Sooners or laters, it all comes around again.

As I mentioned elsewhere, tomorrow’s 2022 NFC Championship game is not the first time that Jalen Hurts and Brock Purdy will oppose each other in a dramatic football matchup.

The first time was on November 9, 2019. Hurts was a “senior” and starting quarterback for the University of Oklahoma Sooners, when they hosted the Iowa State Cyclones, featuring the sophomore Brock Purdy under center.

I think it’s funny when football people talk about a “quarterback duel”. In point of fact, the “dueling” quarterbacks are never on the field at the same time, except to give each other manly hugs afterwards. They are dueling only in the same sense that solo figure skaters “duel” in competitions.

So I know almost nothing about college football, but Oklahoma and Iowa State are both in the Big-12 conference and are pretty regular rivals. Coming into the game, Oklahoma, who had started the season ranked seventh nationally, were heavy favorites over the unranked Cyclones.

Hurts will go on to be a first-round draft pick for the Eagles, and several other players who appear, including CeeDee Lamb and Breece Hall, will become NFL stars.

And then there’s Brock Purdy, who in a few years will be dubbed “Mr. Irrelevant”.

As I write this, the cable sports channel FS1 has had this game on repeat, leading up to tomorrow’s professional rematch. I caught the tail end of the game on a widescreen at Buffalo Wild Wings, while eating a large pile of mango habañero chicken wings, and I was transfixed. Hoo boy, did that game have one hell of an ending.

I had already wanted to write about football, and about tomorrow’s NFC championship, featuring Hurts and Purdy. But the drama of their first “duel” captured my imagination. Was this what tomorrow’s game might look like? I felt compelled to transcribe it into a narrative which was altogether excessive for my regular journal. But here it is.

For the entire first half of game, and into the second half, Oklahoma has been thumping Iowa State soundly. By the end of the third quarter, the score is 42-21, and the game pretty much already belongs to the Sooners.

But Iowa State starts the 4th quarter within ten yards of the goal. On the first play of the quarter, Purdy fires a dart to Chase Allen, who now plays for the Chicago Bears, for a touchdown. An extra point kick makes the score 42-28.

Now the Cyclones and Sooners are in what's called a "two-score game," where the team that's behind has to score at least twice more, while keeping their opponents scoreless, to pull ahead. It's challenging to pull off in a single quarter, but it happens often enough.

However, Iowa State's comeback stalls. They recover a fumble by CeeDee Lamb, who is now a star wide receiver for the Cowboys. Purdy takes the next snap and turns on the jets. He's not nearly as fast as Hurts is, but he's fast enough. He dashes for the first down.

The Cyclones continue their push downfield, reaching the Sooners' 20 yard line, then the 10, then the 5. But the Sooners push them back, and the Cyclones are forced to turn the ball over on downs. They've used up half the quarter but failed to score.

It's worth noting here that college football has one thing that the NFL does not, which is brass band interludes. I think it's high time for the NFL to join the 20th Century.

Hurts gets the ball back at his own 25 yard line, but Iowa State's defense puts up determined resistance, and Oklahoma has to punt.

"4:42 left to go," intones the television announcer. "Iowa State back on offense." He adds, "No room left for error."

Under pressure and chased out of the pocket, Purdy manages a throw into double coverage that the receiver somehow manages to haul in. 28 yards.

Breece Hall, now a star running back for the New York Jets, takes the ball and gets another 15 yards downfield.

On the next play, all of the Cyclones' receivers are covered. Purdy decides to make a break for it again, and gets the first down. Another 15 yards.

On the play after that, Purdy lofts the ball 40 yards downfield in a wide arc into the hands of an open receiver for a touchdown.

In just four plays, the score has become 42-35. Iowa State is only a touchdown away from tying it up. The Sooner fans in the stands have gotten quiet.

Suddenly, the Oklahoma's sure win is looking very much in doubt.

Hurts gets the ball back at Oklahoma's 20. Two plays net the Sooners a handful of yards. Then Hurts takes the snap, and has to scramble when an Iowa State defender breaks free. With a linebacker charging straight at him, Hurts cannot see downfield. He lets fly to what he thinks is an open receiver... but one of the Cyclones tips it in mid-air. The ball falls plop into the hands of another Cyclone, for an interception.

Iowa State has gotten the ball back at the Oklahoma 35 yard line, with under 3 minutes to go. The Sooner fans have gotten very quiet.

But then Iowa State burns three downs and a minute off the clock, all for a net loss. The TV camera cuts to a Cyclones fan gnawing on his own hand.

Purdy takes the next snap, and seeing no one open downfield, once again he scrambles. He weaves past defenders before being pulled to the ground, but not before gaining 15 yards for a first down. There's 1:29 left on the clock. Iowa State just needs a touchdown, with an extra point to tie, or a two point conversion to win.

Purdy hands the ball off to Hall, who runs, but the Sooners see it coming a mile away, and tackle him for a loss. The clock keeps ticking.

Purdy throws it deep downfield to the tight end Charlie Kolar, who now plays for the Baltimore Ravens. Kolar makes the catch and is tackled immediately. The Cyclones are now inside the Sooners' 10 yard line. There are 53 seconds left on the clock.

The TV camera quickly cuts to a pair of Iowa State fans. One has her hands clasped before her in prayer. The other's hands cover her own face. She cannot bear to look.

Something goes wrong on the next snap. Purdy is looking downfield when the center snaps the ball, and it drops to the ground. Purdy instantly falls on it, for a loss of 5 yards. There are 33 seconds left on the clock.

On the next play, Purdy throws an incomplete pass. At this point, watching the game three years later, my heart is racing, and I already know it all ends.

It's 3rd and goal. Iowa State is at the 13 yard line. Purdy throws another high arcing ball that takes about a century to fall directly into the hands of Kolar, who stumbles to the ground in the end zone.

It's a touchdown. The visiting fans fall out of their seats. The score is now 42-41.

Now, at this point, an offense has two choices. They can kick the extra point, and let the game go into overtime. Or they can go for the two point conversion, try to rush or throw the ball into the end zone from the 2 yard line.

For Iowa State, the choice is simple. Their coach doesn't want to risk giving the ball back to Hurts in overtime. His defense is exhausted. He wants to end it now. They go for the two point try.

Purdy gets the snap and the Sooners blitz. He breaks to the left, looking for a receiver. He throws the ball into a tangle of players in the end zone and one of the Sooners comes up with it. It's an interception. The score stands, 42-41, Oklahoma.

Iowa State has to kick off to Oklahoma. Their one last chance, their forlorn hope, which is to go for an onside kick. They can kick the ball low downfield, and hope the Sooners make contact with the ball, but don't recover it.

On-side kicks are normally risky, and best used as a surprise play. This attempt will be no surprise. The Sooners know what's coming. But if a Cyclone manages to recover the ball, then they might have time for a couple or three plays in the remaining 24 seconds, and maybe kick a field goal as the clock winds down to win the game.

But it is not to be. The kick bounces the ball right into the sure hands of none other than CeeDee Lamb. He kneels to the ground, and then springs up, lifting the ball in triumph.

Oklahoma has beaten Iowa State, by the slimmest possible margin. The game is over.