W E E K LY E D I T I O N | O C T. 19 - 2 5 , 2 0 2 1 | O U D A I LY. C O M
Julius Jones freedom vigil held on South Oval · pg 4
OUDAILY ‘Who says journalism is dead?’
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Freshman quarterback Caleb Williams takes snaps before the homecoming game against TCU on Oct. 16.
Freshman phenom fries Frogs Caleb Williams shines in first start of career on Homecoming weekend CHANDLER ENGELBRECHT @ctengelbrecht
Caleb Williams shifted left as a would-be tackler flew to the ground. With room to run, the Washington, D.C., native directed blockers and bolted. After bobbing in and out of traffic, he stood firmly inside Owen Field’s south endzone 41 yards later, where he gazed into a sea of fans donning crimson before his teammates swarmed him. The play was one of many highlights Williams had in his debut as the Sooners’ starting quarterback, which saw him lead No. 3 OU (7-0, 4-0 Big 12) to a 52-31 victory over TCU (3-3, 1-2). As the fifth true freshman quarterback to ever start for the Sooners, Williams mirrored past OU gunslingers and opened new possibilities for the Sooners’ offense.
Williams finished 18-of-23 passing for 295 yards and four touchdowns and added 66 rushing yards on nine carries. He completed his first 10 passes for 206 yards and a score, which came on a 17-yard pass to redshirt senior H-back Jeremiah Hall. The last true freshman quarterback to start for Oklahoma, co-offensive coordinator Cale Gundy, lost 33-31 to Iowa State in 1990. Now 394 games removed from that moment, Williams’ teammates believe the freshman who didn’t play his senior year of high school due to the pandemic is on track to stand among OU’s all-timers at the position. “He’s himself,” said senior safety Pat Fields. “He’s the same guy that we recruited. … He’s fiery. I didn’t play with Baker, but I think he has some traits of Baker Mayfield. I played with (Kyler Murray), and I think he has some traits of K1 in terms of what he can do with the ball in his hands (and) how dynamic he is. I think he’s a special player. “He has that little kid joy for the
game. And I say that because it’s so important. A lot of guys, they get tired of practicing, they get tired of the grind, but he’s just excited every single day. … He’s the future of our program, and I think he’s doing everything he can and should do.” Williams’ start comes a week after he took over for redshirt sophomore and preseason Heisman favorite Spencer Rattler in the Sooners’ 55-48 comeback over Texas. He had 212 passing yards and two touchdowns while going 16-of-25 in the win. After dispatching the Horned Frogs, senior wide receiver Mike Woods complimented Williams’ tendency to toss 50-50 balls. Ultimately, however, Woods said OU’s receiving corps doesn’t care who’s behind center and that they’d trust either quarterback in head coach Lincoln Riley’s system. Yet, ESPN color commentator Kirk Herbstreit noted during the game’s broadcast that the Sooners’ offense has seemed to find itself under Williams. The former Gonzaga High School standout has now led
Oklahoma to back-to-back 50-point performances and now has 40-1 odds to win the Heisman Trophy per Oddsmaker despite playing at length in just the past seven quarters of OU football. “I think as we walk out of this stadium, and everybody that watched this game, everybody’s going to be talking about Caleb Williams,” Herbstreit said on air, “and how Caleb Williams makes Oklahoma a legitimate team and makes this a really exciting race in the Big 12. … He got his shot, and he’s completely taken advantage of this. There is a buzz in this stadium, in this city and in this state now about this Sooner team with him there.” Riley told reporters that he decided Williams would start around midweek. He said both Williams and Rattler “handled it well.” Williams was not announced as the starter until minutes before the game kicked off. “Caleb got the opportunity tonight and obviously did a great job with it,” Riley said. “I’m confident that had Spencer gotten the opportunity
tonight, with the way he practiced, he would’ve played very well also. Thought the room handled it great. Proud of those guys for a winning effort and being team-first guys.” Though Rattler didn’t take a snap Saturday, redshirt junior running back Kennedy Brooks said he was involved on the sidelines and that he believes Rattler will continue to help his team however he can. For now, though, it appears to be Williams’ team to lead in the second half of a season in which the Sooners remain undefeated and with all their preseason goals still in front of them. “He’s a great leader for being a freshman,” said redshirt sophomore receiver Jadon Haselwood. “I don’t think he ever feels pressure. He’s always in a good mood. Like even last week (against Texas), he felt no pressure, no fear. You can tell by the way he played. (He’s) just a great kid. He can sling it, he can run it, he can do whatever he needs to do to get the ball downfield.” chandler.engelbrecht@ou.edu
OU Indigenous Peoples’ Day celebrates identities, cultures Weeklong observance highlights hardships, recognizes sovereignty PEGGY DODD, TAYLOR JONES and KALY PHAN @pegdodd @wrongtailor @KPhsn
The OU American Indian Programs and Services hosted an Indigenous Peoples’ Day celebration from Oct. 11-15 to commemorate Native American sovereignty in the Norman campus. The weeklong celebration started with an Oct. 11 tribal flag march and a cedaring ceremony, a prayer of reflection and blessings, by OU tribal liaison Warren Queton. A luncheon presenting keynote speaker Jameson D. Lopez, an enrolled member of the Quechan Tribe located in California, took place Oct. 12 and a panel on Native American languages occurred on Oct. 14. President Joseph Biden issued a proclamation recognizing Indigenous Peoples’ Day on Oct. 8, 2021, becoming the first U.S. president to do so. OU administrators first recognized Indigenous Peoples’ Day in 2015 after pressure from student group Indigenize OU and other campus leaders. Miss and Mr. Indian OU, Student Government Association Congress Chair Crispin South, leaders from
the OU Native fraternity and sorority Sigma Nu Alpha Gamma and Gamma Delta Pi and the OU American Indian Student Association president spoke during the opening ceremony after the tribal flag march. AISA President Phoenix Burrow said in her speech that one of her first memories of Indigenous Peoples’ Day in school was “anything but fond,” as she was asked, “Do you want to be a pilgrim or Indian?” At the time, she said she didn’t understand what was being asked of her, but, looking back, she can recall many times like this when Native American perspectives were “completely ignored.” When she came to OU, she said she finally felt heard. “I was able to find a community here that consisted of Native students with interests in various programs (and) Native staff that not only made you feel a sense of belonging, but also validated the knowledge that we come here knowing as Indigenous students,” Burrow said. Despite the day’s celebration, Burrow said Indigenous people still face various struggles, including the kidnapping and murdering of Native American women and high suicide rates in Native American men in age groups 10-34. “To those who are listening outside of our Native community and want to help, I can only advise (you) to educate yourself, your friends and
find resources for your Native friends so you can be ready when they are going through these issues,” Burrow said. Burrow recalled a piece by internationally recognized multidisciplinary artist and Lac Seul First Nation member Rebecca Belmore titled ‘Fringe’ that depicts a Native American woman facing away from a camera with a large scar across her back. She said it represents the healed but lasting scar left upon Native American people. “As we try to heal from generational trauma, the scars are reopened from these issues that are still prevalent within our community,” Burrow said. “In Indigenous fashion, however, we are resilient, and we continue to heal and work toward being able to reduce the effects that trauma has had for future generations.” Burrow said she is excited for the future of Native American representation, as she views her and her peers as “change-makers” who can make a lasting impact on campus and their communities. SGA Chair Crispin South echoed this statement, saying in his speech that the day’s celebration was “inspiring.” When South was younger, he said the holiday honored Christopher Columbus, who he referred to as “the colonizer.” Although South said the university, state and country still have work to do, he still sees this day as one worth celebrating, as it offers
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Members of the Native community help set up a tipi on the South Oval in celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day on Oct. 11.
Native American people a way to be who they are “to the fullest extent” through their heritage, culture, languages and dress. “Indigenous Peoples’ Day is a day of reclamation. This is a day when we can celebrate our cultures and where we can take it back,” South said. “I don’t speak Choctaw — that’s something that my family has lost over the years through colonization. I’m trying to learn it again. I’m trying to reclaim that. I’m trying to bring that back into our family and our heritage.” Tsali Smith, chairman of Sigma Nu Alpha Gamma, OU’s only Native American fraternity, said he is honored he gets to celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day as a federally recognized holiday. He said, 10 years ago, he wouldn’t have believed “such a small minority” would receive nationwide recognition. “(Gamma Delta Pi and Sigma Nu Alpha Gamma) just make you realize there are so few of us. This is the heart of Indian country, yet we’re (the)
only Native sorority and fraternity. We only have a handful of American Indian student organizations yet we’re in the heart of Native community,” Smith said. “(It) just makes you wonder what happens outside of Oklahoma.” On the OU-Norman campus, 1,014 students, or 3.6 percent of all students, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native, according to the Fall 2020 OU Factbook. Growing up, Smith said he always had long hair, which is an important aspect of Native American culture. He remembers being bullied for “not being masculine” and having his hair forcibly cut by white students when he lived in the Northern U.S. Historically, Native American men were often forced to cut their hair to appear more “civilized,” or white, as evidenced in a 1902 letter from the commissioner of Indian Affairs. Smith said he is “grateful” for the support he found in Oklahoma and see NATIVE page 2