Oklahoma Football: Sooners hit the trifecta in weekly Big 12 honors
By John Makuch
A trio of Oklahoma football players earned Big 12 weekly honors after the Sooners’ incredible comeback win over archrival Texas on Saturday.
Running back Kennedy Brooks is the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week, freshman quarterback Caleb Williams earned Newcomer of the Week honors, and Gabe Brkic is the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week.
All three Sooners played key roles in the 21-point comeback victory that saw the highest scoring game and the largest comeback in Red River rivalry history.
The Sooner’s bell-cow, Brooks, delivered the best performance of his career, rushing for 217 yards and two touchdowns in the win over Texas, the Sooners fourth straight over their hated rivals. He averaged 8.7 yards per carry.
Brooks outperformed Texas superstar Bijan Robinson, who finished with 138 yards on 20 carries and averaged 6.9 yards per rush .
The highlights of his day were a 65-yard rush in the third quarter that led to an Oklahoma touchdown and was the one that put Oklahoma back in front with an 18-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Brooks ended his day in spectacular fashion, rushing for a 33-yard touchdown that gave Oklahoma the victory after an exhausting and exhilarating come from behind win. This is the first time in his three seasons at OU that Brooks has won the Big 12 Player of the Week award
Williams entered the game a little more than halfway through the second quarter in place of the struggling OU starter, Spencer Rattler, and took full advantage of the opportunity.
His day began even before he formally substituted for Rattler, turning in a 66-yard touchdown run on a fourth-and-one play at the Oklahoma 34-yard line early in the second quarter. The TD run cut Texas’ lead to 28-14.
Williams finished the game at quarterback for Oklahoma, bringing the Sooners back from a 35-17 deficit with 212 passing yards and two touchdowns and 88 additional yards on the ground for 300 total yards from scrimmage.
Oklahoma played with much more energy once Williams came into the game, and the quarterback switch paid off in an improbable Sooner win to keep their win streak alive at 14 games.
He played with composure and did not let the bright lights of the Red River rivalry get to him, leading the Sooners all the way back with some great downfield throws, the best of which was a 52-yard heave to Marvin Mims, who made an even better catch, that allowed Oklahoma to tie the game at 41-all.
Brkic added the Oklahoma’s scoring, going a perfect four-for-four on field goals along with five extra points. The OU kicker, who also performs kickoff duty for the Sooners, tied a school record with 17 total points and four field goals in a game.
Having a reliable kicker like Brkic is what makes these comebacks possible, and he has been that kind of player for the Sooners.
The redshirt junior now leads the country in made field goal with 15, showing that he is up there with the best in all of College Football.
This is the second time this season Brkic has been named Special Teams Player of the Week.
Performances like these are what has kept Oklahoma undefeated, and they will hope to keep a zero in the loss column against TCU this upcoming Saturday.