Oklahoma football: Three bold predictions for an OU win over TCU
By Chip Rouse
Oklahoma football coach Lincoln Riley is keeping all of us in suspense regarding the quarterback status for Saturday’s game against TCU. That’s what he wants everyone to believe, anyway.
Everyone is expecting talented freshman quarterback Caleb Williams to make his collegiate debut as a starter on Saturday. The bigger surprise will be if Spencer Rattler trots out with the OU first-team offense on the Sooners’ first possession against TCU.
Rattler, a five-star 2019 recruit and a preseason All-American this season may have lost his starting job after 17 consecutive starts at OU at the quarterback position and a 15-2 record, including a 14-game win streak. You rarely see something like this, but it’s hard to overlook the performance that Williams had in bringing Oklahoma back from a 35-17 second-quarter deficit with 300 yards of offense and three touchdowns (one rushing and two passing).
Riley and the Sooners might be sacrificing Rattler’s experience factor and his understanding of the offense having been in it for three season, but what they gain in Williams is the added dimension of his running ability along with a strong, accurate arm throwing the football.
Unlike a year ago, Rattler has not done well finding or connecting with receivers 20 or more yards downfield. Williams completed three of five such attempts in the second half against Texas, including throws of 47 and 52 yards.
Again, assuming that Williams is the starter on Saturday night –you can only imagine how the fans at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium will react if he isn’t, especially after the reaction given Rattler at the last OU home game — all eyes will be on the new kid on the block to see if he can follow up his performance in the Red River game with another stellar outcome.
That, in itself, is a bold prediction — OK, maybe that bold. But as long as I’m already out there on the limb, here are three more bold predictions pertaining to Oklahoma’s game with TCU:
Caleb Williams will throw two touchdown passes and run for one
Caleb Williams will have the opportunity on Saturday to show that his productivity and contribution to Sooner football are more than just a one-game fancy. The last time TCU came to Norman, a quarterback named Jalen Hurts burned the Horned Frogs’ defense for 172 rushing yards, two rushing TDs and two passing touchdowns. Williams is a similar-style quarterback to Hurts, but faster and a much better passer.
Expect an encore performance against TCU. Williams won’t run for 172 yards, but he will run and pick up plenty of positive yards. One of those runs will produce a touchdown, and he’ll connect with two other Sooners on at least a pair of touchdown passes.
Kennedy Brooks will rush for at least 125 yards
Kennedy Brooks has rushed for over 100 yards 10 times in three seasons at Oklahoma. But before last Saturday, he had not done so for nearly two years (primarily because he did not play in 2020 because of COVID-19 concerns). His 217-yard rushing performance against Texas was a career high.
Brooks has had back-to-back 100-yard games three times in his career. Make it four as he gains at least 125 yards on the ground against TCU.
Sooners will hold TCU freshman RB under 100 yards and force two fumbles
TCU true freshman Zach Evans is second in the Big 12 and 17th nationally in rushing yards with 586 yards in five games. That is an average of nearly eight yards per carry. The Sooner defense, which ranks 11th in the country in rushing defense, held Texas sensation Bijan Robinson to 137 yards last Saturday, and 50 yards of that total came on one play.
The Sooners will slow down Evans and the TCU run game and record their sixth game out of seven holding an opponent to fewer than 100 yards on the ground.