The Spencer Rattler era of Oklahoma football began with a bang on Saturday with a 48-0 blowout of Missouri State.
Oklahoma put the game away early with a 31-0 first-quarter explosion as the Sooners scored on all five of its possessions in the opening quarter, including three touchdown passes by Rattler.
True freshman Seth McGowan scored on a one-yard touchdown run, completing a five-play, 58-yard scoring drive on Oklahoma’s opening possession. The Sooners scored on their next two possessions with Rattler and true freshman Marvin Mims hooking up on a 58-yard scoring strike, followed by a 53-yard touchdown pass to Charleston Rambo.
The Sooners added a 42-yard field goal by junior Stephen Johnson to complete the first-quarter scoring.
Oklahoma added a 22-yard field goal by Johnson and a 15-yard touchdown throw by Rattler to Rambo in the second quarter to take a 41-0 advantage into the locker room at halftime.
Rattler’s debut as the Oklahoma starter at quarterback lasted a little more than a half, with backup Tanner Mordecai taking over in the third quarter. Rattler’s impressive stat line for the game was 14 for 17 passing for 290 yards, four touchdowns and an average of 17.1 yards per completion. Mordecai completed 14 of 17 for 157 yards and a touchdown.
The Sooner offense amassed 608 yards of total offense, while the defense shutout Missouri State, allowing just 135 total yards.
Twelve Oklahoma receivers caught passes in the game, led by UCLA transfer Theo Howard with five catches for 63 yards. Rambo had four receptions for 80 yards and two touchdowns and Mims had three catches for 80 yards. Trevon West and Mikey Henderson added four receptions each.
The Sooners added 124 rushing yards, with freshman Seth McGowan leading the ground attack with 61 yards on nine carries.
Oklahoma’s total dominance in this game was underscored by the fact that the Sooners punted just once in 13 offensive possessions.
This was the fourth straight season-opening win under Lincoln Riley and the Sooners’ 98th overall in 126 seasons.
The Sooners next game will be two weeks from now, on Sept. 26, when they host Kansas State in their Big 12 opener.