There are those key moments in games that stick around in Oklahoma football history. Be it Scott Hill’s devastating hit on Tony Dorsett, Keith Jackson’s end around against Nebraska, Roy Williams’ Superman leap, or Sterling Shepard’s hurdle of a Kansas State defender, those are all moments that go on to live forever as a part of the OU legacy. Now CeeDee Lamb has placed his name among those former Sooner greats.
Lamb hauled in seven passes for 146 yards and a score in Saturday’s 49-21 win over UCLA. His receptions and yards were both team high’s and his performance against the Bruins still has people talking a day later.
Of Lamb’s seven catches, three were significant and one will be on posters, videos, and discussion boards for years to come.
CeeDee Lamb with a ridiculous grab pic.twitter.com/0mr8jpZhBS
— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) September 8, 2018
Lamb started his ridiculous day with a one-handed grab, on a pass that was behind him, and the headed up field. That catch alone was enough to put a sellout crowd in awe of his talent and ability but he was far from being done.
Lamb’s second act was perhaps the best catch you’ll ever see in a live football game…it just didn’t count. Leaping towards the boundary, he was able to extend himself to haul in a high pass. Momentum carried him out of bounds but that didn’t lessen the reaction of the home crowd or the national audience.
Every angle of CeeDee Lamb's @Jumpman23 effort in slow-motion.#BoomerSooner | @_CeeDeeThree https://t.co/LYIG8SeCZt
— Oklahoma-Vs-The World (@soonergridiron) September 8, 2018
“I’ll be honest, I’ve never made a catch like that, not even in practice,” Lamb said after the game. “I got it in my hand and it just stuck there… I really believed I was in bounds at the time.”
Lamb finally found the end zone in the fourth quarter on a 35-yard catch, from Kyler Murray, that looked anything but easy.
okay so this Kyler Murray to Ceedee Lamb connection is getting outta hand 👀 pic.twitter.com/wOvIv34lPB
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 8, 2018
Lamb led the Sooners in number of receptions and in receiving yards on a day that he didn’t even start. Lincoln Riley instead chose to go with AD Miller, who had a better practice week.
“I was proud of CeeDee,” Riley said. “We didn’t start CeeDee, not really because of anything negative he did – we just thought A.D. Miller practiced better. CeeDee and A.D. both want it and they both play tremendous. That exposition is really strength for us right now, two games in. You feel like when you take one out, you don’t lose anything by putting the other guy in. I thought they both made competitive catches, they both blocked well, obviously, CeeDee had the punt return. We thought he maybe danced a little bit too much on the ones the previous week. Give the kid credit – he took that coaching point and he trusted it and he hit the punt return and it was a thing of beauty, so I was proud of the way he responded. I think he played much better – he’s the type of play maker we need him to be.”
Not starting but still producing his third career 100-yard receiving game speaks volumes to Lamb’s mental approach which, in all honesty, is even more impressive than any catch he made on the field.
“Obviously, it’s always great to see your guys go off,” Kyler Murray said about his favorite receiver on Saturday. “He came out here ready to go today. He was a little disappointed last week. He didn’t get a lot of touches, so he came out here with a vengeance and ready to go. Good to see him go.”