NORMAN — Their complex Dragon Ball Z-themed touchdown handshake was almost as masterful as their downfield blocking.
Catching a play action swing pass in the flat, Oklahoma junior wide receiver Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown found more daylight than the mid-afternoon sun cast over Owen Field on Saturday afternoon.
Hollywood’s partner-in-crime, fellow wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, held a great downfield block to spring Brown 50 yards to the house during the third quarter of sixth-ranked Oklahoma’s 66-33 shellacking of Baylor in the Sooners’ Big 12 home opener.
“Marquise is a very dependable guy and I’m trying to do the same for him,” Lamb said. “On and off the field we have each other’s backs so we just want to show each other that on the field. Whenever we have an opportunity to help each other, we’re gonna use it.”
Lamb released from his block only to track down Brown in the new-look end zone with crimson lettering as the Sooners (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) padded their 42-23 lead.
The celebration was on for the pair that tabs themselves as the Saiyan bros.
“We got a nice little handshake with a ‘Kamehameha,’” laughed Lamb. “Go figure.”
“We watch a lot of Dragon Ball Z,” echoed Brown. “So we had to do the ‘Kamehameha’ one time.”
First, it was Brown who showcased how impactful downfield blocking can be.
Baylor (3-2, 1-1 Big 12) had just dropped 10 unanswered points and trimmed OU’s lead to a dozen, 28-16, early in the third quarter when Lamb caught a pass in the flat and turned the corner in open space.
Brown came out of nowhere to make an unselfish block near midfield on the Sooners' sideline, springing Lamb the rest of the way for an 86-yard touchdown pass.
It was role reversal at its finest.
“We pride ourselves on being explosive,” Brown said.
The dynamic duo of Brown and Lamb combined for 233 yards and three touchdowns in head coach Lincoln Riley’s potent air raid attack in which OU’s offense averaged 11.5 yards — more than a first down — per play.
Lamb, the stellar one-hand catch machine, flashed a beautiful one-hand, behind-the-back grab on a crossing route for nine yards in the first quarter. The budding sophomore caught three passes for 101 yards and a score.
“It’s great for the quarterback’s confidence,” Riley said of the Sooner receivers making mid-air adjustments for tough catches. “Even if I’m not perfectly accurate, I don’t have to be on every throw because these guys are gonna make it right.”
Riley even thought Lamb’s one-handed grab against Baylor was more impressive than his skying “Jumpman” catch against UCLA earlier this season.
“CeeDee actually does it (one-handed grabs) better in practice than in games,” Riley said. “That cross in the middle was maybe even better. This one was tougher because on his other catch, you’re jumping straight up.
“It’s the same type of catch, but you’re running full speed across the field knowing the safety may knock your brains out. This one was tough.”
While Lamb showed off his hands, Brown — arguably one of the fastest wideouts in all of college football — was showing off his Flash-like speed.
Brown, who had five catches for 132 yards and two touchdowns, showcased his wheels while picking up some nice blocks on a wide receiver middle screen, galloping into the end zone for a 24-yard touchdown.
Hollywood’s big play capped a 6-play, 83-yard drive in under two minutes, giving OU a 28-6 lead before halftime.
Brown was held without a catch in the overtime win over Army last week, when OU’s explosive offense was only able to run 40 plays — 47 fewer than the Black Knights due to their clock-draining triple-option offense.
As explosive as Brown and Lamb were, the Sooners were also able to showcase several of their other weapons in the open field.
Lee Morris, who had three catches for 61 yards and a pair of touchdowns, caught a 43 yard touchdown pass and galloped into the end zone to give the Sooners a 21-6 lead just over a minute into the second quarter.
“TD Lee. That’s all he do,” Brown said of Lee Morris. “He just catches touchdowns. Lee’s a big-time player and has become a really good target.”
It was OU quarterback Kyler Murray’s running ability that actually set up the play action TD pass to Morris. Off a bobbled snap, Murry broke loose down the sideline and nearly stayed in bounds for a touchdown before being pushed out for a 22-yard gain.
Murray’s long run, coupled with the six passing touchdowns the Heisman candidate threw, forced the Bears’ secondary to creep up and clamp down.
So Murray torched the Bears and sold his play action fake from the shotgun to a wide-open Morris, whose score capped a 5-play, 66-yard scoring drive on a day filled with explosive plays.
Brown and Lamb have both played with Heisman trophy winner Baker Mayfield, and now the duo continues to thrive with Murray under center.
When asked of the similarities playing with the two elite quarterbacks, Hollywood made it clear they are both winners first and foremost.
“They both like to win,” Brown said before elaborating. “They let it be known they like to win.”