Oklahoma Survives Oklahoma State Trip

Oklahoma survived another dicey trip to Oklahoma State, and the difference this time was Adrian Peterson.

The star freshman rushed for 249 yards and Cowboy kicker Jason Ricks missed a 49-yard field-goal attempt with 11 seconds left, giving the second-ranked Sooners a 38-35 victory over their pesky rivals on Saturday in a Big 12 Conference game.

Mark Bradley caught a career-high three touchdown passes for Oklahoma (8-0, 5-0), which has won two in a row over Oklahoma State since losing games in 2001 and 2002 that knocked the Sooners out of the national title hunt.

“I reminded the guys that our 2000 national championship run team won 12-7 here and went on to finish it out,” Oklahoma Coach Bob Stoops said. “A lot of it sets up similarly here.”

Peterson had an 80-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that put Oklahoma up 35-21 and a 56-yarder on his next carry that broke the school freshman rushing record of 1,184 yards set by De’Mond Parker in 1996.

Peterson now has eight consecutive 100-yard games and 1,272 yards this year.

He won the running back battle over the Cowboys’ Vernand Morency, who had 93 yards in 17 carries, breaking his streak of nine straight regular-season games with at least 100 yards.

Peterson said he wasn’t motivated to outdo Morency, the nation’s third-leading rusher coming into the game.

“I was focused on going out there and getting the win, and helping my team running the ball,” Peterson said.

But Morency also had two touchdowns in the second half, including a four-yard rush on an option that pulled Oklahoma State within 38-35 with 10:34 left.

“I will take my football team and play anyone in this country,” Oklahoma State Coach Les Miles said. “I like this team. I like the fight in this ball club.”

No. 20 Oklahoma State (6-2, 3-2) took possession at its own 19 with 2:44 left. Donovan Woods’ 17-yard completion to Morency and the quarterback’s two three-yard rushes put the Cowboys in Ricks’ range.

But the freshman, whose 28-yard field goal with 55 seconds left beat Missouri last week, pushed his kick wide left and Oklahoma ran out the clock. Ricks is now 0 for 3 on kicks of more than 40 yards.

“I was not very nervous about the field goal,” Sooner linebacker Rufus Alexander said. “If they make it, we go into overtime and play defense. We just wanted to win so we could get out of here.”

Bradley caught touchdown passes of 72, 23 and four yards -- all in the first half as quarterback Jason White used the passing game to burn a defense focused on stopping Peterson.