WATCH: Oklahoma fans chant for Spencer Rattler after sluggish start for Caleb Williams
Spencer Rattler was benched in favor of Caleb Williams in early October, but Oklahoma fans made it clear they want to see the former Heisman hopeful as the third quarter winded down on Saturday as the Sooners struggled vs. Baylor.
Williams–who has earned a bevy of awards since taking the starting job–could never find a groove in the Big 12 showdown with massive implications. He finished the day 8-of-17 for just 84 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions.
They got their wish.
With just a minute remaining in the third quarter as Oklahoma trailed 10-7, Lincoln Riley pulled the trigger and replaced Williams with Rattler.
“There’s more of the passing game available for Rattler because he’s more experienced,” FOX analyst Joel Klatt said on the broadcast. “I know it was by design, but the Oklahoma offense was vanilla at times.”
Rattler didn’t give the Sooners’ offense the spark they were seeking, and just like Williams, struggled on his first possession against the swarming Baylor defense.
On the following possession, Baylor took a two-score lead after a touchdown run from quarterback Gary Bohannon.
At the half, Baylor outgained Oklahoma with 163 yards of total offense to the Sooners’ 131. The Bears did the bulk of their damage on the ground, rushing for 106 yards. Smith carried it 11 times for 60 yards, while Ebner rushed seven times for 20 yards.
It’s clear the Baylor Bears entered Saturday’s matchup with a defensive game plan focused on taking away the strengths of the Sooners’ offensive attack.
Oklahoma entered the matchup riding an active streak of 23 consecutive victories in the month of November dating back to the 2014 season.
Baylor continued to surge in the second half, and while it’s not likely Rattler will re-take the starting quarterback job back from Williams, Saturday’s result caused a lot of unexpected changes in college football.