Oklahoma football: Four takeaways from a 4-OT Red River nerve wracker

A win is a win, and the Oklahoma football team is not apologizing for the way its dramatic four-overtime Red River win over Texas came about on Saturday.

It’s unfortunate that only 24,000 fans were in attendance Saturday in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas for what will go down as an epic Red River Showdown battle between these two longtime rivals.

No telling how long this game might have lasted had the OU’s Tre Brown not come down with Sam Ehlinger’s overthrown pass to the end zone in the fourth overtime to seal the deal for the Sooners.

The game was full of improbabilities. Oklahoma led 10-0 after one quarter. That was not an improbability, however, as the Sooners have outscored their four opponents 58-3 in the opening quarter this season. Texas capitalized on a couple of Oklahoma mistakes to score 17 points in the second quarter, which left the game tied at 17-all at the intermission.

OU head coach Lincoln Riley surprisingly removed freshman quarterback Spencer Rattler after he had committed his second turnover of the game and replaced him with backup Tanner Mordecai for the remainder of the half

The Sooners responded after halftime, putting up 14 unanswered points to take a commanding 31-17 lead into the fourth quarter. The final 15 minutes have been like a nightmare for Oklahoma this season, and the final five minutes of Saturday’s Red River rivalry was no exception.

The Longhorns’ four-year quarterback starter Ehlinger took over the game in the final minutes of regulation, leading Texas to two scores that tied the game and sent the contest into an extra session.

Both teams scored on their first two possessions of overtime, and both teams improbably came up empty in the third OT session, missing field-goal tries. That set up the dramatic ending.

And there you have it, a 53-45 Oklahoma win that will go down in the record books as the highest-scoring and longest game in the 116-game rivalry series, attended by the smallest crowd to see an OU-Texas game since 1930.

Here are four other takeaways from Oklahoma’s marathon victory on Saturday.

Defense was best its been since season opener

The Oklahoma defensive effort was solid for all but the last four minutes of the game, shutting down the Texas run game, recording an interception that saved a fourth-quarter UT touchdown and forcing a fumble while holding the Longhorns to 252 yards of total offense until the fateful 14-point rally in the closing minutes that sent the game into overtime.

The tackling was much better than it was the previous week at Iowa State. The Sooners were able to get constant pressure on Texas QB Sam Ehlinger. The Sooners recorded six sacks, seven quarterback hurries and 10 tackles for loss. Easily the best defensive effort since the season opening win over Missouri State.

Running game finds new life behind T.J. Pledger

The Oklahoma running game has splashed and sputtered its way through the first three games of the season. Head coach Lincoln Riley knew he had to have an effective rushing effort to beat Texas, but for that to happen, it was going to be up to junior T.J. Pledger with true freshman Seth McGowan out with an injury. And Pledger delivered with a career-high 131 yards rushing and a 6.0-yard average, a season high for an OU running back. He also scored a pair of touchdowns, his first two of the season and just the second and third of his career.

Rattler benching brings out his best

Spencer Rattler was benched by Lincoln Riley in the second quarter after throwing an interception and losing a fumble. For a long time, there was uncertainty whether he was removed from the game because of an injury or because the Sooner head coach wanted to give him some time to regroup and calm down.

Riley assured the young OU quarterback that he would get back in the game, and he returned to the game on Oklahoma’s first possession after halftime. The reflective time on the sidelines paid off, with Rattler regaining his confidence and his offensive rhythm in the third quarter. He led the Sooners to two touchdowns in the third quarter, one on a 17-play, 87-yard scoring drive that took a lot of time off the clock and, more importantly, kept Texas QB Sam Ehlinger on the sidelines.

Rattler finished the game with 23 of 35 passing for 209 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for 51 additional yards.

His 25-yard touchdown pass to Drake Stoops in the fourth overtime, followed by a short scoring pass to Theo Wease for a two-point conversion, won the game for the Sooners. Rattler also had an 11-yard scoring pass to Austin Stogner in the first OT session and a one-yard run for a score in the second overtime.

OU special teams contributes in special way to Sooner win

OU special teams also deserves a game ball for its prime-time contribution to the win.

David Ugwoegbu blocked a Texas punt in the second quarter that set up the Sooners’ second touchdown of the game, regaining the lead at 17-10.

After stopping the Texas offense on the first possession of the second half, true freshman Marvin Mims returned the Longhorn punt 36 yards, setting up an OU scoring drive that put the Sooners up 24-17.

Junior-college transfer Perrion Winfrey got his hands on a field-goal attempt by Texas kicker Cameron Dicker in the third overtime that forced a miss and gave Oklahoma an opportunity to win the game on the alternate OT possession. Unfortunately, Gabe Brkic missed the game-winning field goal try by the Sooners, sending the game to a fourth overtime.