Tag: 2023 Oklahoma Sooners

Billy Bowman and Oklahoma know the TCU Horned Frogs are no cakewalk

The TCU Horned Frogs are a lot better team than their record shows.

When you look at the [autotag]TCU Horned Frogs[/autotag]’ 5-6 record, you may overlook how good of a team they can be. Unlike a year ago, when they were really good in one-score games, 2023 has been a drastic difference. They’ve lost several games decided by one score this season.

Additionally, they’ve replaced around 80% of their offensive production from last year’s national runner-up team. It’s understandable why they struggled so much to start the season. They’ve really started to find their groove offensively. They currently rank No. 14 in total offense and No. 9 in passing offense in the country.

The biggest issue for them hasn’t been racking up yards. It’s being able to score touchdowns in the red zone. They currently rank No. 127 in red zone offense. Oklahoma knows they are going to get TCU’s best shot.

Billy Bowman spoke to the media about what he’s seen from the Horned Frogs. “They’re playing for bowl eligibility,” Bowman said. “So, we expect them to give it their best just like everybody has against us. They’ve been playing some really good ball lately. Their record doesn’t show it, but lately, they’ve been playing pretty good.”

It’s true. TCU’s record is pretty misleading. They’ve been a team right there in a couple of games that would have been huge wins, including just two weeks ago against the Texas Longhorns. That was a game they lost by three in Austin, TX, and got stopped inside the 2-yard line at one point in the game.

They are a team that, on any given day, can give any team a scare. If Oklahoma or its fans think this game will be a cakewalk, they’ve got another thing coming to them.

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Drake Stoops leaves everlasting impact before final game at Owen Field

Drake Stoops has been a fan favorite for quite sometime but now he’s set to play his final game in Norman.

For the past six years, it’s been a pleasure to watch one of Oklahoma Sooners’ most beloved players, [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag]. Stoops has had an impressive career after starting out as a walk-on.

He eventually earned a scholarship and then became a starter on the team. Now, he’s leading the team in every major receiving statistical category. It’s been fun to watch him play for the team he grew up watching.

But now he’s set to play one final time in front of 86,000 people. Stoops spoke to the media about what it will be like on Friday. “It’s in the back of my mind but I’m just trying to dial in and be intentional and be present each day and take in these practices with my teammates,” Stoops said. “Do all I can to get ready and go out on a high note.”

Stoops currently sits at No. 15 all-time in receiving yards in school history. He could move into the No. 12 spot on Saturday. He would pass guys like [autotag]Eddie Hinton[/autotag], [autotag]Manuel Johnson[/autotag], and [autotag]Mark Andrews[/autotag].

One thing is for sure about Stoops: he might have come in known as “Bob’s boy.” But he has since stepped out of his father’s giant shadow and instead will leave with his own legacy.

For on last time on Owen Field, Oklahoma faithful will rain down the unmistakable “Stoooooooops!” And as he’s done his whole career, Drake Stoops is ready to rise to the occasion.

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‘Fight for our brothers, fight for our seniors’: Isaiah Coe on the message to the team heading to the 4th Quarter vs. BYU

Isaiah Coe and Danny Stutsman have been two big leaders for this Oklahoma team and they showed it once again with a strong message vs. BYU.

At the end of the third quarter on Saturday, the Oklahoma Sooners were locked in a tie ball game with the [autotag]BYU Cougars[/autotag]. How the Sooners finished the game was now at the forefront.

Since [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] took over, the Sooners had not won a one-possession road game. The Sooners’ only two losses on the season were one-possession games on the road. As they headed to the fourth quarter inside Lavell Edwards Stadium, [autotag]Isaiah Coe[/autotag] and [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] huddled the team up to give a few words of encouragement.

Coe spoke to the media about what was said during that huddle. “We just try to go out there and tell everybody to believe,” Coe said. “Go out there and fight. This is our last road game in the Big 12, so go out there and fight. Last year, we probably would have lost that game, if I’m being honest. Just having that fight, having that will, just being gutsy. Just having that pride in the sense that we are not going to lose this game. Just go fight for our brothers, fight for our seniors.”

The Sooners did fight, The defense was able to get a strip sack, which set up a game-winning touchdown run by Gavin Sawchuk in the fourth quarter. The defense then forced a three-and-out, and the offense would hold the ball for the next 5:08 to seal the win.

That may go under the radar, but could have been a key moment in saving Oklahoma’s Big 12 title game chances.

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Brent Venables continues to prove he’s the right man to lead Oklahoma to the SEC

The Oklahoma Sooners are not a finished product but have still taken a big step in Year 2 under Brent Venables.

This time last year, the Oklahoma Sooners were gearing up to play their final regular season game of the season against the [autotag]Texas Tech Red Raiders[/autotag]. The Sooners were sitting at an abysmal 6-5 just barely bowl eligible.

They lost that game and their bowl game to fall to 6-7 in year one under [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]. Fast forward to this year. The Sooners sit at 9-2 and have an outside chance at playing for a conference championship.

This offseasons, most fans would have taken that any day of the week after what happened a year ago. Venables spoke about where the program is at in year two.

“I’ve experienced tremendous success at the very highest level, and it’s never been a straight line,” Venables said. “I think having that right perspective is important. Coming off a game where it was a tough, hard-fought victory. Where maybe we had to overcome several things. Whether it’s losing our quarterback, not having him in the second half. For not fitting gaps right pretty consistently for most of the day with our linebackers. But still finding a way to win. So, the improvement has been incremental in most ways, and we’ll never stop improving.”

The improvement has been clear, especially on the defense. The thing they are still missing is true difference-makers along that defensive line. That will come over time with recruiting and development. But this year was about if Venables was the right man for the job. Could they take a massive leap as a program?

For a lot of people, including myself, a 9-3 or 10-2 season would have shown that. The Sooners already have that ninth win. Now it’s about finishing the season strong with plenty of momentum heading into next year.

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Billy Bowman named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week

Billy Bowman made the play of the game and he was honored for his performance by the Big 12.

Where would the Oklahoma Sooners be without [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag] last weekend? Bowman played arguably his best game of the season and made the play of the game to help the Sooners escape Provo, UT with a win.

That came on 1st and goal from the 2-yard line with the [autotag]BYU Cougars[/autotag] owning all of the momentum. The Cougars rushed to the line and threw it out to the left, where Bowman jumped the pass, and the rest is history. The Sooners safety took it back 100 yards for the score.

Bowman finished with nine tackles, one tackle for loss, and that pick-six in a close 31-24 victory on the road. Bowman’s performance earned him Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors.

That interception was his fifth of the season, tied for the most in the Big 12 and tied for the second-most nationally. It was his second interception returned for a TD this season, tied for the most in the country, according to the University of Oklahoma. His 193 return yards also rank No. 1 in the nation and the second most all-time in school history.

This is the Sooners’ eighth Big 12 weekly accolade this season. Bowman joins [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] who has earned Offensive Player of the Week three times, [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] who was named Defensive Player of the Week once, [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] who earned Newcomer of the Week twice and [autotag]Gavin Freeman[/autotag] who was named Co-Special Teams Player of the Week once.

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Dillon Gabriel expected to be available this week per Brent Venables

The Oklahoma Sooners could be with their starting quarterback on Friday vs. the TCU Horned Frogs.

The Oklahoma Sooners are in preparation for a short week to play their final game of the season on Black Friday. The Sooners look for revenge against the [autotag]TCU Horned Frogs[/autotag] who beat them 55-24 a season ago.

After a close win against the [autotag]BYU Cougars[/autotag], the attention now turns to the health of starting quarterback [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag]. Gabriel was injured at the end of the second half of that game, and true freshman [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] finished the win over BYU.

Brent Venables described the injury as an upper-body injury, but some reports came out that it was a head injury. That led many to think he might not be available this week. But it’s not just Gabriel. Starting wide receiver [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag] was also injured on the third down catch that sealed the win for the Sooners.

Venables provided an update on each of their status for the game this weekend. “I feel like both of those guys will, if they continue to progress throughout the week, that they’ll be available this weekend,” Venables said.

That’s big news for Oklahoma. Not that after a full week of practice, Arnold wouldn’t be able to get the job done, but having Gabriel and his experience back there is best for the team. Also, the game last year is the game where he was knocked out causing him to miss most of that game and the loss to Texas.

Combine that with it being senior night, and I’m sure it’s a game Gabriel has had circled on his calendar for quite a while. Hopefully, the team can send Gabriel and all of the other seniors out on a high note.

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Oklahoma Sooners name permanent captains for the 2023 season

Oklahoma has named the permanent captains for the 2023 season.

Just like that, the 2023 Oklahoma Sooners regular season is about to come to a close. As we head into the final game of the season, the Sooners have announced who their permanent captains will be for the remainder of the season.

Those are [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag], [autotag]Ethan Downs[/autotag], [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag], [autotag]McKade Mettauer[/autotag], [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag], [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] and [autotag]Woodi Washington[/autotag]. Four of those players will be honored on senior night this weekend.

Bowman has emerged here lately and taken his game to another level. He has 52 tackles, which ranks third on the team, and leads the team with five interceptions.

Downs has had a solid season, leading the Sooners with 4.5 sacks on the year. He’s also been one of the best interviews all season. You can tell how much of a leader he is for the team.

 

Gabriel is having a career year for the Sooners. His 69.9% completion percentage is a career high. He’s also only a little under 400 yards shy of breaking his career high in yards and only five passing touchdowns shy of setting a career-high in passing touchdowns. His 38 total touchdowns, however, is a career high.

Mettauer has been a steady force on an offensive line that has really found its groove recently. It’s helped pave the way for [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag] to have three straight 100-yard games on the ground.

Stoops embodies what this program is all about both on and off the field. He leads the team with 66 receptions and 755 yards and is tied for the team lead with nine touchdowns.

Stutsman is the emotional leader of the defense. You could tell his presence was greatly missed in the two losses. He leads the team with 91 tackles and 15.5 tackles for loss.

Washington has played a position that has seen a lot of turnover due to injury at the cornerback spot opposite of him. He’s been a steady force and leader for the cornerback position.

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‘There’s always a story behind it’: Brent Venables on the low sack numbers

The lack of sacks is not a worry for Brent Venables and Co.

The 2023 season for the Oklahoma Sooners was about improvement. Across the board, there has been improvement in just about every area.

But one area that has not seen much improvement is the defense’s inability to create sacks. The Sooners had 28 sacks a season ago and currently sit at 18 sacks with one game remaining in the regular season.

Often sacks are used to determine if a defensive line has had a good season or not. However, while it’s a good thing to have a lot of sacks, it’s not always indicative of the play of a defensive line. Run defense can be more telling of a team’s ability up front.

But still, they’ve clearly taken a step back in the sacks department. A big reason is they just don’t have a true difference-maker on the defensive line.

Brent Venables spoke about some other reasons as to why that number might be as low as it is. “There’s always a story behind it,” Venables said. “I think the easy one is ‘Oh look this final stat sheet there are no sacks, they must suck.’ Or you just watch the game, and oh I see either we are not stopping the run, so it’s a lot of 3rd and short, or it’s 4th and short, so you aren’t going to get a lot of seven-step drops. Or maybe it’s a team that’s committed to running three-man routes and seven-man protections. Last I checked, seven against four is hard because people respect things that we do. We are not getting a bunch of five on four.”

Combine that with a lot of teams getting the ball out quickly and more athletic quarterbacks and it makes it harder to get home.

When you watch a game, the other team will generally tell you what they think about the Sooners. No, Oklahoma doesn’t have crazy sack numbers, but with teams keeping seven men into block, they are telling you how much they respect Oklahoma as a pass-rushing team.

There’s always more to the story than meets the eye.

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‘I was on IVs right up until kickoff’: Danny Stutsman rose to the occasion when called upon

Although he was under the weather and didn’t have his best game, Danny Stutsman shined when it mattered most.

While [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag]’s 100-yard pick-six was the play of the game, their other star on defense also made a huge play late to help get the Oklahoma Sooners the win over the [autotag]BYU Cougars[/autotag]. This play also happened late in a tie game.

With 8:43 left in the 4th Quarter, the Cougars faced a 3rd and 4 from their own 37-yard line. [autotag]Jake Retzlaff[/autotag] dropped back to pass and [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] came on a blitz off the left side. Stutsman was able to get to Retzlaff and forced a fumble that was recovered by [autotag]Jacob Lacey[/autotag]. The Sooners scored the game-winning touchdown three plays later.

Stutsman broke that play down for reporters after the game. “We had a blitz called,” Stutsman said. “Backer-backer check. Honestly, I wasn’t going to go, but Kobie (McKinzie) took control there and got me in the right position. Everyone executed, and we got off the field.”

Stutsman finished with 10 tackles, one sack, and two tackles for loss. But he didn’t really look like himself all day long. There was even some concern that may not play due to an illness.

“I was on IVs right up until kickoff,” Stutsman said. “I haven’t eaten in like two days. I’m kind of hungry. Once it’s game time, it’s game time. I’m not going to let an external factor affect the team. It’s much more than myself. I’ve got to do whatever it takes to get on that field.”

After making that play, I’m sure everyone is happy he was able to be on that field. Now the Sooners head into their final game of the season hoping for a 10-win season.

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Sooners running back Gavin Sawchuk solidifying his role

Gavin Sawchuk has rushed for three straight 100 yard games, giving Oklahoma’s run game a resurgence.

All season long the Oklahoma Sooners have desperately been trying to find a game-changer at the running back position. They’ve had some solid performances but nothing to help take their offense to another level.

Then came [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag]. Sawchuk really burst on the scene in the 2nd half vs. the [autotag]UCF Knights[/autotag]. Since that game, he’s averaging 87 yards per game and has three straight 100-yard rushing games. If you take that 87 yards per game and projected it across a 12-game season, he’d finish with more than 1,000 yards.

His biggest play came in a tie-ball game midway through the 4th Quarter. The Sooners’ defense just forced a fumble, but the offense was facing a 3rd and 1. [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] handed it off to Sawchuk, who broke about two or three tackles on his way to a 16-yard touchdown to put OU up 31-24.

Sawchuk spoke about the trust the team has in him with the media after the game.

“It’s great to be a part of this team,” Sawchuk said. “To really be supporting these guys and having a major role on this team. But it’s earned like everything else. You earn it at practice fields. So, I see everybody working hard so whoever is out there I’m going to have complete trust in what they’re going to do and trust they’re going to perform on the field.”

Sawchuk finished with 14 carries for 107 yards and a touchdown. He had five runs of 10 yards or more and three runs of 15 yards or more. He’s providing the explosiveness that people were excited about when he committed out of Littleton, Col. What he showed on Saturday against BYU is he’s not simply a fast, quick-twitch runner. He’s capable of taking on contact, running through tackles, and driving for the dirty yards.

According to Pro Football Focus, he averaged five yards per carry after contact against BYU.

Now the hope is he’s able to continue that success next week against the [autotag]TCU Horned Frogs[/autotag].

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