Oklahoma football: Bob Stoops excited for brother Mark

On Nov. 17, quarterback Landry Jones led a game winning drive in the fourth quarter that allowed OU to escape Morgantown, W.Va., with a 50-49 victory.

Then last weekend, the Sooners rallied to beat Bedlam rival Oklahoma State, 51-48, in overtime; OU took its first and only lead of the game when Brennan Clay scored his 18-yard touchdown that ended the game.

Also, the TCU contest represents Oklahoma's ninth straight game without an off week; the Sooners last had a bye the weekend of Sept. 29.

OU clinches at least a share of the Big 12 championship with a win, so there's plenty of motivation for Saturday, Bob Stoops said.

“In the end, there's nothing to bounce back from,” Stoops said. “Everything's in front of us. We've got a big game ... with championship implications. All of that in front of you, so if anything, I would think it'd give you some momentum.”

Jones, though, admitted that it's not easy to move right into another huge game after the Bedlam thriller.

“It's hard to come back and be focused and be all into a game whenever you have these emotional games, I know for sure, because it's draining,” Jones said.

“It's exhausting to play in those games and it's hard to get back up for practice, it's hard to forget about that game and move on to the next opponent.”

JONES SEES IMPROVEMENT

Two months and two days after Oklahoma suffered its first loss of the season to Kansas State, the Sooners pushed their Bedlam game to overtime for the first time in rivalry history.

That night, for the third time in his career, Jones had a 500-yard passing game. He also led the Sooners to a second straight comeback victory.

After that Kansas State loss, the blame fell onto the starting quarterback. After the Bedlam victory, the praise fell on, among many, the quarterback.

The change isn't just in the quarterback alone. Jones said this team is just overall a better team than the one that played in September.

“A lot better, for sure.” Jones said. “I think our confidence is higher just as an offense realizing what we can do as an offensive team.”