Rapid reaction: OU escapes Fort Worth with 24-17 win over TCU

Oklahoma beat TCU 24-17 in Fort Worth on Saturday, clinching a share of the Big 12 title. Here’s some rapid reaction:

Turning point

After Justin Brown muffed a wind-aided knuckleball punt, OU’s defense was put in a precarious situation. Down 10 with 10 minutes left, TCU had the ball deep in Sooner territory trying to cut it to three. But Mike Stoops’ troops held, forcing a field goal and quickly getting it back to their potent offense. Disaster avoided, momentum held.

It was over when…

…The OU defense did it again. Sooner kicker Michael Hunnicutt badly hooked a potential game-clinching field goal (once again wind-aided) and TCU had late life. But the TCU offense once again stalled deep in OU territory, with Julian Wilson clinching the game with an impressive 4th-and-13 pass breakup in the end zone.

Storyline – Defensive retribution

They were the butt of the jokes for two straight weeks, and well-deserved, after giving up 97 combined points to West Virginia and Oklahoma State. But OU’s defense deserves credit for this one. Mike Stoops’ crew came to TCU fired up, taking its frustrations out on a struggling TCU offense. The Horned Frogs had 350 yards and only 17 points, 10 of which came after bad OU turnovers. Impressive bounceback.