simmons had defeated OU in three out of his four Bedlam games heading into his first one against Stoops. Things didn’t go will for Simmons and his Cowboys that day.

2009: Oklahoma 27, Oklahoma State 0 - The Sooners were unranked heading into this one, and the Cowboys came into Norman ranked No. 11 with a 9-2 record. The outcome, however, was never really in doubt. Highlights

2012: Oklahoma 51, Oklahoma State 48 (OT) - Bedlam’s first overtime game featured some great plays by Oklahoma receivers in regulation. The Belldozer and Brennan Clay would take it from there.