Open Post | Weekend, October 27th – 29th
Posted on: October 27, 2023
Sunday Brunch | You Only Get One Mulligan
– Charlie S – Posted on: October 22, 2023
A mulligan is a second chance to perform an action, usually after the first chance went wrong through bad luck or a blunder. Its best-known use is in golf, whereby it refers to a player being allowed, only informally, to replay a stroke, although that is against the formal rules of golf.
The Sooners moved to 7-0 on the year with a 31-29 victory over UCF yesterday in front of a full house in Norman.
The good news is that they won a game they would have lost last year. I have no doubts about that. Somehow, some way, they would have figured out a way to lose that game last year and I don’t think there is really much debate about it. Oklahoma used their mulligan.
So, that’s a good thing.
As far as the actual gameplay went…one of the few fundamentally good things to come out of the exhibition they put on yesterday was a win…and occasionally that is going to have to suffice.
Offensively, they were off all day. From Jeff Lebby and his play calling to Dillon Gabriel and his execution to the running backs and their limited vision and suspect choices, to the offensive line struggling mightily (interior) in pass pro at times which we have not seen all season, to the wide receivers having some drops.
It was ugly.
The defense came out strong and limited the potent UCF offensive unit to 15 yards in the first quarter and then they fell off the cliff with a 217 yard second quarter and some big chunk plays, blown assignments, and poor tackling in the second half. Granted, the defense was the more consistent part of the team on the day and if you could take away a couple of those busts, they did a good job overall.
They had their ugly moments though, for sure.
Bottom line is…it’s okay, so long as it doesn’t become a habit and losses start piling up.
The goal is to get better each week, but Oklahoma did not accomplish that goal yesterday and that is going to be okay because the team and the coaches know that they did not play to their standard against UCF. When looking back at the last two games for OU, they definitely regressed as compared to how they played against Texas.
Coming into the season, as you are all well aware, I predicted the Sooners record would be 9-3 at the end of the regular season. Over the course of the last two weeks, they took two of the types of losses I expected out of commission. I predicted OU would lose to Texas. They did not. I assumed OU would lose a game they should not lose to an inferior opponent and yesterday, they took one of those opportunities off the board by holding on to defeat the Knights despite being in a position to lose the game in heartbreaking fashion as they did so often last year.
What makes college football the game we all love is the upsets and the near upsets and the drama. The last time OU went out and played a game on the field prior to yesterday, they physically dominated a team much better than UCF in the Texas Longhorns. Yesterday, they looked like they were going through the motions early on, and throughout the game, they looked a bit off all day.
That was okay yesterday because they got the win.
That will not be okay next week, or the week after, or the week after, etc…because much like a friendly game of golf, you only typically get one mulligan. OU used up their mulligan yesterday.
I will talk more about my game thoughts in another post as well as the usual articles throughout the week. I just wanted to make sure to measure my thoughts and separate the concerns from reality.
The reality is that OU won a football game they would have lost last year, and that’s okay. In fact it is progress from 12 short months ago.
The University of North Carolina, who entered play yesterday with an undefeated record, was not as fortunate as they fell to what was a 1-5 Virginia team at the time. Sometimes you have to reach into your bag and pull out that mulligan. Mack Brown’s bag in Chapel Hill was empty…he can probably blame his caddy for not throwing the mulligan card in there as they likely did not expect to need to pull it out against a 1-5 Virginia team. But that’s the thing that makes this game so great, you never know.
The Sooners used their mulligan in their seventh game. Here is to hoping they make it count!
So now that I said that…I’ll have a couple posts coming up going into more detail about my grievances from the victory over UCF!
Visitor Note | Sooners Make a Big Impression
– Charlie S – Posted on: October 22, 2023
Just wanted to drop a quick note on Sooners ’24 safety target Reggie Powers who made his way to Norman for an unofficial visit for the game yesterday…
***Sounds like the visit to Oklahoma made a massive impression on Powers.
***So much so that sources around the Sooners tell us they feel very good about the possibility of adding him to the class despite already having three other safety prospects verbally committed.
***Source said ‘something could happen very soon here’ in regard to Powers.
Position Group Progress Report | ’23 Game 7: UCF
– Charlie S – Posted on: October 23, 2023
Checking out how the position groups performed in the Sooner’s victory over UCF. Coming into the game, OU was a huge favorite over the Knights and they eeked out a two-point win.
This will be the seventh 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 UCF.
QB: 3* (First 58:43 of the game low 4* – Last 1:17 of the game 5* plus)
Not good, not terrible, much like the first 58 minutes of the Texas game.
Bottom line, not good enough to reward the defense by playing complementary football.
I know some of you will take this as me bashing Gabriel, but it’s not. It is me simply stating the play from the QB position on Saturday was just not good enough for Oklahoma.
Gabriel was 25-38 for 253 with three touchdowns and 1 interception.
In regard to the interception, the pass location was not the issue, he hit Stoops in the chest and Stoops just was focused on the pounding he was about to take and tipped the ball into the air. The timing was the issue. Timing has been an issue for much of the year with Gabriel as he looks to be just a tick slow on read and delivery too often. The throw was late and put Stoops in a bad spot. Again, Stoops should have caught the ball, but Gabriel could have (should have) made it a lot easier on him.
He wasn’t terrible, but he wasn’t good and in fairness, he also had to deal with something he hadn’t all year which was a leaky right side in pass protection, so that contributed to his grade, but the late delivery, the easy misses (late/behind/too far out front)…that’s got to get cleaned up if OU is going to make any real noise this year.
RB: 3* (Last week 3*)
As odd as it may sound…I was actually encouraged by the running back room and I could have graded them higher if not for a few plays from early in the game.
Jeff Lebby did the running backs (and Dillon Gabriel) no favors against UCF as it looked like he threw a game plan at the wall and hoped it stuck. There was no identity, no consistency, no intentionality, and no real rhythm to his game plan. Why oh why are we seeing the wildcat on the second snap of the game and so many jet sweeps and gimmick plays against a defense that came into the game notoriously bad against the run? Why?
When he got down to brass tacks and started to run more gap scheme in the second half, the running backs looked like they felt more comfortable and were able to rip off some crucial big gains. Something we haven’t seen much of this year. For the first three quarters, there was some zone, some gap, some counter, and far too many exotic jet sweeps to WRs…it was a jumbled mess.
Major ran 18 times for 82 yards and Sawchuk had 10 carries for 63 yards and the touchdown.
Sawchuk had a rough early start with a fumbled snap and a bad drop, on the first series, but once he settled in, as the game wore on, we started to see a decisive runner who was actually breaking tackles. Sawchuk averaged 5 yards after contact on the day compared to majors 2.7 yards after contact.
A positive sign for a pedestrian game. This was a game where Lebby should have come out, lined up, and ran the ball right down the gut time after time to help create an identity. He chose not to and the offense reflected the inconsistency of the play calling with their performance. Stcik with something…anything…create an identity, please.
There were a lot of missed holes early on, but once things settled down and Lebby started to call plays with intentionality (and more gap scheme than zone scheme and gimmick plays) the backs seemed to find those holes they had been missing.
WR/TE: High 3* (Last week High 4*)
There were some costly drops and missed/not finished blocks on the day that kind of kept their grade in check.
Nic Anderson stepped in for Andrel Anthony and played the majority of the snaps and delivered a really strong performance as he caught five passes for 105 yards and two more touchdowns. That was very encouraging to see and you hope he continues to evolve and develop.
Stoops hauled in another seven passes for 60 yards and one touchdown.
Jalil Farooq was bouncing around the field at different positions throughout the day and OU never really got him involved enough to exploit the UCF defense. He was more window dressing than substance on the day, which is a shame.
Jayden Gibson had one big chain moving reception and Jaquaizie Pettaway made a brief appearance…would like to see more of each of these guys as the games go on.
Also, Gavin Freeman needs to learn to go north and south more often than east and west.
Still not understanding the desire to play Austin Stogner 80% of all offensive snaps when you are not going to target him as he just is not bringing much to the table in the blocking game either.
OL: High 2* (Last week 5*)
Rough day for the right side of the offensive line in pass protection…but to be clear, the line was finally solid in run blocking…the backs just missed so many holes early on in the game. I don’t think anyone that watched the game didn’t sit up three or four times and say ‘oh my goodness, why didn’t the back go through that hole over there?”.
Nobody on the line played a complete game, but the left side was far more consistent than the right side.
Right guard was an adventure. As I noted in last weeks one on ones, Lee Hunter was a potential problem and he exploited Caleb Shaffer’s lack of speed and Savion Byrd’s lack of focus a couple of times to the tune of one sack and 2.5 tackles or loss.
Betcha very few of you thought you would be excited about getting McKade Mettauer back from injury prior to the game (count me among them as I was excited to see what a new RG would look like).
Below-average day for this group in pass pro, but they really didn’t get much help from their running backs in the run game as they did a solid job in that respect. They also got no favors from their offensive coordinator on this day.
DL: 5* (Last week 5*)
The best unit on the field for OU once again and we are getting close to the point of the season where we can start considering them the best unit on the team as a whole.
Seven of the top eight defensive grades from PFF were defensive linemen. Normally, I take PFF rankings with a huge grain of salt, but in this case, I completely agree with them as the OU defensive line was the one standout unit defensively on the day for Oklahoma.
Ethan Downs and Jordan Kelley recorded sacks and I felt like Rondell Bothroyd, Da’Jon Terry, Jonah Laulu, Jacob Lacey and Isaiah Coe all played very well once again. Trace Ford also flashed and Gracen Halton made his presence felt in his opportunities.
Again, the makeup of this group is the very definition of competitive depth as there is no real standout, but each of them can come in and keep the defensive line playing at a high level.
LB: High 3* (Last week 5*)
Jaren Kanak’s penalty was a big momentum change in the game, in my opinion, and while people can debate the worthiness of the penalty, it happened and it really stymied the Sooners momentum as they were likely about to force a field goal attempt at the very worst and a possible opportunity at a 4th down stop.
Other than that, Stutsman and Kanak played pretty well. Stutsman had 12 tackles and 1 tackle for loss and Kanak added 5 tackles along with a tackle for loss.
Kanak had a couple missed tackles and Stutsman had none, so they did a solid job in that respect.
I actually expected a bit more from them coming into the game, but they played pretty well as a whole. Still took too many snaps in my opinion, but understandable when the game was in doubt.
Cheetah: 4* (Last week 4*)
Can’t say I really noticed Dasan all that much, but he did show up with 6 tackles and 1 tackle for loss.
Encouraging that I didn’t notice him in part because that means he didn’t bust in coverage or make any notable mistakes, so that’s a good thing.
Kendel Dolby, who made that huge play on the two point conversion, subbed in at Cheetah actually had more snaps than McCullough (41-34) but some of those snaps came at other positions.
Still, solid if not spectacular stuff from the Cheetah spot.
DB: 1* (Last week 3*)
I probably have this group rated too high. They were bad.
The problem was, that not only were they bad at times in coverage…they were awful in tackling.
Oklahoma missed 16 tackles defensively against UCF.
The secondary accounted for 11 of those 16 missed tackles. That’s not good when your last line of defense…offers little in the way of defense. Missed tackles: Bowman 3, Dolby 2, Williams 2, Pearson 2, Lawrence 1, Washington 1.
Woodi Washing had a day to forget as he got caught a couple times in a bust including one that went 84 yards for a touchdown. Reggie Pearson, Billy Bowman and Key Lawrence also noticeably struggled in coverage throughout the day.
The reason for this group actually maintaining one star and not being a Nebula? Peyton Bowen had a huge sack on his five snaps (was a bit gimpy hence the 5 snaps) and Kendel Dolby making that play on the two point conversion.
Otherwise, they were not good.
ST: 1* (Last week Nebula)
One star for the new punter.
Everything else was bad.
Not so special teams.
Running Toward a Rhythm
– Charlie S – Posted on: October 24, 2023
***Over the first seven weeks of the season, the Sooners running attack, or lack thereof, has been a hot topic.
***While we can and will dive into the issues down the road, I wanted to touch on something I mentioned in the progress report yesterday HERE.
“As odd as it may sound…I was actually encouraged by the running back room and I could have graded them higher if not for a few plays from early in the game.”
*** While the stats from the game were not all that impressive, particularly considering the opponent, there was some encouraging stuff to come out of the game, specifically in regard to Gavin Sawchuks performance.
***Sawchuk started the game for Oklahoma and over the course of the first series it looked like a slow motion train wreck as he fumbled a direct snap and followed that up with a dropped pass.
***After sitting out basically a quarter and a half from that point on, Sawchuk got back in the game and made some impressive and tough runs to help propel the Sooners to the victory which included the longest run of the season for a running back (30 yads which tied Tawee for the longest run from a back this season).
***Part of the reason, in my opinion, that the running game has been so blah can be found in the rotation of the backs. Nobody is able to get in any sort of a rhythm at the running back spot and that impacts the offensive line as well as the QB.
***On Saturday, with a short rotation (out of necessity) you were able to see both backs (Sawchuk and Major) find their footing a bit, but particularly Sawchuk who was able to slow things down (vision) and let his natural ability to run through the correct holes as well as run through potential tackles (yards after contact) show up after overcoming some self-induced adversity from early in the game.
***Coming into the season, the Sooners were up against a wall a bit as their two projected starting backs were nursing injuries through the summer and fall. Jovantae Banes had foot surgery in June and Sachuk has been dealing with a nagging hamstring injury.
***How much has the plan of Sawchuk and Barnes being the featured backs been impacted by their injuries? Through seven games each of them has a total of 28 carries. That’s an average of four carries per game…there is no way to find/get in a rhythm with just four carries per game.
***I think we saw a glimpse of what could have been, and what still could be, in regard to the impact a healthy Gavin Sawchuk can have on this offense emerging in the second half of the game against UCF.
***In regard to Barnes, as James first reported, he is still a bit banged up and Brent Venables noted that last week as well and there is some discussion about a potential redshirt. However, against UCF, Barnes appeared to have been subbed in, only to come off the field before a play was run for one reason or another. Has the decision been made to let him work through his injury issues? That is something we are still keeping an eye on, but if he is close to being able to perform closer to his pre-injury level, that is another positive development for the Sooners.
***It will definitely be something I plan on keeping an eye on this week as we start to look ahead to the Kansas game and it will likely be a featured matchup we will talk more about.
***Bottom line, it feels like the OU running back room may be working toward finding their rhythm.
Recruiting Updates & Thoughts on BV’s Recruit Profile
– Super K – Posted on: October 24, 2023
A few 2025 notes here…
Cobey Sellers
***Recently stopped by Shadow Creek (TX) to see Sooners top 2025 DB target, Cobey Sellers. It’s still early in my recruitment but…
***A few teams seem to be emerging. My sense is Washington, Oregon, USC, Texas, OU and LSU are early teams to watch. If I had to guess at a narrower group I’d go with Washington, OU and Texas.
***His mom is originally from Washington and he still has family there. Father is originally from Louisiana and has a lot of family there.
***But he grew up an OU fan. And you can tell his relationship with Valai and Venables is really good – maybe the best.
***Again, it’s early but I got the sense OU is a very real threat in this one. He’s one to keep an eye on.
***In terms of talent and personality, Sellers is exactly the kind of player Venables and co want. Solid young man, team leader, high IQ and is exceptionally athletic. Totally felt like a Brent Venables guy.
Andrew Marsh
***Much bigger in person than I expected. He’s listed at 6’1 and I’d give him at least that. Also, very long.
***Again, still early in the process for him but Emmett has OU in the thick of this one.
***Marsh has been to a ton of schools already. He’s been all over the country. But he told me he’s been up to OU four or five times. So, that says a lot.
***Didn’t get the sense that he’s narrowing things down yet. I think OU is in this one and will remain in it but I’d perhaps watch schools like Oregon and Texas, as well. A dark horse in this one would be Nebraska. Get the sense he really likes their WR coach.
OU Commit Gracen Harris
***Stopped by Ennis to see Sooners commit, Gracen Harris. He was a bit dinged up (nothing serious) so, I didn’t get to see him move around. But tightly wound kid and great great kid. Again, like Sellers, just felt like a Venables archetype in terms of personality and leadership ability.
***He’s been through a lot. His mother passed away a few years ago. He’s had to overcome a lot and it seems to have molded him into a really solid and mature fella.
***Seems completely locked in. I asked about that and whether he wanted to look around at all. He said, Emmett offered everywhere Emmet has been – Kansas, Texas Tech and Oklahoma. So, he seems completely fine with not taking visits. He even mentioned that coach Venables prefers that commits don’t post their offers. Apparently, he’s been receiving additional offers but has refused to even post them.
Overall Thoughts…
***From this most recent round of visits to schools, one thing that stood out to me is, as mentioned above, the profile of these targets…
***Very solid young men. They’re good in school, they’re well-mannered and they’re team leaders.
***In this era of transfer portal mercenaries, I think it’s critical that your high school recruits can build a strong cultural foundation. It’s always been important but perhaps now more than ever.
***Also, really see that the Sooners like to focus on key recruits who fit their profile and really good all out to land that top target. Max Granville would be another example of that in this class. And the reality is the Sooners have, so far, done a good job of landing their top targets. I think 2025 will be even better in that regard.
Follow Up Note To a Monday Topic
– Charlie S – Posted on: October 25, 2023
On Monday night we posted what we were hearing in regard to rumors of a potentially severe injury to cornerback Gentry Williams HERE.
“1. After hearing rumors of an injury to Gentry Williams, we checked around and sources indicate he is fine and he is preparing for Saturday’s game against Kanas.”
Just wanted to pass along some additional information we have picked up.
Source mentioned that while Gentry has been at practice, there is a chance he may not go this week against Kansas but they reiterated that there is not a significant injury. He certainly could play but wanted to keep you up to speed.
So at this time, we would list him as ‘questionable’ but keep in mind that if he doesn’t go, it is nothing serious, just dealing with a cranky situation.
Know Your Opponent | Kansas – 2023
– Charlie S – Posted on: October 25, 2023
Head Coach – Lance Leipold (3rd Season in Lawrence)
Offensive Coordinator – Andy Kotelnicki (3rd Season in Lawrence)
Defensive Coordinator – Brian Borland (3rd Season in Lawrence)
The Jayhawks are 5-2 on the season and 2-2 in the Big 12 Conference. Kansas has victories over Missouri State (48-17), Illinois (34-23), Nevada (31-24), BYU (38-27), and UCF (51-22). They have lost two of their last three games to Texas (40-14) and Oklahoma State (39-32).
On offense…
Kansas comes into the game with a very balanced offensive attack that is ranked 29th in the country in total offense and they average a very respectable 443 yards per game. They are even better on a per-play basis as they have an average of 7.2 yards per play, which is good for seventh in the country. Kansas is currently 12th in the country in rushing offense as they average 212 yards per game and 5.6 yards per rush. The Jayhawks passing offense ranks 65th in the country as they average 231 yards per game through the air.
QB #9 Jason Bean OR #6 Jalon Daniels
RB #4 Devin Neal
RB #20 Daniel Hishaw Jr.
– The official story out of Lawrence is that Jason Bean will be the starter for Kansas but Jalon Daniels is ‘progressing’. Personally, I think it’s gonna be all Bean, and Kansas is hoping OU spends time focused on Daniels…but the funny thing is, Bean and Daniels have the EXACT same QB rating (173) and are almost mirror images of each other in regard to production.
– Daniels is a little more accurate in the passing game (74% – 65%) but they are basically identical in every other comparison when it comes to throwing the ball. The surprising note…Bean actually has a higher yards-per-carry average when it comes to running the ball (3.4 to 2.7) over Daniels.
– Devin Neal leads the running backs with 659 yards and six touchdowns with a hefty 7.3 yard per carry average and he can go as he has a 75 yard TD run on his resume this year. Hishaw is no slouch as he averages 6.4 yards per carry while having six touchdowns of his own.
The Jayhawks have a nice receiving corps that will keep the Sooners honest in regard to accounting for that aspect of the offense.
WR #2 Lawrence Arnold
WR #0 Quentin Skinner
WR #11 Luke Grimm
TE #89 Mason Fairchild
– Arnold is their go-to guy and he leads the team in receptions with 25 and yards with 364. He is a big body at 6’3 and has enough speed and savvy to continually find open spaces.
– TE Fairchild and WR Grimm are tied for second on the team with 18 receptions and Grimm leads the team with three touchdown catches. Fairchild uses his size and strength well and that will be a good matchup, particularly when McCullough or Kanak or Stutsman are tasked with covering him.
– One thing to keep an eye on in the passing game is the way Kansas uses RB Neal as a weapon out of the backfield. He has 17 receptions on the season and has very good hands and terrific open-field ability after the catch to make defenses pay.
The offensive line is an extremely seasoned group with everyone having multiyear starter experience except for Reed-Adams.
LT #67 Dominick Puni
LG #55 Armaj Reed-Adams
C #50 Mike Novitsky
RG #54 Michael Ford Jr.
RT #77 Bryce Cabeldue
– Novitsky and Ford Jr. made the move to Kansas from Buffalo along with their staff. Puni was a multiyear starter at FCS Central Missouri before transferring in this year
– This unit thrives in the run game, but they are a bit leaky when it comes to pass protection and that is one area the Sooners could (should) be able to exploit a bit as the game goes on.
On defense…
The Jayhawks run a 4-2-5 Base Defense that prides itself on bending but not breaking. They do allow a ton of yards as they are ranked 94th on the year at this point and they allow an average of 396 yards of offense per game at a clip of six yards per play. They are ranked 93rd in rush defense as they allow 161 yards per game and 4.7 yards per carry. Kansas is ranked 74th in pass defense and they average giving up 235 yards through the air per game. The Jayhawks are 82nd in scoring defense as they allow 27.4 points per game.
DE #37 Hayden Hatcher or #9 Austin Booker
NT #40 Devin Phillips
DT #92 Tommy Dunn Jr.
DE #90 Jereme Robinson
– The defensive line is a pretty nice little group. But they are thin and do not have a lot of depth, which has led to them being susceptible to being bullied (as the Texas OL did).
– One thing they can do is get after the passer. Booker leads the team with 5 sacks and Robinson has 4.5 of his own. They have combined for more than half of the Jayhawks 18 sacks on the year.
The Jayhawks have an active pair of inside linebackers.
MIKE #30 Rich Miller
WILL #28 JB Brown
– Brown has 34 tackles and two sacks for the Jayhawks. He came over from Bowling Green and he has good size and speed and plays pretty fast.
– Miller made his way to Lawrence by way of Buffalo and he has 32 tackles on the year and is a solid complementary player to Brown. This is a decent linebacker unit.
The secondary is a group that is still developing, but they are a long bunch who has the ability to make plays on the ball as they have six interceptions on the year.
CB #2 Cobee Bryant
FS #4 Marvin Grant
HAWK (Nickel) #15 Craig Young Jr.
SS #1 Kenny Logan Jr.
CB #3 Mello Dotson
– Logan is the best player on the defense and has led the team in tackles for multiple seasons and he is leading them this year as well with 45 tackles. He also has one interception on the year.
– Kansas probably has the most length on the perimeter that Oklahoma will have seen so far this year as their corners are long and aggressive. Cobee Bryant leads the team with two picks.
Overall thoughts…
– Offensively, the Sooners need to initially take what the Jayhawks give and doing that should eventually get it to the point where they can then take what they want. Kansas does not have a great presence on the interior of their defense and most of their production comes from the EDGE’s which plays into the strength of the OU offensive line. We keep talking about the OU running game, but if there is one game that a doctor could order to cure the run game woes, this would be it, at least for the way Oklahoma is set up at this time. Gabriel just needs to take care of the ball and distribute it to the receivers in a timely fashion and it is imperative that Jeff Lebby sticks with the run game because the opportunities WILL be there for the backs. It will be another thing to see if the backs take advantage of the opportunities.
– Defensively the Sooners need to trust their keys and not their eyes as Brent Venables mentioned earlier this week. This game, this opponent, is all about focus and attention to detail because if you come out unfocused and undisciplined, they can exploit you in a quick fashion. The OU defensive line should have success in getting pressure on the passer (Bean) but they have to be careful to maintain gap integrity and not get washed up field and leave the middle of the field exposed to the QB improv. The backers need to fit the run well and play fundamentally sound…I am looking at you Jaren Kanak. Kip Lewis is a guy who I think would have a very large impact in this game if given the chance. I like the OU secondary’s chances here to have a redemption week and they will have the opportunity to turn the ball over at least three or four times throughout the day and they need to capitalize on those opportunities.
– Special teams will likely play a big role in this one as Kansas has been very good on special teams all season and OU has not been all that great on offensive special teams while being pretty solid on defensive special teams.
– I think the 10-point spread in favor of the Sooners is a pretty good spot to start with, but do not be fooled, Kansas will come out hot and if they get some momentum going in their favor, Oklahoma could find themselves in a tight one as the game drags on.
No Excuses
– Super K – Posted on: October 26, 2023
I want to highlight something that stood out to me from Brent’s presser earlier this week.
It was so refreshing.
He was commenting on the defense and essentially said that at times the defense has been good and at times not very good. He added that when they do what they’re supposed to do, the OU defense is very hard to run on.
BV went on a bit on this topic and it reminded me of how different BV is this respect that previous regimes.
There was a minute there where we heard OU coaches begin to change the standard at OU. Basically saying that old school shut down defenses are a thing of the past. Holding teams under certain points are a thing of the past. Many of you probably remember this and like me, were irked by it.
It’s clear Brent has an obsession with defense and an insistence that when it is played right, it can be nearly perfect. He seem to make or accept excuses. And he doesn’t change the standard.
I thought about how he held an Urban Meyer offense in the Clemson vs. Ohio State game in the playoff to ZERO points.
Even recently, in 2021 when UGA won the national championship (in January 2022), Brent held that team to a whopping 10 points.
He doesn’t seem to care about “modern offenses” and how they may or may not have changed the game. He has devised a system that he believes, when executed with precision and violence, can shut them down and he remains in pursuit of that.
He isn’t rewriting that standard and selling everyone on this idea that those early 2000s defenses or better is still possible.
Frankly, I’d rather you give up 40 points in a game and know that a coach believes he can, at some point, get that defense to hold the opposition to ten than to have someone who might have a random good game but believes perfection isn’t worth pursuing or approaching it isn’t even possible.
Very refreshing and while this defense may have it’s ups and downs, it’s hard to except a future that the guy at the top doesn’t even believe is possible. But in Brent’s case, right or wrong, he believes the Sooners defense can flirt with perfection.
One On One’s | Oklahoma vs Kansas – 2023
– Charlie S – Posted on: October 26, 2023
This week the Sooners are set to hit the road and head to Lawrence Kansas to take on the Jayhawks!
The Sooners are coming off a close victory over UCF and stand at 7-0 (4-0 in conference) on the season!
Kansas is 5-2 on the year (2-2 in Conference) and they are coming off a bye week. They have lost two of their last three games to Texas and Oklahoma State which sandwiched a big win over UCF.
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 Safety Billy Bowman vs. Kansas Quarterback Jason Bean (Jalon Daniels)
Billy Bowman is one of the most talented players on the Sooners defense. Billy Bowman has also been working through a rough patch of late as he has shown some cracks over the last two games in regard to tackling and coverage. Both can be factual at the same time.
The Kansas offense, which Jason Bean will likely lead, will provide no rest for the weary as it puts the safety in conflict right off the rip as they run a lot of eye candy and misdirection designed to get defenders off their keys.
Bowman has been in the position to make plays on the ball more often than not and he has been in the position to make the tackles he is expected to make, of late however, he has missed more of those opportunities than we expect to see. He has 10 missed tackles on the season, seven of which have come in the last two games. Against Texas and UCF he recorded his two lowest coverage rankings of the season. I think we can call it a ‘funk’ that he is in.
Now, when it comes to facing Kansas, going into the game he has to account for the potential QB run game. Bean is not the prolific runner that Daniels is but the threat is there (think of the way OU uses Gabriel) so the safeties have to keep that threat in the back of their minds while also maintaining their assignment responsibility. Kansas will run some option looks, RPO looks, and straight-up power runs…which will all have some elements of the passing game incorporated as eye candy.
All the run support responsibilities that Bowman has in regard to the Kansas QB and running backs will only serve to make it all the more important that he tightens up his coverage in the passing game. He can do it, we know he can, we just need to see him play more fundamentally sound and assignment responsibly.
One on One Number Two
Oklahoma Running Back Gavin Sawchuk vs. Kansas Linebacker JB Brown
Look it comes down to this…at some point, you have to step up and you have to beat the man in front of you in one-on-one fashion. I am not talking about Sawchuk beating out Tawee Walker or Marcus Major, I am talking about Gavin Sawchuk stepping up and exerting his influence on the opposing team when he is given the opportunity.
Last week, in the second half against UCF, it feels like we saw the first real sparks from the OU running back room in regard to elevating their play to the level we all thought was not only possible but probable heading into the season.
JB Brown led the Jayhawks in tackles against an Oklahoma State team that ran the ball down their throats. He and his fellow backer, Rich Miller, are solid linebackers, but they are not All-Americans by any means.
The reason I am focusing on Sawchuk is simple, he has the most talent in the room in regard to the running backs we expect to see. Last week against UCF, he averaged 5 yards per carry after contact…that is the highest YAC number that any OU running back has produced this year.
We need to see more of that…running backs making people miss and running backs running through more would-be tacklers. Sawchuk has the skillset to do both.
The offensive line provided enough holes last week that should have resulted in a big day on the ground for the OU running game, the backs just were not in sync through the first half of the game and they were not running aggressively at all. Once Sawchuk started to get in a rhythm, he began to consistently rip off 6-7-8 yard gains and then OU finally popped a big run when he went 30 yards for the touchdown.
Time to see more of that. Run hard, run angry, and run with vision.
Reggie Powers Timeline
– Charlie S – Posted on: October 26, 2023
Sooners ’24 safety target Reggie Powers will announce his commitment to the school of his choosing on Saturday, October 28th.
On Sunday we noted that that ‘something could happen very soon here’ HERE.
“***Sounds like the visit to Oklahoma made a massive impression on Powers.
***So much so that sources around the Sooners tell us they feel very good about the possibility of adding him to the class despite already having three other safety prospects verbally committed.
***Source said ‘something could happen very soon here’ in regard to Powers.”
