Tag: college football week 7

Best Pro Football Focus Grades from Oklahoma’s win over TCU

Who earned the highest grades from Pro Football Focus in the Oklahoma Sooners 52-31 win over the TCU Horned Frogs?

On Saturday night, the Oklahoma Sooners were in a dog fight in the first half of their matchup against the TCU Horned Frogs. Though the game ended as a 21-point blowout win for the Oklahoma Sooners, it was a three-point game when the Sooners took over with 1:25 left in the second quarter.

Caleb Williams and the offense went 76 yards on five plays, culminating in an 11-yard touchdown strike to Jadon Haselwood on a beautiful back-shoulder throw, to make it 24-14. From that point, the Sooners never looked back.

They forced the Horned Frogs to punt on the opening possession of the second half, and another Williams to Haselwood touchdown essentially put the game out of reach, 31-14.

Though TCU battled to get back in the game, the Oklahoma Sooners had an answer at every corner and never let the game get closer than 14 points the rest of the way.

As we do each week, let’s look back at how Pro Football Focus graded the Sooners in their 52-31 win over the TCU Horned Frogs.

Sooners QB Caleb Williams named to Pro Football Focus’ Team of the Week

After an incredible performance against the TCU Horned Frogs, Caleb Williams was selected as Pro Football Focus’ Player of the Week.

Caleb Williams took the college football world by storm two weeks ago when he helped orchestrate an incredible second-half comeback against the Texas Longhorns.

Williams doubled down on that performance in his first career start for the Sooners going 18 of 23 for 295 yards and four touchdowns through the air as well as 66 yards and a touchdown on the ground. The true freshman was recognized with the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week award for that performance.

Each week over at Pro Football Focus, they select their team of the week and players of the week, both from the Power Five and the Group of Five. And this week’s player of the week award goes to Caleb Williams.

Williams just had one of the best starting debuts PFF College has ever seen. He earned an elite PFF grade for the game and guided Lincoln Riley‘s offense to 0.41 expected points added (EPA) per play against TCU, the Sooners’ highest single-game mark against an FBS opponent since Week 6 of the 2019 season when they thrashed Kansas 45-20.

The true freshman quarterback didn’t record a single-quarterback fault incompletion and went an astounding 10-of-14 for 202 yards and four touchdowns on passes thrown 10 or more yards downfield. He also broke five tackles and busted off two 20-yard runs on six designed quarterback runs. – Treash

More than the stats, it was the way Williams and the offense looked with him behind center. He was in control and decisive with the football in his hands. His ability to run put so much stress on the TCU defense that it left receivers in one-on-one coverage and gave more time for the offensive line to get to their blocking assignments in the running game.

If the first six quarters of the Caleb Williams experience is any indication, then the true freshman quarterback will be in store for many more accolades as he and the Sooners continue their pursuit of a seventh-straight Big 12 championship and a berth in the College Football Playoff.

Caleb Williams has more to prove to thrust himself into the national award conversations. Still, if the production and the results from the last two weeks continue, it won’t be long until his name is mentioned among college football’s best.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.

[listicle id=42793]

Oklahoma Sooners’ Caleb Williams named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week

For his work against the TCU Horned Frogs, Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Caleb Williams was named Big 12 offensive player of the week.

It was a captivating performance from true freshman quarterback Caleb Williams against the TCU Horned Frogs. In the first start of his Oklahoma Sooners career, Williams led the Sooners to a 52-31 win over the Horned Frogs to help the Sooners improve their record to 7-0.

For his efforts, Williams was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week a week after being named the Big 12’s Newcomer of the week for his performance against the Texas Longhorns.

In the win, Caleb Williams was electric going 18 of 23 for 295 yards and four touchdowns. He also added 66 yards rushing and a touchdown. Per SoonerSports.com, Williams’ yardage and touchdown totals were records for a true freshman quarterback helping the Oklahoma Sooners to a season-high 9.1 yards per play on offense.

Williams challenged the TCU secondary all night, connecting on 3 of 6 passes plays greater than 20 yards down the field. Oklahoma receivers drew pass interference calls on three of his downfield attempts.

Per SoonerSports.com, Williams is the fourth Oklahoma Sooners true freshman to win a Big 12 Offensive or Defensive Player of the Week award. The others were Adrian Peterson, who won it three times in 2004, Samaje Perine, who also won it three times in 2014, and Marvin Mims in 2020.

Caleb Williams and the Oklahoma Sooners go on the road to face the Kansas Jayhawks this Saturday in Lawernce, Kansas.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.

[vertical-gallery id=42740]

Horns Down in Big 12 Power Rankings after week 7 action

How do the Big 12 teams stack up in this week’s power rankings after the week 7 action?

The top of the Big 12 conference is going to be fascinating to watch the rest of the season. As it stands there are four teams in contention for a spot in the Big 12 championship game.

Those four teams, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Baylor, and Iowa State, have one or fewer losses in Big 12 play thus far.

The season is just halfway over and there’s a lot still to figure out, but those four teams appear to be at the head of the pack. However, like last year when Oklahoma stormed back from two early-season Big 12 losses, there are only a couple of teams that could legitimately be counted out with a handful of games remaining.

Oklahoma’s in great shape to stay undefeated through Big 12 play, but games with Baylor, Iowa State, and Oklahoma State loom large at the end of their schedule. Even if Oklahoma were to navigate their tough end of the season schedule unscathed, they’ll likely be faced with having to play one of those other three teams for the second time in the Big 12 championship game.

With five games left on the Oklahoma Sooners’ schedule, let’s see how the teams stack up in this week’s Big 12 Power Rankings.

National Observer: ‘Oklahoma Looks Completely Different’ with Caleb Williams at Quarterback

With more than six quarters of play from quarterback Caleb Williams, the Oklahoma Sooners look like a completely different football team.

[mm-video type=video id=01fj7nqpt36yqs64yfrh playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fj7nqpt36yqs64yfrh/01fj7nqpt36yqs64yfrh-973db9747f736df95f53637f573ab808.jpg]

After nearly seven quarters of standout play from true freshman quarterback Caleb Williams, it’s safe to say his performance against the Texas Longhorns was no fluke.

Caleb Williams is the real deal.

Yes, the defenses he’s faced in his first extended action at the collegiate level aren’t the cream of the college football crop. However, he’s pretty much had his way with the Texas Longhorns and the TCU Horned Frogs the last two weeks. He looks far from a true freshman quarterback.

In his weekly observations, USA TODAY Sports College Football Analyst Erick Smith noted that the Sooners “look completely different” with Caleb Williams at quarterback.

After replacing Spencer Rattler last week, the true freshman got his first start at quarterback Saturday and was phenomenal in a 52-31 win against TCU. The stats might not even do the performance justice, which is saying something since Williams was 18-of-23 for 295 yards and four touchdowns. He also added 66 yards rushing on nine carries with one score. His presence also helped open up running lanes for Kennedy Brooks, who had 153 yards on the ground, giving him 370 in the past two games. For those counting, the offense has produced 87 points in its last six quarters since Williams took over. – Smith

As he mentions, the Oklahoma Sooners offense has scored a ton of points over the last game and a half. As important as the point totals are, the point differential is just as incredible.

Including the part of the second quarter where Caleb Williams replaced Spencer Rattler as the quarterback vs. the Longhorns, the Sooners have outscored their opponent 90 to 44.

Williams ability to run has forced defensive coordinators to commit more resources to that reality. That’s provided more opportunities for the Oklahoma wide receivers to see far more one-on-one coverage than they saw when teams played two-high safety looks vs. Spencer Rattler.

That same ability to run has opened up Oklahoma’s running game as well. Williams’s work in the backfield at the hand of forces opposing defenses to hesitate, allowing more time for the offensive line to get to their blocks in the running game.

But he isn’t simply a runner. Williams can sling it too. He was consistently challenging the TCU Horned Frogs deep on Saturday night. And though they didn’t find as much success throwing down the field, Williams willingness to let it fly led to several defensive pass interference calls drawn by the Sooners wide receivers.

Williams looked comfortable standing in the pocket and maneuvering when there was pressure, showing an awareness and comfort level to stand in and make the throws the Sooners need him to make.

Though it’s come a year earlier than people expected, the Caleb Williams era has arrived, and the Oklahoma Sooners look like a much more explosive team because of it.

[listicle id=42737]

Oklahoma Sooners up to No. 3 in latest AP Top 25 Poll after win over TCU

The Oklahoma Sooners climbed one spot in the latest AP Top 25 Poll after their 52-31 win over the TCU Horned Frogs.

For the first time in the 2021 season, the Oklahoma Sooners found a way to win by multiple scores and racked up some style points in their win over the TCU Horned Frogs on Saturday night.

For their efforts, the Oklahoma Sooners moved up to No. 2 in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll and are now the No. 3 team in the country in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll.

Oklahoma remains behind the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs who knocked off the Kentucky Wildcats. The Cincinnati Bearcats move up to No. 2 in the country after a dominating performance against UCF.

The rest of the top five consists of the Alabama Crimson Tide at No. 4 and the Ohio State Buckeyes at No. 5.

The Big 10 is heavily represented in the top 10 with four teams, while the SEC and the Big 12 each have two. Oklahoma State comes in at No. 8 after their win over the Texas Longhorns.

Though there’s a lot of Big 12 football to play, Bedlam has the potential to be a clash of undefeated top 10 teams if Oklahoma and Oklahoma State can continue their winning ways.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.

Oklahoma climbs in the latest USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll

After a big win over the TCU Horned Frogs on Saturday night, the Oklahoma Sooners got a bump in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll.

[mm-video type=video id=01fj7nqpt36yqs64yfrh playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fj7nqpt36yqs64yfrh/01fj7nqpt36yqs64yfrh-973db9747f736df95f53637f573ab808.jpg]

The Oklahoma Sooners are trending in the right direction after a 21 point win on Saturday night. The Sooners climbed to No. 2 in the latest USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll after a huge performance from true freshman quarterback Caleb Williams.

Williams, making his first start threw for 295 yards and four touchdowns and ran for another 66 yards and a score as the Sooners won comfortably over an FBS opponent for the first time in 2021.

Oklahoma’s No. 2 ranking, represents the highest they’ve been in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll this season. After falling to No. 5 just a few weeks ago, wins over the Texas Longhorns and the TCU Horned Frogs have the Sooners back in the coaches’ good graces.

Georgia maintains its stranglehold on the No. 1 spot in the USA TODAY AFCA Coaches Poll. The top five includes No. 3 Cincinnati, No. 4 Alabama, and No. 5 Ohio State.

Oklahoma is joined in the Poll by fellow Big 12 bunkmates, the Oklahoma State Cowboys at No. 9 and the Baylor Bears at No. 20. Oklahoma State overcame a 14 point first-half deficit to knock of the Texas Longhorns in Austin. Baylor picked up a big non-conference win over previously ranked BYU.

A look at the full coaches poll after this week’s slate of games.

Full USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll:

Rank Team Record Points Change
1 Georgia 6-0 1,624 (64) –
2 Oklahoma 7-0 1,508 +1
3 Cincinnati 6-0 1,497 +1
4 Alabama 6-1 1,446 +1
5 Ohio State 5-1 1,305 +1
6 Michigan 6-0 1,299 +1
7 Michigan State 7-0 1,158 +2
8 Penn State 5-1 1,134 –
9 Oklahoma State 6-0 1,093 +3
10 Oregon 5-1 1,048 –
11 Iowa 6-1 1,031 -9
12 Ole Miss 5-1 826 +2
13 Notre Dame 5-1 816 –
14 Kentucky 6-1 763 -3
15 Wake Forest 6-0 696 +1
16 Coastal Carolina 6-0 675 -1
17 Texas A&M 5-2 580 +1
18 NC State 5-1 528 +3
19 SMU 6-0 399 +4
20 Baylor 6-1 369 +7
21 San Diego State 6-0 334 +3
22 Auburn 5-2 315 +4
23 Pittsburgh 5-1 192 +6
24 Clemson 4-2 146 +1
25 UT-San Antonio 7-0 96 +5

Dropped from the rankings:

No. 17 Florida; No. 19 Arkansas; No. 20 Brigham Young; No. 22 Arizona State

Others receiving votes:

Iowa State 38; Utah 35; Arkansas 31; Florida 23; Brigham Young 23; Air Force 20; UL Lafayette 18; Arizona State 18; Purdue 16; Houston 11; Virginia 6; Texas 4; Louisiana State 2; Fresno State 1.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.

How do the Oklahoma Sooners and TCU Horned Frogs stack up statistically?

How do Oklahoma and TCU stack up statistically heading into their showdown on Saturday night?

The Oklahoma Sooners and the TCU Horned Frogs face off Saturday night in Norman. The two squads meet for the 21st time in a series the Sooners have historically dominated. OU leads the all-time series 16-5 and is on a seven-game win streak dating back to 2014.

Both teams have scratched and clawed to secure winning records. While Oklahoma is undefeated on the year, the Sooners have won five of their six games by a touchdown or less.

After dropping the conference opener vs. Texas two weeks ago, TCU grabbed a 52-31 win at Tech to improve to 3-2 on the year.

Quarterback questions abound for each team. For Oklahoma, Lincoln Riley told the media he wouldn’t announce a starting quarterback between Caleb Williams and Spencer Rattler until gameday. For TCU, Gary Patterson played the injury status of starting quarterback Max Duggan close to the vest, refusing to comment on whether Duggan or Matthew Downing will start under center this weekend.

With so much uncertainty surrounding Saturday’s game, we’ve put together a statistical primer of cold hard facts to get you ready for kickoff.

Where does Lincoln Riley rank among college football’s highest-paid coaches?

Where does Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley rank among the highest-paid coaches in college football? A quick look at the names above him and below him:

Oklahoma knows what it takes to keep great coaches in Norman. For starters,  money is at the top of the list. Current Oklahoma Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley is no stranger to the compensation that comes with being Oklahoma’s head coach. In a recent look at college football’s highest-paid coaches from USA TODAY Sports, Riley ranks in the top five.

 

Nick Saban is at the top of the list and with good reason. He’s the best coach of the best program over the last 10 years. The success speaks for itself, and for Alabama, none of their other sports programs bring in the revenue or success that football does, so Saban being compensated as such makes a lot of sense.

Ed Orgeron, coach of the LSU Tigers, ranks second. Orgeron’s Tigers decimated Oklahoma a few years ago in the Peach Bowl on their way to the program’s fourth national title. It’s been a struggle since that point, as LSU finished with five wins last year and have just three in 2021. Rumors continue to swirl about the security of Orgeron’s job despite his large salary.

David Shaw of Stanford and Dabo Swinney of Clemson are the last two coaches above Riley, and both make eight million dollars apiece. Riley slots in at number five with a salary of 7.6 million dollars. He recently signed a six-year deal with Oklahoma in 2020 worth 45.2 million dollars, and his staff also received extensions and raises as well courtesy of the Oklahoma Board of Regents.

Riley will earn up to eight million dollars because of stay bonuses this season unless he decides to bolt for the NFL, which is considered unlikely. The major NFL franchises he was attached to have seemingly stabilized and found their head coaches for the foreseeable future.

With the exception of David Shaw, Riley is the only coach in the top five in salary to not have won a national title. It’s the only trophy in Riley’s cabinet that is missing and the only thing he probably cares about.

Oklahoma is in the midst of an undefeated season and also a midseason quarterback battle. Riley will have to settle that first, but with how the college football landscape looks, this year may be the best window of opportunity for Oklahoma to break through and get Riley’s first national title and Oklahoma’s eighth.

 

 

 

2 Oklahoma Sooners legends named Greatest Players of All-Time from their home state

Two Sooners legends named the greatest player from their home state of all time.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz7cqqgxy50qwt player_id=none image=https://soonerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Sean Merriman and RJ Young of Fox Sports ranked the greatest college football players from all 50 states. It was the state they were from, not necessarily the state they played their collegiate football. Two Oklahoma Sooners legends made appearances on the list, as Sam Bradford of Oklahoma and  Billy Sims of Missouri represent the Crimson and Cream.

The case for Sam Bradford:

Coming out of Putnam City North High in Oklahoma City, Bradford could have played hockey, basketball and golf on scholarship. But he chose football. And he chose football knowing that a five-star prospect in quarterback Rhett Bomar and two other quarterbacks — Keith Nichol and Joey Halzle — were on the depth chart ahead of him when he spurned the likes of Texas A&M and others to commit to OU’s 2006 class. As a redshirt freshman in 2007, Bradford won the starting QB job, vindicating Bob Stoops’ faith in him. In 2008, Bradford took OU to its first (and most recent) appearance in a national title game since the 2004 season and became just the third Heisman Trophy winner from the state (Jason White in 2003, Steve Owens in 1969).

Bradford ranks third in Sooners history in all-time passing yards. From 2007-2009, the Oklahoma City native tossed for 8,403 yards and 88 touchdowns. However, he’s remembered most for his 08′ campaign. As mentioned, Bradford won the Heisman that year and was the last quarterback to bring the Sooners all the way back to a national title game.

Bradford’s 4,720-yard single-season passing record still stands in Norman (although Landry Jones fell just two yards shy of breaking it), and he became the fifth Sooner in program history to win the Heisman. His single-season touchdown record (50)also remains unchallenged in the Oklahoma record books. 

Of course, he’s remembered primarily for his college career. Still, Bradford did carve out an injury-riddled career in the NFL. He accrued more than 130 million dollars between the St. Louis Rams, Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, and Arizona Cardinals before exiting the league as fellow Sooners’ quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray was drafted to the Cardinals. 

Several Sooners could make a case to be considered the greatest player to come out of the state of Oklahoma. In particular, Hall of Famer Lee Roy Selmon, who along with his brothers, formed one of the best defensive fronts in college football in the 1970s.

Turning to the state of Missouri, Billy Sims is the easy selection, though Kellen Moore Sr. would make a strong argument as well.

The case for Billy Sims:

Born and raised in St. Louis, Sims attended the University of Oklahoma, where he started for the Sooners from 1975 to 1979. He was a two-time All-American in his junior and senior year and was the recipient of the 1978 Heisman Trophy. Sims, who rushed for 1,762 yards on 231 carries during his Heisman season, became only the sixth junior in NCAA history to win college football’s most prestigious award. He was the runner-up in his senior year after totaling 1,506 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns. 

Sims may not be from Oklahoma, but he’s certainly a legend there now. As mentioned by Merriman and Young, the running back ran roughshod over college football from 1978-1979, stockpiling 3268 rush yards and 44 touchdowns. 

Sims was the third Sooner to take home the Heisman and is second in Oklahoma history in four statistical categories. Most notably, the running back generated 53 rushing TDs over his five-year college career.

Sims was drafted to the Detroit Lines in 1980, where he spent his entire career and made three pro bowls from 1983-1985. The former NFL Rookie of the Year ran his way into 42 touchdowns and over 5100 rushing yards per Pro Football Reference before a tragic turf accident (behind a paywall) ended his career. 

Billy Sims still runs to this day, just not on the football field. The Sooner turned Lion is now a barbeque titan with over 50 restaurants across seven states. 

[listicle id=41860]