Sept. 7-13, 2021 by OU Daily

W E E K LY E D I T I O N | S E P T. 7-13 , 2 0 2 1 | O U D A I LY. C O M

INSIDE: Rattler shoulders blame for inconsistency

OUDAILY

The University of Oklahoma’s independent student voice since 1916

TREY YOUNG/THE DAILY

Senior safety Pat Fields swats at the ball during the season opener against Tulane on Sept. 4.

OU nearly falters in narrow win Sooners have ‘a lot of work to do’ after Tulane exposes weak points MASON YOUNG

@Mason_Young_0

Following a closer-than-expected victory, Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley’s message to his players validated their performance, but it also demanded accountability. “We’re not going to apologize for winning,” Riley said. “But at the same time we’ve got to own the good and the bad.” Plenty went right, and wrong, in No. 2 Oklahoma’s 40-35 season-opening win over Tulane before a crowd of 42,206 at Gaylord FamilyOklahoma Memorial Stadium on Saturday. The Sooners (1-0) received an extra home game — though at a reduced capacity, as only the stadium’s lower bowl was open due to staffing issues — after the contest was moved from New Orleans to Norman in the wake of Hurricane Ida. On Aug. 31, Riley said his team was excited to face the Green Wave (0-1) and take advantage of an extra contest before the Sooner faithful. At times, the on-field product didn’t reflect that. After amassing a 23-point halftime lead, the Sooners folded in the second half, scoring only three points while allowing 21. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Spencer Rattler,

the preseason Heisman Trophy favorite, completed 30-of-39 passes for 304 yards but also threw two costly interceptions. Outside of a dominant second quarter that included three turnovers, OU’s defense struggled to contain Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt and the Green Wave offense. Physically and psychologically, the Sooners looked far from the team hyped to be a national championship contender in preseason polls. “Clearly, they’ve exposed us. I mean, it exposed us, it exposed our mentality,” Riley said. “And, again, if we want to be the team that we think we can be, we’ve got a lot of work to do in that regard.” OU started flat, falling behind 7-0 just under four minutes into the first quarter. Rattler threw just two passes on the opening drive — the first for a loss and the second an interception. The Green Wave quickly capitalized with a touchdown six plays later. “A little bit of a strange start,” Riley said. “Not quite how you dreamed it up after all these months.” Oklahoma rebounded with a poised counterattack led by Rattler’s six straight completions. In the red zone, the offense labored through three false starts by offensive linemen before Rattler’s goal-line plunge for the equalizer. Replying, Tulane took a 14-7 lead one minute and 15 seconds later, needing only four plays to traverse the field. Next, Rattler drove OU’s offense

downfield, and speedy freshman backup quarterback Caleb Williams scored a game-tying 1-yard touchdown on his first college play. The Sooners pulled even 14-14 at the end of a first quarter in which everything went wrong. In the second quarter, the script suddenly flipped, and everything went right. Oklahoma scored 23 unanswered points in the second period, accumulating a 37-14 halftime advantage. Rattler settled in, throwing a touchdown pass to freshman receiver Mario Williams and finishing the half 20-of-25 for 213 yards. Star sophomore receiver Marvin Mims finished with five catches for 117 yards and narrowly went out of bounds on a pair of potential touchdowns. Redshirt junior running back Kennedy Brooks ran for a touchdown in his first game back from a COVID-19 opt-out and finished with 87 yards on 14 carries. Redshirt junior kicker Gabe Brkic threaded two field goals and ended the contest with three makes over 50 yards, tying the NCAA single-game record and breaking the program benchmark. “I thought the team did a great job of really responding there throughout the second (quarter),” Riley said. “And there were some flashes of some really, really good ball.” The Sooners’ defense largely

fueled the second quarter offensive outburst. Redshirt senior Isaiah Thomas and sophomore Reggie Grimes forced fumbles on the defensive line. Outside linebackers Nik Bonitto and Clayton Smith, a redshirt junior and freshman, respectively, recovered fumbles, as did redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Jalen Redmond. But there’s a caveat to that. “If you take away any one of those takeaways, we’re probably feeling a lot worse than we do right now,” defensive coordinator Alex Grinch said after the game. As Grinch later noted, the Sooners had no turnovers in the second half. With a sizable advantage on hand, Riley said his team “felt like the game was over” at halftime. It showed. Rattler threw a second interception, and nearly a third that was reversed by pass interference. Brkic missed a 31-yard field goal that could’ve extended OU’s lead, and the Green Wave outpaced Oklahoma 230-118 in total yards in the last two quarters. Oklahoma’s defense missed several tackles and allowed Tulane to score in under four minutes each time it touched the ball. The Sooners’ foe even threatened to take the lead after recovering an onside kick near the two-minute mark in the fourth quarter.

“We can obviously do better as play callers as well, specifically talking about myself in that, to help the guys out,” Grinch said. “It’s a 60-minute football game, and I gotta do a better job of getting the guys to play all 60.” At the game’s end, former OU players expressed their frustration with the performance. “This ain’t it,” former Sooners cornerback Aaron Colvin cryptically tweeted. “The standard is championship football. The Champ is Alabama. We have a ways to go to dethrone them. Today wasn’t it,” former OU defensive lineman Gerald McCoy added. As Oklahoma prepares for its next game — a Sept. 11 nonconference home matchup with FCS opponent Western Carolina — the Sooners saw some flashes of greatness, like Riley said, providing plenty of optimism for what this team could become. However, for OU to achieve its national championship aspirations this season, there’s still plenty of work to be done. “We’ll be ready,” Riley said. “I promise you, at six o’clock next Saturday, that stadium in there’s gonna be jam packed, there’s gonna be a great vibe in that stadium and our team will be ready to play.” masyoung@ou.edu

Harroz lectures 1st masked class OU President speaks to first students to see new 2-week masking rule JILLIAN TAYLOR @jilliantaylor__

OU President Joseph Harroz taught in the university’s first class to implement its new masking policy Thursday morning as in-person classes continue despite rising case numbers in the state. American Federal Government, a Tuesday and Thursday course in Dale Hall with 196 registered students, has experienced multiple positive COVID-19 cases and is now requiring its students to wear masks for two weeks. Multiple students remained unmasked despite the policy and Harroz’s offer of free masks at the front of the classroom.

The policy has been criticized by faculty, including OU Law Professor Joseph Thai, who said it “doesn’t make public health sense,” as students who don’t want to mask can choose not to report their infection status. OU Chief COVID Officer Dr. Dale Bratzler also noted in his recent COVID19 briefing that individuals with the delta variant can remain asymptomatic for two days and still spread the virus. Harroz’s visit to the class follows his Wednesday State of the University address, where he said the institution will consider a mask mandate in classrooms as much as state law allows. The current seven-day average for Cleveland County is 191 cases, as of Sept. 1. “We’re trying to figure out how to stay in person, (and) as we look

at how to stay in person, we’ve talked about how we handle it whenever there’s a classroom and there’s been a positive in the class,” Harroz said. “In this class, we have had multiple positives, and they’re not here today, and we’re handling that, but the way we stay in person together, not online, is that when there is a positive case, we will have everyone wear a mask in that class for two weeks.” Classes like American Federal Government are important, Harroz said, because they allow students to become engaged citizens amid politically divisive times. He said disunity is present today in people saying the vaccine is not real or helpful and who believe the 2020 presidential election wasn’t legitimate, and differing views without understanding create

JUSTIN JAYNE/THE DAILY

OU President Joseph Harroz teaches a class in Dale Hall on Sept. 2.

vulnerability. “When somebody says, ‘This is my political view, and that’s not yours,’ I think you got to say ‘I’m not going to reject that. Not going to accept it as a substitute for mine, but I understand,’” Harroz said. “And, if there’s not a rational explanation for it, then what’s underneath? What’s causing that feeling?

And then, how do you engage with them? It might change your own view, it might not.” Harroz said divisiveness is clear in constituents’ approval of their governing officials, as only about 50 percent of people in the U.S. currently have confidence see HARROZ page 2

NEWS

• Sept. 7-13, 2021

OU researchers track hurricane Data could help future forecasters predict storm intensity TAYLOR JONES @wrongtailor

An OU meteorology research team used mobile weather radars and other weather instruments for more than 24 hours straight, collecting unique datasets during Hurricane Ida’s landfall and transition into a tropical storm. Hurricane Ida, which made landfall in Louisiana Aug. 29, has resulted in more than 45 deaths in the northeast. It has also led to historic flooding in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut, leaving more than 150,000 homes without power. Meteorology professor Michael Biggerstaff said the OU research team was funded by the National Institute for Standards and Technology and was made up of five graduate students, a postdoctoral researcher, a research scientist and Sean Waugh, an OU graduate and National Severe Storms Lab scientist, who all observed the storm in New Orleans a day or so before it hit. Biggerstaff said the team recorded hurricane data for over a day with truck-mounted Shared Mobile Atmospheric

Research and Teaching mobile weather radars, which allow researchers to see through heavy precipitation to measure the winds and the intensity of the storm. “It gets humid, it gets warm, but that’s what we’re in for and so we’re in that truck, collecting data, running the radar, making sure that everything stays operational,” Biggerstaff said. During and after landfall, the SMART radars observed many mesovortices, or small rotational features found in heavy storms, along the eyewall — the inner edge of the area immediately outside the eye of the hurricane. Additionally, Biggerstaff ’s team observed the hurricane to be the first of its kind to have high temporal and spatial scales at landfall, which was responsible for the changes in the storm’s intensity. “(The eyewall replacement cycle,) it’s a very unique data set, it’s a very interesting process because that process is so critical to the intensity of the hurricane, and we need to understand that process better than we’ve been able to do so far,” Biggerstaff said. Hurricane Ida is also one of few hurricanes with an electrically active inner eyewall, Biggerstaff said. This causes lightning within the hurricane, which makes the inner eyewall of the storm extremely intense. “I’m really excited about getting in there looking at

PHOTO PROVIDED

OU data scientist Gordon Carrie sets up a real-time display to collect Hurricane Ida data.

some of the signatures that one can associate with lightning,” Biggerstaff said. “With our radar, I did some work on that for thunderstorms over Florida. So I’m kind of excited about an opportunity to do that in a hurricane environment as well.” Biggerstaff said due to the

detail of their observations, their research can help predict the intensity of storms in the future. “In a hurricane, you can have 30 inches of rain in one county and three inches of rain in another county next door,” Biggerstaff said. “So there’s tremendous

variability in the flooding that takes place. And that’s really difficult to forecast right now, but we’re hoping that our work will, in the future, be tied into improvements and numerical models that will then forecast that kind of variability and allow people to sort of say, ‘Okay, this is the area that we

expect the flooding to occur, and we’ve got to get those people out.’ … It may take decades, but we really want to move toward targeted evacuations, based on forecast.” taylor.p.jones-1@ou.edu

OU enacts mask policy 2-weeks of masking for classes with COVID-19 cases PEGGY DODD @pegdodd

On Aug. 30 OU announced it will require masks for two weeks in classes where students report positive tests, but several faculty and students reacted to the lack of policy preventing infection in the first place. According to the newest policy, classes with positive tests reported will continue to meet in person. Students must report test results in the Healthy Together app, where they will be informed of screening results and receive next steps. But, several students and faculty have reacted with concern to its limited effectiveness. OU political science and sociology sophomore Mariah Powers said a positive case was reported in her astronomy class, and in accordance with OU’s policy, it will continue to

HARROZ: continued from page 1

in Congress. He said this “lower rate” reminded him of award-winning journalist David Sanger’s visit to campus, where he discussed mistakes the U.S. has made through foreign policy as a superpower. He said the nation’s departure from Afghanistan after its 20-year occupation might have been the last opportunity for the U.S. to “get it right.” In 1985, when Harroz was attending classes in Dale Hall, he said he thought democracy would always prevail, but now he sees it struggling. He said his view on what makes a prospering American society die changed after reading the book “How Democracies Die.” Historically, Harroz said democracies dissipated after a military leader came in with tanks and weapons, allowing autocrats to take

meet in person under a mask mandate. “I wasn’t surprised (at the positive case),” Powers said. “We have at least 120-140 students who all have to cram into a lecture hall each day. The professor asked very nicely on syllabus day and every day since for everyone to wear a mask so he can keep his family safe, but only about 20 students mask up.” Powers said she was relieved when a mandate was enforced in her class. However, she hopes that something more can be done to prevent an exposure. “I know OU is trying to work within the bounds of Senate Bill 658; I just wish there was more to be done,” Powers said. “A mask mandate following a positive test does very little for the people who have already been exposed. … I feel we all have a personal responsibility to mask up and get vaccinated, if able. If we work together we can create a safe environment.” SB 658 bars certain state-funded entities — such

as schools — from enforcing mask mandates for those who remain COVID-19 unvaccinated and prevents the enforcement of vaccine passports. Senior Vice President and Provost André-Denis Wright wrote this newest policy is “within the boundaries of the law” — an argument OU Law professor Joseph Thai said has no legal merit, as there’s no exception to state law that allows mask mandates when positive cases are reported. The Oklahoma District Court issued a temporary injunction on Sept. 1 against the law, as the mask mandate ban applied to public schools but not private. Thai said he predicts little effect at OU, as the part of SB 658 applicable to public universities only bans mask mandates against unvaccinated students, so OU doesn’t need an injunction to require masking campus-wide. “If OU can exercise discretion with required masking after a positive test, then surely the university can institute

a universal mask mandate to help prevent people from getting sick in the first place,” OU English professor James Zeigler said. “If SB 658 doesn’t block the former, then it can’t stop the latter, either.” While Ziegler said he hasn’t yet had a student test positive, he described his worry for those who cannot receive the vaccine, including his own child. “The Provost’s announcement (on Aug. 30) is painfully disconnected from our scientific reality, and his slogan ‘Stay Positive, Test Negative’ is

especially galling for those of us with unvaccinated dependents,” Ziegler said. “Children under 12 are being put in harm’s way by the university’s negligence. My kid is 10.” President Joseph Harroz said in a Sept. 1 State of the University address administrators will pursue classroom mask mandates as much as state law allows. OU letters and pre-med junior Jack MacKay said he’s enrolled in three classes where students have tested positive, all of which have continued to meet in person. His largest

class has 150 students with four positive cases, a class of 16 students has “multiple” cases, and his class of 67 students had “several” cases. “I’ve been expecting cases on some level due to the lack of masks in most of my classes, but it’s still a bit scary. … I’m glad to see mandates being put in place,” MacKay said. “I really hope we get a universal indoor one, or I think we’ll end up online by Christmas.”

over. Now, he said democracies are killed by fear. “The new playbook today is not you bringing in tanks, or you bring in other military weaponry or even cyberattacks directly. … But the playbook is that you make people in the country fearful,” Harroz said. “That’s what you do, is that you divide democracies by making people not trust each other by making them fear for their personal security, fear for their resources and money, and they have fear of the other side and people get scared.” The 2016 presidential election served as an example of fear mongering, Harroz said, as he cited the Russian government’s series of cyberattacks via troll farms. “Now why would they do that? The answer is obvious,” Harroz said. “If you want to destabilize one of the younger countries, the sole superpower, if you want to take out a democracy, you follow the playbook and you make them hate each other because when you get people fearful and anxious, fear can

become hate. Fear becomes distrust.” Harroz said as individuals work to dissect their beliefs surrounding the issues the U.S. faces, he wonders if they take the time to consider other views. “Do you understand people that don’t have your political opinion?” Harroz said. “It used to be that you just say ‘I disagree with the other political view, I disagree with it.’ Increasingly, it’s ‘I don’t understand it.’ … Whatever your political views, whether you consider yourself a conservative, a liberal or independent, do we look at those that are in the other party, and do we say, ‘I understand what they’re thinking and what they’re feeling, I just disagree’? Or do we reject what they’re saying? I have no idea what they could be thinking.” The university is currently working on a Core V requirement for 2022, which will allow university administration to provide a suite of three-hour First-Year Experience classes, including Gateway to Belonging, Global Perspectives and

Engagement and Ethical Leadership development. The courses are meant to address critical thinking, cultural fluency, civil discourse, citizenship and community engagement. The Gateway to Belonging class was originally a standalone course requirement, but the university restructured the course after Gov. Kevin Stitt signed House Bill 1775 into law on May 7 preventing public universities from teaching certain gender and diversity theories. Oftentimes, Harroz said he falls victim to not understanding people who are in opposition to his beliefs. He said this view is unworkable, and its consequence is that a democracy that can’t propagate. “O ne of my favor ite books out there, which is very cliche for someone who is a lawyer, is ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’” Harroz said. “When Atticus tells Scout to really understand someone, you have to walk around in their skin, to really understand them, you have to understand what’s inside of them and what makes them

tick. What he didn’t say is ‘I’ll be honest, I have no idea what that half of the world thinks, so reject it.’” Dehumanization is a consequence of giving up on democracy, Harroz said, as its foundation lies in understanding others. “Great lawyers don’t just learn the other side’s argument,” Harroz said. “They understand it better than the person they’re going up against, and they also don’t just listen to what they’re saying. They listen to what they’re feeling.” Harroz quoted Benito Mussolini, who said, “If you pluck a chicken one feather at a time, nobody notices.” He said during the U.S. Capitol riots on Jan. 6, he saw the place he used to work in as an employee of the U.S. Senate attacked, following Mussolini’s description of the destruction of democracies. “I am not much of a crier. I was in a meeting … and pulled up my computer, and I got so emotional I had to end the call I was on, and I cried,” Harroz said. “We can’t hate each other, and we

have to understand we are getting played. I mean, that’s the playbook. Let’s make us dehumanize and hate the other because that’s plucking one feather at a time.” Attending college comes with huge opportunities, Harroz said, as students who have the benefit of education are “lucky” to be positioned toward success and impact. He said college-educated people will soon turn to graduates of OU and ask their views on public policy and voting, which is an opportunity to reflect the characteristics of engaged citizens. “ Twenty-five percent of our freshmen class are the first in their families to ever go to college. That was my dad,” Harroz said. “He went here from an immigrant family of nine kids, if you think about the opportunity that attaches to that. But there’s always a flipside in life. With that opportunity comes an obligation, and the collective obligation we have is to hold the democracy together.”

GRAPHIC BY MEGAN FOISY/THE DAILY

peggy.f.lail-1@ou.edu

jillian.g.taylor-2@ou.edu

SPORTS

Sept. 7-13, 2021 •

COMING UP AT OU

Wednesday

10 a.m., State of the University OU President Joseph Harroz will deliver his State of the University remarks to the Staff Senate in person at the Oklahoma Memorial Union’s Meacham Auditorium.

TREY YOUNG/THE DAILY

Junior defensive end/outside linebacker Marcus Stripling, redshirt senior defensive lineman Isaiah Thomas and redshirt junior outside linebacker Nik Bonitto during the season opener against Tulane on Sept. 4.

Thursday

Sooners’ defense seals win in Tulane season opener

Grammy-nominated guitarist Cory Wong will talk to OU students and community members about his experiences in the music industry.

Friday

6 p.m., 2nd Friday Art Walk

Game-winning stop leads OU to narrow victory in first home game

The 2nd Friday Art Walk is a free, monthly event held at the Walker Arts District in Downtown Norman. This Friday will feature outdoor film screenings from the Norman Film Festival and more. Masks are encouraged and may be required at specific indoor venues, according to the Norman Arts Council website.

CHANDLER ENGBRECHT @ctenglbrecht

Saturday

Moments after Tulane’s onside kick attempt bounced between OU defenders and into the arms of the Green Wave’s recovery team, redshirt junior linebacker Nik Bonitto and the Sooners’ defense huddled. Two minutes and 18 seconds remained in Oklahoma’s season opener on Saturday, and the recovery put Tulane, down by just five, in position for a go-ahead score. With OU on the verge of letting a 23-point lead slip away, Bonitto said his defense came together to, one last time, preach its main objective: finish. And the Sooners did just that. After forcing two incompletions from Green Wave (0-1) quarterback Michael Pratt, Bonitto and senior Perrion Winfrey brought him down for a three-yard sack. On fourth and 13, Pratt scrambled and came up a yard short. OU (1-0) took over on downs and escaped with a 40-35 victory. “The defense knew we needed a stop,” said Bonitto, who had two tackles and a fumble recovery in the game. “I feel like we did a good job rallying up before

6 p.m., OU football vs. Western Carolina After a shaky start against Tulane in an impromptu home opener, OU football will host the Western Carolina Catamounts at the Gaylord FamilyOklahoma Memorial Stadium. The game will also be televised through pay-per-view.

Tuesday, Sept. 14

5 p.m., OU volleyball vs. Abilene Christian OU volleyball will return to Norman at the McCasland Field House following the Georgia Tech Tournament to host the Abilene Christian University Wildcats in a game televised on Bally Sports Oklahoma.

Thursday, Sept. 16

7 p.m., OU soccer vs. Utah Valley University OU soccer will host the Utah Valley University Wolverines at John Crain Field. The game will be televised on Bally Sports Oklahoma.

that drive happened, making sure that we can finish the game. … We came out with the win.” Though it delivered on the game’s most important drive, the Sooners’ defense played far from a perfect game. After outscoring Oklahoma 21-3 in the second half, Tulane ended with 396 yards of offense and was 4-of-6 on fourth down conversions. Pratt finished 27-of44 passing with 296 yards and three touchdowns. Tulane’s air attack ranked second to last in the AAC in 2020. Nonetheless, OU — a 31.5point favorite entering the game — came out on top. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Spencer Rattler said there’s a lot the Sooners can learn after their performance Saturday and that he’s glad his team isn’t having to learn from a loss. Oklahoma began last season with a 1-2 record after losing to Kansas State and Iowa State in back-to-back games. Defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, entering his third season at OU, “felt a whole lot better” after seeing his defense make the game-winning stop, but his overall mood wasn’t as upbeat as Rattler’s. “There were opportunities out there to get off the field,” Grinch said. “We can obviously be better play callers, and I’m talking about myself specifically. “I think the chief disappointment that I would highlight is

HOROSCOPE By Eugenia Last

Friday, Sept. 17

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2021

10 a.m., OU President Joseph Harroz’s inauguration

ASTROGRAPH by Eugenia Last

Over a year since the start of his presidency amid the COVID-19 pandemic, OU will formally celebrate the inauguration of OU President Joseph Harroz as the university’s 15th president at the Lloyd Noble Center.

An open mind will lead to new adventures. Embrace life, learning and new experiences. Look at the possibilities, and be the one to make your dreams come true. Take the initiative and lean into something you feel passionate about, and good things will transpire. Work with a purpose in mind, and you’ll have no regrets. Live life your way.

– From staff reports

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) -- Turn your dream into a reality by ensuring that everything goes according to plan. Share your enthusiasm with someone who offers insight and support. A unique partnership will promote new beginnings.

2 1 4 6

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) -- Stay on top of due dates and pending problems waiting for an inopportune moment to make you take notice. Be smart with your responsibilities and you’ll be able to enjoy the good that comes your way.

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SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) -- Let the past dissipate and fall by the wayside, and embrace life at the moment and see where it takes you. Embark on a path that brings you peace.

6 4

who puts you down or manipulates you. Putting more time and effort into attitude, appearance and independence will bring you closer to your goal. PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) -- Start making moves that help you achieve your heart’s desire. Put your energy into relationships, causes and actions that make a difference to you and the way you feel about your life and future. ARIES (March 21-April 19) -- Follow the path to victory, and eliminate challenges rather than create them. Once you do the best you can, take time to nurture a meaningful relationship. Plan something special. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) -- Leave nothing to chance, and put your energy where it counts. How you approach your responsibilities will matter. If you expect others to do things for you, you’ll be disappointed. GEMINI (May 21-June 20) -Choose facts over hearsay and peace over discord. Maintaining balance and integrity will be your best option. Aim to ease stress, not make matters worse. Make personal growth your priority.

7 2 9 2 4 5 1 2 (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) 3 CANCER (June 8 21-July 6 22) -SAGITTARIUS -- Look inward, and you’ll know Consider your options carefully and without a doubt 7what you can5 do to 8the consequences that can develop make your life better and your future if you make a mistake. Time is on brighter. Take the road side, 1 that leads6to a your 5 and working 4 quietly on happy and healthy lifestyle. something you enjoy will lead to clarity. 3 2 CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) -- 9 You are the master of your domain. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) -- Read, 8 a 6educate yourself and say 7no to Head in a meaningful5direction; healthy attitude will encourage you anything that feels risky. Focus to excel. Revise your priorities and on relationships 4 7 5 8 and keeping 9 the forge ahead. peace. Take care of responsibilities that will ease stress and improve AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb.219) 3 family ties. 1 8 -- Distance yourself from anyone V. EASY

“

We certainly almost let that one get away from us. That had no business happening.

“

1:30 p.m., Resonance Series with Cory Wong

-Lincoln Riley, OU head coach

the three takeaways in the first half, and no takeaways in the final 30 minutes. It’s that theme of ‘Did we make the same amount of plays in the second half (as) we did in the first half?’ My gut says no.” The Sooners forced three fumbles in the first half, fulfilling Grinch’s annual goal of two takeaways per game. However, Oklahoma couldn’t fully capitalize on its defensive success, as its offense just managed to answer each turnover with a field goal. Rattler tossed two interceptions in the win, both of which resulted in Tulane touchdowns shortly after. He was ultimately frustrated that his offense couldn’t reach the end zone later in the game and that he wasn’t doing his defense any favors. Yet, when he watched his defense take the field for what would become its final drive, he felt his teammates would get the job done. “You gotta believe in our

guys, trust in our guys,” Rattler said. “No matter how the game’s going. It shouldn’t have been that close at all, but when we’re put in those situations, (I’m) kind of glad it happened early on this year instead of down the road. … Not how we wanted it to end, but a win’s a win.” The Sooners continue their four-game home stretch at 6 p.m. on Sept. 11 against Western Carolina and will welcome former Big 12 foe Nebraska the next week. With six-straight weeks of conference games coming after that, head coach Lincoln Riley wants to see his squad improve quickly. “It’s got to be better,” Riley said of OU’s defense. “It’s got to get coached better, starting with me. … We certainly almost let one get away from us that had no business happening.” chandler.engelbrecht@ou.edu

Universal Crossword Edited by David Steinberg September 7, 2021

ACROSS 1 Rainbow goddess 5 Anticensorship grp. 9 Really bad 14 “A dolphin sleeps with one eye open,” e.g. 15 In a few minutes, say 16 Employee’s annual goal? 17 Janitorial innovations? 20 Novelist’s language 21 Smile segment 22 Sophs., in two years 23 Horses with speckled coats 25 “Boo-hoo!” 27 Address that contains dots, briefly 28 Revolutions in playground design? 34 Name that sounds like an insect 35 Lack of difficulty 36 Pungent bulb 37 Costa ___ 39 Fail to save 42 Miss, in Mazatlan: Abbr. 43 Notions 45 Word after “sitting” or “waiting” 47 Mask holder, usually

9/7

48 Improvement that makes paper money harder to counterfeit? 51 Tiny, magical being 52 “Dang!” 53 Collect together 55 Mud bath venue 58 Tuna type 59 Approach hastily 61 Positive outcome of child psychology? 66 Very, informally 67 Ages and ages 68 Steep, as tea 69 Gather little by little 70 One may jump into a garden 71 “Now, about ...” DOWN 1 Possibilities 2 Not cooked 3 Structures that are many blocks wide? 4 Unrelenting 5 Seller’s warning 6 Edible ice cream holder 7 Proverbial bump’s place 8 Rid of obstruction 9 Great Plains tribe

10 Pallid 11 Fruits that Turkey produces the most of 12 Manual reader 13 Not as much 18 Entourage 19 Sound like a snake 23 Grading aid 24 Frozen french fry brand 25 Dismiss with contempt 26 Clamors 29 Used to be 30 Cable co., often 31 People who have hot meals? 32 Completely destroys 33 Gobbles (down) 38 Satisfied cries 40 Gallic denial

41 Person with a stethoscope, briefly 44 Very arid 46 Intended 49 Qatar’s capital 50 Made null 54 African snake 55 Self-satisfied 56 Thing often stored in a weekly organizer 57 Just one chip, perhaps 59 Ancient letter 60 Russia, once: Abbr. 62 “... blessing ___ curse?” 63 Coffee, slangily 64 Cautious acrobat’s device 65 Lowest roll in Monopoly

PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER

9/6

Making Progress by David Alfred Bywaters

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SPORTS

Sept. 7-13, 2021

‘Gotta be cleaner, gotta be sharper’ Rattler owns up to inconsistent gameplay AUSTIN CURTRIGHT @AustinCurtright

Spencer Rattler’s performance on Saturday looked all too familiar. Back in 2017, when quarterback Baker Mayfield played Tulane, he finished 17of-27 with 331 yards and four touchdowns, but missed open throws and said he had an off night afterward. However, Mayfield who captained the Sooners who were ranked No. 2 at the time, later went on to win the Heisman Trophy that season. Rattler, who’s among the favorites for this season’s Heisman, also leads the Sooners, who are also ranked No. 2 this season. Despite the redshirt sophomore finishing 30-of-39 with 304 yards and two total touchdowns, Rattler also recorded a performance he’s not accustomed to, like Mayfield, against the same team, but four years later. He missed open receivers and threw two interceptions — almost three before a penalty called one back — as OU (1-0) snuck away with a season-opening 40-35 win over Tulane (0-1) in Norman on Saturday. “We just gotta be cleaner, gotta be sharper,” Rattler said after the game. “I gotta be better. Everybody’s gotta be better.” The Phoenix native threw an interception on the second play of the game, when he forced a pass to sophomore receiver Marvin Mims into double-coverage. Rattler’s second

interception came with 13 minutes and 51 seconds left in the fourth quarter, when his pass to junior H-back Austin Stogner sailed and landed in the arms of Tulane safety Macon Clark. Again, after a fumble recovery by redshirt junior linebacker Nik Bonitto, Rattler’s inconsistency showed when back-to-back throws widely missed his targets. The offense failed to score and the attempts resulted in a 51yard field goal by junior kicker Gabe Brkic after reaching Tulane’s 11-yard line. Rattler knew his performance wasn’t near his standard, and OU coach Lincoln Riley knew it too. The 6-foot-1 quarterback finished with just seven interceptions last season in his first year as the starter, where he threw for 3,031 yards, good for No. 10 in the country. “He missed a few throws that he just typically makes,” Riley said. “Not only did he miss them, but he missed them in places that you can’t. … He was OK. He can play better, and he’s going to need to play better.” Despite the errors Rattler made, he looked like his true self after the first interception, when he led the Sooners to 30 unanswered points on 20-of25 passing with 213 yards. OU entered halftime with a 37-14 lead, which soon evaporated with the Sooners scoring just three points in the second half. Rattler said the energy was weak after halftime, leading to complacency among the team. Mims, who finished the game with 117 yards on five receptions, said he’s used to getting opponents’ best performances at a high-end program like Oklahoma. Rattler

also gave Tulane high praise, and mentioned its defense gave him trouble. “That’s a tough team,” Rattler said. “It was one of the hardest-hitting teams, one of the most physical teams I’ve ever played. And they came out there and played great, better than us for sure.” The Sooners’ unconcerned play gave the Green Wave a chance, despite them being 31.5-point underdogs. But according to Rattler, a win is a win, and he’d rather learn off a win than two losses like he did last season after faltering against Kansas State and Iowa State. Rattler flashed at times Saturday, but also struggled to fix the Sooners’ lull in the second half when they scored just three points and were outgained 230 yards to 118 by Tulane. Especially now that OU’s offense has just two scholarship running backs — redshirt senior Kennedy Brooks and junior Eric Gray — Rattler’s Heisman-level talent will be needed to fulfill Oklahoma’s quest for its eighth national championship. However, if history repeats itself, Rattler’s search for the Heisman Trophy this season won’t be lost this early in the year, just like it wasn’t for Mayfield. “He had his moments where he was really, really good, and gave us a lot of chances and was really excellent at times,” Riley said. “But there’s certainly a few that we’re gonna want back and we’re going to need him to play better.” austincurtright@ou.edu

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