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Week 1’s loss showed plenty of good, bad and ugly
There weren’t many positives from the Minnesota Vikings season opener, as they fell to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20-17.
The Vikings jumped out to an early three-point lead but struggled to gain any consistency on offense to keep the game moving. That inconsistency quickly reared its ugly head in the second half, where the Vikings offense failed to sustain drives.
While an opening season loss is never an encouraging sign, there was a mixture of good and bad moments for the Vikings.
Like every year, Texas comes in with a ton of hype. But this year feels different for the Longhorns. They’ll provide the biggest test of the season for the Sooners.
For nearly 120 years, the Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns have been a part of the greatest rivalry in college football.
Last year’s game was a disaster. Dillon Gabriel missed the game due to the concussion suffered in the first half of the TCU game, and Oklahoma had no passing game to speak of. The running game provided some moments, but not enough to keep the Sooners from getting shutout in the Red River Rivalry and suffering its worst loss to Texas in the history of the matchup.
The 49-0 beatdown in Dallas is something everyone would like to forget. This year, like just about every year, Texas comes in with a ton of hype.
But this year feels different for the Longhorns. I get wanting to wait and see because we’ve heard “Texas is back” for more than a decade without them actually being back.
This year it feels the excitement in Austin is warranted. Texas is ranked 19 in returning production, according to ESPN (ESPN+). The offense is returning 85% of his production from a year ago, which ranks third, and the defense is returning 63%, which ranks 68th in the nation.
Though they lost their top two running backs Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson, the Longhorns’ offense returns just about everyone.
They have one of the best-receiving groups in the nation, with Xavier Worthy, Jordan Whittington, transfer Adonai Mitchell, and Isaiah Neyor. They’ve also got one of the best tight ends in the country in Ja’Tavion Sanders.
Quinn Ewers was up and down but showed flashes during the year of why he was so highly thought of. But it should help to have one of the best offensive lines in the Big 12, if not the country.
Whether you like Steve Sarkisian or not, the guy knows how to coach an offense. It would not be surprising to see some packages for quarterback Maalik Murphy.
If they can figure out the running back position, watch out. We could be looking at one of the best offenses in the nation.
Defensively they are losing some solid players. They lose four of their top 10 leaders in tackles.
Most notable is the loss of linebacker Demarvion Overshown, now with the Dallas Cowboys. He was second in tackles last season with 96. He was also tied for second in tackles for loss with 10 and sacks with four.
Jaylan Ford helps to mitigate the loss. Ford was voted preseason Big Defensive Player of the Year by the media.
They’ll most likely replace Overshown with true freshman and the nation’s number one linebacker, Anthony Hill Jr.
They add transfer Jalen Catalon to their secondary, which should help if he can stay healthy. He was someone I really wanted to see in a Sooner jersey.
All in all, things are looking bright in Austin. If this isn’t the year they break through and win the conference, when will it be? If they don’t put things together and win only 7-8 games, Sark could find himself on the hot seat.
While I don’t think it’ll be like last year, I don’t think Oklahoma is far enough along to win this game. Even though I have them starting 5-0 heading into the Red River Showdown, this will be the one to see how real Oklahoma is.
Ultimately, Texas is just too much as we look at it in July.
Score Prediction: 38-27 Texas
Predicted Record: 5-1
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Iowa State has been a team who has given Oklahoma fits just about every year since beating the Sooners in Norman in 2017.
For the first Sooner conference home game, Oklahoma will take on the Iowa State Cyclones.
Iowa State has been a team who has given Oklahoma fits just about every year since beating the Sooners in Norman in 2017.
They play a gritty, hard-nosed defense led by Jon Heacock. They also return a decent amount of their production.
According to ESPN (ESPN+), the Cyclones rank 67th in returning production. They bring back 76 percent of their offense, which ranks 28th, and 51 percent of their defense, which ranks 95th.
Offensively they have a big task of replacing Xavier Hutchinson. Hutchinson was their go-to guy at wide receiver. He had over 1,100 yards last season.
Other than that, they return just about everyone else. Cyclones quarterback, Hunter Dekkers, returns. Their leading rusher in, Jirehl Brock, returns as well.
The key for the Cyclones is whether Dekkers can stay away from turning it over. Last season he threw 19 touchdowns but also threw 14 interceptions.
But head coach Matt Campbell has to figure out the offense. They ranked 83rd in the nation in total offense just a season ago. That was good for last in the conference.
Defensively they ranked fourth in total defense. They bring back four of their top six tacklers from a year ago.
But they lose their top three in tackles for loss and sacks. One of those was Will McDonald IV, who was drafted in the first round by the New York Jets in April.
They have to figure out how to generate pressure and develop that defensive line. But with Heacock at the helm, there shouldn’t be too much to worry about.
Ultimately, this game falls into a weird spot. Oklahoma should be riding a four-game winning streak, and the following week, they’ll play their Red River Rival in the Cotton Bowl.
This game will be talked about as a potential trap game for the Sooners.
We’ve seen far too often if you look ahead, Iowa State will beat you. We also have seen Heacock give Lincoln Riley and Jeff Lebby fits.
I think their defense keeps it close but can their offense take advantage? I’m just not sure about that.
Score Prediction: 20-17 Oklahoma
Predicted Record: 5-0
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Next up in our 2023 season previews, the Oklahoma Sooners welcome the Cincinnati Bearcats to the Big 12.
In this opponent preview, we look at the Cincinnati Bearcats. Cincinnati is one of four new Big 12 teams added to the conference this year.
The Sooners face the Bearcats and the BYU Cougars on the road. Cincinnati is replacing a great deal of talent and its coaching staff after Luke Fickell departed for Wisconsin.
New head coach Scott Satterfield has substantial experience at Appalachian State and Louisville. Back in 2019, Satterfield and the Mountaineers beat UNC and South Carolina in nonconference matchups to lead App State to a 13-1 record. His time with the Cardinals offered mixed results, he never finished better than 8-5 and went 2-1 in bowl games.
The Bearcats rank 124th in the nation in returning production, according to ESPN (ESPN+). They return 42% of their offense, which ranks 121st, and 49% of their defense, which ranks 107th.
Gone is starting quarterback from last season, Ben Bryant. In is former Florida Gators and Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Emory Jones. Jones is entering his sixth college season.
Last year he threw for more than 1,500 yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions. He also added four rushing touchdowns
They also have to replace leading rusher Charles McClelland, who ran for more than 800 yards and seven touchdowns.
They lose almost their entire receiving corps, replacing them with transfers. Of the six players listed in the two-deep, only one played last season for the Bearcats. That was Chris Scott, who caught four passes for 32 yards.
Defensively they have five transfers listed in their two-deep depth chart while replacing leading tackler in Ivan Pace Jr, who was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent. Defensive tackle Dontay Corleone is the player to watch for the Bearcats on defense.
Corleone was named to the preseason All-Big 12 team and is the highest-graded defensive tackle returning for 2023 in the Big 12.
Aside from the highly-regarded defensive tackle, though, Satterfield has his work cut out for him. Their season will depend on how quickly the incoming transfers get up to speed and gel.
This is a game I could see Oklahoma’s defense struggle in. The program, historically, has struggled with mobile quarterbacks, and Jones brings that to the table. It was a major issue in 2022. If the Sooners slow Jones and the quarterback run game down, it could be an encouraging sign that the defense will be improved in 2023.
It will be the Oklahoma Sooners only trip to Cincinnati as a conference opponent, so the Bearcats would love nothing more than to send them back to Norman with a loss.
Score Prediction: 34-20 Oklahoma
Predicted Record: 4-0
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The latest in our multi-part series looking at the state of the Minnesota Vikings roster, we take a look at the tight end position.
The 2023 season is inching closer and closer by the day and we here at Vikings Wire are previewing the season from every angle.
We are currently writing player profiles on each Minnesota Viking on the roster with projections for what their 2023 season could look like. How things look projecting forward is where the real intrigue lies.
Leading up to training camp, we will be looking at each position from a more in-depth perspective. Today, we will be looking at the tight end position.
There are only a few teams on the Oklahoma Sooners’ schedule who will look more different than the SMU Mustangs in 2023
In our next preview of Oklahoma opponents for the upcoming season, we take a look at SMU.
There are only a few teams on the Sooners’ schedule who will look more different than the Mustangs.
They rank 117th in returning production according to ESPN (ESPN+). They return 56% of their offensive production, which ranks 101st, and 48% of their defensive production, which ranks 112th.
SMU has had a high-powered offense the last few years, but a big part of that was head coach Sonny Dykes, who left for TCU in the 2022 offseason, and [autotag]Tanner Mordecai[/autotag]. Mordecai, of course, transferred this offseason to the Wisconsin Badgers to be the quarterback for their new head coach Luke Fickell.
Instead, Preston Stone will most likely be the new signal caller. Stone played in six games last season and threw for 388 yards, completing 58.3% of his passes, with two touchdowns and one interception.
So, not a lot of experience at quarterback. The Mustangs also bring back all three of their leading rushers: Tyler Lavine, Velton Gardner and [autotag]Camar Wheaton[/autotag]. Wheaton was a highly touted recruit who played for the Alabama Crimson Tide before transferring to SMU. Though he hasn’t put it all together yet, the talent is there.
The Mustangs also add Miami Hurricanes transfer Jaylan Knighton to the group. This will definitely be the strength of the offense.
They, like the Sooners, are replacing their top wide out, 1,000-yard receiver Rashee Rice. Rice had more than 1,300 yards and had 10 touchdowns last season. He was taken in the second round of the [autotag]NFL draft[/autotag].
They added a highly touted transfer from the TCU Horned Frogs, Jordan Hudson, to hopefully pick up some of that slack.
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So, while SMU finished 14th last season in total offense, just one spot behind the Sooners, it is losing much of that production. Most importantly, its quarterback. The Mustangs didn’t really lean on their running game much a year ago, so that aspect of their offense is still unproven.
They liked to throw it around the lot, finishing 65th in rushing. That’s why we could see a very different offense this season from the Mustangs.
Defensively, they are losing a great deal, but they weren’t a very good defensive team to begin with. They finished 112th in total defense last season. They were 73rd in pass defense and 120th in rush defense.
The Sooners should have substantial success running the football in this game. They really shouldn’t have much of an issue throwing it, either.
Ultimately, this is a game that should provide the first test to see how far this team has come. If its defensive line gets bullied in the run game, it’s going to be a long season. Offensively, if it can’t get separation or bully the SMU defense in the running game, there are red flags on that side of the ball.
But if they make the progress I think they should make and will make, they should pass the first test of the season rather easily.
Score Prediction: 48-13 Oklahoma
Predicted Record: 2-0
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The Arkansas State Red Wolves represent a perfect “tune up” game for the Oklahoma Sooners.
Over the next 12 days, I’m going to break down each of Oklahoma’s opponents this season and give a score prediction. At the end of it, we’ll have a record prediction to work with as well.
To kick off Year 2 under Brent Venables, the Sooners open the season versus Arkansas State, which is fresh off a 3-9 season last year.
Now, you never want to overlook opponents because we’ve seen in the past where an Appalachian State Mountaineers beat a top-five Michigan Wolverines team. But this is the perfect tune-up game for the Sooners. Arkansas State ranks 101st in the nation in returning production (ESPN+).
It returns 49% of its offensive production, which ranks 111th. It also returns 62% of its defensive production, which ranks 71st.
The Red Wolves were horrific on offense last season, ranking 118th in total offense. They lost starting quarterback James Blackman who threw 14 touchdowns and only three interceptions last season. Also gone are their starting running back and their top two wide receivers from last year.
They’ve replaced their quarterback with J.T. Shrout, who transferred from the Colorado Buffaloes. He completed 44.3% of his passes and threw seven touchdowns and eight interceptions last season.
On defense, they ranked 90th in the nation, which ranked 32 spots ahead of the Sooners last year. They are also returning a majority of their production. So, if there is a bright spot for the Red Wolves, it would be on the defensive side of the ball.
All in all, this should not be a struggle for Oklahoma, and if it is, alarms will be sounding.
Score Prediction: 52-7 Oklahoma
Predicted Record: 1-0
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