Tag: Brenen Thompson

Sooners WR Jayden Gibson focusing on the little things in 2024

The Oklahoma Sooners are loaded at wide receiver and that means the competition is heating up.

The Oklahoma Sooners are going into the 2024 season with arguably the deepest wide receiver room in the country. There is no question it’s the deepest unit on their team.

The Sooners have a lot of wide receivers who have earned playing time like [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag], [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag], [autotag]Brenen Thompson[/autotag], [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag], [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag], [autotag]Jaquaize Pettaway[/autotag] and [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag].

Gibson by all reports is having a big offseason for the Sooners. He’s primarily been a backup wide receiver for the Sooners but really stepped up last year to become a guy who earned a lot of playing time. In a rotational role in 2023, Gibson had 14 receptions for 375 yards and five touchdowns. He averaged 26.8 yards per reception, showing off the incredible athleticism and playmaking ability that made him a four-star prospect in the 2022 recruiting class. Now, he’s looking to earn more opportunities heading into his third season with the Sooners.

With Anthony and now Farooq out until at least fall camp, Gibson’s earned an opportunity to showcase his talents with the first-team offense. And he may earn a starting role in the Sooners offense come fall.

Gibson talked about what he’s learned so far in his career. “How you do anything is how you do everything,” Gibson said. “I’ve just been trying to live my life the best way possible on and off the field. I feel like that’s what is going to allow me to have the most blessings on the field. School work, how I treat people, how I talk to people, how I come out here and talk to teammates, how I attack film, how I attack recovery, I try to get on all of that. I’m still not perfect. I’m still far from where I need to be. I still need to get extra work on the jugs. So, I’m nowhere close to where I need to be, but I’m strides further than I was.”

Gibson’s been one of the standout performers at camp when the media has been in attendance. He’s got the size and ability to be a difference maker for the Oklahoma Sooners in 2024 and has all the tools that NFL scouts are looking for. Now it’s about continuing to build on the success he’s had over the last eight months.

With the spring game coming on Saturday, Gibson can further cement his role in the Sooners offense. Given the injuries the wide receiver group is dealing with, that role could be substantial come week one vs. Temple.

Watching him develop over the years has been one of the more fun things to see both on and off the field. It’s why he’s got a real shot at not just starting but being one of the top receivers in 2024.

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Oklahoma Sooners Player Profile: Wide Receiver Nic Anderson

After a breakout season in 2023, can Sooners wide receiver Nic Anderson follow it up with another sensational season in 2024?

Evaluating the current roster, Sooners Wire profiles the current players, with wide receiver Nic Anderson up next.

Continue reading “Oklahoma Sooners Player Profile: Wide Receiver Nic Anderson”

Oklahoma Sooners enter spring with tons of depth at wide receiver

Emmett Jones and the Oklahoma Sooners have assembled an incredibly talented group of players at wide receiver for 2024.

In each of the last two seasons, the Oklahoma Sooners have lost their leading receiver.

[autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag], who led the team in 2022, earned a Pro Bowl selection with the Denver Broncos in his rookie season in 2023. [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] is hoping to hear his name called in the 2024 NFL draft after his breakout season in 2023.

And despite the turnover, the Sooners are still stacked at wide receiver.

[autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] is back after his breakout season in 2023. Anderson caught 38 balls for 798 yards and 10 touchdowns. He led the nation in yards per reception among qualified wide receivers. [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag], who also experienced a breakout year in a rotational role also returns looking to build off of a season in which he had 14 receptions for 375 yards and five touchdowns. Swiss Army knife wide receiver [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag] returns to give the Sooners a veteran in the room. He had a solid year that was marred by ball insecurity that reared its head in the Alamo Bowl loss to Arizona. Farooq was second on the team in receptions and third in receiving yards last season.

[autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag] returns after suffering an ACL tear in the Red River Rivalry win over Texas. Prior to his injury, Anthony was leading the Sooners in receiving, winning at every level of the passing game.

Also back are speedsters [autotag]Brenen Thompson[/autotag] and [autotag]Jaquaize Pettaway[/autotag]. Though they saw limited playing time, their speed put defenses on notice last year. Thompson provided big play ability every time he stepped on the field and will look to earn a bigger role this offseason. Pettaway was getting his feet wet as a true freshman but could see an increased workload on offense and special teams.

And if that was the depth chart at wide receiver heading into 2024, you’d feel great about what Jackson Arnold will be throwing to. And yet, the talent that Emmett Jones has assembled at wide receiver looks like the heroes arriving at the culmination of Avengers: End Game for the battle with Thanos.

Jones also brought in talented playmaker [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag] from Purdue. Burks could be a candidate to start for the Sooners in the slot, taking over for Stoops in 2024. And if that weren’t enough, the Sooners added a really good freshman class with [autotag]Zion Kearney[/autotag], [autotag]Ivan Carreon[/autotag], [autotag]Zion Ragins[/autotag], and [autotag]K.J. Daniels[/autotag].

To say the Sooners are talent-rich at wide receiver heading into 2024 would be an understatement. From top to bottom, it’s easily the deepest position group on the roster. And with Jackson Arnold taking over at quarterback and transition along the offensive line, a lot will be expected of Emmett Jones’ wide receiver crew to provide big plays for the Sooners in 2024.

And with the talent that Jones and the Sooners have assembled, they’re about to have a huge season in their first in the SEC.

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5 positions where the Oklahoma Sooners are better than they were a year ago

Every year there is roster turnover, but where are the Sooners better? Here are five positions Oklahoma’s better than they were a year ago.

Every offseason teams around college football have to deal with a significant amount of turnover to their roster. That’s been the case for the Sooners each season of the Brent Venables era.

No position group was hit harder than the offensive line. They lost the five guys that were starters for the majority of the season. Though they’ve been able to retool the lineup with transfer portal additions, it will be months before we know if those additions will work out.

Elsewhere, however, the Sooners look to be in really good shape, especially when you compare it to how several positions looked this time last year.

Here are five position groups that look better compared to where they were a year ago.

3 stars from the Oklahoma Sooners 69-45 win over TCU

The Oklahoma Sooners moved to 10-2 on the season and here are the 3 stars from the 69-45 win over the TCU Horned Frogs.

The Oklahoma Sooners finished the 2023 regular season with a bang on Friday. Their 69-45 win marked the second-highest point total this season.

Oklahoma’s offense was explosive and the defense came up with timely plays like they’ve done all season to come away with their 10th win of the season.

While there were some head-scratching stretches of play from the Sooners’ defense, the offense was a highlight reel throughout the game.

Here are the three stars, and a couple of honorable mentions, from Oklahoma’s win over the TCU Horned Frogs.

 

Oklahoma Sooners win final Big 12 home game, beat the TCU Horned Frogs 69-45

The Oklahoma Sooners cap off their 2023 regular season with a big win over the TCU Horned Frogs.

The Oklahoma Sooners played their final [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] home game against the [autotag]TCU Horned Frogs[/autotag], coming out on top with a 69-45 win.

On senior day and Oklahoma’s final day in the Big 12, this game had everything.

The defense forced a punt on their first drive and nearly earned an interception.

The offense marched right down the field on their first drive of the game. [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] hit [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] on a 50-yard pass to start the drive. TCU was called for pass interference on Austin Stogner and on the following play, Gabriel then ran it in from eight yards out for his 12th rushing touchdown of the season.

After a muffed punt by [autotag]Gavin Freeman[/autotag] set TCU up with great field position, the Horned Frogs scored on a [autotag]Josh Hoover[/autotag] keeper but missed the extra point.

The offense picked up right where it left off. Gabriel found [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag] on 3rd and 11 for a gain of 17. He then found Gibson on a 59-yard touchdown pass, dragging a defender into the end zone.

After a 48-yard pass to [autotag]Jojo Earle[/autotag] got the Horned Frogs into OU territory, TCU took advantage as Hoover hit Earle on a 6-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to 14-13.

To start the second quarter, the Sooners went with Freeman, Drake Stoops and [autotag]Brenen Thompson[/autotag] as the wide receivers. OU used their speed, and Gabriel hit Thompson on a deep post route for a 53-yard touchdown pass.

The defense forced a three-and-out, and Gabriel continued his incredible performance. He helped convert a third and long and then a fourth down on the drive. [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag] capped it off with a 12-yard touchdown run that gave the Sooners a 28-13 lead.

The Sooners forced a three and out on a sack by [autotag]Reggie Pearson[/autotag]. But TCU tried a fake field goal, and it was snuffed out by the Sooners. The offense took over and marched right down the short field and capped it off with a 7-yard run by Sawchuk.

The Sooners’ defense forced its third straight three and out on TCU’s next drive. And on Oklahoma’s next possession, Sawchuk took off on a 41-yard run, setting OU up in TCU territory. The drive was capped off by a 9-yard touchdown run by [autotag]Tawee Walker[/autotag].

The Sooners took a 42-16 lead into halftime.

The Sooners outgained the Horned Frogs 375-221. They were also 7 of 9 on third and fourth down while holding TCU to 4 of 12. Gabriel finished the half 14-23 for 278 yards and three touchdowns.

The Sooners drove right down the field on their first drive of the half but had to settle for a 23-yard field goal. [autotag]Zach Schmit[/autotag] nailed it to extend the Sooners lead to 45-16. TCU responded as Emani Bailey ran it in untouched from 32 yards out. Gabriel tried another deep shot to Thompson, but it was into the wind and a bit late, and this time it was picked off.

TCU took advantage as Hoover found [autotag]Jared Wiley[/autotag] for the four-yard score to cut the lead to 45-31 after TCU converterted the two-point try. The Sooners faced a 4th and 1 on their own side of the 50 and Gabriel picked up 40 yards on the option keeper. Stoops capped off the drive with a 9-yard touchdown pass from Gabriel.

TCU went right back down the field like it was nothing. Bailey had a 49-yard run and then a touchdown catch on the following play to cut the Sooners lead back to 14. The Sooners drove the field but, after a sack, were forced to kick a 40-yard field goal. Schmit knocked it through to put OU up 17 with 10:14 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The defense finally made a stop, forcing TCU to turn it over on downs in their own territory. The Sooners capitalized as Sawchuk ran it in from nine yards out to make it 62-38. [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag] would add to the lead after a 45-yard interception return to seal the win.

The Sooners had several big-time performances in the win. Dillon Gabriel completed 63% of his passes for 400 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for 36 yards and a touchdown. Gavin Sawchuk had his fourth straight 100-yard day with 22 carries for 130 yards and three touchdowns. Sawchuk added 16 yards on two receptions to his big performance.

On the receiving end, Oklahoma had three players with more than 75 yards in the win. Drake Stoops caught 12 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown. Nic Anderson had four receptions on eight targets for 97 yards. Jayden Gibson continued his strong finish to the season with two receptions for 76 yards and a score.

Defensively, the Sooners struggled in the second half, allowing 299 total yards and 9.3 yards per play. But as they’ve done often this season, the defense came up with big plays in key moments. In addition to his interception return for a touchdown, Billy Bowman led the team with nine tackles.

In total, Oklahoma outgained the Horned Frogs 607-520 on the day.

Oklahoma moved to 10-2 in year two under [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]. Now they wait for this weekend’s results in the Big 12 to know if they’ll be playing next week in Arlington, Texas for the Big 12 title.

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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.

‘We’ve just got a lot of issues’: Dillon Gabriel on how the Sooners can fix their mistakes

Dillon Gabriel isn’t sure how the Sooners fix their mistakes but he knows they better figure it out quickly.

[autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] was one of the few Oklahoma Sooners players to have a solid day against the [autotag]Oklahoma State Cowboys[/autotag] on Saturday. The Sooners quarterback completed 70% of his passes for 344 yards and had one touchdown but also one interception.

Surprisingly, Gabriel wasn’t asked to run the ball very much. Only running the ball four times for -7 yards, but most of that wasn’t actual quarterback run plays. During the game, the Sooners had two snap-related turnovers from three-year starter [autotag]Andrew Raym[/autotag].

One of which was a little high but running back [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag] could have caught it. The other was at a pivotal point in the game and hit Gabriel in the shins resulting in a field goal for the Cowboys.

Gabriel talked to the media after the game about those snap-related turnovers. “Just didn’t catch the ball,” Gabriel said. “Fumbled it, and they get the ball. Just can’t happen.”

Those two plays resulted in two of Oklahoma’s three turnovers. The other was a deep ball Gabriel threw into double coverage targeting [autotag]Brenen Thompson[/autotag]. The ball was underthrown, but Gabriel did get hit as he threw. This marks back-to-back weeks the Sooners have turned it over three times.

Gabriel was asked about all of the mistakes the team has been making. “I don’t know,” Gabriel said. “I wish we knew the answer so we could fix it. We’ve just got a lot of issues.”

If Oklahoma wants to salvage the season and still be a double-digit win team, they better find the answers to those questions.

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Oklahoma Sooners stunned by the Oklahoma State Cowboys in final Bedlam

The Oklahoma Sooners were unable to overcome three turnovers and a terrible no-call in the end zone and fall to Oklahoma State 27-24 in final Bedlam.

The Oklahoma Sooners and the [autotag]Oklahoma State Cowboys[/autotag] battled in another classic [autotag]Bedlam[/autotag] game.

Both teams started the game hot offensively. The Cowboys scored on their first drive on a 20-yard run by [autotag]Ollie Gordon[/autotag] and the Sooners answered with a 64-yard run by [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag].

On the next Sooners possession, Oklahoma tried a direct snap to [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag] the snap mishandled and the Cowboys recovered the fumble. Oklahoma State capitalized on [autotag]Alan Bowman[/autotag] 13-yard touchdown run to make it 14-7.

The offense really couldn’t find a rhythm and the Sooners quickly found themselves down 17-7 early in the second 1uarter. But that’s when the defense really started to settle in for the rest of the game.

[autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] hit [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] on a six-yard pass to cut it to 17-14.

But just when it seemed like Oklahoma was getting things going, they regularly stalled once they got to midfield.

Trailing 17-14 to start the second half, Dillon Gabriel launched a deep ball to Brenen Thompson in double coverage. The ball was intercepted and Oklahoma State was able to put together a nice drive. The Sooners defense responded, stuffing Ollie Gordon on fourth and 1.The Sooners’ offense answered with a 23-yard run by [autotag]Tawee Walker[/autotag] to take a 21-17 lead.

Oklahoma State had another great drive going before Gordon was once again stuffed on fourth down. However, Oklahoma couldn’t do anything with it, turning it over on downs on their next possession.

With the Oklahoma State Cowboys driving deep into Sooners territory, [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag] picked off running back Ollie Gordon’s pass on a trick play to start the fourth quarter. Bowman returned it all the way to midfield. But again, the offense couldn’t capitalize to put the game away. After three straight runs, the Sooners were forced to punt.

A beautiful pooch punt put the Cowboys on their own three-yard line. But that didn’t stop them. Oklahoma State took the lead on a 97-yard drive that was aided by a pass interference call on Makari Vickers and a Brent Venables unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. The official appeared quick with the flag on replay.

Gordon would cap it off with a one-yard run to give Oklahoma State the 24-21 lead.

The Sooners gave it right back to the Cowboys on their half of the field on an Andrew Raym snap that hit Gabriel in the shins and rolled straight to the Cowboys defensive line.

The defense responded to force a three-and-out, but the Cowboys would add a field goal to go up 27-21.

The next drive is where things get interesting. Gabriel hit [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag] on a 46-yard pass to give Oklahoma a first down at Oklahoma State’s 16-yard line. The Sooners were stuffed on their first two plays and on 3rd and 12, Gabriel would fire a ball to Stoops in the end zone.  Stoops was tackled by the Cowboys defender allowing the ball to fall to the turf incomplete. There were no flags on the play, despite an official standing right there. Oklahoma settled for a field goal to make it 27-24.

The Sooners’ defense forced a Cowboys punt. Gabriel got the ball back on their 20-yard line with 1:46 to go in the game. Gabriel hit Stoops on a 21-yard pass. But again at midfield, the Sooners’ offense stalled again.

On third and 10, Jeff Lebby called a short slant to Jalil Farooq, who was only able to pick up five yards, setting up a fourth and five. Lebby dialed up another pass attempt that Stoops caught short of the first down marker and was tackled out of bounds before he could turn it upfield, turning the ball over on downs.

It was an unfortunate end for the Oklahoma Sooners who had numerous opportunities to take control of the game, but turnovers, mental miscues and poor officiating kept them from winning the game.

Drake Stoops had a phenomenal game, catching 12 passes for 134 yards and a touchdown. Gabriel completed 70% of his passes for 344 yards and a touchdown. He also had a fumble and an interception.

Gavin Sawchuk and Tawee Walker had solid performances, helping the Sooners average 5.5 yards per carry in the game.

Getting the start in place of Danny Stutsman, Kip Lewis led the Sooners with 15 total tackles. Robert Spears-Jennings earned the first extended run of his Sooners career and finished second on the team with seven total tackles, including a pivotal fourth down stop.

Oklahoma’s defense did a nice job, limiting Ollie Gordon in key situations, still, the star running back ran for 133 yards and two touchdowns. The Sooners held Oklahoma State to 5 of 15 on third downs and 1 of 4 on fourth downs. The defense was good enough to win the game.

The Sooners’ three turnovers on offense had a huge impact on the outcome of the game.

The Oklahoma State Cowboys now put themselves on the road to the Big 12 title game with the win. The Sooners have now lost two in a row and head home to take on an underrated West Virginia squad.

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Nic Anderson not worried about Sooners’ ability to fill in for injured Andrel Anthony

After losing their leading receiver, the wide receiver room is ready for the challenge to step up so the offense doesn’t take a step back.

The Oklahoma Sooners are going to have to play the second half of their season without their leading receiver. Andrel Anthony was lost for the year during the win over Texas in the [autotag]Red River Rivalry[/autotag].

Anthony led the team with 429 yards and was second on the team with 27 catches. He was injured in the third quarter.

His replacement, [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag], caught the game-winning touchdown pass. Anderson leads the team with receiving touchdowns on the season.

He talked to reporters about the mindset of the receiving room after losing Anthony.

“Just making sure we step up and fill those shoes so we don’t miss a beat on offense,” Anderson said. “That’s the most important thing. We have a lot of competitive depth, so I’m not worried about anybody not being able to do that.”

It will be interesting to see if the Sooners change anything with their scheme. Prior to the win over the Texas Longhorns, we hadn’t seen many four wide receiver sets, but we saw that fairly often until Anthony went out with his injury.

It seemed to have some success. Anderson will almost assuredly take Anthony’s starting spot, but the question is who will take Anderson’s spot if the Sooners go with four wide receivers, or do they just scrap that package ?

The most likely answer is [autotag]Brenen Thompson[/autotag] or [autotag]Gavin Freeman[/autotag] if they choose to keep that package. Jayden Gibson will likely see more opportunities moving forward as well.

Another reason why it was a good week to have a bye and better yet, to have as much depth as the Sooners have at wide receiver.

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