But Deakin certainly did his part in Saturday\u2019s 27-24 upset<\/a> of the top-ranked Longhorns.<\/p>\n He and special teams analyst Stephen Copeland found something in Texas\u2019 punt protection that they felt like they could exploit.<\/p>\n \u201cGolden Hat\u201d they dubbed the play.<\/p>\n \u201cMy message to the guys is this will be a big play in the game to help bring home the Golden Hat,\u201d Deakin said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to execute it really well.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Danny Okoye<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n \u201cThe guys were very locked in \u2026 and the guys executing to an absolute tee,\u201d Deakin said. \u201cDanny 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\u2019 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Okoye ultimately blocked it with his shoulder because his hand had passed the ball already as he got there so quickly. Livingstone\u2019s hands were right over Okoye\u2019s shoulder and ready to block it if Okoye didn\u2019t get to it.<\/p>\n Deakin also praised Mackenzie Alleyne\u2019s work on the play.<\/p>\n There\u2019s also Tate Sandell, who had been uncharacteristically shaky this season after winning the Lou Groza Award last year.<\/p>\n After Sandell missed a 53-yard try late in the second quarter in the Red River Rivalry, he\u2019d missed three consecutive kicks.<\/p>\n Deakin went back to the loss against Georgia, where Sandell missed a 54-yarder.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sandell had kicked a draw throughout warmups before that game, but his miss sailed straight instead of drawing back.<\/p>\n \u201cYou asked a girl to go to the dance then you better spend time and at least have the first slow dance with her, right?,\u201d Deakin said. \u201cYou don\u2019t ditch her. \u2026 Well, you\u2019re taking Debbie Draw into the game, you\u2019re not going to switch it up.\u201d<\/p>\n Sandell made a 53-yarder early in the third quarter, and then of course hit the 47-yarder to win the game.<\/p>\n Deakin said he\u2019s confident Sandell unlocked something with those makes.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s got a great poise and mentality to him,\u201d Deakin said. \u201cHe wants that opportunity and as he was asked at the podium, he was praying for those opportunities to go. He\u2019s not running from it or worried about like, \u2018Please convert, offense,\u2019 on third down. It\u2019s like, \u2018Tell me it\u2019s field-goal time.\u2019 So that\u2019s what makes him very special and couldn\u2019t be more proud of all the work. He was due. \u2026 He\u2019s very critical of himself but he stays level-headed. That\u2019s what really separates him from being a good specialist to an elite one.\u201d<\/p>\n Deakin saw the kick come off Sandell\u2019s foot.<\/p>\n \u201cOh boy, he hit that well,\u201d Deakin thought.<\/p>\n But then the ball faded into the sea of crimson-clad fans on the Oklahoma side of the field where Sandell was kicking.<\/p>\n \u201cAll I could know that it went in is the pop and the electric roar, and it\u2019s good,\u201d Deakin said. \u201cYou knew it was good based on the crowd, just the roar of it. \u2026<\/p>\n \u201cSpecial teams had a good day. Mean, I\u2019m 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
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