As the 9,000 Oklahoma fans in crimson launched into a mocking “S-E-C” chant, the giant videoboard at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas said all that was needed to be said about the Sooners’ beat down of the Southeastern Conference runners up.
A final Goodyear Cotton Bowl score:
No. 6 Oklahoma 55 No. 7 Florida 20.
The Sooners put on a record-breaking blow out performance of the Florida Gators, lead by Rhamondre Stevenson’s 186 yards on 18 carries, Spencer Rattler’s 14 of 23 passing for 246 yards and a stingy Oklahoma defense grabbing three first quarter interceptions from Florida’s Heisman finalist QB Kyle Trask.
Coach Lincoln Riley got his first bowl victory as a head coach. His Sooners had lost three previous bowl games in the College Football Playoff.
It was also his first win against an SEC team in post season.
“I’d be surprised if there are four teams in the country better than us right now,” Riley said after the game. He said he wasn’t contending the Sooners deserved to be in the playoff, given their two early season losses.
Indeed, the Sooners that finished the 2020 season are a good football time. Likely better than playoff teams Notre Dame and Ohio State.
This win will likely position the Sooners as a playoff favorite in 2021.
The Cotton Bowl win capped an unusual year. The pandemic restrictions saw some games postponed and others cancelled. Early season suspensions kept some players from taking the field and Oklahoma lost two of its first three games — going 0-2 in conference play before storming back to win the Big 12 Conference Championship.
Although the Sooners offense again showed high power under Riley’s play calling, the story of the season was likely the defense under coordinator Alex Grinch.
The defense finished the season with seven straight games nabbing at least one turnover.
In the first quarter at the Cotton Bowl Tre Norwood, Brian Asamoah and Woodi Washington all got interceptions. Trask had just five interceptions the entire season until then.
The Sooners held Florida to just 20 points after the Gators scored 46 against No. 1 ranked Alabama less than two weeks earlier.
Florida was without four of its top receivers in the game — three opting out of playing and a fourth sidelined by a Covid infection.
But none of those Florida players played on defense, which gave up 658 total yards to the Sooners.
Oklahoma had its most rushing yards of the season in the game — 435 yards — a Cotton Bowl record.
In addition to Stevenson’s 186 yards on 18 carries, redshirt freshman Marcus Major added 110 yards on nine carries.
Featured photo: Freshman receiver Marvin Mims scores a first quarter touchdown on a pass from QB Spencer Rattler in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic. Trey Young/The Daily
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