Sooners chop the Gators 55-20 — defense trashes Trask
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.
Sooners defense holds on to 27-21 win for Big 12 Championship
An anemic second half offense put the Sooners defense in the position of having to hold off an Iowa State comeback lead by scrambling and seasoned QB Brock Purdy.
And they did.
The win was sealed by the OU defense — specifically a last minute interception of a Purdy pass by cornerback Tre Brown.
And so Oklahoma won its sixth straight Big 12 Championship in a tremendous 27-21 win over Iowa State before the Covid-limited 17,827 spectators at AT&T Stadium on Saturday in Arlington, Texas.
Brown’s interception capped the game, but his important kickoff returns also factored heavily in a field position game that favored the Sooners most of the second half.
Sooner fans were on edge late in the game as Iowa State kept gaining momentum. With 5:15 left in the game it looked like the Sooners defenders might be wearing down, holding onto a narrow 3-point lead, despite a stellar pass rush led by tackle Perrion Winfrey that never gave Purdy much comfort in the pocket most of the game.