Tag: 2021 Week 3

Oklahoma DL Jalen Redmond returning to form at the right time

Jalen Redmond recorded 1.5 sacks in the win over Nebraska his first since leading the Sooners in 2019. Safe to say, Jalen Redmond is back.

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It’s safe to say that Jalen Redmond is back.

After a long layoff, it can take time to get back into the swing of things. Redmond went through Spring and Fall camps in his preparation, but after opting out due to COVID concerns in 2020, it can take a minute to get back to peak performance.

Three games into the season, it looks as if Redmond has found his form once again with his dominating performance against the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Per Pro Football Focus, Redmond accounted for eight pressures of Cornhuskers’ quarterback Adrian Martinez. That would be one more than Nik Bonitto and lead the Sooners on the day.

On Saturday, he recorded his first sack since he led the Sooners in 2019 and finished the day with 1.5 sacks. Redmond added two tackles for loss and was in on 31 of a possible 63 defensive snaps.  He showed some burst off the edge in addition to his typical duties rushing inside.

As the Sooners enter Big 12 play, they’re going to need Jalen Redmond and his defensive line teammates to continue to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

The Sooners struggled in coverage on Saturday against Nebraska. Down two starters, it’s not all that surprising. However, it may not get better for the Sooners’ defense, so it’s on Jalen Redmond and the pass rush to continue providing a dominant effort upfront.

Jalen Redmond is starting to turn it on and the Sooners will need every bit of his pass rush prowess to contend as they start their Big 12 slate.

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Oklahoma Sooners drop back 1 spot in latest AP Top 25

After the Oklahoma Sooners narrow win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers, OU drops to number four in the latest AP Top 25 Poll.

Polls certainly aren’t the be all end all of college football, but it’s one element of evaluating how the College Football Playoff might view a team when they begin to deliberate on their seasonal and final rankings.

After the Oklahoma Sooners win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers, they stayed put in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll at number three. They didn’t fare so well in the AP Top 25 as they fell one spot after their 23-16 win over Nebraska, falling to no. 4 after the win.

Oregon takes their spot at no. 3, while Alabama and Georgia keep the top two spots in the poll and Iowa and Penn State follow at no. 5 and no. 6.

It’s the second time this season, the Sooners have dropped in one or both of the polls despite being undefeated on the year. After their narrow week one win over Tulane, the Sooners dropped back to four in both polls only to rise back to three after Ohio State’s loss to Oregon. Now it’s the Ducks taking over for the Sooners at no. 3 despite OU’s win over rival Nebraska.

Here’s a look at the full AP Top 25 poll after Week 3’s results.

Full AP Top 25 Poll:

Rank Team Record Points Change
1 Alabama 3-0 1,547 (59) –
2 Georgia 3-0 1,492 (3) –
3 Oregon 3-0 1,385 +1
4 Oklahoma 3-0 1,302 -1
5 Iowa 3-0 1,298 –
6 Penn State 3-0 1,197 +5
7 Texas A&M 2-1 1,158 –
8 Cincinnati 3-0 1,145 –
9 Clemson 3-0 1,074 -3
10 Ohio State 3-0 976 -1
11 Florida 2-1 930 –
12 Notre Dame 2-1 874 –
13 Ole Miss 3-0 717 +4
14 Iowa State 2-1 664 –
15 BYU 1-1 603 +8
16 Arkansas 3-0 537 +4
17 Coastal Carolina 3-0 526 -1
18 Wisconsin 3-0 513 –
19 Michigan 3-0 456 +6
20 Michigan State 2-1 389 +9
21 North Carolina 3-0 306 –
22 Fresno State 3-0 201 +23
23 Auburn 2-1 166 -1
24 UCLA 2-1 142 -11
25 Kansas State 3-1 127 +8

Dropped from the rankings:

No. 15 Virginia Tech, No. 19 Arizona State, No. 24 Miami.

Others receiving votes:

TCU 91, Liberty 56, Virginia Tech 52, Oklahoma State 51, Maryland 29, Arizona State 24, Texas 22, USC 16, San Diego State 16, West Virginia 14, LSU 14, Kentucky 12, Boston College 9, Wake Forest 7, Texas Tech 5, Stanford 3, Memphis 3, Louisville 1, Wyoming 1

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The Oklahoma Sooners stay put in latest USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll

It may not have been pretty, but the Sooners’ win over Nebraska was enough for them to hold steady in USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll

Sometimes the performances don’t go like we think they’ll go. Football is a strange game. A team that looks like a bad or average team one week can look like world-beaters just a few weeks later. That’s what makes assessing the Oklahoma Sooners’ performance against the Nebraska Cornhuskers so difficult.

Nebraska looked like a bad team against Illinois, but against Oklahoma, they had a great game plan for how to combat the Sooners passing attack and the offense looked functional. If not for several missed field goals and or penalties on the Sooners’ half of the field, the score in that game might look quite different.

But the Sooners pulled out the win against a Power Five opponent. And while it may not have been an impressive win from in the “eye test column,” it was a win nonetheless. If Oklahoma wins every game this season, nobody will care what the point differentials were or how they looked. All that matters is that they win.

The Oklahoma Sooners stayed at number three in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll with the win and hold a narrow two-point lead on no. 4 Oregon. Each of the top five stayed the same this week

As far as the rest of the Big 12, Iowa State stayed put at 14 and Oklahoma State dropped three spots in the polls. TCU, who was on a bye is on the verge of sneaking into the top 25 as is Texas.

The Big 10 saw a lot of upward movement as Iowa, Penn State, Wisconsin, and Michigan State climbed the poll.

A look at the full coaches poll after week one’s games.

Full USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll:

Rank Team Record Points Change
1 Alabama 3-0 1,616 –
2 Georgia 3-0 1,558 –
3 Oklahoma 3-0 1,429 –
4 Oregon 3-0 1,427 –
5 Texas A&M 3-0 1,283 –
6 Iowa 3-0 1,263 +1
7 Clemson 2-1 1,166 -1
8 Penn State 3-0 1,130 +4
9 Cincinnati 3-0 1,125 -1
10 Notre Dame 3-0 1,048 –
11 Ohio State 2-1 989 –
12 Florida 2-1 983 -3
13 Ole Miss 3-0 759 +3
14 Iowa State 2-1 700 –
15 Wisconsin 1-1 589 +2
16 BYU 3-0 504 +7
17 Coastal Carolina 3-0 500 +1
18 Arkansas 3-0 474 +6
19 Michigan 3-0 423 +6
20 North Carolina 2-1 411 -1
21 Michigan State 3-0 344 +8
22 Oklahoma State 3-0 300 -3
23 Auburn 2-1 171 -3
24 UCLA 2-1 170 -11
25 Fresno State 3-1 85 +16

Dropped from the rankings:

No. 15 Virginia Tech; No. 21 Arizona State.

Others receiving votes:

Liberty 80; Kentucky 69; Texas Christian 50; Virginia Tech 49; Texas 42; Southern California 41; San Diego State 41; Kansas State 40; Memphis 27; Boston College 27; Maryland 26; Arizona State 26; Louisiana State 25; Wake Forest 22; West Virginia 19; UL Lafayette 17; Florida State 17; Baylor 13; Army 12; Southern Methodist 8; Nevada 7; Stanford 6; Central Florida 6; Utah State 2; Tennessee 2; Rutgers 2; Texas-San Antonio 1; Miami 1.

Social media reacts to the Sooners win, D.J. Graham’s interception

Social media reactions to the Oklahoma Sooners 23-16 win over Nebraska and D.J. Graham’s highlight-reel interception.

The Sooners came away with the most important thing on Saturday. A win. It wasn’t pretty and they didn’t score any style points, but they remained undefeated at 3-0 as they get set to enter Big 12 play with a home date with West Virginia next weekend.

The Oklahoma Sooners offense struggled to mount a consistent offensive attack after their first drive, which ended in a touchdown. Nebraska’s defense kept Spencer Rattler from making many big plays down the field. Rattler was just 24 of 34 for 214 yards and a touchdown against the stingy Cornhuskers defense.

It was a day that didn’t produce a ton of highlights but had the leading candidate for highlight of the year in D.J. Graham’s interception. That’s a play that will live on in Sooners’ highlight reels for years to come.

With that, let’s take a look at some of the best reactions from Twitter in the Sooners 23-16 win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Oklahoma Sooners hold on to beat Nebraska Cornhuskers 23-16

The Oklahoma Sooners defense came up big and OU held on to beat Nebraska 23-16.

It wasn’t quite “Game of the Century” good but the Oklahoma Sooners and Nebraska Cornhuskers played a really entertaining game. The more talented team would come out on top as Oklahoma went on to win 23-16.

The Sooners came out on the game’s very first possession and looked poised to do whatever they wanted to Nebraska. Quarterback Spencer Rattler looked sharp and would eventually sneak in the game’s first touchdown.

Nebraska struggled to contain the Sooners vaunted defensive line all day. Cornhuskers QB Adrian Martinez, who came into the game as the most pressured Power Five quarterback, felt that pressure in abundance against the Sooners.

Nebraska would fight hard going to a soft zone on defense that seemingly stumped Lincoln Riley and the Sooners for the entire second quarter.

OU would find its groove running the ball and finding some plays in the passing game to keep Nebraska honest. A trick play from Mario Williams who threw the ball back to Spencer Rattler who then found an open Marvin Mims, set up the Sooners for another score.

The Sooners cashed in and took a 14-3 lead when Rattler found Jeremiah Hall in the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown pass.

The Sooners defense kept bringing the pressure and at a critical moment Isaiah Coe blocked an extra point which was returned for two points by senior and captain Pat Fields. That’s Oklahoma’s first blocked extra point return for a 2-point conversion since Zack Sanchez ran one back against TCU in 2013.

OU would take control of the trenches in the fourth quarter finishing a drive off with a Kennedy Brooks touchdown run from two yards out with 10:24 left that made it 23-16.

Nebraska would threaten again as Adrian Martinez found Zavier Betts for 55 yards and then a sideline interference penalty tacked on 15 more yards. The pressure from OU put Nebraska into a tough 4th down situation, one which resulted in a candidate for play of the year from cornerback DJ Graham:

Nebraska eventually gained possession in good field position, and Martinez found Omar Manning for a 21-yard touchdown pass. The extra point cut Oklahoma’s lead to 23-16 with 5:38 to play.

Nebraska fought hard all day and ended up with a chance to tie the game with 56 seconds left. When it mattered most, though, the defense came up big with Perrion Winfrey and Nik Bonitto sacking Martinez twice on the game’s final drive.

Nebraska falls to 2-2 and has a date September 25th in East Lansing to take on the Michigan State Spartans. OU moved on to 3-0 and will host the West Virginia Mountaineers next to kick off their Big 12 portion of the schedule.

WATCH: D.J. Graham makes spectacular one-handed interception

The Oklahoma Sooners defense has turned it on. Following a Jalen Redmond sack the Nebraska Cornhuskers opted to go for it on 4th and long. After Cornhuskers’ quarterback Adrian Martinez avoided pressure and worked to his left and threw the ball down …

The Oklahoma Sooners defense has turned it on. Following a Jalen Redmond sack the Nebraska Cornhuskers opted to go for it on 4th and long. After Cornhuskers’ quarterback Adrian Martinez avoided pressure and worked to his left and threw the ball down the field hoping to pick up the first down.

Martinez threw the ball up to give his wide receiver a chance and cornerback D.J. Graham rose up and took the ball away with an incredible one-handed interception.

It was a huge turn of events for the Sooners defense that was struggling to slow down the Nebraska offense.

It’s the second straight game with an interception for the Sooners who’ve now collected turnovers in every game this season.

Unfortunately, the Oklahoma Sooners were unable to capitalize on the interception and were forced to punt. Nebraska was able to drive back down the field to score and bring the game back within seven.

D.J. Graham’s interception stands as one of the top plays of the game as the Oklahoma Sooners scored the big nonconference win.

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Sooners lead Cornhuskers 7-3 after a nondescript first half

The second half between the Sooners and the Cornhuskers is about to begin. Here’s what happened in the first half

There was a lot to love on the first drive of the game. The Sooners marched 75 yards on 14 plays before Spencer Rattler finally broke the goal line to give Oklahoma the lead.

Rattler found six different weapons on the opening drive while Eric Gray found production off outside runs.

With the exception of Nik Bonitto (one sack, two tackles for loss), the Cornhuskers’ biggest enemy has been themselves. Nebraska was called for three false starts and an unnecessary roughness penalty on their first possession, resulting in a field goal for an offense that was threatening to find the endzone.

The biggest takeaway for the Sooners defense has been third-down struggles. Time after time, Nebraska has squeaked through the cracks on third down, sustaining drives and preventing Oklahoma from rekindling its opening drive momentum.

Finally, A missed field goal from Gabe Brkic and miscommunications in the passing game led to the Sooners’ lowest first-half scoring total since 2019.

Oklahoma has a lot to figure out in the second half of this game if they want to maintain their lead.

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Final thoughts on the Oklahoma Sooners matchup with the Nebraska Cornhuskers

Final thoughts as the Oklahoma Sooners get set to close out their non-conference schedule vs. the Cornhuskers on Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff.

The anticipation has come to a head as the Oklahoma Sooners get set to take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers today at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium as part of Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff.

Bob Stoops will be in Norman with Fox and will be honored at halftime for his upcoming College Football Hall of Fame Induction in December. It is fitting that Stoops is in attendance as the former Oklahoma Sooners head coach was on the sidelines the last time these two teams met in the 2010 Big 12 Championship game.

The Oklahoma Sooners take on a Nebraska team that has rebounded well after a week 0 loss to Illinois in the rare opening week conference game. The Cornhuskers have won their last two games against Fordham and Buffalo by an average of 35 points.

Nebraska isn’t the team it once was, but that doesn’t lessen the excitement for this game. Our Sooners Wire Staff feels very confident in the Sooners’ chances to win this game, but some things need to be figured out as the two teams lock up for the first time in more than a decade today.

Oklahoma Sooners vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers: Sooners Wire Staff Predictions

Can the Oklahoma Sooners keep the good times rolling their matchup with the Nebraska Cornhuskers? Check out what the staff here at Sooners Wire had to say about the matchup.

As the Oklahoma Sooners get set to take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers, this game has about as much anticipation as any nonconference game the Sooners have played in the last decade.

The Ohio State series stands out as an exciting pair of matchups that held national title significance early in the season, but the history of this rivalry, which dates back to 1919, holds much more significance in the history of college football.

The Oklahoma Sooners enter as huge favorites as the Cornhuskers haven’t really been the same program they were when they left the Big 12 for the Big 10. It’s a team that has struggled in the Big 10 and hasn’t been nationally relevant for some time now. Oklahoma continues to build one of the best programs in the country and finds itself with a chance to make a run at the national title if they can navigate a Big 12 schedule that will be full of potholes and potential missteps.

We’re excited for this game, and we know you are too. With that, let’s take a look at the Sooners Wire staff predictions for this week three matchup.

NEXT: Our staff provides their predictions for this week’s matchup.

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New to the OU-Nebraska rivalry? Study these flashcards before Saturday.

A whole generation of college football fans has emerged since Nebraska and Oklahoma last faced off. So if you’re unfamiliar with the rivalry, here are some flashcards to study before Saturday.

The last time Oklahoma and Nebraska played each other, “Tik Tok” by Kesha was No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and Drew Brees led the New Orleans Saints to a 31-17 Super Bowl win over the Indianapolis Colts.

Those 2010 Cornhuskers went 10-4 in the regular season before earning a trip to the Capital One Bowl. Nebraska has had just one 10 win season since.

Oklahoma, however, won 12 games that season and would defeat Connecticut, 48-20 in the Fiesta Bowl. Since then, the Crimson and Cream have posted nine seasons with double-digit wins.

The Sooners and the Cornhuskers have been trending in opposite directions over the last decade. Expectations for these two programs could not be further apart as the anniversary of a once competitive rivalry is forecasted to become a blowout win for Oklahoma on Saturday.

An entire generation of college football fans has found love for the sport since the last time Oklahoma-Nebraska was a genuine rivalry. If you are one of those fans, fear not! Here are a few flashcards to use at the water cooler (or in arguments on Twitter.)

Up Next: How many times have they met?

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