HOUSTON, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- Quentin Griffin ran for 188 yards and a pair of touchdowns Saturday night as ninth-ranked Oklahoma pulled away for a 29-7 victory over 12th-ranked Colorado in the Big 12 Conference Championship game.
Oklahoma (11-2) captured its second conference crown in three years and earned an automatic berth in the Bowl Championship Series. The Sooners will land in either the Orange, Sugar or Rose Bowl when the pairings are announced Sunday.
Griffin ran for 128 yards in the Sooners' 27-11 win over Colorado on Nov. 2. Afterward, Colorado players complained that poor field conditions contributed to the outcome.
Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops responded that there are no mulligans in football, even though the Buffaloes (9-4) gained another shot at the Sooners by winning the North Division title.
Colorado wasted chances as Patri Brougham missed three field goals. The only score for the Buffaloes came on an 80-yard punt return by Jeremy Bloom in the third quarter.
Nate Hybl threw a pair of touchdown passes for the Sooners, who saw their outside hopes of a national title end with last week's loss to Oklahoma State.
Griffin carried 28 times and scored on runs of 36 yards in the third quarter and 27 yards in the fourth to put away the game.
Brougham missed field goal attempts of 41 yards in the first quarter, 32 yards in the second and 33 yards in the third.
The Buffaloes played without running backs Chris Brown and Bobby Purify due to injuries. Brian Calhoun, who gained 167 yards last week against Nebraska, had 123 yards on 20 carries, but just eight of his yards came in the second half.
The Sooners scored first on a three-yard pass from Hybl to Trent Smith, capping a drive that included a 21-yard run by Griffin.
Hybl engineered an 80-yard touchdown drive in the second quarter that was capped by his 21-yard strike to Mark Clayton. Thirty of the yards in the drive came on a 15-yard pass to Griffin and a face mask penalty that moved the ball to the Colorado 37.
The Buffaloes cut the lead to six points 1:57 into the second half when Bloom returned a punt for a score.
Trey DiCarlo kicked a 27-yard field goal in the fourth quarter sandwiched between the touchdown runs by Griffin.
