The Oklahoma Sooners improved to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the SEC on Saturday afternoon, beating the Mississippi State Bulldogs 23-15 on the road. It was a sloppy game with mistakes from both teams, and the Sooners certainly got a break with the early injury to MSU quarterback Kamario Taylor. Still, OU went on the road and got an SEC win, which is what they needed this week.
It was much the same story for Oklahoma inside Davis-Wade Stadium as it has been all year. The defense remained excellent for almost the entire afternoon, while mistakes and poor execution defined much of what happened on offense. Brent Venables beat the first member of his coaching tree, Jeff Lebby, to put OU just two wins away from a bowl game.
It was another strong day for
the Oklahoma defense, so it's no surprise that they swept the awards for this week's players of the game. Here are the three guys that stood out from OU's victory over Mississippi State.
1. Peyton Bowen, DB
Defensive back Peyton Bowen has played excellent football since about this point last season, and he did it again on Saturday. He had multiple strong open-field tackles, and he picked off backup quarterback Parker Puckett in what turned out to be a very important interception. He's the unquestioned leader in the secondary, and that group did their jobs against the Dawgs. Bowen did not finish the game after being injured on his takeaway, and OU absolutely needs him to be on the field moving forward.
2. David Stone, DL
Defensive lineman David Stone had a strong game, helping the OU front shut down most of what the Bulldogs wanted to do on offense. His growth from high-prized recruit to rotational player to starter to dominant force is a testament to the d-line development that goes on in Norman, and he was tied with Bowen for third on the team in tackles. Stone also had 1.5 sacks, which was also tied for the team lead.
3. Adepoju Adebawore, DL
Defensive lineman Adepoju Adebawore also registered 1.5 sacks and was disruptive off the edge on Saturday. He's another player the Sooners have developed into a consistent contributor, and he's getting better with a much larger role this season. Moving forward, the Sooners will lean on Adebawore and the pass rush to help the defense keep leading the way.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: 3 stars from Oklahoma's win over Mississippi State
