AllGators/AllSooners GameDay Crossover, Part 2

ARLINGTON, TX — Sports Illustrated/FanNation publishers John E. Hoover of AllSooners.com and Zach Goodall of AllGators.com exchanged five questions this week to help break down the Cotton Bowl matchup between No. 6-ranked Oklahoma and No. 7 Florida in the 85th Cotton Bowl Classic.

We talked Florida previously. Now let's talk Oklahoma:

GOODALL: Florida littered Monday's news cycle with three wide receivers now slated to miss the Cotton Bowl, two opting out and another being diagnosed with COVID-19. Tre Brown opted out for Oklahoma last week, but have there been any others? Would you expect more to come for OU, even if it's last-minute?

HOOVER: Backup quarterback Tanner Mordecai hit the transfer portal and is now at SMU. That means Spencer Rattler's backup for the Cotton Bowl is now a true freshman: Chandler Morris. He's Chad Morris' son, and he's a Dallas kid who's played four Texas high school playoff games in AT&T Stadium the last couple of years, including a victory in the 2018 Class 5A Division I state championship game. He's as much a runner as he is a passer, and he's been dynamic in games this year, including the opening drive of the Big 12 title game, when he came on for Rattler in what turned out to be a trick-play situation and scored on a 2-yard run.

And T.J. Pledger, the Sooners' top running back while senior Rhamondre Stevenson was suspended for the first five games, also entered the portal. Pledger ran for 451 yards and five TDs this year, 155 yards from scrimmage and two TDs against Texas and 122 rushing yards and a score against TCU.

Lincoln Riley has said those guys and Tre Brown are the only players he's expecting will miss the Cotton Bowl.

GOODALL: With that being said, how do you feel Oklahoma is approaching this game? Do the Sooners have something to prove in the Cotton Bowl, or could we see a youth movement in preparation for 2021?

HOOVER: With one of college football's youngest rosters in 2020, Oklahoma's youth movement has happened over the last four months. The pieces this coaching staff feels they can win with in the future are already in place. The Sooners are going into this game with what looks like a completely different mindset than the Gators, and that is that winning is of huge importance.

Remember, Lincoln Riley is 0-3 in bowl games — all playoff losses. So finally getting a postseason win beyond the Big 12 championship game is significant to him. So is playing in Dallas. There will be a lot of OU fans in the stadium from the DFW Metroplex, and a lot more who make the short drive from Oklahoma. And of course, OU looks at Jerryworld as Owen Field South. They have a lot of pride in playing there (they played the first football game of any kind in AT&T Stadium back in 2009) and they'll approach it as a home game.

GOODALL: Oklahoma got off to a bit of a rough start but has won seven straight. What got fixed after the two-game skid and how much momentum are the Sooners carrying into Arlington after winning the Big 12 Championship?

HOOVER: OU is carrying a lot of momentum on its seven-game winning streak. A few of those were blowouts over inferior opponents (Spencer Rattler said he told the team it was time to "embarrass" someone, and they hung 62 on Texas Tech), and the last two were grinders the Sooners had to gut out. Getting revenge on Iowa State in the Big 12 title game for one of its early losses was a topic of discussion the week of the game, and they pulled out a six-point victory.

A couple of things happened after the Sooners started 0-2 in Big 12 play for the first time since 1998 (pre-Bob Stoops):

The biggest was that Rattler, a redshirt freshman, started taking care of the football. He got benched in the second quarter against Texas — the Sooners' biggest rivalry game — after a fumble and interception. Those were his fifth INT and his fifth fumble in the first four games. But since then — since coming back to start the third quarter against the Longhorns, really — Rattler has thrown two INTs and had zero fumbles.

Then, on Halloween in Lubbock, Oklahoma blew out Texas Tech after they got running back Rhamondre Stevenson and defensive end Ronnie Perkins back from NCAA suspension. Those two are probably the Sooners' most physically gifted players on offense and defense, and they've been dominant players ever since coming back.

Third, a young roster getting some seasoning has made all the difference. The secondary is playing better, the linebackers are flying around, the kick and punt coverage teams have been dominant, the receivers have become more consistent. It's been a group effort.

GOODALL: This will surely be a matchup of two great offenses (if Florida can get past the opt-outs). What have you seen from Spencer Rattler throughout his first season as a starter, what does he do well, and how can Florida's shaky defense possibly take advantage of his game?

HOOVER: Rattler has looked so much more comfortable and composed in the pocket since the Texas game. Things don't surprise him like they did the first two weeks of Big 12 play. (And remember, he was really good in those games, too, until the end. The Sooners are literally two plays away from being undefeated, but the blown leads were a team effort in both losses.)

As poised as he's become in the pocket, PFF grades him No. 1 in the nation outside the pocket. That's where you start to see the combination of arm talent and accuracy take over. He has the physical tools to make throws that most quarterbacks can't make.

Rattler's weakness is still his willingness to stay in the pocket and hold the football a little too long. He gets himself sacked. And sometimes his protection isn't all that great, especially on the left side. So consistent pressure will make him move around — but again, that's not always ideal for the defense. He not only throws the ball well off schedule, he's also become a more effective and aggressive runner over the second half of the season.

GOODALL: What is your score prediction and do you have any bold takes for the game?

HOOVER: My score prediction changed Monday with all the Florida opt-outs. I had OU winning a close one, 35-30. Now I'm not sure the Gators can score that many with the receiver corps Kyle Trask has available. The UF offensive line might have to play its best game against an OU defensive front that ranks second in the nation in run defense and sixth nationally in quarterback sacks. Having college football's 110th-best rushing offense and no receivers to throw to doesn't bode well for the Gators. After Monday's headlines, I just don't think Florida is emotionally invested in this game. I'll pick Oklahoma to win 42-21.

MORE ABOUT ALLSOONERS PUBLISHER JOHN E. HOOVER

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