Big 12 Football: Spencer Rattler starts out K-State game with a pick

An interception was not the way that Spencer Rattler and the Oklahoma Sooners wanted to start out their Big 12 football schedule this year.

Big 12 football opens up conference play this weekend, and the most notable game in the morning slate of kick offs comes between the No. 3 ranked Oklahoma Sooners and the upset-minded Kansas State Wildcats. While Oklahoma was a heavy favorite coming into their Big 12 opener against Kansas State, it was hard to tell the mindset each team was going to come out with.

Last year, then first-year head coach Chris Klieman saw his Kansas State squad pull off the big upset of the Sooners at home. But these are much different teams and much different stakes heading into this Big 12 opener. Oklahoma did not wind up getting off to the start they likely desired, though.

Standout redshirt freshman quarterback and former five-star recruit Spencer Rattler started out this game by having an interception in the first quarter on a tipped ball. Sixth-year senior linebacker Elijah Sullivan was the benefactor of the tipped ball, as he nabbed his first interception of the year, and only the second of his career.

The first career pick for the experienced senior Sullivan came last season, ironically against the other big Oklahoma school. His first career pick came early in the 2019 Big 12 slate for the Wildcats, against the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

This was also the first career interception thrown by Rattler. Coming into this game, he only had seven career incompletions to go along with nearly 400 total yards and five passing touchdowns. He registered more than 280 passing yards and four passing touchdowns in Oklahoma’s season opening win over the FCS Missouri State Bears at home on Sep. 12 by nearly a 50-point margin.

Rattler and the Sooners did respond in a big way on the following drive, with a touchdown pass to freshman wide receiver and Allen, TX, native Marvin Mims. The only incompletion that Rattler had on his first nine passing attempts of this game was that Sullivan interception.

While Oklahoma and Kansas State battle each other in the morning slate of kick offs around the Big 12 this weekend, another important game looms with the Texas football program taking on the Texas Tech Red Raiders in Lubbock, beginning at 2:30 p.m. CT. Other important games around the Big 12 this weekend includes the West Virginia Mountaineers battling Oklahoma State in Stillwater and the Iowa State Cyclones taking on the TCU Horned Frogs, also in the morning slate.