Happy Thursday, friends and fans!

The Oklahoma Sooners’ Lincoln Riley didn’t need much time or detail to figure out Teddy Lehman’s ‘Butkus Brain Teaser’ this week. Given the Kansas Jayhawks are Oklahoma’s next opponent, the former OU linebacker threw it back to 2017 for one of the more memorable matchups (for, ahem, reasons) in this series’ recent history.

Riley didn’t even need the down and distance this time.

Baker Mayfield had quite a day for himself in Lawrence during his senior season. Antics aside, the magic that made Mayfield so special for the Crimson & Cream was perfectly encapsulated on this play. Whenever things broke down, he rose up. Above all else, that’s why he’s the G.O.A.T.

As a side note, I will forever attest to anyone willing to listen that Rodney Anderson was the most complete running back Oklahoma has had in the 21st century. Yes, I know the Sooners have had the luxury of handing the ball off to guys like DeMarco Murray, Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon, but if it wasn’t for the injuries, I truly believe Anderson’s collegiate career would have been up there with some of the all-time greats, both statistically and actually. I’ll digress (for now).

Now for today’s Hot Links! Rattler is maturing quickly on the field, Perkins picks up where he left off, Clemson loses more starters ahead of its top five meeting in South Bend and more!

OU Links

• Against Texas Tech, redshirt junior DB Tre Norwood made his first start since 2018 after sitting out all of last season with a torn ACL. In his elevated role, he came up clutch with two interceptions on back-to-back Red Raider drives. Going forward, the veteran defensive back aims to continue his outstanding play as his opportunities increase.

• OU’s running game came to life in a big way last weekend thanks in part to the return of senior RB Rhamondre Stevenson and the offensive line having a great game up front. The Sooners look to keep their momentum going this Saturday against KU.

• QB Spencer Rattler certainly went through some growing pains over the first month of his redshirt freshman campaign, but ever since he was briefly benched in the first half against the Texas Longhorns, he’s looked like a much different player for OU. SI Sooners’ Parker Thune has more.
• Junior DE Ronnie Perkins made his 2020 debut in Lubbock last Saturday and didn’t appear to have too much rust to knock off. His coaches and teammates credit Perkins’ readiness as a byproduct of his constant leadership as well as his presence on the scout team. The Norman Transcript’s Joe Buettner has more.
• 2021 four-star hoops target Trey Alexander out of OKC’s Heritage Hall recently announced his verbal commitment date is set for Tuesday, Nov. 10. According to 247Sports composite rankings, Alexander is rated as the top player in the state of Oklahoma, the 11th-best shooting guard in the 2021 class and the nation’s No. 61 overall high school recruit. He’s expected to choose between OU, Arkansas, Auburn, Kansas and Ole Miss. While OU is no longer considered the favorite, it’s always cool to see Oklahoma kids ascend to great heights.

• College basketball experts at ESPN previewed the upcoming season of Big 12 hoops, and three out of four analysts believe Oklahoma could be the team that surprises the rest of the conference by overachieving on its preseason projections.
• Speaking of OU basketball, senior Brady Manek was recently named to the 2021 Karl Malone Award watch list — an honor reserved for the nation’s top power forward. Boomer!

Around the Sports World

• In addition to the No. 1 Clemson Tigers missing QB Trevor Lawrence for this Saturday’s road tilt against the No. 4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Dabo Swinney’s team will also be without the services of three defensive starters — LB James Skalski, LB Mike Jones Jr. and DT Tyler Davis.
• The Tulsa Golden Hurricane’s upcoming contest versus Navy has been postponed due to a rising number of positive COVID-19 cases at the Naval Academy. This is TU’s fourth game that has either been postponed or canceled due to pandemic related issues.
• In other COVID related news, the Houston Texans have temporarily shut down the team’s facilities after LB Jacob Martin tested positive for the virus. For Thursday, all operations will be conducted online, but the team still plans on carrying out its preparations for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
• The Utah Utes have reportedly extended head coach Kyle Whittingham’s contract through 2027. Currently, Whittingham is in his 16th season on the sideline in Salt Lake City.
• With the advice of a team assistant trainer, the wife of New York Giants DB Logan Ryan underwent emergency surgery that potentially saved her life from an ectopic pregnancy. It’s a pretty amazing story that could have easily ended much differently.

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