The Football Brainiacs

One on One Review | Kent State
– Charlie S – Posted on: September 14, 2022

Let’s take a look at how things went with last week’s One on One’s | Kent State

For our first ‘One on One’ we had:

One on One Number One

OU Linebacker Danny Stutsman vs Kent State QB Collin Schlee

Heading into the matchup, I was very aware of Schlee’s ability to extend plays with his feet and with his style. I believed that Stutsman would have to play a large role in keeping him in check. I wrote:

‘Much like I expect the OU squad to make big strides this week following the first game, you expect Schlee and his group to clean things up and play a bit sharper. This will be a good test for the OU linebackers as they have a few mobile QBs coming up on the schedule.

I look for Stutsman to have a big day statistically.’

Stutsman went on to have the best game of his career as he recorded 12 tackles, 1 sack, and 4 tackles for loss.

Schlee was impressive in his efforts, but 55 yards rushing and 131 yards passing wasn’t nearly enough production for Kent State to be a threat to OU.

Chalk this up as a win for Stutsman and OU.

Our second ‘One on One’ was:

One on One Number Two

OU left offensive guard McKade Mettauer vs Kent State defensive lineman CJ West

OU was skunked for the first 28 minutes of the game.

The run game was non-existent and while it takes all parts working together to have a successful running attack, the blame always gets pointed back to the OL regardless of the realities of the situation.

However, the Sooners run game picked up and was dominant in the second half and he was very good in pass pro throughout the game (was OU’s highest rated PASS PRO OL this week at 84.6 according to PFF)

Mettauer was ‘OK’ throughout and while he had some off balance moments in the first half, he was solid (not spectacular) in the second half.

Call this one as ‘eeking out a victory’ for Mettauer and OU, just not in a super impressive fashion.

Last week I included a ‘Bonus One on One’:

Bonus One on One

OU Cheetah DaShaun White vs Voices from the Outside

While I cannot say if the outside noise affected White in any way, shape, or form, I can say that he looked largely the same as he did in week 1.

White played the second most amount of snaps defensively for the Sooners and he still looked like he was processing instead of playing instinctually and free for the most part.

I kind of understand what Ted Roof and Brent are doing with having White out there as they are leaning on his experience and knowledge more than his abilities in regard to what the Cheetah Position demands…but I just don’t see him as a difference maker in that spot.

The thing is, I’m not sure OU has the guy they need at that spot ready to go. Justin Harrington got more snaps this week as we had reported we heard he would, but that was as a DB on the field with White and while he had an interception, he also struggled in some facets.

Call this one a net loss for OU as White didn’t look like he took a step forward.

---

Know Your Opponent | Nebraska
– Charlie S – Posted on: September 14, 2022

Head Coach: Mickey Joseph (Interim HC, First Game)

Offensive Coordinator: Mark Whipple (1st year at Nebraska)

Defensive Coordinator: Eric Chinander (5th year at Nebraska)

This season: Nebraska is currently 1 – 2.

The Huskers lost to Northwestern 28-31 to open the season.

They beat North Dakota 38-17 in their second game.

Nebraska lost to Georgia Southern 42-45 last week.

Following the loss to Georgia Southern, the Cornhuskers relieved Scott Frost of his head coaching duties. He ended his Nebraska coaching career with a 16-31 mark.

Offense: The Huskers under Whipple run a pass-first offense which is intended to spread out the defense horizontally and vertically. The design of the offense is to use the pass to open the run. While the offense is not innovative, when run properly, it can be very effective particularly with the use of the TE’s as HB’s and pass catchers.

Key Players on Offense:

#11 QB Casey Thompson: 62 completions on 97 attempts which is a 63.9 completion percentage for 866 yards. He has thrown 4 touchdowns and 3 interceptions.

#10 RB Anthony Grant: 69 carries for 428 yards which is good for a 6.2 yard per carry average with 5 touchdowns.

#83 TE Travis Vokolek: 5 receptions for 63 yards which is good for a 12.6 yard per catch average.

#3 WR Trey Palmer: 18 receptions for 231 yards which is good for a 12.8 yard per catch average.

***Thompson has come out of the gates firing in the early portion of the Huskers games, but tends to fade during the second half. Sooners fans are familiar with the OU legacy as he torched them last season while playing for Texas in the RRS with 20 completions on 34 attempts for 388 yards and 5 touchdowns. Three hundred and eighty-eight yards and five touchdowns…yes, for those who choose to forget that, here is your reminder.

***The expected return of Vokolek who only played in the season opener is a big addition for the Huskers and he is a matchup nightmare for the Sooners as he is 6’7 and flashed good hands. He will likely be one of my One on One matchups this week.

***Grant is a steady back with good size and vision who can cause problems if left unchecked.

***Palmer came to Nebraska from LSU and he has led the Huskers receiving corp which also features a couple of other transfer in Marcus Washington (from Texas) and Omar Manning (from TCU/JUCO).

Offensive line:

#75 LT Teddy Prochazka – 6’10 320 – Jr.

#69 LG Turner Corcoran – 6’6 300 – So.

#75 C Trent Hixson – 6’4 305 – Sr.

#73 Broc Brando – 6’5 295 – Sr.

#54 Bryce Benhart – 6’9 315 – So.

Nebraska has a massive set of tackles on their offensive line and they are pretty experienced as the young sophomores beat out some older competition. With that said, while the tackles are large, the entire line is not great in pass pro and Prochazka in particular is susceptible to getting beat.

Overall, the Nebraska offense hasn’t been their major problem…they have had trouble executing in pressure situations, but they are potent.

Defense: The Huskers run a 3-4 scheme under Eric Chinander (although both of the EDGES can/will play standing or with hand in dirt) and in the offseason they added some pieces via the transfer portal including Ochaun Mathis from TCU, but that hasn’t really worked out to much success to this point. While Mathis has been good, as a unit, the defense has struggled mightily. I actually think Nebraska fans would have preffered Chinander to be let go over Frost if they were given the choice of losing only one of the two.

Key players on Defense:

#32 DE/OLB Ochaun Mathis: Started off slowly against Northwestern, but he has one of the two sacks for the huskers on the year and is playing soild defense

#6 CB Quinton Newsome: Newsome is their best cover corner and he has been solid against the run

#44 DE Garrett Nelson: The other guy who has recorded a sack for Nebraska, he thrives in getting pressure, but is a little susceptible against the run.

#8 S Myles Farmer: He has had a decent year in coverage and looks like the best safety the Huskers have right now.

Cutting to the chase, this is not a good defense. They currently rank 124th in the country in total defense and they have surrendered an average of 492 yards per game and 6.12 yards per play. They have only notched 2 sacks on the year.

One of the biggest things I noticed about them as I watched some of their film…the absolute atrocious play at LB which is not something you saw coming when thinking about this team in preseason.

#28 Luke Reimer has been bad and his running mate coming into the season, #42 nick Henrich missed the last two games. Mind you, Henrich was terrible against Northwestern so I’m not sure it was much of a net loss for Nebraska. He may be able to play this week but Reimer and Henrich certainly have lost some of the shine on them…which leads us to:

Nebraska is ranked 115 against the run as they allow an average of 207 yards per game and 5.65 yards per carry. Their passing defense is ranked 113th so their is no bright spot whatsoever at this time for the Nebraska defense.

Overall:

Personnel wise, this will still be the most talented team the Sooners have faced to this point in the season. Execution wise, particularly defensively for Nebraska, it is a mismatch in OU’s favor. Now we all know games are not played on paper and the Huskers will be on a high emotionally as they look to move on from Scott Frost, but emotion can only take you so far.

I could see this one being close early as I expect the Husker offense to have their moments. If OU can get out of the gate with their own offense firing, the Sooners should be able to match Nebraska at the very least early on until their defense can make the adjustments that likely will be needed in order for OU to stretch the lead out a bit. It will be very important for the OU offense to not have the first half they had against Kent State.

---

One on One’s | OU vs Nebraska 2022
– Charlie S – Posted on: September 15, 2022

This week the Sooners take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers in Lincoln!

For those of you who are joining us for the first time, this weekly piece will highlight two matchups in the upcoming game that are imperative for Oklahoma to win for them to be successful on the scoreboard when the clock hits 0:00.

Lots of excitement in Norman coming off a pair of dominant season-opening wins against UTEP and Kent State.

The Sooners will likely face a stiffer test this week as they take on their first power 5 program.

The Huskers are 1-2 and dismissed former head coach Scott Frost after a sloppy loss to Georgia Southern last week. Wide receiver coach Mickey Joseph has been named the interim head coach for Nebraska and you never know what direction a team will take when a coaching change occurs midseason.

Let’s take a look!

---

One on One Number One:

Oklahoma Offensive Tackle Wanya Morris ve Nebraska Defensive End Ochaun Mathis

The Sooners were expecting to roll Wanya Morris out as the starter at the right tackle position to start the ’22 season since the day the season ended last year and Tyrese Robinson left the program for a shot at the NFL.

Morris received high praise over the course of the spring and the summer from his coaches and his peers. Then, something funny happened on the way to game one and Wanya was not going to be able to play in the first two games of the year.

It is expected that he makes his first start this week, and while he has been practicing with the team, he has been with the scout team for the last 3 weeks or so. One of the chinks in the armor of the Sooners offensive line appears to be consistent communication among the offensive linemen. While Wanya was a designated starter, Tyler Guyton has taken his snaps (and done pretty well) over the first two games.

Morris, if he starts, will be facing what is currently the best part of a bad Nebraska defense in Ocahun Mathis (as well as Garrett Nelson).

Mathis is a really good athlete who brings a variety of pass rush moves along with good strength and plenty of speed to the field. While OU is familiar with him from his days at TCU, Wanya has not faced him.

In the small views we have gotten of Morris since arriving in Norman last year, he looked to be a bit heavy footed at times, which is not great when going against guys with speed as a weapon. Now, sources and coaches have spoken highly about him over the course of the spring, summer and fall camps, and I expect him to do well enough as he gets up to game speed, but getting there quickly will be imperative.

However, you can’t help but wonder if there will be some rust that takes a bit of time to get shaken off due to him being on the shelf for the first two weeks.

With the return of Morris and with OU having Robert Congel available and healthy again this week, you have to wonder what the rotation will look like and how quickly OU makes a move should the OL struggle early, whether at right tackle or elsewhere.

Mathis can bring it, as can Nelson, so I think this matchup is a good one to keep an eye on.

One on One Number Two:

Oklahoma Safety Billy Bowman vs Nebraska QB Casey Thompson

This one really could be Billy Bowman vs His Responsibilities as the Nebraska offense will be the biggest challenge in regard to scheme that Bowman has faced this year to this point.

Bowman has been outstanding. He has been really solid in run support and very good in coverage as he appears to be a turnover waiting to happen. His timing is getting better and better every week and so far, he absolutely looks like one of the Sooners best defenders.

The Nebraska offense, led by Thompson, puts safeties in conflict on pretty much every play. The Huskers use the pass game to open the run game and with OU playing a lot of zone early this year, Bowman is going to have to sort through his responsibilities quickly and decisively.

Thompson gets a big weapon back in TE Travis Vokolek who has been out for the past two games and he just adds to Bowman’s (and Key Lawrence/Justin Broiles/Damond Harmons) responsibilities. Vokolek gives Thompson a massive target in the middle of the field. He had a lot of success in the seams against Northwestern and Bowman and Company need to be able to keep him in front of them and punish him when he goes to make a reception.

Casey has a solid run game at his disposal as well and Anthony Grant is off to a great start this year. This is simply the most complete offense the Sooners and Bowman will have faced to this point and Casey has already shown he can light a defense up as all you have to do is look back to last year’s RRS as a reminder.

I like the way Billy is playing right now and much like last week with Danny Stutsman, I think this could be a big coming-out party for Bowman as I believe he will rise to the occasion and have a very impactful performance.

Bonus One on One:

Oklahoma vs The Nebraska Atmosphere

This is the Sooners first road trip of the year and what an environment it should be, at least early on.

The storied history between OU and Nebraska is not lost on their fans, who are among the best fans in college football.

They have been beaten down and held in check for the better part of the last decade, but each time there is a coaching change, hope springs eternal and I expect the crowd to be very, very emotional and loud to start the game.

This will be a challenge for the Sooners, particularly on offense as the noise could be a huge distraction.

It will be imperative for the Sooners to get off to a much better start offensively than they did last week as you don’t want to give a team that is certainly questioning themselves after starting the season 1-2 and having their coach fired any extra reason to believe.

The Sooners are still working to install the new offensive scheme and it is only game three, so things aren’t coming quite as naturally as you would hope yet, so they are going to have to battle the crowd noise and make sure they are all on the same page.

False starts, procedure penalties, and play clock issues are things that OU needs to avoid and the hope of the Nebraska crowd is that they make it difficult for Oklahoma and they have some small amount of success in disrupting them.