Mims rises with leaps & staying inbounds
NORMAN — Marvin Mims got the first look at his incredible fourth-quarter catch against Texas with a look the the video board in the south end of the Cotton Bowl.
“I was honestly surprised, especially with how much my foot was inbounds,” Mims said.
Mims made it sound like his foot was well in bounds, but it wasn’t, his left foot just barely staying in bounds just outside the end zone and his left elbow barely remaining in bounds just inside it.
“Really it’s just me trying to touch the ground,” Mims said. “When I’m up in the air, my body’s up in the air just getting my foot down. “Luckily it came down inbounds.” ABC’s Pylon Cam captured the scene marvelously, showing Mims’
shoelaces whip along the white of the sideline as Mims crashed to the turf to pull the Sooners within two.
“Gosh darn what a play,” Sooners coach Lincoln Riley said. “We threw a couple of 'em and my man went and got 'em. He was very special.”
Mims had five catches for a careerhigh 136 yards and two touchdowns against the Longhorns.
While much of the talk swirling around OU football this week has been centered on the Sooners' quarterback situation, regardless of whether Caleb Williams or Spencer Rattler are behind center against TCU on Saturday (6:30 p.m., ABC), Mims figures to be a big part of the offense.
It was against the Horned Frogs last year that Mims showed he would be an offensive force the rest of the season for the Sooners.
He had four catches for 132 yards and a pair of touchdowns — a 50-yarder and a 61-yarder — to help lead the Sooners to a 33-14 win.
“It was a huge game for me, especially being able to come back home in a situation where COVID was happening,” Mims said. “I didn't really get to go home, so to be back in Fort Worth only 40 minutes away from Frisco was pretty nice. I also had a huge breakout game that game, which gave me a huge boost of confidence going into the rest of the season.
“It was a real special game for me.” Mims moved from the outside into the slot this season, and early on, the Sooners struggled to throw the ball downfield much, with Rattler completing just one pass or 30 yards or more in the first three games.
But the Sooners' vertical passing game has started to show itself more in recent weeks, and Mims' production is a big reason why.
The Sooners have completed 30 passes of 15 or more yards this season. Mims has 10 of those receptions, while no other player has more than three. OU has eight passes of 30 or more yards this season, with Mims being on the receiving end of half of them. No other Sooner has more than one.
“The plays he made on the balls down the field were huge plays and just very competitive plays, which is something we as a receiving corps, we really try to pride ourselves on,” Riley said. “It was good to get him … a little bit more involved here the last couple of weeks.
“I think a big key to us playing well. … He's a tough matchup out there, he really is. I mean, the speed, the ability to go get the ball down the field, the stuff after the catch. I mean, he's really turned himself into a really good player, and keeps getting better.”