Oklahoma survived another slow start in a 35-23 win over Kansas, and Caleb Williams once again provided a spark, but in an unusual way.
With Oklahoma clinging to a 28-23 lead in the fourth quarter with just over three minutes remaining, the Sooners went for it on fourth and 1 at their own 46-yard line. Running back Kennedy Brooks took a handoff from Williams and was stopped two yards behind the line. But as Brooks was fighting off defenders, Williams took the ball from his arms, turned and ran for a first down. The play allowed Oklahoma to keep the drive alive and bleed out the clock, with Brooks scoring 10 plays later with 42 seconds left to put the game away.
The play was reviewed by officials and determined to be allowable since the handoff happened behind the line.
Riley praised the heads-up play, saying Oklahoma coaches talk about those scenarios with players in what they call “gotta have it” situations, but said the coaches didn’t exactly draw this one up.
“You’ve got to get those two kids a bunch of credit,” Riley said, noting that Brooks, who rarely fumbles, willingly gave the ball up to someone trying to rip it from his arms.
“I think Kennedy realized what Caleb was trying to do,” Riley said. “They both understood the situation and it was worth the chance. Even if Caleb would have gotten tackled, it would have been obviously worth the chance to do it. It’s smart football and I don’t want to take credit. Those guys made that play a big moment.”
Jeremiah Hall, the Sooners’ H-back, said he was out blocking so he didn’t see the play initially, but laughed at his teammates’ unspoken communication.
“I looked at the replay and I was like, ‘What?'” Hall said. “I didn’t even know that was legal, number one. I asked Kennedy did he know that he gave the ball to Caleb and he said, yeah, he made eye contact with him. So I guess they’ve got something going on.”
Brooks said it really wasn’t that complicated.
“I knew that I couldn’t get tackled on fourth down,” he said. “So I…
Source : espn
