Open Post | Weekend, September 22nd – 24th
Posted on: September 22, 2023
Sunday Brunch | Out Of Conference Review
– Charlie S – Posted on: September 17, 2023
The Sooners closed out their 2023 out-of-conference football schedule by dismantling Tulsa yesterday by a score of 66-17.
First off…can you believe we are one quarter of the way through the regular season? Time flies when you are having fun and man, have the Sooners been having fun over the first three weeks of the season.
OU has racked up 167 points on the scoreboard while only allowing 28 points to their opponents. In short, the Sooners are averaging 56 points a game while allowing 9. Pretty solid start to the season.
I’m going to quickly present three things I feel that OU accomplished over the course of the out of conference schedule and three things I feel like they still need to work on as they enter conference play!
Accomplished to this point:
1* I think the first thing you take notice of when you are looking at this team over the first three games is they have upgraded their speed across the board. Butch Jones (head coach at Arkansas State) has been a coach for a long time and he was taken away by the comparison of what he saw from OU on film last year to the speed with which they play this year. The difference is particularly noticeable at WR, DB, and EDGE.
Mission: Upgrade Speed
Status: Accomplished
2* One of the biggest issues with the Sooners last year was tackling. This year through the first three games the Sooners have been charged with 19 missed tackles (12 against Tulsa yesterday, ouch). Last year through the first three games Oklahoma missed 46 tackles. When you tackle better you look better, it’s really a pretty simple concept and the Sooners, despite a slip yesterday, look vastly improved when it comes to tackling.
Mission: Tackle Better
Status: Accomplished, still work to be done
3* Following last years losing season, Brent Venables stated that he felt like he and his staff did not do a good enough job of getting his depth and young players enough reps during games. This year, particularly against Arkansas State and Tulsa, the staff got pretty much every player on the team some valuable reps. Yesterday against Tulsa, 37 players got in the game defensively. I will have Inside the Numbers up later today, but Oklahoma has done a pretty good job at getting their guys into games so far this year.
Mission: Develop depth through reps
Status: Accomplished but needs to continue
Bonus* The Sooners stayed relatively healthy when it comes to their impact players at most positions. Cheetah was snake bit as Justin Harrington is facing missing a chunk of time at the very least and Dasan McCullough is nursing an ankle. Expect McCullough back shortly however.
Need to work on going forward:
1* Establishing an offensive identity has been a bit hit and miss. Do not get me wrong, the stats speak for themselves and the offense has been successful at putting up points, but over the last two games in particular, the offense seemed very black and white. Against SMU OU looked like a short passing game team that was caught between establishing the run and playing the Texas Tech like horizontal game. Yesterday against Tulsa, it was all about the vertical game and trying to push the ball downfield while not really even caring to work on establishing the run game. I would like to see a little more balance and complementary offense where you are in a position where the opposition really doesn’t know what they are going to get from play to play and drive to drive. Again, they have been successful, just would like to see all the facts put together for a complete outing.
2* Tightening the zone defense. Yesterday against Tulsa the Sooners experienced their first real substantial defensive lapse throughout the second quarter. Their zone looked extremely loose and the tackling issues made it look even worse. We saw the same issue arise at times last year in the OOC schedule and OU did tighten things up a bit as they went forward (occasionally). Hopefully, yesterday’s film serves as an eye-opener for the defense and they address the holes in the one scheme going forward.
3* Ramping up the pressure. I think we saw a bit of a eureka moment yesterday in the second half as the Sooners began to dominate the Hurricane at the start of the second quarter. I truly believe little bits of success lead to big moments of breakthrough and hopefully, the way the front played during the second half yesterday proves to be a springboard to better days ahead when it comes to getting pressure on the opposing offense. OU has the personnel to be effective in conference play, particularly when you look at how poorly the Big 12 has started this year. Here is to hoping the floodgates have begun to open when it comes to getting rewarded for consistent pressure!
The most important thing for me is that the Sooners did what they were supposed to do against their out-of-conference foes. Oklahoma arguably took care of their conference warmups as effectively as any team in the country. You look around and you saw a lot of big name teams struggle with inferior opponents while OU dispatched them rather easily and effectively. Successful start to the 2023 campaign for OU.
Now the real work begins.
Position Group Progress Report | ’23 Game 3:Tulsa
– Charlie S – Posted on: September 18, 2023
Checking out how the position groups performed in the Sooners victory over Tulsa. Coming into the game, OU was a big favorite over the Golden Hurricane and they covered the spread handily.
This will be the third progress report of the season. I will include the previous week’s ranking at the top of each position group’s report.
Let’s see how things shook out against Tulsa.
QB: 5* (Last week low 4*)
Dillon Gabriel came out and set the tone early in regard to reaffirming OU’s intention to use the vertical passing game and boy did he have himself a day. Could be me, but it felt like Lebby and Gabriel came out with one goal in mind and that was to erase, or at least bury, last week’s performance against SMU with respect to the lack of the vertical passing game. Lebby basically admitted as much in the post-game.
Gabriel had a fantastic statistical day as he went 28 for 31 for 421 yards with 5 touchdowns and 1 interception. He looked very comfortable and in command of the offense and he even took some chances against Tulsa which we are not accustomed to seeing him take and his WRs won the battles far more often than they lost them. Still some concerns about the arm strength as he shorted Andrel Anthony a potential touchdown and the interception was ugly, but you know what, I’ll take this aggressive version of Gabriel over the passive version we saw against SMU every day.
Oh, by the way, Jackson Arnold came in and threw the best-looking pass you will see all year for a long touchdown to Nic Anderson in his limited opportunity.
RB: Low 3* (Last week 3*)
Coming into the game, the stated goal was to get Jovantae Barnes and Gavin Sawchuk involved. Considering they were the only two backs who recorded carries in the game when it mattered, I guess you can say mission accomplished in one respect. Daylan Smothers did get two rushes at the end of the game, but aside from him, it was Barnes with 13 carries for 68 yards and Sawchuk with 9 carries for 25 yards.
Lebby never gave the running game much of a focus and he stated as much following the game. The OU running game looked like an afterthought because, well, it was an afterthought against Tulsa.
They looked rusty, like they weren’t in the flow of the offense…as you would expect since…you know…they have not been in the flow of the offense.
WR/TE: 5* (Last week 2*)
No doubt about this grade as the Sooners wide receivers showed up and showed out. They put on a tremendous display. Not only did they have three guys go over 100 yards on the day, you had tremendous catches (Gibson) and a guy who led the team in receptions not break the 100 yard mark (Stoops).
Everyone will point to the guys who cracked the century mark:
Jalil Farooq: 6 for 126 with 1 touhdown
Nic Anderson: 3 for 120 with 3 touchdowns
Andrel Anthony: 4 for 112
Heck, Austin Stogner even caught a pass.
Was a great statistical day for the OU wide receiver room and it was great to see Nic Anderson have his breakout game. Jayden Gibson made another highlight catch as he high pointed a ball and used his hand strength to hold onto it as two Tulsa defenders tried to punch it out.
OL: 4* (Last week 3*)
I know people want to have a problem with the offensive line…but the Tulsa game wasn’t the one you want to point to as they kept the quarterbacks clean and they opened plenty of holes for the running game that just went largely for naught as the backs were not in sync with them.
The one thing I was completely off on during the first watch? Savion Byrd was mauling people and he did not leave the game due to ineffectiveness, he left for medical reasons (which we will check on this week). Savion only played 13 snaps, but he was good to very good on those snaps and I think it is important to note that.
The Sooners gave up one sack throughout the OOC schedule. They did not dominate on the ground the way I expected them to up to this point, but I am not going to point all the fingers back at the OL as the holes have been there, but the entirety of the running game has yet to click and we know there are a lot of moving parts that need to sync up.
One thing I liked from the Tulsa game, OU lined up and took care of short-yardage situations on multiple occasions without trying to do it with gimmicks.
Was good to see Cayden Green get some run at left guard in Savion’s absence.
DL: 5* (Last week 4*)
Thought this group really had the light come on during the second half of the game. The interior was getting a lot of push (Kelley had a really strong game) and the EDGES were playing faster and freer than we have seen to this point.
Trace Ford gets the pick and almost returns it for a touchdown and PJ Adebawore notches the first of what will be many sacks in his career.
Gracen Halton flashed and DaJon Terry and Isaiah Coe really had impactful games.
This group helped lead the way for the Sooners to hold Tulsa to 75 yards on the ground while allowing the OU defense to record 3 sacks and a stout 15 tackles for loss. They led the charge in harassing the Tulsa QBs which helped force 5 interceptions.
Really a tremendous performance by this group who look like they may have found a different gear.
LB: High 4* (Last week 5*)
The legend of Danny Stutsman grows as the reigning defensive player of the week put up another great performance as he led the team in tackles and recorded a pick six from his WILL spot!
How much fun is this kid having? You love to see it.
Jaren Kanak had 5 tackles of his own which included a sack.
Kobie McKinzie and Kip Lewis each added 3 tackles of their own.
They were close to landing the 5* rating but they had too many missed tackles across the board and they overpursued a bit too frequently for me to grab that fifth star.
Cheetah: 3* (Last week 4*)
With Justin Harrington and Dasan McCullough out, Peyton Bowen and Reggie Pearson filled the void and in large part, they were a bit underwhelming.
Bowen was good to very good as we have come to expect early on this year, but he needs to start finishing on his turnover opportunities to move the needle a bit.
Pearson had a rough game in both coverage and tackling.
To be fair, when I watch the game for the third time this week, I will pay more attention to where each player lined up as they appeared to swap between safety and Cheetah, but in large part, they didn’t have a big impact on the game and when I noticed Pearson, it was for all the wrong reasons.
DB: 4* (Last week 4*)
Three interceptions for the defensive backs and they get a 4*?
Gentry Williams is going to be a star and an NFL player…as long as he can stay healthy. Williams has great technique to go along with outstanding speed and athleticism and he got the defense going early with a nice pick where he basically ran the route for the WR.
Key Lawrence had one of the picks and he played a fantastic game overall, yet he was not immune to the bad angles and pursuits which have plagued him in the past.
Kendel Dolby made a big play with his athletic interception and that was a great moment for him.
However…during the second quarter, after an incredible first quarter, this group really went in the ol crapper as the zone they were trying to run was just terrible. Spacing was bad, coverage was bad, assignment responsibility was bad…the GOOD thing? They tightened it up early in the third quarter and seemed to let the bad play from earlier in the game roll off their backs.
By the way…Woodi Washington is rarely mentioned in these report cards…because he is rarely challenged. He is doing a really good job through this point of the year.
ST: 3* (Last week 5*)
Jalil Farooq looked like he was getting the Sooners off to a great start on special teams as he worked a terrific return up on the opening kickoff…until he fumbled. Can’t do that. He’s gonna pop one though, it is coming.
Made all the kicks.
Kickoffs were good.
No big returns allowed.
Coaches Starting to Notice OU’s Defensive Improvement
– Super K – Posted on: September 19, 2023
Had a noteworthy conversation with a long time friend who coaches in the Big 12 (not at OU).
Last year, said friend was very critical of OU’s defense. While OU had a lot of missed assignments, he focused his criticism on issues related to actual football play. Said, OU’s guys tackled poorly, often looked lethargic, uninspired, played with poor pad level and lacked competitive violence. Basically a lot of stuff we all saw but no one really wanted to hear.
Apparently, his staff was watching film on OU from this season and his tune has completely changed. Seems very impressed with what they’re doing schematically and how they’re executing. But from a pure football standpoint said Brent, “has them playing with more violence and the front is playing with better pad level.”
There was more to it but the overall sentiment was a complete 180 from what he observed from the Sooners last year.
Hopefully, this will continue. It’s so nice to actually look forward to watching good defense.
I was laughing this morning chatting with Charlie reminiscing on Mike trying to fake a ‘double A gap blitz’ with Hatari Byrd and watching Hatari book it all the way back to the deep safety position at the snap lol.
Linebacker Revival | So Far So Good | Flashback: Brent With the Prediction
– Charlie S – Posted on: September 19, 2023
Throughout the offseason, one of the hottest topics around the Sooners program was the linebacker room. Brent Venables is widely considered to be one of the best linebacker coaches in the country and coming off a season where the group underperformed, there was a lot of intrigue surrounding the position. In the offseason, one of the starting backers (David Ugwoegbu) transferred out which left Oklahoma thin on experience but deep on potential.
Back in February HERE Brent Venables told James “I think Danny Stutsman has a chance to be an All-American linebacker. He has a great nose for the football and plays with toughness, and nobody cares more than Danny. He is developing into an excellent leader.”
Brent Venables appears to know what he is talking about in regard to Danny Stutsman. He is off to a tremendous start for Oklahoma as he leads the Big 12 in tackles.
Checking in on the state of the Sooners linebacker room and a couple things jumped out to me.
Jaren Kanak – 154 snaps – 7 pressures – 1 sack – 4 missed tackles – 12 tackles
Danny Stutsman – 151 snaps – 4 pressures – 1 sack – 3 missed tackles – 1 interception – 30 tackles
Kip Lewis – 47 snaps – 0 pressures – 0 sacks – 2 missed tackles – 15 tackles
Kobie McKinzie – 29 snaps – 0 pressures – 0 sacks – 1 missed tackle – 8 tackles
Lewis Carter – 14 snaps – 0 pressures – 0 sacks – 2 tackles
Shane Whitter – 12 snaps – 0 pressures – 0 sacks – 1 tackle
Konnor Near – 8 snaps – 0 pressures – 0 sacks – 2 tackles
Start at the top with Danny Stutsman. Not only has Stutsman backed up Brents talk on the field (he is currently 8th in tackles in the country at the P5 level and leading the Big 12) but he is also the unquestioned leader of the defense. Stutsman is playing faster and freer than at any point in his career and he only played 23 snaps against Arkansas State in the opener which likely significantly impacted his statistical impact.
The next thing that caught my eye was the lack of missed tackles. The Sooner linebacker corp has accounted for 70 tackles with 10 missed tackles. That is a massive improvement over last year as tackling across the board has been much better for Oklahoma this year to this point.
Lastly…while a lot of the talk is centered around the progression and development of Jaren Kanak at the MIKE spot…take a look at what Kip Lewis is doing in his limited opportunities. Lewis has only played 47 snaps defensively, more than 100 less than Stutsman and Kanak, and he is second in the room with 15 tackles. Lewis caught some snaps at Cheetah against Tulsa but the bulk of his stat grabbing came against SMU as the backup to Stutsman at WILL when he had nine tackles. The kid is on the fast track to becoming a star. With the injury issues OU is dealing with at Cheetah, Lewis could see an expanded role in the coming weeks, which is looking like a very good thing!
Pass Rushers Needed and This is a Good One
– Super K – Posted on: September 19, 2023
Right now the Sooners under BV are playing a ton of zone coverage. Not a big surprise given BV and before him Bobby Stoops made their mark as a zone pressure guys.
When it works, it’s tough on a quarterback. You get good pattern matching on the backside and you get home on the pressure and you’ve got a one way ticket to turnover town.
But the Sooners need to keep adding pass rushers. When Brent left for Clemson, he left the Sooners a tremendous pass rusher in Eric Striker. And you can see getting pass rushers is a priority for Brent. I don’t just mean edge rushers, either. I mean guys that no how to get to the quarterback from any direction.
One guy to keep an eye on in the 2025 class that the Sooners have made a priority is Max Granville (Fort Bend Christian Academy).
I stopped by to see him a couple times last week. He’s got good size. I’d give him a little over 6’2. Will probably carry about 250 lbs in college.
He is a dangerous pass rusher. I don’t want to get ahead of myself but when you look at his focus, pedigree (father played in the NFL and mother was a collegiate volleyball player), his first step, the violence he plays with, etc. you’re looking at future NFL football player, IMO.
A number of schools are after Granville including the likes of LSU, Georgia, Texas, etc. But even though it’s early, I think he’s worth mentioning because I believe the Sooners will be a major player in this one. He comes from a very religious family and he’s very religious himself and I get the sense that Brent will be able to connect with the family in that regard.
Brent just needs to keep stacking that athletic front end talent that allows them to run what can grow into an extremely stifling defense.
Know Your Opponent | Cincinnati – 2023
– Charlie S – Posted on: September 20, 2023
Head Coach – Scott Satterfield (1st season at Cincinnati)
Offensive Coordinator – Brad Glenn (1st season at Cincinnati)
Defensive Coordinator – Bryan Brown (1st season at Cincinnati)
Cincinnati is 2-1 on the season and they are coming off a loss at home to Miami (Ohio). They opened the season with victories over Eastern Kentucky (66-13) and Pitt (27-21).
On offense…
The Bearcats are installing a run-focused spread-option attack. Cincinnati is up around a 2-1 run-pass ratio at this point of the season.
They prefer using a dual-threat quarterback behind center and they went out and brought in Emory Jones who is in his 6th year of college ball.
QB #5 Emory Jones
RB #21 Corey Kiner
– Cincy is counting on Jones to provide explosive plays in both the passing game and run game. On the year he has 55 completions on 83 attempts for 735 yards with 7 TDs and 3 picks.
– Kiner is small in stature at 5’9 and he has 289 rushing yards on 47 carries (6.1 YPC) with 2 TDs
The wide receiver corps was completely rebuilt for the 2023 season with transfers through the portal.
WR #2 Dee Wiggins (Louisville and Miami Transfer)
WR #8 Xzavier Henderson (Florida Transfer)
WR #0 Braden Smith (Louisville Transfer)
– Henderson is a big body guy with good speed who leads the team with 20 catches for 299 yards.
– Smith works out of the slot and he is second on the team with 10 receptions for 168 yards and 2 scores.
The offensive line is an older group that was enhanced through the portal. They are doing a fine job in the run game, but they do struggle with pressure in pass protection and have given up 6 sacks and Jones has bailed them out on some additional occasions with his mobility.
LT #75 John Williams
LG #54 Dartanyan Tinsley (Kentucky Christian Transfer)
OC #53 Gavin Gerhardt
RG #67 Luke Kandra (Louisville Transfer)
RT #56 Deondre Buford (Kentucky Transfer)
– Kandra is probably their best all around offensive lineman. He is a bulldog in the run game and solid in pass pro. Also plays with an edge.
– The tackles are subpar in pass protection from what I have seen and OU could find some success getting pressure off the edges.
On defense…
The Bearcats work with a three man front in conjunction with a hybrid OLB/EDGE spot called the DOG. They also use a STAR which is basically similar to the Cheetah position that OU employs.
The story starts up front for the Bearcats and this is potentially the best front that OU will face this season.
DE #0 Jowon Briggs
NT #2 Dontay Corleone
DE #97 Eric Phillips
– Corleone is a fantastic player and he will be a handful for the Sooner’s interior offensive line. He has 7 tackles and 1 sack on the season, but do not be fooled, he is a concern and demands attention and extra blockers may be needed.
– Briggs and Phillips are great complementary pieces as bookends around Corleone
DOG #9 Daniel Grzesiak
MLB #49 Jack Dingle
WLB #6 Dorian Jones
STAR #3 Deshawn Pace
– Grzesiak transferred in from Utah State and he is off to a good start with 13 tackles and 1.5 sacks to his credit
– Dingle leads the team in tackles with 16 on the year
CB #7 Sammy Anderson Jr.
SS #15 Taj Ward, Taj
FS #10 Byron Threats
CB #1 Jordan Young
– The corners as the question mark for Cincinnati in the secondary but so far they have been pretty solid this year.
– Threats is one of the best young safeties in the country and he is off to a good start with 15 tackles, 1 sack and 2 interceptions already on the season.
Overall thoughts…
– This game should be a good measuring stick for both sides of the ball for Oklahoma.
– The Cincinnati defense is legit. They have a great front, probably the best front OU will face this year, with some active guys on the back end who can make some plays. The Bearcats haven’t faced an explosive offense yet so it will be interesting to see if this OU offense can get off better than they did against the only defense they have played with a pulse this season in SMU.
– Defensively the Sooners have been quite stout against the run this early season and that is the Cincy offense’s preferred attack. The Bearcats are 8th in rushing offense in the NCAA and they have run the ball almost to a 2-1 run/pass ratio this year and they are averaging over 200 yards on the ground (239). The Sooners need to keep up with the solid tackling they have displayed thus far and it will be important to fit right and stay assignment disciplined.
– This truly sets up as the type of game that OU fans would have been scared of if there was a week 13 last season. OU is more talented as a whole, they are deeper as well and they are a two-touchdown favorite for a reason.
– Have the Sooners done enough early in the season to not have you thinking back to how last year went in conference play? Last year’s defensive performance, and the offensive performance against SMU, are sitting right there in my head knocking on my brain a bit. This is where I want Dillon to come out and quiet those thoughts early on and not have the droughts we saw last year and during the SMU game. This is where I want the defense to come out and validate the emerging belief they have given us with their performance early in this season.
– OU should win, but it may be a bit of a bumpy road.
Injury Update | Sourced
– Super K – Posted on: September 20, 2023
For those of you who have asking about why we haven’t seen Jasiah Wagoner on the field yet, I did check with a source inside the building on it.
Was told simply that he is hurt right now. Source didn’t go into detail about what seems to be the problem and out of courtesy I didn’t push.
Perhaps Brent will address it at some point, but as of now no details other than he is not ready to go.
Sourced | No Coach Speak, The Sooners Believe Cincy is A Good Team
– Charlie S – Posted on: September 20, 2023
After speaking with people around the program and chatting with Super K and James over the past day, one thing is clear…
The staff is taking Cincinnati very seriously and they honestly believe the things Brent Venables said yesterday about the Bearcats to be the truth and it wasn’t all just coach speak. OU believes that Cincinnati is a talented team and they pose some problems both offensively and defensively.
The Sooners know that there is still a monkey on their back at this point and that monkey is the 6-7 season they experienced after starting the year out at 3-0.
The leadup to the Cincinnati game is very similar to OU’s start of conference play last year. In 2022 the Sooners went 3-0 in their out-of-conference games and they looked to really be putting things together with the Nebraska performance, but then they ran into Kansas State and we all know what happened in that game, and from that point on last year.
Much like Kansas State was viewed prior to the game last year, this year Cincinnati is known to have a solid defense and offensively they feature a mobile QB and want to pound the rock. Both of those situations gave OU some fits last year. The Sooners offense struggled to be consistent against decent defenses as they would be very sporadic at times as they would race out to a lead and then fall apart for the middle portion of the games. The offense would struggle to stay on the field as they were not good at converting third and fourth down opportunities for one reason or another. The defense would struggle with the mobile quarterbacks and allow them to extend drives by converting third and fourth downs at an alarming rate with improvisation. Far too often the defense could not get off the field for one reason or another.
As was with the Kansas State game in ‘22, people in Norman believe that Cincy is the most talented team OU will have played up until Saturday. Also, last year, Kansas State lost a game they shouldn’t have lost (Tulane) prior to facing the Sooners and Cincinnati experienced a similar situation as they lost to Miami of Ohio last week in their last out of conference game.
In 2022 Kansas State walked into Norman and came away with a victory over the Sooners. In 2023 the Sooners will head to Cincinnati and try to avoid the same fate as last year as they will be looking to bring home a victory.
This is a big game, in my opinion, as it will help set the season’s trajectory for Team 129. Last year, Oklahoma should have beaten the upstart Kansas State team. They had the opportunity to do so but four or five glaring mistakes paved the way to the loss for OU…a type of loss they would experience four more times on the year.
The Sooners need to avoid those four or five plays that cost them against Kansas State last year. The Sooners need to avoid the lapses on offense and the mental miscues on defense. OU needs to continue to tackle well defensively and continue to be aggressive offensively (unlike they were against SMU) with their vertical game.
Most of all, OU cannot let OU beat OU. They look better this year in that regard, but Saturday will be telling as to where exactly this team is at. If OU goes into Cincinnati and brings home a convincing victory, you’re probably looking at a confident Sooner team heading into a top 10 matchup in the Cotton Bowl in just over two weeks.
If OU struggles to win or loses this game, you could see a team that starts to question what they are doing while allowing for some doubt to creep in again which leads to the ‘oh no, not again’ feeling.
One thing we can tell you, the staff is not taking this game for granted and they are instilling that into their players.
Improvement | Sourced
– Super K – Posted on: September 21, 2023
It’s still early but the Sooners have looked good through the first three games of the season.
***We know the Sooners rolled in their first three games of last season only to have the wheels come off once they got into Big 12 play. But I asked a source if the staff feels this year feels different or if they still some hesitation.
***Source said, as expected that the team has to continue to play well. But, noted that the staff can see a substantial difference and believes in they continue on this trajectory they should have a lot of success.
***As to why, on the defensive side, I’m told it’s increased understanding of the defense and real buy-in. Source said that last year some of the players may have felt they were bought in but to actually be bought in is a different thing – to trust what the coaches are telling you and execute the scheme and the technique as directed.
***Was told that Emmett Jones has been a major difference-maker on the offensive side of the ball. We noted the enhanced speed of the WRs but source said it’s the competitiveness and physicality that Emmett has helped with that is why they feel there has been an improvement. Source noted that Emmett coaches his guys like linebackers. He doesn’t want finesse guys. He wants offensive linebackers.
***Lastly, was told that they feel Dillon has made improvements. I’m sure everyone is hoping that’s the case because as the opposing defensive competition improves, the hope is those stagnant quarters under DG won’t return.
Defensive Line Class | Impressive Work
– Charlie S – Posted on: September 21, 2023
***Last night the Sooners added another high-ceiling prospect to the #24K defensive line class as EDGE Danny Okoye announced his verbal pledge to Oklahoma.
***Taking a look at the members of the class shows you how well the Sooners did on the trail. If all these guys sign with OU, the Sooners definitely have one of the top defensive line classes in the ’24 cycle as they make the move to the SEC next year.
David Stone – Elite interior defensive lineman with offers from around the country and a major win for OU. Will be on campus in January.
Jayden Jackson – True nose tackle that OU beat a ton of major programs for. Will be on campus in January.
Nigel Smith – DE/DT who the Sooners beat out a bunch of major programs for. Will be in Norman in January.
Wyatt Gilmore – Rising EDGE prospect who is putting out really good film this season who chose OU over many big programs. Will be in Norman in January.
Danny Okoye – Freaky athlete who chose Oklahoma over a some of the top programs in the country. Will be on campus in January.
Danny Saili – Massive JUCO run stuffer OU identified early and closed down his recruitment with a verbal pledge, scheduled to be on campus in January. He is a bit of a mystery still, but as far as I know, he and OU are still a thing. Will be on campus in January.
***Let me repeat the last line on each guy listed above…they will all be in Norman in January… which is huge.
***The Sooners lose a bunch of current defensive linemen due to the exhaustion of their eligibility following the year. Isaiah Coe, Jordan Kelley, and Jonah Laulu from the interior will be gone. Rondell Bothroyd and Marcus Stripling will be moving on from the EDGE position as well.
*** Numbers-wise, Oklahoma already has their losses covered. But do not be fooled, they will continue to keep the lines of communication open with several targets who are committed elsewhere, such as Dominick McKinley (Texas A&M) and Williams Nwaneri (Missouri). Right now, I do not see either of those guys flipping to Oklahoma for a couple of reasons, but the Sooners will still be staying in contact and you never know if something changes for either of them.
***One note I stumbled across this week was in regard to a name that was on the front burner at the end of the ’23 cycle in JUCO Michael Nwokocha (6’4 290) out of Tyler CC. Nwokocha has been a bit of a mystery man as the thought was that he would be enrolling somewhere last June after taking visits in the spring. He has offers from around the country, including one from OU, but he never took his visits and he remained at Tyler all while being pretty much radio silent. I reached out to him this week and to my surprise, he broke his silence and gave me a few bits of information. Michael let me know that he will be visiting TCU this weekend (unofficial) and that OU has been continuing to monitor him. He was very cognizant that Brent Venables followed him on Twitter recently and still has contact with Todd Bates. No visit is set for OU at this time, but I would not be shocked if the Sooners begin to ramp things up.
***Overall, the defensive line class can be looked at as nothing less than a stellar class, one which was very much needed as the defensive line has been and remains a priority for OU as they make the move to the SEC. Really nice work from Bates, Chavis and Venables and they look like they are not going to sit on their hands as they will keep working on several additional targets, but any additions from this point forward are just gravy.
One On One’s | Oklahoma vs Cincinnati – 2023
– Charlie S – Posted on: September 21, 2023
This week the Sooners head out on the road to begin Big 12 Conference play against Cincinnati!
The Sooners are coming off a 66-17 demolition of Tulsa to push their record to 3-0 on the year.
Cincinnati draws OU as their Big 12 debut and they are 2-1 on the season following an upset home loss to Miami of Ohio last week.
Let’s take a look at a few ‘One on One’ matchups that could go a long way in determining the outcome of this game!
One on One Number One
Oklahoma Offensive Center Andrew Raym vs. Cincinnati Nose Tackle Dontay Corleone
This one really is a ‘two on three’ as the matchup to watch is the Cincinnati interior defensive line vs. the OU interior offensive line.
The interior of the Cincinnati defensive line is a strength for the Bearcats and the interior of the Oklahoma offensive line has not shown to be a strength to this point of the season.
Heads up on paper, Corleone has the advantage over Raym as the Bearcat’s nose tackle has proven to be one of the better interior defenders in the country. When you add Corleone’s running mate Jowon Briggs to the equation, things get even more challenging.
Raym and his guards will be challenged to up their game and while it is pretty certain that McKade Mettauer will be on Rayms right, Savion Byrd may miss the game which will likely put true freshman Cayden Green and transfer Troy Everett in the fire to his left.
Corleone will demand constant attention and the Sooners are likely going to have to provide Raym with help on the head-to-head matchup on and off throughout the game, which allows Briggs and Eric Phillips to have some opportunities to make some plays in a one-on-one matchup with the guards/tackles.
The Sooners pass protection has been stellar to this point this season, but the run game has not gotten on track to this point with explosive plays. This is a tough matchup to try to get things in order, but hopefully the challenge will make the OL better.
If Cayden Green does get the start, I would look to see if OU employs more of a straight-up zone blocking scheme in the run game as he has only been playing guard for a couple of weeks now and with his physical skill set, sometimes the simpler option is the better option even if it limits your creativity offensively.
Raym and his guards will have their hands full as this is likely the best interior defensive line they will face this year with Texas as a close second. Good opportunity for them to prep for the season.
One on One Number Two
Oklahoma Quarterback Dillon Gabriel vs. Cincinnati Safety Byron Threats
The Sooners offense has been elite in two games they played against teams that were overmatched physically and outgunned skill-wise in Arkansas State and Tulsa. Gabriel used the vertical game in an aggressive manner and the Sooners pretty much scored at will.
The SMU game was a different story however as Gabriel and the Sooners displayed virtually zero vertical shots and they became a horizontal offense which limited their effectiveness.
The SMU defense was a step up in competition from Arkansas State and Tulsa and whether it was Gabriel’s decision-making or Jeff Lebby’s play-calling, the offense struggled for three quarters before they pulled away in the fourth. Against SMU Oklahoma only threw five passes more than 10 yards in the air and only attempted one that was over 20 yards.
The Bearcats are going to get pressure on Gabriel at times and it will be important for Gabriel to see the entire field and make his reads off Threats who is a ballhawk and an aggressive guy in coverage. He will take some chances and has already pulled in two picks this season.
Threats is also the second leading tackler for Cincinnati and the Bearcats are not afraid of using him to bring pressure and he has a sack to his name.
OU cannot afford to come out and NOT take their vertical shots. I expect to see Lebby use wide splits to spread Cincinnati out which should help a bit with the trench game and give Gabriel some one-on-one options to take advantage of. Gabriel needs to see the field well and Lebby needs to be sure to incorporate the vertical game better than both of them did against SMU.
Bonus One on One
Oklahoma ’23 vs. Oklahoma ’22
This one is pretty simple.
The Sooners are heading into conference play with a 3-0 record which is the exact same situation they found themselves in last year.
They are facing an opponent who lost a game they should not have lost the week prior to their matchup, which is the same as last season.
They cannot afford to let the ghosts of ’22 creep in if something goes off track.
All offseason and throughout the first three games of ’23 we have heard that this is a different group with a different mindset.
Time for them to go out there and prove it. They don’t have to prove it to anyone but themselves.
Oklahoma is the more talented team overall. They cannot allow the ‘oh no here we go again’ mindset to sink in if things get off track early.
OU has to be sure to not let OU beat OU in Cincinnati.
