W E E K LY E D I T I O N | D E C E M B E R 9 -15 , 2 0 19 | O U D A I LY. C O M
OUDAILY
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‘It cannot be full consent’ Former OU drama student reports professor’s sexual misconduct to Title IX office, prompting swift resignation and ongoing investigation
JANA ALLEN @jana_allen21
Trigger warning: This story describes a sexual relationship between a professor and a student, and describes in detail an instance of sexual assault. It had been more than six years when the actress posted “Me too” as her Facebook status. October 2017 was a time of reckoning for the theater, film and media industries as the Harvey Weinstein scandal spurred the #MeToo movement across the globe. Actresses around the world were asked to post “Me too” as their status if they had experienced sexual
misconduct or harassment in the industry. In Chicago, an OU alumna was one of them. Soon, the professor, whose office was on the third floor of OU’s Fine Arts building, saw the public status and sent the actress his first and only apology. “For what it’s worth. I’m truly sorry,” he wrote. “#ididit I did it, and I’m ashamed. I hope you are well, and I’ve never blamed you. You’re right. You’ve always been right. All my best.” That professor was Matthew Ellis, former associate professor of movement and acting. Nearly two years later, Ellis was investigated this September by OU’s Title IX office after that actress, Taylor Schackmann, a 2013 School of Drama graduate, filed a report alleging an
inappropriate relationship with Ellis along with a sexual assault allegation. Schackmann said she was prompted to file the report by School of Drama professor Alissa Mortimer, who told her she “wasn’t the only one, and that this has been building for some time.” Mortimer declined to speak with The Daily. During the spring and early summer of 2011, Ellis and Schackmann exchanged sexual text messages and had sex three times before Schackmann ended things. At the time, Ellis was Schackmann’s professor, play director and academic adviser.
Senior quarterback Jalen Hurts celebrates with fans after winning the Big 12 Championship game against Baylor on Dec. 7.
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Oklahoma to face No. 1 LSU in Peach Bowl Sooner defense proves critics wrong in Big 12 rematch with Baylor GEORGE STOIA @GeorgeStoia
Lincoln Riley was thousands of feet in the air when it was announced that he and the Sooners had officially made the College Football Playoff. Riley was out recruiting, as national signing day on Dec. 18 is quickly approaching. But before he took off, he sat down on the airport runway with ESPN’s Gene Wojciechowski for a short interview about the playoff. “We’ve lived this story before,” Riley told Wojciechowski. “We know the quality of league we play in. We knew the quality of team we had in that locker room and knew if we could improve on the things that we needed to improve on — coaches, players, everybody, and go on a run — that we could give ourselves that opportunity.” It wasn’t an hour later that it was announced No. 4 Oklahoma w ould face No. 1 L SU in the
Peach Bowl on Dec. 28 in Atlanta for a chance to play in the national championship against the winner of the Fiesta Bowl between No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Clemson. The Sooners, who are 0-3 in playoff games, enter the four-team playoff as double-digit underdogs. Their task is undoubtedly tall. LSU has arguably been the best team in the country. Led by Heisman-favorite quarterback Joe Burrow, the Tigers have been dominant, beating No. 5 Georgia, No. 9 Florida, No. 12 Auburn and No. 13 Alabama. Their offense is ranked No. 1 in the country, leaving Oklahoma’s vastly improved defense with its toughest challenge yet. “Obviously, LSU is tough to stop. They’ve done a great job all year,” Riley said. “Joe Burrow’s had a great run, obviously played extremely well at the quarterback position. A lot of dynamic playmakers on the outside. And from what I’ve been able to see so far, their offensive line has done a great job as well. So give them credit. They’re really good. They do a great job. It’s fortunate for us we do, through the years, get to
see a bunch of really good offenses. This will certainly be as good as they face.” Nearly everyone is counting the Sooners out. “Imagine sitting here, you’re a player, and all you’re hearing about is Clemson, LSU, Ohio State,” ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit said Sunday. “You’re an OU player and coach, that’s gonna fire them up.” And Oklahoma has 20 days to file away every bit of bulletin board material it can find, because the Sooners are going to need all of it. But the Sooners may not be the easy out everyone expects them to be. Oklahoma has continually found ways to win and fight back into the playoff despite, as Riley has said, not having played its best ball yet. “Coach Riley, (I’ve) followed him all of his career,” LSU coach Ed Orgeron said. “He does a tremendous job at Oklahoma. Oklahoma has great tradition, an outstanding football team. It’ll be a great battle.” Just 44 days ago, the Sooners’ playoff hopes looked all but dead. Oklahoma had shockingly lost to
Kansas State in Manhattan. It was going to take a minor miracle just for OU to be in the conversation. Utah, Oregon, Minnesota, Penn State and Georgia all needed to lose at least twice for the Sooners to have any shot. But the toughest challenge of all? Oklahoma’s daunting schedule: Iowa State, Baylor, TCU, O k l a h o m a St a t e a n d B ay l o r again. “We’ve got to take every game one at a time. We don’t skip from October to December, January, without getting over November,” senior quarterback Jalen Hurts said after OU’s loss to Kansas State. “Climbing this mountain is not easy. It’s treacherous.” It took a failed 2-point conversion, a 25-point comeback, a late interception, a rivalry road win and overtime, but Oklahoma climbed the mountain. “There is a narrative out there that the SEC is a different animal, but the Big 12 is tough,” Hurts said after O klahoma’s 30-23 overtime win against Baylor. “ Wi n n i ng c ha mp i o n s h i p s i s see PLAYOFF page 4
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NEWS
• Dec. 9-15, 2019
INVESTIGATION:
begin to move on. soon began working in the Union “ I t h o u g h t t h e y k n e w ,” food court and later worked for the Schackmann said of various people School of Music office for the majoricontinued from page 1 during her time at OU. “I thought ty of her time at OU. When Ellis was contacted by Title they didn’t care.” Schackmann said she always had IX investigators late this September, one, but sometimes two to three jobs Schackmann said investigators told ‘I’M JUST ONE OF THE SPECIAL during college. her he admitted to the inappropriate ONES NOW’ As she juggled her responsibilities, relationship. Schackmann said it was especially Ellis was subsequently notified Schackmann was raised in the hard to meet the expectations of the he had violated OU’s consensual Houston suburb of Spring, Texas, in a school while also ensuring she had a sexual relationships policy and the conservative, middle-class family. A place to live and food to eat. School of university would pursue abrogation ballet dancer for years, Schackmann Drama students needed to be availof his tenure, and he tendered his always loved the arts and being able outside of class for responsibilresignation Sept. 28, according to creative. ities like rehearsals, auditions and the Notice of Outcome letter sent to It wasn’t until her sophomore year networking. Most students, she said, Schackmann by Title IX investigators confirming the violation of OU policy and Ellis’ resignation. However, Schackmann said Title IX investigators told her his resignation is not effective until Dec. 31 but that he was immediately taken out of the classroom and not allowed back on campus. The office is still pursuing a sexual assault/harassment investigation against Ellis, but the Title IX office has no authority over non-employees. Experts say sexual relationships between professors and students can never be truly consensual because of the stark power dynamic. This is why OU’s policy is in place, which prohibits professors from having sexual relationships with a student they have CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY an evaluative or supervisorial posi- Quote from University of Cincinnati professor Billie Dziech. tion over, and why many universities are leaning toward stricter policies in of high school when she discovered could do that. this area. her love for drama and acting, as she Schackmann also said there was In the #MeToo era, sexual assault participated in her school’s drama a culture of favoritism in the school, prevention campaigns have reprogram. In a class of around 800, with professors and students often framed more clearly the meaning of Schackmann found the place she texting and having very friendly reconsent: The absence of a no is not a lationships that resulted in being inyes, and when a student’s grades are could be herself. “I am from the South, from a vited to their houses and cast in their at stake it can become even more diftown where football is everything,” productions. Schackmann wasn’t ficult to give a verbal no. Schackmann said. “And arts were not a favorite, and she felt no one cared “When the power differential is that great, it cannot be full consent,” cool. It was just nice to feel like there how hard she was working to be said Billie Dziech, a University of was a community of people that I felt there. Schackmann said isolation and the Cincinnati English professor who similar around.” Schackmann acted in around feelingsof being misunderstood led has researched and studied sexual relationships between students and eight plays and musicals in high to the situation with Ellis, who cast professors as well as authored books school, and those successes fueled her as the lead female role of Athena her choice to study to become a pro- in “The Odyssey” in November of her on the subject. The Daily sent a Facebook mes- fessional actor. She applied to a few sophomore year. The next spring, Ellis was not just sage to Ellis and attempted to reach schools and was offered a spot in him by phone six times between Nov. OU’s conservatory-style drama pro- her director but also her professor 22 and Dec. 7, outlining the story it gram by then-director Tom Orr just and academic adviser. Rehearsals began, and Ellis gave his phone was pursuing. He never responded. days after her audition. When Schackmann arrived at OU number to the cast. That’s how their Schackmann said the course of her life was dramatically altered by in August 2009, her family had been encounters started. “(He said,) ‘I think a text message Ellis’ abuse of power, and only in the “devastated” by the economic recespast year has she been able to come sion of 2008. She would have to pay is like little gifts,’ and gives us all his to terms with what happened and for her schooling on her own, so she phone number,” Schackmann said.
“So we start texting, and ... I was like, ‘I’m just one of the special ones now. This could be a really great thing for me.’” ‘YOU THOUGHT HE WAS ON YOUR SIDE’ Ellis graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a master’s in theater pedagogy with an emphasis in movement and fight directing in 2004, where he met his now ex-wife, Tonia Sina Campanella. Ellis began his OU career in 2005, and for the past 14 years, he taught classes on movement for the stage, clowning and fighting. According to his LinkedIn, he was approved for tenure in 2011. Throughout his career, Ellis has acted and directed across the country, including at Dallas Theater Center, Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre and the Richmond Shakespeare Festival, according to his biography on the Society of American Fight Directors website. He has also served as the vice president of the society. Schackmann said Ellis was wellliked in the School of Drama, especially by students like her, who were not Orr’s favorites. “(Ellis) and Tonia presented themselves as a safe space for students,” Schackmann said. “He seemed nice, he seemed approachable ... You thought he was on your side.” ‘I TRULY JUST FELT LIKE I COULDN’T LEAVE OR SAY NO’ At first, Schackmann and Ellis would text about day-to-day things, and he would help her with “The Odyssey” script. Then, it moved to her venting to him about her issues with school, money and family. He became someone she trusted and treated as a friend. Eventually, Schackmann found out Ellis and Campanella, who was an adjunct in the School of Drama, had an open marriage, though being involved with students was against their “rules.” However, a line was crossed, and things became sexual between Ellis and Schackmann. “I was 19. I was dealing with problems that were much older than me ... and I felt like I wasn’t being see INVESTIGATION page 2
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listened to or taken seriously,” Schackmann said. “And I found someone who would listen to me and would validate my issues ... and I think that’s why I trusted Matthew Ellis and let him into my life in that way.” Schackmann and Ellis’ relationship progressed that spring. They exchanged sexual texts and met for coffee at Cafe Plaid on Campus Corner about once a week, Schackmann said. Schackmann said Ellis told her he would try to talk his wife into being open to him and Schackmann having a sexual relationship. He said he would explain that Schackmann was “different than other 19-year-olds,” she said. “Because I was lonely and desperate and looking for validation, so I was absolutely willing to not tell anyone,” Schackmann said. “I didn’t feel like I had a lot of really good friends. I didn’t feel like anyone really cared about my well-being. So I was like, I might as well do this. Like maybe something will come out of it.” Campanella, who is the founder of Intimacy Directors International and now lives in Chicago, told The Daily she had no knowledge of the relationship. “I was unaware at the time of a physical relationship with any student that occurred during our marriage, and cannot comment on the actions of my ex-husband,” Campanella said in an email. Dianne Armstrong, Schackmann’s classmate and roommate at the time, said she remembers noticing a change in Schackmann’s behavior that semester. “Taylor was really looking forward to auditioning for ‘The Odyssey’ in particular, and ... when she was cast she was just super excited,” Armstrong said. “And then, once the show actually started happening, she started to kind of withdraw a little bit.” Near the end of the semester, Schackmann said she went in for her sophomore evaluation with Ellis, Orr and a few other faculty members. When the meeting ended, Schackmann said she met Ellis at his office, where he told her he was trying to look up her skirt throughout the evaluation. Ellis then “pushed” her onto the couch and performed oral sex on her. This came out of nowhere, Schackmann said, and was the first time they had any physical sexual interaction. “Most of my sexual experiences with Matthew were very rushed, which in retrospect, I think was intentional,” Schackmann said. When finals week came around, Campanella was going to be out of town, so Ellis invited Schackmann to his home. Pa c k i n g a n ov e r n i g h t b a g , Schackmann said she went to his house, where he offered her alcohol, though Schackmann was still underage, and things soon escalated. The two had sex, during which Schackmann said Ellis choked her, something she hadn’t consented to and didn’t want. He was 35 at the time, and she was 19. “He didn’t ask me if he could choke me,” Schackmann said. “And at that time, again, I didn’t know that you could say no, I didn’t know that that was a thing. I just didn’t know how to advocate for myself and be like, ‘Hey, don’t do that.’ And so it just happened.” Afterward, Ellis told Schackmann to leave so he could get a good night’s sleep. “So I drive to my apartment, I go to my room, I lie down in my bed, and I just think, ‘No one knows where I was. And no one knows what’s been going on, and I am just alone in the universe with all of this,’” Schackmann said. “And that was very isolating.” They had sex again the next night. Schackmann stayed in Norman that summer because she was cast in a Sooner Stock play. As classes and “The Odyssey” were over and she wasn’t seeing him frequently, she was beginning to feel like she wanted to end things with Ellis. However, she said she was afraid of the consequences, considering he was a wellliked, tenured professor. “At this point, he’s almost like a mentor,” Schackmann said. “And he’s still a professor, and he’s still my adviser. (I thought,) ‘If I sever this relationship, what is going to happen to me for the rest of my career? And what will I lose?’” That June, Ellis asked Schackmann to come to his office to have sex before he went on a three-week trip to Italy with Campanella. Schackmann told The Daily she hadn’t wanted to, but she went anyway, fearing the consequences of not doing so. “He’s like, ‘Hey, want to meet up for sex?’ And I’m like, ‘Well, not really. Like I kind of feel very used at this
point,’ but I didn’t know what else to say,” Schackmann said. “I felt a ton of pressure at that time to be there and sexually available. I truly just felt like I couldn’t leave or say no.” Schackmann went to Ellis’ office in the Fine Arts building during her lunch break. She recalls not many people were in the building, and thinks Ellis came to campus that day only to have sex with her. While Schackmann said she did not verbally say no, she tried to make clear with her body language and her facial expressions that she did not want to continue. Schackmann said she has recently realized all of her sexual encounters with Ellis were nonconsensual due to the power dynamic, but she first realized their last encounter was rape around six months ago. “I don’t remember all of it, but I do remember that it was rape,” Schackmann said. “I am bent over his desk, I turn around, look at him over my shoulder, and I’m just like, glaring at him in the face. Pretty much everything in my body is saying ‘Get the fuck off of me.’ ... And he looked me in the face, closed his eyes and kept going.” Schackmann said her body began to shut down, and they were not physically able to continue. She said Ellis asked her to “finish” him orally, and after she did, she left. ‘I DIDN’T REALLY WANT TO BELIEVE THAT IT COULD HAPPEN’ After that encounter and before leaving for Europe, Ellis sent her a naked photo via Facebook. She deleted the photo immediately and tried to move on. B e t w e e n t h e n a n d Au g u s t, Schackmann started a relationship with her now-partner of eight years Mitchell Reid, and she said she finally realized how toxic her encounters with Ellis had been. In one final coffee meet-up in August at Michelangelo’s, Schackmann said Ellis discouraged her from dating Reid. After that, Schackmann switched academic advisers, further limiting their contact.
environment in most institutions that allow people access in different ways.” Dziech also said freshmen and sophomores are often more easily victimized. In Schackmann’s case, Dziech said Ellis had much more power over her, which would further frighten and deter her from coming forward. And it did. Only this year has Schackmann felt ready. Schackmann said she and Mortimer spoke on Sept. 20, and Mortimer filed a mandatory report with Title IX Sept. 22. On Sept. 25, Title IX investigators called Ellis, Schackmann said. When asked about Ellis, the university said in a statement sent to The Daily via email from Public Affairs that a “faculty member” was placed on administrative leave pending abrogation of tenure proceedings on Sept. 27, five days after the Title IX report was filed. The statement said the university could not comment on specifics of the case, therefore it did not name Ellis in the statement. Before the proceedings could take place, Ellis resigned on Sept. 28. Dziech said policies like the one Ellis violated, OU’s consensual sexual relationships policy, are necessary because of the stark power dynamic between a student and a professor. “When someone has the power to destroy your life or seriously hurt you, you can’t consent to be involved with them,” Dziech said. “It’s as simple as that.” According to OU’s policy, if Ellis hadn’t been in a supervisory or authoritative role over Schackmann, the relationship could have been allowed if his supervisor was aware. However, some universities — including Ivy League schools such as Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Dartmouth, Brown and Penn — have started implementing stricter policies by banning sexual relationships between undergraduates and faculty/staff altogether, even if the employee has no power over the student. The only Big 12 school with a complete ban on sexual relationships between students and faculty or staff members is the University of Texas,
whose consensual relationships policy was revised in 2017. When asked if the university has considered moving to a complete ban on these relationships, OU Public Affairs responded that the university is continually examining the Title IX office and what changes may be needed to “ensure compliance with federal regulations and adherence to best practices for personnel hiring, services, investigations, and victim advocacy.” Dziech said she thinks the broader policy is the right direction for universities. “I think there are three ways to look at this,” Dziech said. “Relationships between professors and students are dangerous to students, who have to live with it for the rest of their lives. They’re dangerous to professors who do it because they can be terminated, no matter how tenured, (and) they can be sued, no matter how they declare their innocence. And they are dangerous to the institutions where they work.”
that happened. A lot of the time ... it can take years for someone to say, ‘This is what happened to me.’” Both of Reid’s parents are professors, and he said it immediately struck him that the encounters were wrong, even if Schackmann thought she was consenting at first. “I don’t believe that it’s possible for a student and a teacher to have a consensual relationship,” Reid said. “It’s a false consent because (the students) don’t understand the implications, and the professor does ... I hesitate to even call it a relationship. It’s manipulation, it’s gaslighting, it’s abuse.” As the years passed, Schackmann said she came to understand that what happened to her was not her fault. However, she stopped acting for three years after graduation because she so closely associated acting with Ellis and with feeling ostracized by the department. She started acting again at 25, but when news about sexual harassment within the School of Drama surfaced in 2018, the trauma came up again. She considered coming forward, but she didn’t feel she was ready yet. In the summer of 2018, scandal surrounded the School of Drama as harassment allegations emerged against John Scamehorn, a former donor to the school and professor emeritus. His emeritus status was revoked, and more information began to surface. Orr was accused of enabling Scamehorn and of sexual harassment himself. He was investigated by Title IX, and while not found to have violated any policies, he stepped down as director, though he continues to be a professor. When The Daily reported on allegations against Orr, an estimated 500 newspapers were stolen from buildings in the fine arts area of campus, and then-interim director Judith Pender sent an email to drama faculty calling the story a “horrible smear campaign” that contained “inaccuracies and outright lies.” Last winter, things worsened for Schackmann. She stopped eating and started having suicidal ideation. This April, Schackmann was admitted to the Chicago Behavioral Mental Health Hospital. Though Schackmann did not want to go, she said six days spent in the all-women’s ward was “the best thing” she ever did. “The biggest thing I got out of it was, ‘If you don’t deal with this stuff, you’re going to die,’” Schackmann said. “It really forced me to be honest about the fact that I wasn’t over it, and I had almost a decade of trauma stored in my brain that I hadn’t processed, and that was really affecting my everyday life.” Today, she is regularly seeing a therapist and taking medication. Schackmann said one of her biggest issues with the way sexual harassment and sexual assault are talked about is that people focus on the perpetrator and largely ignore the system that enabled them to prey on someone. “There’s a reason these relationships developed or were allowed to develop, were allowed to flourish and keep going, is because ... people didn’t care enough to stop them,” Schackmann said. “So while I’m glad that Matthew has now been removed ... until we really talk about the core issues of this, it’s never going to get resolved.” Both Schackmann and Reid hope that by making her story public, today’s students, both in OU’s School of Drama and beyond, gain a better perspective of those in charge and make sure things like this don’t happen again. “Eventually, I realized through talking to other actors (in Chicago), that what happened to me wasn’t normal,” Schackmann said. “And that the School of Drama wasn’t normal. “It was abusive. And maybe I didn’t hate acting — maybe I just hated that I had been raped and abused, and no one cared.”
‘WHAT HAPPENED TO ME WASN’T NORMAL’
Emma Davis contributed to this report.
CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY
Quote from 2013 School of Drama graduate Taylor Schackmann.
Slowly, she began opening up to those close to her about what had happened, although she never went to an authority in the School of Drama or a university authority. After having a leading role in a three-hour play her sophomore year, Schackmann thought it was only the beginning of her success in the school. However, she never got cast after that except in one student-produced show. Several of Schackmann’s former classmates told The Daily that while they’re unsure if faculty members knew, the dynamic with Ellis was an open secret among students. Joey Hines, who graduated in 2013 with Schackmann, said even before she told him about her and Ellis, he had heard rumors they were involved during “The Odyssey.” “I remember ... people questioning the nature of their relationship, and I guess I was a little naive,” Hines said. “I guess I didn’t really want to believe that it could happen ... especially because Matthew was a teacher I personally had a good relationship with and actually kind of looked up to.” “We all still took his class, and people still wanted him to like them because their grade was at stake,” Hines said. “Whereas with Taylor, she became someone I think people were inclined to be less associated with.” ‘WHEN SOMEONE HAS THE POWER TO DESTROY YOUR LIFE ... YOU CAN’T CONSENT’ Many different things make a student more vulnerable to sexual encounters with professors, said Dziech, the Cincinnati professor who has written books on the subject. One factor is what department the student is in. “If you’re a (drama) professor, you have more ability to touch than you would if you were in an English class,” Dziech said. “You also have more ability to get inside kids’ heads than you would if you were in a math class. There’s a kind of chaotic
Reid and Schackmann have been together for more than eight years. As one of the people closest to Schackmann, Reid has seen firsthand the impact those six months have had on her life. Many of Shackmann’s greatest struggles were exacerbated by the relationship, including anorexia and other mental health issues, Reid said. “(It affected her) immensely, and in all aspects of her well-being.” Dziech said it is not uncommon for it to take years for someone to move on from encounters like Schackmann had with Ellis. “It’s like PTSD,” said Dziech, speaking in general about cases like Schackmann’s. “You can go along and then all of a sudden you wake up and say, ‘Oh, my God ... What happened here?’ She might blame herself, she might feel terrible about herself, she might be haunted by things
Jana Allen
jana.r.allen-1@ou.edu
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, below is a list of available resources. All are confidential.
OU Advocates: 405-615-0013 Norman Rape Crisis Center Hotline: 405-701-5660 OU University Counseling Center: 405-325-2911 More resources are available at projects.oudaily.com/findinghelp. Tips can be sent to The Daily at dailynews@ou.edu.
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SPORTS
• Dec. 9-15, 2019
Tough game looms in playoff Oklahoma opens as underdog versus dominant Tigers VIC REYNOLDS @vicareynolds
GEORGE STOIA @georgestoia
Oklahoma’s in. The Sooners are headed back to the College Football Playoff as the No. 4 seed playing No. 1 LSU in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta. This is OU’s third-straight appearance and fourth in the last five years. The Sooners have never won a College Football Playoff game, as they lost to Clemson in the 2015 season, Georgia in the 2017 season and Alabama in the 2018 season. O k l a h o m a’s r o a d t o the playoff wasn’t easy. The Sooners had to overcome a shocking loss to Kansas State on the road in October by beating Iowa State at home by 1 point, coming back from 25 points down at Baylor, having a game-sealing interception against TCU, winning Bedlam on the road and beating Baylor
in overtime at the Big 12 Championship. Saturday’s 30-23 win over Baylor for the Sooners’ fifth-straight Big 12 title all but sealed their playoff destiny, with Georgia and Utah both losing in their respective conference title games. OU’s impressive playoff run still leaves the team as massive underdogs heading into the semifinal, as the Sooners are the only non-undefeated team to be chosen. Oklahoma will face a tall task against LSU in having to slow down Heisman-favorite quarterback Joe Burrow. Oklahoma opened as a 9.5-point underdog to LSU per SuperBookUSA and an 11-point underdog per BetOnline.ag. Lincoln Riley and the Sooners are no strangers to being underdogs in the College Football Playoff, as they opened as a 14.5-point underdog to Alabama in the 2018 Orange Bowl. The Crimson Tide went on to beat Oklahoma, 45-34. The Tigers, in a similar fashion to Oklahoma this year, have had an overhaul of their typical playing style. In recent years, LSU
was known for its stout defense that was rarely scored on, but that narrative has shifte d dramatically in 2019. Now, the Tigers’ calling card is their passing game, which can primarily be attributed to the rise of Burrow. The Ohio State transfer has tossed for 4,366 yards and 44 touchdowns, and his 78.3 completion percentage is on track to break an NCAA record. At his disposal are two elite receivers in Justin J e f f e r s o n a n d J a’ M a r r Chase, who have combined for 151 receptions, 2,549 yards and 30 touchdowns. Chase is one of three receivers to be named a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, which is given to the nation’s best receiver. The Tigers’ passing game has been instrumental in transforming their offense, which ranks third in the nation in points per game with 44.9, but that’s not to say their defense isn’t formidable. LSU doesn’t have its typical defensive reputation this year, but a look at stats shows moving the ball on the Tigers isn’t a walk in
CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY
OU coach Lincoln Riley after winning the Big 12 Championship game against Baylor on Dec. 7.
the park. They rank 35th in total defense, 13th in thirddown conversion percentage and 31st in scoring defense. Any way one looks at it, the Tigers have a strong case to be called the nation’s best team. For the Sooners to pull off the
PLAYOFF: continued from page 1
hard, and winning is not easy. Coach Riley talked about it every day, emphasize it every time, so we talk about situations in the game where we may have momentum or we may not. Regardless, it’s not supposed to be easy. We expect it to be that way. “The mental toughness of this team and how we go about our business every day, just putting emphasis on focus, energy, passion, kind of the monumental aspects of our team. We embrace it all, and we attack.� Oklahoma players and coaches will be the first to say their journey isn’t over. OU has two things it’s never had in the College Football Playoff: a defense
JACKSON STEWART/THE DAILY
Senior quarterback Jalen Hurts kisses the Big 12 Championship trophy after winning the Big 12 Championship game against Baylor Dec. 7.
and a leader who’s been to the top of the mountain. With new defensive coordinator Alex Grinch leading the way, Oklahoma’s defense ranks 24th in the country coming into the
game. It ranked 101st in 2018, 68th in 2017 and 29th in 2015. Playing on a national stage, the Sooners will have the chance to prove a narrative wrong if they can shut LSU’s offense
down. “I mean, it would be huge for this team, period, to be able to get that opportunity,� said junior linebacker Kenneth Murray after the Big 12 Championship. “I
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SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) -- You’ll be acknowledged for your talent and hard work. The rewards will fuel your fire, pushing you to strive for higher accolades. Do your thing, do it well and enjoy the glory. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- You’ve got a clear path to turn your dream into reality. Don’t fear change; make your move and make it count. Romance is in the stars, and a commitment can be made. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) -Don’t share personal information, secrets or anything that could hurt your reputation. You don’t have to make an abrupt move or decision just because someone else does.
Previous Solution
By Eugenia Last
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PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) -Carefully choose with whom you associate. Someone will use your generosity and kindness to take advantage of you. Focus on personal LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) -- Keep your life simple, make sure your improvement and advancement, bank account is in the black and not on helping others get ahead. don’t let your secrets out. Don’t ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- Take fold under pressure or give in on additional work and make extra to demands or someone’s cash to help pay for end-of-year manipulative tactics. expenses. Your enthusiasm will impress your boss or a new client SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) -- If and will prove profitable as well. you mix business with pleasure, it will lead to an exciting revelation. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- Count Engage in activities and show your on your ability to get things done. peers how dynamic and surprising If you want to change, be the one you can be. Aggressive and pasto make it happen. Say less and do sionate action will pay off. more. Full speed ahead!
upset, they’ll need to play championship Jan. 13 in their most complete game New Orleans. of the season. Oklahoma and LSU will kick off at 3 p.m. CT Dec. Vic Reynolds 28 at the Mercedes-Benz victor.reynolds@ou.edu Stadium in Atlanta. The w inner w ill play either No. 2 Ohio State or No. 3 George Stoia Clemson for the national georgestoia@ou.edu
think that’s what I’m focused on, is us as a team getting that opportunity. Whether we play in the College Football Playoff or we just play outside in the backyard, ‘Speed D’ is going to do our jobs, go out there and execute.� A n d w i t h Hu r t s, w h o played in three national championships at Alabama and won one, Oklahoma has a leader who knows what it takes to win it all. For him, he could accomplish exactly what he came to Norman for. “I told Coach (Alex) Grinch after this game, just how crazy it is,� Hurts said, “if I would have ever thought as a true freshman, starting for Coach (Nick) Saban, winning an SEC Championship, going to a national championship, that I would be a Big 12 Champion with the Oklahoma Sooners in three years, I would think he was
crazy, too. “But God works in mysterious ways, and I’m blessed to be here with these guys.� This is the most complete team O klahoma’s had to offer in the College Fo o t b a l l P l ay o f f. F ro m Riley to Hurts to Grinch to Murray, the Sooners are going to give all they’ve got. Because that’s all they’ve done all season. “We’ve had a job to do as a team, which was continue to prove through the year, trust the things we could and ultimately win a Big 12 Championship,� Riley said Saturday. “We’ve d o n e t h a t . We w i l l s e e whatever road it takes us on, but whichever one it is... “We will be ready.� George Stoia
georgestoia@ou.edu
Universal Crossword Edited by David Steinberg December 9, 2019
ACROSS 1 Up the ___ 5 Musical work 9 Result of disorderly conduct? 13 Lump for one on the “naughty list� 14 Tiny iPod discontinued in 2017 15 Buttinsky 16 *Apply pressure, in a way 18 Consumed 19 Hugh of “House� 20 With plenty to go around 21 Ruckus 23 *“The Coming� rapper 25 Helen of “The Good Liar� 27 ___ coat (attire for Bill Nye) 28 Spamsending program, for short 29 Analogy words 30 Resting in bed for the day, say 33 *2013 OneRepublic hit ... and a task that, if applied to the asterisked answers, yields five 38 Sikh’s headwear
12/9
39 Canine’s intruder alert 41 Director Lee 44 ___ G. Biv (rainbow mnemonic) 45 Bagel type with seeds 47 *Rep’s goal 51 Morning droplets 52 Important points 53 Sought prey 55 Go in 56 *Country whose capital is San Jose 59 “Reno 911!� star Nash 60 Opposing 61 Strap held by an equestrian 62 Sunbathing souvenirs 63 Fluorescent 64 “Don’t leave me!� DOWN 1 Congressional output 2 Right this minute 3 Suit the specific needs of 4 Disney queen with an Ice Palace 5 Out jogging 6 The Louvre’s city 7 Not fulfilled 8 Emergency broadcast at sea 9 Like many old apples
10 Place in a crypt 11 Twospeaker sound system 12 Most reasonable 15 “That’s generally correct, although ...� 17 Center of a paper towel roll 20 Alums 21 French friend 22 Frisbee, e.g. 24 Straighten 26 Lopsided victory 30 North African nation 31 Political commentator Navarro 32 Most cats have four 34 Place for flowers or babies
35 Moderate gaits 36 Another term for a lane reduction 37 Not many 40 Not many 41 Climb up? 42 C.S. Lewis fantasy realm 43 Substance in many flours 45 Submitted 46 James who sang “At Last� 48 Corp. bigwigs 49 River of Geneva and Arles 50 Get-upand-go 54 Goes astray 56 Is able to 57 Clandestine org. 58 “___ takers?�
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Bright Spots by Evan Kalish
SPORTS
Dec. 9-15, 2019 •
5
Lamb ‘let the dog off the leash’ CeeDee shines as Most Outstanding Player of the Game CALEB MCCOURRY @CalebMac21
ARLINGTON, Texas — Junior wide receiver CeeDee Lamb walked into AT&T Stadium with face paint that read “NOBODY SAFE.” He proved that to be true Saturday. Lamb hauled in a 71-yard reception on his first catch — running for 67 of those yards. He avoided his defender who had hands on him by just running around him, outran two others and put the cherry on top with a spin move to avoid another before finally being stopped at the Baylor 7-yard line. The then-No. 6 Sooners (12-1, 9-1 Big 12) scored the game’s first touchdown two plays later in what would become their 30-23 overtime win over No. 7 Baylor (11-2, 8-2 Big 12) to win their fifth-consecutive Big 12 Championship. O n e i g h t re c e p t i o n s, Lamb racked up 173 receiving yards, good for second all-time in a Big 12 Championship game. With his 71-yard catch-and-run, Lamb now has seven games with at least one reception 45 yards or longer. “That’s just CeeDee being CeeDee,” said redshirt senior wide receiver Nick Basquine, who finished with 24 receiving yards and a touchdown. “Making great plays when his number is called — he always does that. “Best in the nation. He just played how he plays.” This begs the question: Will Lamb be Oklahoma’s second Biletnikoff winner in the school’s history?
Junior wide receiver CeeDee Lamb sports face paint reading “NOBODY SAFE” during the Big 12 Championship game on Dec. 7.
Currently, three finalists remain in the running for the honor given to the nation’s best receiver: Lamb, LSU’s Ja’Marr Chase and U S C ’s Michael Pittman Jr. With Chase’s numbers, he will be Lamb’s biggest competition. Chase averages 124.8 receiving yards per game on 73 receptions and has 1,498 yards on the season. Lamb, after his conference championship, is 280 yards shy of Chase’s season total and averages 101.5 yards per game. P i tt ma n J r. ha s 1 , 2 2 2
receiving yards on 95 receptions through 12 games, while Chase has 1,498 on 73 receptions through 11 games. Pittman Jr. has nine games with five or more receptions, and Chase has nine as well. With Lamb’s 1,208 receiving yards on the season, he’s had only six games five receptions or more while having three games with two or fewer receptions. Chase has had only two games with fewer than five receptions. On Saturday, every single catch from Lamb mattered.
Aside from his 71-yarder, Lamb also tallied two 17-yarders along with a 31yard catch in the Sooners’ last offensive possession in the fourth quarter. In a game where senior quarterback Jalen Hurts had his early struggles with a fumble and an interception in the first half that turned into 10 Baylor points, Lamb’s offensive production, made the difference. Saturday’s performance comes after two games with a combined six receptions for 52 yards from Lamb. As
the Sooners were celebrating after the win, Hurts revealed that he gave Lamb a note with some words of encouragement before the game. “I told him, ‘It’s time to let the dog off the leash,’” Hurts said. Saturday, Lamb had eight receptions to work with and put up an average 21.6 yards per catch in a game with College Football Playoff implications on the line. Lamb completed his second-longest reception of the game in the fourth quarter,
CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY
bringing in a 31-yard catch on a first-and-20. His cont r i b u t i o n s t o t h e ga m e Saturday earned him the Big 12 Championship Most Outstanding Player of the Game. “(Lamb) did a great job with the opportunities he had,” Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley said. “He’s had a lot of big games here and had a big game here for his team today.” Caleb McCourry
caleb.a.mccourry-1@ ou.edu
Grinch proves worth in Big 12 title game ‘Speed D’ bails out offense in rematch with Baylor Bears GEORGE STOIA @GeorgeStoia
ARLINGTON, Texas — Late Friday, Alex Grinch met up with his dad, Greg, at the team hotel. The two talked about the Big 12 title game and what to expect. Greg described Grinch’s demeanor as “quietly confident.” He knew his son was about to coach one of the best games of his young career. “He has such confidence,” Greg said. “And you can see that rubbing off on the defense the last few games.” Less than 24 hours later, Grinch stood at the 30-yard line, his family by his side. He let out a sigh of relief before smiling and hugging his dad. Then-No. 6 Oklahoma (12-1, 9-1 Big 12), behind Grinch’s defense, had just beaten No. 7 Baylor (11-2, 8-2 Big 12) 30-23 in overtime of the Big 12 Championship. With then-No. 4 Georgia’s loss to then-No. 2 LSU, OU’s win puts the Sooners in the College Football Playoff. While Grinch celebrated with his family, coach Lincoln Riley, who brought Grinch to Norman to reconstruct OU’s abysmal defense, stood on the championship stage and answered ESPN’s Holly Rowe’s question regarding his defense with authority. “I’m so proud of that defense today,” Riley said. “That narrative is over!” Oklahoma made a statement Saturday. Not only can it play defense, but it can play some of the best defense in the countr y. Grinch is a big reason why.
CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY
OU defensive coordinator Alex Grinch during the Big 12 Championship game against Baylor on Dec. 7.
“I saw it at Washington State,” Grinch’s father said after the game. “It took some time, but by that third season, he had those guys humming. So when he got the team back together, with Brian Odom and Roy Manning, coming here to Oklahoma, I knew they’d be successful.” Grinch has been able to manufacture a complete turnaround in one season, despite having the exact same defensive players the Sooners had a year ago. Grinch’s defense shut Bay l o r d ow n Sat u rd ay , holding the Bears to just 265 total yards of offense. Oklahoma’s front seven was physical, allowing only 35 rushing yards and combining for six sacks and 15 tackles for loss. Baylor was just 3-of-15 on third downs and 0-of-1 on fourth downs. Oklahoma had maybe its best defensive performance of the season in the biggest game of the year. “It’s just Coach Grinch’s
mentality,” outside linebacker Nik Bonitto said. “ T h re e d o w n s o r t a k e aways. Whatever happens, happened in the past, and we can’t evaluate that. All we have in front of us is three downs or takeaways. If they get a first down, our focus is the same — three downs or takeaways.” O k l a h o m a’s d e f e n s e came up big when it was needed most. With 6:11 remaining and Oklahoma clinging to a 23-20 lead, Baylor’s Chris Platt broke free down the left sideline for what looked like an easy touchdown. Ju n i o r c o r n e r b a c k T r e Brown ran Platt down, tackling him at the Oklahoma 15-yard line. Three plays later, OU forced a field goal. In the ensuing overtime, the Sooner defense came out needing one stop after Oklahoma’s Rhamondre Stevenson scored the goahead touchdown, giving Grinch’s unit the chance to put the game away.
A quarterback hurr y by Neville Gallimore, another quarterback hurry by Ronnie Perkins, a sack by Bonitto and Jalen Redmond and a quarterback hurry by Re d m o n d l at e r, a n d Oklahoma forced a turnover on downs to win the game. The Sooners were smothering, not allowing Baylor a glimpse of hope. “Going into the game, we knew that no matter what the outcome, how long it took, whether it went into overtime or not, we were going to go out there and battle,” said Kenneth Mu r r a y , w h o t o t a l e d a team-high 10 tackles. “We were going to go out there and get a stop. Obviously going into it and seeing our offense do what they do best, it was time for us to do what we do best.” Riley, whose offense str uggle d for most of Saturday’s game, had high praise for his defense, recognizing they bailed him out multiple times. “ T h a t ’s o u r ‘S p e e d D.’ That’s what we are. It’s what Coach Grinch said from day one, and it’s spot on,” Riley said. “We’re an effort-based defense, and to see us make one of the key plays of the game on just great effort by Tre (Brown) running them down, and the defensive line again, they were relentless all day, and that’s the way you got to play, and our guys have bought in. We’ve done it early, and it’s kind of time here in key moments and games, and we’ve just gotten better and better as it went on. “Couldn’t be happier with our defense and the way those guys have played with so much new
— again, we knew it could be done here. Our guys believed it, our coaches believed it, and we’ve got a pretty good defense here.” Saturday is exactly why Riley hired Grinch. In the past two seasons, Oklahoma has had a national title-caliber offense. It’s been the defense holding the Sooners back. But this season, thanks to Grinch’s complete rebuild, Oklahoma has been carried by its defense when it has mattered most. For Grinch, he knew the type of challenge he was facing when he took the job in January. “When you take a job at a place like Oklahoma, you understand that the expectations are through the roof,” Grinch said. “And you want to live up to those expectations. You want to prove Coach Riley right.
You know that the standard here — and I’ve used the example before, it’s the New York Yankees. You don’t come in here and tell them what the standard is. They tell you what it is. So you live up to it, and that’s a tall order.” In January, when Grinch was hired, Greg told The Daily his son “exceeds expectations or it kills him.” “I knew it was going to be a heck of a challenge,” Greg said Saturday. “He’s relentless in his way. He’s tenacious. He’s up at 4:30 in the morning, and it’s just like clockwork. He’s intense.” After Saturday, it’s safe to say Grinch has exceeded expectations in his first season. And it’s not over yet. George Stoia
georgestoia@ou.edu
6
SPORTS
• Dec. 9-15, 2019
Hurts stays level in Big 12 game Despite turnovers, quarterback helps lead OU to title win VIC REYNOLDS @vicareynolds
ARLINGTON, Texas — Jalen Hurts never thought he’d be here. The Alabama transfer quarterback has had one of the most widely publicized up-and-down careers in modern college football. The most recent chapter has seen him leading thenNo. 6 Oklahoma (12-1, 9-1 Big 12) to a 30-23 overtime win over No. 7 Baylor (112, 8-2 Big 12) in the Big 12 Championship. Confetti rained down as the Sooners celebrated their fifth-straight conference title, and Hurts was reminded of a conversation he had with Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley ahead of his senior night, a 28-24 win over TCU on Nov. 23. Hurts started for Nick Saban in his first two collegiate seasons at Alabama, leading the Crimson Tide to consecutive national championship appearances in 2017 and 2018, only to lose his starting spot to Tua Tagovailoa at halftime of the 2018 national championship game. After spending his junior season as a backup, Hurts transferred to Oklahoma and has the Sooners primed for a third consecutive College Football Playoff appearance. It’s a journey most college athletes couldn’t dream of, a journey a Hollywood screenwriter would drool over and a journey Hurts still finds surreal. “Coach Riley said, ‘Three y e a r s a g o, i f y o u e v e r
thought your senior night would be at Oklahoma, you’d thought you’d be kidding.’ I said, ‘Yeah, I never would have thought,’” Hurts said. “I told Coach Grinch after this game how crazy it is, if I ever would have thought as a true freshman starting for Coach Saban, winning a SEC Championship, going to a national championship, that I’d be a Big 12 champion with the Oklahoma Sooners in three years, I would’ve thought I was lying, too.” But before the confetti, the trophy celebration and the reminiscing, Hurts and the Sooners had a threeand-a-half-hour grudge match against the Bears, which was one of the most physical games the Sooners have played all year. And it wasn’t Hurts who led the Sooners to victory — it was the Oklahoma defense and special teams that dragged the offense to the trophy presentation. Hurts finished with 38 rushing yards, his lowest of the season, and his 287 passing yards were barely above his season average of about 279. His one touchdown marked just the second time all year when he didn’t account for multiple scores. Hurts’ recent struggles are not a new sight for those who have been regularly watching the Sooners, as untimely turnovers have become a weekly struggle. This week, it came in the form of two second-quarter turnovers, one being a lost fumble with a 10-0 lead and the other being an interception two drives later. Both set up the Bears inside Oklahoma territory, and both were
Senior quarterback Jalen Hurts throws the ball during the Big 12 Championship game on Dec. 7.
instrumental in turning the Sooners’ 10-point lead into a 13-10 halftime deficit. However, if there’s one thing Oklahoma fans and media have become accustomed to with Hurts, it’s his steady, stoic demeanor that he carries almost all the time. Whether he accounts for five touchdowns or multiple turnovers, Hurts emphasizes remaining steady through all of the ups and downs. “He bounces back, and he fights through adversity like a lot of other guys on this team do,” redshirt senior wide receiver Nick Basquine said. “We didn’t lose confidence in him, and he didn’t lose confidence in himself. That’s the biggest thing in playing in this type of game at this level. You have to have confidence.” After four consecutive
seasons with Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray — two Heisman Trophy winners and No. 1 NFL Draft picks — Hurts’ struggles are a foreign sight at times. But his championship character, pedigree and leadership have gone a long way in contributing to the Sooners’ success this season. “His demeanor means a lot. Even when he has his bad plays — and we all have our bad plays — we look at each other and say, ‘We got you,’” said senior offensive tackle and fellow graduate transfer R.J. Proctor, who was hosted by Hurts on his official visit to Oklahoma. “He has us no matter what, and that’s really big, knowing you can lean on each other as an offensive line and as a quarterback. I appreciate his leadership and everything that he’s done for
us this season.” As the Sooners are gearing up for another College Football Playoff appearance, the national audience will get to see a new look from Oklahoma. In their last three College Football Playoff runs — all of which ended in losses in their first game — the Sooners were led by Heisman Trophy winning quarterbacks who had to carry defenses that ranked, on average, 65th in the nation. This team is different. The 2019 Sooner offense at times feels like it’s being carried by a defense that now ranks 24th nationally in total defense. Hurts understands how valuable the rest of the team has been in helping him reach a goal he never once thought he’d try to reach. And he displayed the same
CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY
level of leadership at the Sooners’ postgame press conference he displays when throwing an interception or losing a fumble. “This is not about me. We can talk about me another time. How about these guys up here?” Hurts said, referring to junior linebacker Kenneth Murray and redshirt senior defensive tackle Neville Gallimore at the press conference stand. “These are two defensive leaders stepping in, playing well and getting it done for us. How about CeeDee Lamb coming back after everybody thinks he’s gone or something? We got great players on this team, and we got great coaches. “I’m blessed to be where my feet are.” Vic Reynolds
victor.reynolds@ou.edu
Mailbag: ‘What’s going on with the offense lulling recently?’ Sports editor talks OU’s national title hopes, injuries GEORGE STOIA @GeorgeStoia
Oklahoma is going to the College Football Playoff after beating Baylor 30-23 in the Big 12 Championship Saturday. After the game, The Daily’s George Stoia answered all your burning questions: What is going on with the offense lulling recently? Baylor did play a great game defensively, but it also seems like we just keep putting ourselves behind the 8 ball. Turnovers. Jalen Hurts’ two turnovers really killed them Saturday. I’d also say Lincoln Riley has been really conservative lately and I think that goes hand in hand with Hurts’ vulnerability to turn the ball over. A n d , u n l e s s O k l a h o ma plays Ohio State, Baylor’s defensive front is the best it will see this season. Luckily for the Sooners, they have maybe the best kicker in the country and a wide receiver that can take it the distance every time he touches it. This offense isn’t like 2017 or 2018, but it’s been good enough — so far. Did CeeDee Lamb seal the Biletnikoff today? L S U ’s Ja’ Ma r r C h a s e has a legitimate case. But I think anyone watching OU’s game Saturday knows the Sooners don’t win if it’s not for Lamb. I don’t think the same could be said for Chase. What percentage of the things OU is doing right now would properly
JACKSON STEWART/THE DAILY
Senior quarterback Jalen Hurts runs the ball during the Big 12 Championship game on Dec. 7.
be called Air Raid? Can Hurts make effective use of the basic mesh? Th e o n l y t h i ng O U i s doing that is air raid is when they go five wide and Hurts runs a quarterback draw. Everything else is like a mixture of the spread and I-formation but in shotgun form, if that makes sense. Oklahoma has run some basic mesh stuff before, mostly with Charleston Rambo or Lee Morris crossing over the middle,
and Hurts has done well there. The biggest thing for Hurts on those plays is being patient. When he sits in the pocket and waits for those plays to develop, he’s pretty good. But too often he takes off. How many time s did you proofread your tweet to make sure you got enough “back”s in there before you sent it? At least five times. D o e s Ja l e n h a v e a n arm? Serious. We may be
going into a playoff game with an offense being the issue rather than our defense. I can confirm that Jalen Hurts does in fact have two working arms. Look, he’s not the passer Baker Mayfield or Kyler Murray was. We’ve said that all season. But he’s been good enough so far. Is he good enough to make big-time throws in the playoff? Well, we’re about to find out. At what point do we s t o p s a y i n g b a c k- t o back-to-back.....etc. How many is too many? When OU stops winning the Big 12. Can we get an injury update on Brooks and Bookie? There’s been no official update on either. They were both on the field for the celebration and looked fine. I would guess they will be available for the bowl game. Why isn’t Riley playing Austin Stogner more? He’s abandoned the tight e n d s p o t s i n c e G ra n t Calcaterra got hurt. Stogner plays quite a bit, he just doesn’t get the ball thrown to him a lot. Part of that is Brayden Willis has been incredible lately. The other part of that is Hurts. I think you could ask that same question about nearly every receiver or tight end on the team except Lamb. Guys just aren’t getting that many targets because OU isn’t passing the ball, and when they do, Hurts is looking for Lamb. George Stoia
georgestoia@ou.edu
CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY
Redshirt freshman kicker Gabe Brkic during the Big 12 Championship game on Dec. 7.
Record-breaking Brkic goes 17-of-17 Kicker boosts offense in perfect season to date CHANDLER ENGELBRECHT @CTEngelbrecht
ARLINGTON, Texas — Nobody’s perfect — except for Gabe Brkic. Through 13 games this season, the Oklahoma kicker is 17-of-17 on field goals and 48-of-48 on PAT attempts. He’s the only kicker in the FBS this year to be perfect in both categories. In then-No. 6 Oklahoma’s (12-1, 9-1 Big 12) Big 12 Championship matchup with No. 7 Baylor (11-2, 8-2 Big 12) on Saturday, the redshirt freshman nailed three field goals and three extra point attempts — setting a school record for longest streak of consecutive made field goals in a season. He made one from 44 and two from 24 yards out Saturday. Brkic’s unblemished play has boosted the Sooners’ offense tremendously — but, surprisingly enough, Brkic wasn’t originally intended to be the starter this year. The starting job went to kicker Calum Sutherland back in August, who has since been dismissed from the team. “It was a little
disappointing,” Brkic said. “I just trusted (myself), trusted that I’d get my opportunity. I have, and here we are.” Brkic’s opportunity came after Sutherland was dismissed. Needless to say, Brkic has made the most of it. When he first took over kicking duties against Texas Tech on Sept. 28, Brkic hit two field goals from 30-plus yards out and went seven-for-seven on extra points. A little over a month later against Kansas State on Oct. 26, Brkic was a silver lining for OU as he went four-for-four on field goals, which included a 50-yarder. “I come into every game like it’s a new game. Every week’s a new week,” he said. “It’s great getting the chance to provide for my team. I love it ... I love making plays for my team.” Of course, the offense isn’t alone in reaping the rewards of Brkic’s perfect season — the defense does, too. “It means a lot,” said sophomore safety Delarrin TurnerYell. “Like today, whenever Gabe was called to go out there and kick a field goal, we were like, ‘Oh, this is money.’ “There’s no question about it, we know what Gabe can do for the team.” Chandler Engelbrecht
chandler.engelbrecht@ou.edu