NORMAN — Doug Deakin didn’t feel like he had a claim to being part of the OU-Texas rivalry.
“I could never go horns down,” the Oklahoma special teams coordinator said after Monday’s practice. “I felt like the biggest fraud. We had not earned that. I very much helped … in not succeeding in the previous two years.”
But Deakin certainly did his part in Saturday’s 27-24 upset of the top-ranked Longhorns.
He and special teams analyst Stephen Copeland found something in Texas’ punt protection that they felt like they could exploit.
“Golden Hat” they dubbed the play.
“My message to the guys is this will be a big play in the game to help bring home the Golden Hat,” Deakin said. “We’ve got to execute it really well.”
Deakin pulled the trigger early in the second quarter after a pair of sacks pinned the Longhorns back to where Mac Chiumento would be punting from the end zone.
Danny Okoye got the block and Dakoda Fields recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown but there was plenty more that went into making the play work, including having layers of answers to however Texas might block it.
“The guys were very locked in … and the guys executing to an absolute tee,” Deakin said. “Danny Okoye, my goodness, just his get-off was elite. Dakoda Fields, crossing the face of the snapper was excellent because that made jersey 28 (Texas’ Graceson Littleton), who was part of the shield, scan back, and then what almost came to fruition was Parker Livingstone in practice was the guy that overwhelmingly kept blocking it if they had blocked it a certain way. So we had multiple answers, however they were to block it, there were three or four guys who were able to block it.”
Okoye ultimately blocked it with his shoulder because his hand had passed the ball already as he got there so quickly. Livingstone’s hands were right over Okoye’s shoulder and ready to block it if Okoye didn’t get to it.
Deakin also praised Mackenzie Alleyne’s work on the play.
There’s also Tate Sandell, who had been uncharacteristically shaky this season after winning the Lou Groza Award last year.
After Sandell missed a 53-yard try late in the second quarter in the Red River Rivalry, he’d missed three consecutive kicks.
Deakin went back to the loss against Georgia, where Sandell missed a 54-yarder.
Sandell had kicked a draw throughout warmups before that game, but his miss sailed straight instead of drawing back.
“You asked a girl to go to the dance then you better spend time and at least have the first slow dance with her, right?,” Deakin said. “You don’t ditch her. … Well, you’re taking Debbie Draw into the game, you’re not going to switch it up.”
Sandell made a 53-yarder early in the third quarter, and then of course hit the 47-yarder to win the game.
Deakin said he’s confident Sandell unlocked something with those makes.
“He’s got a great poise and mentality to him,” Deakin said. “He wants that opportunity and as he was asked at the podium, he was praying for those opportunities to go. He’s not running from it or worried about like, ‘Please convert, offense,’ on third down. It’s like, ‘Tell me it’s field-goal time.’ So that’s what makes him very special and couldn’t be more proud of all the work. He was due. … He’s very critical of himself but he stays level-headed. That’s what really separates him from being a good specialist to an elite one.”
Deakin saw the kick come off Sandell’s foot.
“Oh boy, he hit that well,” Deakin thought.
But then the ball faded into the sea of crimson-clad fans on the Oklahoma side of the field where Sandell was kicking.
“All I could know that it went in is the pop and the electric roar, and it’s good,” Deakin said. “You knew it was good based on the crowd, just the roar of it. …
“Special teams had a good day. Mean, I’m just really proud of our guys and laying it on the line and executing, just the sense of pride that it brought to the state of Oklahoma and Sooner fans.”
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