Stormin in Norman
Fansided

Oklahoma football: When was last time OU blocked a punt for a TD?

By Chip Rouse

NORMAN, OK - SEPTEMBER 01: Linebacker Bryan Mead #38 and defensive back Caleb Murphy #26 congratulate linebacker Curtis Bolton #18 of the Oklahoma Sooners who recovered a blocked punt to score against the Florida Atlantic Owls at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on September 1, 2018 in Norman, Oklahoma. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images)
NORMAN, OK - SEPTEMBER 01: Linebacker Bryan Mead #38 and defensive back Caleb Murphy #26 congratulate linebacker Curtis Bolton #18 of the Oklahoma Sooners who recovered a blocked punt to score against the Florida Atlantic Owls at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on September 1, 2018 in Norman, Oklahoma. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) /
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There were plenty of good things to build on from Saturday’s 63-14 shellacking of Florida Atlantic, and one of those was the play of special teams.

Often an unheralded aspect in breaking down team performance in a football game, frequently the outcome of a game, if not the turning point, is decided by one play or the collective output on special teams.

Lincoln Riley was quick to include special teams in his postgame praise for the way his team played on Saturday.

The Oklahoma defense forced a three-and-out on Florida Atlantic’s second possession of the game. The ensuing punt attempt, from the OU 28-yard line, was blocked by Sooner Lee Morris and recovered in the end zone by senior linebacker Curtis Bolton for an Oklahoma touchdown.

That play was not a deciding factor in the game by any means, but it clearly changed the flow and momentum in the game.

"“It was kind of one of the biggest special teams plays that we’ve been looking for,” Riley said in addressing reporters after the game. “There was kind of a surge of energy from there, and we rode that wave of momentum the rest of the way through.”"

The blocked punt recovery was one of two scoring plays on the day for Morris. He also caught a 65-yard touchdown pass from QB Kyler Murray just a couple of minutes after the blocked punt. It was a big day for the redshirt junior wide-receiver Morris (it got even bigger on Monday, when he was awarded a scholarship), but he was just as excited for his teammate Bolton.

"“It’s always great for a defensive player and you’re getting your hands on the ball,” Bolton said. “It’s not a feeling I get to experience too often.”"

Blocking a punt on special teams is rare enough for Oklahoma, but to have one result in a touchdown is even more special. It was the Sooners’ first blocked punt since 2013 (Matt Dimon against Kansas).

You have to go back even further in time for a blocked punt by OU that resulted in a special teams touchdown. It’s been 17 seasons since the Sooners’ Will Peoples recovered a blocked punt against Texas Tech in 2002 and turned it into a touchdown.

What is it that friends say to each other when they get together after having not seen seen each other for a long time: We have to do this more often. 

Seems to apply here as well.

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