Why Oklahoma is Excited About the 'Excellent' Contributions of DB Robert Spears-Jennings
NORMAN — With safety Reggie Pearson suspended for the first half and teammate Key Lawrence exiting Bedlam early, Oklahoma needed young faces to step up.
Sophomore Robert Spears-Jennings was there to answer the call.
He finished tied for second on the team with seven tackles, including a huge fourth down stop.
Facing fourth-and-1 in the red zone, Spears-Jennings ripped off the edge to come all the way across the formation, dragging down Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon from behind to give the ball back to the Sooners’ offense in the third quarter.
“Coach gave me a blitz and I just had to make sure, don’t let him down,” Spears-Jennings said on Monday. “Make sure I make this play right here, because this is a game-changing play. They were in high red so they get that first down, it’s a high chance of them scoring.”
OU was then able to march down the field and score a touchdown to go up 21-17, though the Sooners weren’t able to hold onto the Bedlam lead.
Spears-Jennings has steadily gotten into the game more and more since Oklahoma’s bye week.
The Broken Arrow product has 21 tackles on the year, including one pass breakup for Brent Venables’ defense.
“Robert did a fantastic job,” Venables said on Tuesday. “Played really aggressive. Really aggressive. Played fast and was physical. He's made the most of all of his opportunities this year and really excited. He got a great future.”
The road ahead isn’t getting any easier for Spears-Jennings and the Sooner defense.
Oklahoma (7-2, 4-2 Big 12) will host West Virginia (6-3, 4-2) this weekend, which boasts one of the nation’s top rushing attacks.
Running back C.J. Donaldson paces the Mountaineers with 676 rushing yards and nine scores on the ground, and quarterback Garrett Greene has added 427 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns as well.
Spears-Jennings saw limited action last year in Morgantown, a game he hasn’t forgotten.
“Well really they gave me my welcome to college moment,” he said. “I’ll be honest, like, I wasn't prepared to go out there. They love blocking. I could see their O-linemen love blocking. That’s their strength of their team.”
Venables praised the physicality and experience of West Virginia’s offensive line as well on Tuesday, a challenge OU’s defense is well aware of.
Last year, Greene carried the ball 14 times for 119 yards and two scores in the Mountaineers’ 23-20 victory in Morgantown, which was also WVU’s first victory over Oklahoma since entering the Big 12.
Spears-Jennings said a key for the entire team will to be to get off to a good start Saturday night. If OU fails to get out in front early, it could be a long night at the office.
“Get rid of ‘em early,” Spears-Jennings said. “You know, we kept ‘em around (last year), gave them the momentum and they just took it and ran with it. So as long as we can get ‘em done early, we should be fine.”
But even if Pearson and Lawrence return to their normal roles on the back end of OU’s defense against West Virginia, Venables thinks Spears-Jennings’ team-first mentality will continue to put the young safety in positions to earn snaps.
“Really excited about where he's headed and trending and we've known that for a while, but he's really done a great job,” Venables said. “Excellent special teams player. Never wants to come off the field… He wants to do everything to help the team win. So, love where he's at and where he’s headed. He’s done a really good job.”
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