Throughout his career, Drake Stoops has become a fan favorite in Norman. His willingness to do whatever’s asked of him has enchanted Sooners fans.
On Saturday night in Bedlam, Drake Stoops had arguably the best game of his career. He was targeted a team-high nine times and pulled in six catches for 89 yards and a touchdown to lead Oklahoma in receiving. He also led the Sooners with four receptions for first downs in the game.
The six catches were the most he’s had in a game in his Sooners career, and the 89 yards were just four shy of tying his career-best 93, which he set back in 2020.ย If his receptions added points for their high degree of difficulty, he would have pushed for 10s across the board from the judges.
His impact was felt throughout the Sooners’ 28-point eruption in the first quarter.
On the first drive of the game, Stoops got one-on-one coverage and got behind his receiver down the seam. As the ball continued to sail, Stoops faded back and dove backward to make an incredible catch to put the Sooners inside the five-yard line for first and goal. That catch set up the Sooners’ first touchdown of the game.
Later in the quarter, with Oklahoma looking to build on its 21-0 lead, Stoops ran a wheel route down the right sideline. Gabriel placed a beautiful ball on the senior wide dove in the end zone to make a fabulous catch against really tight coverage from the Oklahoma State defender.
Things. You. Love. To. See.
Drake Stoops catching a TD pass to give Oklahoma a 28-0 lead in the first quarter of Bedlam.#OUDNA | #BoomerSooner pic.twitter.com/d1gEy6YSqP
— ๐๐๐๐ธโ๐๐๐ธ-๐๐-๐โ๐ผ ๐๐โ๐๐ป (@soonergridiron) November 20, 2022
In what was most likely his final game at the Palace on the Prairie, Drake Stoops cemented his own legacy in Oklahoma’s win over Oklahoma State. His big-time performance helped put the Sooners out to a big lead in Bedlam, and that’s all the Sooners’ offense would need to do on a night where the defense was really, really good.
A tough player in his time in Norman who often provided clutch moments, he had his biggest game of the season to help the Oklahoma Sooners reach a bowl game after a 5-5 start to the season.
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