Tag: Adrian Martinez

Oklahoma’s 2022 schedule with game-by-game score predictions

And early look at the Oklahoma Sooners 2022 football schedule with game-by-game score predictions.

A lot of things have changed this offseason for the Oklahoma Sooners. While a lot of the college football world appears to be underrating the Sooners, they seem to be in a great spot to get back to the top of the Big 12 and national conversation.

Turnover hits every team, and while losing talented players always hurts, they seem to have mitigated those losses with several key additions in the transfer portal.

Though people will want to argue differently, the Sooners upgraded their coaching situation simply from a cultural and defensive standpoint. Granted, Venables will have to learn how to manage the gameday operation and in-game decision-making from the head coaching position. However, based on the way he and his coaching staff have attacked the offseason thus far, I have complete confidence that he’ll be prepared for his new role as the head coach.

Venables is a fantastic motivator and leader. He’s drawn rave reviews out of  Norman from players, recruits, and families and there’s a tremendous sense of buy-in to the new culture. His program will be locked in and engaged each and every week, not allowing the Sooners to have any emotional letdowns or flat performances.

In an early look at the Oklahoma Sooners 2022 schedule, there’s a real chance the Oklahoma Sooners could go undefeated. They’ll host Oklahoma State, Baylor, and Kansas State at home. Road trips to Fort Worth, Ames, Morgantown, and Lubbock will prove difficult and there’s always the Red River Showdown, which can be unpredictable.

The Oklahoma Sooners look like a team that’s capable of winning every game on their schedule, but that’s been the case in years past and they’ve found a way to lose one that most people thought they should win.

With that said, let’s take an early look at the 2022 schedule for the Oklahoma Sooners and go game-by-game to see how the Sooners might fare.

Athlon Sports picks the Oklahoma Sooners to finish second in the Big 12 in early 2022 projections

Looking ahead to the 2022 season, the Oklahoma Sooners were picked to finish second in Athlon Sports early Big 12 predictions.

Change isn’t always a bad thing. It comes with questions and some uncertainty, but the new can often be better than what you had or where you were.

That’s what the Oklahoma Sooners are facing heading into the 2022 offseason: A year of change and transition. Out is Lincoln Riley and in is Brent Venables, Jeff Lebby and a new defensive staff. Venables wants to make the Sooners fast and physical on defense while they run the football and controll the pace on offense.

Despite all of the changes, the program has much to be optimistic about this offseason. Steve Lassan of Athlon Sports has the Oklahoma Sooners picked to finish second in the Big 12 in his early 2022 predictions.

Lassan admits the league is pretty wide open.

“The Big 12 should feature a wide-open race to win the conference in 2022. A strong argument could be made for Baylor, Oklahoma or Oklahoma State as the early No. 1 pick in the league, but regardless of which team is the favorite, the gap among those programs is small.”

Here’s what he had to say about the Oklahoma Sooners.

It’s been a busy offseason in Norman, but new coach Brent Venables has the pieces in place to push for a Big 12 title. Assuming Caleb Williams doesn’t return, UCF transfer Dillon Gabriel should take over the quarterback spot and reunite with his former coach (and coordinator) in Jeff Lebby. The Sooners lost running back Kennedy Brooks and a couple of linemen to the NFL, but Gabriel’s arrival should keep this offense near the top of the conference. Venables was one of the nation’s top defensive signal-callers at Clemson and should make an impact right away on this side of the ball for the Sooners. – Lassan, Athlon Sports

It’s incredibly early the Oklahoma Sooners will worry about proving it on the field. What’s evident is the top of the Big 12 will be competitive once again. Baylor and Oklahoma State should be strong contenders for the conference title again in 2022. Oklahoma looks to rebound and get back into the Big 12 title game. And you never know what you’re going to get with Texas. After a terrible year, the Longhorns could bounce back and find themselves in the Big 12 race as well.

Here’s how Lassan ranked the Big 12 members.

Oklahoma at Nebraska one Football Scoops’ 12 nonconference games to look forward to in 2022

Oklahoma Sooners vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers named one of the most anticipated games of the 2022 nonconference schedule.

The renewal of the Big 8 and Big 12 rivalry between Oklahoma and Nebraska was one of the more anticipated games of the 2021 season. The seven-point win for the Sooners was a throwback to the great defensive performances of the past as the teams slugged away to a 7-3 Sooners lead at halftime.

The two sides will get to do it again in 2022 as part of the home-and-home series. It will be a return to Lincoln for Brent Venables and the Oklahoma Sooners for the first time since Nebraska won a 10-3 slugfest in 2009.

AD Trev Alberts deemed Scott Frost’s 2021 season to be horseshoes and hand grenades, where close enough counted. At some point he’ll have to beat someone, anyone with a pulse, and what an opportunity to reward his administration and his fan base’s faith with a victory over the Big Red’s biggest historic rival, in Lincoln. (NU is 7-1 against OU in Lincoln, dating back to 1989).

How quickly things can change in college football. In last year’s matchup, it was Spencer Rattler vs. Adrian Martinez. Rattler’s now playing for South Carolina and Martinez transferred to Kansas State. Dillon Gabriel looks like the presumptive starter for the Sooners while former Texas quarterback Casey Thompson will likely lead the way for the Cornhuskers in 2022.

As defensive as the Sooners were in 2021, they’re entering a new era of Sooners football as Brent Venables looks to remake the Oklahoma Sooners in his image.

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

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Who will be the starting quarterback for each Big 12 team in 2022?

With the 2021 season behind us, let’s look ahead at who will start at quarterback for the Big 12’s teams in 2022.

The Big 12 will see a lot of turnover at the quarterback position heading into 2022. Turnover happens every year and while several teams will have new signal-callers for the next season, there remains a lot of familiarity with the guys who will start at quarterback in 2022.

TCU will have to decide between the experienced Max Duggan and the flash in the pan performance of Chandler Morris. Baylor will likely go with Gerry Bohanon, but Blake Shapen looked sharp at times too.

We’re nine months from the start of the 2022 college football season, but it’s never too early to look ahead. Here’s who we think will start at quarterback for each of the Big 12’s teams next season.

Predicting each Big 12 team’s starting quarterback for 2022

Expect to see lots of new faces around the Big 12 next season.

Like it or not, the transfer portal has changed the game of college football forever. “Free agency” has finally hit the sport, causing lots of change all over the country.

The Big 12 conference as a whole is seeing lots of turnover at the quarterback position due to transfers and graduation. Expect at least six out of ten teams to have new starters next year.

Oklahoma’s freshman phenom Caleb Williams appears out the door, Texas’ Casey Thompson entered the portal in response to Quinn Ewers transferring in, and Kansas State brought longtime Nebraksa starter, Adrian Martinez.

Baylor and Oklahoma State are expected to return their starting quarterbacks after 12 win seasons. Other schools will have quarterback competitions during spring practice and fall camp.

It will be interesting to see how things shake up between now and next fall as more moves are likely to come.

Here is a current projection of each Big 12 team’s 2022 starting quarterback:

BadgersWire staff predictions for Wisconsin vs. Nebraska

Staff predictions for Wisconsin-Nebraska:

On Saturday afternoon at Camp Randall, Wisconsin will look for their seventh-straight win as the Badgers take on Nebraska.

Wisconsin has cruised to a majority of their wins during the streak, but at least according to Las Vegas this matchup is expected to be a little bit closer. While the Badgers likely won’t clinch the Big Ten West division title this afternoon, a win keeps them in firm control of their goal to play in Indianapolis for a conference championship.

Nebraska limps into this contest at 3-7, and that record comes as a result of a number of close losses. How will the Huskers fair against one of the top defenses in the nation?

Here is how our BadgersWire staff sees it going:

Paul Chryst gives his thoughts on Nebraska QB Adrian Martinez

The Badger head coach was complimentary of the Nebraska QB

During his weekly press conference, Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst touched on a number of Nebraska-related topics including the play of quarterback Adrian Martinez.

It has been an up and down year for the Nebraska quarterback, who has been impressive in extending plays but had issues taking care of the football in critical moments.

Facing one of the top defenses in the country won’t make life easier for the Cornhuskers offense. Chryst, however, was very complimentary of Martinez, who has the ability to give Wisconsin problems with his legs on Saturday.

“He’s a dynamic athlete and he can stress you and make plays, big plays, with his arm and his legs,” Chryst told reporters on Monday. “They do a nice job overall in the scheme in putting them in those positions… I remember when he first came in he was impressive. He’s continued to improve and get better, he’s been healthy this whole year… he’s making big plays running the ball and throwing the ball.”

Wisconsin takes on Nebraska at Camp Randall, with kickoff set for 12:30 p.m. on Saturday.

 

Five reasons Nebraska could be a problem for Ohio State Saturday

Nebraska might be 3-6, but there are some reasons that the Cornhuskers could cause problems for Ohio State Saturday. Here are five. #GoBucks

The Ohio State football team travels to Nebraska to take on a Cornhuskers team that has been snakebitten this season. Despite a 3-6 record, Scott Frost’s squad has been in every single game. In fact, every loss this year for the ‘Huskers has been eight points or less, and it’s been even better in Lincoln. They’ve only lost two games at Memorial Stadium by a combined eight points.

And so, you can forgive Ryan Day for being cautious about this road trip. When speaking to reporters Tuesday, Day said he was impressed with what he’ve seen from Nebraska.

It’s March Madness right now. If you win, you move on,” Day said. “I don’t care what Nebraska’s record is, I watched film and they’re good.”

So, there are some reasons to believe that Nebraska could cause some issues for Ohio State this weekend if the team isn’t focused and executing at a high level. We’re here to uncover some things that could have Day up at night as he preps to jump on the plain and head further west in America’s heartland.

Here are five reasons the Cornhuskers could be a problem for the Buckeyes this weekend.

 

Adrian Martinez on Brad Hawkins’ stripped fumble: ‘I thought the play was over’

Michigan football S Brad Hawkins caused a game-winning fumble on Adrian Martinez. The Nebraska QB says the play shouldn’t have counted.

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So, it turns out we may have something of a controversy where there shouldn’t be one.

Michigan football beat Nebraska, 32-29, on Saturday in a game that the Wolverines controlled in the first half before the Huskers went on an offensive rampage in the second. There were awful calls on both sides — bad spots for Michigan, no-calls when Nebraska had an illegal formation or was emulating the snap count; the Wolverines got away with quite a few things, as well, almost including a touchdown — but at the end of the game, it was a stripped ball and return by Michigan safety Brad Hawkins that all-but sealed victory for the maize and blue.

Cut and dry, right? It turns out, not so much.

While saying he’s taking accountability for his actions, Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez also gave himself something of an out, saying after the game that he thought that the play was completely over and that he was just standing there when Hawkins came up and aggressively ripped the ball out.

“Yeah, the call: obviously short-yardage run play, try to get the first down,” Martinez said. “I’m not gonna stand up here and make excuses for myself: can’t be careless with the football. I thought the play was over, I was standing as I’m standing right now, and I thought it was done. Regardless of that fact, I feel a lot of responsibility and can’t make plays like that that hurt our team.”

He spoke again about the play on Monday, just noting that he has to hang onto the ball.

“The biggest thing, just continuing to be aware and hold on as tight as possible to that ball,” Martinez said. “It’s hard to really see anything else there from that play.”

The Michigan contingent spoke about the play after the game, as well, with both Jim Harbaugh and Brad Hawkins commenting on it.

“Yeah, I knew they wouldn’t flinch!” Harbaugh said. “Like I said, some incredible athletes. Brad Hawkins, incredible play he made — stripping that ball in the end and picking it up.”

“Just practicing how you play,” Hawkins said. “Practice all week, every single day. Then we practice punching at the ball, stripping the ball, taking the ball out. In that moment, punching the ball out, stripping the ball out and it came free. Just practicing how you play. And it came through for us.”

What do you think? Was Martinez’s forward progress stopped or was the play over?

Regardless of what you decide, the whistle hadn’t blown, which tends to be the ultimate determination of whether or not a play is dead. Given that Martinez was still fighting for yards, safe to say, it was still a live play.

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Under the radar Defensive player to watch for the Sooners vs WVU

This Sooners defensive lineman is flying under the radar ahead of this week’s matchup with West Virginia and is a player to keep an eye on.

Oklahoma’s defense will get a chance tomorrow under the lights to continue solidifying itself as one of the best units in college football. Coming off an excellent performance against an elusive quarterback in Adrian Martinez of Nebraska, the Sooners will look to slow down a more balanced West Virginia offensive attack as they open Big 12 play at home.

The Mountaineers have a more traditional quarterback in redshirt senior Jarret Doege than Adrian Martinez, who was more mobile than prototypical quarterbacks. Senior running back Leddie Brown is the man in front on the ground posting 19 carries for 161 yards and a touchdown last game against a stout Virginia Tech front seven. Wide receiver Bryce Ford-Wheaton presents a challenge outside the numbers due to his height and ability to go and get the ball.

The Sooners will need their big names to show up to put themselves in position for another win. In every game, though, complementary players show up that ultimately help decide the games. For this game, we’re going to look at defensive tackle Joshua Ellison.

Ellison, a transfer from JUCO Blinn College, has had a steady career so far at Oklahoma. He will have an opportunity to cement himself these next few weeks following the announcement of starter Jalen Redmond’s injury. Ellison’s contributions as a rotational defensive lineman have been valuable, but he’ll be asked to contribute more now that the starter in Redmond is out.

Ellison can’t slide outside like Redmond, but he’s solid in occupying gaps, using his hands, and moving interior offensive linemen inside. The defensive line is the foundation for Oklahoma’s defensive success and its deepest unit. Grinch may have to swap out Ellison on passing downs for someone like LaRon Stokes. Still, Ellison’s primary focus should be to eat space and stymie a West Virginia run game that needs to get going to keep Oklahoma from pinning their ears back and rushing the passer constantly.

The Sooners have a lot of depth on the defensive front seven. Joshua Ellison ultimately has to do his job. He doesn’t have to try to be Jalen Redmond but instead play assignment sound and mistake-free football. His talent will take care of the rest. He’s surrounded by some serious playmakers defensively that can pick up the playmaking slack.

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