Oklahoma football: Five takeaways from Sooners season-opening slammer

There were few surprises from the dominating Oklahoma football win over Missouri State, but plenty of new contributors.

This game was a giant mismatch from the start, but at the very least, the Sooners 48-0 whitewash of the visiting Bears of Missouri State served as a nice tune up for the Big 12 schedule, which kicks off two weeks from now and when the games become significantly more important.

The 2020 season opener had a very different look with only about 23,000 fans in the stands at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. This was the first time in 130 games and 21 years that the stadium was not filled to capacity. All because of social distancing requirements prompted by COVID-19 concerns.

It was the smallest crowd to attend an Oklahoma home football game since 11,000 watched a homecoming game against Iowa State in November 1945.

The environment may have been dramatically different, but the results were what Sooner fans have become accustomed to from Lincoln Riley’s high-powered Oklahoma offense. And on this night, the Sooner defense played a key role in the outcome, as well.

Oklahoma outgained its FCS opponent by almost 500 yards, 608 to 135 and ran 35 more offensive plays (71 to 46) than Missouri State. Those two stats tell the whole story of the game.

Despite the huge disparity in talent level, and ultimately in the final score, there were some important takeaways from the game. Here are five of the most obvious ones:

Spencer Rattler is the real deal

This was Spencer Rattler’s first collegiate start at quarterback, but you wouldn’t have known that by the numbers he put up in just two quarters of action Saturday night.

The former No. 1 quarterback prospect in the 2019 national class completed 14 of 17 passes, including his first eight of nine, for 290 yards and four touchdown passes. He is the first freshman in OU football history to throw four TD passes in his first career start. His touchdown passes included a 58-yard strike in the first quarter to true freshman Marvin Mims and a 53-yard touchdown throw to Charleston Rambo in the very next possession.

Rattler’s 303.3 passing efficiency rating was an OU freshman record and a Big 12 record for freshman. He also set a school freshman record for yards per completion (23.7) and yards per attempt (17.1).

The Sooner defense was downright nasty and in lockdown mode

One game certainly does not make a season, and you also have to factor that we’re talking about Missouri State, which resides a full level down from every other Oklahoma opponent this season and is in rebuild year following a 1-10 season a year ago. Those huge caveats aside, however, the Sooner defensive effort in this game was as dominant as we’ve witnessed in several seasons.

To begin with, it was Oklahoma’s first shutout since a 55-0 win over Kansas State in 2015 and the first in a season-opening game since 2013.

Alex Grinch’s defensive unit allowed just 135 yards of total offense, and a good deal of that came in the second half when the game had long been decided. It was the fewest yards allowed since OU held UT-Chattanooga to just 36 yards in a season-opening win in 2008.

Missouri State’s offensive output after the first 15 minutes was a miniscule one yard.

It was an outstanding start for a defense that just two years ago was among the worst in college football. Now we’ll see how it translates going forward as the Sooners head into their most difficult schedule stretch in the next four games.

New faces making contributions all over the field

Twenty-two players made their first appearance in an Oklahoma uniform, including 15 first-year players. Among the first-year players making key contributions in the game were wide receiver Marvin Mims, who caught three passes for 80 yards, including a 58-yard touchdown. Theo Howard, a redshirt senior who transferred from UCLA led all Sooner receivers with five receptions for 63 yards. Wide-receiver Trevon West caught four passes for 59 yards

True freshman Seth McGowan led the Oklahoma rushing attack with 61 yards on nine carries, and he also caught a 37-yard touchdown pass.

On the defensive side, redshirt sophomore Brian Asamoah, making his first career start, led the Sooners with seven tackles.

Overall, there was plenty to like from many new faces playing key roles in the Oklahoma victory.

Who didn’t play was nearly as big a story line as who did

Noticeably absent from those Sooners who saw action in the game were some key figures who were out of action. Redshirt junior Stephen Johnson handled the placekicking duties in place of Gabe Brkic and Seth McGowan got the start and most of the running back carries in place of lead running back T.J. Pledger. Other surprises among the players who did not suit up for the game included defensive end Marcus Stripling, wide receiver Obi Obialo (a transfer from Marshall), safeties Bryson Washington and Justin Broiles and offensive linemen Anton Harrison, Andrew Raym and Stacey Wilkins.

All are expected to be big contributors this season. There was no immediate explanation provided regarding whether the absences were due to COVID or injuries.

Except for penalties, the Sooners’ execution was sharp for first game

Oklahoma got off to a red-hot start, scoring 31 points in the first quarter and scoring on all five possessions in the quarter. While the starters were in, the OU offense was virtually unstoppable. The Sooners scored on each of their first seven possessions in the game (five TDs and two field goals) and averaged over eight yards per play for the game.

Defensively, OU allowed Missouri State to reach the red zone just once the entire game.

Oklahoma’s fast start enabled Lincoln Riley and his coaches to utilize over 60 players in the game, providing valuable game experience very deep into the roster. This will pay off in games down the road.