Tag: 2021 Oklahoma Sooners

Oklahoma Sooners vs. Oregon Ducks: Sooners Wire Staff Predictions

Get ready for Wednesday night’s matchup between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Oregon Ducks with our Sooners Wire Staff Predictions.

The Oklahoma Sooners will take on the Oregon Ducks with an opportunity to end the 2021 season on a high note after a dramatic regular season and an even more dramatic coaching transition. With all that behind the Oklahoma Sooners, they’ll get back to the business of football against an Oregon Ducks team that also saw a coaching transition.

Oregon, much like Oklahoma, saw their season hit the skid when they lost a game in November and were unable to bounce back from that loss to stay in the College Football Playoff race.

Though they’ve dealt with similar situations, it feels as if the Oklahoma Sooners are coming into this matchup reenergized with momentum from the return of Bob Stoops, the hire of Brent Venables, and a 2022 recruiting class that returned to the top 10 after dipping to 27 after Lincoln Riley’s departure.

With that, let’s take a look at this week’s Sooners Wire Staff Predictions!

Up Next: Sooners Wire Staff Predictions.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4

How to watch, stream, listen to the Oklahoma Sooners vs. the Oregon Ducks in the Alamo Bowl

Trying to figure out where to find the Sooners game on Wednesday, here’s how to watch, stream or listen to their Alamo Bowl matchup with the Oregon Ducks.

How to Watch

Date: Wednesday, Dec. 29

Time: 8:15 p.m. CST

TV: ESPN

Line: Oklahoma -6.5*

Money Line: Oklahoma -270, Oregon +210

Over/Under: 60.5*

*lines courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook.

Stream

Available on fuboTV (try it free).

How to Listen

Sooner Sports Radio Network

The radio broadcast of Toby Rowland, Teddy Lehman, Chris Plank and Gabe Ikard is available through the free Varsity app, which is available on Apple IOS and the Google Play Store.

  • Ada on KADA FM 102.3 and AM 1230
  • Altus on KWHW FM 93.5
  • Antlers on KDOE FM 102.3
  • Ardmore on KVSO FM 107.5 and AM 1240
  • Bartlesville on KYFM FM 100.1 and KPGM 1500 AM
  • Broken Bow on KKBI FM 106.1
  • Clinton/Cordell on KCLI FM 97.3, 95.5 HD, and AM 1320
  • Duncan on KDDQ FM 105.3
  • Durant on KLBC FM 106.3
  • Elk City on KCOO FM 94.3
  • Fort Smith, Arkansas on KLSZ FM 100.7
  • Frederick on KYBE FM 95.7
  • Guymon on KKBS FM 92.7
  • Hobart on KTJS AM 1420
  • Lawton on KJMZ FM 97.9
  • Liberal, Kansas on KKBS FM 100.5
  • McAlester on KNED AM 1150
  • Miami/Grove on KGLC FM 100.9
  • Muskogee on KTFX FM 101.7
  • Oklahoma City on KRXO FM 107.7
  • Ponca City on WBBZ AM 1230
  • Poteau on KPRV FM 92.5
  • Shawnee on KGFF FM 100.9 and AM 1450
  • Tulsa on KMOD FM 97.5 and KTBZ AM 1430
  • Wichita, Kansas on KGSO FM 93.9 and AM 1410
  • Woodward KWOX FM 101.1

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.

‘Pride of Oklahoma’ steps in to help Oregon Marching band short members due to snow in Eugene

In a sign of camaraderie, members of the “Pride of Oklahoma” marching band volunteered to support Oregon’s band short members due to snow.

If you’ve ever been around marching band at any level, you understand that it’s a community that extends beyond your school. That was on display during the River Rally in San Antonio ahead of the Valero Alamo Bowl.

With members of the Oregon marching band stranded in Eugene, Oregon after heavy snowfall the last couple of days, the “Pride of Oklahoma” Marching Band volunteered to step in and support the Ducks during the pep rally.

University of Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione called it “college athletics at its finest.” In the video he posted to his Twitter account, you can hear people exclaim, “that’s cool” and “and that’s great.”

Though the Oklahoma Sooners and Oregon Ducks will be competitors come Wednesday night, the Sooners showed kindness by backing up the Ducks members that were present.

This is what the marching band community is all about. My three siblings each were in their high school’s marching band and what remains in their minds from their time is the relationships built and the support received during their time in the marching band.

From Barry Switzer presenting the “Pride” with the game ball after the Sooners stormed back in the 1983 Bedlam matchup to supporting their fellow man, the “Pride of Oklahoma” continues to give Oklahoma alumni and fans a lot to be proud about.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.

Oklahoma Sooners rank 13th on Bleacher Report’s top 25 recruiting classes for 2022

The Oklahoma Sooners come in at 13th on Bleacher Reports top 25 recruiting classes for the 2022 cycle.

Oklahoma’s 2022 recruiting class bounced back from several de-commits to end up with a top 10 class in the nation per On3 Recruiting and 247Sports. Landing four-star signees Nick Evers, Jayden Gibson, and Kobie McKinzie was a huge coup for the Sooners as they look to the future with new head coach Brent Venables.

Despite it’s standing as a top 10 class but the prominent recruiting services. Not everyone appreciates the talent in Oklahoma’s 2022 class. Brad Shepard of Bleacher Report released his top 25 recruiting class for the 2022 cycle and placed the Oklahoma Sooners 13th.

Here’s what he had to say:

Impact player: Jayden Gibson, 4-star wide receiver — Winter Garden, Florida (West Orange HS)

One thing to know: Perhaps some of the biggest news of a tumultuous cycle that saw the Sooners lose a ton of recruits but pick up some late was the recommitment of Kobie McKinzie, an elite linebacker from Texas who initially decommitted but bought in to new coach Brent Venables’ initial days in Norman. Getting quarterback Nick Evers to flip from Florida was big, too. – Shepard

At the moment, it’s a class that lacks a five-star player after the losses of Raleek Brown, Derrick Moore, and Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy. However, it’s bounty of four-star talent provides game-changing talent on both sides of the football.

Ultimately, what matters is what happens when these guys get to Norman and in Oklahomans developmental program, the Sooners will get the most out of this talented group.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.

[listicle id=50598]

How social media reacted to Spencer Rattler and Austin Stogner transferring to South Carolina

How did social media react to the news of Spencer Rattler and Austin Stogner reuniting with Shane Beamer at South Carolina?

The inevitable has arrived, and Spencer Rattler has now found a new home. Rattler, who lost his starting job to Caleb Williams in the Texas game, was long-expected to leave the Oklahoma Sooners, but it wasn’t known until recently that he’d stay in college for one more year.

Though crystal ball projections had Rattler heading out west to play for UCLA, the former Sooners quarterback, along with tight end Austin Stogner, will be heading east to reunite with former Sooners’ coach Shane Beamer to play for the South Carolina Gamecocks.

The move has received rave reviews across the college football landscape and provides Rattler an opportunity to rebuild his NFL draft portfolio against the high-level competition of the SEC.

For Stogner, who fell out of favor in the passing attack in 2021, he goes with a quarterback who helped him have a breakout year in 2020. Stogner will have a shot to start and reignite a career that looked to be headed to the NFL before a down 2021 season.

Let’s take a look at how social media responded to the news of Spencer Rattler’s transfer to South Carolina.

Former Oklahoma Sooners Spencer Rattler, Austin Stogner transferring to South Carolina

Former Sooners Spencer Rattler and Austin Stogner are reuniting with Shane Beamer to play for the South Carolina Gamecocks.

The long-awaited decision by former Oklahoma Sooners QB1 has come to light as Spencer Rattler announced via his Twitter account that he’ll be transferring to the University of South Carolina.

Rattler had an up and down career with the Oklahoma Sooners but was hardly the only problem on a 2021 team that failed to reach preseason expectations despite the quarterback change. Rattler had preseason Heisman hype and the Sooners were popular national title contenders, but both Rattler, his play-caller Lincoln Riley, and the remainder of the offense struggled to find much consistency throughout the season.

After a 2020 season that saw Rattler bounce back from being benched in that year’s Red River Showdown to win help the Oklahoma Sooners win their sixth-straight Big 12 title and beat Florida in the Cotton Bowl, many believed he was just scratching the surface. Unfortunately, 2021 didn’t turn out much better as the Sooners couldn’t get past their offensive inconsistencies. Rattler had a solid season despite being benched, completing 75% of his passes for 1,483 yards 11 touchdowns and five interceptions.

Rattler will be joined by tight end Austin Stogner in their new home in Columbia with head coach Shane Beamer. Stogner also had a year to forget as he failed to get the opportunities many expected him to get after a breakout 2020 season that ended early due to injury. Stogner erupted in Bedlam with his best game of the season when the Sooners needed it most catching three passes for 61 yards.

It was the only game this season that Stogner caught more than two passes in a game and nearly doubled his previous season-high.

Rattler and Stogner join Oklahoma Sooners fan favorite Shane Beamer in Columbia. Beamer and the Gamecocks had a resurgent year, bouncing back from a 2-8 record in 2020 to 6-6 and bowl eligibility in Beamer’s first season as a head coach.

Rattler and Stogner will hope to rediscover their 2020 chemistry that saw them connect 26 times for 422 yards, and three touchdowns, averaging 16.2 yards per connection last season.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.

2 Oklahoma Sooners in the top 10 of Pro Football Focus’ transfer portal players

With the coaching change, the Sooners were bound to lose players to the transfer portal and these 2 Sooners land in PFF”s top 10.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz7cqqgxy50qwt player_id=none image=https://soonerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Like Thanos with the Infinity Stones, the transfer portal is inevitable. The Sooners have been great beneficiaries of the portal over the years. The quarterback run of Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, and Jalen Hurts were the cornerstones of the Lincoln Riley era, and all three transferred in.

More recently, Michael Woods and Key Lawrence made significant contributions to the 2021 Sooners after arriving through the transfer portal this year. The Sooners have watched from afar as portal departures Tanner Mordecai and Charleston Rambo put up excellent seasons for SMU and Miami.

For various reasons, the Oklahoma Sooners have seen their fair share of players enter the portal after Lincoln Riley’s departure for USC. Spencer Rattler, Theo Wease, Jadon Haselwood, and Austin Stogner headline an Oklahoma Sooners transfer list that will make their next team quite happy. Two of those players landed inside the top 10 of Anthony Treash’s (Pro Football Focus) rankings of top transfer portal players heading into the offseason.

Spencer Rattler, after losing his gig midseason to Caleb Williams, was an obvious candidate to depart Oklahoma, though it was unknown if he’d head to the NFL draft or try his hand at the college ranks one last time. Rattler comes in at No. 1 on Treash’s list.

Rattler’s collegiate production is truly some of the best PFF College has seen despite the fact that many believe Rattler isn’t a good passer. Rattler is actually still college football’s highest-graded passer since 2020. His deep ball struggled in 2021 due to more conservative play-calling: He earned a 45.5 passing grade on 20-plus yard throws this year after a 98.1 passing grade on such passes in 2020. But Rattler was pinpoint on every other throw. His No. 1 ranking in negatively graded throw rate and completion percentage over expectation (CPOE) for the 2021 season back that up. – Treash

The other player to make the list was tight end Austin Stogner, rated as the ninth-best player in the transfer portal per Treash. It was a bit of a disappointing season for a player that appeared to be on the verge of a breakout in 2021. But opportunity and inconsistency in the offense minimized his impact. Still, in the Oklahoma State game, Stogner made his presence felt and reminded everyone why he’s such a threat in the passing game.

Here’s what Treash had to say.

Stogner was in the midst of a breakout sophomore season in 2020 before suffering an injury in Week 10 that led to a staph infection. Stogner lost 35 pounds during the brutal recovery process, and he struggled to regain that breakout level of play when he returned in 2021. Before the major injury and infection last season, Stogner owned an 87.3 receiving grade while putting up 2.72 yards per route run and a 15-plus yard gain on 32% of his targets. All three of those metrics ranked inside the top five among all FBS tight ends. – Treash

Though the Sooners didn’t live up to the preseason expectations they had for themselves, it was still an incredibly talented team in 2021. While it’s unfortunate that a player like Austin Stogner couldn’t realize his full potential with the Sooners, he and Spencer Rattler’s seasons were a microcosm of what went down with the Oklahoma Sooners in 2021. Despite winning 10 games, very little looked like the team many thought they’d be heading into the season.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.

[listicle id=49643]

Oklahoma Sooners duo makes Pro Football Focus’ All-True Freshman Team

The regular season’s over, it’s time to hand out postseason awards and Pro Football Focus named 2 Sooners for their All-True Freshman Team.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz7cqqgxy50qwt player_id=none image=https://soonerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

In an up and down season for the Oklahoma Sooners offense, the future began to take hold as two true freshmen started to make significant impacts on the field. Caleb Williams and Mario Williams were dynamic playmakers in 2021, providing big plays and a glimpse of what’s to come.

For their efforts, they’ve been selected to Pro Football Focus’ All-True Freshman Team by Anthony Treash.

Here’s what he had to say about quarterback Caleb Williams.

Williams performed at an extraordinary level — given his age — through his first four games as Oklahoma’s starting quarterback, but the true freshman was unable to sustain that level of play. He owned a 95.6 PFF grade in those first four games from Week 6 through 9 and a 60.3 grade in his last three games of the season. While that final stretch of subpar play led Oklahoma to two losses, he at least showed the five-star talent and a high ceiling for his playing career moving forward. Not to mention, producing three elite-graded games above 90.0 as a true freshman is unheard of. – Treash

Caleb Williams took college football by storm and put himself in Heisman contention through the first four games of his tenure as the Oklahoma Sooners quarterback. Against Texas, TCU, Kansas, and Texas Tech, Williams threw for 1,087 yards, completing 73.8% of his passes, 14 touchdowns, and just one interception. He also ran for 269 yards and three touchdowns, according to PFF, who doesn’t take rushing yards away due to sacks like the NCAA.

It was a hot start that reignited the Oklahoma Sooners offense after lackluster performances early in the season. But the good times came to an end in a loss to Baylor, and things didn’t look much better against Iowa State. Though it ended in a loss, Williams finished the season strong with his performance against Oklahoma State, one of the best defenses in the country.

At different points this season, it seemed like wide receiver Mario Williams would begin to get more run in the wide receiver rotation. Unfortunately, it never fully materialized. While he finished third on the team in targets, he was fourth among wide receivers in snaps. Some of that is due to missed time, but Michael Woods played one fewer game and ended up with 80 more snaps.

Regardless of how things went this season, Mario Williams showed he’s going to be a problem for defenses next season as well. Like Caleb, Mario earned a place on the All-True Freshman team. Here’s what Treash had to say.

Williams provided reliability for the Sooners, serving in a reserve role as a true freshman. He was one of five Power Five wide receivers to have at least 30 catchable targets and zero drops to their name. The 5-foot-9, 186-pound wide receiver primarily lined up on the outside and had no issue going one-on-one in single coverage. In all, he earned a 78.8 receiving grade for the 2021 season. Treash

Mario Williams’ high note of the season came against Texas Tech, where he recorded the first 100-yard game of his short career on five receptions and recorded a touchdown. Against Iowa State, with the offense struggling to move the football, Williams had a fantastic toe-touch reception for a touchdown that showed off his incredible athleticism, hands, and focus as he had to leap up to make the grab and find enough space to come down with his feet in bounds.

The future is bright with Caleb Williams and Mario Williams. Mario Williams will see even more opportunities in 2022 with Michael Woods graduating and Theo Wease and Jadon Haselwood hitting the transfer portal.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.

[listicle id=49865]

‘Ocho Out’: Sooners Defensive Tackle Perrion Winfrey declares for the 2022 NFL draft

After finishing the 2021 season with 5.5 sacks, defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey is declaring for the 2022 NFL draft.

The Oklahoma Sooners defense will have some new faces creating disruption in 2022. Yesterday, rush linebacker Nik Bonitto declared for the 2022 NFL draft, and today he’s joined by another member of the defensive front; interior defensive lineman Perrion Winfrey.

In a message via his Twitter account, Winfrey stated, “I would officially like to announce that I am declaring for the 2022 NFL draft! It has been a dream to play in the NFL ever since I can remember.”

Winfrey leaves the Oklahoma Sooners after just two seasons. He collected six sacks and 16.5 tackles for loss during his tenure with the Sooners. In 2021, he was second on the team in tackles for loss with 11.5 and third in sacks with 5.5.

He was a big part of the Oklahoma Sooners pass rush, providing an interior rush that kept quarterbacks off-balance. Winfrey’s blend of size and athleticism should translate well to the NFL as a one-gap penetrating defensive tackle.

Winfrey stated in his release, “Sooner Nation, I just want to thank you for showing a young JUCO kid how it’s done in Oklahoma. I will never forget all the love and genuine support you guys gave me from the beginning. You will always have a place in my heart, and I will never forget the memories we made on Saturday.”

The Oklahoma Sooners will undoubtedly miss his physicality at the point of attack and his ability to penetrate and rush the passer. With his size and athleticism, it’s probable that Winfrey goes somewhere in the top 100 of the 2022 NFL draft.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.

[listicle id=49643]

Where does Oklahoma vs. Oregon in the Alamo Bowl rank in 2021 Bowl Games?

The Oklahoma Sooners have an intriguing matchup with the Oregon Ducks in the Alamo Bowl, but where does that rank among all 42 bowl games?

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz7cqqgxy50qwt player_id=none image=https://soonerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

With all of the buzz surrounding the stuff that takes place off the field — losing a coach, bringing on an interim, hiring a new one, and recruiting classes falling apart — it’s easy to forget that the Oklahoma Sooners will play a game in a few weeks.

Albeit, it’s not the game they hoped to be in when the 2021 college football season started, it’s a game nonetheless. The Sooners will square off with Oregon in the Alama Bowl on Dec. 29 in San Antonio. And while this matchup has some historical storylines to relive, it’s unlikely any of the current players recall the game from 2006.

The Sooners had higher expectations for the 2021 season but found themselves with an intriguing matchup against Pac-12 power Oregon later this month. But where does the Alamo Bowl rank among all 42 bowl games this season? Tom Fornelli of CBS Sports ranked all 42 bowl games and placed the Sooners matchup with Oregon at No. 21.

Here’s what he had to say:

Not long ago, this was a potential College Football Playoff matchup. Oregon started the year well, beating Ohio State on the road, and spent a few weeks in the top four of the rankings. Oklahoma was on the periphery while the world waited for it to kick its offense into overdrive and steam toward an eventual Big 12 title. Alas, it was not meant to be.

The Ducks ran into a buzzsaw named Utah and were cut in half. Unfortunately, the half with the legs managed to stand up and walk right back into the Utah buzzsaw last week, costing Oregon a Pac-12 title and a New Year’s Six berth. The Ducks will also be playing under an interim coach with Mario Cristobal off to Miami. But at least they made their conference title game?

That’s more than the Sooners can say about the Big 12. Oklahoma lost to rival Oklahoma State for the first time since 2014, and it started a mass exodus in Norman. The next day, Lincoln Riley left to take the USC job, and he’s taken a lot of assistants with him. Former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops will lead the team into this game as the interim, and I suspect new coach Brent Venables will be there. Just look for a guy in a skybox being held back by a strength coach.

In the end, both teams’ late-season disappointment and uncertainty around the coaching situations make it hard to include this game in the top 20. There should be plenty of offense and inconsistent defense, which could make for a shootout. – Fornelli, CBS Sports

Both teams will be welcoming new coaches after Lincoln Riley and Mario Cristobal step away for other opportunities. The matchup loses a bit of luster with Nik Bonitto and Kayvon Thibodeaux opting out of the late-December exhibition game.

With the Sooners losing Spencer Rattler, Jadon Haselwood, Theo Wease, and Austin Stogner to the transfer portal, it’ll be on Marvin Mims, Mario Williams, Jeremiah Hall, Brayden Willis, and Drake Stoops to lead the way for the Sooners offense.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.

[listicle id=49643]