Ex Sooners QB Spencer Rattler Says 'Anywhere Was Going to Be Better' Than OU

The Texas Longhorns saw firsthand the kind of star former Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Spencer Rattler was projected to be.

In Oklahoma's 53-45 quadruple-overtime win over Texas in the 2020 Red River Showdown, Rattler accounted for three touchdowns during extended play, including the go-ahead score and two-point try to put OU up by eight for good in the fourth overtime.

Spencer Rattler and Lincoln Riley

Despite some mistakes, he got the chance to start again against Texas in 2021. But things were already starting to shift in OU's QB room headed into the game, as Caleb Williams' epic second-half comeback off the bench put Rattler in the doghouse for good.

Now with South Carolina, Rattler spoke about what went wrong in Norman with ESPN on Thursday for the first time since transferring.

Spencer Rattler

"A lot of guys don't get another chance, to start over where they're really wanted," RattIer said. "I was just happy to get away from a toxic situation and get somewhere new. Anywhere was going to be better, and I found the right place."

A program often considered to be a QB factory under Lincoln Riley didn't feel comfortable to Rattler, who was highly projected to be the third Heisman-winning QB under Riley at Oklahoma. Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray won the award back-to-back in 2017 and 2018, while Jalen Hurts finished second in the voting a year before Rattler's arrival.

Spencer Rattler

With the pressure at an all-time high given the talent that came before him, did the lofty expectations of Oklahoma fans create this "toxic" environment that Rattler speaks of?

In OU's Big 12 opener against West Virginia this past season, Rattler was showered with boos from the crowd in Norman during the first half as the No. 4 Sooners remained tied 7-7 with the Mountaineers.

Caleb Williams (left) and Spencer Rattler

"The problem you have when you're a competitor and you have high expectations and you hear that from your home crowd ... you tend to force the ball because you want to show them 'I can make these plays,'", ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit said during the broadcast.

Spencer Rattler

As Herbstreit was talking, the Oklahoma crowd began to chant 'We want Caleb!' as a call to Riley to insert the highly-touted Williams into action. Rattler ended up staying in the game as the Sooners won 16-13.

The damage seemed irreversible, but Rattler didn't go into further detail regarding the breakup with OU.

"That will be a story for later," Rattler said. "I don't want to get too in-depth with it, but it was out of my control. All I can tell you is that we were undefeated at the time I was benched. We won a championship the year before and were going to win another one. I could go on and on."

Spencer Rattler

With Williams at the helm, the Sooners went 5-2 in the season's final seven games, which included a 47-32 win over Oregon in the Alamo Bowl. Rattler had just 12 pass attempts for 112 yards and a touchdown the rest of the season following his benching against Texas.

Rattler announced his intent to enter the transfer portal just two days after Oklahoma's loss in the regular-season finale against Oklahoma State. He finishes his career against the Longhorns 31-of-50 passing, for 320 yards, four total touchdowns and two interceptions.

Once again, Texas will take on Oklahoma at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas this upcoming season. The departure of Riley and Williams to USC signals a new challenge for the Horns and coach Steve Sarkisian against OU on Oct. 8, as he'll go head-to-head with former Clemson defensive coordinator and new Sooners coach Brent Venables.

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