Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley has a quarterback controversy on his hands. The sixth-ranked Sooners fell into a 28-7 hole to 21st-ranked Texas early in the second quarter on Saturday in the Red River Showdown, and its offense simply couldn't keep up under Heisman Trophy contender Spencer Rattler, who was 6-of-11 for 49 yards and one interception in the first quarter.
Enter: Caleb Williams.
The hot-shot backup quarterback came in to start the second frame and immediately took off up the middle on fourth-and-1. He made multiple Longhorns defenders miss and ran away from the secondary to complete a 66-yard touchdown run on his first play of action in the heated rivalry showdown. Williams' appearance was specifically for the fourth-down play at the time, but he would become a bigger part of the Sooners' game plan later in the first half.
Rattler fumbled on the Texas 44-yard line and it was recovered by DeMarvion Overshown. The Longhorns scored three plays later to make it 35-17, and that's when Riley pulled the plug as Williams was inserted into the game on the first play after the break to try to kickstart a struggling Sooners' offense.
The move worked, Williams went 16-of-25 passing for 212 yards and two touchdowns in the 55-48 comeback win. He also finished with 88 yards on the ground.
Williams, the No. 7 overall player in the Class of 2021, has been one of the hot topics around Norman over the last few weeks as Rattler has continued to struggle. It got to a point that, during the Sooners' ugly win over West Virginia, the crowd started chanting Williams' name.
Does Riley has a quarterback controversy on his hands? He benched Rattler in this rivalry game last year, and the then-freshman responded during the second half of the season. Williams wasn't there breathing down his neck, though. And now his winning performance raises more questions than answers.