Feels Good To Be The Champ

With all the preparation that went into Oklahoma trying to win its sixth straight conference championship on Saturday, perhaps the most motivating factor came two days before kickoff when the 2020 All-Big 12 Conference Awards were announced.

Despite the Sooners having by far their most stringent defense in more than a decade, not a single OU defender was a first-team selection. And despite the Sooners once again having the Big 12's most prolific offense, only two offensive players made the first team.

When OU players promptly let their feelings be known on social media, it quickly became evident a healthy dose of anger was now driving the Sooners in their quest for another conference crown.

"We were pissed," OU coach Lincoln Riley admitted candidly. "Disappointed for our players because we had some guys that no doubt should have been on that (first) team."

The No. 10-ranked Sooners (8-2) responded by jumping out to a 17-0 lead midway through the second quarter, then relied heavily on their snubbed defense to post a 27-21 victory over No. 6-ranked Iowa State (8-3) before a pandemic-limited crowd of 18,720 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

"At the end of the day, you give us a choice between All-Big 12 teams and this (championship) trophy, I know what each and every one of us will choose."
Lincoln Riley

The Cyclones had nine All-Big 12 first-team selections, plus the Big 12's Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Offensive Newcomer of the Year, Defensive Co-Freshman of the Year and Coach of the Year.

"If you looked at the All-Big 12 team, it's amazing we won the game," Riley deadpanned during his postgame media session.

The all-conference team is voted upon by Big 12 coaches, who are not allowed to vote for their own players.

"I'm glad they did it," Riley said. "I need to send them a little gift basket... But at the end of the day, you give us a choice between All-Big 12 teams and this (championship) trophy, I know what each and every one of us will choose. And I know the kind of players we have in there and there's a lot of first-team, all-league and even more players in that locker room right now."

Riley closed his postgame opening remarks by stating, "Feels good to be the champ."

With pressure constantly being applied by its talented and deep front, OU's defense collected three interceptions for the first time since 2015 against TCU and did so against ISU's Brock Purdy, who had been tabbed as the Big 12's first-team quarterback. With Sooners linebacker Nik Bonitto in hot pursuit of Purdy who was scrambling to his right, cornerback Tre Brown hauled in the final pick at the OU 7-yard line with 1:05 remaining to seal the victory.

"Every week, we gotta go out and play like we got something to prove," junior defensive end Ronnie Perkins said. "This week, playing this game, and having some guys on the other sideline that was on the first team, kinda upped the stakes for us a little bit. We wanted to go out there and show how we're the best D-line in the conference."

OU defensive coordinator Alex Grinch said, "Guys just battled to the end. You want them to reap the benefits and they certainly did."

Asked about his defenders being overlooked for first-team honors, Grinch said, "I think the biggest thing is – and obviously, you love your guys and every coach is that way – but you just want guys to reap the benefits of quality performance because you know they're going to get critiqued for negative performances."

The Sooners held Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year Breece Hall to a season-low 79 yards rushing on 23 carries (3.4 average), a feat Riley described as "huge."

Since starting 0-2 in league play, OU is now riding a seven-game winning streak during which its defense has totaled 30 sacks and 59 tackles for loss (averages of 4.3 sacks and 8.4 TFLs per game). And for seven straight games, the Sooners have held opposing running backs to fewer than 100 rushing yards.

"When (we) were 0-2 in the conference, I told them (at) a place like OU, man, there's nowhere to hide," Riley said. "It's not like if we just go off and have a bad season that people aren't going to pay attention. They always pay attention to OU. I mean, this is such a national powerhouse. There's never anywhere to hide in this program, so you've got really one choice. You've got to step up. And I think that everybody in our locker room believed that this was possible at that point and what a tremendous run it's been."

"You've got really one choice. You've got to step up. And I think that everybody in our locker room believed that this was possible at that point and what a tremendous run it's been."
Lincoln Riley

Sooners redshirt freshman quarterback Spencer Rattler was relegated to honorable mention status in All-Big 12 voting despite having a passing efficiency rating 30-plus points higher than Purdy and second-team pick Sam Ehlinger of Texas. And it was Rattler who was selected as Saturday's Most Outstanding Player, completing 22 of 34 passes for 272 yards, no interceptions and one touchdown, plus another score rushing.

"I thought he probably played his best game of the year today," Riley said of Rattler. "I thought he was poised. I thought he did a great job in the scramble situations, threw some elite throws. I thought he made good decisions with the ball. He was in the right place a lot. His eyes were where he was supposed to be. He went where he was supposed to go. Really, a big, big portion of the day. And Iowa State, as we knew they probably would, showed us some different looks and I thought he handled it well."

The OU offense was stagnant the entire second half, managing only one field goal while gaining just 121 total yards, seven first downs and going 0 for 6 on third-down conversions. The Sooners had 10 first downs and 162 yards in the first quarter alone but managed only 10 more first downs the remainder of the game.

"They saved our butts a couple of times when we couldn't get the ball moving like we wanted to," Rattler said. "Shout-out to the defense, for sure. They played a hell of a game."

Asked to explain how his team finished just 1 for 11 on third-down conversions, Riley mentioned being stuck in long-yardage situations as the biggest problem. "A combination of things," Riley said. "We had a couple of times where we had some stuff open and didn't protect good. Had a couple of competitive plays that we thought we had real opportunities to make that we didn't make. Couple of times I had bad calls. I mean, I don't know. I'll answer that one tomorrow. I'm going to enjoy being the champ today."

The Sooners have claimed their 14th championship in the league's 25-year history and every OU freshman class from 1999 to 2019 has won at least two Big 12 titles.

OU now has 50 conference championships, the most among FBS programs (Nebraska ranks second with 46). The six consecutive league titles ties Clemson for the longest active streak among current Power Five programs and is the longest run of outright conference crowns since OU won 12 straight from 1948-59 under coach Bud Wilkinson. The Sooners also won or shared nine consecutive league titles from 1972-80.

OU is now 11-1 in Big 12 title games and has more wins in Big 12 Championship games than any other program has appearances. The Sooners have played in 12 of the league's 19 title games while Nebraska and Texas rank second with six appearances each.

In this stretch of six straight conference titles, Riley has won the last four as head coach and two prior to that as OU's offensive coordinator under Bob Stoops.

"I felt tremendous excitement after each one of them, but this one does feel different... It's maybe the most unlikely," Riley said of overcoming the challenges and uncertainty surrounding COVID-19.

The Sooners will now make their 22nd consecutive bowl appearance and their destination is expected to be the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 30 against an SEC opponent.