Tag: Cheez-It Bowl

Jalen Redmond opts out of Cheez-It Bowl, declares for NFL Draft

Beginning his preparation for the 2023 NFL Draft, defensive tackle Jalen Redmond is opting out of the Cheez-It Bowl.

After accepting a Senior Bowl invite earlier this month, defensive tackle Jalen Redmond announced via Twitter that he’ll forgo the Cheez-It Bowl to begin preparations for the 2023 NFL draft in April.

Redmond, who tied for the team lead in total pressures with 28 according to Pro Football Focus, became one of the more important defensive players for the Sooners because of his ability to create penetration from the interior defensive line.

In 2019, Redmond led the Sooners with 6.5 sacks before opting out of 2020 due to COVID concerns. During the 2021 season, he recorded eight tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. He also had the memorable fumble return for a touchdown against Iowa State that helped the Sooners take a 14-7 lead into halftime against the Cyclones.

 

As for Redmond’s NFL prospects, participating in  the Reese’s Senior Bowl should help him. He’s got an injury history that scouts and front-office executives will want to inquire about, but it will also give teams a head start on learning what Redmond is all about.

On the field, they’ll get a chance to see his burst off the line of scrimmage and ability to defeat blockers to provide an interior pass rush. A good week in Mobile could provide Redmond a bump in his draft value.

With Redmond opting out of the Cheez-It Bowl and Josh Ellison gone via the transfer portal, eyes will turn to Jeffery Johnson, Isaiah Coe, Jordan Kelley, Gracen Halton, and Kelvin Gilliam to provide an interior presence against a really good Florida State offense.

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Looking back on the 2022 Oklahoma Sooners regular season

Let’s take a step back and look at the positives from the 2022 Oklahoma Sooners regular season.

Well that wasn’t very fun, was it?

After huge amounts of pure optimism from the Oklahoma Sooners fanbase following the hire of Brent Venables, the actual results of the first year of this new era of Oklahoma Football felt like a bit of a dud.

The Sooners finished the regular season 6-6, with a date with a superior Florida State team on the horizon in the Cheez-it Bowl. OU’s first losing record in more than two decades is a possibility in year one of Brent Venables’ tenure.

I don’t want to talk about the bad times from this first year. That’s been done again and again. Instead, let’s look at the positives that this year yielded for the present and future of OU Football.

After Lincoln Riley left for California, the OU fanbase felt betrayed. The second his plane touched down in Norman, Brent Venables immediately devoted himself to giving the fanbase the kick in the pants it needed.

“Make the Palace a nightmare,” he said.

And a nightmare it was. OU home games finally recaptured the hostile environment it had been missing for years, with a notably reenergized student section. The fancy light shows helped.

When the Sooners do move to the SEC, the fans will be ready to go on Saturdays. And with the way the Oklahoma Sooners are recruiting, the talent on the roster will be there too.

The talent that the Sooners need to compete at a high level again is on the way. After reeling in the No. 8 recruiting class in 2022, OU’s 2023 class is again sitting at No. 8 with the potential to finish in the top five. The players are coming. This coaching staff can absolutely recruit the players they need to get the Sooners back on the right track.

While this coaching staff has issues that will need to be addressed in the spring and summer, they will improve. If the same issues from this season are still present in 2023, then we can have discussions about the coaches. Until then, the Cheez-it Bowl awaits.

Florida State is an interesting case. Mike Norvell possibly saved his job with his first bowl trip in year three in Tallahassee. Good for the Seminoles.

This game could be very fun. With several big contributors already opting out to prepare for the draft, the Sooners must be prepared to do one very simple thing.

Unleash the youth.

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Cheez-It Bowl viewed as one of the best matchups by College Football News

The Cheez-It Bowl looks like one of the better matchups this bowl season, landing inside the top 10 of College Football News bowl rankings.

When the Cheez-It Bowl kicks off, college football fans should be in for a high-scoring affair. The matchup between the Oklahoma Sooners and Florida State Seminoles on Dec. 29 will serve as an appetizer to the College Football Playoff.

Florida State had a resurgent season, finishing 9-3, and it had a top-20 offense and defense this season. Led by Jordan Travis and Jared Verse, the Seminoles rattled off five straight wins to close the regular season, winning by an average margin of victory of 28.2 points per game.

Oklahoma had a disappointing season. It went 6-6 and 0-4 in one-score games. It was a frustrating 3-6 finish in Big 12 play after starting the year 3-0 with each win coming by 30 or more points. The Sooners’ offense was good enough in several of those losses, but the defense struggled to get stops in losses to Kansas State, Baylor and Texas Tech. Against West Virginia, the defense was good for three quarters, but the offense struggled on a wet day in Morgantown.

Which Oklahoma team will the Florida State Seminoles see in the Cheez-It Bowl? That remains to be seen, especially with players opting out of the bowl game at critical positions.

Nevertheless, the Sooners should have enough offensive firepower to have a shot to finish the season above .500, with Dillon Gabriel and Marvin Mims leading the way. And that’s why this game has been viewed so favorably despite Oklahoma’s struggles in 2022. In College Football News’ bowl rankings for 2022, Pete Fiutak had the Cheez-It bowl as the seventh-best game in this year’s bowl season.

Oklahoma got its win over Oklahoma State, avoided the embarrassment of not going bowling, came really, really close in the three losses in the last four games – it dropped all of them by three points each. It’s a program that seems like it’s ready to get to next year already, but it’s got the offense to make this wild.

On the flip side, all of the great things FSU did over the second half of the year won’t be undone with a loss, but it wouldn’t be a good look considering Mike Norvell is 0-for-bowls in his six-year career before this season.

There should be lots of offense, lots of energy in the stadium, and lots of storylines going into 2023 no matter what. – Pete Fiutak, College Football News

The Sooners’ defense will have a tough task against Jordan Travis, and Oklahoma will start two new offensive tackles for the game after Anton Harrison and Wanya Morris opted out. Tyler Guyton figures to be one of the starters, and then it will come down to Jacob Sexton, Jake Taylor and Aaryn Parks on the other side.

The Sooners’ offensive line will have a difficult challenge trying to slow Jared Verse, who has 7.5 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss on the season.

Oklahoma and Florida State could serve as a springboard for the Sooners to get back into Big 12 title contention in 2023. It will be an intriguing matchup between two proud programs when they kick off in the Cheez-It Bowl.

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Where does Oklahoma vs. Florida State rank among the 41 bowl games for 2022?

How did CBS Sports rank the Oklahoma Sooners vs. Florida State Seminoles in the Cheez-It Bowl among the 41 bowl games for 2022?

It’s amazing how differently 7-6 would feel instead of 6-7. But that’s how important the Cheez-It Bowl will be for the Oklahoma Sooners. A win extends their streak of winning seasons to 23. A loss would break a streak started by Bob Stoops and continued by Lincoln Riley.

Brent Venables is building something, and that something will take some time. Still, closing out an inconsistent season with a win would be huge for the Sooners as they look ahead to 2023.

The Florida State Seminoles finally put together a strong year after back-to-back losing seasons under Mike Norvell. The Seminoles are looking for their first 10-win season since 2016 when Jimbo Fisher was still at the helm.

For a random bowl game, this contest has stakes for both sides. Given the offensive firepower of the two teams, the Cheez-It Bowl has the potential to be one of the better bowl games in 2022. ESPN predicted another one-score loss for Oklahoma in a 44-37 shootout.

Ranking each of the bowl games for CBS Sports, Oklahoma vs. Florida State comes in at No. 11.

Florida State fans wish there was a button they could hit that would start the season over with the Seminoles playing at this level right now. If that happened, the ‘Noles would probably end up winning the ACC and could even sneak into the College Football Playoff because it’s been one of the best teams in the country for over a month. There were close losses to NC State and Clemson in October, then five straight wins to finish the season, most in blowout fashion. QB Jordan Travis has ascended to another level and is one of the most exciting players to watch in the country.

So while there’s a chance this game turns into a blowout, even though Oklahoma is only 6-6, it has an offense capable of scoring in a hurry. This game has the potential to be an exciting shootout if the Sooners are healthy. I understand there’s also a good chance I look like a moron for ranking this game so highly if Bad Oklahoma shows up and Florida State wins by a billion. Whatever happens, at least I feel confident the final score won’t be 13-2. – Tom Fornelli, CBS Sports

With [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] at quarterback, there hasn’t been a “bad Oklahoma.” In the only games where they were blown out, they didn’t have Gabriel at the helm for the entire game. The Sooners averaged 37.1 points per game in the 10 games they had Dillon Gabriel for all four quarters. There’s no reason to suspect the offense won’t be good.

Florida State boasts a good defense, but the Sooners proved they could score on anyone in 2022 when Gabriel navigated the offense. Oklahoma’s question is more about what the defense does against the Seminoles’ offense because they’ve struggled all year to stop good offenses.

This one will be a shootout.

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ESPN provides early prediction for Oklahoma vs. Florida State in Cheez-It Bowl

Can Oklahoma’s defense slow down a Florida State offense that’s averaging 36 points per game in 2022? From @john9williams

The Oklahoma Sooners drew a tough task in the bowl season when they travel to Orlando to face the 9-3 Florida State Seminoles. Florida State, who saved Mike Norvell from the hot seat, lost only to NC State, Wake Forest, and Clemson this season and looks to be a team on the upward swing.

They made significant strides on both sides of the ball, and will be a stiff challenge for Brent Venables and the Sooners, who are hoping to avoid their first losing season since 1998.

Over at ESPN, Adam Rittenberg looked at the bowl matchups and provided an early prediction for each game. For Oklahoma vs. Florida State, he sees the Seminoles coming out on top in a shootout. Rittenberg predicts Florida State to win the game 44-37, which would drop Oklahoma to 0-5 on the season in one-score games.

Here’s what Rittenberg had to say:

The Seminoles thought they were free of Brent Venables, the longtime Clemson defensive coordinator who had a difficult first season as OU’s coach. All the ingredients seem to favor FSU, which ended the season on a five-game win streak and has a short trip to the game site. The Seminoles’ improved defense must slow down Dillon Gabriel, the former UCF quarterback who returns to Orlando. But Oklahoma won’t have answers for quarterback Jordan Travis, running back Trey Benson, wide receiver Johnny Wilson and the Noles. – Rittenberg, ESPN

The biggest problem Oklahoma will face defensively is quarterback Jordan Travis. The Sooners have done a good job against traditional rushing attacks but have had a hard time slowing down running quarterbacks.

According to Pro Football Focus, who doesn’t take away rushing yards due to sacks, Seminoles quarterback Jordan Travis has run for 471 yards and seven touchdowns. Those seven touchdowns were tied for third in the ACC. His 7.6 rush yards per attempt leads all quarterbacks in the Power Five with at least 25 attempts on the season. 62% of his rushing yards came on designed runs.

We’ve seen how Oklahoma’s defense has struggled against the quarterback run game all season long. With several weeks to prepare, hopefully, the Sooners find some answers to slow down Travis and the Seminoles’ running game.

Running back Trey Benson ran for 969 yards and nine touchdowns, averaging 6.9 yards per carry, and Johnny Wilson is their version of Marvin Mims. Wilson averaged 19.9 yards per reception with 35 catches for 695 yards and five touchdowns.

Florida State’s offense averages 36.2 points per game in 2022, good for 17th in the nation. Their defense is what’s improved so much. They’re only allowing 19.7 points per game, which improved from 26.5 points per game a year ago.

It’s going to be a difficult 2022 finale for Brent Venables and company. But if they can limit the damage in the quarterback run game, they’ll have a shot to close the first season of the Brent Venables era with a winning record and on a high note.

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Report: Sooners to face Florida State in Cheez-it Bowl

The Oklahoma Sooners will be headed to Orlando to play the Florida State Seminoles in the Cheez-it Bowl.

The Oklahoma Sooners have their bowl game and their opponent. The crimson and cream will be headed to Florida to play in the Cheez-it Bowl against the Florida State Seminoles. We’ve got a 2000 national championship rematch according to Brett McMurphy of The Action Network.

The Cheez-it Bowl will be played on Dec. 29 at 4:30 CST on ESPN. All things considered, this is a solid bowl to play in for a team that finished 6-6.

 

There’s a bit of pride on the line for OU in this game. The Sooners haven’t finished with a losing record since 1998, with John Blake at head coach.

Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell gets FSU to a bowl for the first time in year three of his tenure. Norvell was rumored to be on the hot seat prior to the season, but it seems that he finally has his program turned around.

In last season’s Cheez-it Bowl, Clemson defeated Iowa State 20-13.

Winning in Orlando would be a nice way to end an incredibly frustrating 2022 campaign for Brent Venables and the Sooners. 7-6 would look a lot better than 6-7. And playing in one of the recruiting hot beds of college football provides a nice perk.

The loss against Texas Tech was incredibly frustrating, but this season could very well end on a positive note.

Now the question that lingers, which Sooners will stain the Cheez-It themed hotel rooms?

 

Season ticket holders will have the opportunity to purchase bowl game tickets from their allotment starting at 10 a.m. CT on Monday. Remaining tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. CT on Tuesday.

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Why every player and fan should want to be in the Cheez-It Bowl

Some players and fans will get to be the big cheese at the Cheez-It Bowl

Now the Cheez-It Bowl isn’t one of the majors.

However, there is a major perk for four players on the teams that wind up in the bowl game to be played on December 29 in Orlando. There is also the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, which seems like some sort of name or culinary mismatch.

Check out the digs a pair of players from each team will have the opportunity to stay in while prepping for the game.

Ummm, tasty.

The details:

This year, the brand is creating exclusive Cheez-It “Feelin’ the Cheeziest” Hotel Rooms: four hotel rooms at the official team hotels that look and feel straight out of a Cheez-It box.

Cheez-It aims to ink its first-ever name, image and likeness (NIL) deals with four of the most absurdly cheezy Cheez-It Bowl and Cheez-It Citrus Bowl players having the chance to check-in to hotel rooms the night before their respective showdowns to wake up “Feelin’ the Cheeziest” – next-level excitement and waking up amped up for an epic game day. The selected ACC and Big 12 (Cheez-It Bowl) and SEC and Big Ten (Cheez-It Citrus Bowl) conference athletes will spend the night in decked-out hotel rooms with Cheez-It box bedside table lamps, Cheez-It orange and yellow mood lighting and unbe-cheez-able plush pillows for the cheeziest sleep of their dreams.

There also is an opportunity for some fans to have a great time.

These absurdly cheezy hotel room replicas, positioned in the end zone at Camping World Stadium, deliver everything fans need to take their cheering to champion levels with Cheez-It sofas, blankets, pillows and – that’s right – a luxurious Cheez-It bed. Fans who attend the official Cheez-It Bowl pep rallies on Dec. 28 at Pointe Orlando will have a chance to win. For official rules, click here (no purchase necessary).

Who does Herbstreit think will have ACC’s best defense?

ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit was recently a guest on the Gramlich and Mac Lain podcast with Kelly Gramlich and Eric Mac Lain. Asked which team he thinks will ultimately have the best defense in the ACC this season, Herbstreit said …

ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit was recently a guest on the Gramlich and Mac Lain podcast with Kelly Gramlich and Eric Mac Lain.

Asked which team he thinks will ultimately have the best defense in the ACC this season, Herbstreit said he believes it will be Clemson despite the fact that its former longtime defensive coordinator, Brent Venables, is now at Oklahoma as the Sooners’ head coach.

Herbstreit pointed to the Tigers’ defensive line — which is loaded with talent and features stars such as defensive ends Xavier Thomas, K.J. Henry and Myles Murphy, and defensive tackles Bryan Bresee and Tyler Davis, to name some — as a big reason why he thinks Clemson will boast the ACC’s best defensive unit.

“It’s going to be weird to see Clemson this year without Coach V on the sidelines going crazy, being held back,” Herbstreit said. “I just think their defensive line is going to be arguably the best in the country, and I really like to start there when it comes to trying to forecast who’s going to have a great defense.”

Herbstreit also mentioned the performance of Clemson’s defense in the 2021 Cheez-It Bowl vs. Iowa State, when the Tigers held the Cyclones to 270 total yards, 14 total first downs and two field goals over the first three quarters of an eventual 20-13 victory.

“I saw enough in their bowl game, the Cheez-It Bowl against Iowa State, because Coach V by then was gone, to say you know what, they’re still going to be sophisticated, they’re still going to be active, they’re still going to be moving, tough defense to figure out,” Herbstreit said.

“So, I think NC State with Coach (Dave) Doeren, they always play physical and kind of an attitude about them, and I think that division has a chance to be really exciting this year. But I’ll go towards Clemson. I think they’re going to have the top defense, even though they’ve got a lot of new faces, especially at linebacker and in the back end.”

At linebacker, Clemson is tasked with replacing James Skalski and Baylon Spector, while the Tigers are also trying to replace a pair of all-ACC corners in Andrew Booth and Mario Goodrich, as well as Nolan Turner at safety.

Last season, the Tigers’ defense ranked first in the ACC and second nationally behind only national champion Georgia in scoring defense (14.8 points per game allowed). Clemson also ranked first in the ACC and eighth in the country in total defense last season, allowing only 305.5 total yards per game.

 

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ESPN analysts weigh in on Swinney, Clemson after Cheez-It Bowl win

A couple of ESPN analysts weighed in on Dabo Swinney and his Clemson football program following the 19th-ranked Tigers’ 20-13 victory over Iowa State (7-6) in the Cheez-It Bowl on Wednesday night. With the win, Clemson (10-3) has now recorded at …

A couple of ESPN analysts weighed in on Dabo Swinney and his Clemson football program following the 19th-ranked Tigers’ 20-13 victory over Iowa State (7-6) in the Cheez-It Bowl on Wednesday night.

With the win, Clemson (10-3) has now recorded at least 10 wins for a school-record 11th consecutive season. Clemson became only the third program in history ever to post 11 consecutive 10-win seasons, joining Florida State (14 from 1987-2000) and Alabama (14 from 2008-21).

“If you’re Dabo and you’re Clemson, your program has become a model of consistency,” ESPN analyst Booger McFarland said. “You talk about the 10 wins 11 years in a row. So now, when you go on the road recruiting, you can sell that along with the family environment, education. Dabo has built a monumental program there in Clemson.”

Swinney earned his 150th career win in his 14th season (including an interim stint in 2008) to move past Barry Switzer (149) for sole possession of the third-most wins through the first 15 seasons of a coaching career in FBS history. Swinney also joined Urban Meyer (165) and Bob Stoops (160) as the only coaches in FBS history to win 150 games in the first 15 seasons of a head coaching career.

The Tigers won 10 games in a season in which they started 2-2 or worse for the second time in school history, joining the 2014 Tigers that rebounded from a 2-2 start through four games (and a 1-2 start through three games) to finish 10-3 with a bowl win in Orlando.

Beyond the 2021 and 2014 teams, the only other Clemson team to reach even nine wins after starting .500 or worse through four games was its 2009 team, which started 2-2 and finished 9-5.

“We’re in an era where if you lose a couple games, if you’re Clemson, and don’t make it to the playoff, you don’t win the ACC Championship Game, this season feels like a loss,” ESPN analyst Joey Galloway said. “But it isn’t when you can see (Swinney’s) attitude at the end of the game. He’s proud of this football team.”

–Clemson Athletic Communications contributed to this story

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Watch: Dabo and son share a cool moment

In fitting family-style, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney had a bit of fun Wednesday night during his son’s postgame interview with Todd Summers of WSPA-TV. While Will Swinney was being interviewed after the No. 19 Tigers’ 20-13 win over Iowa State …

In fitting family-style, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney had a bit of fun Wednesday night during his son’s postgame interview with Todd Summers of WSPA-TV.

While Will Swinney was being interviewed after the No. 19 Tigers’ 20-13 win over Iowa State in the Cheez-It Bowl, Dabo decided to stop by and watch. He then proceeded to have a few questions of his own…

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