Oklahoma football: 10 days till kickoff — No.10 Torrance Marshall

“You got my boys trophy. We want it back,” Oklahoma football linebacker Torrance Marshall said to Florida State quarterback Chris Weinke in the 2000 National Championship game.

Before arriving at Oklahoma, Marshall attended Kemper Military School, where he had 198 tackles, and then would make his way to Miami-Dade College. After going the junior college route, Marshall would commit to the Sooners, starting in the 1999 season.

We only witnessed two years of Marshall in a crimson and cream uniform, but it’s enough to be No.10 on the list.

The 2000 season is where Torrance Marshall gets enshrined by Sooner fans. On November 11 at Texas A&M, the Sooners were down 31-28 against the Aggies with 7:30 left in the 4th quarter. Marshall intercepted quarterback Mark Farris and took it for six, giving the Sooners the lead and keeping their National Championship hopes alive. It was also a legendary call by Brent Musburger that goes down as one of the best in an OU game.

“Intercepted. Marshall picks it off, and the big linebacker is still going… TOUCHDOWN, TOUCHDOWN. Oklahoma regains the lead,” Musburger on the pick-six by Marshall.

It was Marshall’s first career interception, and it could not have come at a better time.

The Sooners would go on to win the next three games, including a Big 12 Championship win over Kansas State, 27-24. It established a date with Florida State in the 2000 FedEx Orange Bowl to determine the national champion.

We all remember the legendary jawing between Torrance Marshall and Chris Weinke, but there was talk before taking the field. A Florida State player bumped into the Sooners locker room door, which busted it open, and Marshall had a view of the Seminoles taking the field. Marshall and other players had to be held back in the locker room.

“Let me tell you something, man. If we woulda got out of that door and into that hallway, there might not have been no national championship game,” Marshall said.

Now we get to the coin toss, where Marshall had a few words for Florida State quarterback Chris Weinke, who was awarded the Heisman Trophy a week before the showdown. Marshall jawed at the quarterback and avowing that Sooner quarterback Josh Heupel should’ve won the Heisman Trophy. Weinke responded to Marshall, saying, “That wasn’t his.” After Weinke’s response, Marshall said, “You’re going to find out today,” which is exactly how it went down.

The 2000 National Championship is the most iconic moment for Torrance Marshall in a Sooners uniform. Marshall, the heart of the defense had six tackles and picked off Weinke early in the first quarter. Marshall was awarded the Most Valuable Player in the 2000 FedEx Orange Bowl.

It’s a year that goes down in the history books because of the 2000 National Championship, but the Sooners don’t make it there without middle linebacker Torrance Marshall. He was a third-team All-American in 2000 and finished second on the Sooner’s defense in tackles.