'He has been an assassin': Peyton Bowen delivers again in win over LSU
NORMAN — The month of November had already been fantastic for Peyton Bowen.
But the OU safety saved the best for last in Saturday’s 17-13 win over LSU. And when the Sooners needed one final stop, Bowen again answered the call.
With the Sooners clinging to a four-point lead with under two minutes to go, the Tigers faced fourth-and-two from OU’s 29-yard line with no timeouts. Michael Van Buren Jr. faked the handoff and drifted to his right.
Bowen was with him the whole way. And as Van Buren threw the pass, Bowen knocked it to the ground.
It was eerily similar to Bowen’s game-sealing pass break-up two weeks ago against Alabama. And, just like in Tuscaloosa, Bowen’s play allowed the Sooners’ offense to kneel out the clock and secure the victory.
“I was kind of scared mid-play because I was supposed to be blitzing, and I was, but I got blocked,” Bowen said after the game. “I saw (Van Buren) boot and I was like, wait, I’m supposed to be going to get him and not on this block. I got off of him quick once I realized.”
The late-game pass breakup wasn’t the only big play for Bowen against the Tigers.
It looked like disaster struck early in the game, when Harold Perkins Jr. intercepted John Mateer and returned it to the OU five-yard line. On the next play, Bowen intercepted Van Buren and kept the Tigers off the scoreboard — pivotal in a game the Sooners trailed 13-10 midway through the fourth quarter.
It’s been that kind of month for Bowen. Reading the game, being in the right spot and making the critical play. He finished with six tackles against the Tigers. In the month of November? 18 tackles, two interceptions, four pass break-ups.
It was a tough first two years with Bowen, who dealt with injuries that kept him in and out of the lineup. But for OU coach Brent Venables, it’s clear that it’s all coming together for Bowen.
“What an impact he’s had this year. He couldn’t lead a year ago and as a freshman,” Venables said. “He’s always been a great human being, but he wasn’t able to lead. Man, he has been an assassin. I think he learned from Billy (Bowman), and he and (Robert Spears-Jennings) together, they’ve brought out the best in each other.
“(He’s) playing his best ball since he’s been here, without question.”
Last season wasn’t just personally frustrating for Bowen. The Sooners went 6-7 a season ago and ended their season on a low note at LSU. This season, the Sooners secured their spot to the College Football Playoff with a 10-2 record, and punctuated it with a gutsy win over the same LSU team.
“It means so much,” Bowen said. “So many guys could’ve quit. So many guys could’ve left. The guys who stayed here and just kept going day in and day out, working in the spring, working in the summer, just what it’s all come to is so inspirational. It touches me. It moves me, how much I want to play for this team day in and day out.”
Now, the Sooners will have to wait until next Sunday to figure out their playoff destiny. Bowen’s played a huge role in getting his team there.
“It’s something I had always wanted and dreamed of,” Bowen said. “… Just having that opportunity and being able to showcase what this team is about on a weekly basis is going to be so fun. Doing it with my brothers is going to be even better.”