Early in the first half against the [autotag]Oklahoma State Cowboys[/autotag], the Oklahoma Sooners found themselves in a predicament. Starting safety [autotag]Key Lawerence[/autotag] went out of the game with an injury. His backup, [autotag]Reggie Pearson[/autotag], was suspended for the first half due to a targeting call during the second half of the loss to Kansas.
In came sophomore [autotag]Robert Spears-Jennings[/autotag]. Spears-Jennings had shown promise but was hurt in the offseason and is just now finding his groove. Man, did he have a day on Saturday. He finished second on the team with seven total tackles and had a pass deflection.
His most important play came on 4th Down early in the 3rd Quarter. The Sooners were down 17-14, and [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] had just thrown an interception. The Cowboys marched all the way down to the Sooners’ 16-yard line but faced a 4th and 1.
Mike Gundy decided to go for it and give it to the nation’s leading rusher, [autotag]Ollie Gordon[/autotag]. As Gordon took the handoff and worked off of left tackle, Spears-Jennings came on a blitz and tracked him down from the backside, stopping him short of the sticks.
He broke down that play after Monday’s practice.
“Coach gave me a blitz, and I tried to make sure to try to make this play right here because this is a game-changing play,” Spears-Jennings said. “They were in high red, so if they get that first down, it’s a high chance of them scoring.”
At the time, it was a game-changing play as the Sooners marched down the field to take a 21-17 lead. Unfortunately, that play got lost a bit in the outcome, but it was another example of young talent making plays.
As the Sooners continue to build upon a defense that was one of the worst in the nation in 2022, seeing blue-chip prospects out there making plays provides encouraging signs that Oklahoma is headed in the right direction.
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