Up 63-14 and 11:12 left in the fourth-quarter against South Dakota in 2019, Oklahoma fans rose to their feet.
The Sooners were welcoming in new royalty. A quarterback born to play in Lincoln Riley’s offense trotted out onto the field for his first snap.
It’s a moment that Spencer Rattler felt. He then led Oklahoma on a 10-play drive, 65-yard touchdown drive, capped off by a passing touchdown to fellow freshman Trejan Bridges.
The hype hasn’t slowed down since. All the Heisman odds had Rattler in the top-5 before a starting quarterback decision was announced at Oklahoma. It’s something that has followed him since his days being a five-star and Elite 11 Finals MVP.
Oklahoma’s next starting quarterback will take the field for his first start on Saturday night against Missouri State.
“I look at it like I had a lot of hype, you could say, in high school and attention,” he said during a Zoom call this week. “That definitely prepared me for this. Like I said, to me pressure is a privilege. I look at it to embrace it. I’m not going to run away from any expectations or this and that. I just focus on what I have to do with my team, I’ve got a great group of guys around me and a great supporting cast of coaches. What we’re focusing on right now is that Game 1 and we’ll go on from there.”
The lofty expectations are clear: win a Heisman trophy, become the top quarterback in his NFL draft and lead Oklahoma to national championship No. 8.
There’s something that comes with being the Sooners’ starting quarterback. Everyone talking about you. Everyone expecting greatness from you. Everyone looking at you to lead them.
It’s something that Baker Mayfield was born to deal with. Kyler Murray and Jalen Hurts the same. And according to Rattler’s teammates, it’s an attribute that has, too.
“He’s a great leader and I think being with Jalen Hurts last year really prepped him to be in that role,” said H-back Brayden Willis. “But honestly, we all know about the intangibles, the arm strength and everything like that. He’s a great leader and he’s done a great job getting us ready to go day in and day out, bringing energy to the offense. You know, a little Baker Mayfield energy. It gets everybody hyped to play.”
Running Oklahoma’s offense is tough. The intricacies within what Riley is trying to accomplish rely on perfect timing, decisive decision making and an ability to see the field as Riley does.
At Pinnacle High School, Rattler ran an offense similar to what Oklahoma runs. But this is a different animal. There’s growing up that has to be done, and it appears Rattler has accomplished that.
“You can tell Spencer has grown up some,” Riley said. “That’s not earth-shattering. Guys are supposed to come here and grow up some. That’s part of the deal. But I think he has. I think his preparation has continued to improve and I think he’s mentally in a good place as far as progression in our offense. The physical skills have been there. The playmaking has been there. But he’s just really cleaned a lot of things up. As with any player, especially one that young, there’s still going to be a ton of growth that’s going to happen. But I think he’s on a good trajectory right now.”
There’s hype, then there’s been Rattler hype.
It’s something Oklahoma hasn’t seen since Rhett Bomar arrived on campus in 2005. You could feel it that night against South Dakota. You could feel it after his appearance in the 2019 Peach Bowl. You could feel it any time a national talking head brought up Oklahoma this offseason.
But the hype is over.
It’s time for Rattler to go ball.
“Hype is just talk, man,” said former five-star cornerback and current Oklahoma nickel back Brendan Radley-Hiles. “He’s gotta go do it at the end of the day. He has to put it on tape. There’s nothing to talk about.”
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