Caleb Williams Mania is officially here! Oklahoma fans got to see the first glimpses of the talented freshman in Saturday’s Red/White Game and he definitely disappoint. With the buzz already circulating that Williams had been “better than advertised” through the spring practices, his performance on the field Saturday certainly didn’t do anything to squelch enthusiasm. Williams completed 10-of-11 pass attempts, for 99 yards, and threw the game’s only touchdown pass. As if that weren’t enough, he drew comparisons to an even larger version of Kyler Murray by rushing for 61 yards, on six attempts, to lead the Sooners in that category.
SPRING GAME PASSING
Spencer Rattler: 6-14, 116 yds
Caleb Williams: 10-11, 99 yds (1 TD)
Ben Harris: 6-6, 42 yds
Micah Bowens: 4-5, 26 yds
Spencer Rattler had a modest performance, completing just under 50% of his passing attempts, but there’s no doubt that his command of the offense is still there and it appeared as if he’d already built a pretty strong rapport with freshman receiver Mario Williams. Despite not getting into the end zone on Saturday there’s really no doubt that Rattler is Oklahoma’s guy at quarterback and any talk of Williams pushing him for the starting job is just that…talk.
SPRING GAME RUSHING
Caleb Williams: 6-61
Todd Hudson: 3-38
Jaden Knowles: 3-31 (1 TD)
Micah Bowens: 3-25
Eric Gray: 4-23 (1 TD)
Kennedy Brooks: 2-8
Marcus Major: 3-7
Ben Harris: 1-5
Mikey Henderson: 5-(-3)
Spencer Rattler: 1-(-3)
Mario Williams: 1-(-8)
To be fair Oklahoma didn’t really lean on the running backs Saturday but Eric Gray was the best of the group rushing for 23 yards, and a score, on just four carries. Jaden Knowles showed some wiggle, averaging more that 10 yards per carry, scoring the game’s only other rushing touchdown. The return of Kennedy Brooks to the crimson and cream was pretty anticlimactic.
SPRING GAME RECEIVING
Mario Williams: 5-84
Jaden Knowles: 4-48
Jackson Sumlin: 3-33 (1 TD)
Devin Staton: 2-21
Jadon Haselwood: 1-20
Major Melson: 2-14
Jeremiah Hall: 1-14
Marvin Mims: 1-13
Davion Curtis: 3-12
Colt Atkinson: 1-9
Marcellus Crutchfield: 2-7
Damon Smith: 1-7
Drake Stoops: 1-6
Brian Darby: 1-5
Eric Gray: 1-0
Todd Hudson: 2-(-1)
Mario Williams is going to be a star. Jackson Sumlin has some game as well, catching the game’s only touchdown pass, making you think that there’s no chance he can’t make his way on the field before his time is up as a Sooner.
Marvin Mims had a solid catch and run but the play of the day belonged to Jadon Haselwood for sure. Not only was it a pleasant surprise to see him make the sideline snag, the fact that he’s returning healthy for the first time since 2019 makes it even more appealing. Hopefully it’s a snapshot of what we’ll see from him this fall.
SPRING GAME DEFENSIVE STATS
Jordan Mukes: 6 tackles
Jamal Morris: 5 tackles, 1 TFL (-2)
Bryan Mead: 4 tackles, 2 TFL (-5)
Joseph Wete: 4 tackles
Kori Roberson: 4 tackles, 2 TFL (-3)
D.J. Graham: 3 tackles
Key Lawrence: 3 tackles
#SpeedD gets a safety and 2 more points on the board.
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) April 24, 2021
White 30 | Red 29 #OUDNA pic.twitter.com/5UtFrYhAnF
Shane Whitter: 3 tackles
Reggie Grimes: 3 tackles, 1 sack (-7)
Clayton Smith: 3 tackles, 1 TFL (-1)
Pierce Hudgens: 3 tackles
Joshua Eaton: 2 tackles
Bryson Washington: 2 tackles, 1 sack (-1)
Justin Harrington: 2 tackles
Caleb Kelly: 2 tackles, 2 PBU
Kendall Dennis: 2 tackles
Marcus Stripling: 2 tackles
Easton Reeves: 2 tackles, 1 TFL (-4)
Woodi Washington: 1 tackle
David Ugwoegbu: 1 tackle
Jaden Davis: 1 tackle
Billy Bowman: 1 tackle, 1 PBU
Perrion Winfrey: 1 tackle
DaShaun White: 1 tackle
Delarrin Turner-Yell: 1 tackle, 1 PBU
Nathan Rawlins-Kibonge: 1 tackle, 1 TFL (-1)
Jake McCoy : 1 tackle
Ryan Peoples: 1 tackle, 1 PBU
Reed Lindsey: 1 tackle
Isaiah Coe: 1 tackle
LaRon Stokes: 1 tackles
Josh Ellison: 1 fumble recovery
We’ll have plenty of thoughts on the defense coming your way this week but for now let me just say that Billy Bowman definitely looks the part at nickelback, Justin Harrington is better than solid, and Perrion Winfrey looks like an absolute monster. He’s definitely a dude you’d want to send out for the coin toss. To that point, this defensive front is going to be outstanding!
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