Cotton Bowl Game Book: Making history out of misery

ARLINGTON, TX — Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley almost — almost — seemed to get emotional Wednesday night after his team crushed Florida 55-20 in the Cotton Bowl.

Riley was asked what he would remember most about this team that went through quarantine and came out the other side 0-2 in Big 12 play for the first time in 22 years, then found a way to win both a Big 12 Championship and a Cotton Bowl Championship in AT&T Stadium within 11 days.

“Just that we didn't let all that's been going on around us, we didn't let it break us or we didn't let it come between us,. And, actually, we kind of flipped it and actually let it bring us together” Riley said, taking a pause.

“Yeah, it's hard to explain right now. I mean, it is. It's been difficult, but at the same time, it's really been a lot of fun, too. I mean, it really has. All anybody wants to talk about is how tough this year has been. And it really has been challenging. But at the same time, it's been a blast, to see these guys come together, to see this staff come together, and not say ‘poor us’ and try to find solutions to anything that came our way and continue to work regardless of what was going on around us. And we've done that.

“And so I'll remember that. I'll remember how close this team really came together, how close they became during this run and then certainly being able to close out like we did here the last several weeks makes it all the better.”

This is Riley’s team, and certainly, after four seasons, his program. He has said he’s just a steward of the OU football kingdom, but the reality is, right now, he’s the king. Getting his first bowl win doesn’t necessarily establish that. But the way Riley and his staff navigated this season, made it unforgettable and finished on top does.

“Coach Riley said we'll never forget this and we'll be remembered,” said quarterback Spencer Rattler, who threw for 247 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 40 yards and a TD. “This year, just overall with COVID, with the social injustices, with teams not being able to play, with some of our players getting COVID and having to be safe with all that stuff, and just going through all these hardships and adversity, no Oklahoma team, no college team has been able to go through that and come out on top with a Big 12 championship and the Cotton Bowl championship.”

MVP Rhamondre Stevenson rushed for a career-high 186 yards and scored a touchdown in the route. He looked like the best player on the field, but he also pondered what it took to get to this point.

“Just all the hardships we've been going through and the COVID, social injustice,” Stevenson said, “then with me personally, my suspension with Ronnie [Perkins] and Trejan [Bridges], it just makes us a whole lot better at the end, just knowing we fought through it and we came out on top. Just trials and tribulations, we just kept fighting no matter what got thrown at us.”

Rattler reflected on events of the last 11 days and how far the Sooners have come since August and seemed to draw great satisfaction from his team’s turnaround.

“Just having two trophies in this year, who would have known?” he said. “I mean, we started out the year with two losses, and from there on out, we flipped a switch and just kept our head down and kept working. And that's all we could do. And we're happy to be here now.”

Center Creed Humphrey, a team captain and likely off to the NFL soon, was part of the Sooners’ celebration that erupted during the trophy ceremony, and reveled in the joyful moment.

“Whenever we started the season out 1-2, pretty much everybody in this country counted us out,” Humphrey said. “So we knew what we had in this facility. We knew what we had in the program. So to finish out the season the way we did, being Big 12 champs and Cotton Bowl champions, of course we're going to have fun. Because we're the only people who actually believed in us throughout this whole season. So it was good to show everybody who we were, man. It was good to show everybody what we were about.”