Tag: Gabe Brkic

Passing with flying colors: Report Card for Sooners complete win vs Texas tech

How did the Oklahoma Sooners grade out in their dominant performance against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in this week’s Report Card?

One week removed from their worst performance of the year to date, Lincoln Riley’s Oklahoma Sooners played perhaps their best game of the season. In every facet, the Sooners were better than the Texas Tech Red Raiders. For a team that came in hoping to play inspired football following the firing of the head coach, one may wonder if it had the opposite effect.

Nonetheless, this is hardly about the psyche of Texas Tech and more about the Sooners’ finally putting together a complete performance. In a 52-21 victory, everyone had to put their best foot forward. Let’s go through the different position groups and discuss the performances from each unit.

5 takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners 52-21 win over Texas Tech

In convincing fashion, the Oklahoma Sooners beat the Texas Tech Red Raiders 52-21 to remain undefeated. Here are 5 takeaways from the win.

As the dust settles on another Oklahoma Sooners football game, we find the Sooners still undefeated at 9-0 after a 52-21 win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders. It was the smoothest performance Oklahoma has had all year and it was stress-free and smooth sailing throughout.

The offense threw all over the Texas Tech secondary and the Sooners never trailed.

Caleb Williams set more records joining Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray as the only three quarterbacks to throw six touchdown passes and zero interceptions in a game.

The Sooners defense looked quite sturdy as well grabbing a few takeaways in the process. There were some interesting developments to takeaway so without further ado, let’s get started.

Report Card: Grading the Sooners following their 52-31 win over TCU

The Sooners dispatched TCU relatively comfortably. Let’s take a look at how each position group graded out in the 52-31 win.

For a while, it may have seemed like an afterthought to grade out the offense with A’s and B’s across the board. However, that time has arrived.  The offense was a bright spot, and the defense wasn’t as bad as maybe it appeared.

As we do each week, let’s look at how each position group graded in the Sooners 52-31 thrashing of the TCU Horned Frogs.

Quarterbacks: A

No need to beat around the bush here: Caleb Williams was phenomenal in his first start since usurping Spencer Rattler in Oklahoma’s thrilling come-from-behind win against Texas.

He dazzled the sold-out crowd in Norman and had national media in an uproar. Williams was 18 of 23 for 295 yards passing and four touchdowns, three of which made their way to Jadon Haselwood. He added 66 yards rushing, including the electric 41-yard TD run in the third quarter you can see below.

After that performance, there’s no need to speculate about who will be the quarterback as Oklahoma heads to the state of Kansas again for their second true road game against the Kansas Jayhawks.

The next step for Williams is to continue to mature and grow within the offense.

Up Next: Backs and Pass Catchers

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3 Sooners named player of the week for their performance vs. the Texas Longhorns

For their performances in the Red River Showdown win over the Texas Longhorns, three Sooners were named Big 12 player of the week.

The Oklahoma Sooners got a total team effort erasing a 21 point first-half deficit to beat the Texas Longhorns in the 117th matchup between the two rivals.

In particular, Caleb Williams was a catalyst, engineering Oklahoma’s offensive explosion as he and the Sooners outscored the Longhorns 38-13 after he replaced Spencer Rattler in the lineup.

For his efforts, Williams was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week. Kennedy Brooks joins Williams as the Big 12’s Offensive Player of the Week, and Gabe Brkic was named the Special Teams Player of the Week.

All three players were instrumental in the Oklahoma Sooners’ incredible comeback win over the Texas Longhorns.

Caleb Williams came in for Spencer Rattler and completed 16 of 25 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns. Williams also ran four times for 88 yards, including a 66-yard touchdown run on 4th and 1 that helped keep the Oklahoma Sooners in the game.

Kennedy Brooks was incredible. He carried the ball 25 times for 217 yards and two touchdowns. He averaged 8.7 yards per attempt and 7.08 yards after contact per attempt. Brooks forced eight missed tackles and scored the touchdown to give the Sooners their first lead of the game at 48-41 and the game-winning touchdown with three seconds left in the game.

Gabe Brkic was a perfect four for four on the day on field goal attempts and five for five on extra points, totaling 17 points. Brkic is now 15 of 17 on the season and continues to establish himself as one of the best kickers in college football.

Together with Marvin Mims, these three had a huge hand in the Oklahoma Sooners come from behind win over the Texas Longhorns. Hopefully, these performances serve as building blocks for the rest of the Oklahoma Sooners season.

Oklahoma Sooners vs. Texas Longhorns: Sooners Wire staff predictions

Get ready for Saturday’s matchup between Oklahoma and Texas with predictions from our staff writers here at Sooners Wire.

It’s one of the greatest rivalries in sports played in a unique situation that is unlike any other great rivalry games or series. What makes OU-Texas so special is it’s truly a neutral site for the University of Oklahoma and the University of Texas.

From Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium to the Cotton Bowl is 196 miles away. From Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, it’s 191 miles. Five miles is the difference between the drives these teams have to make to get to the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas. While it’s played in Texas, the Oklahoma Sooners are a touch closer to the site of the Red River Showdown than their rivals to the south.

This will be the 117th time the two sides have met dating to 1900. The game is a part of the fabric of American sports.

Sixteen times from 1900 to 1923 the game was played with a home-field advantage. The other 100 times the two teams have played at a neutral site, most notably Dallas, Texas. They played in Houston in 1913 according to Winsipedia.

After playing in front of a half-empty Cotton Bowl in 2020, the Sooners and Longhorns matchup marks the return of a capacity crowd of 92,100 fans donning the Crimson and Cream of Oklahoma and the Burnt Orange of Texas.

Once again, the Red River Showdown promises to provide an exciting close battle between two top 25 teams playing good football and vying for supremacy in the Big 12.

As we continue to get ready for OU-Texas, take a look at how our staff at the Sooners Wire feels this game is going to go.

NEXT: Our staff provides their predictions for this week’s matchup.

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Oklahoma Sooners pick up big win over Kansas State 37-31

In one of their most complete performances of the season, the Oklahoma Sooners beat Kansas State 37-31 to move to 5-0 on the season.

As crazy as it may sound, this was the best Oklahoma Sooners win of the season. They went to Manhattan, Kansas for their first road game of the season and took care of business against a tough Kansas State team, 37-31.

The game wasn’t necessarily as close as the score indicated.

The Wildcats got the ball to start the game and methodically worked the down the field with some timely completions by super senior quarterback Skylar Thompson, who played despite a week-long game of smoke and mirrors from head coach Chris Klieman about the quarterback’s availability.

Kansas State made its way into the red zone before a forced fumble by defensive end Reggie Grimes and subsequent 60 yard return by Nik Bonitto set the Sooners up nicely.

After making it inside the 10, penalties, a botched snap, and poor blocking would result in the Sooners settling for three points off of a field goal from Gabe Brkic.

The Wildcats would answer on a touchdown pass from Thompson to star running back Deuce Vaughn.

The Sooners would respond with a 12 play 75-yard touchdown drive of their own capped off by a very creative run play involving Jeremiah Hall.

The Sooners and Wildcats swapped field goals before halftime. Oklahoma went into the locker room with a 13-10 lead.

Neither team punted until the 3rd quarter. Kansas State kept opting to go for it and the Sooners defense couldn’t get off the field. Conversely, Kansas State simply could not stop Oklahoma as every drive ended in points.

Things would get weird in the third quarter thanks in part to two different reviews.

Trailing 27-10, Kansas State attempted and recovered an onside kick, and referee Kevin Hassell went to confirm the ball traveled 10 yards. It did, but Lincoln Riley smartly and probably due to information he was receiving via his headset challenged the play again.

Riley argued that kicker Ty Zentner had accidentally kicked the ball twice (which he had). The illegal touching gave Oklahoma the ball. They would do nothing with it and instead turned it over on third and long on a Spencer Rattler interception putting Kansas State deep in their own territory. The pick amounted to nothing more than a punt as Rattler threw it up there hoping to make a play or catch a defensive pass interference call.

Another review came on a 4th down completion from Thompson to receiver Landry Weber. A superb attempt to catch it was ruled incomplete as the ball hit the ground as he attempted to secure it.

A slick Jeremiah Hall TD reception on a shovel pass from Rattler put the Sooners in front 34-17.

The Wildcats would eat up a lot of clock while scoring to make it 34-24.

The Sooners responded with another field goal from Brkic, which was followed by a kick return for a touchdown from Malik Knowles. Knowles now has three return touchdowns this year. Kansas State had one last attempt to get an offside and the attempt was unsuccessful as wide receiver Jadon Haselwood calmly caught the kick and took a knee.

Spencer Rattler threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns, running back Kennedy Brooks was the lead back of the day posting 91 yards and a touchdown while Jeremiah Hall scored twice and Marvin Mims re-emerged with four catches for 71 yards.

Oklahoma can now return to Norman and prepare themselves for the Red River Shootout with the 4-1 Texas Longhorns. Kansas State will have a bye before playing Iowa State on October 16th.

Passing Out Grades: Report Card for the Sooners vs. West Virginia

The Oklahoma Sooners played another tight one in their 16-13 win over West Virginia, but how did each position group grade out in the week 4 win?

Without ever having thoughts of being a teacher, passing out bad grades doesn’t seem like a fun time. The Oklahoma Sooners won against West Virginia but it wasn’t pretty and most notably one side of the ball struggled immensely.

At the end of the day, a win is a win. However, things must change offensively if the Sooners are to seriously contend for any trophies this season.

Let’s pass out some grades.

Quarterbacks: C-

This grade is the lowest grade I’ve handed out to this position group this year. It needs to be said that all quarterback grades are products of the offensive line play in front of them.

Spencer Rattler’s offensive line was not good but he has also had moments when he answered the call. Rattler, upon further review, missed a few throws that really would have given Oklahoma some chances to open things up.

He’s still struggling to make better decisions throwing vertically. A contested deep ball to wide receiver Michael Woods could have been intercepted had the defensive back not prematurely celebrated.

He threw an interception as he was targeting Drake Stoops late in the first half, focusing on Stoops the entire route and letting the ball float in the air too long.

At times, he continues to not set his plant foot and drive off of it causing balls to sail or not have the accuracy they need.

At the end of the game, he was 6 for 6 and orchestrated the game-winning drive to lead his team down the field and get them in a position to win. He has to be better and Lincoln Riley has to coach him better.

Most importantly…

Up Next: The Offensive Line

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Social Media Reacts to Sooners’ close win over the Mountaineers

Social media reactions to the Oklahoma Sooners win over the West Virginia Mountaineers from week 4 of the college football season.

It was another rough outing for the Oklahoma Sooners offense, but the defense rose to the occasion in a tight 16-13 win over West Virginia. When it mattered most, the Sooners and Spencer Rattler provided the drive of the game as they methodically moved the ball down the field from their own eight-yard line into position to give Gabe Brkic a chance to win the game.

And Brkic did what Brkic did, nailing the 30-yard field goal for the game-winner as time expired.

During the game, a segment of Sooners fans in attendance began chanting for Caleb Williams to replace Spencer Rattler. While Rattler and the offense were certainly struggling a bit with West Virginia’s defense, it was never so bad that Rattler needed to be replaced.

The running game was as big of an issue as anything. That goes to the offensive line’s inability to move the line of scrimmage or set the edge against a very good defensive front for the West Virginia Mountaineers.

While there were some understandably frustrated with the play of Spencer Rattler and the offense, there were others still supportive of the Oklahoma Sooners starting quarterback.

Football is a team game, and while Rattler needs to be better, he also needs some help. While the quarterback gets all of the focus, even the best will struggle if the offensive line is struggling or if receivers aren’t getting open.

There were inconsistencies throughout the offense last night, and a lot of that credit has to go to West Virginia for coming in with a solid game plan and executing it to the frustration of the Sooners’ offense.

Oklahoma drops one spot in latest USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll

Despite the win, the Sooners fell one spot as Oregon replaces Oklahoma at no. 3 in the latest USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll.

The Oklahoma Sooners got the win over Big 12 foe West Virginia, but it was hardly convincing, and for the second straight week, they won a game despite the offense struggling to score.

West Virginia’s defense is good, but Oklahoma failed to capitalize on opportunities where receivers ran open or got behind the defense. The offensive line struggled in both the run game and in pass protection, and Spencer Rattler didn’t look like the same player he was last year. And yet, despite all of that, the Sooners’ offense came up with a drive at the end of the game to get the win on a Gabe Brkic 30-yard field goal.

Despite the win, the Sooners dropped one spot in the poll as Oregon replaced Oklahoma at no. 3 in the latest USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll.

On the bright side, the Oklahoma defense continues to prove they’re legit as they held a good Mountaineers running game in check.

Oklahoma State climbs four spots in the poll while Baylor makes a big jump and joins the top 25 for the first time this season. Even with their big win over Texas Tech, the Texas Longhorns sit on the outside looking in as the top vote-getter among “other teams receiving votes.”

A look at the full coaches poll after week four’s games.

Full USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll:

Rank Team Record Points Change
1 Alabama 4-0 1,624 (64) –
2 Georgia 4-0 1,558 (1) –
3 Oregon 4-0 1,467 +1
4 Oklahoma 4-0 1,395 -1
5 Iowa 4-0 1,319 +1
6 Penn State 4-0 1,286 +2
7 Notre Dame 4-0 1,187 +3
8 Cincinnati 3-0 1,185 +1
9 Florida 3-1 1,101 +2
10 Ohio State 3-1 1,030 +2
11 Arkansas 4-0 1,016 +7
12 Ole Miss 3-0 916 +1
13 Texas A&M 3-1 744 -8
14 Michigan 4-0 674 +5
15 BYU 4-0 670 +1
16 Michigan State 4-0 583 +5
16 Coastal Carolina 4-0 583 +1
18 Oklahoma State 4-0 459 +4
19 Clemson 2-2 389 -12
20 UCLA 3-1 312 +4
21 Fresno State 4-1 251 +4
22 Auburn 3-1 244 +1
23 Kentucky 4-0 179 +4
24 Baylor 4-0 134 +18
25 Wake Forest 4-0 119 +14

Dropped from the rankings:

No. 14 Iowa State; No. 15 Wisconsin; No. 20 North Carolina.

Others receiving votes:

Texas 101; Boston College 91; NC State 70; San Diego State 69; Maryland 59; Wisconsin 56; Southern Methodist 54; Virginia Tech 39; Louisiana State 36; Iowa State 31; Army 23; Arizona State 12; Texas-San Antonio 11; Liberty 11; North Carolina 10; Central Florida 9; Oregon State 7; UL Lafayette 3; Appalachian State 3; Louisville 2; Indiana 2; Wyoming 1.

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6 takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners 16-13 win over West Virginia

The Oklahoma Sooners are finding new ways to win in the Lincoln Riley era and here are five takeaways from the 16-13 victory over WVU.

Over the last three weeks, the Oklahoma Sooners defense has become the strength of this team. In their win against West Virginia, they held the Mountaineers to 13 points and now have three games in a row of holding their opponents to fewer than 16 points.

On the season they’re allowing just 16 points per game and against Power Five opponents just 14.5 points per game. If the offense is going to struggle like they have the last couple of weeks, then the defense will have to provide that level of play each and every week.

Unlike previous seasons during the Heisman era of Lincoln Riley’s tenure, the Sooners are winning games at the other end of the spectrum. Instead of winning close games with both teams scoring over 30 points per game, the Sooners are finding to win defensive battles.

They’re winning, just winning differently. And that feels strange.

Let’s take a look at five takeaways from the Sooners win over West Virginia.