Isaiah Sategna III had to 'make the big play' for OU football to beat Texas. He delivered.

DALLAS — With 19 seconds remaining and Oklahoma needing to get into field-goal range, it turned to its most reliable playmaker.

Wide receiver Isaiah Sategna III went up and came down with a tough catch over Texas cornerback Graceson Littleton while getting two feet down with 15 seconds remaining.

First down Sooners.

After securing the catch — initially called incomplete before being overturned upon review — Sategna pointed at the blade of grass where the tip of his right foot was in bounds.

“They said I was out,” Sategna said afterward, “but you could see the divot, so I was just pointing to it.”

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On the very next play, Sategna caught a back-shoulder pass from quarterback John Mateer by the sideline, which also went to replay before being upheld.

Sategna made the two biggest catches of his career and of the game Saturday, setting up Tate Sandell’s 47-yard field goal to knock off then-No. 1 Texas, 27-24, at Cotton Bowl Stadium.

“Shoot, we needed to get a big play,” Sategna said. “They needed me and John gave me a chance, so I just had to make the big play.”

Sategna, an Austin, Texas, native made two massive plays against his hometown Longhorns in the Red River Rivalry.

Sategna recorded a game-high-tying five receptions for 64 yards. The clutch catches on OU’s game-winning drive went for 13 and 20 yards, respectively.

A second-team All-SEC selection by the conference’s coaches last season, moments like those, are why he returned to the Sooners this past offseason when he could’ve tried his hand at the NFL. 

While OU’s offense hasn’t lit the world on fire through five games, Sategna has now made at least five catches in each of the last three games and has made at least four receptions in four of five contests this season.

Sategna has been a true bright spot.

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“It was a two-minute drill with just seconds left and we did the things we needed to do,” coach Brent Venables said. “John put a couple of great balls up for Isaiah and he made some spectacular catches.”

One of the biggest momentum-shifters of Saturday’s game came during a trick play early in the fourth quarter in which Sategna threw an interception on a pass intended for tight end Rocky Beers. But Sategna was hit in the head while throwing by Texas linebacker Rasheem Biles, resulting in a roughing the passer penalty and a fresh set of downs.

The Sooners went on to score a touchdown to finish the drive.

Sategna redeemed himself later in the fourth quarter. Whenever a play has needed to be made for OU’s offense this year, offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle has looked Sategna’s way.

“(Sategna) did a great job winning on the first route,” Arbuckle said. “John delivered the ball pretty well on time. And then, shoot, we worked that play right before the field goal with what, 12 seconds on the clock. 

“We work on that play a lot and they had a really good connection. John put it where Zay could go get it. Zay made the plays and it was awesome.”

Colton Sulley covers the Oklahoma Sooners for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Colton? He can be reached at csulley@oklahoman.com or on X/Twitter at @colton_sulley. Support Colton's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing adigital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Isaiah Sategna III had to 'make the big play' for OU football to beat Texas. He delivered.