The Oklahoma Sooners put together a strong defensive performance on Saturday evening against and SMU team that hadn’t been held to 11 points or fewer since the end of the 2017 season.
Making his mark on the game all night long was junior linebacker Danny Stutsman. Stutsman, who led the Big 12 in tackles in 2022, is off to another blistering start in the 2023 season. In the Sooners 28-11 win over SMU, he logged 17 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, a sack, a quarterback hit, and recovered Key Lawrence’s forced fumble.
Stutsman earned the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week award for his efforts.
It’s the first time a Sooners defender has won the award since Kenneth Murray did in 2018, and marks the 11th time it’s gone to Oklahoma since 2004.
Stutsman named @WalterCampFF National Defensive Player of the Week https://t.co/rsgJiZ83R7 | #OUDNA pic.twitter.com/8ZWPTlE9k5
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) September 10, 2023
On a night when the Sooners offense seemed to take a conservative approach, Danny Stutsman and the defense played a great game to shut down a promising SMU Mustangs offense. In Brent Venables words, Stutsman was “all over the field.”
At the heart of Oklahoma’s defensive development is Danny Stutsman. And as Stutsman goes, so will the Oklahoma Sooners defense.
Here’s a look at the best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners 28-11 win over the SMU Mustangs.