ARLINGTON, Texas – There were times when it didn’t look like there was going to be a college football season because of COVID-19.

And there was a time, back when Oklahoma was 1-2 overall and 0-2 in Big 12 play, that maybe some Sooner fans wished there wasn’t a 2020 season.

Instead, now the lasting image is a group of Sooners who rallied around each other, rapping the iconic Malcolm Kelly freestyle on the stage following a dominant 55-20 victory against Florida in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on Wednesday evening at AT&T Stadium.

“That meant a lot to us because, you know, we all play for Oklahoma,” defensive lineman Isaiah Thomas said. “We know what that freestyle holds, you know, that's something that we always listen to on our own time. We see it on social media all the time.

“For us to reenact that moment after we won the big game, it was special to us. It's a like a brotherhood thing. It's like our team's, like, national anthem, I guess you could say. So it was special for, you know, this new team to be able to do that, know the lyrics word for word.”

After the performance against the seventh-ranked Gators, who could blame them? And after everything the program had to do to guarantee there could be a moment, it’s OK to have a little fun.

The fun in the game itself started early, like really early. The Sooners were up 17-0 in the blink of an eye, and OU’s defense had intercepted Heisman finalist Kyle Trask three times in the first quarter.

There was a lot of talk surrounding the game regarding the opt-outs for Florida, and that this was a no-win scenario for the Sooners.

But for an OU squad that had been bested by SEC teams Georgia, Alabama and LSU in the last three years in college football playoff games, this is the kind of night OU has wanted. Maybe even go as far to say it needed, and head coach Lincoln Riley has his first bowl win in four tries.

“We had a lot of respect for Florida and the team they are,” Riley said. “And, listen, everybody has had to go through that this year, whether it's losing players to COVID, dealing with players' decisions on these bowl games. We've all had to deal with it. We've all had to fight our way through.

“Our recipe has been we just got to worry about ourselves. We got a group of guys that were excited and committed to come in and play this game, and I think it showed. I think we probably played our most complete game of the season.”

Probably might be understating it. While the three interceptions (Tre Norwood, Brian Asamoah, Woodi Washington) no doubt set the tone, it was imperative for the Sooners to play a complete game as that has been one major complaint throughout the season.

To do that, it was a mix of quarterback Spencer Rattler and running back Rhamondre Stevenson getting the job done.

OU gained 684 total yards of offense, including an astounding 435 on the ground and averaging more than 10 yards per carry.

“We weren't really too happy with how we played these last two games,” captain Creed Humphrey said. “We wanted to go out there and prove something. We got to go against a quality opponent up front, so we were really excited to go out there and prove what we were about. And then, obviously, whenever we have the running backs we have in our rooms, then it makes our jobs easier. So it was a fun game.”

Stevenson finished with 186 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown was named the game’s Offensive Most Valuable Player.

Rattler added four touchdowns (three passing, one rushing) before calling it a night early in the fourth quarter.

Norwood was named the Defensive MVP as his 45-yard pick-six of Trask on Florida’s first drive of the game gave you an idea of what was in store this night.

“The play with the interception is just kind of trusting my technique, trusting the call and then just trying to take advantage of the opportunity when it presented itself,” Norwood said. “And for our defense, I think just that first quarter, how we started off was big, just creating the energy for the team as a whole. I mean, all three of our takeaways came in the first quarter.”

And that’s how OU puts a bow on the wild, historic ride that was 2020. Riley might have said it best in saying he would be surprised if there’s four teams better than OU at this moment. Not to insinuate the Sooners deserve to be in this year’s edition of the playoff, but this group will be remembered for a long time.

A sixth consecutive Big 12 championship, another New Year’s Six bowl victory, but maybe more for all the elements off the field than about as much as what they accomplished on the field together.

“Just that we didn't let all that's been going on around us, we didn't let it break us or we didn't let it come between us,” Riley said. “And, actually, we kind of flipped it and actually let it bring us together. Yeah, it's hard to explain right now. I mean, it is. It's been difficult, but at the same time, it's really been a lot of fun, too. I mean, it really has. All anybody wants to talk about is how tough this year has been. And it really has been challenging.

“But at the same time, it's been a blast, to see these guys come together, to see this staff come together, and not say "poor us" and try to find solutions to anything that came our way and continue to work regardless of what was going on around us. And we've done that. And so I'll remember that. I'll remember how close this team really came together, how close they became during this run and then certainly being able to close out like we did here the last several weeks makes it all the better.”

Florida linebacker James Houston did the SEC talking in the lead-up to the game, but it was the Sooners who did their talking on the field in a night OU fans won’t soon forget.