Last season was a disappointing first season for Brent Venables after he came in to replace Lincoln Riley. The excitement was still there this Saturday afternoon, with an announced attendance of 54,409 for fans eager to see how improved this Oklahoma team can be and also to celebrate [autotag]Kyler Murray[/autotag].
How did the Offense Look?
Overall, the offense looked good but was hard to gauge with the offensive line not completely intact, especially with not all of the projected starters available for this game.
Dillon Gabriel picked up where he left off last year and looked good most of the game, except for the interception he threw to true freshman, Peyton Bowen. He threw three touchdowns in the game and split reps with true freshman Jackson Arnold against the first-team defense. Gabriel threw touchdown passes to Jalil Farooq, Blake Smith, and Gavin Sawchuk.
A lot of eyes were on Jackson Arnold coming into this game because of how highly touted he was coming to Norman. He played well, providing a glimpse of what’s to come in Norman.
On his second play of the day, he burst through the defense with a 53-yard yard run, but it was called back after he was ruled down by the defense.
He later threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Gavin Freeman to tie the game for the Sooners at the end. His throw on the ensuing two-point conversion was dropped by Jayden Gibson in the back of the end zone.
His stat line for the day ended with him going 5 for 13 for 63 yards and a touchdown. He was sacked three times behind a makeshift offensive line.
True freshman 5⭐️ QB Jackson Arnold with a perfect pass to Gavin Freeman for a touchdown in Oklahoma's spring game 🎯pic.twitter.com/b8qgrqGmdI
— 247Sports (@247Sports) April 22, 2023
Does the Defense Look Improved?
In short, yes. The defense’s playmakers were mostly on full display in the spring game.
Dasan McCullough was a standout for the Sooner defense, with two tackles and two pass breakups in the first quarter. McCullough comes over from Indiana and should have an immediate impact for Brent Venables’ defense in the linebacking corps.
Reggie Pearson was another newcomer that was a standout on defense for the Sooners. The safety transfer out of Texas Tech had 3.5 tackles and one pass breakup. He brings a much-needed physicality to the Sooner secondary.
Kip Lewis flashed at linebacker for Oklahoma. After not playing much last year, he seems primed to be a tackling machine after racking up a few stops early on in the spring game.
Peyton Bowen got a ton of attention for his recruitment and how he eventually ended up at Oklahoma, but now that he’s here, his talent is on full display. He played a deep route beautifully, intercepting Dillon Gabriel in the first quarter.
True freshman Jasiah Wagoner got a lot of run with the first team on Saturday and really showed out. The coaching staff has spoken all spring of the work he’s done, and the spring game provided the first glimpse of what’s to come for the four-star cornerback. Wagoner’s job isn’t set in stone, but this is huge for a true freshman at Oklahoma.
Other Takeaways
It was great to see everyone honoring Kyler Murray. It was a reminder of how electric he really was when he won the Heisman Trophy back in 2018. He’s now enshrined forever at Heisman Park.
The crowd support was great to see with how disappointing last season was. That support just shows that faith in Venables hasn’t waivered.
The scoring was…odd. It made sense because of the injuries plaguing Oklahoma’s offensive line and tight end group. The final score was Defense 84 and Offense 82. Beyond the scoring, the Sooners had a number of players make their presence felt.
Now comes the long wait for the season opener against Arkansas State.
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