Don’t forget 15 moments that shaped OU-UT epic
Late Saturday afternoon, I did what lots of other Oklahomans did — got in the car for the return trip from Dallas after the OU-Texas game.
And like lots of other Oklahomans, I spent the next three or so hours reliving what I’d just seen.
Oklahoman photographer extraordinaire Bryan Terry rode shotgun with me, and we didn’t talk about the game nonstop during the drive but we kept coming back to it. There were just so many moments, so many plays that kept pop
ping into our heads.
Lots of the big moments from OU’s come-from-behind, instant-classic, 5548 victory have been talked about and will continue to be talked about, as they should be.
But in a game like that, there were tons of huge plays, moments that had to happen for the Sooners to do what they did. They fly under the radar. They are forgotten.
No more.
Here are 15 forgotten plays you need to remember.
First quarter, 12:20 left
The game wasn’t even three minutes old, and already Texas led 14-0. Worse for OU, the Sooners faced a third-and-10 from their own 25-yard line. The Texas faithful roared. OU seemed to be teetering.
Spencer Rattler rolled right to avoid pressure, and when he did, Mike Woods peeled away from his defender and extended his route down the sideline, stepping out of bounds when he did. Woods came back on the field and made a heck of a catch along the sideline.
Officials reviewed the play, confirming the catch but saying nothing about Woods going out of bounds.
Had he been pushed out of bounds, he could’ve come back in bounds and made the catch legally. But if he went out on his own — which he seemed to — he wouldn’t have been able to make the catch without drawing a penalty. And that part of the play was reviewable.
If the officials didn’t review it, they erred.
If they did review it, they sure seemed to make the wrong call.
Either way, the Sooners caught a big break, and seven plays later, they scored a touchdown and slowed the Horns’ early momentum a bit.
Second quarter, 14:55 left
Caleb Williams’ 66-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter was among the game’s highlights. But don’t forget the specifics of the scenario.
Fourth-and-1.
Ball at the OU 34-yard line.
Fail to get a first down, and Texas would’ve taken over with a three-touchdown lead and a very, very short field.
And at first, it looked like Williams might get bottled up. He seemed to be waiting on a block from Brayden Willis and Austin Stogner, but the hole never opened there. Williams ended up having to make Texas safety B.J. Foster miss.
Williams did, and a risky decision to go for it paid off big.
Third quarter, 12:57 left
On the Horns’ first possession of the second half, the Sooner defense set a tone. Set it, actually, on the very first play.
After a good punt pinned Texas deep in its own end, Isaiah Thomas lined up next to Perrion Winfrey in the middle of the OU defensive line. Thomas can play both inside and outside, but his move to play mostly on the inside after halftime allowed the Sooners to rotate young, fast guys on the edge opposite of superstar Nik Bonitto.
While those rush ends made lots of plays, Thomas set the tone, shucking his blocker and bringing down Texas running back Bijan Robinson for a 4yard loss.
It pinned the Longhorns even deeper in their own end, and three plays later, they had to punt.
Third quarter, 3:35 left
Texas was driving, and on secondand-7, it gave the ball to Robinson. Smart move.
The dynamic runner made OU rush end Ethan Downs miss, but Caleb Kelly and DaShaun White didn’t give up on the play. They corralled Robinson for no gain, putting Texas in a third-and-long situation.
Third down became a passing down, which led to …
Third quarter, 2:50 left
Thompson threw a fade to Marcus Washington, who was streaking down the left sideline. He caught the ball in the end zone, but his toe was out of bounds. It was clear enough that officials didn’t even review the play.
Instead of leading 45-23, Texas settled for a field goal and a 41-23 lead.
The Longhorn toe was out, but later in the game, a Sooner toe would be in on a touchdown that would tie the game.
Third quarter, 2:38 left
Building on that sliver of momentum from the defense, the offense gave the ball to Kennedy Brooks on its first play. Smart move. He scampered 65 yards while being chased by a couple Texas defenders.
Right before D’Shawn Jamison brought down Brooks, the Texas defensive back got his hand in on the football. Brooks tried to cover it up with his other hand, but the leverage had already been established. Jamison ripped out the ball, which was recovered by Foster.
It was a gut punch for the Sooners, a huge play gone horribly wrong.
But officials quickly went to instant replay, and sure enough, Brooks’ knee was on the ground before the ball popped loose.
No fumble.
Bullet dodged.
Third quarter, 1:02 left
Williams dropping the snap, then firing a bullet pass to Mims in the back corner of the end zone is one of those topof-head memories from Saturday. But what might be overlooked was the disaster Williams and Sooner center Andrew Raym narrowly avoided on that play.
Williams realized the play clock was down to its final ticks and frantically clapped his hands to get Raym to snap the ball. In the north end of the Cotton Bowl — the Texas end — it was probably almost impossible for Raym to hear Williams.
But somehow, the snap got off just before the clock hit zero.
A delay-of-game penalty would’ve made a third-and-long into a third-andlonger, but who knows if Sooner coach Lincoln Riley changes the call? Or if Williams still throws a touchdown pass?
As it was, OU cut the Texas lead to 4130.
Third quarter, 14:12 left
Brooks got lots of love for his 217 rushing yards and two touchdowns, and rightfully so. But here’s a little love for his pass blocking, which hasn’t always been pristine this season.
On third-and-5 from the OU 25, the Sooners were flirting with a three-andout punt. But Brooks picked up a hardcharging, delayed-blitzing Longhorn defender on the right side of the line, and it bought Williams enough space to step up and launch a 47-yard pass to Mims.
Fourth quarter, 11:38 left
The pressure was mounting on Texas, which had seen its lead shrink to 4133. The Longhorns took possession in the worst possible spot, too, deep in their own territory and deep in the OU end of the Cotton Bowl.
The Sooner faithful roared. Freshman linebacker Danny Stutsman made them roar louder when he came around the left edge on a blitz. Texas lineman Andrej Karic tried to get outside and slow Stutsman, but Karic was either too late or two slow.
Stutsman sacked Thompson for an 8yard loss.
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian talked after the game about how first-down struggles forced the Horns into situations that weren’t advantageous, and they threw incompletions on the next two plays.
Sooner fans roared even louder. And loudest was about to come.
Fourth quarter, 9:53 left
On second-and-6 from the OU 44, the Sooners called a pass. But when Williams dropped back, the Horns came with a blitz. Both linebackers charged toward him.
Six defenders coming after Williams meant every OU offensive lineman plus Brooks had to block someone one-onone.
And all did a magnificent job. The pocket held, and Williams delivered a 13-yard pass to Mario Williams for a first down.
The Sooner offensive line has been maligned this season for its struggles, but there were clear signs of improvement Saturday. No moment illustrated that better than the way it picked up that Longhorn blitz.
Three plays later, Williams hit Mims on that 52-yard, toe-tapping touchdown catch, and the game was tied.
Fourth quarter, 6:16 left
After the Longhorns hit a deep pass that put them on the OU 23-yard line, the Sooners got a sequence of plays from their defensive linemen that was nothing short of magnificent.
On first down, Winfrey barreled up the middle to stop Robinson for a 2-yard loss.
On second down, Kori Roberson corralled Robinson after Marcus Stripling just missed another tackle for loss.
Then after Thompson made an errant throw on third down, Thomas and Bonitto both beat their blockers around the ends and met in the backfield, hurrying Thompson and causing a fourth-down incompletion.
The Longhorns managed no points at all after that long pass.
Fourth quarter, 1:23 left
Texas scored on a 31-yard pass from Thompson to Xavier Worthy to tie the game, 48-48.
A big play, for sure, but the Longhorns left 1:23 on the clock. I’m not suggesting that Texas scored too fast — when you have a chance to tie the game in the final minutes, you take it — but from 31 yards out, it could’ve taken the Horns a few more plays to get in the end zone.
Say Latrell McCutchin happens to get a hand on the pass to Worthy, deflects it and causes an incompletion. Maybe the Horns run three or four more plays before they score.
But as it was, they gave Williams, Brooks and the rest of the Sooner offense just enough time to win the game.
Fourth quarter, 1:20 left
The Sooners nearly gave the ball right back to the Longhorns.
On the first snap after Texas tied the game, Williams dropped back and looked down his intended receiver, Jadon Haselwood. Texas defensive back Jahdae Barron almost made Williams pay for it, nearly stepping in front on Haselwood and intercepting the pass.
Had Barron done so, Texas would’ve had the ball on about the OU 30.
But Williams got enough zip on the pass to get it by Barron and to Haselwood.
Tragedy averted.
Fourth quarter, :10 left
On first-and-10 from the Texas 44, Williams hit Stogner near the left sideline. But rather than going out of bounds — it looked like a Texas defender thought he would — Stogner tightroped up the sideline for an extra five or six yards. He knew OU still had two timeouts, and he ended up inside the Texas 35.
That was well inside Gabe Brkic’s field-goal range.
You wonder if that knowledge caused the Texas defense to feel a tad bit defeated because of what happened next.
Fourth quarter, :08 left
Brooks scored the game-winner from 33 yards out, and it was a spectacular run and a splendid call.
But don’t overlook the blocks that Brooks got. The offensive line did its job, but so did three pass catchers.
Willis and Drake Stoops made key blocks near the line of scrimmage, then down the field, Haselwood not only engaged a defender but also kept after him.
Haselwood held off his man as Brooks streaked by.
That play set off delirium the likes of which are rarely seen, even in this crazy rivalry.
But there were lots of plays, lots of moments that led up to that point. Many will be replayed for years to come.
But don’t forget these that deserve to be remembered, too.