The army was just before the start of the college football season.

The Black Knights fell to Oklahoma No. 5 28-21 in overtime Saturday at Norman.

The Oklahoma offensive had seemed unstoppable in the first three games of the season, but the Army showed a way to slow down the unit: do not give it the ball.

The ground game of the Army's punitive option completely controlled the game. The Black Knights racked up 339 yards in 78 attempts, keeping the ball at 44:41. This limited the games for Kyler Murray and the Oklahoma offensive (the Army had the advantage 87-40). Oklahoma just has 15:19 of possession.

It initially appeared that OT would not be needed.

The Army set up a 17-game, 65-yard course that started at its own pace (after a fourth-goal save) with a score of 21-21. But the race which took 10:06 at the end of the hour ended with an interception, giving Oklahoma the ball on his own 38-yard line at 2:09 of the end.

Murray and Trey Sermon teamed up to take the ball to the Army's 16-yard line, but kicker Austin Seibert missed a shot on goal.

But Oklahoma escaped as Murray hit CeeDee Lamb for a touchdown overtime and the army was unable to respond.

A fourth interception of QB Kelvin Hopkins Jr. – his second game on just eight attempts – sealed the game for the Sooners, bringing a sigh of relief across Oklahoma.

"Our guys were here," said Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley. "They trusted that it was going to be a challenge. If a couple plays this game that you do not do, it's going to be a close match against them. These couples play that we had the chance to separate, we did not do it.

Despite the defeat, Army's performance was so impressive that OAU fans gave the Black Knights an ovation when they left the field.

"Our guys do not flinch, it's the hardness that's part of this program and that's an integral part of the culture that's military football, and that's West Point, and that's all." is the US Army, "Black Knights coach Jeff Monken said in an interview after the match.

"I promise you there is no American soldier facing adversity either, we have a group of soldiers on our team and I'm proud of them."

The army attack also helped Kenneth Murray of Oklahoma set a school record with 28 tackles.

Contributor: Associated Press