MIAMI GARDENS, Florida — Oklahoma needed a spark.
Down 28-7 in the second quarter, the Sooners needed to start showing signs of life on either side of the ball. CeeDee Lamb was the answer.
With over 10:30 left in the second quarter, redshirt junior quarterback Kyler Murray had dropped back 10 yards to the Oklahoma 40-yard line looking for someone to throw to. When he saw no one, he took off running to try and get a first down. He was going to have to make Alabama's junior linebacker Mack Wilson miss in order to make it for the first down, but he didn't have to.
Lamb saw where Murray was going and ran over to block for him. Lamb dropped Wilson to the ground with a hit that showed the fight Oklahoma still had left in it.
My goodness CeeDee Lamb pic.twitter.com/6460tUYGM4
— Yahoo Sports College Football (@YahooSportsCFB) December 30, 2018
"I feel like someone had to step up, and I just thought to myself, why not me?" Lamb said. "Why can't it be me? Why can't I be the spark plug. I just wanted to do all I can, leave it all on the field and show my brothers that I'm actually here trying to win."
That wasn't Lamb's only big play of the night. Murray's favorite target of the night, the sophomore wide receiver had eight receptions for 109 total yards in the Sooners' 45-34 loss to Alabama in the College Football Playoff semifinal Orange Bowl.
Lamb raised his stature Saturday night in Hard Rock Stadium, and made himself more of a nationally known name, showing off the big catches Sooner fans are familiar with on the playoff stage.
"We probably should have thrown him about 20," Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley said. "They had a hard time covering him. They tried some different things and Kyler and him made some great plays together. We started to protect better and gave him some time, so he was phenomenal."
As the Sooners look to next season now, Lamb as more than proven himself on the field and will be a leader in the wide receiver room. With two seasons under his belt, he has solidified himself as a serious Biletnikoff Award contender and someone who has promise to play at the next level.
Looking forward to his junior season, Lamb knows it is his turn to be a leader and help teach the younger players the way he has been taught for the past two seasons.
"I feel like it's my responsibility now," Lamb said. "I'm not a young one anymore. I feel like everybody that was here before me, I learned from them. I've just got to help the young ones under me now."
