COLUMBIA, Mo. – Moments after Missouri outlasted Oklahoma on Saturday night, Theo Wease Jr. to the southeast corner of Faurot Field.

He stopped to hug former Sooner and current OU support staffer Josh Norman and told him, “You know this was personal!” Wease then went to the area where the majority of the visiting Sooners fans were seated.

The former Oklahoma wide receiver, now a sixth-year in his second season as a Mizzou Tiger and his last in college football, bid farewell to the crimson and cream contingent and audibly told them to “go home.”

Even after another Sooner legend turned assistant, Rufus Alexander, stepped in his way with a hug, Wease continued to taunt his old team’s fans as a Mizzou staffer grabbed him and led him away.

About 55 minutes later, he stepped into Mizzou’s defensive conference room wearing dark sunglasses, ready to address the assembled media. He was soon asked to explain his postgame messages to the opposing fan base.

“My old teammates were happy to see me,” Wease said. “The fans booed me when they made the starting line-up. So that’s all I have on that.”

Wease had the last laugh for OU fans when he played a key role in the No. 30-23 win. 24 Tigers on the Sooners. The 6-foot-1 wideout from Allen, Texas had four receptions for 70 yards and two touchdowns in the victory. His two offensive scores were more than OU’s.

He gave Mizzou a 10-9 lead in the third quarter when he broke multiple tackles and took a screen pass from Drew Pyne 13 yards for a score. Then he stepped into action when his team needed him most in the fourth quarter, catching a jump ball in the corner of the end zone for a 10-yard score that tied the game at 23-23.

Wease went up and down OU’s standout freshman cornerback Eli Bowen to make the play. Apparently Wease told some media members in Missouri that he’s basically an “80-20 guy” when it comes to catching 50-50 balls.

“Maybe it’s 90-10 now,” Wease said, grinning.

Was he ever concerned that he was out of bounds during the play?

“No, I knew it was inside!” Wease said. “You can all see it right after the catch,” I pointed out! I knew I was in!”

Not long after, Missouri’s Triston Newson knocked the ball out of OU quarterback Jackson Arnold’s hands. Zion Young picked it up and returned it 18 yards for the winning touchdown. The Tigers’ defense delivered success for their buddy Theo, who made it clear the game was personal for him.

“He made it clear the Monday before this game,” Young said. “It was what it was. We have some guys on the team from Oklahoma and they said the same thing as Theo. ‘Hey, whatever it takes.’”

Cayden Green, who controversially transferred from OU to Missouri last year, was also in the starting lineup for the Tigers on Saturday night, manning the left guard spot. He was a freshman All-American for the Sooners, but his stay in Norman was quite short compared to Wease’s.

Wease, a five-star recruit coming out of Allen High School, signed with Oklahoma in the 2019 recruiting class. He had minimal impact as a freshman but turned in a strong performance as a sophomore. Then he was bitten by the injury bug. He played in just two games in 2021 after hurting his foot in spring ball and then re-injuring it during fall camp.

After Lincoln Riley transferred to USC at the end of the season, Wease remained at OU for the first year of the Brent Venables regime, going 6-7 in 2022. However, as the season progressed, he gradually became less of a factor. and jumped into the transfer portal before the bowl game.

“Our attacking staff at the time didn’t feel that he – and Theo probably felt the same way – wasn’t a key part of what we were doing, and he’s looking for an opportunity,” Venables said last week. “And he was nothing but wonderful. He was a very good leader and did everything we asked of him.

“And what a great example of what opportunities and development look like. And he kept his head down and just worked. Had a fantastic year last year. He’s having a great year this year.”

Wease was indeed a sensation at Missouri last year, posting career highs of 49 receptions, 682 yards and six touchdowns while capturing the SEC lead in contested catches. This season he now has 41 catches for 552 yards and three touchdowns.

To be clear, there is no bad blood between Wease and the Sooners. His efforts Saturday night were about him, not his feelings toward them.

“I still have a lot of friends there,” Wease said. “It’s definitely still competitive, friendly competitive. But being there for four years and just going through what I went through there, I really wanted to put it all on the line tonight. I just do it for the team.”

Now, with the fans raining down boos on him before the game? That’s another story.

“I told someone a few days ago that I feel good about a renewed rivalry,” Wease said, “and I’m on the right side. I insist on that.”