Tag: Andrel Anthony

15 highest graded Oklahoma Sooners on offense per Pro Football Focus for 2023

The 15 highest-graded Oklahoma Sooners on offense after the regular season.

The Oklahoma Sooners’ offense had a banner year in 2023. A number of players had great seasons for an offense that finished No. 3 in the nation in scoring and No. 4 in total yards.

It was an offense that scored more than 40 points seven times and 50 or more three times.

Though there were times when the offense needed to be better, it was one of the best in the nation. Their performances against Texas, Iowa State, West Virginia, and TCU were incredible, helping propel the Sooners to a 10-2 record.

But who were the most important pieces to the offense? Let’s take a look at Pro Football Focus’ top 15 highest-graded players on offense from the 2023 regular season.

Minimum 188 snaps

5 takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners 69-45 win over TCU

5 takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners 69-45 win over the TCU Horned Frogs.

Oklahoma ended its final regular season as a Big 12 member with a 69-45 win over the TCU Horned Frogs. Backed by an explosive offensive performance that saw Dillon Gabriel return to throw for 400 yards and three touchdowns on Senior Day, Oklahoma rode the wave to another easy win at home. They finished the season undefeated in Norman.

Junior safety Billy Bowman had a pick-six for the second straight game, and Gavin Sawchuk ran for 130 yards and three touchdowns to tighten his stranglehold on the starting running back spot.

The defense was far from stellar as they allowed over 500 yards and gave up over 45 points. But when they needed to make a few plays to give Oklahoma breathing room, they did just that.

The Sooners finished the regular season with a 10-2 record and now wait to see how the Big 12 title game race shakes out over the next few evenings.

Here are five takeaways from the Sooners 24-point win.

Stock Report: Defensive line struggling heading into final regular season game

Oklahoma escaped BYU’s upset bid this past weekend. In our stock report we look at who’s trending up or down before Oklahoma takes on TCU.

Saturday’s win against BYU was all about willpower. Oklahoma didn’t play its best, especially from a defensive standpoint, and yet, the Sooners found a way to escape a scrappy BYU team playing on senior day.

There were some nice moments or individual performances to take away from the game, like Jayden Gibson’s big day, Billy Bowman putting forth his best performance of the season, and Gavin Sawchuk continuing to morph into the bellcow running back his head coach publicly claimed he was looking for.

There were other positives, too, like Jackson Arnold’s performance off the bench, that helped push Oklahoma to victory. With the good comes the bad, and Oklahoma’s front seven was a large part of that bad. They struggled most of the game and were a significant reason BYU was a threat to potentially upset Oklahoma.

When the dust settled, the Sooners came out on top, and with a short week before they play TCU, the Sooners must regroup fast.

In the meantime, here is our stock report to see who is trending up and down as the Sooners prepare for their final Big 12 home game.

Drake Stoops named to Pro Football Focus Team of the Week

Drake Stoops’ career day earned a spot on Pro Football Focus’ Team of the Week.

What a game it was from Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag]. Whether it was breaking multiple tackles and carrying defenders into the endzone on his way to a 60-yard score, beating a guy on an out route for another score, or making a tough contested catch in the endzone while getting smashed. Stoops did it all on Saturday on his way to a career day.

Stoops finished with 10 catches for 164 yards and three touchdowns. He also now leads the [autotag]Big 12 Conference[/autotag] in receptions. It was the most the most receiving yards by a Sooner since 2019.

His big day earned Stoops a spot on Pro Football Focus Week 11 Team of the Week.

Stoops has had a great season so far. He has 62 catches for 692 yards and nine touchdowns. All three of those lead the team. Stoops came in known as “Bob’s boy” but has since carved his own legacy in Oklahoma Lure.

He’s had back-to-back 100+ yard receiving days when he had zero in his career prior to the Bedlam game. Someone had to step up when leading receiver [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag] went out, and Stoops has stepped up in a big way.

He gave a passionate speech after the team lost its second consecutive game. He then backed that up on Saturday.

Who knows what Stoops’ future holds on the field, but one thing is for sure, Oklahoma is going to have a major void to fill next season.

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20 highest-graded Oklahoma Sooners through Week 10 per Pro Football Focus

The 20 highest-graded Oklahoma Sooners through week 10 per Pro Football Focus.

Though the Oklahoma Sooners are on a two-game losing streak, they’ve already surpassed their win total from a year ago with three games to go and a bowl game.

They still have a shot at a Big 12 title game berth. And after 6-7, that’s all we can really ask for.

The offense has shown improvement on third down and in the red zone. Dillon Gabriel is having a career year. The defense has shown significant improvement this season. A year ago, they allowed 30 or more points seven times. This year that’s only happened once against Kansas. Texas scored 30, but seven of those can be attributed to special teams on the blocked punt.

Yes, they lost winnable games the last two weeks, playing uncharacteristically sloppy football. Otherwise, they’ve been a really good team this year.

As they get ready to close the season, here are the top 20 highest-graded players according to Pro Football Focus through week 10.

Minimum 25% snap count

Offense: 177.75

Defense: 167.75

‘Just doing whatever I can for the team’: Jallil Farooq simply wants to help the Oklahoma Sooners win

Jalil Farooq played some running back in the Sooners last game but for him he doesn’t care what position he plays, he just wants to win.

When you look at the stat sheet from the Oklahoma Sooners game against the [autotag]UCF Knights[/autotag], you’ll see [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag] had three carries for 16 yards. Immediately you don’t think much of it because Farooq is a guy they love to get the ball to on reverses or sweeps.

But dive a little deeper, and it gets more interesting. Those three carries were when he was lined up at running back. Now, Farooq played running back in high school, so he knows the position, but he hasn’t played that position at Oklahoma.

With the loss of [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag] the game before, it was interesting Oklahoma would use him that way. Is it because they want to get the ball in his hands, or is it because they still aren’t feeling great about the running backs?

It’s probably a little bit of both. Farooq told reporters he’ll do whatever it takes to win. “Just doing whatever I can for the team,” Farooq said. “It’s actually fun. It feels like high school once again. So just being able to be out there, move around, make plays when I can, enjoying football.”

With the weather not looking great for this weekend, it’ll be interesting if that formation sticks around or if it was just a one-week wonder after the performance [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag] put on in the 4th Quarter.

We’ll find that out Saturday at 11:00 a.m.

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3 Stars of the Game: Defensive end duo plays inspired ball in Sooners win

Oklahoma escaped UCF’s upset bid on Saturday. While it wasn’t pretty these three players stood out most for their performance.

Oklahoma narrowly escaped on Saturday against UCF in a game many did not foresee as razor-tight. At no point outside of the game’s first minutes did  Oklahoma have control.

Ultimately, that remained the case for the rest of the game. However, somehow, Oklahoma found themselves walking off Owen Field still undefeated and 7-0, surpassing their 2022 win total in October of this year.

While the product was far from pretty, the result mattered, and the Sooners won. A few players from the team stood out, and we have declared them our three stars for this week.

Three Stars of the Game

No. 1 Star – Ethan Downs, DE

Ethan Downs has upped his level of play this season and has become an impact defender along the defensive line for the Sooners.

He had a lights-out performance vs. Texas and was just as disruptive against UCF.

He had a highlight play that saw him blow up two UCF players on a 3rd and 8 in the first quarter and ended up sacking Knights quarterback John Rhys Plumlee.

Downs also had five tackles in the run game and was credited with a tackle for loss. His ability to set the edge was vital in forcing UCF to run between the tackles, where they did not have the physical or schematical advantage against the Sooners.

No. 2 Star – Trace Ford, DL

Trace Ford had arguably his best game of the season on Saturday. He was a disruptive force on the ground and as a pass rusher.

Ford came up with two tackles for loss and knocked down two passes at the line of scrimmage. He was active and energetic.

While he did struggle to contain the edge at times, he was undoubtedly one of the more impactful defenders on Saturday.

No. 3 Star – Nic Anderson, WR

There’s no way to overstate Nic Anderson’s arrival this year, but he’s announced himself in a big way. He’s third on the team in receiving yards, first in touchdowns, and is averaging 24.8 yards per reception.

On Saturday, he scored twice, led the team in receiving yards, and further proved to be a reliable weapon in the passing game.

Anderson is showcasing route running, awareness, and explosiveness.

With Andrel Anthony out for the remainder of this season, Nic Anderson looks like he’s officially a starter for the long haul. Oklahoma will depend on him to make plays going forward. It’s up to Anderson to continue to make the most of those opportunities.

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

Five Takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners 31-29 win over the UCF Knights

Oklahoma pulled out a nailbiter as they hung on to beat UCF 31-29 in Norman on Saturday. Here are our five takeaways from the game.

Oklahoma escaped by the skin of its teeth on Saturday as they downed Big 12 newcomer UCF 31-29. It was a game that came down to the waning minutes of the fourth quarter.

Considering how well Oklahoma has looked all season, it was a jarring performance. Especially after the Sooners had a bye week to put the Texas win behind them. Yet, on Saturday, after a relatively solid start, a pair of missed field goals kept the door open for UCF to run through. Before long, Oklahoma was fighting for its life and the right to stay undefeated.

When the dust cleared, the Sooners came out on top. A late surge in the fourth quarter was enough for Brent Venables’ team to get it done.

Here are five takeaways from the Sooners’ win.

Keys to Victory: Oklahoma has to stop the run vs. UCF’s elite rushing attack

Oklahoma will take on UCF Saturday for the first time ever. How will the Sooners fare against the Big 12 newcomers? Here are 5 keys to a win

Saturday’s first-ever matchup between UCF and Oklahoma will be exciting. Storylines will focus on former Knights turned Sooners Dillon Gabriel and Jeff Lebby. Oklahoma is playing its first game since their season-altering win against Texas. The Sooners are first in the Big 12 standings. They are in a prime position to win out and punch their ticket to Arlington to play for one final Big 12 title.

Their ascension up the Big 12 mountain continues, with UCF making the trip to Norman.

UCF isn’t a team Oklahoma can go through the motions with and expect to win. The Sooners are ranked in the top 10 and are the target for teams wanting to spoil Oklahoma’s Big 12 and College Football Playoff push.

How does Oklahoma avoid a colossal letdown in front of what should be a packed house on Saturday? We’ve covered it in our keys to the game for an Oklahoma victory.

Caleb Shaffer could earn more opportunities after Red River Rivalry performance

Up to this point, Caleb Shaffer hasn’t had a big role for the Sooners but that could change going forward.

There was 1:17 left in the 4th quarter, in the Cotton Bowl, in the biggest game of the season for the Oklahoma Sooners. The Sooners offense trotted on the field missing their leading receiver, [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag], and a starting offensive lineman who had played a ton of snaps in his career, [autotag]McKade Mettauer[/autotag].

Instead, two fresh faces were in to replace them and both ended up making a huge impact on that drive. [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag], who had played this season after missing most of last season, caught the game-winning touchdown pass. [autotag]Caleb Shaffer[/autotag], who is spending his first season in Norman after transferring from the [autotag]Miami (OH) Redhawks[/autotag], threw several key blocks to keep the Texas Longhorns pressure from getting to [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag].

Shaffer talked about what it was like to come into that game at that crucial moment.

“Once in a lifetime moment, for sure, looking back,” Shaffer said. “In the moment, I had to be focused. We had a game to win. We had to prepare. But when Coach B (Bill Bedenbaugh) called my name, I just got my mind ready. That’s what we’re here for. I got an opportunity. We prepare all week super hard. Practice execution equals game reality. When he threw me out there, I’m just going to fall back on what I’m coached, what I’m trained to do.”

Now, it’s unsure if Shaffer will be the starter going forward with Mettauer expected to miss a few weeks. He was named a captain for this week’s matchup, which could be a sign of things to come this Saturday. He’s earned himself an opportunity to get more reps going forward. That could start this Saturday against a defensive line that has struggled, especially against the run, since conference play started.

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