Tag: Craig Williams

Report Card: Front seven failures, turnovers doom Oklahoma vs. Baylor

Oklahoma was inconsistent in their performance against the Baylor Bears. How did we grade each position group? From @thatmanbryant

Saturday’s effort for the Oklahoma Sooners followed an almost identical script to the game they played against the Kansas State Wildcats. An inability to stop the run, untimely errors on offense, and a chance late to flip the script. However, a crucial fourth-quarter fourth-down stop was too much to ask for. That same scenario played out in the Sooners 38-35 loss to Baylor.

Things weren’t all bad as a collective, but it wasn’t good enough, and that has become an all too familiar feeling after Oklahoma Sooners games this season.

How did Oklahoma perform in this week’s positional report card?

5 takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners 38-35 loss to Baylor

5 takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners 38-35 loss to the Baylor Bears. From @thatmanbryant

Oklahoma suffered their fourth loss on Saturday as they fell 38-35 to Baylor at home. It was a tough loss to swallow. It mirrored the loss to Kansas State simply because Oklahoma couldn’t stop the run despite knowing it was coming at crucial points of the game.

“We couldn’t get out of our own way at the right times,” said head coach Brent Venables in the immediate press availability following the game. He hit the nail on the head as three turnovers, penalties, and missed assignments on a few crucial plays doomed the Oklahoma Sooners.

Craig Williams, not Richard Reese, gashed the Sooners for 192 yards on 25 carries. He scored twice as well.

Offensively, the Sooners were paced by Eric Gray’s 106 yards on the ground and 120 receiving yards from Marvin Mims, who bounced back after arguably his worst performance as a Sooner in the previous game.

While the dust begins to settle and the sting of the loss settles in, what can we walk away with from this game? We present our five takeaways from the game below.

[lawrence-related id=74908]

Best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners 38-35 loss to Baylor Bears

A look back at some of the best photos from the Sooners’ 38-35 loss to the Baylor Bears.

It was a frustrating performance for the Oklahoma Sooners in their 38-35 loss to the Baylor Bears. They struggled to stop the run, allowing 281 yards one week after allowing just 66 to Iowa State.

Craig Williams and the Bears’ offensive line played a great game, and the Sooners’ defensive front struggled to slow it down late in the game when they needed a stop.

On a positive note, Eric Gray played really well, running tough for the Sooners and racking up 164 total yards and two touchdowns on 31 touches. Dillon Gabriel’s three interceptions kept the Sooners from gaining any real momentum in the first half despite the 21 points and just a three-point deficit. Though they weren’t entirely his fault, the 10 points created off of the interceptions certainly had a huge impact on the outcome of the game.

The Sooners are now 5-4 and 2-4 in Big 12 as they prepare for their road trip to Morgantown to face West Virginia next Saturday.

As we do after each game, win or lose, here are the best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners loss to Baylor.

Oklahoma Sooners mauled by Baylor Bears rushing attack in 38-35 loss

Oklahoma Sooners struggled to slow down the Baylor Bears rushing attack and fall 38-35. From @john9williams

The Oklahoma Sooners’ defense allowed Baylor to run for 281 yards rushing, including 114 yards rushing in the fourth quarter, and the Bears took advantage of three Dillon Gabriel interceptions to beat the Sooners 38-35.

Oklahoma drops to 5-4 on the season, and Baylor improved to 6-3 and 4-2 in the Big 12 to stay in the conference title race.

After a strong start offensively, it was a frustrating end as the Sooners had no answers for Baylor’s run game on the final two drives of the game. Early in the fourth quarter, Oklahoma punted from midfield and looked to have the Bears downed at the 2-yard line, but an official overruled the initial call and ruled it a touchback. Baylor proceeded to go on an 11-play, 80-yard drive to make it 38-28 with 9:15 remaining in the game.

The Sooners responded with a touchdown of their own but left just 4:05 on the clock. The Bears running game would go to work again, pounding the Sooners’ defensive front, and on a third and three, Craig “Squirrel” Williams picked up 43 yards to the Sooners’ seven-yard line before sliding so that Baylor could kneel on the ball and run out the clock.

Williams ran for 192 yards rushing and averaged 7.7 yards per carry in his return from injury.

Oklahoma opened the game with a 10-play 75-yard touchdown drive where Dillon Gabriel was efficient in the passing game and used his legs to pick up big yardage on the ground. After Baylor responded with 14 unanswered points, Gabriel hit Marvin Mims for a 63-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 14.

The Sooners had a chance to take the lead at the end of the half, but an illegal hands-to-the-face penalty forced Zach Schmit to kick a 55-yard field goal, which he missed.

Mental miscues and turnovers sunk Oklahoma in a game where they had chances to take the lead despite the performance of the defense.

Gabriel finished the day 22 of 34 for 261 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions. The first two interceptions led to 10 points, three of which came on a pick that could have been called back due to defensive pass interference.

Ultimately, Oklahoma’s defense struggled down the stretch as the Bears leaned on their offensive line and running game to close out the contest.

Dillon Gabriel also ran for 70 yards on nine carries and Marvin Mims had four receptions for 120 yards.

But Eric Gray was the story of the day for the Sooners offense. He ran tough and was decisive, picking up 106 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries and added eight receptions for 58 yards to give the Sooners a strong and steady performance. The Baylor Bears had only allowed 113 rushing yards per game on the day.

With the loss, Oklahoma falls to 5-4 on the season and 2-4 in Big 12 play ahead of a big road trip to Morgantown to take on the West Virginia Mountaineers. The Mountaineers put up over 200 yards rushing on the Bears just a few weeks ago, so this will be another tough test for the Sooners.

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.

Top returning offensive players for each Big 12 school

Looking at the top returning offensive player for each school.

The Big 12 conference is returning to the football field as spring football kicks off. Continue reading “Top returning offensive players for each Big 12 school”