OU football: Bests and Worsts from the Sooners’ 53-45 win over Texas

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OU football: Bests and Worsts from the Sooners’ 53-45 win over Texas

Tue, 10/13/2020 - 14:16
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Oct. 11--NORMAN -- There’s plenty to unpack surrounding OU’s 53-45 quadruple-overtime Red River Showdown win over Texas on Saturday.

Here’s a look at the best and worst moments:

Worst celebration: As Gabe Brkic’s field-goal try in the third overtime went onto the air, several Sooners ran out onto the field in celebration.

The problem?

Brkic’s kick sailed wide and the game continued into a fourth overtime.

The celebration showed the confidence in Brkic but the Sooners had to regroup quickly for what turned out to be the decisive fourth overtime.

Best special teams play: This is a tough one, as the Sooners had plenty to choose from between a blocked field goal, a blocked punt and a punt return that set up a touchdown.

But the honors go to Perrion Winfrey’s blocked field goal in the third overtime.

Winfrey muscled his left arm into the air as he battled blocks from Texas linemen Junior Angilau and Denzel Okafor and managed to get his hand on Cameron Dicker’s kick.

Winfrey came in as a highly recruited junior college defensive lineman with the aim to make an immediate impact on Alex Grinch’s defense.

Saturday, he was at his most disruptive even more blocking the kick.

He finished with two tackles, shared on a sack and had a quarterback hurry, but there was plenty of other times where Winfrey made an impact.

Best catch: With the game tied late in the second quarter and momentum swinging Texas’ way, the Sooners needed to at least pick up a first down to give their defense a bit of a break.

On third-and-5, Tanner Mordecai made a bit of ill-advised throw to a covered Charleston Rambo.

Everything worked out, though. Mordecai’s throw was thrown

a little behind Rambo -- and Texas’ Josh Thompson.

Thompson got his hands up onto the ball and Rambo, trying to plant to get to the original spot of the throw. He fell to the turf but was able to extend his hand to tip the ball back into the air and give himself time to get both arms around it.

The ball was knocked loose by the Longhorns’ B.J. Foster when Rambo raised it to show the officials, but sitting on his backside, the play was dead and the Sooners had the first down.

Worst clock management: No, it wasn’t by the coaches but by the officials.

With 6:05 remaining on the clock in the fourth quarter and Texas facing 3rd and 4, Ehlinger scrambled for what looked like a first down.

Ehlinger went out of bounds with 5:57 showing but after it restarted, officials stopped the clock with 5:50 remaining to review whether or not Ehlinger had reached the line-to-gain.

After a lengthy review, Ehlinger was ruled short.

That looked like a positive for the Sooners, but referee Brandon Cruse instructed that the clock should read 6:36.

After Woodi Washington’s interception ended that drive, the extra 39 seconds looked pretty inconsequential, but it loomed large late.

Had things played out the same way on the Sooners’ subsequent drive, Texas would’ve started with 3:39 remaining, down 14.

Had things continued to play out the same way, there would’ve been just more than 1:30 remaining when the Sooners snapped the ball on third down late in regulation.

With that clock situation, Lincoln Riley would’ve been much more comfortable running on third down and taking his chances kicking it away.

The Longhorns would’ve been in desperation mode in the final minute, and their best offensive weapon -- Ehlinger’s scrambling ability -- would be taken away.

Now, there’s no way of knowing how the rest of the fourth quarter would’ve played out, but what initially appeared to be a good thing for the Sooners -- Ehlinger being ruled short -- caused a ripple effect throughout the rest of the game.

Best break (first-half edition): In the final minute of the first half with the game tied, Texas faced a fourth-and-2 from the OU 38.

The Longhorns had no timeouts with 28 seconds remaining and Tom Herman elected to go for it, hoping to at least get more comfortably into Dicker’s range and take the lead into halftime.

But as Ehlinger went through the snap count, left guard Angilau flinched slightly, and a flag was thrown as Sooners’ defenders frantically pointed it out.

The Longhorns were forced to punt and though OU just took a knee to end the half after getting the ball back, trailing at halftime after leading 10-0 early would’ve been a tough blow for a Sooners team that was already reeling. Instead, the game is tied and OU seized the momentum in the third.

Worst missed call: In the third overtime, after the Sooners scored to take the lead, Ehlinger dropped back to pass. But finding nothing open and with the pass rush closing around him, Ehlinger took off out of the pocket.

Ehlinger’s scrambling was Texas’ best offense of the day and he showed it here, with a 25-yard touchdown run.

But it took a hold by running back Keontay Ingram to spring him free.

Ingram was tied up with OU’s Brian Asamoah when Asamoah tried to slide over to meet Ehlinger. But as they broke apart, Ingram extended his arm and grabbed Asamoah, preventing a tackle just behind the line of scrimmage.

Now, the Sooners still should’ve brought Ehlinger down short of the goal line, as Pat Fields missed a tackle on the sidelines, but the missed call loomed large.

With the penalty, it would’ve been second and more than 20 outside the 35-yard line.