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BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN-USA TODAY NETWORK

In Bedlam Defeat, Drake Stoops Turns in Career Performance

Originally posted on FanNation All Sooners
By John E. Hoover | Last updated 11/4/23

STILLWATER — Drake Stoops had the game of his life on Saturday night.

But he wanted just one more play to go his way. OK, two.

Stoops turned in a career-high 134 receiving yards — his previous best was 93 — but the sixth-year senior’s final game against Oklahoma State didn’t go his way in a 27-24 loss at Boone Pickens Stadium.

Stoops was the Sooners’ leading receiver in the game, with a career-best 12 catches (his previous high was eight earlier this season against Tulsa).

But he needed two more yards on the Sooners’ final offensive play, a fourth-and-5 from the OU 46 and just 61 seconds to play. Stoops ran to the left flat while Dillon Gabriel rolled left behind him. The field cleared out, but Stoops ran his route short of the first-down marker and was dragged out of bounds with a 3-yard gain.

OSU took a knee twice and Cowboy fans started a mosh pit on the field.

“It's just a tough situation there in the end,” Stoops said. “We got into one of our good play calls. I feel like I could've caught it cleaner and maybe try to spin back inside, make one miss. But at the end of the day, it just looked like they had us a little outnumbered over there. They had three over two, trying to run a little (out) route. Ultimately, it was just a little short of the sticks, and that's probably on me.”

Stoops wouldn’t necessarily have needed a first down there if he’d have gotten a call on the Sooners’ previous possession.

Oklahoma WR Drake Stoops almost just had an insane catch.. no pass-interference called here. pic.twitter.com/h8d9WIthP0
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulli) November 4, 2023

On third-and-12 from the OSU 18-yard line, Stoops ran a sideline route, and Gabriel lofted a throw into the corner. The ball was a little wide as Stoops caught it one-handed while falling out of bounds. But the real contention was the legality of the coverage from OSU corner Dylan Smith.

Stoops was briefly wide open, but as he waited for the ball from Gabriel, Smith caught up to him and initiated contact as Stoops neared the sideline. Smith appeared to have two hands around Stoops as Stoops fell out of bounds with the football cradled in his right arm, but the official saw it differently.

“I don't know,” Gabriel said. “It's not for me to even talk about, but …”

“I felt like I was getting held on the out and up,” Stoops said. “I ran out a couple times, but they didn't call it. At the end of the day, I still feel I caught the ball, and I would like to see them review it. I felt like I had feet in bounds and caught it with one hand. I would at least like to see a review, but it's water under the bridge now. I can't do anything about it, but it's disappointing.”

OU coach Brent Venables put it much more succintly.

“I thought that was what interference was,” Venables said.

The incomplete pass brought on kicker Zach Schmit for a 36-yard field goal that cut OSU’s lead to 24-21.

Regardless of the ending, the Sooners’ performance on offense — two fumbled snaps, a Gabriel interception, four pre-snap penalties (three inexplicably by the wide receivers) — fell short of OU’s standards for the second week in a row.

“I feel like it's a lot of things like lack of discipline in some areas, pre-snap penalties putting us behind the chains, not executing when it matters most,” Stoops said. “And, I guess as a whole team, not playing complimentary football all the time. We get a turnover and we go three and out. Or we go and score a touchdown and then we give up a long touchdown for them. You've got to play complimentary football if you want to be a good football team and beat other good football teams.”