After the end of last season for the Sooners, the first question that seemed to come to every Oklahoma football fan’s mind was who will be replacing Jalen Hurts as the starting quarterback. The choice came down to two obvious options; Spencer Rattler and Tanner Mordecai.
Many Sooner fans predicted Rattler would take the starting spot, but that wasn’t without question of Mordecai, a redshirt sophomore, swooping in and taking the position for himself.
However, many fans seemed to have predicted correctly after last Tuesday’s press conference with Lincoln Riley where he announced the Spencer Rattler era at the University of Oklahoma has officially begun. It’s clear everyone is excited to see what the new powerhouse QB has in store, but the question still remains; will Rattler live up to his hype?
Rattler’s stats from the few games he appeared in last season aren’t necessarily a preview for what all is to come for the young quarterback, however, they are somewhat telling for what we could see from him in the Sooners’ opening game vs. Missouri State this Saturday.
We can’t predict what plays will be made at the Palace on the Prairie this weekend, but it is clear that Rattler is prepared in both in running and passing games alike. Last season we saw Rattler’s ability in both rushing yards and passing yards on the field but without a full roster on Saturday due to COVID-19, injuries and suspensions we are likely to see a lot of rushing yards from Rattler this weekend.
With a pristine returning O-line, this gives Rattler a lot of room to be creative with the ball and really get comfortable with this year’s offense. Though it is my prediction we’ll see a lot of running from Rattler this weekend, we can’t go without noting that Rattler’s one career touchdown is from an 81-yard passing TD. Without Trejan Bridges and Jaden Haslewood being able to start the first game this season, the Sooners may have to hold off on major passing yards for a few games.
Overall, I think we will be seeing a lot of different aspects from Rattler this season once the Sooners are in full swing. For now, we can only hope that the same five-star recruit we met a few years ago will show up on the field this weekend.
