Paul Finebaum tips his hat to Oklahoma, Lincoln Riley following Texas win

Saturday’s Red River Rivalry showdown between Texas and Oklahoma might go down as the best game of the 2021 college football season. Texas jumped out to a big early lead and it seemed as if Oklahoma would be blown out. That was until Oklahoma head coach decided to make a quarterback change.

Starter Spencer Rattler was 8 of 15 for 111 yards and an interception in the first half, and he also had a rushing touchdown. Backup and highly touted freshman Caleb Williams was two of six in the first half, also breaking off a 66-yard rushing touchdown.

When the second half got underway, it was Williams leading Oklahoma’s offense. Williams played well enough to erase a 21 point deficit, eventually leading the Sooners to victory. On the day, Williams was 16 of 25 for 212 yards and three total touchdowns.

Paul Finebaum: Hats off to Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma

Spencer Rattler has received criticism all season for inconsistent play. Coming into the year, he was a Heisman favorite and a likely early first round NFL Draft selection. ESPN’s Paul Finebaum says that while Riley’s decision to make a change at quarterback for Oklahoma might not be as major as it’s being made out to be, it was still a huge decision that worked out.

“My hat goes off to Lincoln Riley,” Finebaum said on Sunday. “It’s not as hard of a decision as maybe we’re trying to make it into, but when you replace the preseason Heisman favorite in the middle of the biggest game of the year and you pull it off, you look really smart.

“I think sometimes we just anoint people because they produce great players and Heisman winners. But Lincoln Riley deserves what we are saying about him today. And they’re still alive which is a remarkable thing. You can’t deny Oklahoma. They have survived countless disasters and they’re still there.”

While Williams played extremely well and provided a major spark to Oklahoma’s offense, Finebaum thinks that Riley and Oklahoma should give Rattler another chance next week. Riley said after the game that Rattler handled the quarterback switch “like a pro,” and that it was tough to make that decision.

“Yeah, I might give Spencer one more shot,” Finebaum said on if Williams should start moving forward. “I think Lincoln Riley is going to figure that one out. But it is still amazing, though. If the season ended today, we’ve maybe already had the greatest college football season ever.”

It hasn’t been pretty, but Oklahoma is a perfect 6-0 on the season. The Sooners are ranked fourth in the AP Poll entering Week 7.