The Sooners came out and put on a show Wednesday night in the Alamo Bowl. Bob Stoops earned the 191st win of his career in a night that Oklahoma fans won’t be forgetting for a long time.
This season has certainly felt like a long one. The season opener against Tulane getting moved to Norman feels like an eternity ago. Despite the journey it has been, it was certainly nice to see the Sooners come out and end the season on a high note.
What we saw in this game was a team rallying together for each other. The players absolutely deserve a majority of the credit, but you’ve got to credit Coach Stoops as well for convincing everyone to buy in. The team we saw on the field for the Alamo Bowl was the most prepared team we’ve seen all season.
The Game Defining Moment
Oklahoma was already building on some early momentum with a 9-3 lead when Marvin Mims set up Oklahoma with perfect field position after a long punt return.
The Sooners marched the ball down the field before Caleb Williams connected with Drake Stoops for a touchdown. The 16-3 lead gave Oklahoma all the momentum and from that point forward they remained in control.
🤞 𝙁𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨 🤞@Drake_stoops @CALEBcsw | 📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/iOoU8zFap8
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) December 30, 2021
The touchdown catch was the only catch of the night for Drake Stoops, and it was his second touchdown of the season. What a cool moment for Bob Stoops and his son.
𝘎𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 ❤️@CoachBobStoops @Drake_stoops#OUDNA pic.twitter.com/obMytobdrx
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) December 30, 2021
The Heroes
Caleb Williams
Caleb Williams is one of the names that quickly comes to mind when you start to think about the heroes of this game. It’s crazy to think that this was just the sixth start of Williams’ career.
He completed 21-27 passes for 242 yards and 3 touchdowns. He didn’t have any turnovers on the night and more impressively didn’t have any bad passes thrown into coverage at all.
What might be getting overlooked the most in his Alamo Bowl performance is his willingness to check down. We saw him make young freshman mistakes throughout the year by trying to extend a play and make something big happen. Tonight he checked down again and again until the big play was finally open.
The Offensive Line
The offensive line has been an area of struggle for OU all season. The Sooners could never seem to find a consistent rushing game, and a majority most of the time to throw the ball was due to either Williams or Rattler creating space with their feet to extend the play.
Tonight the guys in the trenches showed up to play. Oklahoma had two different running backs average over 10 yards per carry, and the team as a whole recorded over 300 yards. The offensive line also gave Caleb Williams plenty of time. This is part of the reason he was able to work through his progressions and check down to the open receiver. There’s going to be a lot of game balls given out tonight, but the O-line should get a lot of credit.
The Problem Child
Kennedy Brooks had himself a night in what could possibly be his final game in an Oklahoma uniform. The Ducks simply had no answer to the combination of speed and patience by Brooks.
He carried the ball 14 times for a total of 142 yards and 3 touchdowns. His longest run of the night went for 40 yards. This was arguably his best game of the season and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Kennedy Brooks wasn’t just the problem child in this game, he was the difference maker.
KB and the big bodies 😤@kennedyBrooks26 | 📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/zJMEnPhtDL
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) December 30, 2021
Heading Into A New Era With Momentum
The Sooners will have a new man in charge next year as Brent Venables takes the keys to the program. The importance of winning this bowl game as Oklahoma transitions into a new era can’t be overlooked.
There seems to be a “buzz” in Norman right now that we haven’t seen in a long time. Now adding a huge bowl victory to that is going to do wonders in the world of recruiting and overall program morale. I know it’s been a tough month, but Wednesday night in San Antonio was a magical night for Oklahoma fans. There is a lot to look forward to right now in Sooner Nation.
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The whole team played like champions and they all looked happy to be in a Sooner uniform. Boomer Sooner Buddy
Boomer Sooner! You could tell everyone was having fun from the coaching staff, trainers, and players! They all played for each other.
I was very Proud to be a Sooner last night ! Those players made that game look so easy to win , They played so perfectly as a team . I was proud to see Stoops smiling on the side lines like that’s how we play ball. Great Job! Boomer Sooner forever!
With all odds against them they played like the champions they are. So proud of my SOONERS!