Tennell steps up in Sooner win over Kansas
Early on Saturday the offense looked like a team without any drive.
But coming out of the locker room at halftime the Sooners completed their best offensive drive of the season.
Former-backup-now-starting QB Landry Jones launched a nine-play 75-yard drive in which he completed six passes – the last for a 9-yard touchdown – and, most surprisingly, found a sure handed receiver who had been the goat of the early season: Adron Tennell.
The Sooners went up 21-6 and never looked back, going on to defeat Kansas 35-13 and dispelling any naysayer notions that the three-loss Oklahoma would fold their tent after last week’s loss to Texas.
And in so doing Offensive Coodinator Kevin Wilson called plays that capitalized on a height mismatch – Tennell’s 6-4 frame against much shorter Kansas secondary men.
Jones had the hot hand. And Wilson called the hot plays, culminating in another impressive scoring drive later in the third quarter. Jones found Senior RB Chris Brown for an 8-yard touchdown and the Sooners went up 28-6.
And, this game was over.
Tennell finished the game with six catches for 47 yards. But this is what the coaches had expected of Tennell all year long.
“It’s been pleasing to see him make some plays that we’ve known he is capable of making,” Coach Bob Stoops said after the game. “It’s exciting to see him do that today and make some big plays for us.”
It helped that Ryan Broyles had another great game. His 11 catches for 121 yards placed the Norman High grad firmly among the ranks of recent Sooner receiver greats like Mark Clayton.
And, it helped that the Sooner defense has developed into a championship calibre unit.
Oklahoma is now 4-3. Although it seemed unlikely the Sooners would have any chance to play in the Big 12 Championship this season – after the Red River Rivalry game – stranger things have happened. Like, for instance, Texas A&M defeating Texas Tech 52-30 in Lubbuck. Or, lowly Iowa State beating Nebraska 9-7 in Lincoln.
Meanwhile, Oklahoma just needs to take care of its own business.
“We just need to be making improvement,” Stoops said. “Keep chopping wood and getting better. And I thought we did. It was a huge game. Our back was against the wall.”
– Mike