Yards come in bunches in the Big 12. Chunk plays, as they call them, are the bread and butter of the average Big 12 offense and hitting enough in a row will usually get you a touchdown drive. Oklahoma took its undefeated conference record into Lubbock and needed all of the 854 total yards of offense to outlast Texas Tech in a 66-59 road win.
The game set new FBS records for most combined yards (1,708) and first downs (74) while Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes raised the bar for total offense in a single game (819), besting former Washington State quarterback Connor Halliday (751, 2014).
Mahomes' 734 passing yards tied Halliday for the FBS passing yards record, and his 88 pass attempts is a Texas Tech record. Considering the prolific passing attacks in Lubbock over the years, the single-game pass attempts record might be one of the most impressive records broken here (and it's one shy of another Halliday FBS record).
In a strange twist, Mahomes also broke the Big 12 record for completions in a game (50) that was previously held by ... Texas Tech's Kliff Kingsbury.
Kingsbury pointed to penalties, losing the turnover battle and not getting late stops when discussing the loss after the game. There was little celebration for the record-breaking performance, as it came in a spot where the Red Raiders were so close to a huge home victory. Mahomes had some magic going there for a minute, and his 819 will always be associated with lighting up the Sooners ... until the next Big 12 or Pac-12 quarterback raises the bar again.
When you're in trouble but your roommate bails you out. 😅 #OUvsTTUhttps://t.co/W0dkfjDEYD
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 23, 2016
Three things to know about what the win means for Oklahoma in the record-setting shootout in Lubbock:
1. Baker Mayfield's seven passing touchdowns fall below the radar. When compared to Mahomes tying the FBS record with 734 passing yards, Baker Mayfield's day seems routine. He set a new Oklahoma record with seven passing touchdowns, racked up 545 yards (15.1 per attempt) and kept Dede Westbrook hot for another week, connecting nine times for 202 yards and two touchdowns.
Right back at ya! @OU_Football is back on top. #OUvsTTUhttps://t.co/yZqJLnsDXR
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 23, 2016
2. Joe Mixon cashed in on a big opportunity. With Samaje Perine sidelined by injury, Joe Mixon got more looks than he has seen in his career. The matchup and pace of the game resulted in a lot of touches, and those touches resulted in Mixon becoming the first Oklahoma Sooner ever to reach 200 yards rushing and 100 receiving yards in the same game. Mixon finished with 263 rushing yards, 114 receiving yards and five total touchdowns.
Mayfield & Mixon. Simply unstoppable. #Sooners 59, Tech 45 in the 4th. https://t.co/EeB5gxtmRP
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) October 23, 2016
3. Oklahoma's Big 12 title hopes remain alive. As more teams start to lose in conference play, Oklahoma's two-loss resume doesn't look so bad in the eyes of the playoff selection committee. As long as the Sooners are the undisputed Big 12 champions, they've got as good a chance as possible at one of the four spots in the playoff. Being the "one true champion" in the Big 12 requires winning some weird high-scoring road games, and this outcome shouldn't be that surprising given the offenses and defenses involved. The Sooners survived, and so do their hopes of going undefeated in conference play.