OU 17, LSU 13: Sooners survive in regular-season finale

NORMAN — The Sooners keep doing it. They keep finding a way.

And with their season on the line on Saturday, the Sooners again made enough plays to seal the win.

The Sooners beat LSU, 17-13, at Owen Field to finish the regular season with a 10-2 record and all-but-certainly seal their spot in the College Football Playoff. The teams were tied at 3-3 going into halftime, and the Sooners trailed 13-10 midway through the first quarter.

But like they have through the month of November, the Sooners made critical plays on both sides of the ball to seal the win.

Here’s a few quick takeaways:

John Mateer redeems himself late

Mateer had played arguably his worst career game through the first 55 minutes. The OU quarterback had three turnovers and led OU’s offense to a putrid 10 points through 13 possessions.

In one play, Mateer made up for it and saved the Sooners’ season.

With the Sooners trailing 13-10, Mateer found Jaren Kanak for a couple chain-moving plays. Then Mateer spotted a wide open Isaiah Sategna and hit him for a 57-yard go-ahead touchdown with just over four minutes to go.

It completely flipped the script on Mateer’s day. Mateer finished with 318 yards on 23/38 passing with two touchdowns and three interceptions.

His first interception came on the first drive, and he narrowly caught Harold Perkins Jr. at the five-yard line to save the touchdown. His second and third interceptions came in the third quarter, and his second one let to an LSU touchdown that put the Tigers ahead 10-3.

If Mateer hadn’t found Sategna for the late score, there would’ve been plenty of questions for the coaching staff about the decision to leave him in the game. Instead, Mateer did just enough.

Once again, the defense does its job

Mateer had so many opportunities to redeem himself because the Sooners’ defense provided the run way.

The OU defense completely stifled LSU quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. and the Tigers’ offense for most of the game. The Tigers went into halftime with just three points, 66 yards and seven passing yards from Van Buren Jr. Peyton Bowen intercepted Van Buren early in the first quarter, which kept the Tigers from taking an early lead.

The Tigers’ lone touchdown came after Mateer’s second interception put OU’s defense in a bad spot.

The Sooners faltered a bit in the fourth quarter, when the Tigers went on a seven-play, 42-yard drive that led to a field goal, giving them a 13-10 lead late. But after Sategna’s touchdown, the Sooners saved their best for last.

With LSU facing a fourth-and-two from OU’s 29-yard line, Bowen again came up big with a pass break-up that forced a turnover on downs and sealed the win.

The Tigers finished with just 198 total yards and averaged 3.6 yards per play. They went three-and-out on seven of their 15 drives.

Special teams again come up big

Tate Sandell continued his impressive streak, making a 38-yard field goal in the first quarter to give the Sooners a 3-0 lead and mark his 23rd consecutive made field goal.

But that wasn’t the only special teams play that made the difference.

With OU trailing 10-3 early in the fourth quarter, Sategna returned a punt for 39 yards past midfield. Two plays later, Mateer found Deion Burks for a 45-yard touchdown that tied the game.

It was the same script that it’s been all year for the Sooners. With the offense struggling, the defense and special teams continued to make plays to keep the Sooners in the game.