Happy Monday, friends and fans!

Oklahoma Sooners redshirt freshman QB Spencer Rattler and sophomore H-back/TE Austin Stogner both suffered minor injuries against the Kansas Jayhawks on Saturday, but Lincoln Riley went on record during his Sunday coaches show to say that the two offensive playmakers will be fine going forward. All things considered, the third off-week of the season couldn’t have come at a better time for OU.

During Monday’s teleconference, Riley reiterated his status update for Stogner, who did not see the field in the second half. Through seven games, the Plano native is second on the team with 25 catches for 410 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

Oklahoma will want all hands on deck for what should be a top 20 Bedlam matchup in two weeks. Fortunately, both Rattler and Stogner should be ready to go come Nov. 21.

Now onto this week’s Monday edition of Hot Links! Baker Mayfield is in quarantine for COVID contact tracing protocol, Bedlam’s kickoff time is set, Baylor loses the Big 12’s leading tackler for the season and more.

OU Links

• On Sunday, Oklahoma moved up one spot to No. 18 in this week’s AP Top 25 Poll. Around the Big 12, the Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Iowa State Cyclones held serve at 14 and 17, respectively, while the Texas Longhorns climbed up in the rankings to No. 21.
• Redshirt freshman QB Spencer Rattler and sophomore H-back/TE Austin Stogner both suffered minor injuries against the Kansas Jayhawks on Saturday, but Lincoln Riley is on record in saying the two offensive playmakers will be fine going forward. The third off-week of the season couldn’t have come at a better time for the Sooners, all things considered.

• DE Ronnie Perkins has been back on the field for two games, and already he’s earning national attention for his exemplary play. Recently, Pro Football Focus named the junior its defensive MVP of the college football week for his 1.5 sack, 1.5 TFL and three QB hurry performance.

• Speaking of defense at Oklahoma, through seven games, the Sooners rank fifth nationally with 26 sacks and seventh with 57 tackles-for-loss. The Alex Grinch effect is real, and ‘Speed D’ is soaring to incredible heights as the regular season nears its end.

• On Sunday, Cleveland Browns QB Baker Mayfield was placed on the team’s reserve/COVID list after it was determined that he was in close contact with someone who tested positive for the virus. Mayfield has not tested positive himself, but he will remain in isolation for the required amount of time mandated by the NFL.
• In just a little over two weeks from today (Nov. 25), the OU men’s basketball team will tip-off the 2020-21 hoops season at home against UTSA. Seating will be limited due to COVID-19, but fans can now purchase tickets either online or by phone. Check the link in the tweet for more information.

• In case you missed it, the kick-off time for this season’s Bedlam game has been announced. On Nov. 21, OU will host OSU at 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC.

Around the Sports World

• Baylor Bears LB Terrel Bernard suffered a shoulder injury in Saturday’s loss to Iowa State, and now it’s been reported that the Big 12’s leading tackler will have surgery that will cause him to miss the remainder of the 2020 season.
• The preseason AP Top 25 Poll for the 2020-21 college basketball season has been released, and the Gonzaga Bulldogs are currently the nation’s top-ranked team. Also, the Big 12 Conference is well represented, with Baylor (No. 2), Kansas (No. 6), Texas Tech (No. 14), West Virginia (No. 15) and Texas (No. 19) all making the cut.
• Sergio Garcia has withdrawn from the 2020 Masters field after recently testing positive for COVID-19. If you recall, this year’s major was moved from April to Nov. 12-15 due to the ongoing pandemic.
• The Washington Football Team is reporting that QB Kyle Allen is set to have surgery on his ankle after suffering a gruesome injury in Sunday’s 23-20 loss to the New York Giants.
• In the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ humiliating 38-3 loss to the New Orleans Saints, the team only managed to rush for an NFL record-low five times, including the final kneel-down to close the game. That’s just putrid.

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