LUBBOCK, Texas – Oklahoma didn’t need much more motivation. The Sooners were getting a bunch with the returns of running back Rhamondre Stevenson and defensive lineman Ronnie Perkins.
But there was another return, so to speak, that had just as big of an impact as that duo with Tre Norwood’s banner evening in OU’s emphatic 62-28 win at Texas Tech on Saturday evening.
Norwood has been playing a bit throughout this season. However, asked to be a starting safety because of the COVID-19-related absence of Delarrin Turner-Yell, Norwood played the best game of his career.
Norwood had two interceptions in the span of three drives that the offense turned into touchdowns each time and turned an early 7-0 deficit into a 48-14 rout at halftime.
“Just a blessing is how I describe it. Thankful for the opportunity,” Norwood said. “Grateful for the opportunity. It’s just one of those things. Do what I can to contribute on the defense for the guys I’m out there playing with and for the team as a whole. It was just one of those things I was excited for the opportunity and tried to make the most out of it.”
Norwood said he found out earlier in the week he was going to get his first chance to start a game since 2018, and he definitely took full advantage.
The first month of the season was full of missed opportunities for the defense to make those game-changing plays. That didn’t happen. Each of Norwood’s interceptions occurred on deflected balls where he made the adjustment.
“On the two picks, it was one of those things where playing a technique that we have at the safety spot,” Norwood said. “Right spot, right time. We harp about on tips and overthrows and making sure we come down with those. That’s exactly what both of those were. Two tips, just trying to capitalize on our opportunities.”
OU would get a third takeaway in the half with a fumble recovery by Isaiah Thomas, and the game was pretty much decided in the first 30 minutes.
Rattler maturation continues
It’s a game-by-game deal, but that’s back-to-back performances by quarterback Spencer Rattler where he has not turned the ball over.
The touchdowns came more from the ground in this one, but Rattler still managed to go 21-of-30 passing for 288 yards with two touchdowns.
“The game is getting slower and slower for me all the time,” Rattler said. “I feel super comfortable now, just with everything. I've got a lot of work to do, of course, but I feel really comfortable right now and still trying to get better and improve every week. That's my goal.”
With Rattler leading the way, OU’s offense scored a touchdown on six consecutive possessions in the first half. Rattler led one drive in the second half, another score and then sat back and watched Tanner Mordecai and Chandler Morris go to work.
Adding his 24 yards on the ground, Rattler accounted for 312 total yards and also wasn’t sacked against the Red Raiders.
Rattler’s numbers could have been even gaudier, but Marvin Mims and Theo Wease each dropped for-sure touchdown passes.
“Go up to them and say, ‘Don't worry about it man. We're gonna get another one’ and that's what you got to do,” Rattler said. “You can't put them down especially Mims being, it’s his first year and you know he kind of got his head down I went over to him and said, ‘Hey man, don’t even trip. Your first dropped ball of the season. Don't worry, we've all been in situations worse. Keep going at it.’ So no — I don't ever really — it doesn't get to me. I know they're gonna do their job and I trust all of them.”
H-Back party
Call it the H-Back spot, call it tight end, what you could call it Saturday was a touchdown party for the position.
Austin Stogner, Jeremiah Hall and Mikey Henderson all had touchdowns as OU continues to utilize the position perhaps better than anybody else in the country.
Stogner finished with three catches for 77 yards and a touchdown. Hall would not be denied on a 4-yard touchdown reception. Henderson, on his first career carry, scored on a 4-yard touchdown to begin the second half.
Henderson had one catch for 13 yards and 22 yards rushing.
Defense gets back on track
That first drive had people wondering if there were going to be some weird Halloween happenings in Lubbock, but OU’s defense came to life the rest of the way.
The sack numbers weren’t there as last two games, but Alex Grinch’s guys had nine tackles for loss to go with the three takeaways and a turnover on downs in the first half.
“It's one of those type of things, we just had to come together as a defense, just make sure we settled down,” Norwood said. “We knew they were going to come out with tempo. So, just after that drive, we made sure that we settled down, we locked in, made sure that we were getting lined up quickly to match their tempo.”
Ground game dominance
Led by Rhamondre Stevenson’s three-touchdown outing in his first game of the season, OU rushed for six touchdowns and 213 yards.
It’s clear the offensive line has been playing at a higher level the last few games, and it showed with OU averaging 5.5 yards per rush.
Four players (Stevenson, Henderson, Rattler and Seth McGowan) averaged more than 5.5 yards per carry.
