Oklahoma football: Five takeaways from return of Sooners’ spring game
By Chip Rouse
There was a lot to like about the OU spring game, all of which should leave Sooner fans feeling super excited about what they will see out of the 2021 edition Oklahoma football in the fall.
After a year’s absence because of the coronavirus outbreak that cancelled all NCAA spring sports activities, the energy and excitement of playing football with fans in the stands — even if it was just a controlled scrimmage — was abundant on Saturday afternoon under sunny skies and 68 degrees at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
A perfect spring day and festive environment for college football.
And there was plenty to catch the eye of the 20,000 or so of fans who had gathered to watch the action as the Sooners’ offensive and defensive units went toe-to-toe against each other in a 30-minute scrimmage divided into two halves.
In the final accounting, Lincoln Riley’s offense edged Alex Grinch’s defense 30-29.
Four quarterbacks saw action in the game, and all played well. Spencer Rattler is all but certain to be the return starter in the fall — the first time Oklahoma has had the same player start at QB in back-to-back seasons since Baker Mayfield in 2016 and 2017 — but one of the things that Sooner fans can take from Saturday’s game is that all of the OU quarterbacks played a strong game.
Rattler was 6 of 14 passing for 116 yards and lost three yards in his lone rushing attempt. He was only able to lead the offense to two long field goals, though, in the brief time he as in the game.
The other three QBs — freshman Caleb Williams, freshman Ben Harris and redshirt-freshman Ben Harris — were a combined 20 of 22 throwing the ball for 167 yards and were credited with 91 rushing yards on 10 carries.
There were plenty of highlights on both sides of the ball, but perhaps what stood out the most was the improved performance of the defense at all three levels (defensive line, linebackers and defensive secondary.
Perhaps the most spectacular play in the game was a one-handed sideline catch brought in by sophomore receiver Jadon Haselwood.
Here are five big takeaways from Oklahoma football’s annual rite of spring: