After much speculation & positive Covid tests, The Oklahoma Sooners are set to face the Missouri State Bears tonight at 6 P.M. The Crimson & Cream will be playing their first game with limited fans in attendance.
The Sooners, ranked 5th in the preseason polls, will be starting Freshman (RS) QB Spencer Rattler. Rattler was a 5-star recruit out of Phoenix, AR, and was able to get snaps on a couple of drives last year behind starting QB Jalen Hurts.
Spencer Rattler
Rattler is the first non-transfer Oklahoma QB the Sooners have had in over 4 years. Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, & Jalen Hurts all transferred from different schools. Despite only playing a couple of drives last season, Rattler has been compared to former Oklahoma Quarterback Baker Mayfield and current Chiefs Quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Last Season
Last year the Sooners made the CFP Semifinals but lost to the eventual National Champion LSU Tigers 63-28. The defense gave up 8 Touchdowns to Heisman Trophy Winner Joe Burrow alone. And allowed almost 700 total yards to the LSU Offense.
The biggest question for the Sooners is the same one as the past 5 years. Will the defense take another positive step forward this year?
In 2018, The Sooners fired Defensive Coordinator Mike Stoops after years of having one of the worst defenses in the nation. After the 2018 season, the Sooners hired Alex Grinch in January of 2019. During the Sooners 2019 season, the Sooners defense took a big step forward but still had their struggles, especially against LSU.
2020 Season
Coming into this season, the Sooners had 129 consecutive sellouts. But with Covid-19 spreading across the world, this season will be completely different. Their will be approximately 20,000 fans in attendance, a far cry from the 86,000 that Gaylord Memorial Stadium can fit in.
Sooners Roster
The Sooners return 15 players from last year that started at least 8 games last season. But with CeeDee Lamb & Kenneth Murray leaving for the NFL Draft, there will be a lot of new faces starting for the Sooners this season starting with QB Spencer Rattler in his first start. All eyes will be on Rattler against a sub-par opponent in Missouri State.
The Sooners starting RB core will consist of Junior TJ Pledger and Redshirt Freshman Marcus Major. With Kennedy Brooks opting out of the season & Trey Sermon transferring to Ohio State in the summer, the Running Back core is very inexperienced. But Head Coach Lincoln Riley and new Running Back coach Demarco Murray have confidence in their Running Back core.
Other key starters returning are Center Creed Humphrey, WR Charleston Rambo, UCLA transfer WR Theo Howard, DE Ronnie Perkins, & DB Brendan Radley-Hiles.
Expect Oklahoma to blow out Missouri State tonight. Oklahoma’s #5 ranking is the highest ranked opponent Missouri State has ever faced. Look for things to get out of hand fast and most starters rested by the first half.
