Sooners sound off: The best individual quotes after Oklahoma's 53-45 win
Saturday's tilt between Oklahoma and Texas was relatively inconsequential in terms of its impact on the national picture. The Sooners came into the game at 1-2, while the Longhorns rolled in with a 2-1 record.
However, the contest that ensued in the Cotton Bowl immediately cemented its place in the history books. When the smoke finally cleared, Oklahoma emerged with a bizarre 53-45 win in four overtimes. The Sooners blew a 14-point lead with three and a half minutes to play in regulation. Then, in the third overtime, Gabe Brkic missed a chip-shot field goal that would have given Oklahoma a walk-off win. But finally, four and a half hours after the opening kickoff, Drake Stoops hauled in a 25-yard touchdown pass from Spencer Rattler in overtime number four. On the Longhorns' possession, Tre Brown picked off Sam Ehlinger in the end zone to ice the game, and the Sooners waltzed off the field in triumph.
Six players spoke to the media after the Sooners wrapped up the unbelievable victory. Here are the most poignant words from each of those individuals.
Drake Stoops, son of Bob, still struggled to process his newfound status as Sooner cult legend.
I just love football so unexplainably much... I've prayed for times like this.
Tre Brown's evaluation of his game-sealing interception was simple and to the point.
My number was called today, and I went to go make a play.
Theo Wease expressed optimism that this win could be the start of a drastic turnaround for Oklahoma.
I felt the chemistry. I felt the energy. Everything felt great as a team. Spencer, he's definitely been leading us very well, and it's showing on Saturdays. I definitely think we're gonna take a big step from here.
Safety-turned-cornerback Woodi Washington, who recorded his first career interception with a fourth-quarter pick of Ehlinger, emphasized that the Sooners' mentality never wavered.
I know defensively, we just stuck to the bottom line. It's a thing we go through every day. And like Coach said, we're going to get adversity throughout the game, so we just stuck to what we've been doing.
The defense looked gassed as Ehlinger and the Longhorns mounted a fourth-quarter rally, but came up with crucial stops in the third and fourth overtimes. David Ugwoegbu lent some insight on how the Sooners flipped the script.
A couple leaders of the team stepped up and just got everybody to redial and focus in and focus on the task at hand. Like, we always talk about "strain to the ball, give me your all." After the game hits zero-zero, then we can worry about being tired. But the game wasn't over yet.
And Spencer Rattler gave props to his defense for picking up the slack when the offense came up short. Rattler had been benched in the second quarter after a pair of turnovers, but rebounded with three total touchdowns across the four overtime periods to lead Oklahoma to victory.
We got each other’s back. We believe in each side of the ball. So of course we’re gonna be cheering our guys on and hoping they’re going to stop somebody. But we gotta be prepared for the worst situations at all times on both sides of the ball. The defense played a great game today. Overtime, that’s a tough situation, short yards and all that. So shoutout to the defense. They played a hell of a game.
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