Tag: C.J. Coldon

Highest Graded Oklahoma Sooners in 2022 according to Pro Football Focus

Who graded out as the best Oklahoma Sooners across several categories according to Pro Football Focus in 2022?

The 2022 season came to a screeching halt for the Oklahoma Sooners. After jumping out to a 17-0 lead and leading by 18 in the second quarter, the Sooners were unable to hold off the Red Raiders before halftime as Texas Tech brought the score to 24-23.

The 51-48 loss to Texas Tech was characteristic of much of the 2022 season. Oklahoma was good enough to win but was unable to make the plays necessary to win the game. Like the Baylor, West Virginia, and Kansas State games before them, when the Sooners needed a play, they weren’t able to make it.

With the regular season over, let’s take a look at how the Oklahoma Sooners graded out across 11 categories with Pro Football Focus. Then take a look at how the Sooners graded out in their loss to the Red Raiders from contributor Bryant Crews.

Report Card: Sooners defense can’t hold up in finale vs. Texas Tech

Oklahoma’s defense was unable to get stops at the end as the Sooners fell 51-48 to Texas Tech. From @thatmanbryant

With an opportunity to solidify themselves above .500, Oklahoma traveled to Lubbock, Texas to take on the Texas Tech Raiders. Texas Tech took the first couple of punches from the Sooners on the chin before fighting their way back into the game. The game would eventually go to overtime, where a missed Zach Schmit field goal would lead to Texas Tech kicking the game-winner for a 51-48 victory to leave the Sooners at 6-6 for the regular season.

It was far from a horrible performance for the team as a whole, but it followed a similar script we’ve seen too many times this year. Oklahoma came out on fire before they eased up and let the other team back in the game.

The offense did a magnificent job from the opening snap, while the defense and special teams left a bit to be desired.

Here’s our report card from the Sooners’ loss to Texas Tech.

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5 takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners 51-48 loss to Texas Tech

5 takeaways from Oklahoma’s 51-48 overtime loss to the Texas Tech Red Raiders. From @thatmanbryant

Oklahoma’s regular season came to a fitting end. A 51-48 loss that perfectly encapsulates what the team has been all season. They started fast, and then adversity hit, and they struggled to weather the storm. The Sooners found some momentum in the second half, but ultimately couldn’t get enough stops to win the game. With the loss, Oklahoma falls to 6-6 for the year.

The game itself was a classic Big 12 affair featuring oodles of offensive fireworks, while defenders were run ragged. In the end, poor defense, Oklahoma’s inability to convert in overtime, and a Zach Schmit FG miss doomed the Sooners.

There were great moments and big plays to be enamored with, but ultimately it was for naught. Here are five takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners loss to Texas Tech.

C.J. Coldon’s emergence a revelation for Oklahoma Sooners’ defense

In a rotational role in the early part of the season, C.J. Coldon has emerged as a starter for the Oklahoma Sooners’ defense. From @john9williams

Some players have a knack for attacking the football. It’s something that can be trained and developed. However, players like [autotag]C.J. Coldon[/autotag] appears naturally adept at playing the ball when it’s in the air.

Coldon, a summer transfer from Wyoming, has emerged of late to start for the Oklahoma Sooners in the secondary. After playing a rotational role in his first six appearances, he’s seen his snap count rise dramatically over the last three weeks. Starting with the Baylor game, he’s played 66, 86, and 101 snaps. He’s started the previous two games for the Sooners and played 101 of 102 snaps in the win over Bedlam.

He leads the team in interceptions with three (a fourth one was called back against West Virginia) and had a strong performance in the Sooners’ win over Oklahoma State. Coldon was targeted 16 times by Spencer Sanders, but allowed just seven receptions, according to Pro Football Focus. While he allowed 98 receiving yards in the game, 47 came on one play, a catch and run by Braydon Johnson. On the other 15 targets, Coldon allowed just 3.4 yards per target.

In Bedlam, Coldon was flying around the football. In addition to his interception, Coldon had two more pass breakups, one of which was nearly another pick.

He was an important addition, and though eligibility requirements held up his arrival to Oklahoma, his presence provided some much-needed depth to Oklahoma’s secondary.

“And he never asked for anything,” [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] said when asked how the Sooners determined he’d be a good fit. “He didn’t want me to explain to him how quickly he could become the starter, things like that. So, just he was thankful to have an opportunity to come. And everybody that I had spoken to spoke very highly of him from the standpoint of work ethic and competitiveness, great teammate, things of that nature.”

Coldon is tied for fourth in the Big 12 in passer rating allowed at 53.9 and is tied for second in the conference in interceptions. He ranks 11th in coverage grade according to Pro Football Focus.

Heading to Lubbock against a Texas Tech Red Raiders team that averages nearly 300 passing yards per game, Coldon will be relied upon again for a heavy snap count and to be a playmaker on the outside.

When he’s played, C.J. Coldon has found a way to be around the football. As he continues to get comfortable in his starting role, there may be more highlights like this one in Oklahoma’s future.

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Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.

Report Card: Oklahoma Sooners defense shines in Bedlam win on Senior Day

Oklahoma’s defense led the way in this week’s report card, while Oklahoma’s offense cooled off after a tremendous first quarter. From @thatmanbryant

In a game that didn’t have championship implications for the Sooners this year, a lot of other things were on the line for Oklahoma. Senior Day, over 20 prospects in the building, and the fact that in-state rival Oklahoma State was in the building. Oklahoma couldn’t take a loss, and they came out firing on all cylinders.

They won a 28-13 game that, for 15 minutes, looked like Oklahoma was going to put up 60 points on Oklahoma State. That wasn’t the case, but a win is a win, and Oklahoma handled its business.

With the win, they also became bowl eligible, an achievement considering how poorly Oklahoma has looked at times.

A Herculean effort from the Sooners’ defense is the biggest story of the day. Taking a big-picture approach, how did the rest of the team fare as we grade out the performance? Here’s a look at this week’s report card.

Oklahoma Sooners earn bowl eligibility with 28-13 win over Oklahoma State

The offense erupted early, and the defense closed out a big win over Oklahoma State 28-13 in Norman. From @john9williams

The Oklahoma Sooners came out on fire in the first quarter, putting up a record-setting 28 points on the Oklahoma State defense. After the first 15 minutes of play, it looked like a Bedlam blowout was on the way, but from the second quarter on, the Sooners struggled to get anything going on offense and the defense made the plays necessary to pick up a win over the Cowboys to move to 6-5 on the season and gain bowl eligibility.

[autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] was hot in the first quarter, going 14 of 18 for 224 yards and two touchdowns, hitting [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag] and [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] on beautiful deep balls down the right sideline. Gabriel added a touchdown on the ground

But after the first quarter, the offense struggled to find any footing. Two turnovers in the second quarter took points off the board, and Oklahoma’s struggles on third down continued. After converting just one third down a week ago against West Virginia, the Sooners struggled again on third down against Oklahoma State, going 1 for 14.

While the offense struggled, the Sooners’ defense played one of their best games of the season. It wasn’t perfect, but they came up with big plays in big situations to limit Oklahoma State to 13 points despite [autotag]Spencer Sanders[/autotag] throwing for 381 yards.

Oklahoma collected four Spencer Sanders interceptions and, with how they were flying around the ball, had several more opportunities to take the ball away from Sanders and the Cowboys. The Sooners’ defense also collected six sacks and 13 tackles for loss.

The Sooners’ defense bailed out an offense that produced just 135 yards of total offense over the final three quarters and no points. Dillon Gabriel was 6 for 22 after his efficient first quarter, for 35 yards and one interception. Though the finish wasn’t great for the Sooners’ offense, that first quarter would be all they needed on the night.

Drake Stoops had an incredible game in what could be his final home game as a Sooner. He led the Sooners with six receptions for 89 yards and a touchdown and made two incredible catches. One put the Sooners inside the five-yard line before their first score of the game, and the second closed Oklahoma’s scoring outburst in the first half.

After his 211-yard performance in last week’s loss to West Virginia, [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag] ran for 90 yards on 20 carries and picked up 30 yards on three receptions. Jovantae Barnes had a good game as well, carrying the ball six times for 59 yards.

Defensively, [autotag]David Ugwoegbu[/autotag] led the team with 10 tackles, but [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] (9), [autotag]DaShaun White[/autotag] (8), and [autotag]Woodi Washington[/autotag] (8) were right behind him. Washington made a couple of touchdown-saving tackles in the game. One on defense after [autotag]Braydon Johnson[/autotag] broke away from [autotag]C.J. Coldon[/autotag] for a big catch and run. The other came on special teams when [autotag]Brennan Presley[/autotag] was attempting a return. While blocked, Washington stuck his arm out to bring down the shifty playmaker to prevent him from getting into the open field.

In addition to his eight tackles, White added a sack and an interception to continue his strong play of late from the Cheetah position. [autotag]Jordan Kelley[/autotag], [autotag]Isaiah Coe[/autotag], and [autotag]Jalen Redmond[/autotag] each had great games from their interior defensive line positions. Kelley had two sacks and six total tackles. Coe had five total tackles, 0.5 sacks, and two tackles for loss. [autotag]Ethan Downs[/autotag] had a sack, while [autotag]Jonah Lau’lu[/autotag] had five total tackles, 0.5 sacks, two tackles for loss, and an interception.

The Sooners picked up a win over an in-state rival, and while it wasn’t pretty on offense for much of the game, the defense made plays in key moments to pick up a win and provide a glimpse of what a [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] defense could look like in Norman.

With some uncertainty about how many Bedlam games there are before Oklahoma moves to the SEC, picking up this win in Brent Venables’ first Bedlam matchup while keeping Mike Gundy from winning two in a row against the Sooners was a great way to finish off the home schedule for 2022.

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Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.

Report Card: Offense carrying the load in a bounce-back performance

Oklahoma’s offense led the way versus Kansas, and it shows with their grades in this week’s report cards.

The last three weeks had to be an evaluation and film study nightmare for the Oklahoma Sooners. There were injuries, bad technique, and missed assignments on both sides of the ball. They needed a decent performance against a tough Kansas team, and they delivered on Saturday.

The result was far from dominant unless you look at the offense’s performance alone but what transpired was a team desperate for a win that played hard and didn’t let up.

As we do at Sooners Wire, we took time to grade each unit for their performance in Oklahoma’s 52-42 win..

Oklahoma Sooners’ offense explodes in 52-42 win over Kansas Jayhawks

Dillon Gabriel threw for 403 yards, and Eric Gray rushed for 176 yards to lead the Oklahoma Sooners in their 52-42 win over Kansas.

Oklahoma snapped a three-game losing streak on Saturday with a 52-42 win over the No. 20 Kansas Jayhawks on homecoming weekend.

The big storyline leading up to the week was the availability of both starting quarterbacks for each team. Jayhawks starter Jalon Daniels sat out due to a shoulder injury and was replaced by Jason Bean. At the same time, Oklahoma was hopeful for the return of QB1 Dillon Gabriel, who had missed last week’s Red River Rivalry game against Texas because of a concussion suffered in the blowout loss to TCU.

With Gabriel back, Oklahoma looked like the offensive juggernaut most are accustomed to seeing from Oklahoma teams. They put up over 700 yards of offense and scored 50 points for the first time this season.

The Sooners took the ball first and promptly drove down the field for a one-yard Jovantae Barnes touchdown run. Kansas answered with a 39-yard touchdown pass from Jason Bean to Lawrence Arnold. The two teams traded touchdowns again to end the first quarter tied at 14 apiece.

Oklahoma would settle in defensively allowing just 7 Kansas points in the second quarter, while the offense kept on humming for 21 points in the 2nd quarter.

An uber-athletic interception from Wyoming transfer C.J. Coldon gave the corner his second in as many weeks. The offense worked in harmony and consistently had the Jayhawks off balance all day. Running back Eric Gray finished with 176 yards on 20 carries for two touchdowns. His backup, true freshman Jovantae Barnes, ran 21 times for 69 yards with two rushing touchdowns himself.

Marvin Mims had a career-high nine catches for 106 yards, and senior tight end Brayden Willis added five catches for a career-high 102 yards for the Sooners. Oklahoma was finally able to showcase their offensive talent with a functional and capable thrower at QB.

Gabriel was 29 of 42 for 403 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for a score. The Sooners quarterback threw his first interception of the season and lost two fumbles.

Oklahoma kept the foot on the gas thru the 3rd quarter, putting up another two touchdowns and kept the pressure on the Jayhawks.

The Jayhawks’ inability to get stops doomed Kansas as they weren’t able to keep up with Dillon Gabriel and the Oklahoma Sooners’ offense.

The defense played well during a stretch at the end of the first quarter to midway through the second quarter, but Kansas came out guns blazing in the second half trying to catch up. They outscored the Sooners 21-17 after halftime, but the haltime deficit was too much to overcome.

The defense forced seven tackles for loss, a couple of turnovers, and recorded one sack on the day. They have work to do, but it was a better performance than what we’ve seen from them in recent weeks.

Oklahoma’s win marks their 18th straight against Kansas. It’s a confidence-building win heading into their bye week before taking on Iowa State in Ames, Iowa, on October 29th.

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Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today. You can also follow Bryant on Twitter @thatmanbryant.

Social Media reacts: Oklahoma Sooners rolling, lead Kansas 35 to 21 at halftime

Some of the best social media reactions to the Oklahoma Sooners 35-21 halftime lead over the Kansas Jayhawks.

The Oklahoma Sooners got off to a hot start on the first drive of the game and didn’t slow down, scoring 35 points in the first half for the second time this season and more points than they have in any game the last three weeks.

With Dillon Gabriel returning from concussion protocol, the Oklahoma Sooners offense is cruising, putting up more than 400 points in the first half and converting 7 of 9 third downs. Gabriel is 21 of 29 for 304 yards and a touchdown, hitting big throws down the field.

The rushing attack has been phenomenal in the first half. Eric Gray’s led the way with 10 carries for 124 yards and three touchdowns. Jovantae Barnes opened the scoring and has seven carries for 24 yards and two touchdowns.

After allowing 14 points in the first quarter, the Sooners’ defense stepped up and went on a run where they forced three punts and got the incredible C.J. Coldon interception for four straight stops from the last two minutes of the first to about the five-minute mark of the second quarter.

Oklahoma got the ball back with 1:36 to play in the first half, and Brent Venables slow played that final drive, leaving them with little time to work with as they tried to score at the end.

Oklahoma’s racked up 487 yards of total offense at 8.9 yards per play and are rolling. If the defense can continue to get stops like they’ve done, the Sooners will have a great shot at winning this one and getting back above .500 on the season.

Oklahoma’s C.J. Coldon with brilliant pick against Kansas

Oklahoma’s C.J. Coldon with a dazzling interception against Kansas

Kansas was driving for what could have been a tying score against Oklahoma Saturday in a Big 12 contest in Norman.

C.J. Coldon to the rescue.

Watch as the transfer from Wyoming, who is in his sixth year of college eligibility thanks to a 2017 redshirt, make the fantastic interception.

It’s been one of the few highlights in the past month for the defense of first-year OU coach Brent Venables.