Tag: 2023 Oklahoma Sooners

‘They’re not in until they’re in’: Billy Bowman on his game changing play

Billy Bowman breaks down the play of the game for the Sooners.

There was 5:55 left in the 3rd Quarter. The [autotag]BYU Cougars[/autotag] had just gashed the Oklahoma Sooners with runs of 25, 11 and 22 yards to set up a 1st and Goal from the 2-yard line.

The game was tied, and it felt like a score here for the Cougars could seal the game in their favor, leaving Oklahoma to suffer their third loss of the season. The Cougar offense rushed to the line, [autotag]Jake Retzlaff[/autotag] took the snap and threw it quickly out to his left, where his wide receiver ran a short hitch route.

Out of nowhere, [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag] jumped the route, picked it off, and took it 100 yards the other way for the Sooners touchdown. The Sooners would gain all of the momentum, which would ultimately lead to a seven-point win.

Bowman spoke about that play after the game. “We got down there with our backs against the wall, and they’re not in until they’re in,” Bowman said. “I was supposed to blitz, and I saw a man for BYU wide open, so I said forget it, I’m not going to blitz. I went to cover him, got my eyes back, and the ball was right there.”

Bowman is quietly putting together a great second half to the season for the Sooners. He could be someone who gains some post-season honors in the conference. That play changed the game for the Sooners and ultimately kept their Big 12 championship hopes alive.

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Dillon Gabriel joins former Sooner legend in historical performance

Dillon Gabriel joined some elite company after his performance against West Virginia.

What a career it has been for Oklahoma Sooners quarterback [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag]. Just last week, Gabriel entered into the top 10 all-time in passing yards in NCAA history.

He joined two other Sooners, [autotag]Baker Mayfield[/autotag] and [autotag]Landry Jones[/autotag]. Depending on how his career finishes, he has an opportunity to pass Mayfield and Boise State Broncos’ quarterback Kellen Moore to move into No. 7 all-time. Also, last weekend Gabriel accounted for eight touchdowns which broke Mayfield’s single-game touchdown record.

That’s not all Gabriel did this past weekend. Gabriel’s 50 yards rushing put him over 1,000 yards for his career, making him just the second player in NCAA history to throw for more than 14,000 yards and run for 1,000 yards joining Mayfield.

Oregon Ducks‘ Bo Nix has a chance to join the group this weekend if he throws for just 21 yards. They take on the Arizona State Sun Devils.

There’s no question it’s been an incredible career for Gabriel, and yet he doesn’t get the recognition he deserves. Many before the season were hoping Jackson Arnold would take over the reins, but Gabriel kept working.

He’s having a career year and a Heisman-type season. If Oklahoma didn’t slip up twice, he’d probably be right in the Heisman race. Also, he led one of the greatest drives in program history to knock off Oklahoma’s biggest rival.

He might not be better than Mayfield, [autotag]Kyler Murray[/autotag] or [autotag]Sam Bradford[/autotag], but he’s very good, and Oklahoma fans should be thankful once [autotag]Caleb Williams[/autotag] decided to enter the portal, Gabriel came to Norman.

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Drake Stoops named Burlsworth Trophy finalist

Drake Stoops was named a finalist for a prestigious awards given to players who started as walk-ons.

When [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] decided to attend the [autotag]University of Oklahoma[/autotag] and play football as a walk-on, there were many who thought it was a nice story for him to come play where his dad coached but didn’t expect any contribution.

But those who knew Stoops, and saw him play in high school, knew he was going to make the most of his opportunities. Stoops has become Mr. Reliable for the Sooners. He seems to get open when they need him to, and he catches just about everything as well.

The sixth-year senior had a pretty decent year a season ago, and some wondered if it would be his final season in Norman. Instead, he decided to use his extra year of eligibility and play one more time for the school he grew up watching.

What a decision that was. Stoops leads the Big 12 in receptions and is top 3 in yards this season. He has 62 catches for 692 yards and nine touchdowns. All of which leads the Sooners.

Because of the season he’s having, Stoops was named as a finalist for the [autotag]Burlsworth Trophy[/autotag]. That’s an award given to the nation’s best player who started their career as a walk-on.

[autotag]Baker Mayfield[/autotag] is the only Sooner ever to take home that award. Stoops won’t have to wait long to find out. The Burlsworth Award will be given out on Dec. 4, 2023.

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BYU presents a new challenge to Brent Venables and the Oklahoma Sooners

The Oklahoma Sooners will experience a first in their final Big 12 road trip.

The Oklahoma Sooners have fielded a football team for 129 years, but they have never played in the state of Utah.

That is until they make the trip to Provo, Utah, to face Big 12 newcomer, the [autotag]BYU Cougars[/autotag] this Saturday. The Sooners have faced the Cougars two other times in their program’s history, losing both. Both of those games were played at neutral sites.

It’s also a first for Brent Venables. In his 30 years of coaching, he’s never coached a game in Provo against the BYU Cougars.

He spoke with the media about this new experience.

“It’s an incredibly tradition-rich program,” Venables said. “It has been for such a long time. They have one of the most loyal and passionate fan bases in all of college football. All of the college football history and excellence that’s represented, players, coaches and wins at BYU. You’ve always seen the picture probably if you like college football. There’s a picture of the stadium nestled down in the mountains and valley there.”

The Sooners will take on the Cougars in a familiar timeslot for them but an unfamiliar one for the Cougars. It will be a 10 a.m. kickoff out there, which is 11 a.m. back here at home. The Cougars haven’t played that early in over a decade.

The Sooners also avoided a night game in Provo. The Cougars are 17-2 in their last 19 night games. This is shaping up for what should be a Sooner win, but that’s why they play the game.

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‘We’re really proud of ourselves’: Ethan Downs on the goal-line stop vs. West Virginia

After back-to-back poor showings, the defensive line rose to the occasion against the West Virginia Mountaineers.

The Oklahoma Sooners defensive line has been up and down all season long. They have never been able to consistently bring a pass rush.

A big part of that is they don’t have a dominant pass rusher on the team. They have some guys with a lot of potential like [autotag]R Mason Thomas[/autotag] and [autotag]Adepoju Adebawore[/autotag] but those guys still need time to develop.

But a big misconception is sacks are what determine how good a defensive line is or isn’t. Sacks definitely help, and you need to get pressure on the quarterback, but there are so many other ways a defensive line can dominate. Mainly in the run game.

The Sooners currently rank No. 7 in the country in tackles for loss. They also rank No. 47 in rush defense after playing four teams in the top 17 in the country and the nation’s leading rusher. That’s pretty good. It’s not great, but it’s pretty good.

The issue is in the losses. They haven’t been as disruptive up front. They had six tackles for loss in those games combined. They average nearly eight per game. Last week against the [autotag]West Virginia Mountaineers[/autotag], they were back up at their average with eight tackles for loss.

Ethan Downs spoke with the media about how well the defensive line played. “We are trying to follow our keys, alignments, everything,” Downs said. “Be as crisp as possible so they can’t move the ball. I feel like we did a great job stopping the run, especially on that goal-line stop. We’re really proud of ourselves.”

Now, that performance needs to resurface this week in Provo as the Sooners get set to take on the BYU Cougars.

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‘It felt good to get back out there’: Jalil Farooq on the offense’s resurgence vs. the West Virginia Mountaineers

The Sooners offense had struggled since the bye week but had a resurgence on Saturday vs. West Virginia.

The Oklahoma Sooners offense got back on track after two straight weeks of struggling against the Kansas Jayhawks and Oklahoma State Cowboys on the road. The Sooners scored 57 points in the losses, but more than that, mental miscues and turnovers plagued Oklahoma during their two-game losing streak.

They had been averaging 29.3 just points per game since the bye week. But on Saturday they put up 59 points and 644 yards on the [autotag]West Virginia Mountaineers[/autotag]. It was a complete and well-balanced performance as the Sooners threw for 423 yards and rushed for 221 yards.

Jalil Farooq spoke about the offense getting back on track. “It felt good to get back out there,” Farooq said. “Just being out there, clicking. Things coming together felt great to be out there with my brothers.”

Farooq individually didn’t have a great day. He had four touches for 59 yards, but [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] and [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] both had more than 100 yards. Farooq also played a part in Stoops’ 60-yard touchdown catch as he helped pull him into the end zone.

The key now is to keep that momentum going to end the season. The BYU Cougars have the No. 103 ranked defense in the country, and the TCU Horned Frogs have the No. 87 ranked defense.

Neither defense should pose much of a threat to the Sooners’ offense as long as they don’t shoot themselves in the foot like they did vs. the Jayhawks and Cowboys.

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Jackson Arnold set to redshirt for the Oklahoma Sooners

Oklahoma’s 5-Star freshman quarterback is set to redshirt this season.

Late in last week’s blowout win over the [autotag]West Virginia Mountaineers[/autotag], the starters for the Oklahoma Sooners came out of the game. But it wasn’t former five-star [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] who replaced [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag]. Instead, it was [autotag]Davis Beville[/autotag].

This had many, including myself, scratching their heads. They were excited to see Arnold get a chance to sling the football around. After the game, [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag] both spoke about redshirting the freshman.

Venables elaborated on that plan going forward in his press conference on Tuesday.

“You are always trying to be mindful of that,” Venables said. “Every player and sometimes you can potentially do it and sometimes that was the plan but there’s disaster that happens and then you got to make a hard right-hand turn. You always are looking at Plan A or Plan B, best-case scenario, worst-case scenario but he’s still been able to take all of the reps just in case something unforeseen happens. So he can stay ready. He’s had tremendous growth and maturity.”

I understand both sides to redshirting Arnold or not. On one hand, it makes sense to get him as many reps as possible before he takes the reins, possibly next season. In a blowout win, it would be great to let him play a whole quarter.

On the other hand, it’s not always a guarantee he’s gone in three seasons. Is it likely, sure. But what if something unforeseen happens and you wish you had that redshirt season? It makes sense not to blow it in a blowout win.

Also, if Gabriel decides not to play in the bowl game, assuming he doesn’t come back for 2024, Arnold can play that whole game and it doesn’t affect the four-game rule for redshirting. That would probably be the best-case scenario for Oklahoma: to have Arnold start and play in the bowl game.

Everyone is anxious to see the talented freshman play again, but just be patient, his time is coming.

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Is the Big 12 out to get Oklahoma and Texas? What do the numbers say?

Many fans are buying into the conspiracy that Big 12 officiating is trying to rob Oklahoma and Texas, but what do the numbers say?

It was a little more than two years ago when the Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns announced their move to the [autotag]SEC[/autotag] and departure from the [autotag]Big 12[/autotag]. Since then, crazy conspiracy theories have been thrown out there about the Big 12 trying to rob the Sooners and Longhorns.

One of those conspiracy theories was over officiating. Fans of those schools believe their teams have been unfairly officiated since announcing the move. In fact, after a couple of calls in the win over the [autotag]West Virginia Mountaineers[/autotag], Sooner fans let their voices be heard as chants of “SEC” rang throughout the stadium.

Let’s take a look at what the numbers say.

In nonconference play, the Sooners averaged 7.3 penalties per game for 72.7 yards per game. That ranks No. 114 in the country. Since Big 12 play, they’ve averaged 6.7 penalties per game for 52.9 yards per game, good for No. 97 in the country.

The Sooners have actually been penalized fewer times in conference play than they were in nonconference play. I get the egregious no-call in Stillwater, but the numbers prove Oklahoma isn’t getting called for as many penalties since conference play began.

Their opponents in nonconference play were called for 7.7 penalties per game for 53 yards. In conference play, they’ve been penalized 5.0 times per game for 40.9 yards.

Brent Venables spoke about the officiating conspiracy theories in his press conference on Tuesday.

“I don’t believe in conspiracies,” Venables said. “I’m not going to give them an excuse. I’m not going to let anyone else give them an excuse either. The opportunity that I have around them, my challenge is not to put it in anyone else’s hands. Play clean. Do the little things right. Sometimes it’s going to go for you, sometimes it’s not. Keep playing, keep fighting, keep working, keep believing, don’t get distracted.”

That’s the answer you want your head coach to give. No excuses for why you lost a game. As you can tell, not only did the opponents’ penalties go down, but so did Oklahoma’s.

That nonconference number includes a game against the Arkansas State Red Wolves where Arkansas State was penalized 14 times for 111 yards. You take that away and Oklahoma’s nonconference opponents average 4.5 penalties for only 24 yards per game.

Are there some questionable missed calls in tight games, absolutely. Is it because there is some big conspiracy against the Sooners and Longhorns, I just don’t buy that.

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‘We haven’t had those conversations’: Brent Venables on the possibility of Dillon Gabriel returning to Norman

Dillon Gabriel could decide to return to Oklahoma for one more season but Brent Venables said that’s not something they’ve talked about.

[autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] has had an incredible season for the Oklahoma Sooners. He’s completed 70.5% of his passes for 3,069 yards, 25 touchdowns and only five interceptions. He also leads the team with 11 rushing touchdowns.

It has just been assumed that in Oklahoma’s first year in the SEC, they’ll have a new quarterback, former five-star [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag]. The coaches have even eluded to it. But either many don’t know or they haven’t put much thought into it, Gabriel could actually return to college football for one more season.

Let’s look at why. This is Gabriel’s fifth season in college. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCAA granted a redshirt season for every player in 2020. Then in 2021 he only played three games due to injury which falls under the four-game redshirt rule. So Gabriel has one more year of eligibility available should he choose to use it.

Brent Venables spoke about Gabriel possibly returning to Norman next season. “We haven’t had those conversations,” Venables said. “He’s played a long time. He’s been through a lot. I think a year ago maybe, the talk was he had a good year, why would you want to come back? You could come back and have a bad year. But what’s he done? He’s come back and had an even better year. He’s played a lot of college football. He’s had to overcome some injuries. Lots of different types of ailments and injuries. We haven’t talked about that though.”

Venables doesn’t say it but I expect this to be Gabriel’s last season in college football. There’s an outside chance he decides to continue his college playing career but my guess would be for him to play somewhere else if he decides that.

I think Oklahoma and the coaches are fully confident in Arnold and seeing what kind of future he has.

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‘Kind of unique in college football’: Dillon Gabriel knows about playing the BYU Cougars

This won’t be the first time Dillon Gabriel has played BYU and he knows it won’t be easy.

The Oklahoma Sooners are on to face the [autotag]BYU Cougars[/autotag] in the one and only meeting as conference foes. The Sooners are actually winless all-time against the Cougars.

Right now, the Sooners have an outside shot at making the conference championship game, but it starts with winning out. After that, they will need some help to earn a spot in the title game.

Dillon Gabriel spoke with the media after practice about the Cougars’ defense and the challenges they’ll face offensively. “I think they’re really good,” Gabriel said. “I’ve obviously played BYU before so I know what they’re all about. They’re very physical and play well together. Had a tough stretch but, shoot, that place is special. Different, kind of unique in college football.”

Gabriel played BYU in a bowl game back in 2020. He had a rough day going 21 of 45 for 217 yards and two touchdowns. His UCF Knights lost 49-23. So, this is just another revenge game for Gabriel.

He was able to get his revenge vs. the [autotag]Tulsa Golden Hurricane[/autotag] and the [autotag]Cincinnati Bearcats[/autotag]. The Sooners would love nothing more than to build off of what they did a week ago against the West Virginia Mountaineers.

Something they’ll have to do in a time slot they are all too familiar with at 11:00 a.m. CT on Saturday.

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