Missouri State Bears vs Oklahoma Sooners Match Player Stats On Sep 12, 2020

Spencer Rattler was 14-for-17 for 290 yards and four touchdowns -- all in the first half -- as No. 5 Oklahoma blew out Missouri State 48-0 on Saturday night.

The blowout result wasn't unexpected, as the Football Championship Subdivision Bears went just 1-10 last season and implemented new schemes on both sides of the ball after Bobby Petrino was hired as head coach in the offseason.

But the Sooners (1-0) had a large swath of players out for various reasons -- including positive COVID-19 tests and contact tracing holds.

All-in-all, 19 players on the Sooners' two-deep depth chart missed the game, including four expected starters.

Defensive end Ronnie Perkins, running back Rhamondre Stevenson and receiver Trejan Bridges were serving suspensions that are expected to keep them out for more than a month.

But even with all those players out, Oklahoma didn't have any problem with Missouri State.

Rattler, making his first collegiate start after redshirting a year ago, was hot from the start. He was 8-for-9 for 199 yards and three touchdowns in the first quarter, with his only incompletion coming on his final throw of the period -- a dropped pass in the end zone by Charleston Rambo.

By halftime, the Sooners had more points (41) than the Bears had yards (37) and Sooners coach Lincoln Riley sent backup Tanner Mordecai in for Rattler to start the third quarter.

Rattler became the first OU freshman quarterback to throw for four touchdowns in his first career start and the second Sooners freshman passer with two touchdown passes of 50 or more yards.

Missouri State (0-1) didn't record a first down until more than midway through the second quarter.

While not much is normal in college football this season, the game marked the start of a particularly off-kilter fall for the Bears. Missouri State has just three games scheduled this fall, with the other two coming as part of a home-and-home with Central Arkansas. The Bears' conference schedule is anticipated to be played in the spring.

In Petrino's Missouri State debut, the Bears were held to just 135 total yards and seven first downs.

--Field Level Media