Weekend Open Post | October 17th – 19th
Posted on: October 17, 2025
Sunday Brunch | All the Cracks Get Exposed
– Charlie S – Posted on: October 12, 2025
There’s losing to Texas, and then there’s whatever that was in Dallas.
A 23–6 thud that left Oklahoma fans walking out of the Cotton Bowl with that hollow, now too-familiar feeling. Not just beaten, but exposed. This wasn’t a case of bad luck or one or two bounces going the wrong way. This was a mirror held up to the Sooners, and the reflection wasn’t pretty.
Let’s be honest, it starts in the trenches. OU’s offensive line, once a source of pride, got pushed around for four quarters. Thirty rushes. Forty-eight yards. That’s not Oklahoma football. That’s waving a white flag at the line of scrimmage. When your already injured quarterback is running for his life and your backs are getting tackled in the backfield, you’re not in control of anything.
And then came the turnovers, all three of them, each one more back-breaking than the last. The worst might’ve been that interception just before halftime, when OU had a chance to grab momentum and extend their lead. Instead, it became the defining image of the afternoon…a Sooners offense trying to make something happen, only to throw it away. That wasn’t just bad execution. That was a lack of composure.
The coaching staff deserves heat, too. Texas made sharp, smart halftime adjustments. Oklahoma didn’t. The third quarter was a slow bleed that had the Longhorns converting third downs (something they have been terrible at this season) at an otherworldly clip (7-7 at one point). OU’s defense was quite literally stuck on the field, and the offense barely touched the ball in the third quarter. By the time the punt return touchdown hit in the fourth quarter, the game wasn’t just out of reach. It was over in spirit.
And that’s maybe the scariest part, the Sooners didn’t look like a team ready to punch back. The toughness, the swagger, the fight that’s defined OU football at its best just wasn’t there Saturday.
Venables’ defense has appeared to be championship-caliber, but even that unit cracked. You would expect that under the strain of a broken offense and endless short fields, but yesterday was different. From the start of the third quarter, the Texas offense would not be stopped as they ripped off a 7+ minute drive to open the half and closed the quarter with another 6-minute drive. You do the math…Texas had the ball for all but 1:28 of the third quarter. You can’t win big-time games when one side of the ball is dragging the other uphill all day and you’re in freefall when neither side is doing the pulling.
So yes, the alarms should be blaring in Norman. The run game is broken. The protection is shaky. The offense has lost its identity. Special teams miscues? Just an insult to injury.
The good news, if you’re looking for any, is that every one of these issues is fixable. But they’ll take humility and hard work, not excuses. OU’s margin for error is gone, and the rest of the SEC has the blueprint. Texas was able to expose each and every crack that the Sooners have and the rest of the league will simply take advantage and expand all of them.
For the Sooners, this Red River wasn’t just a loss. It was a message. If they don’t make the necessary adjustments, the next few Saturdays could feel a lot like this one.
Position Group Progress Report | Game Five: Texas
– Charlie S – Posted on: October 13, 2025
Checking out how the position groups performed in the Sooners’ 23-6 loss to Texas.
Oklahoma was a slight underdog at kickoff time, and Texas covered the spread.
This will be the sixth progress report of the season. I will include the previous week’s ranking (preseason ranking in this case) at the top of each position group’s report in all subsequent progress reports!
Let’s see how things shook out against Texas.
QB: Nebula (Last week: 2*)
RB: Nebula (Last week: 3*)
WR: Nebula (Last week: 3*)
TE: Nebula (Last week: 2*)
OL: Nebula (Last week: 1*)
A nebula is a large cloud of interstellar dust and gas, acting as a cosmic “nursery” where new stars are born or a graveyard for dying stars. These vast, often colorful clouds can form from the leftover material from a star’s death, like a supernova, or from cold clouds of gas and dust that collapse to form new stars.
There were no stars to be had for the OU offense on this day.
Not one.
DT: 3* (Last week: 5*)
Certainly not the performance we had come to expect. Things went pretty much to script through the first half, but the lack of offense from OU to help keep them fresh and the inability of the defense to get off the field at all in the 3rd quarter had its impact.
Thought Stone, Halton, and Damonic Williams played well throughout the day, but Jayden Jackson had a rough game.
EDGE: 3* (Last week: 5*)
These guys had their moments, but again, the third quarter really needed someone to step up and make a play. Instead, the EDGE room had some issues maintaining their assignments and had a few missed tackles.
Not horrible by any means, just not a big day.
LB: 3* (Last week: 3*)
Tough to balance this grade off the rip, but I thought Kendal Daniels was the brightest spot on a rather dull day for the OU defense.
I went between feeling like, as a group, they were good, to feeling like they were pretty ‘meh’ on the day.
CB: 4* (Last week: 3*)
This is the only room that I felt played better than what I expected them to do coming into the game. Gentry really did some nice work on the quick game, and Eli Bowen played the most snaps of any defender on the day. Also thought Courtland Guillory played well in his opportunity.
S: 1* (Last week: 4*)
Tough sledding here as I felt like Peyton Bowen was right there with Kendal Daniels as the best defenders for OU on the day, but that really got negated by what very well may have been the worst performance of Robert Spears Jennings’ career. I have no idea what he was doing out there, and I was pretty shocked that the Sooners staff just kept running him out there.
ST: 3* (Last week: 5*)
Can’t really ding them for the punt return, as it was pretty apparent that there were multiple penalties on the play.
Aside from that, it was a pretty bland day for the special teams and that was not great for the Sooners as coming into the game, it felt like they had a substantial advantage here and they just did not take advantage of it.
Revisiting the Talent Question
– Super K – Posted on: October 13, 2025
During the off-season, I noted over and over that while the Sooners have lacked NFL talent the past few years under BV, this year is different.
I wrote on multiple occasions that there is NFL talent on both sides of the ball which lead me to also opine that this team has the talent – on paper – to make a 10-2 type run, this season.
You’ll recall my pre-season prediction was as follows (HERE):
As far as OU’s current conference, I think a lot of folks like LSU and that is probably the safe bet. However, I have heard that there are already some back door discussions between LSU and agents in case this season doesn’t go as planned. So, perhaps there isn’t as much confidence around the program as their roster would point to.
I like Alabama’s talent and I think their HC will have their QB ready but it might be a bumpy start.
I think the safe bet here remains UGA. OU is the dark horse. They have the talent to win it but I’m not predicting they will.
***Now for OU…
Like most of you, I’ve been thinking about this for months. And I’ve been pretty vocal about how much I like OU’s roster.
But this is the SEC and as I dug into the rosters of OU’s opponents, I realized, there is no easy lunch here.
LSU and Alabama probably have better rosters by a bit. But OU has the more seasoned QB when as compared to Alabama.
Tennessee lost their up and coming QB and I think their talent overall is down.
Auburn is scarier than I think folks are reckoning. That offensive line could completely nullify OU’s DL.
South Carolina is going to play defense like all the SEC teams can, but they’ve got a seasoned QB.
I could go on and on. Bottom line is, outside of three games, OU has no easy wins. This just isn’t the Big 12.
Even sources inside OU believe they’re going to have to win a lot of close games.
My problem with that is upgrades OU made at OC and QB might not quite be ready to win those close games. Why?
This is a big step up in competition for both of them. One source described Mateer as Baker Mayfield in year one at OU. While that’s very good, that still means there are some growing pains to be had.
Last year my prediction was a boom or bust season. But, I had my floor too high. I had the floor at 7-5.
I think both the ceiling and the floor are higher this year. So I think my ceiling is now 10-2. I think my floor stays at 7-5, but that’s up from last year’s results.
I’ll be honest, though, I’m leaning more in the direction of the floor than the ceiling.
***So far, not all of the above predictions are playing out but a lot certainly are.
What I want to note here in particular is it’s clear my estimation of the roster on the defensive side of the ball was very right. There is a lot of NFL talent on the defensive side of the ball. And I don’t care if the Sooners go 10-2 or 7-5, that will remain the case.
But my estimation of the roster on the offensive of the side of the ball simply does not appear correct.
I was predicting that they’d have at least have draft picks in Mateer, Ott, Burks, maybe an OL or two end up draftable and maybe Javonnie Gibson, as well.
How have things actually turned out? Let’s take a look…
On the OL: Derek Simmons, Troy Everett, Jacob Sexton, Logan Howland, and Jake Taylor are all injured.
At WR: Burks hasn’t made enough impact to really live up to his pre-season draftable stock. Javonnie Gibson has been injured.
At RB: Ott does not look like an NFL back.
At TE: There has been a pleasant surprise with Kanak but an NFL draft pick? Can’t say that, yet.
At QB: Mateer got injured and has had, as we thought he might, some growing pains adjusting to the competition. And Michael Hawkins looks fairly similar to last year’s Michael Hawkins.
So, while there appeared to be a massive upgrade in talent, the way things have played out, it’s starting to look like that upgrade wasn’t as big as expected.
The OC makes the calls. The OC builds the structure of the offense. But the position coaches have to give him NFL talent to wield as he attempts to attack the defense.
This continues to be an issue for the Sooners under BV’s tenure.
Let’s look back at the NFL draft picks under BV’s tenure and under each position coach…
Offensive Line (Draft 2023-2025)
Anton Harrison – 1st round
Wanya Morris – 3rd round
Tyler Guyton – 1st round
Walter Rouse – 6th round
Wide Receiver (Draft 2023-2025)
Marvin Mims – 2nd round
Keep in mind, however, that Jones wasn’t the coach when Mims was here. So, if the Sooners don’t get a WR draft this year, that’ll be three straight years without an NFL draft pick at the WR position. In a league with the best defensive backs in the country, that’s a tough proposition for any OC.
Running Backs (Draft 2023-2025)
Eric Gray – 5th round
Tight End (Draft 2023-2025)
Brayden Willis – 7th round
Quarterback (Draft 2023-2025)
Maybe Dillon Gabriel counts
You have to give your OC NFL talent to work with. And there simply hasn’t been enough of it at Oklahoma.
Unfortunately, it looks like that trend continues this year and could remain an obstacle for the Sooners in reaching their goals. Perhaps Arbuckle can figure out how to make the best of things, but it’s a tough league to rely purely on scheme and strategy.
Sourced Note | On the Hand
– Charlie S – Posted on: October 13, 2025
Ok, we have spoken to a couple of different sources on this, and here is what we have…
Sources tell us that John Mateer’s right hand was not 100% on Saturday, as you would expect (kind of common sense, but we have to pass along what sources tell us). Mostly, as we reported throughout the week, his grip strength is not fully back.
The good news is that sources tell us he did not suffer any setbacks in the game against Texas, and his hand is expected to get better each week.
Obviously, we do not know percentages or any timeline for when 100% is expected. He should be a full go in practices this week.
Redshirt Tracker | 2025 Class
– Charlie S – Posted on: October 14, 2025
Taking a look at the updated redshirt status for the class of ’25 at Oklahoma.
A player is allowed to participate in four games without losing their opportunity to redshirt.
Players who play 4 games during the regular season will also be allowed to participate in the bowl game without losing their ability to redshirt.
Offense:
QB Jett Niu – 1 game played – Redshirt eligible
RB Tory Blaylock – 6 games played – No redshirt
WR Emmanuel Choice – 3 games played – Redshirt eligible
WR Elijah Thomas – 6 games played – No redshirt
OL Darius Afalava – 0 games played – Redshirt eligible
OL Michael Fasusi – 4 games played – At redshirt limit (will not redshirt)
OL Ryan Fodje – 6 games played – No redshirt
OL Owen Hollenbeck – 0 games played – Redshirt eligible
Defense
DL CJ Nickson – 0 games played – Redshirt eligible
DL Trent Wilson – 2 games played – Redshirt eligible
EDGE Alex Shieldnight – 1 game played – Redshirt eligible
LB Marcus James – 1 game played – Redshirt eligible
CB Courtland Guillory – 6 games played – No redshirt
CB Trystan Haynes – 1 game played – Redshirt eligible
CB Maliek Hawkins – 2 games played – Redshirt eligible
DB Omarion Robinson – 4 games played – At redshirt limit
DB Marcus Wimberly – 0 games played – Redshirt eligible
Toughest Remaining Games
– Super K – Posted on: October 14, 2025
The Sooners still control their destiny. But they have a heck of a gauntlet to get through.
There isn’t an easy win left on their schedule.
I’m sure folks have different takes on which remaining opponents could pose the most difficult challenge.
My take might surprise some of you.
I believe Alabama, LSU and Missouri are the tallest tasks for this particular Sooners team.
Why?
Anytime with a good defense and especially a good run defense is going to make the game very tight for the Sooners, IMO.
LSU and Missouri have that and Alabama has started to come on, as of late.
Additionally, Alabama has found their offense. Missouri has a running game to match their ability to stop the run.
And, Nussmeier is starting to get healthy. When it comes specifically to LSU, I think the winner of that game will depend on the respective record of the two teams. In other words, either team is capable of beating the other but, I’d guess, the one who has more to play for likely wins it.
I think Alabama is obviously dangerous but I think Missouri is deceptively dangerous for this particular OU team.
South Carolina appears to be the least dangerous. Every SEC team is tough but outside of that first quarter debacle with all the turnovers, BV and co absolutely shut down the South Carolina offense last year.
Tennessee and Ole Miss feel like they can go either way but I don’t trust their defense as much against a fully healthy Mateer.
The range of possible outcomes for the Sooners is so amazing. I think most would agree OU can win every single game and lose every single game. I don’t know that we’ve ever seen that.
Know Your Opponent | South Carolina – 2025
– Charlie S – Posted on: October 15, 2025
Head Coach: Shane Beamer – 5th season
Offensive Coordinator: Mike Shula – 1st season
Defensive Coordinator: Clayton White – 5th season
Through the midpoint of the 2025 season, the South Carolina Gamecocks sit at 3–3 overall and 1–3 in SEC play under fifth-year head coach Shane Beamer. The Gamecocks opened the year with a solid 24–11 win over Virginia Tech in Atlanta and followed it up with a 38–10 rout of South Carolina State, which was highlighted by two punt return touchdowns from Vicari Swain. However, once SEC play began. South Carolina struggled offensively in a 31–7 loss to Vanderbilt, then dropped a 29–20 road matchup at Missouri despite quarterback LaNorris Sellers throwing for over 300 yards. Their third conference loss underscored an ongoing theme of inconsistency on offense, offsetting solid defensive and special teams performances. While the Gamecocks have shown flashes of potential, sustaining drives and finishing games against conference opponents remains elusive for them.
On offense…
South Carolina’s offense in 2025, led by new coordinator Mike Shula, runs a spread-style system built around quarterback LaNorris Sellers’ dual-threat ability. The scheme mixes RPOs, play-action, and quick passing concepts to take advantage of Sellers’ mobility while still keeping a balanced approach. When the protection holds, the Gamecocks can create chunk plays through the air, but inconsistent offensive line play and a shaky run game have limited their rhythm. Shula has emphasized improved ball security and decision-making, hoping to bring more consistency to an offense that’s shown flashes of explosiveness but remains a work in progress in SEC play.
Starters and impact players…
#16 QB LaNorris Sellers: Junior quarterback with 1,010 passing yards, 64% completion rate, 4 TDs, and 2 INT. Also has 117 rushing yards and 1 TD. Sellers is the offensive leader, showing dual-threat capability but has faced challenges with sacks (19).
#1 RB Rahsul Faison: Senior running back with 231 rushing yards on 54 carries, averaging 4.3 yards per carry with 3 TDs. Faison leads the team in rushing and had 68 yards in the most recent game, proving reliable in the run-heavy scheme.
#8 WR Nyck Harbor: Junior wide receiver with 13 receptions for 256 yards, averaging 20.0 yards per catch with 1 TD. Harbor is a big-play threat, stretching defenses with his speed.
#19 WR Vandrevius Jacobs: Sophomore wide receiver leading the team with 20 receptions for 341 yards, averaging 17 yards per catch with 2 TDs. Jacobs is the go-to target in the passing game.
#18 WR Brian Rowe Jr.: Freshman wide receiver with 10 receptions for 89 yards, averaging 8.9 yards per catch with 1 TD. Rowe has been a solid slot option, contributing in limited but effective roles.
#87 TE Brady Hunt: Senior tight end with 10 receptions for 89 yards, averaging 8.8 yards per catch. Hunt provides a reliable target in the short-to-intermediate passing game.
#74 LT Josiah Thompson: Sophomore left tackle who started all 12 games as a freshman in 2024, earning Freshman All-SEC honors. Thompson has been a cornerstone, providing stability despite pass protection struggles.
#72 LG Shedrick Sarratt Jr.: Freshman guard stepping into a starting role. Limited stats are available, but he’s part of a rebuilt interior line focusing on improving communication and consistency.
#50 C Boaz Stanley: Redshirt junior center (transfer from Troy) expected to start. Stanley’s experience has been key in anchoring the line, though the unit is still gelling.
#78 RG Trovon Baugh: Junior guard competing for the starting spot. Baugh has contributed to the run game’s success, averaging 181.4 yards per game, but consistency is a focus.
#75 RT Cason Henry: Redshirt junior right tackle who started all 13 games in 2024. Henry’s healthy return has bolstered the line, though injuries remain a concern
***Playmaking from Sellers, especially when he’s allowed to use his legs and keep defenses honest.
***Some big passing plays have popped up from intermediate to deep routes when the protection holds up.
*** The run game has been inconsistent. South Carolina is low in the SEC in rushing yards per game…right there with OU.
***Offensive line play and protection have been problematic at times, limiting the deep stuff and the ability to sustain drives.
***Ball security is a concern as Sellers fumbled more than desired last season; Shula is trying to address that.
***Sellers has only thrown 2 interceptions this season but he has been sacked 19 times already.
On defense…
South Carolina’s defense, led by coordinator Clayton White, primarily operates out of a 3-3-5 base scheme that emphasizes speed, versatility, and disguise. The Gamecocks rely on an active defensive line and hybrid looks to create pressure while keeping extra athletes in coverage. The front is anchored by young pass rushers like Dylan Stewart, and the secondary features experienced players such as DQ Smith and Jalon Kilgore, providing stability on the back end. While the unit has shown flashes of strong play, especially up front, linebacker depth and communication in coverage have occasionally been problem areas as the defense adjusts in 2025.
Starters and impact players…
#6 LDE Dylan Stewart: Sophomore edge rusher with 3.5 sacks and 27 tackles. Stewart has been a disruptive force, building on his freshman All-SEC campaign.
#93 LDT Nick Barrett: Redshirt senior defensive tackle with 21 tackles and 2 sacks. Barrett, a veteran, provides stability but is still finding his rhythm after limited 2024 action.
#44 RDT Monkell Goodwine: Redshirt senior defensive tackle (transfer) with 8 tackles and 0.5 sacks. Goodwine’s size (300+ lbs) anchors the interior, showing steady improvement.
#46 RDE Bryan Thomas Jr.: Senior edge rusher with 3 sacks and 21 tackles. Thomas has been a consistent pass-rush threat, stepping up after key departures.
#0 MLB Fred Johnson: Sophomore middle linebacker with 25 tackles and 1 interception. Johnson has emerged as a key tackler in the 4-2-5 scheme despite limited prior experience.
#7 WLB Shawn Murphy: Redshirt junior linebacker (transfer) with 20 tackles and 1 pass breakup. Murphy’s athleticism has been vital in replacing departed starters.
#24 NB Jalon Kilgore: Junior nickel back with 30 tackles and 3 pass deflections. Kilgore’s versatility in the slot makes him a standout, poised for a breakout season.
#8 LCB Judge Collier: Junior cornerback with 18 tackles and 5 pass breakups. Collier, a second-team All-SEC honoree in 2024, remains a lockdown presence.
#31 SS Peyton Williams: Redshirt junior safety with 22 tackles and 2 pass breakups. Williams stepped into a starting role, showing leadership with a career-high 7 tackles vs. Vanderbilt.
#4 FS DQ Smith: Senior safety with 28 tackles and 1 interception. A veteran leader, Smith’s experience (30+ career starts) anchors the secondary.
#15 RCB Brandon Cisse: Junior cornerback (transfer from NC State) with 12 tackles and 3 pass breakups. Cisse has adapted quickly, earning spring newcomer honors.
***The defensive line is a strength: lots of rotation up front, trying to generate pressure from the tackles as well as the edges. Players like Dylan Stewart are focal points in the pass rush.
***The secondary has a good deal of continuity, which helps with coverage and communication. There are some returning starters (DQ Smith, Jalon Kilgore, Judge Collier) whose experience is expected to help offset losses elsewhere.
***The linebacker room lost several big contributors from 2024 and is looking to younger players and transfers to fill those gaps. A lot more versatility is expected from that group (sideline-to-sideline, coverage vs run).
***Replacing leadership has been a concern. Several key defensive leaders moved on to the NFL, so the team is looking for others to step up.
***There have been some execution issues, particularly in linebacker alignment in RPO situations, and occasional breakdowns in safety coverage.
Bottom line…
***In a perfect world, Oklahoma’s revamped roster and the chip on their shoulder from last year’s embarrassment make them too talented for a middling Gamecocks team. Mateer carves up the secondary early, the run game grinds out 150 yards, and OU’s defense forces two turnovers to seal it. OU walks out with a statement win that quiets doubters and keeps playoff hopes alive.
***The reality is…we do not know what to expect following last week’s completely inept offensive performance, which was coupled with perhaps the most frustrating and disappointing quarter of defensive football in the Brent Venables era.
***The Sooners need this win like they need air to breathe. The Sooners should win this game on paper, but the games are not played on paper, and this is OU’s first conference road trip of the season. A win could help erase some of the negative vibe left over by the Texas performance, and a loss could completely derail the season and lead to discussions about the job security of Brent Venables once again.
***As things stand, this is the most favorable opponent that remains on OU’s schedule, and the game comes at the perfect time. The Sooners need to go out and establish themselves early in the game and avoid last season’s disaster, where they spotted South Carolina 21 points in the first five minutes of the game.
Wide Receiver Snap Distribution Update
– Charlie S – Posted on: October 15, 2025
With the return of Javonnie Gibson and the departure of Jayden Gibson, I thought it would be good to update the WR rotation discussion based on the number of snaps taken and games played.
Remember, you can play four games and still be eligible for a redshirt.
The overwhelming majority of snaps have been taken by three players and Javonnie Gibson is quickly climbing the list after only having played in two games since his return.
434 total offensive snaps
Deion Burks – 370
Isaiah Sategna – 320
Keontez Lewis – 273
Ivan Carreon – 66
Javonnie Gibson – 56 *2 games, will not redshirt though
Jer’Michael Carter – 56
Elijah Thomas – 30
Zion Kearney – 26 – *4 games
Jacob Jordan – 16
Josiah Martin – 15 – *2 games
Zion Ragins – 9 – *2 games
Manny Choice – 2 – *4 games
Running Back Snap Distribution Update
– Charlie S – Posted on: October 16, 2025
After checking out the wide receiver snap distribution, I thought it would be interesting to check out the running back snaps and carries distribution.
True freshman Tory Blaylock is the clear number one running back at this time…after that, not much clarity.
434 total offensive snaps
Tory Blaylock – 208 – 68 carries
Jovantae Barnes – 78 – 19 carries
Xavier Robinson – 75 – 16 carries
Jadyn Ott – 65 – 21 carries
Gabe Sawchuk – 2 carries
Taylor Tatum – ‘Snakebit’
QB John Mateer – 57 carries
QB Mike Hawkins – 15 carries
One On Ones | Oklahoma vs South Carolina – 2025
– Charlie S – Posted on: October 16, 2025
The Sooners head to South Carolina this weekend to take on Shane Beamer and his Gamecocks.
South Carolina is 3-3 on the season, and they are coming off a disappointing loss to LSU their last time out.
There are a couple of one-on-ones I will be paying close attention to, so let’s talk about them!
One on One Number One
OU Offensive Tackles vs South Carolina Defensive Ends
With the Sooners banged up at offensive tackle, it’s gonna take an impressive group effort between Michael Fasusi, Derek Simmons, and Luke Baklenko to hold off a formidable pair of South Carolina EDGE rushers in Dylan Stewart and Bryan Thomas.
Last season, during OU’s implosion on Owen Field, the Gamecocks racked up nine sacks, and both Stewart and Thomas were attendees at the party in the backfield against OU as they each recorded sacks. Prior to last week against Texas, the OU offensive line had done a solid job in pass pro, but Texas EDGE Colin Simmons got loose for 2.5 sacks after having a pretty quiet start to the season. While OU did a good job of pass pro through the first three-plus quarters, they showed vulnerability when Texas knew OU was going to have to throw the ball.
To this point of the season, Stewart (3.5) and Thomas (3) have combined for six sacks. The Sooners will need to game-plan a solution to keep the duo limited in their effectiveness. One obvious way to do that…establish the run. Now, we know OU has struggled with that aspect of offensive football, so they better have some other ideas ready to roll like quick passes, swing passes to the backs, and moving the pocket.
Definitely matchups to keep an eye on.
One on One Number Two
Oklahoma MIKE Kobie McKinzie vs South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers
Last season against South Carolina, the Sooners did a very solid job against Sellers as they held him to right about 200 total yards (203 to be exact) as he passed for 175 and ran for 28.
One of the big reasons OU did such a nice job limiting Sellers’ effectiveness was Danny Stutsmans’ performance on the day. Stutsman recorded 16 tackles against South Carolina last season and really did a nice job of containing Sellers’ running threat.
Both McKinzie and Kip Lewis (who had 8 tackles vs South Carolina last season) will have to be assignment sound and very disciplined when it comes to working to contain Sellers. Last week, the Sooners displayed some really poor tackling, which is something they cannot afford this week as Sellers will absolutely make you pay. It really needs to be a group effort to contain Sellers, but McKinzie will be the tip of the spear more often than not and Lewis will need to be right there to help finish the play.
The South Carolina run game as a whole is not where they would like it to be. OU can’t allow this to be their feel-good moment in a week where they fired their offensive line coach, and it will all start with containing Sellers.
