Tag: Da’Jon Terry

‘Their focus is a little different’: Brent Venables on the importance of returning seniors

The Sooners have received a lot of good news on the defensive side of the ball with four key players returning for their senior seasons.

No matter where he’s been, [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] has been able to get players to return for their senior seasons. He did that once again this offseason as four key players on the defensive side of the ball announced they would be returning for one last ride.

[autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag], [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag], [autotag]Da’Jon Terry[/autotag] and [autotag]Jacob Lacey[/autotag] all played key parts in the improvement of the defense and will all play a huge role in how the first year in the [autotag]SEC[/autotag] goes.

Venables spoke about how important it is for players to return for their senior years.

“My experience has been, the older you are, the more you’ve played, the better you play,” Venables said. “Guys that are playing that fourth or that fifth or that sixth year, they just play more consistently. Their focus is a little different. They don’t get as distracted. These are guys that are coming back. They are focused on a mission, the mission of this program, certainly on the team and then themselves. So, it’s a very committed group of guys.”

It’s also important to have those guys there to be able to help the young guys continue to progress. It’s now year three in this system for them, so it helps the coaches out when the players can help teach the scheme. Which in turn should lead to fewer mental mistakes.

The Sooners will rely on underclassmen to step into big roles on both sides of the football. Having that experience on the defensive side will make the transition even smoother.

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Sooners DL gets huge boost for 2024 with the return of Da’Jon Terry

The Oklahoma Sooners got some more new good news as their anchor in the middle will return in 2024.

While it seems like this has been a crazy week for the Oklahoma Sooners, they did receive some more good news on Thursday. The Sooners have been waiting to see how many of their key players from the 2023 season would return and how many would leave.

They are still waiting on a few guys to make that decision, but one very big piece, no pun intended, made his announcement Thursday. [autotag]Da’Jon Terry[/autotag] announced on social media that he would be returning to the Sooners in 2024.

The 6-foot-3, 321-pound defensive tackle was arguably the Sooners best defensive lineman in 2023. He was the man who clogged up the middle of the defense on key goal-line stands, including the one in the [autotag]Red River Rivalry[/autotag].

 

His numbers aren’t eye-popping. He finished with 17 tackles, three tackles for loss and one sack. But unless you are a superstar like Aaron Donald, for example, your numbers at that position usually aren’t off the charts. That position is key for clogging up the middle and holding blocks so the linebackers can fly around and make plays.

That’s what he did all season, and you need that big of a body when you head to the [autotag]SEC[/autotag]. Oklahoma is going to need more of those kinds of players before next season. Something they are trying to do in the portal.

But with the losses of [autotag]Isaiah Coe[/autotag] and [autotag]Jordan Kelley[/autotag], the Sooners needed Terry to come back. If so, they could only lose two key players at defensive tackle going into 2024.

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5 positions the Oklahoma Sooners should target via the transfer portal

With the transfer portal set to open up next week, what position groups could the Sooners target for some help?

With just one game left to put a bow on the 2023 season, Oklahoma’s vision has widened a bit to prepare for 2024. 2024 is a significant year in the history of Oklahoma football as the Sooners will be moving to the SEC along with the Texas Longhorns.

Oklahoma’s 2023 season is a success after a dismal 2022 campaign where they won just six games. The Sooners have already won 10 games and have shown a lot of growth on and off the field.

Looking at the roster heading into the new calendar year, it’s easy to see that while Oklahoma got better, they will have some holes they must address immediately.

And that’s where the transfer portal comes in.

Oklahoma could lose significant pieces on the offensive and defensive lines and at quarterback. They could also add talent to the secondary and the linebacker unit.

This year, they benefitted from the transfer portal by landing Walter Rouse from Stanford, a rock-solid left tackle who routinely posted some of the best pass-blocking grades on the team, per Pro Football Focus. Da’Jon Terry was a foundational piece of a defense that took a step forward.

Other names like Andrel Anthony, Dasan McCullough, and Reggie Pearson made immediate impacts in their first year with the Sooners.

The transfer portal doesn’t officially open until Dec. 4, but players nationwide have begun announcing their plans to enter the portal.

Here’s a look at five positions the Sooners could target in the transfer portal.

Report Card: Offensive fireworks help gloss over Sooners’ defensive woes

Offense dominates the day and passes final Big 12 test en route to a 69-45 win over TCU. We graded the team’s performance in this week’s report card.

Oklahoma has rebounded from the nightmarish season from 2022. They’ll spend the rest of Thanksgiving weekend at 10-2, a sharp contrast from the 6-6 record they amassed before their bowl game last year.

Friday saw the Sooners end their final regular season as Big 12 members in true Big 12 fashion with an old-fashioned shootout. The two teams combined for over 1,000 yards of total offense and 114 points in a 69-45 Oklahoma win.

Senior Day festivities preceded the game, with more than 20 Sooners recognized. Oklahoma’s win also solidified their 59th undefeated home record as well.

As Oklahoma waits to see how the rest of the Big 12 race plays out, we’re here to grade their performance in the win over TCU. Here’s the final report card for the regular season.

Oklahoma Sooners name captains for Week 12 against the BYU Cougars

The Oklahoma Sooners have announced who the captains will be for this week’s game against the BYU Cougars.

The Oklahoma Sooners head to Provo, UT for the first time in program history to take on the [autotag]BYU Cougars[/autotag]. The Sooners and Cougars have met only two times before.

The first meeting came in the 1994 Copper Bowl, which saw a 31-6 Cougars win in a decade that was one of the worst in program history. The other matchup occurred at the start of the 2009 season in Arlington, TX. It’s a game many Sooner fans remember. That 2009 team had a ton of national hype before the season, but Heisman winner [autotag]Sam Bradford[/autotag] got injured in that game and essentially missed the rest of the season. The Cougars won 14-13.

Now the Sooners head to Utah for their one and only meeting as conference foes. In the build up to the game, the Sooners have announced their captains as Oklahoma attempts to get on the board in the all-time series.

This week’s captains will be [autotag]Kendel Dolby[/autotag], [autotag]Cayden Green[/autotag], [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag], [autotag]Jacob Sexton[/autotag], [autotag]Da’Jon Terry[/autotag] and [autotag]R Mason Thomas[/autotag].

It’s a young group with three freshmen and a sophomore. You also get a true freshman in that group.

Green has become a mainstay at guard since coming into the game in the Sooners Red River win in the Cotton Bowl.

Terry has been a force for the Sooners defensive line, eating up blocks to allow the linebackers to fly around. He’s been a key player in the Sooners’ goal-line stand success this season.

Thomas is someone who came in to the season with a lot of hype but has battled injuries for much of the season. He seems to finally be healthy getting his footing. [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] mentioned Thomas was their best EDGE defender in the offseason before getting injured.

Sexton has played as a role player on the offensive line since coming back from injury. But last week, with the injury to [autotag]Tyler Guyton[/autotag], Sexton got the start and played really well. Guyton’s status is one of the key injuries to watch this week, but Sexton could be in line for another start.

Sawchuk has really found a rhythm the last few weeks and has given Oklahoma stability at the running back position. He’s rushed for more than 100 yards in back-to-back games.

Dolby has been one of the mainstays on the defensive side of the ball. He’s taken over Justin Harrington’s role as the defensive back version of the cheetah and become an impact player as one of the Sooners’ best cover guys.

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Takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners impressive win over West Virginia

The Oklahoma Sooners played one of their better games of the season in their win over West Virginia and here are our takeaways from the game.

In Saturday’s 59-20 win over West Virginia, the Sooners were able to exorcise their demons from the last two weeks.

The offense was explosive through the air and on the ground. They attacked down the field as opposed to working at or behind the line of scrimmage.

Defensively, they looked like a better tackling team this week than either of the previous two weeks.

There are always going to be things to clean up from a game, but when you win 59-20, a lot of things went really right for the Oklahoma Sooners.

Here are this week’s takeaways from the game.

20 highest-graded Oklahoma Sooners through Week 10 per Pro Football Focus

The 20 highest-graded Oklahoma Sooners through week 10 per Pro Football Focus.

Though the Oklahoma Sooners are on a two-game losing streak, they’ve already surpassed their win total from a year ago with three games to go and a bowl game.

They still have a shot at a Big 12 title game berth. And after 6-7, that’s all we can really ask for.

The offense has shown improvement on third down and in the red zone. Dillon Gabriel is having a career year. The defense has shown significant improvement this season. A year ago, they allowed 30 or more points seven times. This year that’s only happened once against Kansas. Texas scored 30, but seven of those can be attributed to special teams on the blocked punt.

Yes, they lost winnable games the last two weeks, playing uncharacteristically sloppy football. Otherwise, they’ve been a really good team this year.

As they get ready to close the season, here are the top 20 highest-graded players according to Pro Football Focus through week 10.

Minimum 25% snap count

Offense: 177.75

Defense: 167.75

‘I’ve came a long way’: Da’Jon Terry reminisces on his time with the Kansas Jayhawks

Sooners defensive tackle Da’Jon Terry returns this weekend to the place where his college football journey started.

[autotag]Da’Jon Terry[/autotag] was a late bloomer to the recruiting scene. In fact, he didn’t play football until his senior year of high school. That season, he received six offers.

Those offers were from Jackson State Tigers, Colorado Buffaloes, Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils, South Alabama Jaguars, North Alabama Lions, and the [autotag]Kansas Jayhawks[/autotag]. Ultimately, Terry decided to commit to the Jayhawks. He spent two seasons in Lawrence, racking up 16 tackles, two tackles for loss, and two sacks before transferring to Tennessee.

He’s now made his home in Norman, Okla., playing for the Sooners. But on Saturday, he’ll return to the place where his football journey began.

He shared with reporters about his time as a Jayhawk.

“I feel like I’ve came a long way,” Terry said. “With my fundamentals and just knowledge of the game because when I went to Kansas, I had only played one year of high school football. So, I really didn’t know that much about football. Through my years, I’ve learned a lot.”

When he committed to the Sooners out of the transfer portal, he provided Todd Bates something he didn’t have at the time, a defensive tackle over 300 pounds. And that size has made a big difference in the middle of the Sooners defense. Though he may not always be the one making the play, you can see his impact on Oklahoma’s efforts in short-yardage situations. On the goal line against Texas, Terry was lined up over the center and giving the Longhorns center everything he could handle. Terry has learned a lot and has become one of the better defensive linemen for the Sooners.

On first down, Terry worked the A-gap to the right of the center before crossing the Texas player’s face to take away the left A-gap, which is where running back Jonathan Brooks was headed. Then on second down, as Texas tried to work off tackle to the right, Terry beat his block and took away any cutback lane to the middle that Brooks might have considered after Dasan McCullough set the edge. On that play, you could see him pulling on a Longhorns blocker that was attempting to push Brooks into the end zone.

He has 11 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and one sack on the season. But he’s a guy who eats up blocks, allowing the linebackers to flow to the ball to make the play.

A year ago, the Oklahoma Sooners couldn’t hold up against interior offensive lines in the running game. In 2023, Da’Jon Terry has been a big part of the Sooners defensive transformation.

As they get set to take on a Kansas Jayhawks team that features one of the best rushing attacks in the nation, Terry will have to bring his A-game for the Sooners to keep their undefeated season alive.

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Sooners linebacker Jaren Kanak ready for Kansas homecoming

Making the most of his first season as a starter at Oklahoma, Jaren Kanak ready for opportunity to play in his home state.

It’s been well-documented about the several homecomings this weekend for the Oklahoma Sooners as they travel to face the [autotag]Kansas Jayhawks[/autotag]. [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] is the most notable one of the group returning to his home state.

[autotag]Da’Jon Terry[/autotag] started his career playing for the Jayhawks but someone else returning home is linebacker [autotag]Jaren Kanak[/autotag]. Kanak played his high school ball in Hays, Kansas.

He’s been really solid in his first year starting for Oklahoma. He’s second on the team with 40 tackles. He also has 4.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks.

Kanak didn’t play linebacker in high school. and he continues to get better by the week.

He spoke with reporters about his return home this weekend. “I’m definitely excited to be back in the home state and get a lot of my family and close friends to be able to come to a game and see me play at this level in person,” Kanak said.

Kanak admitted he doesn’t remember the exact number, but he expects around 20 to 30 of his family and friends to be in attendance. With the Sooners not playing the [autotag]Kansas State Wildcats[/autotag] this season and the Sooners headed to the [autotag]SEC[/autotag], this will possibly be Kanak’s only trip to his home state in his collegiate career.

Here’s betting he makes the most of his opportunity to play in front of his home crowd.

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Oklahoma Sooners name captains for week 8 contest with UCF Knights

The Oklahoma Sooners captains for the Week 8 game vs. the UCF Knights has been set.

It’s finally almost “football time in Oklahoma” once again after their bye week. The Oklahoma Sooners take on their new [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] foe the [autotag]UCF Knights[/autotag] on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. CT.

On Monday night, the Sooners announced via social media the captains for this week’s contest. The captains are [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag], [autotag]Da’Jon Terry[/autotag], [autotag]Reggie Pearson[/autotag], [autotag]Shane Whitter[/autotag] and [autotag]Caleb Shaffer[/autotag]. Gabriel is fresh off a huge game in the Cotton Bowl and is also playing his former team, perhaps some gamesmanship from Brent Venables.

Pearson is a guy who started early in the year before getting injured. Since returning Pearson, has maintained a steady role in the safety rotation.

Terry is fresh off his best game of the season, where he was virtually unblockable and unmovable.

Shaffer being a captain is interesting because it might point to him winning the starting right guard job while [autotag]McKade Mettauer[/autotag] is out. He came in and played well, especially given the circumstances.

Whitter is someone who is mainly a special teams player for the Sooners. He’s someone people have always thought would be a transfer candidate. He’s committed to the program, to Venables and the standard he’s laid out since arriving in Norman. That’s a guy you want as a leader because it would have been easy to just up and leave.

All in all, it’s a good group of captains, and it’s good to have football back at the palace.

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