Open Post | Weekend, September 29th – October 1st
Posted on: September 29, 2023
Sunday Brunch | Skyline Chili Ain’t It
– Charlie S – Posted on: September 24, 2023
The Sooners went on the road for their Big 12 Conference play opener and defeated the Cincinnati Bearcats in their Big 12 debut by a score of 20-6!
Let’s face it, there is only one place to start when talking about yesterday’s performance and that is on the defensive side of the ball! OU held Cincinnati out of the endzone and they kept the vaunted Bearcat rushing attack to close to 100 yards under their season average. Coming into the game, the Bearcats averaged 239 yards on the ground and OU limited them to 141 yards.
Oklahoma was also very good on the money downs defensively. The Sooners held Cincinnati to 3-15 on third downs and only 1-4 on fourth down attempts. The Sooners limited their busts (can really only recall one bad missed coverage) and were very solid in tackling.
The front was able to apply pressure as OU recorded two sacks and they just missed on several others. The Sooners forced two turnovers as well as Key Lawrence and Billy Bowman pulled down interceptions.
So in all, the defense was disruptive and opportunistic, and they tackled well.
That brings me to the leader of the defense and that is Danny Stutsman who had another massive day for the Sooners against Cincinnati. Stutsman came into the game as the Big 12’s leading tackler and he only added to those stats as he racked up 13 tackles, added 1 sack and 3 tackles for loss to his totals. When a play needed to be made, Stutsman was the guy who was in the middle of the action. Danny now has 43 tackles on the year with 8 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and 1 interception which he returned for a touchdown. This kid is living his best life and it is fun to watch him play!
A couple other notable standouts on the defense? Welcome back to Dasan McCullough who logged 7 tackles in his return from injury and Jaren Kanak who notched 7 tackles of his own before going out late in the game with an injury. McCullough had one issue in coverage but he was stout in the run game and made several nice plays at the line of scrimmage while Kanak was playing a really complete game while also being in the Cincinnati backfield on multiple occasions.
Freshman PJ Adebawore really flashed and had another near sack but man, the more snaps this kid gets the better he looks! Jonah Laulu added some really good pressure from the interior throughout the day as the front did a good job disrupting Emory Jones while also keeping him largely contained in the run game.
One additional note on the defensive performance before we move on to the offense, the zone scheme was definitely tighter than we had seen in prior weeks and the safeties were very active. Makari Vickers and how quickly he triggers caught my eye and Key Lawrence is playing the best ball of his career in Norman through the early part of the season.
Now we turn to the offense.
Look, I made my thoughts on Dillon Gabriel clear following the SMU game. His performance against Cincinnati only further galvanized my thoughts. Simply put, Gabriel had too many unforced errors yesterday which is a common occurrence over his career in Norman when he has faced a defense with a pulse. Gabriel once again overthrew guys who were wide open which took 11 points off the board, he was hesitant or late with some of his throws, and he got away with a really poor decision when he tossed a lateral to nobody which thankfully rolled out of bounds. Dillon is not a bad guy, he is not a bad quarterback, he just limits what the Sooners can do offensively and is the common denominator in the equation when the OU offense struggles. In my opinion, his play limits what the OU offense does and what they could be.
Everyone wants to point fingers in every different direction for the offensive performance yesterday. In fairness, since the offense is a unit, and they need to work in conjunction and complement each other, yes there is blame to go around. But last year people actually tried to say the offensive line was poor… the same offensive line that sent two guys to the league in the first three rooms. This year the one room on offense who is actually rotating his players is the new guy, Emmett Jones at WR and those guys are having success. The running back room lost a 1,200-yard rusher and that room is having trouble getting up to speed. So not everything is working smoothly right now for sure.
However, the offensive line was not terrible against Cincinnati. They were very good in pass protection against a very good defensive front and they actually opened more lanes in the running game than the running back production will lead you to believe. We can talk about the running backs in a minute, but holes were there. No, they were not consistently blowing the Cincinnati DL off the line of scrimmage, but very few teams will do that to Cincinnati. However, when Pitt and Miami of Ohio score more points against a common foe like Cincinnati than OU does, you know something just isn’t quite right and if you don’t change anything, chances are the issues will stay the same.
When it comes to offensive personnel decisions like in the running back rotation, I don’t understand it, I won’t pretend to understand it and I have given up trying to understand it. Something is off there and it is obviously a coaching decision, at least it was yesterday as Sawchuk played in the game on special teams. No sign of Barnes, but we do not believe he was sidelined due to injury. The use of Stogner on third and medium or third and long makes no sense to me as he just doesn’t get targeted (and there are times he is wide open) and he has not been an effective blocker, so why not go with 5 wide or split your back out?
But the bottom line is, as long as Dillon Gabriel is the QB, you know what you are going to get and there is enough of a track record to take that to the bank. Gabriel is not a guy who will go out there and elevate the offense at this point in his tenure. It is what it is. I’m not gonna reiterate my call for Jackson Arnold as that is not in the cards from what we have seen. However, going forward, it would be best to adjust expectations to expect a tooth-and-nail game in the vast majority of Big 12 conference games because the past and present tell us that is what a Jeff Lebby offense which is run by Dillon Gabriel is going to get you when the Sooners play a team with any teeth defensively.
I do not believe that the OU offense that played against SMU and Cincy is likely to be sufficient to win in the Cotton Bowl in two weeks against Texas unless the defense absolutely shuts down Texas and keeps them under 17 points. I feel like the current iteration of the offense will result in multiple additional games being closer than they should be or outright losses. Hopefully, things will change and I can be pleasantly surprised.
With that said, let’s get back to the good food for this brunch, shall we?
As far as bright spots on the offense? How about Andrel Anthony putting up his second consecutive 100-yard game? Anthony was a spark for the OU offense and he made a tremendous catch on an underthrown deep ball at a crucial time for the Sooners. Andrel has been everything and more than our sources talked about in the offseason.
Nic Anderson is continuing to blossom in front of our eyes as he had 3 catches for 35 yards and a touchdown. Love to see his work begin to pay off! Drake Stoops hauled in 6 receptions of his own and Jayden Gibson had a key catch to keep the OU offense driving late in the game.
So right now, it looks like the Oklahoma defense is legit. That is an incredibly exciting turn of events and it has been a long time coming in Norman. There is a lot to be excited about and the hope is that they continue to grow and get deeper as the season goes on. You just hope that the offense doesn’t prevent the program as a whole from becoming one of the surprise teams in college football this year as the door to the playoffs appears to be wide open. If the Sooner’s defense continues to get better, you hope the offense finds some answers that help them become more dynamic and complementary to the defense. With no super team emerging in college football to this point this year, I guess I would be looking for any and every possible advantage I could gain with very little to lose.
I will leave you with this fun fact to wash down the brunch!
In four total games this season, the OU defense has allowed a combined total of 34 points.
In seven separate games during the 2022 season, the OU defense allowed more than 34 points.
Update | ’24 WR Bryant Wesco
– Charlie S – Posted on: September 25, 2023
Over the weekend several members of the community have asked about rumors surrounding ’24 Clemson Wide Receiver commit Bryant Wesco.
The hot rumor is that Wesco is planning a visit to Norman.
We cannot confirm that to be the case, and with how tight the Wesco camp keeps things and with him being committed to Clemson…unless something were to happen with his commitment status there really is nothing to talk about.
What we can tell you is that sources have indicated that Wesco has maintained communication with multiple schools behind the scenes and they would be ready to pursue should the opportunity arise.
Position Group Progress Report | ’23 Game 4: Cincinnati
– Charlie S – Posted on: September 25, 2023
Checking out how the position groups performed in the Sooners victory over Cincinnati. Coming into the game, OU was a big favorite over the Bearcats and they covered the game time spread (on some books).
This will be the fourth 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 Cincinnati.
QB: Low 3* (Last week 5*)
Dillon Gabriel had a good looking stat line as he was 26 for 38 for 322 yards and 1 touchdown.
He did not play well.
Both of the above statements can be true.
What he did well enough was manage the game and guide the offense to enough points to allow for the defense to carry the day.
What he did not do well was take care of the ball (fumble, lateral out of bounds, and multiple balls thrown into double and triple coverage).
The result of the game lifts his performance into 3* territory but he was just a couple of inches away on multiple occasions that would have plummeted his progress report.
Did not see Jackson Arnold at all.
RB: 3* (Last week Low 3*)
Marcus Major was this week’s designated featured back.
That is a troubling statement in and of itself as every week there is a new designated featured back.
Major was not bad, he was not great, just looked like an average back. He had 15 carries for 6 3yards which was good for 4.2 yards per carry with 19 of those yards coming on a 3rd and 19 play that was likely designed to just get OU some breathing room before they punted.
Major had a rough first quarter where the OL did their job and gave him an easy lane to a 1st down and likely a touchdown but poor footwork had him on his butt as he tried to make his cut, and he appeared to have a hand in missing a block on Gabriels fumble.
He caught the ball well out of the backfield with 2 receptions for 18 yards but overall it was just another average day at running back for Oklahoma.
WR/TE: 4* (Last week 5*)
Andrel Anthony (7 catches 115) and Drake Stoops (6 catches 45) lead the way for the Sooners receiving corps which had another impressive outing.
The Sooners had nine different players record receptions and Nic Anderson had the lone touchdown reception (3 catches 45 yards 1 TD).
Jalil Farooq had a couple of important receptions (2 for 45) and Jayden Gibson had a timely 21 yard reception.
I may have to start separating the WR/TE category as Austin Stogner, despite being wide open on multiple occasions is just a non-factor and dragging this group’s rating down with some poor blocking.
Another good week for this group which was a major concern heading into the season.
OL: 3* (Last week 4*)
If they didn’t give up the sacks and take two penalties, I would have had this group with a 4* ranking as they were better than people wanted to portray.
Troy Everett was making his first start at guard and he represented himself well enough throughout most of the game against a very difficult opponent.
The tackles were very good in both pass pro and the run game while Andrew Raym did get bullied a couple of times, but overall he stood up to a decent challenge pretty well.
The OL did provide running lanes, but as we have discussed their timing and cohesiveness with the QB and the RBs is not up to speed yet and that is a concern for the entire offense. The fact of the matter is, the OL cannot hold running lanes open for 5 seconds at a clip, it just does not work that way and they are opening holes, but the timing of the offense is off. The OL, RB, and QB all share in that responsibility.
They played very physically and did a really good job in pass pro against one of the better defensive lines they will face this season.
Cayden Green and Everett both drew the penalties and that is another area that needs to be cleaned up.
DL: High 4* (Last week 5*)
Really liked what we saw from this group and the stats did not tell the full story.
Felt like we saw Rondell Bothroyd and Isaiah Coe make a big step up in their play here and Jonah Laulu was very disruptive throughout the day as well!
PJ Adebawore is a menace and he is only getting better from snap to snap on the EDGE while Reggie Grimes had a huge play which was really nice to see for him as he keeps plugging along.
Jacob Lacey and DaJon Terry did really nice work in limiting the Cincinnati ground attack as well and Marcus Stripling was really active coming off the EDGE during his snaps.
Really solid outing for the group and the rotations are paying off as guys like Jordan Kelley and Ethan Downs also had their moments. Overall they were very disruptive and allowed for Oklahoma to get plenty of pressure which resulted in 7.5 tackles for loss.
LB: High 4* (Last week High 4*)
Danny Stutsman out there doing Danny Stutsman things and boy has this start to his season been fun to watch.
Stutsman came into the game leading the Big 12 in tackles and he added 13 more to his total along with another sack and 3.5 tackles for loss. He is playing so freely and instinctually that he appears to know the play before the offense runs it on many occasions.
I felt like Jaren Kanak, who got absolutely banged by PFF, was having one of his best games as a Sooner before he got hurt. It looked like the light has come on and he was all over the field with pressure and taking better angles. He missed a couple tackles late, but you have to wonder if the injury was having an impact at that point. I strongly disagree with PFFs take on this one.
Then you look at Kip Lewis who came in to replace Kanak and all that dude does is find the ball carrier and make tackles. In his 15 snaps he had 4 tackles and was around the ball on the majority of his reps. Really nice performance by this group once again.
Cheetah: 4* (Last week 3*)
I thought Dasan McCullough was great in his return to action.
Yeah he got caught looking in the backfield on a wheel route, but that was the only blown coverage I saw out of him on the day and he actually had a couple of nice reps in coverage as the game went on.
This dude is so long, twitchy and rangy, he was a real asset in defending the run for Oklahoma. If this is considered the start to his career, and he develops throughout the season, man he has a high ceiling.
Kendel Dolby and Peyton Bowen got run at the Cheetah as well, and they did some nice work there. Nice to see Dolby find another way to get on the field in Justin Harrington’s absence.
DB: 5* (Last week 4*)
Key Lawrence…playing the best ball of his career had a big pick.
Billy Bowman…got the big pick of his own and looked much better and more comfortable throughout the game.
Gentry Williams…had a nitpicky PI call go against him but stayed aggressive and solid all night.
Kani Walker…just out there living his best life and making an impact.
Makari Vickers comes in for 3 snaps and he stands out with how quickly he triggers and makes a beautiful open field tackle.
Peyton Bowen…didn’t have the flashiest of days but made his presence felt with some key plays and support in the run game.
The one guy we still don’t hear much from on gameday? Woodi Washington…and that’s a good thing as that means he is doing his job and the offenses are staying away from him.
Really nice job by the backend.
ST: 2* (Last week 3*)
Made all the kicks.
Kickoffs were good.
Punting was garbage.
No big plays…2* ranking.
Time to Get Some Rest? | Tackling
– Charlie S – Posted on: September 26, 2023
The OU defense has been markedly improved this year through the first four games.
They have been doing everything better, and we will talk about what is making them better here shortly, but one of the things they have been doing very well, for the most part, is basic football…they have been tackling better.
With that in mind, I did want to point out that while the tackling started out much better (11 missed tackles through the first two games), the last two games have shown a couple of cracks in the armor as OU missed 13 tackles against Tulsa and followed that up by missing 15 against Cincinnati.
I am not sounding the alarm bells just yet, but it is something I am keeping my eyes on.
Against Cincinnati, Jaren Kanak was charged with 4 missed tackles, and Danny Stutsman was charged with 2 missed tackles out of the Sooner’s 15 total missed tackles.
Danny Stutsman and Jaren Kanak also play the vast majority of snaps defensively, could we be seeing some wear and tear on them?
Stutsman has played 227 of the Sooners 289 defensive snaps (79%) and Kanak has played 218 of them (75%).
I have no concerns about how those two are playing, as I stated in the Progress Report this week, I actually thought Kanak played his best game prior to the injury, and some of those missed tackles are ticky tack misses. For instance, Kanak missed by mere inches on a couple of sacks which still forced the QB to move and in one of the instances OU did pick up the sack. So while he was charged with a missed tackle, he actually had a positive impact on the play.
Danny has been lights out and leads the conference in tackles and he is not causing issues with missed tackles at this time.
Just a bit concerned with their work load, and Brent Venables himself has noted that he needs to be better with rotation.
I’m not overly concerned with the entirety of the missed tackles from the Cincy game as Gentry was the only other player with 2 misses, and the rest of the guys all had 1, so it’s not something that is alarming as I noted above, but it is something to begin to keep an eye on.
Feels like this weekend could be a good game to get those two guys, in particular, some rest and allow them to recharge their batteries as Iowa State is a bit offensively challenged and Kip Lewis and Kobie Mckinzie are fresh and ready to roll.
Weapons Within the Scheme
– Super K – Posted on: September 26, 2023
For years I’ve talked about the fact that to be a successful defense you need a mastermind who can build out the right game plan and call on the day. But you also need individual weapons on the chess board.
The complaint I’ve had has been that for OU, even when the plan are the calls were right, the Sooners were lacking that individual development. The defensive linemen couldn’t separate, the DBs couldn’t cover, the team couldn’t tackle, etc.
We all know that Brent is a heck of an X’s and O’s guy and he’s going to call a good defense.
But what’s been really impressive is the individual weapons on the field. Not only is Brent putting them in position to pick off the ball, but the players are actually completing the interception. Not only is Brent put them in position to make the tackle, but they’re getting off blocks and then making the tackle. And what tackle (missed tackle) stats won’t tell you is how many guys are around the ball. If the first guy doesn’t bring a guy down, but there are two or three others helping out, the net impact is the same – limited yards additional yards.
It’s not just that Brent is correctly using the pieces on the board, he’s given them the sword and the shield and they know how to wield them.
Every defense has lapses and I suspect we will see a game where the defense will struggle (Kansas is the one I’d keep an eye on) but I think generally, you are going to continue to see this defense play well. And, I think the reason for that is because Brent and co seemed to have developed actual individual ability that just wasn’t there for years.
Sourced Update | ’24 Defensive Back
– Charlie S – Posted on: September 27, 2023
As you may or may not know, last week, the Sooners extended an offer to ’24 safety Reggie Powers (6’1 200) out of Dayton, Ohio.
At the time of the offer, Powers was committed to Michigan State and yesterday he publicly announced his decommitment.
In speaking with sources, while the timing of OU offer and the decommitment looks like an easy puzzle to connect the pieces on, Powers was heading towards a separation with the embattled Michigan State program regardless.
OU is working to get Powers on campus for a visit and they are very interested in him and they will be very aggressive in their pursuit.
As of this time, we have not received word of a visit being locked in, but source believes it is a matter of ‘when’ and not ‘if’ a visit to Norman takes place.
The Sooners currently have two safety prospects committed in Jaydan Hardy and Mykel Patterson McDonald and they are looking to add at least one more.
The Sooners have been pursuing Michael Boganowski for a long time, but that recruitment still appears to be stuck in the mud between OU and Kansas State with KSU holding the geographic advantage. I would have this one at 50/50 at best and if I had to make a call, I would have him leaning to Kansas State at this point, but I am not ready to put a trending pick in either way.
We will keep tabs on Powers and when the visit gets set, we will pass it along. For what it’s worth, I really like Powers as a safety prospect as he is a physical guy with good speed and a great frame who could play multiple positions on the backend for Oklahoma.
The Latest | Offensive Line Recruiting Update
– Charlie S – Posted on: September 27, 2023
Wanted to pass along the latest that Super K, James, and I have gathered on the offensive line recruiting for the ’24 class..
***Currently the Sooners have Eugene Brooks, Isaiah Autry, and Josh Aisosa verbally committed.
***As you know, we have had Daniel Akinkunmi (6’4.5 310) out of London England trending to Oklahoma for quite some time since he visited, and I’ll just add this little number to the status of that recruitment just in case people haven’t been catching what we’ve been throwing…
***In regard to Eddy Pierre Louis, (6’3 335) out of Tampa, FL, we have some conflicting intel.
Sources in Norman, as recently as this morning, have conveyed a significant level of confidence that Oklahoma is in a very good spot for him.
However, a source we spoke with yesterday in Florida who is close to EPL continues to maintain their belief that UCF is currently in the driver’s seat.
So, with Eddy, right now, it depends on which side of the story you want to cast your lot with, but it is notable that sources in Norman are confident in their chances.
***As for Grant Brix (6’5.5 280) out of Logan, Iowa, our sources around Norman are in the dark as much as everyone else is. Source said “I have no idea at this point’ and I think that is likely the sentiment for most people associated with his recruitment.
Source at Nebraska likes where they are at, but they have not been told anything in regard to him being a lock for Nebraska nor does anyone over there have a timeline for a decision. I know there are also rumors of KSU being involved once again, but our guys out that way do not necessarily believe that to be the case and they think it is down to OU and Nebraska.
I have had Nebraska in front by a slight margin for a while now, and I am still in that same spot.
One On One’s | Oklahoma vs Iowa State – 2023
– Charlie S – Posted on: September 28, 2023
This week the Sooners are set for their Big 12 conference home opener as they host Iowa State for a night game on Saturday!
The Sooners are coming off a 20-6 conference opening win over Cincinnati to push their record to 4-0 on the year.
Iowa State is 2-2 on the year and 1-0 in conference as they are coming off a win against Oklahoma State.
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 Cheetah Dasan McCullough vs. Iowa State Tight End Benjamin Brahmer
Dasan McCullough made his return to the Sooners lineup last week against Cincinnati and it could really have been considered his debut.
McCullough played a really solid game, particularly when it came to defending the run, as he recorded seven tackles throughout the contest. McCullough did get lost in coverage however which resulted in one of Cincinnati’s biggest offensive plays of the day so it will be interesting to see him work against Brahmer (leading receiving TE for ISU) and the other tight ends for the Cyclones.
Brahmer is a true freshman. He is 6’7 240 and moves like a typical Iowa State Tight End. Nothing fancy, just uses his measurables to his advantage and is good at finding the soft spots and open areas in the zone. Easton Dean is a 6’6 senior who Iowa State will also use in the passing game and Stevo Klotz at 6’4 is used primarily out of the backfield or in a blocking situations.
Can I just say…how nice is it to have a guy that is Dasan McCullough’s size attempting to cover the Iowa State tight ends rather than say…Bookie? I’ll take some of the growing pains.
Iowa State is on the struggle bus when it comes to running the football (which is really what they want to do) right now so they will likely look to establish a quick passing game. They have always used their tight ends well and I expect them to target them on seam routes, quick comebacks, and slants over the middle.
McCullough will be spelled by some cover guys like Peyton Bowen and Kendel Dolby, but he will get ample opportunity to work on his coverage game on Saturday night. If McCullough can hold up and remain in phase in coverage, it will go a long way in taking away another option of the Iowa State offense and he may even be in a position to get his hands on some balls.
One on One Number Two
Oklahoma Wide Receiver Andrel Anthony vs. Iowa State Cornerback T.J. Tampa
The Sooners came into the year looking for a go-to wide receiver after losing Marvin mims to the NFL draft and through four games, Andrel Anthony has been all they could ask for.
Not only has Anthony been a consistent deep threat, but he has also been a security blanket for Dillon Gabriel as he is typically targeted early and often in the game to get the chains moving for the OU offense. Anthony leads the team with 21 receptions and 371 yards and once he gets going, he opens up space for the rest of the Sooners receiving corps.
T.J. Tampa is a big, physical corner at 6’2 200 and he shares the Iowa State team lead in passes defended while also having one interception to his credit in the early part of the year.
While the three-deep safety looks that Iowa State rolls out there is designed to limit the deep opportunities for Oklahoma, if Anthony can consistently get open and complete some catches, it will draw some attention from the safety group which will loosen up the spacing for the rest of the OU attack.
Look for OU to stick with the plan and try to get Anthony involved early on while Tampa will do his best to limit the results there and potentially get his hands on some balls with his combination of size and anticipation.
Bonus One on One
Oklahoma Running Backs vs. Oklahoma Offensive Line
This is it.
This is the last tuneup before the Sooners and Longhorns meet in the Cotton Bowl.
To this point of the season, one of the perceived strengths of the OU offense in the preseason, the running game, has been anything but a strength.
To put it bluntly…while the Sooners running game has not been hot garbage for most of the year, it has not been up to Oklahoma run game standards. With that said, there have been flashes of what could be from both the running backs and the offensive line.
They just have not been able to put it together and be ‘good’ at the same time with any consistency.
Now is the time for the running game to find some semblance of consistency and it starts with the Running Backs and Offensive Line finding some cohesiveness and working in conjunction with each other.
If the Sooners cannot find something in the running game this week, they are potentially setting themselves up for long day in the Cotton Bowl as a one dimensional offense.
Know Your Opponent | Iowa State – 2023
– Charlie S – Posted on: September 28, 2023
Head Coach – Matt Campbell (8th season at ISU)
Offensive Coordinator – Nate Scheelhaase (1st season as OC at ISU)
Defensive Coordinator – Jon Heacock (8th season at ISU)
Iowa State is 2-2 on the season with wins over Northern Iowa (30-9) and Oklahoma State (34-27). They have lost to Iowa (13-20) and Ohio (7-10).
On offense…
Iowa State is a team that wants to control the game by running the ball and using the intermediate passing game with their receivers and tight ends, but they really are not in a position to do that right now with their personnel which was impacted by a gambling scandal and a leaky offensive line.
QB #3 Rocco Becht
RB #5 Cartevious Norton
– Becht is a redshirt freshman who stepped in for Hunter Dekkers who (allegedly) spent to much time wagering on college football and no longer has the ability to play for Iowa State.
– On the season, Becht is 77 for 119 for 897 yards with 7 TDs and 3 interceptions. A good chunk of his stats came from the OkState game where he was 27 of 38 for 348 yards and 3 TDs. I think the TFBASFBT could have success against OkState, but thats a still a nice line for Becht.
– Norton is the leading ball carrier for ISU with 43 carries for 126 which is good for 2.9 YPC. His YPC average is exactly what ISU averages as a team, they have not been efficient at running the ball.
The receiving corps took a hit with the loss of Xavier Hutchinson and his 107-catch season in 2022, but most of their other guys are back. They added one big piece in the portal in Jayden Higgins from Eastern Kentucky.
WR #9 Jayden Higgins
WR #85 Aidan Bitter
WR #13 Jaylin Noel
TE #18 Benjamin Brahmer
– Noel leads the team with 20 receptions on the year while Higgins has 13 catches of his own.
– Iowa State likes to run a lot of two tight end sets and Brahmer, who is a true freshman, has been a nice surprise for them as he is their leading pass catcher at TE with 11 receptions.
– ISU also has a couple other seasoned TEs #87 Easton Dean and TE #49 Stevo Klotz who they will use quite often.
The offensive line is a seasoned group. They have been a bit better in pass protection as they have only allowed one sack on the year, but they give up a ton of pressure, particularly at the tackle spots. They aren’t very effective at all in the run game either.
LT #75 James Neal
LG #54 Jarrod Hufford
OC #63 Jim Bonifas
RB #55 Darrell Simmons Jr
RT #66 Tyler Miller
– Hufford is the best overall offensive lineman they have and Simmons has come on and taken time from Grant Treiber at his guard spot.
– Expect Oklahoma to spend a lot of time in the backfield and Iowa State will use a lot of quick throws in an effort to keep Becht upright.
On defense…
The Cyclones run a three high safety defense to great success…ask Lincoln Riley. The extra safety lines up about 8-9 yards off the line of scrimmage in the middle of the field and serves as a linebacker on running plays and another defensive back on passing plays and it creates that ‘umbrella’ effect that people refer to when you take the corners into consideration.
The three high safety defense has been a staple in Ames since Heacock came on board and it has limited the explosive OU offense to over 40 points (42 in 2019) only once during his tenure.
OU has scored 27-28-27 against the Cyclones over the last three years respectively which were all Sooner wins, but gritty and ugly wins at that.
DE #11 Tyler Onyedim
NT #95 Dominique Orange
DT #56 J.R. Singleton
– Let’s face it, Iowa State didn’t get better by losing the 15th pick of the draft in Will McDonald along with the other top three sackers on the defensive line.
– They did keep their interior defenders, and while they have seven sacks on the year, five of those sacks have come from the backend of the defense and the linebackers with only two defensive line sacks.
LB #44 Jacob Ellis
LB # 50 Caleb BaconSLB
LB #14 Carson Willich
– The linebackers are okay and they have about four that they rotate rather frequently.
– Bacon and Ellis have been the most productive thus far on the year as Bacon has 17 tackles and 2 sacks while Ellis has 13 tackles.
The defensive backfield is a solid bunch, one of the better groups in the conference. So far they have picked off five passes and including one pick six.
CB #5 Myles Purchase
MS #17 Beau Freyler
BS #7 Malik Verdon
FS #4 Jeremiah Cooper
CB #2 T.J. Tampa
– Cooper leads the team with three picks from his free safety spot and he is a true ballhawk who roams the secondary and makes good breaks on the ball.
– T.J. Tampa is a big corner who is one of the better corners in the league and Myles Purchase is quite stout on the other side as well. Realy solid group of defensive backs.
Overall thoughts…
– OU comes into the game as a big favorite, around 20 points depending on the line you choose to look at. Feels like that is a pretty fair starting point whether you believe it will be a 28-6 type of game or a 45-20 sort of affair.
– But…there is some danger built in here as that ISU defense, particularly the backend, is legit and has a consistent track record of keeping the OU offenses in check to the tune of averaging around 28 points per game. Yes, I know they gave up 27 last week to a pretty horrid OkState offense, but the OU offense hasn’t been lighting it up against ‘solid’ opponents who had a defensive pulse, so this could be tough sledding at times. Do not underestimate the ISU defense.
– Did the Iowa State offense find something by throwing the ball around 38 times and finding some success through the air? We will find out if that is the plan of attack they will employ as they still struggled to run the ball against the Pokes (2.2 YPC average which is down from their already weak 2.9 YPC average on the season).
– The interior of the OU offensive line will face a couple of quality players here so it would be nice to see them step up their game and help the OU running game get into gear…it would also be nice to see the RBs at OU perform at a higher level and work in conjunction with their blockers a bit more efficiently.
– ISU will make it tough to take the top off their defense as they always do so Gabriel will need to take what they give him in the pass game which means using the entire field on quick slants and underneath stuff. He needs to be accurate as the three safety look is just looking for opportunities to create the turnovers they crave.
– Iowa State comes into the game allowing an average of 115 yards on the ground (46th) and 177 yards through the air (22nd).
– I like OU in this one, but I do not see it as a high-scoring affair and if they do cover, it will likely be because the defense held the ISU offense in check. If ISU can generate some plays in the passing game, they may keep it closer than expected and give OU and the fans a bit of some anxiety as it could be some tough sledding for the OU offense against a good ISU defense.
Visitor List | Iowa State
– Charlie S – Posted on: September 29, 2023
Earlier in the week we posted some notable visitors heading to OU this weekend HERE:
“The Sooners will be hosting one official visitor this week in ’24 tight end commit Davon Mitchell.
’24 OL Jordan Seaton publicly had OU on his schedule for a visit this week, but James told me earlier today that OU was not expecting him and now a National Rivals writer confirms as much.
’24 DL commit David Stone and his IMG teammate and fellow OU commit ’24 DL Jayden Jackson are planning on being in Norman.
’25 wide receiver Andrew Marsh is planning on being in town as well.”
In the comment section of the Notable Visitors Thread, I noted that OU was expecting a bunch of ’24 and ’25 commits in along with some other regional prospects:
’24 Commits
OL Isaiah Autry
ATH Andy Bass
DB Eli Bowen
QB Michael Hawkins
WR Zion Kearney
DB Mykel Patterson-McDonald
RB Xavier Robinson
RB Taylor Tatum
’25 prospects and commits
RB Tory Blaylock – Humble, TX
ATH Royal Capell – Cibolo, TX
DT Ka’Mori Moore – OU Commit
WR Jaden Nickens – OU Commit
RB Tiger Riden – Desoto, TX
DL Landon Rink – Cypress, TX
DB Devin Sanchez – Houston, TX
QB Kevin Sperry – OU Commit
WR Elijah Thomas – OU Commit
