Oklahoma Football: 3 takeaways from crazy Bedlam win over OK State

Oklahoma State and Oklahoma football faced off in yet another Bedlam brawl and the Week 11 contest did not disappoint as it was closer than expected.

An absolute thriller. A classic. A premier battle between rivals. These are all phrases that can be used to describe Saturday evening’s Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State Bedlam battle.

No one expected the Cowboys to hang with the Sooners on the road, but in rivalries, anything is possible. Unfortunately for Oklahoma State, they fell just short of a major upset, 48-47. In a game that could have gone either way, it all came down to a failed two-point conversion by the Cowboys in the final 90 seconds to hand the Sooners a big win.

This is the type of game Oklahoma needed to win, but the lackluster defensive play may have forced the playoff committee to reconsider the Sooners’ placement in the Top 25.

What’d we learn from the 2018 version of Bedlam?

3. Oklahoma’s defense may hold it back from the playoff — again

Everyone knows by now the Big 12 isn’t exactly known for its defense. Oklahoma State has struggled on that side of the ball this season, but the Sooners were the more disappointing team on Saturday afternoon as they couldn’t seem to slow down the Taylor Cornelius-led Cowboy offense.

Without an adequate defense, the Sooners could be left out of the College Football Playoff, even if they win out and beat a team like West Virginia in the conference title game.

This is exactly why Mike Stoops was fired not long ago, but things don’t seem to have improved all that much.

Oklahoma is expected to be a Big 12 champion, but they won’t be able to do much past the New Year’s Six — or even in the New Year’s Six — if they can’t hold an opposing quarterback like Cornelius under 500 yards. They also allowed nearly 150 rushing yards.

Looks like the Big 12 champ won’t be a defensive juggernaut.