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Dec. 27—FORT WORTH — With seconds remaining and a decision to be made, Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables made no hesitation — he wanted to go for the win.
“We made that decision earlier in the drive,” he said. “Liked our look, liked our opportunities there.”
The Sooners (6-7) lined up for a two-point conversion attempt, but would be stopped by Navy (10-3) in the game’s final moments as the Midshipmen held on for the 21-20 win Friday at the 2024 Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl at Texas Christian University.
“We got exactly what we thought we were going to get,” Venables said. “And we’ve worked hard in that situation all year long…we knew if (the game) was under 30 seconds, we were going to go for two.”
And Navy head coach Brian Newberry agreed with the Sooners’ offensive call.
“They had momentum right there and struggled after scoring 14,” Newberry said. “I thought that was the right decision, I think I would have done the same thing.”
The Sooners struck first in their opening drive, using the legs of Michael Hawkins and Gavin Sawchuk to power for 45 of the 65-yard march — with Sawchuk barreling into the end zone for the 21-yard score.
“Gavin (Sawchuk) started off really hot and did well early.” Venables said. “We played all four backs, and they all touched the ball.”
After a defensive stop, Oklahoma took back over possession. With Hawkins scrambling and changing directions on a broken play, he connected with Zion Kearney with a dime for the 56-yard touchdown and 14-0 lead after the first quarter.
“He was really good, great rhythm early and late,” Venables said of Hawkins, who finished the day with 247 passing yards and 61 rushing yards.
The Midshipmen defense held strong on a fourth-down stop deep into its own territory to take over possession early in the second quarter, but the Sooners returned the favor to…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/ou-football-sooners-fall-armed-000200163.html
Author : McAlester News-Capital, Okla.
Publish date : 2024-12-28 00:02:00
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