Oklahoma seemed to be pulling back on the reins after reaching former coach Barry Switzer’s proverbial “half a hundred,” putting fullback Matt Clapp at tailback for the next series. Dominique Franks also called for a fair catch on what seemed to be a returnable punt.
But after halftime, Oklahoma’s starters were back on the field—even if their production level fell off sharply. They managed only two first downs on their first three drives before backups started filtering in.
Stoops said he decided the starters still needed to be sharp next week, no matter what the score was at the time.
“Those are all tough decisions. That’s just the way it goes,” Stoops said.