Caleb Williams grabs the ball from Kennedy Brooks, and runs for the Sooners' first down late in quarter four vs. Kansas. (0:25).
Oklahoma won a tough battle against Kansas in 35-23. Caleb Williams provided another spark in Oklahoma's win.
The Sooners took a fourth-and-one at their 46-yard line with Oklahoma still leading by 28 to 23 in the fourth quarter. Kennedy Brooks, running back, took a handoff by Williams and was stopped just two yards from the line. Brooks was trying to fight off defenders when Williams grabbed the ball from his hands and turned around to run for a first down. Brooks scored 10 plays after the play to give Oklahoma the lead and to bleed out the clock.
Officials reviewed the play and determined that it was permissible since the handoff occurred behind the line.
Riley was very pleased with the head-up play and said that Oklahoma coaches discuss these scenarios with their players in what they call "gotta' situations. However, Riley stated that the coaches didn’t draw this scenario up.
Riley stated, "You have to give those two kids a lot of credit," Riley noted, noting Brooks, who is a rare fumbler, was willing to let someone else take the ball from him.
Riley stated that Kennedy understood what Caleb was trying do. They both saw the situation clearly and decided it was worth taking the chance. It would have been worth it even if Caleb had to be tackled. It was smart football, and I don’t want to take any credit. That was a great play by those guys.
Jeremiah Hall was the Sooners' Hback. He said that he was blocking and didn't see it initially. However, he laughed at the unspoken communication between his teammates.
"I was shocked when I saw the replay. Hall stated. Hall said, "I didn’t even know it was legal, number one." Kennedy said that he knew Caleb had given him the ball, and I asked him if he knew. They must be doing something.
Brooks stated that it wasn't so complicated.
He said, "I knew I couldn't be tackled on fourth down." "So I gave the ball to him."
This play saved another comeback for the Sooners who are all too familiar this season with close games. They were 38.5 points favorites on Saturday. Kansas, however, led 10-0 at halftime. Kansas held OU to 78 yards and four first downs in halftime. This ended the Sooners' longest streak of scoring in the second half at 86 consecutive games.
Williams, who burst onto the scene with a win over Texas and a nearly perfect first start against TCU had a much less impressive day. He completed 15 of 20 passes for 278 yards and two touchdowns. Eight carries totalled 70 yards and another score.
Riley made sure to give credit to the Jayhawks for keeping the Sooners off the field. They ran 28 times for 132 yards in halftime, retaining the ball for 22 minutes, and limiting OU's offensive play count to 17. Riley called it the fastest first half he's ever seen and spoke out about his frustration at the Sooners' eight penalties during that time, which kept Kansas drives alive.
He said, "I don’t care who your opponent is." "If you don’t grab momentum early in a game of road football, you’re going to be in for a fight and we were. It's not easy to play well when it's close. We are tired of being so close. We have to get it beyond the edge."
Brooks stated that the Sooners were slow to emerge.
He said, "Honestly, we played down to our enemy."
Riley remains confident in the team's "personality", despite the Sooners' 16th consecutive win and impressive fourth-quarter play from a freshman quarterback. He is frustrated they must keep going.
Riley stated, "The hardest opponent we have right now is ourselves." We beat ourselves up too much. "I love how we end, and I don't know if we can ever learn to play a complete match with this team. But we have something."
