Nobody wanted to be in Oklahoma’s defensive locker room this week. Coming off what felt a less than inspiring first victory, it was a gut-check moment Saturday.
No, not in terms of opponent, but in terms of taking care of business with preparation, execution and focus. Done, done and done, at least for one week, as OU rolled to a 76-0 shutout victory against visiting Western Carolina on Saturday night.
The busts and lapses of concentration that showed up all too much last week were nowhere to be found as Alex Grinch’s group gave an idea of what they can do when they play as a unit.
“I think in a lot of ways we played better,” Grinch said. “You referenced the level of competition. But against that level of competition, you should play a certain way. I’ll rewind the clock to throughout the course of the week.
“Preparation was better — regardless of the opponent. I don’t believe as coaches we changed this week. What changed over the last five days was our players. We prepared with intent. We were willing to do the hard stuff over the course of the week.”
It wasn’t just the shutout, but the way it came about. Stuffing the run, causing pressure in passing situations, earning the takeaways, sacks and tackles for loss.
Western Carolina’s longest play from scrimmage was a 21-yard completion as OU only allowed 178 yards on 63 plays, a mere 2.8 yards per snap.
It was a mixture of veteran leaders like Isaiah Thomas and Perrion Winfrey being effective and then watching young guys like Danny Stutsman and Ethan Downs have their moments.
OU had four sacks (Winfrey 1.5, Thomas, Isaiah Coe, .5 sack for Reggie Grimes) and eight tackles for loss, forced four fumbles and recovered two and Bryson Washington had his first-career interception.
If you wondered how OU would bounce back after such an uneven display vs. Tulane, you couldn’t have asked for a better response.
Rattler makes it an early night
If everything went to plan, then quarterback Spencer Rattler was going to have an early exit from the game. Sure enough, that’s what happened.
Rattler completed 20 of 26 passes for 243 yards with five touchdowns, calling it a night after the first half.
“A lot of growth for Spencer from game one. I mean, he looks so much better,” head coach Lincoln Riley said. “I think he was just more patient. Really just a mindset to just go execute and really never got off of that and that's what the best ones do. They can get in that kind of high level of focus and be able to maintain it and he was much better there today.”
Rattler threw touchdown passes to Jadon Haselwood (2), Eric Gray, Mike Woods and Mario Williams.
Brooks/Gray combo on-point
Riley was pretty pleased with how Kennedy Brooks and Gray played off each other last week, and it looked even smoother this time around.
You knew they weren’t going to get too much work and both didn’t enter the game in the second half. They made their touches count, though.
Brooks and Gray combined for 15 carries for 122 yards and two total touchdowns. Gray led the team with 74 yards on nine attempts, while Brooks had six carries for 48 yards and a score.
“I thought we were cleaner in the run game. I thought we — I thought we coached a little bit better, put our guys in a position to succeed,” Riley said. “I’m not talking about O-line, just really the whole offense. I thought our guys were more consistent, physicality, more consistent mentality, less mental mistakes, and I thought our backs ran through some stuff, ran aggressive, too.”
OU rushed for 277 yards on 38 attempts, averaging 7.3 yards per carry.
Freshmen get their run
Reach a game like this, and you know it’s going to be a big one for the freshmen. Sure enough, that was the case for the Sooners as 14 of the 16 members of OU’s 2021 class saw action.
Billy Bowman and Latrell McCutchin were starters in the secondary, and it was some big-time moments from guys like Ethan Downs and Danny Stutsman.
“Those are two kids that we've found out pretty quick, you know what you're going to get out of them in terms of effort and physicality and they go,” Riley said. “There’s not a hesitation that sometimes you get with some freshmen.
“I mean, they go and they're both physical players and aggressive players and so they both have really, really bright futures here. They did some really nice things tonight. You love seeing the aggression at a young age and they certainly both have that.”
Downs forced a turnover on downs with a tackle for loss and both were credited with a forced fumble. Stutsman led the team with eight tackles before leaving in the fourth quarter with an apparent elbow or shoulder injury.
Offensively, Cody Jackson had his first catch as a Sooner with three receptions for 31 yards, while wide receiver Jalil Farooq and left tackle Savion Byrd both played Saturday after not seeing action last week.
Walk-on show
The second half belonged to some feel-good stories in walk-on running backs Todd Hudson and Jaden Knowles.
The duo combined for all four touchdowns scored in the second half, each earning two trips into the end zone.
“Every day we come into practice, just continue to get better because in football you never know when you’re going to get your name called,” Knowles said. “it’s always good just to be prepared for that situation. Me and Todd are just ready to work.”
Knowles rushed for 37 yards with two touchdowns and a 57-yard reception. Hudson had nine carries for 25 yards and the two scores.
Williams shows the wheels
Second half also became the Caleb Williams show for most of the second half. Williams fared OK through the air, but he made his mark early with a 59-yard run on one of his first plays from scrimmage to start the third quarter.
“I wasn’t surprised at all. He’s a talented dude, man,” Haselwood said. “He’s actually like a freak so he’s definitely going to be like a good player for OU like when it’s his turn and when it’s his time. I mean I wasn’t surprised at all.”
Williams rushed for 60 yards and was 5-for-10 passing for 84 yards.
Injury report
There were no notable absences from OU heading into the game, but a couple of injuries to monitor going forward.
Bowman injured his hamstring during the first series of the game and didn’t return. It didn’t appear to be serious, but there was zero reason to risk any further issues.
Stutsman had a scary moment in the fourth quarter, lying down on the field for a couple of minutes. He got up and walked on his own, clearly favoring his left elbow or shoulder.
“As far as some of the guys that got dinged up, we’ll have to take a look at them,” Riley said. “I don’t think there was anything serious right now but we’ll see how some of them respond when we look at them tonight.”
Captain Thomas
OU’s group of four captains was added by one when Isaiah Thomas was named as another one of the captains Friday.
“He got named originally and we didn't do it the first week, because of what happened off the field,” Riley said. “But he was a guy that was — he got a lot of votes. He was a very popular choice for team captain. He's got a strong voice on this team has really built himself up and done it the right way. So it was great to name him. Guys were really excited about it. I know it meant a lot to Isaiah as well.”
