LUBBOCK, Texas — Alan Bowman doubled over in pain and quickly threw away his helmet.
A few moments later he was heading up the ramp at Jones AT&T Stadium, his game finished after he re-aggravated the partially collapsed lung he initially suffered in late September against West Virginia.
The injury proved to be the opening Oklahoma's defense needed. With Jett Duffey instead quarterbacking Texas Tech, the second half turned more normal football and less video-game offense, as the Sooners held the Red Raiders to 15 second-half points as No. 7 OU escaped with a 51-46 win.
And when Oklahoma needed a big defensive play most — after Texas Tech scored with 6:54 remaining to pull within two — the Sooners came through, with Robert Barnes picking off Duffey's conversion pass and returning it about 105 yards for two points the other way to give OU a bit of breathing room.