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No. 10 Oklahoma ends No. 13 Baylor's perfect run with epic 25-point comeback

Ronald Martinez / Getty Images Sport / Getty

WACO, Texas (AP) Gabe Brkic kicked a 31-yard field goal with 1:45 left after Jalen Hurts threw four touchdown passes in a big comeback and Oklahoma kept its playoff hopes alive, beating Baylor 34-31 on Saturday night while ending the Bears’ bid for an undefeated season.

While the Sooners (9-1, 6-1 Big 12, No. 10 CFP) were without standout receiver CeeDee Lamb, Hurts was 30-of-42 passing for 297 yards with all of his TDs coming after Baylor took a 25-point lead early in the second quarter. The quarterback, who had three turnovers, also ran for 114 yards.

Baylor (9-1, 6-1, No. 13 CFP), which had its 11-game winning streak snapped, joined No. 7 Minnesota in losing their first games Saturday. The only remaining undefeated FBS teams are No. 1 LSU, No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Clemson.

Oklahoma erased a three-touchdown halftime deficit and tied the game at 31-all on Hurts’ 2-yard TD pass to Brayden Willis with 5:25 left. The Bears had run only seven plays for 35 yards in the second half until that point, and their only first down had been on a play when JaMycal Hasty fumbled, before punting again.

The Bears had one more chance after the field goal. They got to the Sooners 40 before linebacker Nik Bonitto’s interception with 29 seconds left.

Oklahoma and Baylor could meet again in three weeks in the Big 12 championship game. The league’s top two teams play Dec. 7 in Arlington, Texas.

Charlie Brewer, who finished 18-of-29 passing for 194 yards, threw two touchdown passes to Denzel Mims and ran for two more in the first half when the Bears jumped out to a 28-3 lead.

Hurts was running toward the end zone to get the Sooners within a touchdown in the third quarter when he fumbled - big defensive end James Lynch reached out and knocked the ball loose, then recovered it in the end zone.

The Sooners opened the second half with freshman Austin Stogner’s second TD catch, a 3-yarder that made it 31-17. After Hurts’ fumble hit, he bounced back to hit another freshman, Theo Wease, for a 19-yard touchdown.

Grayland Arnold returned an interception 71 yards to set up Brewer’s 9-yard TD to Mims that made it 28-3 with 11 minutes left in the first half. Brewer had a 4-yard TD run on the first play of the second quarter that set up when Blake Lynch tripped up Hurts, who fumbled when he reached down to try to stay on his feet.

After Brkic kicked a 39-yard field goal on Oklahoma’s opening drive, Brewer had a 2-yard TD run and then lofted a perfectly thrown 30-yard touchdown pass that Mims caught crossing the goal line.

THE TAKEAWAY

Oklahoma: The Sooners keep winning games in November when it counts, and still have a chance to get in the playoff for the fourth time in five seasons. They have won 19 in a row in November since a loss to Baylor in 2014.

Baylor: The Bears can still win a Big 12 title, but they pretty much have no chance to get in the playoff even if they win out. They were already ranked behind a pair of two-loss SEC teams in the College Football Playoff rankings before losing a game. ... Baylor’s defense had allowed only 19 points a game, but couldn’t get off the field in the second half against the Sooners, who finished 14 below their scoring average

UP NEXT

Oklahoma will be home for the last time this season when the Sooners host TCU next Saturday.

Baylor plays its home finale next Saturday, when No. 22 Texas travels about 100 miles north on Interstate 35 to play the Bears.

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