Cotton Bowl: Three Quick Takes
ARLINGTON, TX — The Oklahoma Sooners closed their 2020 campaign in style, rolling the Florida Gators 55-20 on Wednesday night in the 85th Cotton Bowl Classic.
The Oklahoma secondary set the tone early, picking off Heisman Trophy finalist Kyle Trask on each of his first three possessions. After Florida clawed back into the game early in the second quarter, Oklahoma blew the doors off the Gators in the second half.
Here are three quick takeaways from Oklahoma’s impressive Cotton Bowl display.
Defensive Youth is Served
The young faces on the defense stole the show. While the secondary will deservedly get the headlines for how they started the game, plenty of underclassmen all across the defense stepped up against the Gators.
The Cotton Bowl performance was Brian Asamoah’s finest in a Sooner uniform. Accounting for Trask’s second interception, Asamoah finished with six tackles and a pass breakup. Asamoah set the tone in the fourth quarter for Oklahoma as well, stuffing the Gators on fourth-and-goal.
David Ugwoegbu and Shane Whitter got plenty of work at linebacker, making an impact for Alex Grinch’s defense. Ugwoegbu racked up four total tackles (including one tackle for loss) as he made athletic plays sideline-to-sideline. The true freshman Whitter also made the most of his playing time, adding a quarterback hurry and a pass break up to his three tackle evening.
And Woodi Washington and D.J. Graham played well in relief of Tre Brown.
Heading into the 2021 season, the Sooners will have real depth on the defensive side of the football as they look to chase an eighth national championship.
Run, Lincoln, Run
Lincoln Riley leaned on the ground game to run Florida out of Texas. Heading into the game, Spencer Rattler was expected to have a big day against the porous Gator defense. Though Rattler had a good outing, he didn’t have to do much after halftime as a result of Oklahoma’s success on the ground.
Rhamondre Stevenson, Seth McGowan and Marcus Major gashed Florida for gains of 50 yards, 73 yards and 46 yards respectively — the team’s three longest runs of the year. The Sooners rushed for 435 yards on the night, with 307 yards coming in the second half.
The run game dazzled after it was touch-and-go all season for the Sooners, who struggled for consistency against even the lesser defenses in the Big 12. Riley will be pleased with the contributions of Major and McGowan, even if Stevenson elects to head to the NFL instead of returning next season.
Receiver Corps Flashes
If the wide receivers can clean up the drops, the 2021 offense could be special.
A handful of drops in the first half represented one of the few black eyes for Oklahoma in their rout of the Gators. Trevon West, Charleston Rambo and Theo Wease all were unable to haul in balls from Rattler that hit them in the hands, stalling drives for the Sooners early on.
Drops, especially in and near the end zone, have plagued Oklahoma all season. If the receiving core can take a step forward this offseason, Riley could once again have a historic offense on his hands.
A more experienced Rattler, plus the run game the Sooners flashed against the Gators could easily punch Oklahoma’s ticket back to the College Football Playoff and beyond in 2021.
