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, he was stripped of the football as he got tackled from behind just feet from the goal line. The ball popped out of Wistner’s arms at the end of the 33-yard run and bounced forward into the end zone.
As Oklahoma defenders scrambled to secure the touchback, Bolden beat everyone to the ball and was able to secure it before he skidded out of bounds. Take a look.
Bolden, a transfer wide receiver from Oregon State, was a blocker on the play. He was six yards behind Wisner before he started trailing the play and sprinting down the field. When Wisner fumbled, Bolden hadn’t even reached the 15 yard-line yet.
It was a hustle play that could easily turn out to be the most pivotal moment in the game. No. 18 Oklahoma had been hanging with the No. 1 Longhorns thanks to a feisty defensive game plan. The Sooners entered the game starting 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 up a 14-3 lead thanks to Bolden’s recovery and things only got worse for the Sooners from there. Hawkins fumbled on Oklahoma’s ensuing drive and Wisner was able to cash in. He broke off a 43-yard run — and held onto the ball the entire time — on Texas’ first offensive play following the fumble for a 21-3 Longhorns lead.
