The Seven Best Bedlam Games of the Mike Gundy Era

I promise not to make this a 2,500 word post. I promise not to make this a 2,500 word post. I promise not to make this a 2,500 word post. I promise not to make this a 2,500 word post. I promise not to make this a 2,500 word post. I promise not to make this a 2,500 word post. I promise not to make this a 2,500 word post. I promise not to make this a 2,500 word post. I promise not to make this a 2,500 word post.

Let’s see if I can keep my word.

Marshall Scott already dove to the bottom of the ocean and did a Bedlam Rewatchables, 1988-style over here so I wanted to keep this list to the ones I’ve actually witnessed, consumed and thought about. More specifically, I wanted to keep it to the Gundy era. So here are the seven best Bedlam games since 2005.

1. Baker vs. Rudolph

I’ve never smoked a cigarette, but I thought about grabbing one when I went back and thought about this game. I legit thought Rudolph was going to give it back to Baker after this Chad Whitener interception, but alas, the corner ball to Tyron was too deep (I’m not sure how you overthrow Tyron there, but another post for another time).

That game had absolutely everything. Rudolph threw for 448 and 5. Baker threw for 598 and 5. Justice Hill was the best player on the field. He had 228 and 2. Tyron had 2. The Prez also had a pair before leaving with an injury.

That was one of my favorite OSU teams to write about, too. That game, specifically, engendered maybe the piece that still gets me the most giddy to look back over, and those two Tyron TDs still make my kneecaps wobble.

That game also had this.

HE LITERALLY TOOK NINE STEPS WITH THE BALL pic.twitter.com/EDGsgFNkp6

— Pistols Firing (@pistolsguys) November 4, 2017

Those two teams were heavyweights. Not just that season, but both had been doing it for a long, long time. They came in a combined 14-2 and somehow somebody lost. It might be a while before we get a championship belt-like atmosphere like that again. It was the first time I’ve been in BPS and thought, If you close your eyes, you’re in Baton Rouge or The Shoe or Athens. It was that good in that place on that night.

2. The Bradford One

I attended this one as a fan. OSU came in 11th. OU came in 3rd. Pros all over the yard: Gresham, Broyles, Murray, Bradford, Hunter, Toston, Dez, Pettigrew, Zac. That was a really underrated great Gundy team, but Bradford tossed it for 370 and 4 TDs and made some throws in that game that made me reevaluate many things in my life.

Perrish Cox took one 90 to the house with 10 minutes left, and I wanted desperately to believe. OSU had it to 44-41, and OU scored the next 17 points. It was really great, and then it was really not.

3. The 2010 Game

This game was wild. Landry and Weeden both threw three picks. Blackmon was on one leg. Gilbert took one to the house with 3 minutes left, and I was passed out in the northwest corner of the stadium for the duration.

Real stakes here, too, because the winner got Nebraska in the Big 12 title game. OU beat them and then committed a felony against UConn in the Fiesta.

4. The One OU Never Led

Remember that? OU had more Bedlam wins in 2012 than seconds led. Jalen Saunders took a punt 81 yards to start the fourth, and they went for two and got it to tie it up at 38. Then Blake Bell scored with 4 seconds left (!) to make it 45-45 where OSU lost. Clint Chelf was terrific. Joe Randle ran for 113 yards and 4 TD. It wasn’t all-time because those teams lost a combined eight games, but it was as fun as a lower-stakes Bedlam game gets.

5. The Cheetah Game

I have no idea if this was a great game. All I know is the last 30 minutes were euphoric. An underrated moment: Remember when 18-year-old Rudolph was trying to score a TD late in OT when all OSU needed was a FG, and Gundy was looking at him like “I now understand why Clemson passed on you.”

Anyway, there were so many insane things that happened throughout that I completely forgot about, including Blake Jarwin dropping a ball over the middle from Rudolph on what could have been a game-tying drive.

6. The Title-Winner

It wasn’t a great game, but it was the best night.

Also, good luck not watching all 15 minutes of this.

7. Last Year

Remember when Corndog squared up a Heisman winner and kinda lit them up in their house? It wasn’t a high-stakes game because OSU was average (at best), but Corn tossed it for 501, and 348 of those went to Tylan and Tyron. Then Gundy did the coaching version of removing his shirt in GIA and went for two in Norman when OU had everything at stake. It was the right call — and a great, unexpected one. It won’t go down as an historically-relevant Bedlam, but it’s one of the best I’ve ever seen.