Arkansas State Red Wolves – Page 3

Jaquaize Pettaway getting more comfortable in an Oklahoma Sooners uniform

The Sooners wide receivers stepped up in game but they were led in receptions but the lone true freshman on the roster.

The Oklahoma Sooners offense was firing on all cylinders in their week one win over Arkansas State. It didn’t matter who was in the game, the Sooners offense moved the ball up and down the field.

One of the biggest question marks coming into the season was who would step up at the wide receiver position. Several guys got into the game and made plays. Quietly, freshman [autotag]Jaquaize Pettaway[/autotag] led the Sooners with nine receptions.

Pettaway told reporters it felt good to get some early success.

“I went out there early, and my teammates helped me adjust to it quite easily,” Pettaway said. “I’m really happy I got out there early and see my timing. I got the ball a couple of times and I feel like I adjusted really well, and I’m really happy I got in.”

You could tell early on that Pettaway and freshman [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] had quite the connection. But with [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] injured, there’s a chance Pettaway could be asked to expand his role to get more reps with the first team.

Pettaway said having a game under his belt will make him more comfortable come Saturday.

“I’m very comfortable now,” Pettaway said. “I feel more comfortable going into the game now. A little bit less nervous. But I’m still like new to this, so I feel like I’m in a better comfortable spot now than the first game.”

Pettaway is someone who has a bright future in this offense. That future could be accelerated if he continues to stack performances from his game versus the [autotag]Arkansas State Red Wolves[/autotag].

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‘It felt surreal’: Peyton Bowen makes impact in front of Sooners faithful, expects challenge vs. SMU

The first game for the Sooners saw a lot of players get their first action including five-star Peyton Bowen.

The [autotag]Oklahoma Sooners[/autotag] are just a few days off from their blowout win versus the [autotag]Arkansas State Red Wolves[/autotag]. During that game, 87 players earned snaps.

One of those players was highly-touted freshman [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag]. Bowen looked solid. He finished second on the team with three tackles. He showed quick instincts and power once he arrived at the ball.

Bowen told reporters it was great to get game one under his belt.

“It felt surreal,” Bowen said. “The whole Walk of Champions, running out of the tunnel, all of it felt crazy. All in all it kind of felt smooth. I didn’t feel like any of that nervousness. It just felt like it was just football, the game I love.”

You could tell he looked comfortable when he was in the game. He played early, rotating with the starters, which shows the staff expects him to make an immediate impact this season.

While the Arkansas State win was nice, Bowen said the [autotag]SMU Mustangs[/autotag] bring their own challenge.

“Really explosive,” Bowen said. “They have fast receivers. They recruited great in the transfer portal, so they’ve got guys like Miami (Hurricanes) transfer running back (Jaylon) Knighton. Their receivers are fast and twitchy. They can make plays. They’re going to take shots. They’re going to give us 50/50 balls, but in my eyes, we’ve got to make those plays.”

This upcoming game will be a challenge for Oklahoma. It’s also the first big test for the defense in 2023. SMU brings in one of the best offenses the Oklahoma Sooners will see all year.

With everything Peyton Bowen’s done since arriving in Norman, he looks more than up for the challenge.

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Jayden Gibson continues to gain confidence after a strong Week 1

Jayden Gibson is gaining confidence in hopes of a breakout season.

Of all of the highlights of the [autotag]Oklahoma Sooners[/autotag] Week 1 game against the [autotag]Arkansas State Red Wolves[/autotag], none shined brighter than the performance of [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag]. He didn’t have these gaudy stats but he had two catches for 54 yards and a touchdown.

Those two catches were the best two catches in the entire game and two that Jayden Gibson needed. We’ve talked about him potentially breaking out. However, until Saturday he hadn’t really taken advantage of his opportunities. He also has talked about his confidence waning a bit.

Gibson told reporters it was good to put his hard work to the test.

“It meant a lot to me because my coaches they put a lot of effort and instilled a lot into me,” Gibson said. “I didn’t want to let them down. It’s hard being a player out here because you’re always held to the highest standard at all times. I just felt like it was good to show that I could live up to that standard too.”

Gibson absolutely lived up to that standard on Saturday. Both catches were contested jump balls that he snagged out of the air. Something he is capable of doing with his large frame.

It was good to see Gibson overcome the drops that plagued him a season ago and in the spring game.

The spring drop was a pass thrown by [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag]. The touchdown catch was also thrown by Arnold. Oklahoma’s quarterback of the future showed his confidence in Gibson.

Gibson made it known he doesn’t forget the drops as Arnold said he told him after the touchdown catch, “That was for the spring game.”

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Gentry Williams shows he can be the next great Sooners corner

While it is still early, Gentry Williams showed he has the making of being the next great Sooner cornerback.

It’s late in the first half with about 25 seconds left to play on Saturday. The [autotag]Arkansas State Red Wolves[/autotag] have the ball and swing it out to the running back on a screen.

This is a play that typically gashes the [autotag]Oklahoma Sooners[/autotag]’ defense. Out of nowhere [autotag]Gentry Williams[/autotag] comes flying in, past his block, and blows it up for a loss. It’s those kinds of plays that have many thinking Williams can be special and the next great Sooners cornerback.

It’s only one game so he has to keep proving it but for him to diagnose that play, get around his block and blow it up is not something Sooner fans are used to seeing.

Williams told reporters they were ready to put a game together like they did defensively.

“We prepared really hard,” Williams said. “I think when you do that you have a good chance to do what we did today. I think the preparation really helped us and that’s something we have to continue throughout the season.”

Williams finished with three tackles and played a great game at corner. The Sooners were in need all offseason to find who would take the spot opposite of [autotag]Woodi Washington[/autotag].

But Williams said the game was far from perfect.

“For me, I think it’s overall fitting gaps and seeing things a little bit sooner. I think I did an ok job but trying to be an elite player I’ve got to do it at a high level consistently.”

That will be the next step not only for Williams but also for the entire Sooners team. To make sure Saturday’s performance wasn’t a one-off and is something they can do week in and week out.

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Updated look at how the ESPN matchup predictor projects Oklahoma’s remaining schedule

The Oklahoma Sooners win projections moved in a positive direction in an updated look at the ESPN matchup predictor after week one’s win.

The Oklahoma Sooners’ 73-0 win over the Arkansas State Red Wolves was eye-opening. It doesn’t matter if it’s the Red Wolves or the Texas A&M Aggies, anytime you score 70 or more points and shut out your opponent, it’s kind of a big deal.

Now this game will not win Oklahoma a Big 12 title or put it in the national title conversation, but it’s a strong step in the right direction in Year 2 of Brent Venables.

ESPN analytics took note of the Sooners’ week one dominance in their updated win projections for the 2023 season in their matchup predictor.

The ESPN matchup predictor runs thousands of simulations with data derived from recent results on the field and recruiting.

Now that ESPN has Week 1 data to plug into the simulations, the results have become even more favorable. Let’s take a look at how the ESPN matchup predictor sees the rest of Oklahoma’s schedule playing out.

Offense leads the way: 3 Stars from Oklahoma Sooners win vs. Arkansas State

Oklahoma’s performance on Saturday was excellent. The offense shined the brightest and leads the way in this week’s three stars of the game.

Oklahoma’s 73-0 win was an excellent step in the right direction for this team on the heels of last season. The biggest hurdle the team needed to clear to be better than last year was to be better on defense.

It’s hard to read exactly what that looks like, but not allowing a point to Arkansas State is an excellent step in the right direction.

Saturday’s performance should provide optimism about the defense to a degree. Still, a much more potent test awaits them this week as they turn their attention to SMU. They have better talent at every single position group on offense than Arkansas State offers.

Despite not being the root of their issues a year ago, Oklahoma’s offense still had room for improvement. Against the Red Wolves, the Sooners saw encouraging things to believe that their work in the offseason should net better results this season.

In our first look at the three stars from Oklahoma’s dominating opening week win, offense leads the way.

Up Next: 3 Stars of the Game

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Report Card: Sooners breeze through Arkansas State with big-time performances

The Oklahoma Sooners were fantastic in their win over Arkansas State, but how did they grade in this week’s Report Card?

Saturday allowed us to see team 129 in Oklahoma’s illustrious football history for the first time this season. This team entered the day with cautious optimism, but a cloud of last season’s disappointment still hungover over the program. Year two of Brent Venables’s tenure needed to start off with a bang, and his team did just that as they dismantled the Arkansas State Red Wolves 73-0.

The Sooners are on another level regarding raw talent than the Arkansas State Red Wolves. That is abundantly clear, but Oklahoma had to show it could dominate an inferior opponent. They also needed to showcase the improvements in recruiting and among their returning players.

Saturday was a fun, stress-free showcase of domination. Now that the first game is behind us, it’s time to dive deeper and hand out our first grades of the year in this week’s report card.

Oklahoma Sooners put together a dominant defensive effort vs. Arkansas State

The Oklahoma Sooners defense looked more comfortable in Year 2 under Brent Venables which ultimately led to a dominant showing.

The [autotag]Oklahoma Sooners[/autotag] put out a dominant defensive effort in Week 1 versus the [autotag]Arkansas State Red Wolves[/autotag]. The Sooners pitched just their fourth shutout in the last 10 years.

The defense looked confident in Year 2 under [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]. They weren’t second-guessing themselves as much and just hitting the holes they needed to fill. That doesn’t mean there weren’t any issues. Arkansas State hit them for a couple of big gains in the passing game.

But overall this looked like a much more confident bunch.

All offseason we heard about “competitive depth” and that was on display Saturday as well. There wasn’t a noticeable drop-off when the backups came in at most positions.

Defensive Coordinator Ted Roof told reporters after the game it was good to play so many guys.

“It helps your locker room, it helps your practice field,” Roof said. “I think we played 44 guys today, which I think is four deep. For especially the guys who got their first action ever, kind of show them what it’s like so that was their first ever. Great start for us but that’s exactly what it was, a start.”

There is no doubt the Sooners now have to build off of this performance but it was a great start to the season.

The Oklahoma Sooners will get their first test of the season when the SMU Mustangs come to town next weekend. SMU bring a high-powered offense with them. The Mustangs scored 31 first Hal points before cruising to victory over Louisiana Tech on Saturday.

There were a lot of positives to take away from Oklahoma’s performance and some other thing to take a look at when they review the game film. But as Ted Roof mentioned, it was a start.

Could it be the start of something special in Norman? Time will tell.

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‘We’re more physical’: Brent Venables feels the team has shown improvement

After a dominant performance, the improvement by the Oklahoma Sooners from a season ago was noticeable.

A lot of eyes across the nation are going to be on the [autotag]Oklahoma Sooners[/autotag] this season. That’s the life of being a blue blood but it’s also the life of being a blue blood coming off a 6-7 season.

People are going to want to know how [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] improves the program in year two and if he is the guy to lead this team to the SEC in 2024. The Sooners got off to a hot start with a dominant Week 1 performance versus the [autotag]Arkansas State Red Wolves[/autotag].

Venables told reporters one thing apparent was the team playing complimentary football.

“Both sides of the ball really complimented each other well,” Venables said. “Gavin (Freeman) doing a great job with his return and the longest return I think we’ve had in seven years. I just liked the hunger, toughness, and the edge we played with in all three phases.”

It was evident this team looked different. Sure, it was against Arkansas State, but this team played with a different level of physicality and toughness than it’s played with in years.

Those aren’t the only areas Venables said he saw a noticeable difference defensively.

“What I’ve seen on the field, in practice, and in the meeting room is we’ve got a better football IQ,” Venables said. “We’ve got more guys who are capable of playing winning football. We’re more physical from the back end to the front end, and we’ve got great competition.”

It’s just been one week, so we’ll have to see if that trend holds true five or six weeks from now. That being said, you couldn’t have asked for a better start.

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‘The standard doesn’t change for Oklahoma’: Danny Stutsman ready to put 2022 behind them

The Sooners pitched just the fourth shut out in the last 10 years, now the team is ready to put last year’s woes behind them.

The Oklahoma Sooners started their season off with a bang after a dominating performance versus the Arkansas State Red Wolves. The offense, defense and special teams all got into the action and contributed to the 73-0 win.

When you score 73 points, typically everything is about the offense but the defense deserves its flowers. The defense pitched its fourth shutout in the last 10 years and only the second shutout versus a Division I opponent.

Danny Stutsman told reporters after the game, while the Sooners got off to a hot start a year ago, this year feels different. “We have 63 new guys,” Stutsman said. “We have a new team, a whole new atmosphere, a new everything and just the way we came out there, last year UTEP scored and I think we pitched a shutout so obviously something changed.”

The team looked more comfortable, especially on the defensive side of the ball. The were sure of themselves, which helped them fly around. Stutsman said this is step one in putting last year behind them.

“The standard doesn’t change for Oklahoma,” Stutsman said. “I think year in and year out the standard is conference championship and then play for the College Football Playoff, then keep going from there. I think that’s what it is regardless of a 6-7 season last year and being team 129 this year.”

The players and coaches know the standard. The players before them set that standard. It’s now up to them to defend it. Team 129 is off to a great start.

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