Iowa State was possibly the best opponent Oklahoma has faced since the restart of the Big 12 championship game but the result is still the same, the Sooners standing at midfield to hoist the championship trophy.
This one didn’t come without its fair share of stressful moments though as the Sooners only scored three points over the final thirty minutes while the defense held on to secure a sixth consecutive title.
You can bet that we’ll have plenty more to say about the flow, and result, of this game but here are some quick thoughts in the meantime.
Tre Brown Owns The Big 12 Championship Game
It had to be Tre Brown to make the biggest defensive play. It couldn’t have gone any other way. His game-clinching interception marked the third year in a row that he’s made a huge impact play in the Big 12 championship game.
Marvin Mims Makes History
Marvin Mims stands alone in Oklahoma football history after hauling in a 45-yard touchdown bomb from Spencer Rattler on the first play of the second quarter. The score was Mim’s eighth of the season, setting a new OU freshman single-season record for receiving touchdowns.
Isheem Young Ejection Was Correct Call
You hate for a game to begin with controversy but that’s where we found ourselves after just the second play. I hate the targeting rule just as much as anyone but, according to the rule, it was the right call. Young’s hit on Drake Stoops was the exact definition of the targeting rule.
Chandler Morris Touchdown Was Pure Genius
First off, let’s not undersell the awesomeness of faking an injury to Spencer Rattler just to get Morris in the game. Secondly, let’s be honest, which were you more shocked about, that it was Morris in there or that Seth McGowan was in the backfield as well? Finally, the play was right and the read by Morris was perfect but don’t miss the block that McGowan threw.
Defensive Pressure Produced Mistakes
One of the things we discussed on our podcast was increased pressure from Oklahoma’s front seven should produce some mistakes from Brock Purdy as he was forced to rush through his progressions. We definitely saw that play out with three interceptions.
Charlie Kolar Was The Problem That We Thought He Was Going To Be
Iowa State’s big target, and Norman, Oklahoma native, was the matchup nightmare that we expected him to be. Kolar hauled in 6 catches for 92 yards (15.3 YPC) and a score. Who else is ready to see him head off to the NFL already?
Conservative Play Calling Is A Trust Issue
I can promise that I’m just as frustrated about the second half play calling as you are but let’s keep two things in mind. First, Oklahoma won. So, as much as we didn’t like it, Lincoln Riley’s game plan worked. Secondly, this is still a very young team.
Let’s stick with that second point for just a moment. This young team has yet to reach the full potential that we probably won’t start seeing until around the middle of next season. They are still learning and still mistake prone. A bad quarterback read, blown blocking assignment, or miscommunication among the receivers could have all been more costly than what we saw from the conservative play calls.
This Season Was A Success
Lincoln Riley took his most inexperienced team and won a conference championship with it. You really can’t say much more than that. Most of the prognosticators had 2021 being the year Oklahoma makes another playoff run and let’s not forget about the preseason expectations of Iowa State, Oklahoma State, and Texas making a run at the Sooners this year.
At the end of it all, Oklahoma is still the reigning conference champions.
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