LUBBOCK, Texas – Oh, so this is what the 2020 version of Oklahoma can produce on a football field. Head coach Lincoln Riley has preached about the little steps they’ve made recently, and there was no bigger showcase than Saturday.

Spurred by the returns of running back Rhamondre Stevenson and defensive end Ronnie Perkins, OU played its most complete game of the season in a thorough 62-28 thrashing of Texas Tech to improve to 4-2 overall and 3-2 in Big 12 play.

Word trickled down Friday evening that, after serving a six-game suspension for failing an NCAA drug test, Stevenson and Perkins were going to make their 2020 debut Saturday.

But nobody knew if it would mean more of an emotional lift compared to something you could actually quantify on the field.

Turns out it was both.

“We told them in the team meeting last night,” said Riley about when the team found out both would play. “Literally we had only known for about 30 minutes, kind of our Friday night team meeting. We told them and the team erupted.

“I mean, I thought they were gonna tear the room in half, honestly. They've witnessed it first hand and so it was very, very emotional and not just for those guys, but really the entire team.”

Sure, the emotional lift is nice. However, OU fans have been waiting for the duo for another reason – because they can be game-changers.

That was apparent early in Stevenson’s first carry of the season being a touchdown. He finished with 87 yards on 13 carries and three scores. The confidence there, stating to the world with “I’m Back” printed on a T-shirt under his jersey.

And you could see it with the energy and speed Perkins brought to the defense. Perkins had three tackles, including two loss. Neither Perkins nor Stevenson were made available for comment.

Their teammates said it all Saturday.

“We were extremely excited,” quarterback Spencer Rattler said. “When Coach Riley said that, we all got chills. Super happy for him and we knew they would come out and do us justice. They both did a great job.”

After allowing an opening drive touchdown, the Sooners hit a gear they haven’t done all 2020 and a level you have to believe is what Riley has known is possible.

OU would go on to outscore Texas Tech 48-7 the rest of the first half. Included in that was six straight touchdown possessions. But it wasn’t all offense. The defense, led by Tre Norwood, earned three takeaways and forced a turnover on downs.

They call it complementary football. When it comes together, it’s a thing of beauty to watch.

“I guess it's proof that it's possible,” said defensive coordinator Alex Grinch about the three takeaways. “Sometimes you feel like when you talk about something so much and you end up not getting it, it's almost like this fantasyland. The teams that do. We're just one of those that doesn't. That's obviously not reality.

“It's not like someone else has a monopoly on takeaways, like we're not in on the secret type of deal. That's something that's week-by-week, obviously. It has a huge impact. It had an incredible impact of the momentum of this game.”

Quarterback Spencer Rattler played error-free football for the second game in a row, throwing for two touchdowns and barely playing in the third quarter.

Riley has always been a believer that if the team gets better, things will work out. It has been his message about playoff possibilities, and now it’s his message about OU fighting to get back into the thick of the Big 12 race.

Because make no mistake about it, the 0-2 start is a thing of the past. The Sooners have righted their ship, and now the chaos of the conference puts them in position to make another run in what they’ve dubbed Championship November in recent years.

“We’re getting better as a team. I’m most excited about that; improvements we’ve made,” Riley said. “I think you can really, really mark several games in a row right now where there’s been steps taken in a positive direction, and I still don’t feel like we’re at our best. There’s still so much to continue to improve on, and that’s exciting. And that’s what’s driven this team.

“The key for us is we’ve got to have the same hunger and fight we did after a couple of those early setbacks that got us playing the way we are as of late. We’ve got to keep that and just stay on our climb, man. Just continue our grind and stay on our climb.”

The climb isn’t as steep as it was a month ago. The energy feels different and the team is different with Stevenson and Perkins. Early hiccups in the rear-view mirror, OU fans might now get that taste of what this team is capable of the rest of the way.

“What I said last night to the team was, ‘It's time for us to go out and embarrass somebody.’ We've been having these games where we're getting up and getting comfortable and tonight, we didn't get comfortable and we kept running it up,” Rattler said. “Just being in an offense like that, it’s fun and when the defense is playing well like that, the whole team’s fun.”