The conclusion of Saturday’s football game between OU and Tennessee-Chattanooga was played out in front of less than 40,000 people after halftime was extended to an hour and 20 minutes.

Both the players and the fans should’ve been treated to a running clock and the game should’ve finished at 10 p.m., rather than almost 11 at night.

In the running clock system, the game clock continues to tick down no matter what happens on the field. There are no clock stoppages because of incomplete passes, players running out of bounds, etc.

The concept of the running clock isn’t new. In fact, the Sooners initiated it during the fourth quarter of their 77-0 win over Texas A&M in 2003.

There wasn’t an hour-long rainstorm that eventful day either.

In last year’s season opener against North Texas, Bob Stoops even asked for the running clock to be put into place. He doesn’t like having to hold his team back from running up the score.

The risk of injury is far greater during the second half, and the regular clock rules increase that potential.

Imagine the preparation it takes to get ready for the first football game of the year. The players have to stretch and warm up for over an hour so an injury is less likely to occur.

The hour-long rainstorm at halftime really messed things up. Halftime is designed to serve as a small resting period, not as a complete cool-down, which is exactly what happened on Saturday.

The players spent over an hour competing in 90-degree weather and then spent another hour doing comparatively nothing in the locker rooms.

Then both teams’ players had to go out and play the second half. And there wasn’t a running clock, despite OU’s 50-point lead.

Luckily, OU didn’t incur any injuries, but Tennessee-Chattanooga’s running back Erroll Wynn broke his wrist and the Mocs’ quarterback Jare Gault suffered a stinger.

It’s possible both of these injuries could have been prevented if the clock ran throughout the last two quarters.

Both teams were at the stadium from around 3:00 p.m.until 11:30 p.m., when press conferences finished.

In games like this, where the score is 50-to-0 at the half, and the players are required to warm up again after such a long halftime, a running clock should be put into effect.

— Kyle Burnett is a broadcast and electronic media junior.