Spencer Rattler threw for 290 yards and four touchdowns in his first start and No. 5 Oklahoma rolled past Missouri State 48-0 on Saturday night.
Rattler, the highly touted redshirt freshman from Phoenix, only played the first two quarters and helped the Sooners take a 41-0 lead.
The Sooners led 31-0 at the end of the first quarter and outgained the Bears 236 yards to 1. It was the first time since 2008 that Oklahoma scored at least 31 points in a first quarter and the sixth time in school history.
Rattler got plenty of help. Seth McGowan, a true freshman, caught a touchdown pass and ran for a score. Charleston Rambo had four catches for 80 yards and two scores, including a 53-yard touchdown catch from Rattler. Oklahoma gained 608 total yards, including 484 passing.
The Sooners held Missouri State to 136 yards and seven first downs in their first shutout since 2015.
It was a rough debut with the Bears for coach Bobby Petrino, best known for his success at Louisville and Arkansas. He took over a Missouri State program that went 1-10 last season.
Redshirt freshman Jaden Johnson completed 9 of 19 passes for 72 yards for the Bears.
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Oklahoma limited seating to 25 percent of capacity, therefore making its sellout crowd of 22,700 its smallest since Nov. 10, 1945.
THE TAKEAWAY
Missouri State: The Bears were nowhere near ready for this level of competition.
Oklahoma: The Sooners' passing game looked crisp. Rattler's ability to complete the deep ball coupled with his mobility will give defensive coordinators fits. Oklahoma's defense was aggressive and tackled well to start its second year under coordinator Alex Grinch. The Sooners held the Bears without a first down for nearly 25 minutes to start the game.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
None. Oklahoma what was expected and most of the teams ranked ahead of the Sooners did not play on Saturday.
UP NEXT
Missouri State: Scheduled to visit Central Arkansas on Sept. 26.
Oklahoma: Scheduled to host Kansas State on Sept. 26.
