Caleb Williams now has two full starts under his belt and he has a perfect 2-0 record to go with it. Despite the Sooners slow start on Saturday, Caleb still played very well. He was the highest graded quarterback of the weekend with a rating of 94.0.
Texas Tech historically has had some pretty good offenses. This year they average just over 34 points per game, while giving up nearly 31 points per game on defense. When you factor in Oklahoma’s 42 points per game on offense, it seems as if we should have a great quarterback matchup this weekend. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this one turn into a shootout.
Caleb Williams
Caleb Williams should ditch the nickname “Superman” and go with “The Comeback King”. He has now led the Sooners to a come from behind win in two of the last three games. Some fourth quarter heroics including the controversial “double handoff” paved the way for the Sooners victory over Kansas.
One of the most heads up plays you will 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 see.@CALEBcsw #OUDNA pic.twitter.com/v4VQRc0hNH
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) October 23, 2021
The Jayhawks did a great job limiting the possessions for the Sooners in the first half. This combined with the interception and failed 4th down conversion really stunted Oklahoma’s offense. Williams held the ball just a little too long on the interception pass. He had Jadon Haselwood open early, but was forced out of the pocket before throwing which allowed the defender to get underneath the route.
This was the first time we have seen Williams really make a mistake. It was without a doubt a “freshman mistake”, and his ability to bounce back in the second half shows how mentally prepared this kid is. These are moments where Lincoln Riley can turn the mistake in a learning situation for his quarterback. He came out in the second half and completed some tough passes as well as some important gains with his feet.
On the day he finished with 178 yards through the air with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. He also rushed for 70 yards and 1 touchdown on 8 carries.
Henry Colombi
Henry Colombi is a senior transfer from Utah State playing in his second season with the Red Raiders. He didn’t play a whole lot as an Aggie, but he did do well in his limited number of passing attempts during his two years there.
Since arriving at Texas Tech his numbers have shot up significantly. Last season he threw for over 1,000 yards and 8 touchdowns. In the matchup against the Sooners last year he completed 15-28 for 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.
This season has been pretty mediocre for Colombi. He has completed only 59% of his passes for 4 touchdowns and 4 interceptions.
The Sooners shouldn’t have too many issues containing Colombi and minimizing his ability to impact the game. Oklahoma doesn’t necessarily have to worry about his feet a lot, but he does have the talent to extend the play and complete a deep pass down field.
— Texas Tech Football (@TexasTechFB) October 23, 2021
Is Williams Set For A Big Day?
Given what we’ve seen from Caleb Williams through three games and what we’ve seen from the Red Raiders defense this season, I’d say the freshman is almost a lock for a big day. Don’t be surprised to see Williams airing it out a lot on Saturday afternoon. Henry Colombi is almost guaranteed to have some big moments as well given the current state of the Sooners defense. But, it will be Oklahoma’s QB1 that wins the day.
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I hope it is a low stress day for us.
I’ve been saying this every weekend since the season started! I’ll take the stress for a win though!