How Theo Wease rose up with key plays against Texas — over and over

The Sooners are always in the market for a go-to receiver, but Lincoln Riley likes the depth and versatility of OU's receiver corps so far

Time after time, Spencer Rattler needed a big play.

And time after time, he sought out Theo Wease.

Wease saved Oklahoma numerous times on Saturday in the Cotton Bowl with catches up high, catches down low, catches in traffic — even one catch while being smacked in the facemask and grabbed by the helmet.

“It was just a big moment,” Wease said, “but it was just a routine play. My number was called just had to make a play when I got an opportunity.”

Theo Wease :: Ty Russell / OU Athletics

It’s possible that the 6-foot-3, 192-pound sophomore from Allen, TX, emerged as the Sooners’ go-to receiver in OU’s 53-45 victory over Texas. He led the team with eight receptions for 52 yards — a pedestrian 6.4 yards per catch, but most of them of the clutch variety — and finished his day with a strong-handed grab of Rattler’s 2-point throw in the fourth overtime.

And it wasn’t just Rattler who needed Wease. When Rattler was benched in the second quarter, Tanner Mordecai’s first two throws — 14 yards and 13 yards on back-to-back plays — went to Wease.

His eight catches on the day wasn’t only a career-high — it matched his total for the season as a freshman in 2019, and surpassed his total (seven catches for 93 yards) so far this season ahead of Saturday.

“I wasn’t too worried about not getting the ball or anything,” Wease said. “It’s just football, things don’t always go your way, especially as a receiver. You’re not going to always get the targets you want. But like I said earlier, just step up when my number was called and take advantage of every opportunity.”

Not only did Wease step up when his number was called, he also bounced back from a particularly rough patch in last week’s loss at Iowa State. Rattler sent him a deep ball over the shoulder, but he didn’t track it right and the ball sailed through his hands without even touching it. It would have produced a first-and-goal or possibly a touchdown, but instead the Sooners settled for a field goal on the drive and ended up losing 37-30.

Theo Wease :: Ty Russell / OU Athletics

To bounce back against with the best game of his career — to literally save his team with a handful of acrobatic, third-down grabs — must have felt good.

“Theo made some really, really critical plays for us,” coach Lincoln Riley said Monday. “I mean, there’s no question, some very competitive catches. Did a great job in the crucial situations.”

Riley also praised tight end Austin Stogner and freshman wideout Marvin Mims for their clutch aerial contributions. Stogner caught six passes for a team-high 56 yards and a touchdown, and Mims caught four for 52, including a couple of athletic grabs of his own to go with a 30-yard touchdown.

Riley is accustomed to having a single, go-to receiver — at East Carolina, Justin Hardy broke Ryan Broyles’ NCAA record for career catches; at Oklahoma, Sterling Shepard climbed the Sooners’ career charts, Dede Westbrook became OU’s first Biletnikoff winner, and Marquise Brown and CeeDee Lamb became first-round draft picks.

This receiver corps might not have that kind of productivity or upside yet — or maybe it does and it’s only now starting to emerge.

“I think if you have a group of guys that you feel like, in certain situations, you can go to any of ‘em and have a chance to win, I mean, I think that’s always a great thing,” Riley said. “Sure, you always want great players, but I think the options are important. Because then a quarterback can just go through his reads and deliver the ball and trust any of the guys to win.

“I like the options that we have. I know our quarterbacks feel like when they get out there right now, that they can go to a number of different guys, and I think that makes it easier on the quarterbacks.

“So hopefully that can be a confidence booster and kind of a take-off point for a lot of our guys and, certainly, if you’re in Theo’s shoes, you certainly gain a lot of confidence by not only making really good plays, but you make ‘em in some very important and critical moments in that ballgame.”

Said Wease, “I definitely think we’re gonna take a big step the rest of the season. All the receivers, we played great together. I felt the chemistry. I just felt the energy that everything felt great with the team. Spencer, he’s definitely been leading this very well, it’s definitely showing on Saturdays, so I definitely think we’re gonna take a big step from here.”

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