WACO, Texas (AP) — Robert Griffin and Baylor created even more chaos in the national championship race with a stunning blow against fifth-ranked Oklahoma.
Griffin threw for 479 yards and four touchdowns, including a 34-yarder to Terrance Williams with 8 seconds left and 25th-ranked Baylor beat the Sooners for the first time, 45-38 on Saturday night.
The Sooners (8-2, 5-2 Big 12) had overcome a two-touchdown deficit to tie the game on Blake Bell’s fourth touchdown run, a 6-yarder with 51 seconds left.
The Bears then went 80 yards in five plays, with Griffin scrambling for runs of 22 and 8 yards before then finding Williams in the back corner for the end zone.
The Sooners’ loss came a night after Big 12 rival and No. 2 Oklahoma State suffered its first loss, and right after No. 4 Oregon became a two-loss team.
Baylor (7-3, 4-3) had been 0-20 against the Sooners, and most of those games weren’t even close.
When the game, ended students and fans — most in gold T-shirts — stormed the field to surround Griffin and the Bears after arguably the biggest win in school history.
It was the highest-ranked team Baylor defeated since winning 20-13 at third-ranked Southern California in 1985.
Oklahoma had scored two quick touchdowns after halftime to take a 24-17 lead, then Baylor got a fortunate bounce to get even again
Griffin’s pass over the middle deflected off the hands, then the helmet of intended receiver Tevin Reese. The ball went about 20 yards farther down field, and was grabbed out of the air near midfield by Kendall Wright, who sprinted to an 87-yard touchdown.
Griffin dropped to a knee, then looked down before thrusting his arms into the air. The quarterback was shaking his head seemingly in disbelief at what had just happened.
That is how coach Bob Stoops and the Sooners felt after the game.
Griffin completed 21 of 34 passes while setting single-game school records for passing yards and his 551 total yards. Wright’s 208 yards receiving was also a school record, on eight catches.
Williams, who had earlier dropped what would have been a touchdown, had five catches for 99 yards. Terrance Ganaway ran for two scores.
Landry Jones completed 36 of 51 passes for 447 yards with an interception. He gave way close to Bell, the freshman short-yardage specialist who had TD runs of 3, 1, 4 and 6 yards.
Even in their first game without record-setting receiver Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma finished with 605 total yards. That was 15 fewer than Baylor.