The Oklahoma Sooners thoroughly hammered the Florida Gators 55-20 in the Cotton Bowl.

The Sooners dominance started from the get-go, too, as Kyle Trask threw 3 INTs in the first quarter, with 1 of them going for a pick-6 on the first offensive possession of the game.

It’s important to note that Trask’s top 3 receiving weapons — Kyle Pitts, Trevon Grimes and Kadarius Toney — all opted out prior to the Cotton Bowl to focus on the NFL Draft. His 4th receiving option Jacob Copeland missed the game due to COVID-19. Trask could have opted out, too, but he elected to play in the game.

Oklahoma jumped out to a quick 17-0 lead before Florida could blink. The Gators kicked a field goal to get rid of the goose egg in the first quarter to cut it to 17-3. Backup quarterback Emory Jones gave Florida some life on a couple first-half drives and led a touchdown drive. The Gators cut the Sooners first-half lead to 17-13, but Oklahoma torched Florida’s defense twice before halftime to take the 31-13 lead at the break.

Sooners quarterback Spencer Rattler threw for 2 touchdowns and ran for 1 in the first half.

The second half didn’t go much better for the Gators either. Florida was held scoreless in the third quarter while Oklahoma scored  a touchdown and a field goal to extend the lead to 41-13.

Todd Grantham’s defense gave up 684 yards, including 435 rushing yards. OU quarterback Spencer Rattler threw for 247 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Kyle Trask didn’t throw a touchdown for the first time as a starter in his Florida career.

3 takeaways from Florida’s loss to Oklahoma: 

  • Mullen needs to bite the bullet and fire defensive coordinator Todd Grantham. Florida’s defense was soft has hot butter throughout the season, and Oklahoma exposed Grantham’s unit once again. The secondary play was forgettable, and the defense struggled at times even getting lined up properly and on time. That can’t happen. This was Florida’s worst defense, maybe, ever.
  • Emory Jones and Anthony Richardson will be a fun quarterback battle for 2021. With Jones or Richardson, Mullen can run his traditional offense with a dual-threat signal caller.
  • The running game must make a big jump in 2021. The dual-threat option of either Jones or Richardson will certainly help that, but running backs Dameon Pierce, Malik Davis and Nay’Quan Wright will also need to step up. Don’t forget about Clemson transfer Demarkcus Bowman either. He was a 5-star talent who should make an immediate splash. The offensive line must protect better, too, along with creating running lanes.