Bob Stoops fires back at Oklahoma fans that booed Spencer Rattler

In Oklahoma’s close 16-13 victory over West Virginia in Week 4, Oklahoma fans booed Spencer Rattler and called for his benching. Fans chanted for backup quarterback and On3’s No. 1 overall player in the 2021 class, Caleb Williams. A week after fans called for Rattler’s benching, former longtime Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops has sounded off on fans, saying he is disappointed that Rattler was booed.

Stoops talked on FOX Big Noon Kickoff of his reaction to the Sooners’ star quarterback being booed. At halftime against West Virginia, Oklahoma trailed 10-7 and Rattler was 7 of 11 for 73 yards, one touchdown, and an interception. Rattler finished the game with 256 yards and was sacked four times in Oklahoma’s victory.

“Really disappointed,” Stoops said of his reaction to fans booing Spencer Rattler. “Really disappointed. Spencer Rattler is completing 74% of his passes, leads the Big 12 in touchdown passes and passing yards, and since he’s been the starting quarterback here in the last two years, they have the second-longest winning streak, OU does, in the country with 12-straight games of winning.”

“College football is the ultimate team game. We all know that. No one’s doing it by themselves, success or failure. So, a college player should never be booed or embarrassed at any point.”

Rattler entered the season as a leading contender to take home the Heisman Trophy. On the season, Rattler has completed 74.1% of his passes for 1,017 yards, eight touchdowns, and three interceptions, adding 71 yards and two scores on the ground.

Rattler, Lincoln Riley on the boos from the Oklahoma crowd

After the game against West Virginia, Rattler and Oklahoma head coach commented on Rattler being booed in the win. For Rattler, he says that it is just more noise and he doesn’t pay attention to it.

“I don’t worry about that at all. I don’t listen to it. They’re not on the field,” Rattler told ESPN’s Holly Rowe when asked about hearing the crowd booing at home. “Just finding a way. These past couple of weeks, we’ve had to do that a couple games. And I think it’s going to be positive for us in the long run. We just got to play cleaner, do a couple things better and just finish and we’ll be good. We’re going to put it together. I have no doubt in that.”

Riley had Rattler’s back after the game. He trusts that Rattler will get better.

“You know you evaluate the whole game and thought there were a couple of things he missed, but I thought several things we didn’t play good around him,” Riley said. “I was proud of him. I thought he hung in there and trusted it the whole way, gave us a chance right there at the end. He’s going to get better. He’s going to get coached better.”