Tag: Bauer Sharp

Oklahoma Sooners captains against Missouri Tigers

The Sooners will be led by some of the biggest names on the team as captains against the Tigers.

The Oklahoma Sooners take the road this week, heading to Columbia, Missouri as they jump back into [autotag]SEC[/autotag] play. The 5-4 Sooners will look to win their second straight game, as they’ll visit the Missouri Tigers for a primetime battle away from home.

OU head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] has announced his game captains for this conference tilt, and his team will be represented by some of the biggest names on the roster in a pivotal contest. Quarterback [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], tight end [autotag]Bauer Sharp[/autotag], defensive linemen [autotag]Damonic Williams[/autotag] and [autotag]Gracen Halton[/autotag], linebacker [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] and defensive back [autotag]Billy Bowman Jr.[/autotag] will lead Oklahoma into battle as captains in week eleven.

Arnold has gone from the heir-apparent, to the no-doubt starter, to being benched, to being re-inserted in the lineup, and now back to captain status in a whirlwind month and a half. The sophomore has looked more comfortable since regaining his starting spot, and his play will go a long way toward deciding this week’s game.

Sharp has shown some positive things at tight end, but there’s still plenty to work on for a player still new to the position. The coaching staff clearly trusts him to get the lion’s share of the reps, and he’s been more effective since the offensive coordinator change.

Williams was a big offseason addition for this team, and has been been reliable in the interior of the defensive line. He hasn’t been spectacular, but he’s helped one of the strongest units on the team consistently shut down the inside run game week after week.

Halton has improved so much over the last couple of seasons, and is really coming into his own as another great interior line option on this defense. He’s found a knack for getting into the backfield and making big plays, none bigger than his game-changing safety against Houston all the way back in week two.

Stutsman is the unquestioned leader of this team, and one of the best inside linebackers in college football. He hasn’t seen as many wins in his senior season as he’d like, but he continues to excel no matter how far back against the wall the offense puts the defense this year.

Bowman Jr. hasn’t matched his unbelievable production from a year ago, but he’s still a very good veteran player in the back end of OU’s defense. If he can return to his ball-hawking, turnover-causing 2023 form, it’ll help this team immensely over the final four weeks of the regular season.

The Sooners are putting some of their biggest stars front and center for this game. The noteworthy names, especially Stutsman, Bowman Jr. and Arnold will have to play like stars on Saturday, and the rest of the season, for Oklahoma to begin stacking wins in the SEC.

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

Oklahoma Sooners fall 26-14 to No. 18 Ole Miss Rebels

The Oklahoma Sooners couldn’t protect Jackson Arnold on their final two drives and dropped to 4-4 on the season in their 26-14 loss to Ole Miss.

For the third consecutive week, the Oklahoma Sooners will wake up Sunday morning with the taste of defeat. Oklahoma traveled to Oxford, Mississippi on Saturday to take on Lane Kiffin’s 18th-ranked Ole Miss Rebels. The Sooners put up a fight in the first half but ultimately fell 26-14.

The game started rough as the Rebels marched down the field in six plays and scored the game’s opening touchdown on a nine-yard TD run from Henry Parrish Jr. It looked as if Ole Miss was going to have its way with the Sooners, but Zac Alley’s unit made considerable adjustments the rest of the half.

The Sooners used their first possession, aided by some key penalties on the Rebels, to march all the way down to the Rebel’s two-yard line, where the Sooners were unable to convert on 4th and goal. Jackson Arnold hit Brenen Thompson in the gut with an Ole Miss defender draping him and couldn’t come up with the catch.

Oklahoma’s defense settled in forcing a punt on the Rebels’ next possession. The Sooners finally found pay dirt in the first half for the first time since they traveled to Auburn. Jackson Arnold delivered a rainbow of a throw to tight end Bauer Sharp for an 11-yard score.

Oklahoma and Ole Miss traded punts before the Rebels nailed a field goal to go up 10-7 in the second quarter.

Despite Ole Miss forcing a fumble to give themselves incredible field position, the Oklahoma defense stopped the Rebels on fourth down to get the ball back at their own eight-yard line.

Jackson Arnold and the OU offense, led by terrific running from Jovantae Barnes and timely decision-making from Arnold, pushed all the way downfield 92 yards, culminating in a nine-yard touchdown toss to Jacob Jordan. Arnold made an incredible individual effort to evade pressure and roll right before throwing a dart to the walk-on receiver for Jordan’s first career touchdown.

Oklahoma would go into the half up 14-10, their first lead at halftime in almost two months.

Out of the half, the Sooners were unable to get anything going on their first possession and Ole Miss responded with a touchdown to take a 16-14 lead.

Oklahoma’s offense began to sputter, and the Rebels scored another touchdown on their second drive of the second half. That all but sealed the game. The Sooners had a drive in the fourth quarter to potentially cut a 26-14 lead to a one-score game, but consecutive sacks right outside the red zone knocked Oklahoma back and forced them into an impossible fourth-down situation.

Jackson Arnold was calm despite the constant pressure he was under en route to finishing 22 of 31 for 182 yards,  two touchdowns, and no interceptions. He was sacked eight times. That comes a week after the Sooners offensive line gave up nine sacks last week. Barnes had 16 carries for 67 yards and added five catches for 57 yards as he had his best game of the season.

Bauer Sharp led the team in catches with eight but struggled to secure the ball and was put in some bad positions by the offensive coordinator with failed tight end screens and a tight end pass.

Ultimately, this game came down to the offensive line’s inability to pass protection in the fourth quarter. The Sooners lost Jacob Sexton to injury and that killed any momentum the offensive line had created through three quarters. Arnold was under siege, and the offensive line allowed nine sacks for the second straight week.

Oklahoma will put its head down and get back to work searching for win number five this season as they host the Maine Black Bears next week.

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

Oklahoma Sooners name captains for Week 7 vs. Texas Longhorns

The Sooners announced their captains for a huge game against the archival Longhorns.

The Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns are just days away from renewing one of the greatest rivalry games sports has to offer. The [autotag]Red River Rivalry[/autotag] pits the undefeated Longhorns against the 4-1 Sooners in Dallas.

Oklahoma head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] has chosen six captains to represent his team in the Cotton Bowl on Saturday. Tight end [autotag]Bauer Sharp[/autotag] and offensive lineman [autotag]Febechi Nwaiwu[/autotag] represent the offense, while defensive linemen [autotag]Damonic Williams[/autotag] and [autotag]Ethan Downs[/autotag], linebacker [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] and defensive back [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag] represent the defense.

https://twitter.com/OU_Football/status/1843426222828818746

Sharp, a transfer from Southeastern Louisiana, is making his first appearance in this rivalry. He’s been OU’s leading receiving tight end so far this season. While he’s struggled a bit with blocking, he’s been a reliable target over the middle in the passing game.

Nwaiwu is also a newcomer to this game, after transferring in from North Texas. He’s been a constant at right guard for OU this season, and has had his fair share of good and bad up front. Still, he’s been healthy and good enough to hold down the starting gig.

Williams is another new face in this matchup after arriving in Oklahoma from TCU via the portal. A big NIL and recruiting win for Venables, he’s been a strong starter on OU’s nasty defensive front. Sooner Nation is still waiting for Williams’ true breakout game, but he’s been very good in his first five games in Norman.

Downs is a Red River veteran, playing in his fourth game against Texas. He was one of the stars of this matchup a season ago, pressuring QB Quinn Ewers again and again. Downs is one of many players that OU rotates in and out at defensive end, but his veteran leadership and his technique are huge for  the coaching staff.

Stutsman continues to serve as the leader of OU’s defense and is responsible for so much from play to play. His now-iconic quote before last year’s game is indicative of what he brings to the table for this team. He’s playing in his fourth Red River game and leads the Sooners in tackles so far this season.

Bowman is another veteran on this defense, also playing in his fourth matchup against the “Horns. He was another one of Oklahoma’s many defensive stars in this game last year, forcing an interception in the first quarter with a huge hit, and coming up with the defining fourth-down stop of OU’s legendary goal-line stand. He’s the leader of an excellent safety trio for the Sooners that will have to come up big once again in this game.

Oklahoma and Texas will kick things off on ABC on Saturday, and the game will begin at 2:30 p.m.

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

Pair of Oklahoma Sooners included on Pro Football Focus’ SEC Team of the Week

Two Oklahoma Sooners earned spots on Pro Football Focus’ SEC Team of the Week.

It took a team effort from the Oklahoma Sooners to leave Jordan-Hare Stadium with a win. After the Auburn Tigers took an 11-point lead early in the fourth quarter, it appeared the game was beginning to slip away. Then the Sooner Magic happened.

True freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins responded with a 60-yard completion to J.J. Hester, and Jovantae Barnes punched it in for the touchdown to cut Auburn’s lead to five. After that score, it was all Oklahoma, highlighted by [autotag]Kip Lewis[/autotag]’ interception return for the go-ahead touchdown.

In the win, two Sooners in particular stood out to the analysts over at Pro Football Focus. Lewis and tight end [autotag]Bauer Sharp[/autotag] were among the highest-graded players of the week, earning a spot on PFF’s SEC Team of the Week. Lewis also earned a spot on Pro Football Focus’ National Team of the Week.

The standout linebacker finished the day with five total tackles, a tackle for loss, and the huge pick-six that turned the tide for good in Oklahoma’s favor. Lewis was the highest-graded among Power Four teams in week five. He’s fourth on the team in total tackles with 21 despite just the 10th most snaps on defense.

Sharp, who’s become one of the more reliable options in the Sooners passing attack, recorded four receptions for 48 yards. His day could have been even bigger if not for an offensive pass interference call on a botched pick play in the first half.

Sharp’s had at least four catches in four of Oklahoma’s five games this season and at least 36 yards in three of the five games. Saturday against Auburn, Sharp earned his best grade yet as a run blocker from Pro Football Focus.

The Sooners have some talented players on both sides of the ball. As they wade into the second half of the season with five games against top 15 teams, Oklahoma will need that talent to continue to shine every week.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.

3 keys that could lead to an Oklahoma victory over Tennessee

Three keys to the game as the Oklahoma Sooners get set to take on the Tennessee Volunteers.

It’s safe to assume Oklahoma’s preparation has intensified over the last week. The Sooners are preparing for a much more talented foe than they have seen at any point this season. No. 7 Tennessee presents an incredible challenge for OU on Saturday night, but that’s to be expected with the Sooners entering the SEC. The conference games will be more challenging than they were in the Big 12.

The rest of the college football world doesn’t give the Sooners a real chance to win this game. Brent Venables, a master motivator and no stranger to coaching in high-profile matchups over the last 20 years, knows what it will take for his team to come out on top Saturday night.

While Tennessee is the higher-ranked team, it is not invincible. Oklahoma has a path to victory. We took the time to highlight that path with our three keys to the game below.

1. Start Fast

It’s such a cliche statement, but it does hold a lot of weight in a football game. Especially in a game where one team has heard they were the underdogs and didn’t have a chance at winning. It’s a confidence thing that can boost one team and psychologically damage the other.

Oklahoma has had some decent starts to their games this season, but they’ve yet to carry it into the second quarter. And that’s where Oklahoma needs to hone in on Saturday. Play a complete first half, take a breather, and gear up to scrap in the second half because Tennessee will not go away if you come out swinging.

Oklahoma offensive coordinator Seth Littrell must get his young quarterback into a rhythm. Maybe start out with the short passing game and mixing in designed QB runs along with the regular run game to ease him in. As the results show and his confidence grows, Littrell can then start to open up the playbook even wider.

Up Next: More Keys to the Game

Pages: Page 1, Page 2

Sooners’ defense earns praise from Tulane coach after win

Oklahoma improved to 3-0 with a 15-point win over Tulane.

The Oklahoma Sooners can finally turn their attention to Southeastern Conference play, as they stayed undefeated in Week 3. OU topped the Tulane Green Wave, 34-19, winning another nonconference game at home.

Their defense once again led the Sooners, as OU’s best unit gave up just 13 points. But Tulane head coach Jon Sumrall was impressed with his opponent across the board.

George Stoia, who covers Oklahoma for SoonerScoop and On3 Sports, took to social media to share Sumrall’s comments about the Sooners after the game.

“Oklahoma’s looked like one of the best defenses I’ve seen,” Sumrall said. “I think it’s a very legitimate [autotag]SEC[/autotag] outfit defensively. And really, offensively there’s weapons that you can tell they’re finding themselves in some areas, but the quarterback ([autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag]) is talented. No. 6 ([autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag]) is a real guy. No. 10 ([autotag]Bauer Sharp[/autotag]) I think, is a real special player.”

Sumrall continued to praise OU’s defense, highlighting one player in particular.

“They’ve got good players, and their defense is really good. The interior d-line and their linebacker group, I think is elite just watching them. I thought No. 28 ([autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag]) – I recruited 28 when I was at Kentucky, and he’s a dude. He plays like a grown man.”

Head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] has brought defense back to Norman. The Sooners still have a long list of things to figure out before next week’s game, but the program is beginning to take the identity of their leader on the defensive side of the football.

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

Sooners defense steps up in the fourth, Oklahoma beats Tulane Green Wave 34-19

The Oklahoma defense came up big in the second half and the Sooners beat Tulane 34-19 to move to 3-0.

Oklahoma needed another strong defensive effort in the second half, but they came through, and the Sooners beat the Tulane Green Wave 34-19 to move to 3-0 on the season.

Tulane started with the ball, but the Sooners forced a three-and-out to give Oklahoma’s much-maligned offense a chance to find some early momentum.

After the Sooners failed to score over their final eight drives against Houston, they got off to a nice start against Tulane, marching down the field on a methodical 14-play scoring drive. Oklahoma converted three third downs on the drive, each of them coming with less than five yards to go to get the first. The longest play of the drive was a 12-yard catch and run by Jovantae Barnes.

The drive culminated with a tough [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] one-yard touchdown drive.

Oklahoma and Tulane traded punts for the next five drives, but the Sooners missed out on points when the kicking operation took too long to get set up and drew a flag for delay of game. Oklahoma was forced once again to punt.

Punter [autotag]Luke Elzinga[/autotag] pinned the Green Wave inside their own 10-yard line, and the Sooners defense forced another three-and-out.

The Sooners then came through with another 7-play scoring drive to take a 14-0 lead. OU didn’t face a third down on the drive, and true freshman running back [autotag]Taylor Tatum[/autotag] scored the first touchdown of his Sooners career on a nine-yard reception for the score.

After Tulane missed a field goal, the Sooners took over and had another efficient drive, going six plays for 67 yards, with Tatum picking up his second touchdown of the day on a one-yard run. Jackson Arnold showed off his wheels with a 47-yard run on a read-option to open the drive and put the Sooners in scoring range in an instant.

The Green Wave then followed it up with a clock-eating 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that took a really nice throw from backup quarterback Ty Thompson and an incredible catch from Reggie Brown to get on the board. Tulane missed the extra point so the Sooners went into halftime up 21-6.

After halftime, it was a different ball game. The Green Wave held the Sooners to a field goal on their opening drive of the half. On Oklahoma’s third and seven from the Tulane eight-yard line, Jackson Arnold was sacked for a three-yard loss. It forced the Sooners to settle for a field goal. The way the drive ended would signal what the Sooners offense would look like for their next four drives.

The running game couldn’t get going, and the offensive line struggled with Tulane’s pressure packages.

The Green Wave cut the score to 21-13 on their first drive of the second half, finding some explosive plays in the passing game. It was aided by a questionable pass interference call on safety Robert Spears-Jennings, but the Green Wave were able to take advantage.

The Sooners and Green Wave traded punts as the offensive line struggled to contain Tulane’s blitz packages.

Facing a first and 15 after an illegal formation penalty on Michael Tarquin, left guard Heath Ozaeta released a Green Wave linebacker who ran right up the middle and put pressure on Arnold. Arnold avoided the pressure and tried to throw a ball to Deion Burks, but Tulane linebacker Tyler Grubbs stepped in front of the pass for a pick six to cut Oklahoma’s lead to five.

The punters continued to do incredible work as Brent Venables and Jon Sumrall tried to play the field position game. But Tulane got the ball with just over 10 minutes to go in the game. The Sooners defense stepped up before forcing a fourth and one attempt from Tulane. Darian Mensah faced the run and dropped back to pass, but his attempt to hit the slant was disrupted by cornerback Kani Walker, who knocked the ball into the air and after it went through linebacker Kobie McKinzie’s hands, Billy Bowman came up with the interception.

The Sooners responded with a four-play 43-yard touchdown drive, capped off by a Jackson Arnold 24-yard touchdown run, his second of the game. Arnold had to break multiple tackles to get in the end zone.

With Tulane attempting to move the ball to try and come back in the game on, the Oklahoma Sooners defense stepped up and shut the door. Defensive end R Mason Thomas had three sacks on the final two drives, including a strip sack and fumble recovery.

OU’s defense came through on fourth down twice in the final minutes to seal the game once again for the Sooners.

Despite the interception returned for a touchdown, Jackson Arnold had a nice afternoon for the Sooners. Though he failed to throw for more than 200 yards once again in 2024, he ran for 97 yards on 14 carries. He would have had 100 yards, but took time off the clock to kneel on the ball so that the Sooners could avoid snapping it again, taking a three-yard loss on the final play of the game.

Arnold finished the night 18 of 29 for 169 yards, one passing touchdown, two rushing touchdowns, 97 yards rushing, and one interception.

[autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag] was really good once again. He had seven receptions for 80 yards to lead the way for a dinged-up receiving corps. Other than a drop on a critical third down, Burks showed off his catch and run ability through the game.

[autotag]Bauer Sharp[/autotag] was second on the team in receiving with four receptions for 28 yards. Offensive coordinator Seth Littrell made a concerted effort to get the tight ends and running backs involved in the passing game and they caught nine of Arnold’s 18 completions.

The defense held the Green Wave to 13 points and came through once again in critical moments. Senior linebacker Danny Stutsman led the way with 12 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss. Robert Spears-Jennings had seven tackles, including six solo, and 0.5 tackles for loss.

The Sooners won the turnover battle once again, the third time that’s happened this season, and held a really good Tulane offense to just 279 yard of total offense. Oklahoma held the Green Wave to just 3.1 yards per carry for the game.

The Sooners are now 3-0 on the season as they get ready to welcome the high-flying Tennessee Volunteers to Norman next Saturday night in primetime.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.

3 Keys to an Oklahoma Sooners win over the Tulane Green Wave

What do the Oklahoma Sooners have to do to pick up a win over a tough Tulane team?

The Oklahoma Sooners will welcome a tough Tulane Green Wave team to town for a Saturday afternoon kickoff. Oklahoma’s hoping to remain undefeated ahead of SEC play in week four but will have to survive a test from a Tulane team that nearly knocked off Kansas State last week.

The team will have to remain focused at the task at hand but OU has the talent to come through and pick up another win. But what do they need to do to earn a victory? Here are three keys to the game for the Sooners.

1. Win First Down

The Oklahoma Sooners haven’t been efficient enough on first down through two games in the 2024 season. Against Houston, the Sooners had a first-down success rate of just 38.4%.

Success rate is defined as gaining 40% of the yards to go on first down, 60% of the yards to go on second down and 100% of the yards to go on third and fourth down.

So, Oklahoma gained four or more yards on just 10 of their 24 first downs in the game. When you aren’t doing much on first down, it’s going to make second and third down a lot more difficult.

Teams with a high success rate on first down move the ball efficiently and score points. If Oklahoma wants to get right offensively, being more successful on first down would go a long way.

Against a good Tulane offense, the Sooners’ defense will be challenged. But one way to get to true freshman quarterback Darian Mensah is to force him into some longer down and distances.

Oklahoma’s run defense has been really good to start the 2024 season and if they can contain Makhi Hughes on first down to force more second and longs, it will give them a really good chance to get off the field.

Up Next: 2 More Keys to the Game

Pages: Page 1, Page 2

Oklahoma star has high praise for Sooners tight ends

Oklahoma’s tight ends have been a bright spot for the Sooners offense to start 2024.

Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag] is carrying quite a heavy load on the OU offense right now.

The Sooners struggled to move the football in a 16-12 victory over Houston last week, as there was no part of the offense that looked in sync in a tough outing. Offensive coordinator [autotag]Seth Littrell[/autotag]’s unit has been behind the eight-ball two weeks into the season, forcing OU’s defense and special teams to pick up the slack.

Part of the reason for the issues is the myriad of injuries the Sooners are facing on offense. In the offensive line room, Geirean Hatchett is out for the season, while Branson Hickman, Jake Taylor, and Troy Everett are all working their way back from injuries. One of OU’s best offensive linemen, Jacob Sexton, might be playing out of position due to all of the injuries, and the Sooners are down to their fourth-string center in Joshua Bates and a backup tackle in Spencer Brown. The other tackle, Michael Tarquin has played on both sides of the line, and because of all of the shuffling, the only player excelling in one spot up front is right guard Febechi Nwaiwu. These are just the beginning of the issues for an offensive line that has struggled through two weeks.

There are similar issues at wide receiver. Jayden Gibson is done for the year. Jalil Farooq is still two months from returning. Andrel Anthony has been extremely limited as he attempts to return from his injury, and [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] hasn’t played yet in 2024. Anderson is expected to be back “sooner rather than later,” but until he is, OU will be hurting at wide receiver.

Burks has been the only player at the position who can provide quarterback [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] with a reliable, open target in the passing game, as the unit has struggled with getting separation and with drops. Brenen Thompson, J.J. Hester, and Jaquaize Pettaway haven’t been what Sooner fans had hoped for so far in 2024. True freshmen Zion Ragins, Zion Kearney, and Ivan Carreon will be asked to step up even more if the injury issues continue. If OU wants to improve in the air, they need other options to step up until Anderson returns and Anthony is healthy enough to have an impact.

Enter the tight ends.

[autotag]Bauer Sharp[/autotag] and [autotag]Jake Roberts[/autotag] have each had one excellent performance and one so-so performance so far in 2024, but luckily for the Sooners, they came on opposite nights.

Against Temple in week one, Sharp stepped up alongside Burks to five passes and a touchdown. He was reliable over the middle of the field and got open for Arnold. He didn’t have a catch against Houston, dropping a key third-down pass, but his running mate picked up where he left off.

After being used mainly in a blocking role against Temple, Roberts burst onto the scene in week two against Houston. He caught three passes, with two going for key first downs and one going for a touchdown. He was the only player on OU’s roster aside from Burks who had multiple receptions in a lackluster overall offensive performance.

During post-practice media availability Monday night, reporters asked Burks about the emergence of the two tight ends. Josh Callaway, who covers OU for 247Sports, shared Burks’ response on social media.

‘Them guys is leaders,” Burks said. “They come in every day with the same mindset, bring everybody’s energy up; energy is contagious, honestly. They’ve got reliable hands and stuff like that as well, just dudes you can rely on, so it’s a great thing when we go with the “21” personnel and run two tight ends and stuff like that as well, so I think it’s great.”

https://twitter.com/JoshMCallaway/status/1833600765166031255

As Oklahoma readies for Tulane, and anticipates the return of Anderson to boost the passing game alongside Burks, look for even more emphasis on the two tight ends who have been one of very few positives early this season for the OU offense.

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

3 keys to an Oklahoma Sooners victory over the Houston Cougars

The Oklahoma Sooners have a underrated challenge coming to town and here are three keys for their matchup with the Houston Cougars.

Brent Venables and his team are putting the finishing touches on preparation for their second game of the 2024 season. After a 48-point win over Temple, OU readies to host the Big 12’s Houston Cougars.

The Cougars are the first Big 12 team Oklahoma will face since moving to the SEC. The two teams have played twice in the last decade, with each side picking up a win.

In Week 1, Oklahoma struggled on third down, going 1 of 12. The defense, however, suffocated the Owls. Offensive line play was a focus of much post-game angst, and rightfully so. The Sooners struggled to run the ball, and the depth at receiver was called into action. Most probably weren’t expected to contribute in 2024, but injuries have forced Emmett Jones’s hand.

Willie Fritz left Tulane to take the job at Houston, and his team will be ready to play after a disappointing performance against UNLV.

Oklahoma should win the game convincingly, but the Sooners can’t get caught napping or the action could get weird quickly.

Below, we compiled our three keys to a Sooners victory.

Establish the line of scrimmage

This is a direct message to Bill Bedenbaugh and his offensive line. The big boys up front have been in a battle all offseason to decide who would earn snaps. As the games go by, the Sooners need to put their five best out there so they can jell.

Projected starter at right tackle Jake Taylor looks ready to suit up. Though we haven’t yet seen what Taylor’s capable of as a starting offensive lineman at the collegiate level, with a four-star pedigree, there are high hopes for the 2022 signee.

The Sooners need to come out and let the Cougars know that whatever ideas and inspiration they might have gleaned from the film against Temple will not work. The running game should pop much more often than it did in the first half of their week one win.

Up Next: 2 More Keys to Victory

Pages: Page 1, Page 2