Tag: Branson Hickman

3 keys to an Oklahoma Sooners win over the Auburn Tigers

If the Oklahoma Sooners are going to beat Auburn, they must do these three things.

The Oklahoma Sooners (3-1, 0-1 SEC) took a tough loss last week against a good Tennessee Volunteers team. There were some good moments on both sides of the ball, and [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and his crew are hoping to build on the good and correct what went wrong as they go on the road to face the Auburn Tigers (2-2, 0-1 SEC).

The Sooners come into the game riding a defense that is allowing just 14.8 points per game, which ranks 26th in the nation. They’re 28th in the nation in yardage allowed: 284.8 yards per game.

Though Auburn has turned the ball over a bunch, it has playmakers on offense that can threaten the Sooners’ defense.

In a reversal of fortune, it’s the Oklahoma offense that’s struggling. However, it is hoping for better production and ball security as it turns to true freshman quarterback [autotag]Michael Hawkins Jr[/autotag].

Given the Oklahoma Sooners schedule the rest of the way, this feels like a must-win football game. What does Oklahoma need to do to win on the road in the unfriendly confines of Jordan-Hare Stadium? Here are three keys to the game.

More: Sooners Wire Staff Predicts Oklahoma vs. Auburn

Up Next: Keys to the Game

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4

Tennessee will be without key offensive player against Oklahoma

According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, the Tennessee Volunteers will be without one of their best players when they take on the Oklahoma Sooners.

The Oklahoma Sooners have been on the wrong side when it comes to injury luck early in the 2024 season. OU has been down multiple starters at key positions, most notably offensive line and wide receiver. It’s been a major talking point around the early portion of the year, as the Sooners have struggled on offense for the first three games.

But Oklahoma may finally be getting a break regarding the injury bug, as it’ll be affecting their opponent this week at a key spot.

According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the Tennessee Volunteers will be without starting left tackle Lance Heard when they face the Sooners. Thamel’s report is confirmed by the updated injury report from the SEC that lists Heard as out.

It’ll be backup Dayne Davis making the start in Heard’s place as one of Tennessee’s best offensive linemen battles a leg injury. Davis is experienced and will be making his eighth start.

 

As the Sooners try to pull the upset at home, they look like they’ll be getting back some key players of their own. OU hopes to have [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag], [autotag]Branson Hickman[/autotag], and [autotag]Troy Everett[/autotag], among others, on the field against the Vols.

The chess match between Tennessee head coach [autotag]Josh Heupel[/autotag] and offensive coordinator Joey Halzle and Oklahoma head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and defensive coordinator [autotag]Zac Alley[/autotag] gets a little bit more interesting with Heard not in the game.

The biggest beneficiary might be defensive end [autotag]R Mason Thomas[/autotag], who took over late in OU’s victory last week over Tulane. He’s become the best pass rusher the Sooners have, and he’ll look to gain an edge on the blind side of Nico Iamaleava.

The Sooners and the Volunteers will kick things off at 6:30 p.m., a primetime audience for a highly-anticipated contest on ABC.

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Oklahoma vs. Tennessee Injury Report, key Sooners set to return

Injury report highlights the possible return of four key players for the Oklahoma Sooners ahead of their showdown with Tennessee.

The Oklahoma Sooners have been bit by the injury bug in the early stages of the 2024 season. The Sooners have been playing without several key contributors at wide receiver and along the offensive line.

But the Sooners might be getting healthy at the exact right time based on the first injury report for Oklahoma’s week four matchup with the Tennessee Volutneers.

Oklahoma looks like they’ll be getting back several key contributors this week ahead of the top 15 SEC showdown.

Oklahoma

Player Position Status 9/18
Jayden Gibson WR OUT
Jalil Farooq WR OUT
Gentry Williams WR OUT
Geirean Hatchett OL OUT
Dasan McCullough LB Doubtful
Branson Hickman OL Questionable
Kade McIntyre TE Questionable
Jake Taylor OL Questionable
[autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] WR Probable
[autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag] WR Probable
Kendel Dolby DB Probable
Troy Everett OL Probable

Starting wide receiver Nic Anderson, who’s been out since fall camp looks set to return. He warmed up with the team last week for the game against Tulane, but didn’t register a snap. If he can return for the Sooners against the Volunteers, it provides another weapon for Jackson Arnold to target.

In addition to Anderson, wide receiver Andrel Anthony may be back in the lineup this week. Anthony has been rehabbing the knee injury that sidelined him for the second half of the 2023 season. He was having a breakout year before tearing his ACL against Texas.

As important as those two wide receivers is the status of key interior offensive linemen, Branson Hickman and Troy Everett. Everett looks to return, given a probable designation, but Hickman might be a game-time decision as he’s been battling an ankle sprain.

The Sooners could use both veteran players ahead of this week’s matchup with a very good Tennessee Volunteers defensive front.

Though he’s listed as questionable along with Hickman, it seems less likely that Jake Taylor would play this week, given the number of injuries he’s suffered already in 2024. If he can’t play, then expect Michael Tarquin to remain at right tackle with Jacob Sexton at left tackle.

On the defensive side of the ball, standout cheetah linebacker Kendel Dolby appears to be ready to go after sitting out Oklahoma’s win over Tulane. In Tennessee’s uptempo offense, his ability to play in coverage and get after the quarterback will be needed for the Sooners defense to have success.

Gentry Williams, who opened the season as a co-starter, will miss his second-consecutive game. He’s been dealing with a shoulder issue that dates back to 2023. He had surgery in the offseason to stabilize it, but the injury has continued to persist into 2024. Without Williams in the lineup, look for another week of Kani Walker and Dez Malone, who both played well in the week three win over Tulane.

Tennessee

Player Position Status 9/18
Jourdan Thomas DB OUT
John Slaughter DB OUT
Shamurad Umarov OL OUT
Lance Heard OL Questionable
William Wright DB Probable
Ben Bolton LB Probable
William Satterwhite OL Probable

The big name to watch for the Tennessee Volunteers is standout offensive tackle Lance Heard. He’s been a big part of the Volunteers success early in the season but has been battling a sprained ankle.

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Injuries continue to cloud offensive line direction for Oklahoma Sooners

The Oklahoma Sooners have suffered a number of injuries to their offensive line, which is making it difficult to develop cohesion.

Two games into the 2024 season, the Oklahoma Sooners still don’t have any answers along the offensive line. Much of that is due to injuries, namely to Branson Hickman, Jake Taylor, Geirean Hatchett, and Troy Everett. But Spencer Brown was underwhelming in his start against Temple.

The Sooners have gone deep into the well up front to try and find the right mix. When Taylor went down on Saturday after just 23 snaps, the Sooners turned to redshirt freshman Logan Howland, who came in at left tackle, bumping veteran Michael Tarquin to the right side.

The offensive line was pretty good in pass protection, but struggled to create room for the Sooners rushing attack, which was held to just 75 yards on the night and under three yards per carry.

With Tulane set to come to town, Oklahoma will likely roll out an offensive line that has Howland at left tackle, Jacob Sexton at left guard, Bates at center, Febechi Nwaiwu at right guard, and Tarquin at right tackle. Far from the group Bill Bedenbaugh and Seth Littrell expected to enter the season with.

Though they gave up three sacks in the game, the Sooner’s offensive line regularly gave Jackson Arnold enough time to work within the pocket. But the passing game couldn’t find a rhythm as the wide receiver room deals with injuries itself and Arnold goes through early career struggles.

Brent Venables mentioned in his weekly press conference that true freshman Eddy Pierre-Louis has been working with the offense during practice. He didn’t indicate how much work with the first team he was getting, but the Sooenrs are high on the former four-star interior offensive lineman.

2024 is repeating 2023 in a way. Oklahoma opened both seasons with a huge win over an overmatched opponent. In week two of last year, the Sooners struggled with SMU, as they did with Houston on Saturday night. There wasn’t a clear answer at left guard last year, and injuries have created chaos up front this year. The running game was hit-and-miss, and OU didn’t really know who their lead back was until midseason.

The injuries the Sooners have suffered have made it difficult for the offensive line to develop much chemistry, cohesion, and communication. Three elements that are critical to good offensive line play. It’s a challenge the coaching staff is working through as they work to get more players involved in the offensive line rotation.

If the Sooners can find a consistent running game, it would open up so much for their offense. Teams wouldn’t be able to sit back and take away everything Oklahoma wants to do in the passing game.

Will they be able to find that running game this week against a Tulane team that allowed the Wildcats to run for 6.5 yards per carry? A Green Wave team that held Kansas State to just 2 of 10 on third down? We’ll find out this Saturday afternoon in Norman.

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Still no clear timeline for return of key Sooners

Brent Venables couldn’t provide a definitive answer on the return from injury for two key Sooners.

The Oklahoma Sooners have been hit, run over, and backed over by the injury bug to start the 2024 season. They lost another key piece on Monday when Brent Venables revealed that offensive lineman Geirean Hatchett would be out for the season due to a torn biceps.

The offense has been eagerly awaiting the return of standout wide receiver [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] and starting center [autotag]Branson Hickman[/autotag]. During Venables weekly press conference, he shared that there’s no clear picture on a return for either Anderson or Hickman but reiterated they’re improving.

On Hickman, Venables said, “I’m literally not being evasive. I don’t know,” We could use a guy that’s started 34 games.”

Anderson, who had 798 yards and 10 touchdowns on just 38 receptions in 2023, was projected to start for the Sooners in 2024. However, he’s been dealing with a hamstring injury that’s kept him out of the first two weeks of the season.

Hickman, who brought with him a ton of experience from SMU has been battling a high ankle sprain since fall camp. He reaggravated the injury in the week one win over Temple. With Hatchett, Hickman, and fellow veteran interior offensive lineman Troy Everett out against Houston, [autotag]Josh Bates[/autotag] started for the Sooners against the Cougars.

Bates had some good moments but also showed several moments of his youth and inexperience. He was also playing banged up. Venables stated he is playing with one arm.

Bates’ unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the final minute of the game gave Houston way more time than they would have had when the clock stopped after he ripped off his helmet. He got a lot of experience from which he can continue to develop, but Bates, along with the rest of the offensive line have to be better this week against Tulane.

The Sooners need both Anderson and Hickman back sooner rather than later, but until then the coaching staff has to look into best utilizing the talent that they have available.

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Oklahoma offensive lineman out for remainder of 2024 season

Oklahoma will be without a key offensive lineman for the rest of the season.

The injury woes continue to pile up for the Oklahoma Sooners. Another key player on the offensive side of the ball has been ruled out for the rest of the season.

According to head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] on his Monday coach’s show, offensive lineman [autotag]Geirean Hatchett[/autotag] has undergone surgery for a bicep injury and will miss the remainder of the 2024 season. Hatchett stepped in for the injured [autotag]Branson Hickman[/autotag] at center in OU’s first game against Temple, but was clearly not fully healthy. Hatchett and Hickman both missed Saturday’s contest against Houston, leading to [autotag]Joshua Bates[/autotag] earning his first career start. [autotag]Troy Everett[/autotag], another key name in the interior of the line, is still dealing with an injury as well.

Hatchett was a member of the 2020 recruiting class at Washington, sitting for two seasons before playing in every game in 2022. Hatchett missed three games for the Huskies last year due to injury, but returned to play in the final four games of the season. Washington went all the way to the national championship game, but fell short of a title.

Offensive line coach [autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag] convinced Hatchett to come to Norman this offseason, but he’s never been fully healthy since becoming a Sooner. He was hoped to provide veteran leadership for the Sooners this year while OU tries to rebuild the offensive line as a redshirt senior with championship experience.

Oklahoma will instead be relying on more inexperience at another key position, as the offense tries to bounce back after an abysmal performance against Houston. Up next for the Sooners are the Tulane Green Wave, who will make the trip to Norman for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff on Saturday.

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Oklahoma Football releases depth chart for week 2 vs. Houston Cougars

What’s new on the Oklahoma Sooners depth chart ahead of their week two matchup with the Houston Cougars?

The Oklahoma Sooners released their depth chart for their week two matchup against the Houston Cougars on Friday night. Though a lot has stayed the same from week one, there are a few notable differences.

With Jalil Farooq out for six to eight weeks with a foot injury, J.J. Hester is slated to start opposite Brenen Thompson OR [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag], while [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag] continues to occupy the slot position. Behind Hester are true freshmen [autotag]Zion Kearney[/autotag] and [autotag]Zion Ragins[/autotag]. The Sooners may have to go to their talented former four-star prospects if Hester’s unable to improve from his performance against Temple, where he had a couple of drops.

The offensive line is pretty much the same as last week, but [autotag]Joshua Bates[/autotag] has moved and is now listed as a co-starter alongside [autotag]Branson Hickman[/autotag]. Bates impressed during fall camp and earned some first-team reps but dealt with injuries in the latter stages of camp. Hickman, who was the solo starter last week for Temple, hurt his ankle in the first quarter. Initially, the Sooners slid Geirean Hatchett over from left guard to center to fill in for Hickman, but in the second half, it was all Bates.

Notably, the Sooners ran for 40 more rushing yards and just over nine yards per carry in the second half, albeit more against Temple’s backups. Given Hickman’s injury situation, the Sooners may choose to be conservative with their veteran center against Houston, making sure he’s healthy for the remainder of the season.

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Sooners get a bump in ESPN’s updated power rankings

The Oklahoma Sooners had an impressive Week 1 win over Temple, but where do they land in ESPN’s updated power rankings?

It may not have been the cleanest performance for the Oklahoma Sooners, but when you win by 48, there’s a great deal to feel good about.

On both sides of the ball, there were standout performances that should provide the building blocks for what will be a memorable season for the Oklahoma Sooners. After one week, the Sooners found themselves in the top 15 of ESPN’s updated power rankings.

[autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] threw for four touchdowns in his first regular-season start, and the Sooners forced six turnovers in a season-opening rout of [autotag]Temple[/autotag]. Oklahoma coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] said Arnold played “really efficiently.” But the offensive story belonged to wide receiver [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag]. The Purdue transfer notched three scores before halftime in his Oklahoma debut, becoming the fifth Sooner in program history to register three touchdowns in a half. – Eli Lederman, ESPN

The offense didn’t have to work too hard in the win because the defense provided a number of short fields. Still, Oklahoma scored on six of its eight possessions in the first half and seven of 10 stretching into the second half. That’s a number that will work.

If there’s an area of concern, it’s up front, where OU did little to allay any concerns along the offensive line. But it will get starting right tackle [autotag]Jake Taylor[/autotag] back this week and will likely have [autotag]Branson Hickman[/autotag], who missed much of Week 1 with an ankle injury suffered in the first quarter.

But for the first time in forever, the defense was the story. Zac Alley’s unit forced six turnovers and sacked Temple quarterback Forrest Brock six times. Defenders were flying around, showing a different level of confidence and physicality under Oklahoma’s new defensive coordinator.

Week 1 will not tell the whole story for the Sooners, who will have greater challenges ahead, but there was a lot to be encouraged about from their week one performance.

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Brent Venables provides injury update to trio of Sooners starters

The Oklahoma Sooners could get back some key personnel for their week two matchup with the Houston Cougars.

The Oklahoma Sooners are dealing with a rash of injuries to key personnel on the offensive side of the ball.

Wide receiver [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] and offensive tackle [autotag]Jake Taylor[/autotag] missed Friday’s win over Temple. Starting center [autotag]Branson Hickman[/autotag] was lost due to an ankle sprain in the first quarter.

All three have a chance to be back for Week 2 against the Houston Cougars.

On his weekly coach’s show, Sooners head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] shared that Branson Hickman looked good at practice Monday evening but is questionable for this week’s showdown with Houston. If he were unable to go, Oklahoma could go with [autotag]Geirean Hatchett[/autotag], the Washington transfer who slid over to center in the first half after Hickman went down. Or, they could roll with [autotag]Joshua Bates[/autotag], who made a lot of noise in fall camp for his work and his improvement. He was banged up toward the end of the August and didn’t play until the second half last week against Temple.

The Oklahoma Sooners need [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] back. The Sooners were already down [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag], who was ruled out for the year during fall camp. Then, they lost Jalil Farooq for 6 to 8 weeks with a broken foot. The Sooners’ wide receiver depth is pretty thin at this point. Getting Anderson back would provide a huge boost to the passing attack. He had nearly 800 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns in 2023 and was expected to be a significant part of the offense this year, but has been hobbled since fall camp.

The projected starter most likely to return this week, and one the Sooners need to get in the mix, is right tackle [autotag]Jake Taylor[/autotag]. Taylor had a strong offseason and beat out [autotag]Spencer Brown[/autotag] to earn the starting role along Bill Bedenbaugh’s offensive line. His unavailability was noticeable against Temple, as the Sooners had a hard time blocking on the right side of the formation.

At some point, the Oklahoma Sooners need to begin building continuity and cohesion with their offensive line. But the injuries they’re dealing with makes that difficult. If Taylor and Hickman can go this week and next against Tulane, it will give the Sooners an opportunity to see their starting five together for a couple of weeks before the Tennessee Volunteers roll into town.

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The Good, the bad and the ugly from the Oklahoma Sooners win over Temple

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly from the Oklahoma Sooners week one win over the Temple Owls.

The Oklahoma Sooners had a strong start in their 51-3 win over the Temple Owls. They did just enough on offense to take advantage of a great defensive effort.

Oklahoma knew it didn’t need to go deep into the playbook to beat the Owls. While the offensive performance isn’t quite what we’d expect from the Sooners, it didn’t need to be for OU to win and cover the 42 1/2-point spread.

There was a lot of good in Oklahoma’s win over the Owls and some stuff that has to improve as the Sooners move through the 2024 season. Here’s a look at the first installment of the good, the bad and the ugly from Week 1.

The Good: Defense is Back in Norman

It’s just one game, but the Oklahoma Sooners defense looked great against the Temple Owls on Friday night.

The Sooners held Temple to less than 200 yards of total offense and 1.9 yards per carry. Oklahoma’s defense recorded six turnovers, the most in a game since 2003. It also recorded six sacks and nine tackles for loss. The production came from everyone.

The Owls couldn’t get much going offensively as the Sooners frustrated them with a relentless defensive effort.

The Sooners will face tougher teams down the road, but you have to be happy about what they put on the field to start the 2024 season.

The Bad: Run Game Needs Work

Yes, the Oklahoma Sooners ran for 217 yards. You take the 28 yards from sacks out of the equation and the yardage number jumps to 245. On the surface, that looks pretty good. But nearly a third of that rushing total came on the final drive when [autotag]Michael Hawkins[/autotag] and [autotag]Taylor Tatum[/autotag] added 76 yards to the total.

In the first half, OU ran for 4.1 yards per carry. By contrast, the Sooners averaged 9.1 yards per carry in the second half. A much better number, but Temple went deeper into the depth chart as the game went on.

Yes, the offense had a vanilla game plan, but the first-team offense should have been more effective against the Temple Owls. The unit was without [autotag]Jake Taylor[/autotag] and lost [autotag]Branson Hickman[/autotag] to injury in the early going.

The Sooners will have an opportunity to right the ship when they take on a Houston Cougars team that allowed UNLV to rush for nearly 200 yards and average 4.1 yards per carry.

The Ugly: Wide Receiver Depth takes another Hit

The Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver room was lauded this offseason for being one of the deepest in the nation. Well, that depth is going to be put to the test as the Sooners suffered another significant injury.

[autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag], who was third on the team in receiving yards in 2023, was expected to have another strong season but suffered a broken foot in the first quarter of the win over Temple. That’s the second significant injury suffered by the wide receiver during the last month. [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag] was lost for the season in the preseason.

[autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] has been banged up and is expected to be ready to roll this week against the Cougars, and Oklahoma will need the breakout star from 2023 to have a repeat season this year.

[autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag] looked good and [autotag]Brenen Thompson[/autotag] is off to a nice start to the season. But the Sooners need Anderson back and will need a younger player to earn a significant role in the wide receiver rotation.

Oklahoma can’t afford another significant wide receiver injury.

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