Oklahoma State vs. Oklahoma: Score, Twitter Reaction for 2016 Bedlam Bell

For the second year in a row, the Oklahoma Sooners are the Big 12 champions.

Matched up against the No. 10 Oklahoma State Cowboys with conference bragging rights on the line at Owen Field in Norman, Oklahoma, the ninth-ranked Sooners staved off their intrastate rivals Saturday, 38-20.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops now owns more Big 12 titles (10) than home losses (nine) during his time at the helm.

Fox Sports' Stewart Mandel put that accomplishment in perspective:

Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield starred in the win, completing 13 of 19 passes for 288 yards and three touchdowns despite losing wide receiver Dede Westbrook in the first half to an apparent head injury.

Running back Samaje Perine paced Oklahoma's rushing attack with 239 yards and a touchdown on 37 carries, while Joe Mixon posted 118 total yards and a game-sealing 79-yard touchdown run that helped put the Sooners up by 18 in the fourth quarter.

But for a game that was billed as a likely shootout, points were strangely scarce throughout the first half.

The Cowboys owned the first quarter behind a rushing attack that produced 118 yards in the frame, and the Sooners were silenced throughout the first 15 minutes because they were repeatedly pinned deep in their own territory and forced to fight out of 3rd-and-long situations.

However, that all changed at the start of the second quarter—when Mayfield found Westbrook for a 69-yard touchdown to help the Sooners seize a 7-3 lead:

With another highlight-reel catch-and-run to Westbrook's name, former Oklahoma running back DeMarco Murray took time to praise the senior:

The Sooners appeared to be poised to seize momentum following Westbrook's electric score, but the Cowboys counterpunched on both sides of the ball.

After Oklahoma State safety Jordan Sterns popped Westbrook with a vicious but legal hit over the middle of the field, which knocked the Sooners receiver out of the game, the Cowboys marched downfield and knotted things at 10. Chris Carson capped off a five-play, 90-yard drive with a bruising six-yard touchdown run.

The Pokes started surging when quarterback Mason Rudolph (11-of-25 passing, 186 yards) thrust his side back in front with a six-yard scoring scamper, but it took Mayfield and Co. all of 61 seconds to tie the score at 17 just before the halftime break.

With the Cowboys' momentum all but squashed, the Sooners found their groove.

Oklahoma's running game came alive in a hurry, setting the tone before Perine punched in a short touchdown to help Oklahoma retake a seven-point lead. The Sooners kept at it, and Mayfield's 12-yard touchdown toss to Mixon propelled the home team ahead by two scores. 

The Sooners were then in search of a knockout blow—and they delivered one when Mixon bolted to the house after the Pokes missed a field goal that would have cut the deficit to eight.

Thanks to Mixon's clutch score and Mayfield's poise in the pocket, the Sooners are likely destined for a Sugar Bowl date with the Auburn Tigers.

The Cowboys, meanwhile, will likely have to settle for an Alamo Bowl appearance against the Colorado Buffaloes—who project as likely participants after falling short in the Pac-12 title game against the Washington Huskies on Friday night.

Even though the Big 12 is unlikely to be represented in the College Football Playoff when the rankings are revealed Sunday, the Sooners and Cowboys will have opportunities to flex their muscles on a national stage with bowl wins.

Postgame Reaction

Once the result was official, SoonerScoop.com relayed video of Oklahoma's on-field celebration: 

Later, Oklahoma's official Twitter account posted footage of the Sooners celebrating in the locker room with another Big 12 title in hand: 

"I'm incredibly pleased with our players' resilience through the season," Stoops said, according to the Tulsa World's Eric Bailey. 

Stoops also singled out Mayfield for his stellar play. 

"Baker Mayfield on a wet field goes 13-for-19," he said, per the program's official Twitter account. "Baker was outstanding; making big plays."

Speaking of Mayfield, the star signal-caller confirmed he will return to Norman next season. 

"I'll be here another year for a three-peat," he said, per the team's Twitter account. "The ultimate goal is to play for a national championship."

Elsewhere, Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy was left to ponder why his team came up short, according to the Tulsa World's Mark Cooper: 

"We were able to rush the ball ... very limited in our ability to throw," Gundy added, per the Oklahoman's Kyle Fredrickson.