You wouldn’t have known there were 19 Sooner players missing the game.
When Oklahoma entered the second half they were dipping deep into a roster to find anyone who needed playing time, as the No. 5 Sooners breezed their way to a 48-0 shutout of Missouri State in the season opener.
It seemed like the usual Oklahoma blow out. But there was nothing usual about this.
In the hours before kickoff there was no backed-up traffic in the southbound lanes of I-35.
No pre-game march of the band through Campus Corner.
And no swarm of fans showing their tickets at Gate 4.
The COVID-19 pandemic made sure of that, with the university imposing significant restrictions — the most striking being the limit of fans in attendance to 22,700 (considered a sell out).
Memorial Statdium looked like the fourth quarter against Kansas.
But there was football.
And a lot of good football by Oklahoma, most notably the play of newbie QB Spencer Rattler — the young man who Sooners fans have seemed to know about since he was an 8th grader, but had seen little off except in a mop up roll in a handful of games last year.
Rattler completed 14 of his 17 passes for 290 yards — all the the first half. He threw four touchdown passes — including a 53-yard TD toss to Charleston Rambo — becoming the first in program history to throw four TDs during their first career start. Rattler was relieved by Tanner Mordacai (also 14 of 17, for 157 yards and 1 TD).
He didn’t seem to be bothered by pressure of expectations as the new Oklahoma QB.
“I just embrace it. Knowing how my teammates have my back. And I have their back. I trust the system and the coaches,” Rattler said.
One of the missing players was expected starting running back T.J. Pledger. No reason was given for his absence, but it doesn’t take rocket science to know it was pandemic related.
Also not playing was senior RB Rhamondre Stevenson, but his absence was a known suspension.
And kicker Gabe Brkic was a no show, presumably because of COVID-19 — a good guess given the humorous Twitter post he made before kickoff:
“I just woke up…alarm clock didn’t go off. I’ll be back!”
Stepping up was true freshman Seth McGowan (9 carries for 61 yards — his first carry for a touchdown) and redshirt freshman Marcus Major (11 carries for 31 yards).
McGowan showed a knack for quickly finding holes opened up by a mostly veteran offensive line.
“It was exactly what we expected from him. That dude is a monster. If he touches the ball four times he might score four times,” Rattler said of McGowan.
The Sooners defense got their first shutout since the Kansas State game in 2015. It was the first shut out under Coach Lincoln Riley.
Missouri State did not get a first down in the first 18:30 of the game.
The defenders held Missouri State to only 54 yards rushing and 81 yards passing. It forced Missouri State to punt 9 times.
The Sooners Report Card?
Straight A’s for every aspect of the game.
NEXT: Kansas State in Norman, Sept. 26.
Photo Credit: Trey Young/The Daily
Follow
