I hope all of you are having a nice Tuesday! Welcome back to another installment of our 2019 Countdown to Kickoff series. As of today, there are 68 days until the Oklahoma Sooners start the college football season! For today’s topic, I want to revisit one of the many touchdowns scored in 2018’s Friday night thriller in Morgantown — Kennedy Brooks’ 68-yard touchdown.
With Oklahoma and West Virginia tied at 21 near the end of the first half, and a berth in the Big 12 Championship Game on the line, it was clear that the winner of this regular season finale would likely have to score on just about every opportunity until the final whistle. Kyler Murray and Marquise Brown were well on their way to their own huge nights, and redshirt freshman running back Kennedy Brooks made sure he wasn’t going to miss out on any of the fun.
TOUCHDOWN
— Sooner Gridiron (@soonergridiron) November 24, 2018
Kennedy Brooks. To. The. House.#BoomerSooner pic.twitter.com/yVdu1gklmD
Including this 68-yard scamper to the end zone, Brooks ran for a career high 182 yards on 21 carries for an average of 8.7 yards per rush. Going into the 2019 season, he will be relied upon to carry a significant bulk of the workload from the backfield.
Now let’s cover any days we missed since our last countdown post:
It was a chilly, but nice Bedlam morning when Oklahoma and Oklahoma State met in Norman for a de facto Big 12 Championship game. The Cowboys took an early 3-0 lead in the first quarter, but the Sooners quickly changed that with the first play of the second.
Baker Mayfield did what he does best — he improvised. Fortunately for him, fellow Heisman Trophy finalist and eventual Biletnikoff Award winner Dede Westbrook was also squarely in his element running down field. As Mayfield rolled right, Westbrook ran for the opening. Then came the throw, the catch, and the absolutely filthy move to dodge the pursuing defender. As a result, this nice house call for 69 yards.
6⃣9⃣ Days Until ⭕️ Kickoff.
— Sooner Gridiron (@soonergridiron) June 24, 2019
Dede Westbrook hits the breaks and a defender flies right on the way to a 69-yard touchdown in OU's 38-20 win over Oklahoma State in 2016.#OUDNA | #BoomerSooner | #Nice pic.twitter.com/KZdN2P34nE
Throughout the 2016 season, what Westbrook was able to do once the ball was in his hands was simply remarkable. He and Mayfield developed a nice rapport that would lead the Sooners to 10 straight wins, a Big 12 Championship and a Sugar Bowl win over the Auburn Tigers. Don’t hold your breath for another QB-WR combo to top their 80 connections for 1,584 yards and 17 touchdowns in a single season any time soon.
70 Days! - Oklahoma scores 70 while rushing for an NCAA record
On October 15, 1988, Oklahoma put on an absolute clinic against Kansas State. In what turned out to be Barry Switzer’s final season in Norman, his legendary offense reached new heights on a national scale. Even as prolific QB Jamelle Holieway was sidelined with an ankle injury, back-up Charles Thompson led the Sooners to an NCAA-record 768 rushing yards on 72 attempts en route to a 70-24 victory. It’s a mark that could conceivably stand the test of time.
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