A late entrance ignited the crowd on Saturday afternoon.
The No. 4-ranked Oklahoma Sooners were already up 45-14 on the Texas Tech Red Raiders when quarterback Spencer Rattler entered the game to a hearty applause from the remaining OU faithful in the stands.
Though the game had clearly entered garbage time, Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley kept the playbook open, allowing Rattler to air it out.
All it took for Rattler was four plays to drive 49 yards, tossing a dart to wide receiver Brian Darby for a 42-yard touchdown pass deep down the middle, igniting the Oklahoma sideline.
Brian Asamoah, Key Lawrence, Chris Murray, David Ugwoegbu, Jadon Haselwood and others mobbed Rattler as he returned to the sideline, clearly overjoyed for their quarterback after a tumultuous month for Rattler.
After the game, Riley pointed out the team’s reaction to Rattler as all the proof anyone needed that Rattler has been a great teammate behind the scenes, despite what the outside narrative about the young quarterback may be.
“I’ve been saying this all along and I think maybe people on the outside believe me, don’t believe me, whatever,” Riley said after the win. “But do you think the team would’ve reacted that way if all the stuff that people have been reporting on the outside was true? There you go. That narrative needs to end.
“That narrative is over and I hope every one of you write it. Because that narrative is over.”
Since the moment Rattler was replaced against Texas and Caleb Williams led the Sooners to victory, speculation has swirled about Rattler’s next step.
Would he enter the transfer portal mid-season? Step away from the program to prepare for the NFL draft? Create a stink and be a distraction for the rest of the team after losing his starting job?
In fact, the exact opposite has happened, said Rattler’s teammates.
“Spence could've went one of two ways,” redshirt senior defensive back Justin Broiles said of Rattler. “He could've went left or he could've went right. Let's say left was the self-pity role and right was the stay-confident, stay-ready, stay-poised role.
“That's a testament to see how mentally tough he is, with everybody scrutinizing, with everybody throwing logs to add to his fire that's burning inside of him. That's a testament to his mentality.”
Wide receiver Drake Stoops echoed Broiles’ sentiment, reaffirming how well Rattler has handled the last month behind the scenes.
“It says a lot about him, the person that he is and the character that he has,” Stoops said. “(Justin Broiles) said earlier, he could have gone one or two ways and he's taking the route of being a great teammate.
“He's coaching up younger guys, still being the leader that he is. He's one of our team captains, and it says a lot about his character. He comes in and he's still bombing it just like always. That's not going to change. That's who he is.”
More than just a leader for the team, he’s been a mentor to Williams, helping guide him through his first string of starts as the quarterback at Oklahoma, safety Pat Fields said.
“He's helped Caleb with things,” Fields said. “He's helped kind of give Caleb his experience and things like that. He's stayed positive, kind of like talking and being a little bit more competitive in practice and things like that. So I just loved seeing him go out there and make a couple of plays, make a couple of throws that we're all used to seeing. And everybody's celebrating him.”
Rattler returned on the final possession of the game, handing the ball off to running back Marcus Major three times and completing three passes to close out the game and close the book on any rumors that he’s checked out.
The former 5-star quarterback is still fully engaged, ensuring that Oklahoma boasts the most talented quarterback room in the country.
And the Sooners could still need Rattler.
The victory over Texas Tech sent OU into their bye week 9-0, but battles against the three best teams in the Big 12 — Baylor, Iowa State and Oklahoma State — still loom in the distance.
Oklahoma will need every ounce of talent on the roster to step up if they hope to enter the Big 12 Championship game undefeated in December.
If he’s called upon, Riley has no doubt Rattler will be able to slot straight into the lineup and get results.
“Like I’ve told you guys, I had no doubt when he gets his next opportunity, he’s gonna play well,” Riley said. “It was good to see him get an opportunity today.
“The cool thing is those two are really happy for each other and have pushed each other. On a great team, it’s what you’ve got to have.”
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