Happy Monday, friends and fans!

Former Oklahoma Sooners dynamic dual-sport phenom Kyler Murray has accomplished many great things throughout his athletic career, but going into Sunday, the 2018 Heisman Trophy winner had never before connected on a last-second, game-winning Hail Mary. With the Arizona Cardinals’ backs against the wall versus the Buffalo Bills, K1 and star receiver DeAndre Hopkins linked up in show-stopping fashion for the play of the 2020 NFL season.

After the game, Kyler provided the best caption for this miraculous play. Just toss it up there, baby!

What really makes this Hail Mary play more amazing than a lot of others is the level of difficulty on both the pass from Murray and the catch by Hopkins. First, the QB is running for his life and is only able to get the throw off on one foot. Meanwhile, the WR has to win a jump ball versus three defensive backs. The planets definitely aligned for Arizona on Sunday, as the Cardinals secured a 32-30 win over the Bills. With the victory, the Cards now sit atop the NFC West standings.

If that isn’t some kind of Sooner Magic, I don’t know what is.

Now onto this week’s Monday edition of Hot Links! Grinch’s defense must capitalize against a vulnerable O-State, Ancer does well for himself at his first Masters, Muschamp is done at South Carolina and more!

OU Links

• You probably already know this, but on Saturday night, it was announced that ESPN’s College GameDay is heading to Norman for the upcoming Bedlam matchup between OU and the Oklahoma State Cowboys. With the national spotlight firmly on this game, the stage is set for Lincoln Riley’s team to earn some respect as the cream of the Big 12 crop. It’s unfortunate that fans won’t be allowed to attend Norman’s first CGD since 2012, but we’ll take it.

• Alex Grinch has placed a premium on forcing turnovers since he was hired as OU’s defensive coordinator, and during the current four-game winning streak, those takeaways are finally starting to mount in bunches. The Oklahoman’s Ryan Aber recently talked about the importance of continuing this hot streak against OSU in Bedlam.
• Speaking of Sooner defense, against the Cowboys, Grinch’s ‘Speed D’ will need more than a couple players to step up to stop the many weapons that Mike Gundy’s offense possesses. Could that X-factor be found on the D-line? The Tulsa World’s Eric Bailey has more.
• A kick-off time for Oklahoma’s road game against the West Virginia Mountaineers won’t be determined until after this Saturday’s slate of Big 12 football. WVU has played especially well in Morgantown this season, so whether this contest takes place in the morning or at night, the Sooners will surely be on upset alert.

• Former OU men’s golf standout Abraham Ancer made his Masters pro debut over the weekend, and for a while he sat atop the leaderboard versus the world’s greatest golfers. Ultimately, he finished tied for 13th at eight under par on Sunday, but for the budding 29-year-old, the sports world witnessed his resounding arrival. Boomer!

Around the Sports World

• The last college basketball season was cut short just before the start of the NCAA Tournament due to the breakout of the COVID-19 pandemic. For this upcoming season, the ‘Big Dance’ won’t be held in various locations around the nation. Instead, the plan is to house all 68 tournament teams in one city for the three-week postseason extravaganza. Count me in.
• It was a long time coming, but on Sunday, the South Carolina Gamecocks officially fired head coach Will Muschamp seven games into his fifth season in Columbia. Overall, Muschamp went 28-30 at SC, including an abysmal 2-5 record this fall.
• The LSU Tigers are under investigation for allegedly mishandling reports of sexual misconduct enacted by past student-athletes. This is a developing story.
• The Oklahoma City Thunder have reportedly agreed to trade shooting guard Dennis Schroder to the Los Angeles Lakers for SG Danny Green and the No. 28 pick in this week’s NBA Draft.
• Additionally, Chris Paul is now reportedly on his way to the Phoenix Suns, as is Abdel Dader. In return, the Thunder reportedly receive Kelly Oubre, Ricky Rubio, Ty Jerome, Jalen Lecque and a 2022 first-round pick.

• Speaking of the Thunder, the team unveiled its new ‘City Edition’ threads the players will be rocking during the 2020-21 NBA season set to tip-off next month. So far, there have been some mixed reviews from OKC fans, but personally, I don’t absolutely hate them. The look definitely feels a bit retro to me, however, and I’m not quite sure if that’s a good or a bad thing.

Follow Crimson & Cream Machine on Twitter!