NORMAN, Okla. — Landry Jones threw two touchdown passes and Roy Finch and Blake Bell added short TD runs on consecutive possessions and Oklahoma (No. 6 BCS, No. 7 AP) pulled away from Texas A&M 41-25 on Saturday.The Sooners (8-1, 5-1 Big 12) led just 13-10 at halftime, but Texas A&M (5-4, 3-3) had its second-half troubles continue — the Aggies gave up big second-half leads in its previous three losses.
The Aggies, headed for the Southeastern Conference, won’t miss coming to Norman. They’re now 0-7 on Owen Field during the Bob Stoops era; the previous six losses had come by an average of 41 points.
Jones threw third-quarter touchdown passes of 31 yards to Jaz Reynolds, who made a nifty one-handed grab — and 39 yards to Kenny Stills.
All-America receiver Ryan Broyles left the game in the third quarter with a torn ACL in his left knee. His season is over.
Broyles had two catches for 87 yards and both helped set up touchdowns before the injury.
Texas A&M’s seven third-quarter possessions produced four punts, two turnovers and a missed field goal. One punt, into the 30-mph wind, netted just 14 yards and set Oklahoma up at the Aggies’ 31-yard line. On the first play, Jones hit Reynolds down the right side.
A&M’s next drive ended with an interception by defensive end Ronnell Lewis, who caught a tipped ball and returned it 11 yards to the Aggies’ 28. Finch scored five plays later. The Sooners needed one play to score after an interception by Jamell Fleming — Jones’ long pass to Stills down the left sideline to make it 41-10.
Oklahoma was playing at home for the first time since its 39-game home winning streak ended with a loss to Texas Tech two weeks ago. The Sooners’s potent offense struggled throughout the first half whether moving into or with the strong wind.
Going downwind in the second quarter, the Sooners needed 18 plays to cover only 58 yards on one drive. After three incompletions from the 21-yard line, they settled for a field goal and a 13-3 lead.
Texas A&M countered less than a minute later with the biggest gainer of the afternoon, a 79-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Tannehill to Ryan Swope.
Tannehill drifted left out of the pocket and bought time until finding Swope behind the defense about 35 yards downfield. Swope easily outran two defenders to the end zone.
In the first quarter, facing third-and-19 at the A&M 29 and moving into the wind, Oklahoma chose to punt. The ball was downed at the 1, and four plays later the Sooners forced a fumble at the 18. But they didn’t fully capitalize and had to settle for a field goal.
Oklahoma’s only first-half TD came on a 2-yard keeper by the 6-foot-6, 245-pound Bell, who ended the day with 11 carries, most in short-yardage situations, and two scores.