After a sputtering first game win last week the Oklahoma Sooners put on a dominant show Saturday night in their 76-0 win over Western Carolina in Norman.
Wide receiver Jadon Haselwood scored two touchdowns in the first half on passes from Spencer Rattler, who went 20 of 26 for 243 yards and five passing TDs for the game.
Rattler said the win came after a tough week of practice following the Sooners narrow 45-30 win against Tulane on September 4.
“It was uncomfortable. When we got in the facility on Monday, even on Sunday, the vibe was uncomfortable. We knew what we had to do,” Rattler said.
The shifty running back Eric Gray lead rushers with 74 yards on nine carries, and also scored a 20-yard receiving TD.
The Sooners defense controlled the Catamount’s offense throughout the night, limiting Western Carolina to only three of 15 third-down conversions and 55 yards rushing.
Oklahoma jumped out early, taking a 17 point first quarter lead and extending it in the second quarter to a 45-0 halftime advantage.
This was the first shut out for the Sooners D since defeating Missouri State 48-0 in the 2020 opener.
“We threatened the guys in the second half that we were gonna run ‘em on Monday if they scored a touchdown. That was motivation for those older guys to help those younger guys out,” OU defensive coordinator Alex Grinch said after the game.
Freshman linebacker Danny Stutsman led the defense with eight tackles, including seven solo.
The Oklahoma offense ticked like clockwork. The Sooners earned 31 first downs in the game. The Sooners did not punt until late in the fourth quarter — the first punt of the season — a 57 yarder by Michael Turk.
Walk-on running back Jaden Knowles — also known as the “weatherman” for his work as the on-air weather broadcaster on the OU Nightly campus news broadcast — scored two third quarter touchdowns on runs of 1 and 29 yards.
Knowles had 37 yards rushing and 65 yards receiving.
Meanwhile, kicking star Gabe Brkic kicked his ninth career field goal of more than 50 yards and his nation-leading eighth since the start of the 2020 season. His 56-yarder against Western Carolina broke a school record 15th career field goal of 40 yards ore more set by R.D. Lashar.
The Sooners are now 2-0 going into next week’s Nebraska game in Norman. Kickoff will be at 11 a.m. and will be televised on FOX.
The game will memorialize the 1971 Game of the Century in which NU beat the Sooners 35-31 on Owen Field.
NEXT: Nebraska at home. 11 am. FOX
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