PICKS TAKE A TOLL
Rees’ 3 interceptions lead to touchdowns by opportunistic Sooners
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Oklahoma linebacker Eric Striker came around the right side untouched and clobbered Notre Dame quarterback Tommy Rees from behind.
The ball floated right into the hands of linebacker Corey Nelson, who returned the interception 24 yards for a touchdown.
And that was just Notre Dame’s third play from scrimmage.
The No. 14 Sooners intercepted Rees three times on the way to defeating the No. 22 Irish 35-21 in front of 80,795 fans Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium.
“I’m disappointed with how I played individually,” said Rees, who was 9-for-24 for 104 yards. “You’ve got to be better. You can’t turn the ball over and expect to win games against good teams like Oklahoma.”
Notre Dame (3-2) fell behind 14 points, but got within six early in the fourth quarter. Oklahoma wide receiver Sterling Shepard put the game away, turning a short completion into a 54-yard touchdown.
The loss puts a dent in Notre Dame’s chances of going to a BCS bowl.
“Don’t really care about that stuff,” Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said. “That’s for you [reporters] to talk about. I’ve got a football team we’re trying to develop and work with. You guys can have your own comments and decide what that means [in terms of a bowl] and you can put us in whatever bowl you want.
“We’re dealing with our players. We’ve got to coach better, we’ve got to develop our players better.” Turnovers made the difference. Rees entered the game having thrown two interceptions. He had two in his first three pass attempts against the Sooners (4-0).
“I was proud of our guys,” Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said. “We came out aggressive.”
Linebacker Frank Shannon followed Nelson’s interception with one of his own the next possession. Oklahoma needed four plays to increase its lead. Damian Williams scored on an 11-yard run, making it 14-0 with 12:15 left in the first quarter.
“You can’t spot a team 14 points like that right off the bat,” Rees said. “It’s tough to fight back, but I’m proud of the way we did. The start hurt us in the long run.”
The third interception, by Julian Wilson, set up a 26-yard touchdown from Blake Bell to Lacoltan Bester. The Sooners went to halftime leading 21-7.
George Atkinson III provided a spark for Notre Dame with an 80yard score at the beginning of the third quarter. The Irish got within 27-21 early in the fourth quarter on a 30-yard touchdown pass from Rees to Troy Niklas.
Oklahoma answered less than two minutes later with Shepard’s long score.
“What you saw out there is we have to play better individually, collectively, unit-wise, across the board,” Kelly said. “We have to coach better. We have to communicate better.
“We’re close, but we’re not there yet. We have some work we need to continue to build on.”