Arkansas State Red Wolves – Page 4

Dillon Gabriel, Jackson Arnold shine in big win over Arkansas State

Oklahoma’s quarterback situation is in great hands as Dillon Gabriel and Jackson Arnold shine in the Sooners 73-0 win over Arkansas State.
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It was a fantastic performance for the Oklahoma Sooners in every facet of the game. They got off to a great start in the first quarter, building a 28-0 lead and took a 45-0 lead into halftime. At the end of it, the Sooners beat Arkansas State 73-0 and the top two passers on the depth chart were awesome.

Dillon Gabriel’s final season in Norman got off to a blistering start in the win. He was 19 of 22 for 308 yards and two touchdowns passing. He also carried the ball twice for 15 yards and a touchdown to get the Sooners off to a fast start in the win.

He completed 86% of his passes, a career high and averaged 14 yards per attempt. Not completion. 14 yards per attempt. That’s an incredible number. Gabriel was poised and accurate. He was in complete command of the offense from start to finish and helped orchestrate scoring drives all six times his unit took the field.

Dillon Gabriel’s execution in the first half paved the way for the Sooner to debut their five-star quarterback, Jackson Arnold. And Arnold didn’t disappoint.

Arnold showed off every element that made him one of the best players in the 2023 signing class. Arnold was accurate and decisive when called upon to pass. He showed off a fantastic deep ball. He was difficult to bring down when running the ball. Arnold put together a showing that will have Oklahoma Sooners fans itching for more.

On the day he was 11-for-11 for 114 yards and a touchdown and carried the ball five times for 39 yards and a touchdown. He kept the Sooners offense rolling in the second half when Oklahoma emptied the bench.

Both quarterbacks played fantastic. They were in command of the offense and lethal through the air.

The Oklahoma Sooners offense is in good hands in 2023 and beyond.

Here’s a look at some of the best photos from the Sooners win over Arkansas State.

Social media reacts to Oklahoma Sooners 73-0 win over Arkansas State

The Oklahoma Sooners jumped out to a huge lead early and kept the foot on the gas in their 73-0 win and social media was buzzing.

It couldn’t have gone any better for the Oklahoma Sooners even if you’d scripted it.

The Sooners jumped on the Arkansas State Red Wolves with a masterful opening drive and didn’t look back, running up the score for a 73-0 shutout win.

They received plays from a number of players as they emptied the bench. Brent Venables said 87 players got on the field in the game. The coaching staff bragged about the improved competitive depth this offseason, and that was evident. The Sooners were able to keep the pressure on the Red Wolves throughout.

Ten players caught a pass and eight players scored a touchdown.

They scored 45 in the first half and 28 more in the second half. The defense allowed 208 total yards — 4.2 yards per play. The offense racked up 642 total yards.

They’ll certainly see tougher matchups down the road, but it was a strong start to the season for the Sooners. Here’s how social media reacted to the Sooners 73-0 Week 1 win over Arkansas State.

5 takeaways from Oklahoma’s dominant 73-0 win over Arkansas State

Oklahoma tossed a complete game shutout of the Arkansas State Red Wolves. Here are five takeaways from the dominant performance.

Oklahoma started its 2023 campaign with a bang, scoring 73 points on the Sun Belt’s Arkansas State Red Wolves.

The Sooners pitched a shutout in the process, and this start is a welcome sight for the program, considering how rough they looked at times last year. While the opponent makes it difficult to make any definitive statements, there were some notable performances from the Sooners’ win.

For the first time this season, here are five takeaways in the aftermath of a fun and stress-free Sooners win.

Oklahoma Sooners shutout the Arkansas State Red Wolves in 73-0 win

Oklahoma Sooners open the season in dominant fashion with a 73-0 win over Arkansas State.

The Oklahoma Sooners kicked off the season versus the Arkansas State Red Wolves in Norman on Saturday.

The Sooners started the first quarter strong as they took the ball first, and after a deep ball from [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] to [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag], Drake Stoops took a short pass for the score.

The defense answered with a three and out.

After the three-and-out, it was special teams that joined the party. Gavin Freeman took the punt return 82 yards to the house to put the Oklahoma Sooners up 14-0 just a few minutes into the game.

The Sooners were dominant in every phase of the game in the first quarter.

The Red Wolves connected on a 28-yard pass on a slant to Corey Rucker that came after a face mask on [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag]. That drive ended in a missed field goal after the Sooners stymied the Red Wolves offense.

[autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag] added to the Sooners’ lead with a two-yard run after a 10-play 80-yard drive. Oklahoma went up 21-0 midway through the first quarter. Closing off the scoring in the first quarter was [autotag]Gavin Freeman[/autotag], who scored his second touchdown of the day on a pass from [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] to make it 28-0.

The only negatives of the quarter were the injuries suffered by key Sooners.

[autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] went off holding his shoulder and came back out with a sling and ice on it. [autotag]Dasan McCullough[/autotag] limped off and eventually went to the locker room with a bad limp as well.

The second quarter went much like the first. On defense, the Sooners gave up a chunk of play when quarterback J.T. Shrout threw a nice touch pass over Jaren Kanak to Courtney Jackson for a long gain. The Sooners’ defense bowed up and held Arkansas State to another missed field goal.

Arkansas State had opportunities to make plays in the passing game, but several drops stalled drives and bailed the Sooners out.

The offense was great again in the second quarter, completing the half with a score on every drive.

Gabriel threw for 308 yards and two touchdowns and carried the ball twice for 15 yards and another score. Gabriel completed 81% of his passes. He was decisive and accurate, getting the ball out quickly to his wide receivers and connecting with Sooners at every level of the passing attack. [autotag]Tawee Walker[/autotag], [autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag], and Jovantae Barnes played well, running physical and picking up big runs throughout the half.

After 30 minutes of play, Oklahoma was up 45-0 with zero signs of slowing down.

The second half continued to favor the Oklahoma Sooners. The first-team defense came out and forced a three-and-out, paving the way for the debut of [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag].

On Arnold’s debut drive, he helped lead the Sooners on an eight-play 65-yard scoring effort that was capped off by a Tawee Walker one-yard run.

Arnold’s next drive saw the Sooners open up the passing game a bit. The former five-star quarterback was 4-for-4, leading Oklahoma on a four-play scoring drive that was capped off by Arnold’s first touchdown pass of his OU career on a beautiful play from Jayden Gibson. That score made it 59-0. Arnold helped the Sooners cash in just a few players later, taking advantage of an Arkansas State fumble.

Arnold showed off his legs, carrying the ball for a seven-yard touchdown to put the Sooners up 66-0.

The Sooners capped off their scoring on Arnold’s final drive of the game. Oklahoma went 11 plays and 67 yards spanning 7:22 of game time. The drive culminated in a seven-yard touchdown run by Kalib Hicks.

Offensively, Oklahoma spread the ball around. 10 Sooners had a reception. The Sooners slot trio of [autotag]Drake Stoop[/autotag]s, [autotag]Gavin Freeman[/autotag], and [autotag]Jaquaize Pettaway[/autotag] combined for 17 receptions for 131 yards and two touchdowns. [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag] showed off his downfield ability in his debut for the Sooners. Anthony caught three passes for 66 yards and drew a pass interference call.

[autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag] and [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag], Oklahoma’s 2022 signees, also came up big in the win. Gibson had two receptions for 56 yards and a touchdowns and Anderson secured two catches for 66 yards.

Though there’s room for improvement, the running game was really good on Saturday. They ran for 220 yards and averaged 4.5 yards per carry. They were picking up chunk yards, but there were times that they were dropped for losses, putting them behind the chains. Walker was the most efficient on the day, averaging 5.5 yards per carry in the game and finishing with 44 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries. [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag] carried it 13 times for 49 yards.

It was a fantastic performance by the defense despite a lack of pass rush. Arkansas State couldn’t sustain any offense, and the Sooners held them to 208 total yards and just 4.2 yards per play.

After struggling on third and fourth down in 2022, Oklahoma was able to get off the field consistently, holding the Red Wolves to just 2-of-12 on third down and 0-1 on fourth down.

The Sooners were dominant from start to finish in this game, setting a tone early and keeping that edge for a full 60 minutes.

The shutout win provides some confidence for the Oklahoma Sooners as they get ready to face better offenses in the coming weeks starting with SMU in week two.

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.

Social Media Reacts: Gavin Freeman electrifies with punt return for a touchdown

Gavin Freeman electrified social media with his 82-yard punt return for a touchdown to put Oklahoma up 14-0.

The Oklahoma Sooners got off to a quick start on their first drive, scoring in 1:19 of game time to take a 7-0 lead on Drake Stoops touchdown reception. It didn’t take long for the Sooners to add to the lead after the defense forced a punt.

Gavin Freeman took the punt back on his 18-yard line and darted and dashed through the Red Wolves for an 82-yard punt return touchdown to make it 14-0.

It’s the second year in a row in which the Oklahoma native scored on his first touch of the season. It was the first time the Oklahoma Sooners had return for a touchdown since 2016.

It was a great way to kick start the season early in the first quarter, with Gavin Freeman again showing off his electric ability. Here’s how social media reacted.

Oklahoma set to host a number of prospects for season opener vs. Arkansas State

The Oklahoma Sooners are hosting a number of prospects over the next few recruiting cycles for their season opener. Who’s will be in attendance?

Oklahoma’s first game of the season comes against Arkansas State in what could be a blistering day in Norman, Oklahoma. Aside from the pageantry of the first game and the excitement it’ll generate, the Sooners will also be playing host to a number future Sooners and other OU targets.

With the summer dead period officially over, athletes can revisit schools. Oklahoma has already established a nice little list of visitors of both the official and unofficial variety.

We’ve taken the liberty of compiling a list of all the visitors we know now.

No. 19 Oklahoma Sooners vs Arkansas State Red Wolves: How to Watch, key players, weather forecast for gameday

How to watch, key players, weather forecast for the No. 19 Oklahoma Sooners week one matchup vs. the Arkansas State Red Wolves.

It’s one day until “it’s football time in Oklahoma!” The [autotag]Oklahoma Sooners[/autotag] are set to take on the [autotag]Arkansas State Red Wolves[/autotag] in Norman on Saturday.

The Sooners are ready to show last season was a fluke and the Red Wolves are hoping to make progress with now third-year head coach [autotag]Butch Jones[/autotag].

The Red Wolves bring in one of the youngest teams in the country to Norman on Saturday. They rank third in the number of seniors, with only 11. They beefed up their offensive line and added some transfers to the team to make improvements.

Here’s how you can watch the action on Saturday.

No. 19 Oklahoma Sooners vs. Arkansas State Red Wolves: Sooners Wire staff predictions

Sooners Wire Staff Predictions for the Oklahoma Sooners week 1 matchup with the Arkansas State Red Wolves.

The Oklahoma Sooners get set to take on the Arkansas State Red Wolves on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT. The week one contest marks the first opportunity for the Sooners to redefine what Oklahoma Football will look like under Brent Venables.

It won’t tell the whole story, but 2023 is a new year with a new team. What happened a year ago doesn’t matter as much. So with a fresh slate, let’s find out what the staff here at Sooners Wire has to say about the matchup in this week’s staff predictions.

Sooners Wire Staff Predictions

The Arkansas State Red Wolves were one of the worst teams a year ago. They also don’t return much, as they rank 101st in returning production.

This is a game where you should see Oklahoma physically overwhelm their opponent. We should see the signs of the physicality that’s been preached all offseason.

If Oklahoma can hold them under 10 points, that would be a very impressive defensive performance. I think Oklahoma jumps on them early and coasts to the finish line with a lot of young players getting into the game.

Oklahoma 45, Arkansas State 10

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Up Next: More Sooners Wire Staff Predictions

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Get to know Oklahoma’s Week 1 opponent with Arkansas State radio play-by-play voice

Get to know the Oklahoma’s foes for Saturday with some insight from Arkansas State’s radio play-by-play voice Matt Stolz.

The [autotag]Oklahoma Sooners[/autotag] are set to kick off their 2023 season at [autotag]Gaylord Memorial Stadium[/autotag] at 11:00 a.m. CT in Norman, Oklahoma. The Sooners will take on an [autotag]Arkansas State Red Wolves[/autotag] team that went 3-9 a season ago.

But with the transfer portal and Head Coach Butch Jones signing back-to-back No. 1 classes in the Sun Belt Conference, the Red Wolves feel like they could be better than a season ago. Matt Stolz, who does radio play-by-play for the Red Wolves, went on my podcast, Eat. Sleep. Bedlam, and he said while the team is improving, they are still a very young team.

“(They have) the third-fewest amount of seniors in the entire country this year,” Stolz said. “Just 11 seniors on this roster.”

Still, the team looks to be much improved, and that starts with the players that added up front offensively. “They brought in some transfers, particularly on the offensive line,” Stolz said. “Three starters that are transfers on that offensive front. One thing that they’ve done is they’ve brought in a lot of size on the offensive line. They average over 320 pounds among those five starters.”

That kind of size is why it was important Oklahoma beefed up its defensive line heading into this season. They also added transfers like [autotag]Colorado Buffaloes[/autotag] transfer quarterback [autotag]J.T. Shrout[/autotag], [autotag]Syracuse Orange[/autotag] transfer wide receiver [autotag]Courtney Jackson[/autotag], [autotag]U.T. Martin Skyhawks[/autotag] transfer running back [autotag]Zak Wallace[/autotag], [autotag]Ja’Quez Cross[/autotag] who played for the [autotag]Purdue Boilermakers[/autotag] two years ago but spent last season at Arkansas State and [autotag]Brian Snead[/autotag] who was a five-star out of high school who originally played for the Ohio State Buckeyes.

They are all expected to play a big role for the Red Wolves this season, including this weekend.

Stolz believes the defense, especially in the secondary, is the strength of the Red Wolves. “Defensively, there’s a little bit more experience than that offensive side of the ball,” Stolz said. “Particularly in the back end of the defense. So, hopefully, that’s an area of strength for the Red Wolves this season.”

A secondary with a lot of experience going up against an Oklahoma receiving corps with not a lot of experience could cause problems, especially early for Oklahoma. This will be a game you don’t want to keep them hanging around. They are still a young team.

Oklahoma has a chance to assert its dominance early and often. If they do that, the Sooners should win fairly comfortably.

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.

Three Oklahoma Sooners defenders to watch versus Arkansas State

Taking a deeper look at three Sooners on defense to watch on Saturday against Arkansas State.

If the Oklahoma Sooners’ defense is going to make the improvements necessary to be a great defense, it’s going to take everyone being invested in that improvement.

“I need to be completely involved defensively,” Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables said earlier this week. “Not that they need my help. But that’s what I know. That’s how I got to this position. And I think a year ago I was certainly involved, but not to the depth that I think that I felt like I needed to be after evaluating all of it.”

His lack of full involvement probably impacted the Sooners’ defense and why they ranked so low in every defensive category. The only way the Sooners can go on defense is up.

There’s plenty of optimism that the Sooners will improve significantly on defense. More talent, positive development from young and returning players, and most importantly, more input from the man whose defense it is.

Saturday’s opener in Norman against Arkansas State is the first chance the nation will get to see the 2023 Oklahoma defense.

They’ll take on a Red Wolves team that struggled on offense at times last year but have some veterans in key spots who won’t be afraid of the moment come Saturday.

An outstanding performance against the Red Wolves is the type of confidence boost this defense needs. Who may spark that? Take a look at the three players we’ll be watching.

Up Next: 3 Sooners Defenders to Watch

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