After one gigantic shutout in the last week, #3 Oklahoma (3-0) struggled against Nebraska (2-2), but scored another victory in the 2021 college football season. The Sooners beat the Cornhuskers this Saturday (18), at Memorial Stadium, in Norman, by the score of 23 to 16 to continue well ranked in the long search for the CFP.
Neither team was a big hit in the encounter, but Oklahoma Sooners starting quarterback Spencer Rattler finished the game with 24 of 34 completed passes for 214 yards and a touchdown, off running six times for 35 yards and another TD.
The home side’s running backs Eric Gray and Kennedy Brooks had 15 carries for 84 yards and 14 carries for 75 yards and a touchdown, respectively. On defense, linebacker DeShaun White recorded ten total tackles, including five solos and a half sack. The play of the match, on the other hand, was an interception by cornerback DJ Graham, who made a beautiful one-handed interception.
For the Nebraska side, under center Adrian Martinez scored a touchdown and picked up 19-of-25 for 289 yards, in addition to rushing 17 times for 34 yards and a touchdown. On the defensive side, JoJo Domann had 12 total tackles, including seven solos and one for loss of yards, as well as a deflected pass.
Oklahoma will now face the West Virginia Mountaineers program (2-1) in their fourth straight home game, on September 25, in a Big 12 duel. On the same day, the Cornhuskers go to Spartan Stadium for the match of Big Ten conference against Michigan State (3-0) to try to take away the rival’s unbeaten record.
The game
The Sooners started the game scoring on the first drive. After a 14-play campaign, Rattler took advantage of the field position to enter the end zone in a short one-yard run. Nebrakas still managed to decrease before the end of the first quarter on Connor Culp’s 51-yard field goal to make the score 7-3.
In the second period, both teams missed their shots in a row. First Oklahoma with Gabe Brkic in the 54-yard attempt and then another long kick from Culp, this time from 50 yards. Other than that, the teams couldn’t move the chains and traded punts for the lowest score the home team has scored since 2017.
On the return of the break, Culp missed another FG, this time from 35 yards. But the mistakes stopped there as the Sooners followed in a one-yard pass from Spencer Rattler to wide receiver Jeremiah Hall. But the defense couldn’t stop Nebraska’s offense and QB Adrian Martinez ran into the end zone. But in the extra point attempt, the kick was blocked and Pat Fields returned to the rival’s promised land to score two points for Oklahoma at 16-9.
BLOCKED AND BROUGHT BACK FOR TWO ????
What a play from @OU_Football ???? pic.twitter.com/yYMgD4Lgk7
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 18, 2021
The final quarter started with Oklahoma scoring higher. Brooks now ran from the 2-yd-line to push the score even higher. And right after that came the most spectacular play of the game, where defensive back DJ Graham intercepted Martinez in the red zone on a fourth down there Odell Beckham Jr., one-handed.
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— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) September 18, 2021
When possession returned to the visitors’ offense, Adrian Martinez commanded a three-play drive to score another touchdown for the Cornhuskiers, this time on 21-yard passes for Omar Manning to leave the marker at 23-16. And Nebraska still had the chance to tie the game, but with less than a minute on the clock, the QB couldn’t move the chains from his backcourt and the victory was sealed.
(Photo: Reproduction Twitter/Oklahoma Football)
