NORMAN, Okla. (Interstat) — In a defensive struggle defined by missed opportunities, the Oklahoma Sooners grinded out a 17-6 victory over the Missouri Tigers on Saturday afternoon before a crowd of 83,541 at Memorial Stadium.

The game, a stark contrast to the high-scoring affair projected by pregame models, was secured by a dominant Oklahoma defense that intercepted Missouri quarterback Beau Pribula twice in the fourth quarter to extinguish any hope of a comeback.

Missouri controlled the early stages, embarking on a methodical 16-play, 58-yard opening drive that consumed over eight minutes of clock but culminated only in a 39-yard field goal from R. Meyer. The Tigers added another field goal just before halftime, a 21-yard kick from O. Robbins, to narrow the Oklahoma lead to 14-6.

Despite the early offensive momentum, the Tigers were repeatedly stymied in the red zone, settling for field goal attempts on their most promising drives. A critical turning point came late in the second quarter when a 35-yard field goal attempt by Meyer was blocked by Oklahoma’s Peyton Bowen.

The Sooners’ offense, sluggish for most of the first quarter, exploded in the second. Quarterback John Mateer connected with Isaiah Sategna III on an 87-yard touchdown pass, with Sategna catching a short pass over the middle and outracing the Missouri secondary to give Oklahoma a 7-3 lead.

Mateer then engineered another scoring drive just before halftime, capping it with an 8-yard touchdown pass to JaVonnie Gibson to extend the Sooners’ advantage to 14-3. Mateer finished the game 14 of 30 for 173 yards and two touchdowns, adding 60 rushing yards on 18 carries. Sategna was his primary weapon, hauling in three receptions for 109 yards and the long score.

Oklahoma’s only points of the second half came from a 45-yard field goal by Tate Sandell in the third quarter, making the score 17-6.

From there, the game belonged to the Oklahoma defense. The unit consistently harassed Pribula, sacking him four times and limiting the Missouri offense to just two field goals. Pribula completed 20 of 36 passes for 231 yards but was intercepted twice in the final minutes, first by Jacobe Johnson and then by Eli Bowen to seal the game.

Missouri receiver Kevin Coleman Jr. was a bright spot in the loss, catching seven passes for 115 yards. The Tigers’ ground game, led by Ahmad Hardy’s 57 yards on 17 carries, never found consistent traction against an active Oklahoma front.

Linebacker Owen Heinecke led a relentless Oklahoma defensive effort with 10 tackles, while linebacker Josiah Trotter recorded a game-high 13 tackles for Missouri.

With the win, Oklahoma improves its season record to 9-2. Missouri falls to 7-4. The Sooners will host LSU next Saturday, while Missouri will travel to face Arkansas.