Caleb Williams shines with 5 total TDs as No. 4 Oklahoma routs TCU

It feels safe to say that the move from Spencer Rattler to Caleb Williams was the right one for Oklahoma.

Sooners coach Lincoln Riley made the switch from Rattler to Williams, the five-star true freshman, midway through last week’s game against Texas. All Williams did was lead a ferocious come-from-behind victory in one of the sport’s biggest rivalries.

Riley wouldn’t announce it, but we all knew it would be Williams at quarterback when the fourth-ranked Sooners hosted TCU on Saturday night. And in his first college start, Williams did not disappoint.

In a 52-31 victory, Williams completed 18-of-23 passes for 295 yards and four touchdowns while also rushing for 66 yards and a score. TCU’s defense is not good, but the Oklahoma offense has looked so much more explosive with Williams at quarterback.

The Sooners looked locked in from the jump. On their very first drive, they marched 75 yards in seven plays to take a 7-0 lead. OU scored again on its second drive and ended up taking a 24-14 lead into halftime.

That lead grew to 31-14 early in the third and a highlight reel touchdown run from Williams made it 45-24 entering the fourth.

When the dust settled, the Sooners had racked up 525 yards and improved to 7-0 on the year.

After its other five wins versus FBS competition came by a single-digit margin, a blowout is a promising outcome for the Sooners as they enter the second half of the regular season.

Oklahoma defense has issues to sort through

Games against two of the Big 12’s worst teams, Kansas and Texas Tech, are next on the schedule before the Sooners finally get a bye week. Those games will be big for the Oklahoma defense, which could prove to be a problem against better competition.

The Sooners were gashed for 529 yards in the win, including a career-high 346 yards and four touchdowns from TCU quarterback Max Duggan. Duggan had touchdown passes of 53, 20, 75 and 25 yards as the TCU receiving corps continually outmatched the Oklahoma cornerbacks.

It’s the second straight week that Oklahoma’s cornerbacks struggled mightily. Texas QB Casey Thompson threw for 388 yards and five touchdowns on the Sooners with freshman Xavier Worthy going off for nine catches, 261 yards and two touchdowns.

The team’s cornerbacks are a clear weakness. It’s something that needs to be cleaned up if Oklahoma wants to win a national championship.