Notebook: Ebbs and flows of Bedlam
STILLWATER – It didn’t surprise Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley one bit. He said going into the week that special teams were gonna be a factor.
When teams are that evenly matched, it can absolutely be the difference. There was good for OU, but plenty of bad, too, in that department as No. 7 Oklahoma State rallied for a 37-33 victory against the Sooners in Bedlam on Saturday night.
Special teams either accounted for or basically led to three touchdowns in the game. Two for the Cowboys and one for the Sooners.
“There was a lot of huge plays,” head coach Lincoln Riley said. “I thought the kickoff return was probably as big as any of them just because I thought we were starting to settle in a little there. I felt like early in the second quarter we had a chance to go in and separate it a little bit, so that was a huge play.
“We emphasized special teams coming in. Historically in this game, there’s been a lot of very significant special teams plays. There were tonight. Both teams tonight were hurt by it and both teams were aided by it.”
OSU’s Brennan Presley had a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the first half. OU returned the favor with Trevon West dislodging the ball from Presley on a punt return in the second half and Justin Broiles recovering it in the end zone.
But the tie-breaker when to the Cowboys. After OU had forced a punt with nine minutes left in the fourth quarter, Eric Gray muffed the punt at the OU 5 yard line. OSU scored three plays later in what turned out to be the game-winning score.
“It’s close, because you kind of know where you’re at on the deal, you have to be confident and make confident decisions back there,” Riley said. “When you’ve got a punt that’s hanging up there in the air, you’ve got guys bearing down on you and you’ve got to make good decisions. We like our guys, when they start to get inside the 10, to get away from it, but you can’t be indecisive.”
Williams with the highs and lows in Bedlam
The first half was the best of times for freshman quarterback Caleb Williams, but he was unable to sustain for the full 60 minutes.
He finished 20 of 39 passing for 252 yards with three touchdowns, but all three of those touchdowns came in the first half.
In the second half, Williams was 6-of-18 passing for 48 yards, was sacked four times and lost a fumble.
“He fought his guts out man. Thought he did a lot of really good things,” Riley said. “He gave us a lot of chances, made a lot of plays, made a lot of great throws. The run at the end was really awesome. This should be a really valuable stretch for him going forward. He learned so much. He wasn’t afraid of the moment and made a lot of big plays.
“I was proud of the way he played. You’ll always have some things leaving any game that you want back. Like a lot of our guys, he was a warrior in there tonight.”
All that being said, though, the game was still within the grasp. Williams had a 56-yard run on the final drive to give the Sooners a shot. Three incompletions and a fourth-down sack, later, though, all Williams could do was look for answers.
“He’s emotional right now,” captain Jeremiah Hall said. “I told him to keep his head up. He’s having a tough time right now. A lot of pressure on a young guy, the weight of the world is on his shoulders.
“People on Twitter probably will be talking to him. I know you guys are writing some stuff about him. And everybody else has something to say. I’ll get my words on the back half, definitely. We’ll take it from there. I’m hope that he learns and grows from it.”
Opting out?
Things can change, but Kennedy Brooks, Isaiah Thomas and Jeremiah Hall all gave early indications they do not intend to opt out.
“Every person is different,” Thomas said. “To me, I’m leaning toward playing with my boys. You never know when your last one is going to be. Unfortunately, this is the last one for us. You have to embrace it because you don’t get to spend as much time with the boys as you think.
“Even me, today was my first day around the team. I was out with a little sickness Thursday so today was the first day I saw the boys. I had to head up to the hotel today. You never want to take those opportunities for granted. Even me, not being able to see the boys the last couple of days, so I’m leaning toward definitely playing in this last one.”
It’s a weird feeling for those guys, not playing for a Big 12 championship. It still remains to be seen if OU will make a New Year’s Six bowl, but for the first time, opting out could actually be in play for the Sooners and some of their guys.