Oklahoma Sooners Mario Williams, Billy Bowman flash ridiculous abilities in spring game

NORMAN — Oklahoma’s 2021 freshman class showed up and showed out on Saturday at some stage in the Sooners’ annual Red/White Sport.

Quarterback Caleb Williams modified into terrific — as factual as marketed, perchance a technique or the opposite even better — and performed 10-of-11 passes. Jordan Mukes led the group with six tackles. Latrell McCutchin additionally started against the No. 1 offense next to Mukes. From Ethan Downs to Clayton Smith to Nathan Rawlins-Kibonge to Cody Jackson to slide-on quarterback Ben Harris, everybody had their name referred to as.

Nevertheless two novices elevated themselves beyond apt taking part in time, beyond apt making performs with the starters.

On offense, Mario Williams led OU with five receptions, posted a bunch-high 84 receiving yards, and paced all Sooners in crowd roars. And on protection and special groups, Billy Bowman popped a 45-yard kickoff return — in a scrimmage the place dwell tackling modified into no longer allowed on special groups — and broke up a scuttle on the purpose line to set up a touchdown.

Williams, 5-foot-9 and 181 kilos from Tampa, showed explosiveness, elusiveness, raw trip, strength, fingers and skill to salvage off the line. He additionally lost a fumble on an cease around. His reception on a deep post from Spencer Rattler no longer very finest saved a definite interception by D.J. Graham, but it resulted in a 50-yard have.

“He did some factual things. Fumbled the reverse,” Lincoln Riley acknowledged. “Heaps of than that, he made a wide play, very competitive play down the field and of course, D.J. Graham made a wide play on, too. It modified into shapely spectacular, of course, by every those guys. I opinion he did some nice things. He’s had a shapely factual spring. The bulk of days maintain been productive days and he is indisputably purchased some burst and a few skill. I mediate everybody can behold that. I’m mad what he can compose and I mediate he is indisputably going to maintain a likelihood to be a contributor for us.”

Bowman, from Denton, TX, is equally built (5-10, 182) and equally explosive. His kickoff return started up the middle and he burst to the left with out being touched. He made one slick scuttle and bought to the sideline at midfield before he modified into even touched. And his breakup of Rattler’s purpose-line throw to Marvin Mims modified into very finest coverage — he used factual design on the snap, then shadowed Mims’ every step — and his explosion to the ball came with unexpected ferocity.

“I don’t are making an strive to place too fundamental on him,” acknowledged defensive coordinator Alex Grinch. “Nevertheless, build him a nickel feature, he’s in fact taken off. He has trip, he has quickness, he has ball talents. He’s a factual football player. And from a mental aptitude standpoint, he’s performed a wide job. And perchance one in every of those guys, midway via spring, in fact made a commitment to design.

“ ‘The things I purchased away with perchance in high school, I’m no longer going to salvage away with.’ Some guys fight that. Some guys will spend a twelve months in a program battling that. These are the disappointing ones. And we had some guys this closing fall, moderately frankly, form of in that mode, fight the transition to this stage. Enraged to maintain that out of him, and I mediate that’s a factual feature for him, and I mediate he’s very finest going to enhance.”

And Grinch loves Mario Williams’ skill — he apt doesn’t fancy having to protect it.

“We’re real lucky here to maintain several guys that, you would perchance well maybe well behold the respect affirm as far as defensive backs,” Grinch acknowledged. “We’ll focus on tactics and stuff esteem that, and they also’ll be sure that to spend irrespective of design they mediate is suitable at that second to protect that individual that they’re in front of. …. We’re unruffled working via that somewhat bit.

“Nevertheless he’s one in every of those guys, they know the place they’re lined up at. And there’s a respect affirm by design of a quickness standpoint, a trip standpoint. He’s a highlight waiting to happen — which is able to be stress-free in the fall, no longer so stress-free for us in spring ball and fall camp. We flip into followers, but no longer for several months.”