No. 2 Oklahoma football was on serious upset alert today, against a frisky Tulane squad. Sooners quarterback Spencer Rattler had his moments, but his play wasn’t quite where the team needs it to be this year.
Rattler, the former No. 1 quarterback recruit now in his second year as starter, finished 30-for-39 for 304 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions, adding one score on the ground. The two turnovers proved especially costly.
On just the second play from scrimmage, Rattler was picked off by Jadon Canady. Tulane opened scoring with a touchdown eight plays later to go up 7-0. Later on, his second pick kept Tulane in the game. Oklahoma looked to have things in hand up 40-22 early in the fourth quarter. Macon Clark picked off Rattler, and once again, the Green Wave scored eight plays later to cut things to 40-28.
They’d cut things down even further to 40-35 on their next possession, and successfully recovered an onside kick, but the OU defense forced a four-and-out to secure the 40-35 win. After the game, Lincoln Riley admitted that his QB was not particularly sharp today.
Lincoln Riley on Spencer Rattler:
“He was…okay. He can definitely play better. His decision making was good, but he missed a few throws he always makes. And unfortunately he missed in spots that you can’t.” #Sooners pic.twitter.com/Mo8yDSSBNQ
— TJ Eckert (@TJEckertKTUL) September 4, 2021
Spencer Rattler entered the season with serious Heisman hype, as he’s the first quarterback to return for a second season as starter under Riley since Baker Mayfield. Last year, as a redshirt freshman, he had a rough few first weeks before finishing off a very impressive season.
It was just Week 1, and Oklahoma pulled out the win, so you can probably excuse one iffy game. Rattler should still be there among the sport’s best quarterbacks by the end of the year, if history means anything. The Riley offense is pretty unstoppable when it comes to producing elite quarterbacks, and we’ve seen what Rattler can do.
OU is back in action next Saturday with an FCS opponent, Western Carolina. Rattler and the offense should be able to shake off the rust in that one.
The post Lincoln Riley Gives Honest Assessment Of Spencer Rattler Today appeared first on The Spun.
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