Oklahoma Beats Missouri 17-6, Improves to 9-2

The eighth-ranked Oklahoma Sooners secured a hard-fought 17-6 victory over the 22nd-ranked Missouri Tigers on Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Norman, bolstering their College Football Playoff aspirations with a dominant defensive performance.

Oklahoma improved to 9-2 on the season, maintaining their No. 8 position in both the US LBM Coaches Poll and the College Football Playoff rankings released Sunday. The win came on the heels of back-to-back upsets against higher-ranked opponents, including a 23-21 road triumph over then-No. 4 Alabama the previous week and a 33-27 victory at No. 14 Tennessee earlier in November. Those results have positioned the Sooners with a clear path to the playoffs, provided they defeat LSU in their regular-season finale next Saturday at home.

The game against Missouri highlighted Oklahoma's defensive strength, which has been the cornerstone of their resurgence. The Sooners' unit, ranked eighth nationally in scoring defense at 14.8 points allowed per game, held Missouri to just 176 total yards and limited the Tigers to a single field goal. It marked the fifth time this season Oklahoma has surrendered seven points or fewer, a testament to head coach Brent...