Oct. 5-11, 2021 by OU Daily

W E E K LY E D I T I O N | O C T. 5 -12 , 2 0 2 0 | O U D A I LY. C O M

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Daily Texan’s guest sports column ahead of OU vs. Texas · pg 4

ARI FIFE/THE DAILY

Activists decry anti-abortion bills Oklahoma City Women’s March participants march around the state Capitol Oct. 2.

Protesters rally against imminent restrictive legislation ARI FIFE @arriifife

About a month before nine bills restricting abortion access in Oklahoma will take effect, a crowd of around 200 gathered outside the state Capitol to rally against an increase in anti-abortion laws across the country. Oklahoma City Women’s March organizers said the event ’s purpose was to bring awareness to the lack of Supreme Court action against restrictive abortion laws in other states, including Texas, which recently passed Senate Bill 8. They also said they hoped to highlight the lack of maternal and infant care in Oklahoma, which is the fourth worst state for maternal mortality. Of the nine bills signed by Gov. Kevin Stitt, Senate Bill 918 would grant Oklahoma authority to prohibit abortion if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade. House Bill 2441 would prohibit abortions after “a fetal heartbeat”

is detected, unless the pregnancy would threaten the mother’s life. A group of local and national organizations — including The Center for Reproductive Rights, several Planned Parenthood affiliates, the Oklahoma Call for Reproductive Justice and Tulsa Women’s Reproductive Clinic — is challenging five of the bills in a lawsuit. The Supreme Court didn’t act on an emergency request to block a Texas law banning abortions as soon as cardiac activity is detectable — usually around six weeks into the pregnancy. President Joe Biden criticized the Supreme Court’s decision in a September statement, saying the bill “unleashes unconstitutional chaos.” In December, the Supreme Court is set to hear a case on a Mississippi law that would ban most abortions after 15 weeks — about two months earlier than Roe v. Wade stipulates. Women’s March organizer Rebecca Burk said the Supreme Court’s lack of action on strict abortion laws indicates it’s “very seriously considering overturning Roe v. Wade.”

Demand for Oklahoma abortion clinics has significantly increased amid near-total abortion bans in nearby states, Women’s March organizer Laura Ogle said. A doctor at the Planned Parenthood Tulsa facility said in September the clinic has seen a 646 percent daily increase in Texas patients, according to The Oklahoman. Burk said she hasn’t seen the same amount of concern regarding restrictive abortion laws in Oklahoma as in Texas and other states. Though Oklahoma HB 2441 mirrors Texas’ “heartbeat” bill, with no exceptions for rape or incest, most discussion in the state began only after the Texas bill went into effect. “Unfortunately, we may see kind of a similar thing here where a lot of people just don’t really fully realize until it’s already happened,” Burk said. Former state Sen. Connie Johnson said she worked in the state Capitol from 1981 to 2014. During most of that time, she said Health and Human Services committee chair Bernest Cain played a major role in protecting women’s rights in the state.

After he termed out in 2006, Johnson said the State Senate was immediately hit with a slew of anti-abortion bills. Johnson said efforts by state legislators to push forward restrictive legislation made her “absolutely livid.” In 2012, she introduced a “spilled semen” amendment to Oklahoma’s “personhood” bill, which would classify “any action in which a man ejaculates or otherwise deposits semen anywhere but in a woman’s vagina” as action against an unborn child. Because of the national attention the amendment received, Johnson said the bill never arrived on the House floor. Johnson became the first Black woman nominated to statewide office when she won the Democratic primary for an Oklahoma U.S. Senator seat, though she lost to Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) in the general election. Johnson announced a campaign in the 2022 gubernatorial race in July. She said although she was defeated by Drew Edmondson in the 2018 gubernatorial Democratic primary, now is the time for a second attempt.

“I couldn’t sit on the sideline, knowing that all the experience, the knowledge that I have … to help make Oklahoma a better place for people wasn’t going to be exerted,” Johnson said. “I have a duty to take all that I’ve been given, and all that I’ve ever had the chance and opportunity to receive to give back.” She also said young women “in the prime of their lives” have the most to lose from laws restricting abortion access. “College women especially ought to be voting like their very futures depend on it,” Johnson said. “I think they would be the group (that is) the most affected, potentially, but I think they’re also the group that has the greatest potential to make this big difference.” Women’s March organizer Alana Westfall moved to Oklahoma from New Mexico and said she didn’t realize how bad the state’s healthcare for women was until arriving. She said the state’s been effective at attracting young people for work, but the lack of health care resources might prevent some from moving.

Psychology and crimi n o l o g y ju n i o r a n d O U Women’s Health Advocacy Vice President of Education Stacey Johnson said group m e mb e r s at t e n d e d t h e march because abortion is a women’s health issue. Stacey Johnson said the group is working to keep abortion accessible, even with potential additional obstacles. A WHA education officer is developing a blog with information, and the organization’s Instagram has reproductive rights resources, like the Women’s Resource Center and the Mary Abbott Children’s House. “Girls our age should not be in the position of choosing whether they need to sacrifice the rest of their life to take care of a child or if they want to go get an education,” Stacey Johnson said. “There’s so many things that intersect with the issue of abortion that affect everyday life, and women shouldn’t have to fight to have control of their own body, which should be an inalienable right.” fifeari@gmail.com

Sooners’ offense delivers in 1st away game OU focuses on consistency to give strong 2nd-half play MASON YOUNG @Mason_Young_0

MANHATTAN, Kansas — Spencer Rattler raised his hands to signal a touchdown as Kennedy Brooks rolled into the end zone off a 2-yard pitch. It would’ve been easy for Oklahoma (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) to fret over another low-scoring first half as it narrowly led Kansas State (3-2, 0-2) 13-10 at halftime on Oct. 2. Instead, it chose to respond, surging to Brooks’ touchdown on nine plays and 75 yards in little over three minutes to open the second half. And following potentially OU’s best possession of the season — where it sped upfield freely, gaining ground on all but one play — its defense forced K-State’s only punt of the game and the No. 6 Sooners never looked back, holding on for a 37-31 road win against Kansas State before 47,690 fans. “I knew it was gonna be important,” OU coach Lincoln Riley said of his team’s quick

second-half response. “You take us two years ago to this game, we played a pretty decent first half. … It was really close, and then we had an awful, awful third quarter here in (2019). “And so we really challenged the guys. We knew we needed to come out and establish some momentum and we felt like we were close to doing that … and being able to back that up with the stop and a couple of scores there are obviously huge.” The victory snapped a twogame losing streak against c o a c h C h r i s K l i e ma n ’s Wildcats and Oklahoma also amassed at least 30 points in its 34th-straight true road game, adding to the longest scoring streak in college football since at least 1980. Additionally, Riley captured his 50th win as the Sooners’ coach, becoming the third fastest to do so behind legends Barry Switzer and Bud Wilkinson. After consecutive lackluster outputs of 23 and 16 points — both Riley-era lows — against Nebraska and West Virginia, Oklahoma is finding its offensive groove. The Sooners scored on all but one of their possessions against KSU and churned out 392 yards of

offense, a season high aside from their 624-yard drubbing of FCS Western Carolina. “We all wanted to play better coming into this week,” said Rattler, OU redshirt sophomore quarterback. “Every person on the offense takes accountability. That’s something that’s important with our team, we’re never just looking at one guy, it’s always a group thing, so we did a great job. Everybody did a great job of doing their job this weekend. We played a great game.” O U wa s ab l e t o o p e n up its running game like it hadn’t through four games, as Brooks, a redshirt junior, rumbled for a season high 91 yards on 15 carries. Brooks and co-starting running back Eric Gray’s hard-nosed rushes unlocked the throwing lanes for Rattler, who tossed for 243 yards and two touchdowns on 22-of-25 passing. A 4-yard touchdown run by redshirt senior H-back Jeremiah Hall — the first of his career — and two field goals from redshirt junior kicker Gabe Brkic got Oklahoma its advantage at the break. Those three drives were Oklahoma’s only in the first quarter, as it was outpaced in time of possession 10:46-4:14. “Every drive to us in this

TREY YOUNG/THE DAILY

Redshirt junior running back Kennedy Brooks during the game against Kansas State in Manhattan on Oct. 2.

game was important,” Rattler said. “We came into this game working on our consistency. … Having these low drive numbers and not getting as many drives, you gotta take every drive and treat it like it’s our last.”

Following Brooks’ score and Speed D’s stand to begin the third quarter, OU and Kansas State traded blows, which saw Rattler find senior receiver Mike Woods and then Hall for touchdowns. With little over three

minutes remaining in the third quarter, Kansas State looked to turn the tide via an onside kickoff while trailing 34-24. At first it appeared the Wildcats see K-STATE page 4

NEWS

• Oct. 5-12, 2021

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Student Government Association Undergraduate Student Congress chair Crispin South, SGA president Tavana Farzaneh, Graduate Student Senate chair Claire Burch and University Policy Committee Chair Graeson Lynskey at the Oct. 1 signing ceremony.

‘Make sure that we’re safe’

Student Government Association signs COVID-19 resolution KAYLA PHAM @KPhsn

OU Student Government Association held an Oct. 1 signing ceremony for a resolution calling for university COVID-19 policy revisions, including a mask requirement and mandatory testing for unvaccinated people. The resolution also includes a revision for hazard pay and revised attendance policies that mirror faculty demands for the university to reconsider its COVID-19 policy. Additionally, the authors call for vaccine status confirmation for all community members. OU’s current COVID-19 policy has remained unchanged due to the university’s interpretation

of Oklahoma Senate Bill 658 and Gov. Kevin Stitt’s Executive Order 2021-16. Administrators’ response has received significant pushback from the OU community, including English Department Chair Roxanne Mountford and OU Law Professor Joseph Thai. Undergraduate Student Congress Chair and international security studies junior Crispin South and University Policy Committee Chair and acting junior Graeson Lynskey’s resolution will not directly change OU policies but functions as an official recommendation to university administration, according to an Oct. 1 press release. The resolution passed the Undergraduate Student Congress with a roll-call vote of 18-5-0 and the Graduate Student Senate with a roll-call vote of 52-7-3. South said the best-case scenario is that the OU

administration sees the proposition as “fairly common-sense” and adopts everything within. Although this may not be the case, he hopes the university will seriously consider the revisions. “Especially with us about to go into winter, we definitely don’t want to see another surge of COVID on campus,” South said. “That’s just something that we’re trying to avoid and that’s something that I think these policies can at least help us (with).” Dr. Dale Bratzler, OU’s chief COVID officer, said on Sept. 29 he believes Oklahoma is past the delta variant surge. South said this is an excellent thing, but COVID is “still not over” and the proposed policies are “best practices” from observing other universities, like Texas Christian University’s indoor mask mandate and Cornell’s requirement of vaccines. “We want to make sure that

we’re safe from any other potential variants that are out there that could cause harm to people on campus,” South said. “We just want to make sure everybody on campus is adequately protected from exposure from getting the virus really at all.” If the university does not adopt the resolution, Lynskey hopes the administration knows students are paying attention, aren’t “satisfied with the environment” on campus and are ready for change. “It’s really, really challenging to be students trying to speak truth to power, talking to administration,” Lynskey said. “We had the walkout and we’ve had protests and we’ve got this resolution and it’s a hard position to put yourself in, and I’m really, really thankful to have Crispin and countless other students who have demonstrated who have shown support to us.” Lynskey said he’s open to

discussing the resolution further with OU leaders. “I’d love to sit down with … President (Joseph Harroz), with Dr. Bratzler, with different decision makers on campus and try and find a solution that that works for all of us, that keeps us in person, keeps the quality of education that students are hoping for at the university, while also keeping everybody safe and not making anybody feel like they have to choose between their health and their schooling,” Lynskey said. The resolution was signed by South as well as SGA President Tavana Farzaneh and Graduate Student Senate Chair Claire Burch. With Farzaneh’s signature, the resolution will be moved to Harroz for further consideration. kayla.k.pham-1@ou.edu

OU releases annual safety report Drug violations fall; sexual assaults rise ALEXIA ASTON @alexiaaston

OU released its annual Security and Fire Safety Report with compiled crime statistics from 2018-2020, revealing an increase in sexual assault reports and a decrease in drug law violations. OU experienced an increase in rape reports on campus with 24 reports in 2020, 21 reports in 2019 and 18 reports in 2018, according to the safety report. Reports of fondling on campus remained the same from 12 in 2019 to 12 in 2020. In 2018, 10 reports were made. In comparison, Oklahoma State University reported 20 cases of rape on campus in 2018, 17 cases in 2019 and three cases in 2020. OSU also reported eight cases of fondling on campus in 2018, four in 2019 and six in 2020. The University of Texas reported 15 cases of rape on campus in 2018, 18 cases in 2019 and 20 cases in 2020. UT also reported two cases of fondling on campus in 2018, four cases in 2019 and 10 cases in 2020. In compliance with the Violence Against Women Act, OU included statistics for incidents of domestic violence, dating violence and stalking. In 2020, OU reported 13 cases on campus compared to 27 in 2019 and 28 in 2018. OSU

reported 17 cases on campus in 2020 and UT reported 32 cases. OU reported a decrease in drug law violation arrests and disciplinary referrals on campus with 20 in 2020, 41 in 2019 and 57 in 2018. OSU reported 28 violation arrests and disciplinary referrals on campus in 2020, and UT reported 30. OU reported an increase in the number of liquor law violation arrests and disciplinary referrals on campus from 173 in 2019 to 237 in 2020. In 2018, OU reported 256 violations. OSU reported 238 violation arrests and disciplinary referrals on campus in 2020, and UT reported 66. OU also reported an increase of robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson on campus from 19 in 2018 and 15 in 2019 to 26 in 2020. OSU reported 14 cases of similar offenses on campus in 2020 and UT reported 42 cases. Statistics are reported by the OU Police Department, the Norman Police Department, the OU Division of Student Affairs, OU Residence Life, OU Housing and the OU Athletics Department, according to the safety report.

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/oudaily GRAPHIC BY ALEXIA ASTON/THE DAILY

A chart comparing on-campus sexual assault reports by university.

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VOL. 108, NO. 7

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A chart comparing on-campus sexual assault reports at OU by year.

NEWS

Oct. 5-12, 2021 •

‘Obligation to protect’ ‘Community-based’ culture leads to high Native American vaccine rates TAYLOR JONES @wrongtailor

OU Native American students and a Native American studies professor said the effects of the pandemic and respect for elders in tribal nations have resulted in Native American groups achieving the highest vaccination rates in the United States. Raymond Orr, an OU associate professor and Native American Studies department chair, said Native American families often live in multigenerational communities, meaning COVID-19 affects members of all ages within a household. According to an Aug. 28, 2020 CDC study, the virus disproportionately impacted American Indian and Alaska Native populations due to disparities in health and socioeconomic factors. The study, which was conducted from Jan. 31 to July 3, 2020, found that historically marginalized groups were at the “highest risk” for the virus. In 23 selected states, the cumulative incidence of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases among both groups was 3.5 times higher than those in non-Hispanic white populations. Although the CDC depicts American Indian and Alaska Native groups as having the highest vaccination rates, Oklahoma data does not reflect this data. A study from the Kaiser Family Foundation notes only 35 states report vaccinations among American Indian and Alaska Native people. State data also does not include vaccines administered through allocations received by Indian Health Services, resulting in underreported vaccination rates. Executive Director of the Absentee Shawnee Tribal Health System Mark Rogers wrote in a Sept. 28 email that vaccinations provided by federal entities are recorded in federal systems and vaccinations supplied by state entities in state systems. Tribes had a choice between reporting between the two entities. Even so, Trinity Guido, an OU public health senior,

Saturday

Red River Showdown: OU vs. Texas 11 a.m. Cotton Bowl Stadium Watch the No. 6 Sooners take on the No. 21 Longhorns in Dallas. The Sooners enter the matchup undefeated after defeating Kansas State over the weekend, ending their drought in Manhattan. Kickoff is at 11 a.m., and the game will be broadcast on ABC. ESPN College Gameday will also be heading to Dallas. For more information, visit soonersports.com. For game day coverage, visit oudaily.com and turn on Twitter notifications.

Sunday

2022 Medieval Fair Cast Auditions 1-6 p.m. Oklahoma Memorial Union, Heritage Room Become a part of the team that brings the medieval fair to life. Come prepared to show off your loudest voice, best dance moves or tricky tumbling in improv auditions. Costumes are not required for auditions. For more information, search for “2022 Medieval Fair Cast Auditions” on Facebook. To sign up for a timeslot visit medievalfair.org.

Monday Oct, 11-13

member of Delaware Nation of Oklahoma and descendant of the Kiowa tribe, Comanche Nation, Caddo Nation and Fort Sill Apache Tribe of Oklahoma, said Native American people suffered heavily from COVID-19 overall. “I definitely think, at the end of the day, that that’s what it came down to, as to why people saw the need (to vaccinate), because you won’t really talk to a Native American person that doesn’t know somebody that either lost somebody due to COVID, or that knew somebody that lost somebody or someone in their immediate family had COVID and was in the hospital or the ICU,” Guido said. Psychology freshman Emily Black, a citizen of the Seminole Nation, said another driving factor that influenced higher vaccination rates in Native American communities is based on their cultural respect of elders. “We are very, in our culture, community-based,” Black said. “We like taking care of our community, and we like looking out for other people, especially our elders. Our elders ... mean everything to us. They’re the source of wisdom and cultural significance. So, when there’s something that would harm the elders, many of us would assume that we need to do our part to help them.”

“

We like taking care of our community, and we like looking out for other people, especially our elders. -Emily Black, OU student

“

COMING UP AT OU

Orr said Native American populations have a duty to protect other members of their tribe. “There’s a sense here that they have an obligation, and (they) listen to that obligation to protect aunties and uncles, grandparents, parents, people that were vulnerable,” Orr said. Pre-med senior Dawn

LITZY SILOS/THE DAILY

The Absentee Shawnee Little Axe Health Center near Lake Thunderbird on Sept. 2.

Landon, a citizen of the OtoeMissouria tribe, said vaccinations were very important within her community, especially within family units. Since many families live together in Native American communities, it was vital to get a vaccine to protect older and immunocompromised members. O r r a l s o s a i d Na t i v e American people are more receptive to authority than individuals in other communities due to a “community-based trust” within tribes. He said many tribal leaders promoted the vaccine, resulting in a larger number of vaccinations within Native American communities. Orr said the significant rate of vaccination in Native American populations is also a result of delivery mechanisms tribes used to distribute vaccines. Localized health systems have stressed the importance of education and distribution of vaccines, leading to a larger number of vaccinated individuals. IHS clinics have played a large role in distributing COVID-19 vaccines outside of tribal nations. The Cherokee Nation, for instance, said any member of the public that is 12 years and older is eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine from Cherokee Nation Health Services regardless of where they live. “We’re going to be offering vaccines to everyone in your household, no matter what, if they’re ... Native or not,” Guido said. “It just goes back to that sense of community and taking care of each other and making sure that we are doing our best to stop the spread.” IHS clinics have received historic investments from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security and American Rescue Plan acts,

Rogers wrote in an Aug. 30 email. These funds have gone toward initiatives including a paycheck protection program, Personal Protective Equipment, COVID-19 testing kits, vaccinations and grants from a multitude of federal and state agencies, all benefiting self-governed tribes and those receiving direct services by the federal government. Overall, the IHS is providing all three COVID-19 vaccines authorized or approved in the U.S, including PfizerBioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson, according to the IHS website. They have administered 1,630,344 vaccines as of Sept. 27. Additionally, several tribes have received national attention for high vaccination rates. Over 70 percent of Navajo Nation citizens have received the vaccine as of August, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. NBC News reported in June that nearly 50 members of the Blackfeet tribe in Montana had died of COVID19, and as a result, about 98 percent of eligible members have been fully vaccinated. “These things have culminated in the focus, messaging, funding, engagement and level of seriousness of all of our current community public health challenges,” Rogers wrote. Ultimately, Black said the most important reason behind vaccinating against COVID-19 in tribal nations is found in “family and unity,” which she said “is everything.” “(The more) you want to start seeing things as your community as your almost family, the more you want to take action to protect that. So, I would say just start seeing people as your community because it really is,” Black said. taylor.p.jones-1@ou.edu

Men’s Golf Big 12 Match Play Championship Golf Club at Houston Oaks, Hockley, TX

HOROSCOPE

Time TBD. The No. 2 Sooners will face their Big 12 opponents in the Big 12 Match Play Championship in Hockley, Texas. For more information, visit soonersports. com or follow @OUDaily on Twitter to get notifications.

By Eugenia Last

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2021 ASTROGRAPH by Eugenia Last

– From staff reports

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Universal Crossword Edited by David Steinberg October 5, 2021 ACROSS 1 Bypass 5 Ships that were measured in cubits 9 Warnings from Fido 13 Initial poker contributions 15 Emmywinning comedian Love 16 Stir up 17 2-Down + 5-Down? 19 Name that anagrams to “Mary” 20 Pigpen 21 “Here’s the deal ...” 22 Short-long metrical foot 23 Walk heavily 24 Fashion imprint 26 Respond to a job ad 29 Thing in the plus column 32 Pro shop pegs 33 Grassland 38 Actress Thurman 39 Eco-friendly org. 40 34-Down + 25-Down? 41 Debt letters 42 Trojans’ sch. 43 Abandon 44 Abbr. before a recipient’s name 45 Musical composition 47 ___ tooth (love of sugar)

10/5

48 Some online product services 51 Smoke duct 53 ___ gin 55 “Asteroids” consoles 57 Babysitter’s challenge 60 Middle of a planet 61 They sound more similar than they look ... and are central to this puzzle’s theme 63 Austrian mountains 64 “It slipped!” 65 Greek I’s 66 Bottom of a statue 67 “What ___ is new?” 68 Letter format? DOWN 1 French for “without” 2 Tree protuberance 3 ___-bitty 4 Princess’s annoyance 5 Audibly 6 Spreadsheet divisions 7 Prepare to pop the question 8 Better half? 9 They clash in battle 10 16-Across + 47-Across? 11 Unwavering 12 Chunk of bacon 14 In a cunning manner

18 Bloke’s bathroom 23 Start of a texter’s request, maybe 25 Cry loudly 26 Wolfed down 27 Cola wars side 28 45-Across + 60-Across? 30 Act theatrically 31 Jeer at 33 Cambridge sch. 34 Miss the mark 35 Org. that accredits law schools 36 Castellaneta who voices Homer 37 Like antiques 40 Crossing the Caribbean, say 44 Admiration 46 “Big” or “blue” follower

47 Dish served with wasabi 49 Lake partially in Nevada 50 Piano accompaniment? 51 Cold, pink cocktail 52 ChapStick target 53 Worker during a strike 54 “Whatever ___ Wants” (“Damn Yankees” song) 56 Rock concert blasters 57 Fanatical about 58 Spiteful 59 (Over here!) 62 “I didn’t see that wall!”

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

10/4

Double Cross by Don Gagliardo

SPORTS

• Oct. 5-12, 2021

‘It was the most complete game’

Rattler displays fuller, level-headed performance in road victory AUSTIN CURTWRIGHT @AustinCurtright

MANHATTAN, Kansas — With 10 seconds remaining in the first half, Spencer Rattler faked the handoff before threading a pinpoint pass between two defenders. The redshirt sophomore’s throw landed perfectly in the hands of receiver Jadon Haselwood near Kansas State’s 10-yard line, a drive that ended with a 27-yard field goal by kicker Gabe Brkic. The kick gave OU a 13-10 lead two seconds before halftime. Rattler stressed days earlier the importance of playing each drive “like it’s your last,” because the offense — which hasn’t had more than nine possessions in a game since week two — has had limited scoring opportunities with defense’s stressing to keep the

TREY YOUNG/THE DAILY

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Spencer Rattler during the game against Kansas State in Manhattan on Oct. 2.

Sooners off the field. In the Sooners’ 37-31 win over the Wildcats on Saturday, Rattler captained OU to score on 7-of-8 drives, marking its highest point total over a Power Five opponent this season. “Every drive to us in this game was important,” Rattler said afterward. “We came into this game working on our consistency every drive. ... Having these low drive numbers and not getting as many drives, you gotta take every drive and treat it like it’s our last.” No. 6 Oklahoma (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) had just three possessions — its lowest under head coach Lincoln Riley — in the

first half, but scored on each. Rattler knew if the Wildcats’ (3-2, 0-2 Big 12) offense kept emphasizing long drives, he had to help OU’s offense capitalize on each possession. That’s exactly what Rattler did, completing 22-of-25 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns with an interception while commanding the Sooners’ 392 total yards, their most aside from the walloping of Western Carolina. “(He) had a really good week. Felt like he was really locked in and I thought he stayed patient,” Riley said afterward. “The way the first half played out, it (would’ve) been easy to say, ‘Aw shoot, here

Guest column: Are the Sooners frauds? Daily Texan sports staff weighs in on Oklahoma’s slow season start ahead of OU vs. Texas DAILY TEXAN STAFF @texansports

Dear Oklahoma, When we woke up Sunday and checked the latest AP Top 25 Poll, No. 6 Oklahoma stuck out like a crimson eyesore. Let’s be honest, the Sooners have no business being anywhere near the Top 10. We’ll take everyone through the Sooners’ schedule weekby-week to expose just how fraudulent y’all really are. Week 1: Oklahoma scrapes by Tulane 40-35. Really? How embarrassing it must have been to almost lose in your home stadium with the Green Wave logo painted on your field. While that was a nice gesture, unfortunately, “nice” is the last word to describe the Oklahoma football program. We’re genuinely sorry y’all have to root for a quarterback as stuck-up as Spencer Rattler. Week 2: Oklahoma shuts out *checks notes* Western Carolina? Congrats? No disrespect to the wonderful Catamount faithful, but come on. Beating up on an FCS program is so sad, though that will fit right in with the SEC’s scheduling habits. Be like Texas and refuse to schedule non-FBS level teams, then come talk to us. Week 3: Oklahoma holds off Nebraska 23-16. Only the Sooners would find a way to struggle with this game. The Cornhuskers have been the laughing stock of this millennium, yet somehow they almost beat y’all. Oh, and it was in Norman, too? Pathetic. Week 4: Oklahoma beats West Virginia by a field goal, 16-13. There are few things more debilitating to watch than the Sooners’ offense. If the phrase “ugly win” is used

we go again only getting this many plays, we’re only getting this many drives,’ (but) he just kind of stayed and played and just executed plays as long as it went. He was good.” Sophomore receiver Marvin Mims, who recorded four catches for 71 yards, said the drive before halftime set the tone for the second half. “That’s a huge momentum drive,” Mims said. “When you close out the half with some points, then you can back and do the same thing to them, the crowd is really silenced. … It was great for us.” Rattler started the second half the same way he ended the first, directing Oklahoma on a nine-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, before guiding another nine-play scoring drive. The back-to-back touchdowns gave OU a 27-13 lead less than 10 minutes into the third quarter. Most importantly, Rattler looked comfortable in his first full capacity, road-environment start of his career. He attempted flashy jump passes, threw the ball on the run and

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had recovered the momentum-shifting boot, and that held up on initial review. However, Riley chose to challenge, and further examination revealed K-State kicker Ty Zentner illegally touched the ball twice, effectively handing it back to the Sooners. “A couple coaches on the sideline thought they saw the ball redirect,” Riley said. “We were confident enough that we felt like it was worth a challenge, and I’ll tell you what, I give the officials and the replay crew a lot of credit, because they could very

scrambled out of the pocket, in front of 47,690 hostile fans who shouted “F*** OU,” or mimicked Oklahoma’s student section that screamed “We want Caleb” last week against West Virginia. But the Phoenix native stayed calm, and proved why he was labeled a preseason Heisman contender and a potential No. 1 pick in April’s NFL Draft. “I think it was the most complete game,” Riley said. “He played really, really well. I think the kid’s got the mental makeup to be a really good road quarterback. I think he embraces it, and has a real competitiveness about him.” Rattler has struggled at times this season with decision making and forcing throws into tight coverage, but has been able to lead the offense despite the lack of chunk plays OU fans have grown accustomed to in the Riley era. Although he completed his longest pass — 40 yards — since the season-opener against Tulane, he also attempted a deep pass to senior

receiver Mike Woods, but underthrew it and was intercepted late in the third quarter. And coming off a week in which OU fans booed him, calling for his replacement for backup Caleb Williams, Rattler persevered again in an unfriendly environment. He showed growth from last season’s three interception performance against the Wildcats, to leading a revenge win in year two to break the Sooners’ two-game losing streak against Kansas State. Although not the same Oklahoma offense of the past, Rattler is finding ways to improve each week, while shedding light on the budding unit’s progress. “I mean I think we both got a feeling we took a step,” Rattler said, referring to he and Riley’s conversation about the offense postgame. “We took a step of where we want to go and kind of had a statement game. “And (we) didn’t even play near to what we should have.”

easily have saved face for already reviewing it once and just stayed with the call on the field. … I thought it was very professionally handled and it was clearly the right call.” Even then, Oklahoma wasn’t out of the fire. After Brkic’s third field goal increased the lead to 37-24, an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty by redshirt senior offensive tackle Tyrese Robinson set up a 93-yard touchdown kickoff return by KSU’s Malik Knowles. OU finished the game with 10 penalties for 85 yards, and Robinson’s mishap elicited some heated words from Riley. Despite that, Rattler was able to kneel out the remaining one minute and 20

seconds following the touchdown return, completing the Sooners’ most convincing offensive performance to date. Oklahoma will be looking to build on that when it faces Texas (4-1, 2-0) in the Red River Showdown at 11 a.m. onOct. 16 in Dallas. “We’ve had maybe the greatest offensive run in college football history in the last few years,” Riley said. “We have not played perfect all the time but we’ve been pretty damn good. … This is the best, most complete game that we’ve played (this season). (But) we feel like we can play a whole lot better.”

austincurtright@ou.edu

mason.e.young@ou.edu

CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY

Redshirt junior quarterback Kyler Murray runs the ball in for a touchdown in the Red River Showdown at the Cotton Bowl Oct. 6, 2018.

to describe every single one of your wins, get some help. Also, thanks for doing our recruiting work for us by loudly chanting against your own quarterback at home. Ungrateful fans booing an ungrateful quarterback equals wins for everyone else. No wonder Casey Thompson spurned his family legacy at Oklahoma to come play for y’all’s biggest rival. Week 5: Oklahoma finally beats Kansas State 37-31. Y’all were so close to dropping your third (third!) straight game to the Wildcats. There’s nothing sweeter than watching the Sooners’ annual struggle against Kansas State. Through five weeks, the Sooners have played four Power 5 teams — all of which have been unranked — and y’all haven’t managed to beat a single one by more than a touchdown. Texas will be the first ranked team that y’all will play this year, and the whole country will finally, if they haven’t been made aware already, realize just how overrated y’all are. While the Sooner faithful might put on a brave face for this season, everybody knows the Oklahoma football program is in a free fall. Between a star quarterback somehow regressing at “Quarterback U,”

fans booing their own players and a supposed offensive-guru head coach deploying one of the ugliest offenses in the country, it’s a wonder y’all have managed to not drop a game yet. Ev e r y o n e i n No r m a n should thank their lucky stars that preseason polls are a thing. Y’all have the AP voters who ranked preseason Oklahoma No. 2 to thank because they’re too cowardly to admit they were totally wrong about the Sooners until you actually lose a game. It will come in time though. Just prepare for your eventual steep slide down the rankings, just like our good old friends in College Station. Would hate for that fall to bruise your egos. Also, don’t you dare cross that Red River into this great state claiming to enjoy good barbeque after the disaster your head coach served up for Easter dinner. That brisket, pardon my French, looked like shit and was drier than Oklahoma’s hopes of ever actually winning a College Football Playoff game. But don’t worry, y’all won’t have to worry about embarrassing yourselves on that national stage again this year. We’ll see y’all soon. sports@thedailytexan.com

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CAITLYN EPES/THE DAILY

Junior wide receiver CeeDee Lamb during the Red River Showdown at the Cotton Bowl Oct. 12, 2019.

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