Sooner Magic seemed nowhere to be found in the second half as the Oklahoma Sooners finished their season in south Florida against the #1 ranked Clemson Tigers falling to them in the second consecutive bowl game, this time by a score of 37 to 17. After a competitive first half after which the Sooners led by a score of 17 to 16, Clemson came alive and the Tiger defense was able to shut down the Sooner offense. Clemson QB Deshaun Watson was able to move the ball at will on the Sooner defense in the third quarter. No excuses, OU was simply outplayed for the final two quarters of this game.
Third quarter Orange Bowl actionLooking back on the season, I commend these young student athletes for rising to face adversity as a unified unit. Last March I made a blog post about the The way the members of this OU football team responded to that crisis made me proud to be a Sooner alum and fan. The 2015 Sooners used the SAE controversy to fuel an impressive turnaround after a poor performance down the stretch of the 2014 season and a sound defeat at the hands of Clemson in last year’s Russell Athletic Bowl. The care this demonstrates about the institution’s reputation and public image is commendable and is probably the thing that makes me more proud of these young men more than their Big 12 Championship trophy.
QB Baker MayfieldGoing forward into 2016 the outlook for Oklahoma Football is promising and for better or worse despite some of the injuries sustained in tonight’s game and the coaching staff remains popular. I want to extend my personal gratitude to all the seniors on the 2015 Sooner squad who played their final game in an OU uniform tonight. Thank you for the memories, gentlemen.