Dasan McCullough – Page 4 – Syndication Server

3 defensive keys to a Sooners win against the SMU Mustangs

Oklahoma’s defense will have a talented offense to stop come Saturday. Take a look at three keys for the defense to be successful vs. SMU.

Saturday evening in Norman should provide the Oklahoma Sooners with a mini benchmark to test their defense’s off-season improvements. Instead of a defunct and rebuilding Arkansas State team, their defense will have to take on an SMU team with playmakers at every skill position and a veteran offensive line.

It won’t be a walk in the park, and Oklahoma’s defense knows this because their head coach knows this. Earlier this week, Brent Venables addressed the media and had this to say.

“The challenge is going to be greater this week for obvious reasons,” Venables said. “You’re looking at a team that’s probably got more depth and certainly got more experience. Arkansas State was a very young team. (SMU) has 15 seniors starting between the offense and the defense. That’s a bunch of seniors.”

SMU’s offense has multiple playmakers capable of giving Oklahoma problems. Still, the Sooners’ team speed and their improvement in overall talent can shine through if they play smart.

There are a handful of things Oklahoma can’t allow to happen if they want to win this game. Here are three defensive keys to a Sooners win Saturday night in Norman.

Up Next: 3 Keys to the Game

Pages: 123

Three Oklahoma Defenders we’ll have our eye on this weekend against SMU

Oklahoma will have its hand full Saturday against a talented SMU Mustangs squad. These three defenders could make all the difference.

Last week against Arkansas State was as stress-free as Okalhoma will feel throughout the season. Things won’t always feel as easy. That time for breezing through a game 73-0 is behind the Sooners. They welcome a much more talented team to Norman in the form of Rhett Lashlee’s SMU Mustangs.

Brent Venables’ defense passed their first hurdle with no slip-ups and nothing to sweat. The pass rush was not overwhelming, but Oklahoma’s chances to get home were limited because the Red Wolves were in seven and eight-man protections and operating using three-step drops.

SMU won’t do that. They have too many playmakers they want on the field and will take their chances with five or six-man protections. They want to have as many options out in routes as possible. It should provide Oklahoma with a window to attack and try and rattle Preston Stone, SMU’s young but talented quarterback.

The Mustangs’ ground game features two quality running backs, Jaylan Knighton and LJ Johnson. Both can hit the home run play, but Knighton is not as big nor as physical of a runner as Johnson.

How will defensive coordinator Ted Roof combat this talented SMU offense? We’ll find out on Saturday. But we believe three players on defense will need big days for Oklahoma to bottle up this talented SMU offense.

Up Next: 3 players to watch on defense

Reggie Pearson Jr., FS

The transfer from Texas Tech, Reggie Pearson Jr., has started over 30 games and offers valuable experience on the back end of the Oklahoma defense.

Arkansas State could not stress Oklahoma vertically but expect that to change with SMU.

SMU receivers Jordan Hudson and Key’Shawn Smith can move. The Mustangs won’t be afraid to try to test Pearson. Seeing how Pearson responds to being put into more stressful situations from a coverage standpoint could dictate how effective SMU’s offense is.

Danny Stutsman, WLB

The leader of Oklahoma’s defense, Danny Stutsman, will always be a defender to watch. However, this choice isn’t solely about his actual play but more about how well he leads and orchestrates things on defense.

Oklahoma finally gets a bit of a challenge to show the improvements they’ve made as a defense.

Stutsman was in the middle of everything last year. If he wants to elevate himself, he’ll have to lead by example. He’ll also need to make sure his teammates play sound football. His fellow linebackers need to fill gaps, get off blocks, and show an understanding of their roles.

SMU has a pair of running backs that could gash the Sooners if Oklahoma isn’t assignment-sound.

Up Next: A player on the prowl

Justin Harrington, Cheetah

Justin Harrington may have the most challenging matchup of anyone come Saturday.

Mustangs’ tight end R.J. Maryland is a matchup nightmare for most teams. Most teams don’t have the players to match up with Maryland’s 6-foot-4, 230-pound frame.

50/50 balls to him are more 80/20 than anything. Oklahoma has not one but two possible solutions for this at cheetah. But with sophomore transfer Dasan McCullough banged up, Harrington figures to get the assignment come Saturday.

How Harrington uses his length and athleticism to match Maryland will be interesting. If he can nullify SMU’s talented tight end, it will go a long way to slowing down a talented SMU offense.

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

Report Card: Sooners breeze through Arkansas State with big-time performances

The Oklahoma Sooners were fantastic in their win over Arkansas State, but how did they grade in this week’s Report Card?

Saturday allowed us to see team 129 in Oklahoma’s illustrious football history for the first time this season. This team entered the day with cautious optimism, but a cloud of last season’s disappointment still hungover over the program. Year two of Brent Venables’s tenure needed to start off with a bang, and his team did just that as they dismantled the Arkansas State Red Wolves 73-0.

The Sooners are on another level regarding raw talent than the Arkansas State Red Wolves. That is abundantly clear, but Oklahoma had to show it could dominate an inferior opponent. They also needed to showcase the improvements in recruiting and among their returning players.

Saturday was a fun, stress-free showcase of domination. Now that the first game is behind us, it’s time to dive deeper and hand out our first grades of the year in this week’s report card.

Oklahoma Sooners shutout the Arkansas State Red Wolves in 73-0 win

Oklahoma Sooners open the season in dominant fashion with a 73-0 win over Arkansas State.

The Oklahoma Sooners kicked off the season versus the Arkansas State Red Wolves in Norman on Saturday.

The Sooners started the first quarter strong as they took the ball first, and after a deep ball from [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] to [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag], Drake Stoops took a short pass for the score.

The defense answered with a three and out.

After the three-and-out, it was special teams that joined the party. Gavin Freeman took the punt return 82 yards to the house to put the Oklahoma Sooners up 14-0 just a few minutes into the game.

The Sooners were dominant in every phase of the game in the first quarter.

The Red Wolves connected on a 28-yard pass on a slant to Corey Rucker that came after a face mask on [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag]. That drive ended in a missed field goal after the Sooners stymied the Red Wolves offense.

[autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag] added to the Sooners’ lead with a two-yard run after a 10-play 80-yard drive. Oklahoma went up 21-0 midway through the first quarter. Closing off the scoring in the first quarter was [autotag]Gavin Freeman[/autotag], who scored his second touchdown of the day on a pass from [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] to make it 28-0.

The only negatives of the quarter were the injuries suffered by key Sooners.

[autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] went off holding his shoulder and came back out with a sling and ice on it. [autotag]Dasan McCullough[/autotag] limped off and eventually went to the locker room with a bad limp as well.

The second quarter went much like the first. On defense, the Sooners gave up a chunk of play when quarterback J.T. Shrout threw a nice touch pass over Jaren Kanak to Courtney Jackson for a long gain. The Sooners’ defense bowed up and held Arkansas State to another missed field goal.

Arkansas State had opportunities to make plays in the passing game, but several drops stalled drives and bailed the Sooners out.

The offense was great again in the second quarter, completing the half with a score on every drive.

Gabriel threw for 308 yards and two touchdowns and carried the ball twice for 15 yards and another score. Gabriel completed 81% of his passes. He was decisive and accurate, getting the ball out quickly to his wide receivers and connecting with Sooners at every level of the passing attack. [autotag]Tawee Walker[/autotag], [autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag], and Jovantae Barnes played well, running physical and picking up big runs throughout the half.

After 30 minutes of play, Oklahoma was up 45-0 with zero signs of slowing down.

The second half continued to favor the Oklahoma Sooners. The first-team defense came out and forced a three-and-out, paving the way for the debut of [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag].

On Arnold’s debut drive, he helped lead the Sooners on an eight-play 65-yard scoring effort that was capped off by a Tawee Walker one-yard run.

Arnold’s next drive saw the Sooners open up the passing game a bit. The former five-star quarterback was 4-for-4, leading Oklahoma on a four-play scoring drive that was capped off by Arnold’s first touchdown pass of his OU career on a beautiful play from Jayden Gibson. That score made it 59-0. Arnold helped the Sooners cash in just a few players later, taking advantage of an Arkansas State fumble.

Arnold showed off his legs, carrying the ball for a seven-yard touchdown to put the Sooners up 66-0.

The Sooners capped off their scoring on Arnold’s final drive of the game. Oklahoma went 11 plays and 67 yards spanning 7:22 of game time. The drive culminated in a seven-yard touchdown run by Kalib Hicks.

Offensively, Oklahoma spread the ball around. 10 Sooners had a reception. The Sooners slot trio of [autotag]Drake Stoop[/autotag]s, [autotag]Gavin Freeman[/autotag], and [autotag]Jaquaize Pettaway[/autotag] combined for 17 receptions for 131 yards and two touchdowns. [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag] showed off his downfield ability in his debut for the Sooners. Anthony caught three passes for 66 yards and drew a pass interference call.

[autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag] and [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag], Oklahoma’s 2022 signees, also came up big in the win. Gibson had two receptions for 56 yards and a touchdowns and Anderson secured two catches for 66 yards.

Though there’s room for improvement, the running game was really good on Saturday. They ran for 220 yards and averaged 4.5 yards per carry. They were picking up chunk yards, but there were times that they were dropped for losses, putting them behind the chains. Walker was the most efficient on the day, averaging 5.5 yards per carry in the game and finishing with 44 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries. [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag] carried it 13 times for 49 yards.

It was a fantastic performance by the defense despite a lack of pass rush. Arkansas State couldn’t sustain any offense, and the Sooners held them to 208 total yards and just 4.2 yards per play.

After struggling on third and fourth down in 2022, Oklahoma was able to get off the field consistently, holding the Red Wolves to just 2-of-12 on third down and 0-1 on fourth down.

The Sooners were dominant from start to finish in this game, setting a tone early and keeping that edge for a full 60 minutes.

The shutout win provides some confidence for the Oklahoma Sooners as they get ready to face better offenses in the coming weeks starting with SMU in week two.

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

Three Oklahoma Sooners defenders to watch versus Arkansas State

Taking a deeper look at three Sooners on defense to watch on Saturday against Arkansas State.

If the Oklahoma Sooners’ defense is going to make the improvements necessary to be a great defense, it’s going to take everyone being invested in that improvement.

“I need to be completely involved defensively,” Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables said earlier this week. “Not that they need my help. But that’s what I know. That’s how I got to this position. And I think a year ago I was certainly involved, but not to the depth that I think that I felt like I needed to be after evaluating all of it.”

His lack of full involvement probably impacted the Sooners’ defense and why they ranked so low in every defensive category. The only way the Sooners can go on defense is up.

There’s plenty of optimism that the Sooners will improve significantly on defense. More talent, positive development from young and returning players, and most importantly, more input from the man whose defense it is.

Saturday’s opener in Norman against Arkansas State is the first chance the nation will get to see the 2023 Oklahoma defense.

They’ll take on a Red Wolves team that struggled on offense at times last year but have some veterans in key spots who won’t be afraid of the moment come Saturday.

An outstanding performance against the Red Wolves is the type of confidence boost this defense needs. Who may spark that? Take a look at the three players we’ll be watching.

Up Next: 3 Sooners Defenders to Watch

Pages: 1234

Know your foe, Indiana: Which Hoosier players Ohio State needs to focus on

Do any of these Hoosiers make the Buckeyes nervous? #GoBucks

[autotag]Ohio State football[/autotag] opens it’s season on the road with a conference matchup against Indiana.

The Hoosiers are most likely going to go through a transitional season. They lost a majority of their top performers either to graduation, (quarterback [autotag]Connor Bazelak[/autotag] and running back [autotag]Shaun Shivers[/autotag]), or transfer, (linebacker [autotag]Dasan McCullough[/autotag]).

Indiana doesn’t reload like the Buckeyes, but that doesn’t mean head coach [autotag]Tom Allen[/autotag]’s crew will completely roll over on Saturday afternoon. There will be more than a few players in the Hoosiers’ home opener that will want to establish themselves this year. Find out five Hoosiers that could potentially give Ohio State some problems this weekend.

Media weighs in on Oklahoma’s breakout player, toughest game in 2023

OU and College Football Media Personalities weigh in on which Sooners will have a breakout season for Oklahoma in 2023. Which game will be the toughest this season?

The 2023 college football season is nigh upon us. The Oklahoma Sooners open the season with the Arkansas State Red Wolves coming to town.

A new year creates new opportunities for players on both sides of the ball to experience breakout seasons.

While depth was an issue a year ago, the work of this coaching staff on the recruiting trail and through the transfer portal have helped create competition at a number of spots. The Sooners feel good about the “competitive depth” they’re carrying into the season across the board.

Oklahoma released its depth chart ahead of week one, which provided some answers to the position battles they’ve been working through this year. But how will that depth reveal itself on gameday and which players will experience breakout seasons in 2023?

We’ve gathered the opinions of a number of media personalities from across Oklahoma Sooners coverage. Here’s who they think will have a breakout year and which game will be the toughest in 2023.

From my days covering the Dallas Cowboys for Inside The Star, this has been one of my favorite pieces to create.

Hope you enjoy.

Oklahoma Sooners pass rush will be better in 2023

With added talent and more experience, the Oklahoma Sooners pass rush will be much better in 2023 than it was a year ago.

Among the many issues the Oklahoma Sooners ran into when they entered Big 12 play was the dropoff of their pass rush. In a defense predicated on pressure, the Sooners finished tied for 64th in the nation with 2.15 sacks per game. Much of that success came in their nonconference, when the Sooners defense was looking pretty good. Once they entered Big 12 play, the pass rush was a different story.

The losses of [autotag]Nik Bonitto[/autotag], [autotag]Isaiah Thomas[/autotag], and [autotag]Perrion Winfrey[/autotag] were felt up front as Oklahoma broke in several new starters along the defensive line.

There was solid play from guys like [autotag]Reggie Grimes[/autotag], who got off to a hot start to the season, and [autotag]Ethan Down[/autotag]s, who closed the season strong. However, the play from their defensive line was inconsistent, and that was felt throughout the back seven.

With Downs and Grimes returning, along with other prominent fixtures in the defensive line rotation like [autotag]Isaiah Coe[/autotag] and [autotag]Jordan Kelley[/autotag], there’s hope that the Sooners’ pass rush will be improved this year.

[autotag]R Mason Thomas[/autotag] showed flashes last fall, as did [autotag]Gracen Halton[/autotag] in the spring. Both Thomas and Halton play with incredible quickness that they can create pressure in a hurry.

With more experience and another year of development, Oklahoma’s key returners along the defensive line will play a big part in the Sooners’ pressure resurgence.

But the Sooners’ coaching staff didn’t sit on their hands and assume the defensive front would develop. Brent Venables and his crew attacked the transfer portal with the same intensity that he coaches.

Oklahoma Added four defensive tackles in [autotag]Davon Sears[/autotag], [autotag]Jacob Lacey[/autotag], [autotag]Phillip Paea[/autotag], and [autotag]DaJon Terry[/autotag]. They also added defensive ends [autotag]Rondell Bothroyd[/autotag] and [autotag]Trace Ford[/autotag]. [autotag]Dasan McCullough[/autotag], who figures to factor in at Cheetah, played EDGE for Indiana in 2022 and accumulated four sacks as a true freshman. In Bothroyd, Ford, and McCullough, the Sooners added 28 career sacks to their defensive end room.

Then there are the incoming freshmen like [autotag]Adepoju Adebawore[/autotag], [autotag]Taylor Wein[/autotag], [autotag]Ashton Sanders[/autotag], and [autotag]Markus Strong[/autotag]. Adebawore is the five-star edge rusher that is long and super athletic. Wein flew under the radar until late in his senior year, but he’s also a very good athlete in his own right. Sanders and Strong offer good size and athleticism in the middle and can be disruptive. It only remains to be seen how quickly the freshmen can acclimate and help add to the Sooners’ depth along the defensive front.

If there’s truly strength in numbers, the Oklahoma Sooners have turned what was a weakness a year ago into a strength ahead of the 2023 football season. The talent added to the development they had in-house will be a big reason why the Oklahoma Sooners improve from the six-win team they were a year ago.

The Sooners raised their talent floor along the defensive line for 2023. Although we won’t be able to truly evaluate the pass rush until they get into Big 12 play, and the Texas game in particular, this team has added talent to rush the passer. They’ve raised the talent floor, minimizing any dropoff the Sooners might see from their starters to their rotational guys. That improved talent and more experience will help Oklahoma win on the rush a lot more frequently than it did in 2023.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1366]

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.

‘A lot more comfortable in my play’: Dasan McCullough looking to make immediate impact

There are high hopes about all of the transfers but one in particular says he feels much more confident in the progress he’s made.

The [autotag]Oklahoma Sooners[/autotag] hit the transfer portal hard this offseason. They hope these additions will help fill some of the holes that led to a 6-7 season a year ago.

One of the best transfer additions in the country was [autotag]Indiana Hoosiers[/autotag] transfer [autotag]Dasan McCullough[/autotag]. McCullough comes to Oklahoma after a freshman All-American season, during which he had four sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss.

McCullough is stepping into a new position. He is battling for the [autotag]cheetah[/autotag] position. McCullough admits he feels far more confident now compared to the spring.

“I feel a lot more comfortable in my play and playing out in space and covering,” McCullough.

McCullough mainly played near the line of scrimmage at Indiana, but is being asked to do far more at Oklahoma. That’s why he said there were things he knew he had to improve on.

“Just to work on my footwork, covering,” McCullough said. “I’d say Indiana to here, the biggest jump was the coverage aspect of things and how much more coverage I’m doing. So, I just really wanted to hone in and focus on that this summer. I also put on a little bit of weight.”

McCullough is battling [autotag]Justin Harrington[/autotag] for that starting position. Both bring different capabilities. Harrington is much more natural in coverage, whereas McCullough is much more natural rushing the passer.

It could be one of those cases where it takes McCullough a few weeks into the season to really find his footing and start contributing to the team. Once he can do that, he will be a force to be reckoned with.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1366]

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

5 ‘ifs’ that have to go right for Oklahoma to be a contender in 2023

Oklahoma can contend this year but they have a few things to resolve before that becomes a reality.

Fall camp has officially started, and preparation is underway for the start of the 2023 season. Team 129 is laying the groundwork for what it hopes to become this year.

No matter what you read, there are mixed emotions about how the season will go. Some think last year was a fluke. So many things worked against the Sooners from a poor roster to a first-time head coach to the ball not bouncing their way.

Some people think last year is a sign of what’s to come. “The Sooners will become the Nebraska Cornhuskers” of the[autotag]SEC[/autotag]” is a familiar refrain. Or “[autotag]Brent Venables [/autotag]is way over his head.”

I tend to lean toward the former but we’ll all find out this season. While they may not be a title contender just yet, ESPN’s Bill Connelly shared five “ifs” for the Sooners (ESPN+) for them to become contenders this year.