Silas Bolden’s hustle saved a touchdown for No. 1 Texas in the second quarter against No. 18 Oklahoma.
As Quintrevion Wisner sprinted toward the end zone, the football was taken away from him as he was tackled from behind, just a few feet from the goal line. The ball shot out of Wisner’s arms at the end of the 33-yard run and bounced forward into the end zone.
As Oklahoma defenders rushed to secure the touchback, Bolden beat everyone to the ball and was able to secure it before sliding out of bounds. Look.
Bolden, a transfer wide receiver from Oregon State, blocked the play. He stood six yards behind Wisner before starting the play as he sprinted down the field. When Wisner fumbled, Bolden hadn’t even reached the 15-yard line.
It was a hustle play that could easily become the most crucial moment in the match. No. No. 18 Oklahoma hung with the No. 1 Longhorns early thanks to a tough defensive game plan. The Sooners entered the game with true freshman QB Michael Hawkins and are without their top five receivers due to injuries.
A touchback would have given Oklahoma the ball back just before halftime trailing 7-3. Instead, Texas opened a 14-3 lead thanks to Bolden’s recovery and things only got worse for the Sooners from there. Hawkins fumbled Oklahoma’s ensuing drive and Wisner was able to capitalize. He broke off a 43-yard run — and held the ball the entire time — on Texas’ first offensive play after the fumble for a 21-3 Longhorns lead.
