Rattler, No. 3 Oklahoma hold off Nebraska 23-16

3 years ago 352

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma and Nebraska played arsenic if they were trying to uphold the past of the rivalry.

Spencer Rattler passed for a touchdown and ran for another, and No. 3 Oklahoma held connected to bushed Nebraska 23-16 connected Saturday.

Celebrating the 50-year day of the “Game of the Century” — No. 1 Nebraska’s 35-31 triumph implicit No. 2 Oklahoma successful 1971 — the teams rewarded their nostalgic fans with a competitory contest. The programs had a fierce, yet respectful rivalry successful the Big Eight and Big 12, with Nebraska winning 5 nationalist titles and Oklahoma claiming 4 betwixt 1970 and 2000.

“It was conscionable a hard-fought game,” Oklahoma manager Lincoln Riley said. “You knew it would be. There’s a batch of pridefulness successful these 2 programs. Both these programs person won a batch of games, a batch of championships. To bring this crippled backmost — I deliberation everybody sensed however peculiar it would be. Both teams roseate to the juncture and gave america a large assemblage shot game.”

It was their archetypal gathering since 2010 — close earlier Nebraska near the Big 12 for the Big Ten — and it was memorable and overmuch person than expected. The Sooners were a three-touchdown favourite and determination were adjacent reports during the offseason that Nebraska looked astatine perchance trying to reschedule the crippled for its rebuilding programme to different year.

Turns retired the Huskers were much than game.

Nebraska got the shot trailing by a touchdown with 57 seconds remaining and nary timeouts. The Sooners sacked Adrian Martinez doubly connected the last drive, and the Cornhuskers could not negociate a archetypal down.

Eric Gray ran for 84 yards connected 15 carries and Kennedy Brooks added 75 yards connected 14 attempts for the Sooners (3-0), who gained 408 yards.

Martinez passed for 289 yards and a touchdown for Nebraska (2-2), which sought its archetypal triumph implicit a ranked squad since 2015.

“Our guys aren’t into motivation victories,” Martinez said. “We privation to triumph games. Simple arsenic that. There are decidedly a batch of positives to instrumentality distant from today, and we volition bash that erstwhile we ticker the film. But astatine the extremity of the day, we mislaid the game. So that is that.”

Oklahoma opened with an old-school 14-play, 75-yard drive. Rattler sneaked successful from the 1 to springiness the Sooners a 7-0 lead.

Nebraska responded with a 14-play drive, but the Huskers were derailed by 4 penalties. Connor Culp’s career-long 51-yard tract extremity enactment the Cornhuskers connected the board.

Oklahoma led 7-3 astatine halftime. In the 3rd quarter, Oklahoma’s Mario Williams took a transportation and threw backwards to Rattler, who recovered Marvin Mims unfastened for a 23-yard gain. The Sooners cashed successful and took a 14-3 pb erstwhile Rattler connected with Jeremiah Hall successful the extremity portion for a 1-yard touchdown pass.

Nebraska appeared to summation momentum erstwhile Martinez scored from 4 yards out. Nebraska’s ample visiting assemblage roared, and a large “Go Big Red” chant followed with 8 seconds near successful the 3rd quarter.

Oklahoma rapidly responded. Isaiah Coe blocked the other point, and Pat Fields returned it 100 yards for 2 points. It was Oklahoma’s archetypal blocked other constituent instrumentality for a 2-point conversion since Zack Sanchez ran 1 backmost against TCU successful 2014.

Brooks scored connected a 2-yard tally aboriginal successful the 4th quarter, and the other constituent enactment the Sooners up 23-9.

Martinez completed a 55-yard walk to Zavier Betts, and a 15-yard unsportsmanlike behaviour punishment against Oklahoma’s sideline was tacked connected to instrumentality the shot from the Nebraska 13 to the Oklahoma 17. Sooner cornerback D.J. Graham’s spectacular leaping one-handed interception connected 4th down snuffed retired the threat.

Nebraska yet gained possession successful bully tract position, and Martinez recovered Omar Manning for a 21-yard touchdown pass. The other constituent chopped Oklahoma’s pb to 23-16 with 5:38 to play.

Oklahoma knocked astir 5 minutes disconnected the timepiece with its adjacent drive, leaving the Cornhuskers with small clip to respond.

Nebraska manager Scott Frost said helium was arrogant of the mode his squad played.

“We’re going to get much opportunities to triumph a large game,” helium said. “But if they play similar that — similar we played contiguous each year, and combat that hard each year, we’re going to person a accidental successful a batch of games. And arsenic disappointed arsenic I am, I’m blessed for the mode that they competed.”

THE TAKEAWAY

Nebraska: The Cornhuskers fought valiantly and the defence enactment up different coagulated performance. Nebraska had allowed 7 points to Fordham and 3 to Buffalo successful its erstwhile 2 games. But the Cornhuskers volition request to chopped down connected penalties and mistakes to vie successful the Big Ten.

Oklahoma: The Sooners had different beardown antiaircraft effort a week aft shutting retired Western Carolina 76-0. Nebraska had averaged 517 yards per game, but Oklahoma held the Cornhuskers to 384 yards. The Sooners slogged their mode done non-conference play unbeaten, but they volition request to fig retired however to decorativeness drives amended heading into league play.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Oklahoma apt won’t suffer overmuch ground, adjacent though the crippled was person than expected.

STOOPS HONORED

Bob Stoops, who coached Oklahoma to the 2000 nationalist title, was honored astatine halftime for being inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame’s 2021 class.

Stoops won 190 games successful 18 seasons with the Sooners and led the Sooners to 4 BCS National Championship Game appearances.

Stoops was besides successful municipality arsenic portion of Fox’s “Big Noon Kickoff” pregame show.

QUOTABLE

Martinez connected the experience: “It was awesome. It was. The atmosphere, conscionable however adjacent you are connected the sideline. I mean, we possibly had a ft of country implicit determination (in beforehand of the fans), and I loved it. I had the pupil conception chirping me. Let’s go. Bring it on, you cognize what I mean? So you’ve got to emotion it. It’s a portion of assemblage football. And I was blessed to beryllium present today.”

UP NEXT

Nebraska visits Michigan State connected Saturday to unfastened Big Ten play.

Oklahoma opens its Big 12 slate by hosting West Virginia connected Saturday.

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