Eight seconds remained in the third quarter when Nebraska’s extra-point attempt ricocheted off defensive lineman Isaiah Coe’s hands toward safety Pat Fields.
After hauling it in with plenty of room, as well as blockers, in front of him, the senior captain took the No. 3 Sooners’ “Speed D” moniker to the next gear as he raced 100-yards into Nebraska’s end zone for a defensive two-point conversion.
“(Our coaches) always track our speeds,” Fields said afterward. “Every single week, we’re competing for who has the fastest in-game time. So, whenever I get the ball, I’m trying to go 23 mph.”
Isaiah Coe blocks the extra point and Pat Fields houses it for 2 points. 😮 pic.twitter.com/z7oHpEIAMV
— Sooner Gridiron (@soonergridiron) September 18, 2021
It was OU’s first defensive two-point conversion of a blocked PAT since cornerback Zack Sanchez’s return during the Sooners’ 37-33 loss to TCU in 2014.
Fields’ score widened OU’s lead to 16-9 and proved pivotal in a 23-16 win for Oklahoma (3-0) over the Cornhuskers (2-2) in a game reminiscent of the 1971 matchup it commemorated. Afterward, Fields said the return embodied the Sooners’ growing desire to give it their all on every play, something that hasn’t always been consistent through OU’s first three games.
Multiple offensive and defensive miscues nearly cost Oklahoma its season opener against Tulane. Now, a week removed from a 76-0 win over Western Carolina, their highest scoring performance under head coach Lincoln Riley, the Sooners delivered the lowest score in Riley’s reign. Nonetheless, a play like the blocked PAT — featuring perfect all-around execution that swung momentum OU’s way — could signal the Sooners may be close to finding their stride.
“It was a huge play, and I think that just goes back to our mentality,” Riley said afterward. “I think that’s a sign of our mentality growing as a football team. Some people think, ‘Oh, little extra point, (no) big deal.’ I mean, how many teams do you see take that play off? All of a sudden, we flip that, and instead of it being a four-point game it’s a seven-point game.
“We tell our guys all the time, you never know when the big ones are coming. But, if you’re mentally into every one and you’re playing it like it's your last, you’ll be ready to seize the moment.”
Redshirt junior linebacker Nik Bonitto, who finished with two sacks and five tackles, praised Coe’s ability to cut through Nebraska’s protection and Fields’ speed. Bonitto felt the play reengaged the Sooner faithful of 84,659 after the prior play saw Cornhuskers quarterback Adrian Martinez score on a 4-yard run to slice OU’s lead to five points.
Bonitto credited OU’s coaching staff for the team’s preparedness on special teams.
“I don’t know how most teams in the country are, but we take that part of the game really seriously,” Bonitto said. “We never take a snap off.”
Defensive coordinator Alex Grinch said he was thrilled that Fields scored. A Tulsa native, Fields’ team captain status stems from his hunger to instill a relentless work ethic in his teammates. Though he missed the Sooners’ spring camp due to an undisclosed injury, Fields made a priority to check on his teammates. He put in extra hours participating in 6 a.m. individual workouts with Bennie Wylie, OU’s director of sports performance, throughout fall camp.
“There was so much more football left, but what a critical play,” Grinch said. “That's one of those things where they score a touchdown, you can have an emotional reaction (and) you can give into your feelings, or you can go make a play out there. There's still an opportunity to make a play and what we tell them is play the play.”
Fields was thrilled to make the play. In fact, Grinch joked about reminding Fields that the run counted for only two points, not six, to keep him from getting “a little big-headed.”
With the Sooners welcoming West Virginia to Norman on Sept. 25, Fields was anything but big-headed when addressing how his team can improve entering Big 12 play.
“With football, you can never stay stagnant,” Fields said. “It’s like a behavioral thing, it’s either good or bad. I have to say that we’re not comfortable, because we have to keep winning, excelling and improving or we’re going to quickly fall into complacency.
“We’re incredibly confident. … Even though we won a game, and (people will say) we played good, I think it’s the ambition and the pursuit of perfection that the defense has adopted. We’re always continuously hungry and ambitious to keep on going and keep on improving.”
