The last Bedlam to ever be played
Year after year, Bedlam is an important game in the state of Oklahoma. In what may be the last Bedlam to ever be played, it has become significantly more meaningful. Since four new teams are coming to the Big 12 next season, there won’t be a round-robin. So, whether OU and OSU will meet again for Bedlam depends on how the schedule plays out. In order to gain some context into the amplified importance of this game to the fans, players, and coaches alike, we’ll need to revisit some events from the 2021 season.
It started when former Oklahoma QB Spencer Rattler had gotten benched by then head coach Lincoln Riley midway through the season. So, in came Caleb Williams. OU was projected to win Bedlam, but OSU had other plans. OSU more or less dominated them. Within 24-hours of the shocking defeat, Riley, the young prodigy and supposed future of Oklahoma football, left to become the coach of USC instead. Needless to say, this move had gotten under the skin of OU fans and made them grumpier than usual. But their collective pain was made even sharper because their starting quarterback, Williams, followed Riley to California. Upon Riley’s arrival, he told his new players that USC will be “The Mecca of College Football“. An Oklahoma player responded on Twitter by saying “Told us that last week.”.
College football…
It's a brutal business. pic.twitter.com/NdTeusCFKy
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) November 30, 2021
The season looked lost, and maybe it was
Brent Venables, who was at Clemson for around the last decade, was to become the next head coach of Oklahoma. He managed to round up QB Dillon Gabriel to be his starter. When the new season started under his whistle, OU stormed out of the gates at 3-0. The fans were in relief because it didn’t appear the team was going to skip a beat. But it didn’t last long, and they started to lose. They lost their starting quarterback to a cheap shot in the TCU game, then lost the game itself. The following week they were demolished by Texas with a redshirt freshman under center. The season looked lost, and maybe it was for some. But OU went into Saturday’s game desperately needing the win to become bowl eligible, and to restore pride.
OSU had been having problems of their own. After their 5-0 start, they only managed to win two of their next five games. Their starting quarterback had been out for the past five weeks with a shoulder injury. The OSU head coach’s son Gunnar Gundy had made the start in last week’s win over Iowa State. After throwing two picks, however, Sanders came into the game. His savvy play would save the win for them.
“Oh yeah, I’m playing”
After that Iowa State game, Sanders had said in response to a reporter’s question of whether he would be ready to go for Bedlam “Oh yeah, I’m playing next week, that aint no question”. Leading into Saturday’s matchup, Sanders was second in program history in wins as starting quarterback, with 30. He was third in program history in total touchdowns, with 84. And his 290 yards per game led the Big 12.
OU was also heading into the game with some impact players. RB Eric Gray had already reached over 1100 yards. He was the fastest to reach that mark since Adrian Peterson in 2004.
The Sooners shot out of a cannon in the first quarter. They got off to a scorching 28-0 start. Wide receiver Drake Stoops couldn’t have asked for a better time to have the game of his career. He ended with six receptions for 89 yards and a touchdown, including a 33-yard strike.
🔴⚪️⚪️⚪️#OUDNA pic.twitter.com/vq5UnqAYqE
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) November 20, 2022
OU would never lose the lead, though they found themselves fending off the predatorial Cowboys comeback into the final minutes of the fourth quarter. DaShaun White had a game-sealing interception that allowed the Sooners to breathe, at last. Oklahoma walked away the victors. They took home the Bedlam trophy and, far more importantly for the university, their 23-year streak of Bowl eligibility.
The loss for Mike Gundy is impossible to quantify. If this was the end, the Sooners got the last word. They also got the first word and a lot of words between. If it feels hollow, it’s because it is. But with a Big 12 that will soon feature no Sooners, words and memories may be the only thing left of this historic rivalry.
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