OU plays of the year, 2018-20: Some Red River Shootout memories

Getting closer and closer to the 2026 edition of OU football, but how about a look back at some incredible moments from the past? Last summer, we explored the Game of the Year for the Sooners from 2000-2024, 25 seasons of memories. Now? From game to play, to that one memorable moment. Time to relive some images, sights and sounds that will live forever in OU history. We’re looking at the Play of the Year for OU from 2000-25. What will Brent Venables and crew be able to deliver in 2026? Enjoy. 2000: Torrance Marshall at Texas A&M (35-31) Too many choices from this magical, national championship season. Rocky Calmus vs. Texas, Andre Woolfolk vs. Nebraska, Derrick Strait saving Bedlam. Even something like Antwone Savage on third-and-forever at Kansas State. But c’mon, we know the play. Everything was falling apart in College Station. OU fought back in it, and then Marshall made history. A pick-six for the ages in the fourth quarter to give the Sooners that 35-31 victory. 2001: ‘Superman’ Roy Williams vs. Texas (14-3) If you were to rank the plays from every year, Williams would be the unquestioned No. 1. Why did Nathan Vasher catch that punt? We’ll never know. But, of course, we know what happened next. Williams goes all Superman to allow Teddy Lehman to pick it off and take it in for the touchdown against the Horns. It has now been 25 years, which feels nuts, but it’s a play every OU fan is able to remember the smallest of details about. 2002: Eric Bassey vs. Alabama (37-27) Selfish note as this was my first-ever OU home game to see in person, so this is always going to rank higher than it should #SorryNotSorry. And what a wild one it was. Jason White going down (again). The Sooners blowing a 23-3 lead before responding on the final drive. Renaldo Works with the hurdle to remember, and OU leading 30-27 in the final minute. And then, well, Bama drops the ball, literally. Bassey is there to scoop it up and take it the rest of the way. 2003: Antonio Perkins vs. UCLA (59-24) The best team to never win anything, but what a squad it was. And it’s not just that Perkins returned three punts for a touchdown in a single game. That’s crazy enough as is. It’s how long these suckers were. None of those short ones. Perkins earned it every step of the way. To set the record? Perkins brought home punts from 74, 84 and 65 yards. The final return coming in the closing minutes of the blowout victory. 2004: Adrian Peterson at Oklahoma State (38-35) What would have social media been like for a freshman season like what Adrian Peterson had? Ahead of his time for the Heisman, sigh. The Texas debut was one thing, but then there was Bedlam. An 80-yard touchdown that once he was five or six yards into the run, you knew. ‘And he is gone,’ said legendary ABC announcer Keith Jackson. Yes, he was. Peterson rushed for 249 yards (!) on 33 carries with that epic touchdown run in the second half. 2005: Adrian Peterson vs. Tulsa (31-15) OU was very much in danger of going 0-2 to begin the 2005 season. Rhett Bomar had completed just five passes and had two interceptions. It was just 17-15 in the final minutes, and OU faced a fourth-and-short. But Bob Stoops had Adrian Peterson. One of the best runs you’ll find, just shaking off one tackler after another and using his speed to barrel into the end zone. Peterson had 32 carries for 220 yards and three touchdowns. 2006: Allen Patrick at Oregon No disrespect to Paul Thompson saving the day, but when you think about 2006, you just jump to this ridiculous moment. How? After all these years, now coming up on 20 years later, how did nobody see Allen Patrick with the ball? It’s just so hard to wrap your head around. Patrick recovers the onside kick, Sooners get the win. It’s the play of the year for the pure stupidity for everyone involved with the officials and replay crews. 2007: Curtis Lofton vs. Missouri (38-17) Man, if Mizzou just could have avoided OU in 2007. Or if Chase Daniel never had to deal with Curtis Lofton. Because Lofton the Tigers once, initially, with a defensive touchdown in the regular season. And this interception in the Big 12 championship game? Oh yea. The one that kept the Tigers from playing for the national championship. Lofton showing why he was the best defensive player in the conference. Rare spot where OU could play spoiler and did it well. 2008: ‘Jump Around’ Travis Lewis vs. Texas Tech (65-21) Two words, right? Jump around. With apologies to Sam Bradford going up high in Bedlam, nothing compares to Bob Stoops challenging the OU fans vs. the Red Raiders. Just that game as a whole is a moment. But the one that stands out? A Travis Lewis interception late in the first half that he almost brought back all the way. It was already 35-7 at that point about to be 42-7, and the historic beatdown was on. ‘It’s a stompin’’ said legendary broadcaster Brent Musburger. 2009: Ryan Broyles vs. Oklahoma State (27-0) The dream was for a national championship. Injuries, of course, derailed that for the Sooners. So how’s about taking down the 12th-ranked Cowboys and shutting them out? The defense was sensational on this afternoon that was fittingly culminated with the 87-yard punt return for a touchdown by Ryan Broyles. The Norman kid in Norman dashing the hopes for OSU – that’s the way to write a story. 2010: James Hanna/Cameron Kenney/Landry Jones at Oklahoma State (47-41) A 40-point fourth quarter? Yea, that’s good enough to make this list. Landry Jones threw for an eye-popping 468 yards and four touchdowns. The final two? Absolutely absurd and the stuff of legends. An 86-yard strike to Cameron Kenney in the final minutes. OSU responds with a kickoff return for touchdown, so all Jones does is connect with James Hanna for a 76-yard score to finally wrap this sucker up. Everything Bedlam can be. 2011: Demontre Hurst/David King/Jamell Fleming vs. Texas (55-17) Something different about defensive touchdowns in Bedlam and the Red River Rivalry. And this was billed as a huge one with the No. 3 Sooners and No. 11 Longhorns. Instead? It was OU just hammering Texas into submission. Three defensive touchdowns. Demontre Hurst with a pick-six in the first half. David King began the second half by recovering a fumble and scoring to make it 41-10 at that point. Then Jamell Fleming with a strip and score to punctuate it all. 2012: Damien Williams/Kenny Stills/Trey Millard vs. Texas (63-21) There were two other plays alive here. You had Landry Jones’ game-winner to Kenny Stills at West Virginia. Then Brennan Clay’s overtime game-winner in Bedlam. But this combo between Williams and Stills is just the type of next-level OU fans love. Just 6-2 at the time, Williams went 95 yards against the Horns. And who sprung him to daylight? An unforgettable block by Stills. It set the tone, and OU took Texas to the woodshed for the second straight year. And then you have to have the hurdle by Millard. Really don’t have a choice, ha. 2013: Blake Bell/Jalen Saunders at Oklahoma State (33-24) If you were there, one, you know how freakin’ cold it was in Stillwater. A game where OU used three quarterbacks. And OSU had a 24-20 lead in the final minutes. The Bell drive. Just a perfect ball to Saunders in the back corner of the end zone. Everybody remembers Bob Stoops pumping his fist like crazy. OU wanted this one. A crazy set of circumstances that ultimately led to Geneo Grissom/Eric Striker combining for their own moment against Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. 2014: Samaje Perine vs. Kansas (44-7) This season might be a tough watch for a lot of people. A top-five team coming into the season, it just didn’t materialize. But there was this freshman running back who was turning heads. And toward the end of the season, the game plan was simply give it to Perine. The Sooners did that time and time again vs. the Jayhawks. Mr. 427 lives on, as Perine set the single-game NCAA record with 427 yards on a dreary, rainy November afternoon in Norman. 2015: Baker Mayfield/Sterling Shepard at Tennessee (31-24 2OT) Where the legend of Baker Mayfield began, right? Down 17-3 midway through the fourth quarter in Knoxville. Let’s just say those final three touchdowns because it’s a take your pick, and you’re not wrong with any of them. Whether it’s the fade to Sterling Shepard to tie it in the final minute. Or Mayfield’s touchdown run on fourth down in the first OT, or Shepard going ‘Superman’ for the TD in the second overtime. None of them are wrong, and all of them are incredibly memorable. 2016: Baker Mayfield/Joe Mixon at Texas Tech (66-59) This season was really about Dede Westbrook and maybe his three-touchdown outing vs. Texas could have made the cut. Won’t argue. Trying to stick to my own rule (ha), went with a single play. And that one-handed touchdown catch by Mixon from Mayfield in that 66-59 shootout was as good as anything you’ll ever see. Really not sure if this game is as great as people believe, but that individual effort by Mixon was impressive. 2017: Baker Mayfield/Mark Andrews vs. Texas (29-24) OU was 20-0 against a freshman Sam Ehlinger. This could have been an all-timer of a beatdown. Instead, Texas is up 24-23 midway through the fourth quarter. But boy, did Mayfield and Andrews change that up in a hurry. One play, one strike, Andrews down the sideline. Might have been Mayfield’s Heisman moment. But 2017 had some gems like Rodney Anderson at Kansas State. Or Marquise Brown in Bedlam. And stupid Georgia game should have had two with CeeDee Lamb’s touchdown pass to Mayfield and Steven Parker’s scoop-and-score. Sigh. 2018: Kyler Murray/Grant Calcaterra/Tre Brown vs. Texas (39-27) Revenge for Mr. Murray. Kyler attempted to lead a comeback for the ages in the regular season game, down 45-24 just to lose 48-45. Here? After a slow start, Murray was brilliant. Add in the Tre Brown safety where he just demolished Sam Ehlinger, and it was 32-27 in the final minutes. What was better, the throw by Murray? The one-handed catch by Calcaterra? Or the punctuation spike after? All of the above. The Sooners got that one back against the Horns when it mattered most. 2019: CeeDee Lamb vs. Texas (34-27) It’s my list, and going against my rules. Because you cannot pick among the second and third touchdowns for Lamb against the Horns. There were five guys around Lamb, five, and somehow Lamb found a way to score on the flea-flicker touchdown. Then the final one? Man-size strength to not be forced out of bounds. A legendary performance from an all-time great. The OU defense deserved better than 34-27, but hey, it was still a victory. 2020: Spencer Rattler/Drake Stoops vs. Texas (53-45 4OT) Oh, the COVID year. Has anybody watched COVID-era games ever again? Feels like a different world. OU was 1-2 at this point before this one turned it all around. Rattler was far from great here, even benched in the first half. But in the extra sessions, he delivered. And fittingly enough, delivered to Stoops in the clutch. Of course, Tre Brown would punctuate the victory with the interception in the fourth overtime. Just a wild ride at the Cotton Bowl.