If there was one game that you could pencil in as a showcase of Oklahoma’s 2019 class, it was going to be vs. South Dakota.

That lived up to the billing in OU’s 70-14 victory as ton of #NewWave19 members made their debut and also made an impact.

“They’ve done a good job. They’ve been eager,” head coach Lincoln Riley said. “I think we’re seeing some of the results of having those guys I don’t think they’d be where they are right now if they didn’t come in early. I think that’s been a huge thing for them. They’ve grown up, had an opportunity to be in the weight room, to learn the system.”

Leading the way was the ballyhooed skill players. Quarterback Spencer Rattler was 4-of-4 passing for 50 yards and a touchdown. Wide receivers Trejan Bridges (3-43, TD) and Theo Wease (2-34, TD) each had their first catches and touchdowns, while Jadon Haselwood added his first touchdown.

“You saw aggression from all three,” Riley said. “You saw in Theo’s run tonight, Jadon obviously and Trejan’s got as much aggression as anybody on this team. They’re aggressive, they’re talented. They’ve got to continue to be refined. They’re still very raw, but they’re doing some exciting things for us.”

Cornerback Jaden Davis had one interception and almost had a second that would have been a pick-six had it not been for an offside penalty.

Between guys like Stacey Wilkins and Marcus Major all seeing time, it was a huge night for the 2019 class to get their feet wet. It was imperative to show the coaches they could trust them now so that they’re number can be called down the road.

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QBs put on show

Not too often that all three scholarship quarterbacks are going to get a chance to be out there, but Jalen Hurts, Spencer Rattler and Tanner Mordecai did about as well as you could ask.

The trio combined 24-of-30 passing for 423 yards and six touchdowns, including the first career scores for Mordecai (6-8, 114 yds) and Rattler (4-4, 50 yds).

“He (Jalen) manages things, stays composed,” Riley said. “I thought he threw the ball well, made some really nice down-the-field throws, several that were right on target, some big-boy throws. I thought Tanner came in and kind of did the same thing, settled in after that first pass and was very efficient and ran the group really well.

“And then the puppy came in and did a good job, too. Spencer did a good job on a nice drive. Certainly excited we were able to play all three.”

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Lamb sets the tone

Nobody doubts whether CeeDee Lamb is one of the best receivers in the country, but his Game 1 performance didn’t elicit the excitement you would have expected.

Lamb was on his game against South Dakota with six catches for 144 yards and a touchdown. Short, long, acrobatic, the whole arsenal was on display.

“My confidence? I like me over the guy in front of me,” Lamb said. “That's pretty much it. Going into this year, I told myself that if you're man enough to cover me one on one, then you're man enough to get got.”

Lamb’s night made things easy for quarterback Jalen Hurts, who completed 14 of 18 passes for 259 yards and three touchdowns.

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Four-headed rushing attack on display

Riley said before the season, this could be the deepest running back group he’s had in Norman, and we got a glimpse of what that could mean.

Kennedy Brooks, Trey Sermon and Rhamondre Stevenson all scored touchdowns, while Major made his debut. All said and done, and the Sooners rushed for 310 yards.

“It was a good feeling, just getting back in, just understanding ... just getting a feel for it again, it's just an amazing feeling,” Brooks said. “Getting a chemistry with my O-line, a new offensive line, they did amazing today. I appreciate them. I love it. I did good today but I still have a lot to improve on.”

Stevenson led the way with six carries for 104 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown. Brooks had 69 yards on six carries, while Sermon added 56 yards on nine attempts.

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No shutout means job not finished

It was a quality night defensively for the Sooners. OU caused three turnovers, and Brendan Radley-Hiles had a pick-six to begin the second half.

However, South Dakota was able to find the end zone twice in the fourth quarter, and that’s something defensive coordinator Alex Grinch wants fixed.

“I'm disappointed any time there's a scoring play,” Grinch said. “I'm not going to stop being disappointed. I don't care who is out there. Give them credit for finding a way to get into the end zone a couple of times tonight.

“There's an opportunity out there for somebody to make that obviously some how, some way, we didn't. But depth is coaching. We have to do a better job coaching those guys and bringing them along.”

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Humphrey a-OK

Center Creed Humphrey was the first starter taken out of the game in the second quarter, leading to speculation about whether he was banged up.

Riley said there are no problems with Humphrey.

“Oh yeah, he's fine. We wanted to get Ian some reps,” Riley said. “He's done a great job. No, Creed's fine. We need to continue to develop some centers and I thought Ian went in and did a good job.”

The starting lineup was tweaked as Marquis Hayes was not suited out. Riley did not elaborate on what the injury is or how severe. Erik Swenson made the start at left tackle with R.J. Proctor sliding over to left guard.