The 2014 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season, the 120th season of Sooner football. The team was led by two-time Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award winner, Bob Stoops, in his 16th season as head coach. They played their home games at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma. They were a member of the Big 12 Conference. Oklahoma, entered the 2014 season ranked 4th in AP Poll and were projected to capture their first Big 12 title since 2012, finishing 1st in the Big 12 media poll. The Sooners won their first four games of the season, before being upset by then-No. 25 TCU. The team also lost to then-No. 14 Kansas State two weeks later & then to No. 10 Baylor, which was the first and only win in Norman for the Bears to date. The Sooners recovered and won their next two games, which included a record-setting performance from freshman running back Samaje Perine, who ran for 427 yards, which broke the single-game rushing record set a week prior by Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon. They entered the season finale against Oklahoma State at 8–3 and ranked 18th in the AP Poll. However, the Sooners lost in overtime, giving the Cowboys their first win in Bedlam since 2011, which also earned them bowl eligibility and their first win in Norman since 2001. Oklahoma finished out the regular season with an 8–4 record, 5–4 in Big 12 play to finish in a three-way tie for fourth place. The Sooners were invited to play in the Russell Athletic Bowl against the Clemson Tigers, where they were defeated by a score of 40–6. Following the season, Jordan Phillips was selected in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft, along with Geneo Grissom in the third, Daryl Williams and Blake Bell in the fourth, and Tyrus Thompson and Aaron Ripkowski in the sixth.
Kickoff was delayed from the original start time of 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM due to lightning and thunderstorms in the vicinity of the University of Oklahoma. Oklahoma true freshman running back Samaje Perine broke the NCAA single-game rushing record in this game, recording 427 yards and five touchdowns on 34 carries. Perine broke Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon's record — which only stood for seven days — on a 42-yard run early in the fourth quarter. The yardage also allowed him to become OU's single-game leading rusher, breaking the mark previously owned by Greg Pruitt. It was the third game of the season in which Perine rushed for more than 200 yards.
On February 19, 2015, Stanford defensive assistant Diron Reynolds was hired as defensive line coach.
2015 NFL Draft
The 2015 NFL Draft was held at Auditorium Theatre in Chicago on April 30 through May 2, 2015. The following Oklahoma players were either selected or signed as free agents following the draft.
