The Ugly: The Opening Two Minutes
Xavier Worthy was a big part of the way the game started for the Oklahoma Sooners. However, the offense went three and out and was forced to punt the ball back to the Longhorns.
Michael Turk had his kick blocked on the punt, and the Longhorns recovered on the Sooners’ two-yard line. Two plays later, the Longhorns had a 14-0 lead.
In the first two minutes of the game, the Sooners showed poor execution in all three phases of the game. The defense couldn’t tackle. The run game couldn’t get any push. The offensive line wasn’t able to protect Spencer Rattler on third and long. And finally, the special teams had a kick blocked.
That’s about as poor of a start as one could imagine for a team.
To turn the ugly into a thing of beauty, though, the Sooners kept fighting. Despite the start. Despite the turnovers. Despite the big plays allowed. Despite all the points allowed. Despite all of that, the Oklahoma Sooners kept fighting.
Down 18 going into the second half, the lead looked insurmountable with how the Texas Longhorns played on offense. But the Sooners’ defense stiffened up in the second half. The offense led by Caleb Williams, Kennedy Brooks, and Marvin Mims were explosive, efficient, and effective as the Sooners outscored Texas 35-10 in the second half on their way to the improbable come from behind win.
The Oklahoma Sooners and the coaching staff deserve a ton of credit for the belief and the mental fortitude they displayed to work themselves back into that game after falling behind as big as they did against the Texas Longhorns.
It’s a game that will live on in the minds of those that played in it and those that witnessed it.
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