DALLAS — In an interview with ESPN's Gene Wojciechowski on College GameDay, OU quarterback Spencer Rattler addressed OU fans chanting "We want Caleb" during the Sooners' 16-13 win over West Virginia on Sept. 26.
Oklahoma QB Spencer Rattler is focused on one thing this season and it's not all of the outside noise.The only thing that matters to him is winning 😤 @GenoEspn pic.twitter.com/RblTWR0DfU
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) October 9, 2021
Over halfway through the game's second quarter, a pass intended for redshirt junior Drake Stoops was tipped and fell into the hands of a Mountaineer defender. OU fans began chanting for backup freshman quarterback Caleb Williams as Rattler and company headed toward the sideline.
The redshirt sophomore told Wojciechowski that was the first time he'd been booed by his own crowd.
"Fans pay for their tickets," Rattler said in the ESPN interview. "At that time, we weren't moving the ball like we wanted to. (That) showed."
He ended the game 26-of-36 passing for 256 yards and one touchdown to coincide with his lone interception. He also led the Sooners on a 14-play, 80-yard final drive to set up a game-winning field goal by redshirt junior Gabe Brkic. Rattler went 6-of-6 in that span for 54 yards.
"This is Oklahoma," head coach Lincoln Riley said in the segment. "If we do well, you're going to get too much credit. If we don't do well, you're probably going to get too much blame. I give the kid credit. He's not batted an eye."
In the days following the game, Rattler said former OU quarterbacks Landry Jones and Jalen Hurts reached out to him with words of encouragement. Jones, who played for the Sooners from 2009-12, called Rattler and discussed ways the Phoenix native could clear his mind and "play free."
Hurts reached out to Rattler via social media and told him to "keep going." The current starting quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles, Hurts started over Rattler during his lone season at Oklahoma in 2019. He finished that season as the runner-up in the Heisman Trophy race.
A week after OU's win over WVU, Rattler went 22-of-25 passing for 243 yards, two touchdowns and a pick in the Sooners' 37-31 win over Kansas State. The win ended Oklahoma's two-game losing streak against the Wildcats.
"What matters to me, personally, is winning," Rattler said. "And that's something we've been doing. Everybody wants those big, 500-yard games, everybody expects six touchdowns a game, but it's just not reality. My standard is being the best I can on the field, and I feel like last week was a good start of that.Â
"You gotta block out the outside noise. You gotta lead a team down (the field) in a two-minute drive. ... You gotta be mature, you gotta be a boss about yourself. That's something I'm continuing to grow to."
Rattler and the No. 6 Sooners (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) take on No. 21 Texas (4-1, 2-0) at 11 a.m. Saturday on ABC.
