Tag: Gabe Brkic

Oklahoma Sooners outlast the West Virginia Mountaineers 16-13 in Big 12 opener

Oklahoma moves to 4-0 and 1-0 in Big 12 play with a 16-13 win over West Virginia on Gabe Brkic’s 30-yard game-winning field goal.

The Oklahoma Sooners and West Virginia Mountaineers played a close Big 12 opener on Saturday night that left more questions on the field for the Sooners than answers. Despite the questions, the Oklahoma Sooners came away with a 16-13 win over the Mountaineers on Saturday evening.

In a matchup of two of the best defenses in the country, the Oklahoma Sooners were able to come away with a win in a game they never led. Spencer Rattler bounced back from a game where he and the offense struggled and executed a game-winning drive that started on the Oklahoma Sooners eight-yard line.

Spencer Rattler was 6-of-6 for 54 yards on the 14-play drive that led to Gabe Brkic’s game-winning 30-yard field goal as time expired.

After the two sides traded opening drive touchdowns in the first quarter, Oklahoma and West Virginia got into a kicking battle. Both kickers were perfect on the day, but the defenses didn’t provide many opportunities to get into scoring position.

Mistakes on West Virginia’s side were a huge part of the outcome of this one. A false start from the one-yard line pushed the Mountaineers back to the six, and after a short run, they were forced to throw on third down, and Jarret Doege couldn’t connect with his wide receiver in the back of the end zone.

As the Mountaineers were attempting to drive into scoring position, the West Virginia center and Doege had a miscommunication on the snap that pushed them out of field goal range. They were eventually forced to punt, which set up the Oklahoma Sooners game-winning drive.

Both defensive fronts controlled the line of scrimmage on the night, and there wasn’t much room to run for either side. Oklahoma averaged just 2 yards per rushing attempt while the Sooners defense held West Virginia to 2.3 yards per attempt.

The Sooners still have some issues to work out, namely along the offensive line. Though he was under pressure for a lot of the night, Spencer Rattler still struggled at times with accuracy.

It wasn’t a clean game, but the Oklahoma Sooners did just enough to overcome a tough Mountaineers team at home to move to 4-0 on the season.

Sooners lead Cornhuskers 7-3 after a nondescript first half

The second half between the Sooners and the Cornhuskers is about to begin. Here’s what happened in the first half

There was a lot to love on the first drive of the game. The Sooners marched 75 yards on 14 plays before Spencer Rattler finally broke the goal line to give Oklahoma the lead.

Rattler found six different weapons on the opening drive while Eric Gray found production off outside runs.

With the exception of Nik Bonitto (one sack, two tackles for loss), the Cornhuskers’ biggest enemy has been themselves. Nebraska was called for three false starts and an unnecessary roughness penalty on their first possession, resulting in a field goal for an offense that was threatening to find the endzone.

The biggest takeaway for the Sooners defense has been third-down struggles. Time after time, Nebraska has squeaked through the cracks on third down, sustaining drives and preventing Oklahoma from rekindling its opening drive momentum.

Finally, A missed field goal from Gabe Brkic and miscommunications in the passing game led to the Sooners’ lowest first-half scoring total since 2019.

Oklahoma has a lot to figure out in the second half of this game if they want to maintain their lead.

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Sooners’ Kicker Gabe Brkic named Big 12 Special Teams player of the week

After a standout performance on Saturday in the Oklahoma Sooners 40-35 win, Gabe Brkic was named Big 12 Special Teams Player of the week.

One of the more positive takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners 40-35 win over the Tulane Green Wave was kicker Gabe Brkic. For his impact in the Sooners win, Brkic was named the Big 12 special teams player of the week.

Brkic kept the Sooners scoring as the offense could not sustain drives in the second quarter and provided the only points in the second half for a Sooners team that struggled to find anything consistent.

The Sooners kicker accounted for 16 of the Sooners’ 40 points and was the difference in the ball game. He scored 13 of Oklahoma’s final 20 points to finish the game.

The Oklahoma Sooners needed every bit of Gabe Brkic’s leg to win on Saturday as Tulane stifled the offense several times in the second quarter forcing the long field goals.

Brkic set a school record for field goals made in a game and an FBS record of three field goals of greater than 50 yards in a game. In a win that was a bit of a letdown, Brkic was one of the bright spots.

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Mario Williams shows he can run with the first team offense vs Tulane

True freshman Mario Willaims had a solid performance in his first collegiate action. The young receiver showed the moment wasn’t too big for him and that he can help fill the void until Theo Wease returns from injury.

A win is always a win.

However, Oklahoma’s 40-35 victory over Tulane left plenty to be desired for Sooners fans as they watched their team struggle through penalties, sloppy plays, and extreme highs and lows on both sides of the football. While OU’s woes could simply be attributed to offseason rust, they must be better if they want to make a run at the College Football Playoff.

One of the biggest positives from Saturday’s game was the leg of Gabe Brkic, who set an FBS record with three 50-plus yard field goals. But another bright spot was wide receiver Mario Williams, who had a solid performance in his first collegiate action.

Although Williams found most of his production in the first half, he capitalized on the attention Marvin Mims was receiving from the defense. His six receptions led the Sooners and was one more than Mims. Just as important is Williams appears to have chemistry with quarterback Spencer Rattler.

Williams scored his first career touchdown in the second quarter off a bubble screen. He would make a guy miss before diving to the pylon behind great blocking from Jadon Haselwood.

In addition to his 37 receiving yards, Williams gave the Sooners a fresh set of downs when he completed a pass to Haselwood midway through the second quarter.

The young receiver will almost certainly have bigger games for the Crimson and Cream in 2021. But the freshman’s production in his very first game should give OU confidence he can handle extra reps until Theo Wease returns from injury.

Stock Up/Stock Down from the Sooners’ 40-35 win over Tulane

It was an inconsistent week one performance, so let’s take a look at whose stock rose and whose fell in the Sooners 40-35 win over Tulane.

The first game of the 2021 season has come and gone. Oklahoma narrowly escapes a game that no one saw being remotely close. Mistakes, questionable effort and just getting outplayed by a Tulane team that lacked the natural talent the Sooners had but made up for it with execution, energy, effort, and toughness.

Oklahoma was able to overcome some sloppy play and inconsistent performance to come away with the 40-35 win over the Tulane Green Wave. On the day, there were some good performances and some that left a lot to be desired. Let’s take a loot at whose stock rose and whose dropped after game one of the 2021 college football season.

Top 21 players for the Oklahoma Sooners entering 2021

As the Oklahoma Sooners get set to continue their reign atop the Big 12 and contend for a national title, here are the top 21 players for 2021.

Heading into the 2021 season, the Oklahoma Sooners have one of the deepest and most talented rosters in the country. On both sides of the ball, the Sooners have great players throughout the lineup that will make big impacts on Saturdays this fall.

On offense, the Sooners are led by Heisman Trophy front-runner Spencer Rattler and a high-powered passing attack. On defense, the Sooners have four guys that can create havoc in both the running game and rushing the passer.

This is a team that should be one of the more exciting teams to watch with their blend of big-play offense and suffocating defense. With just 15 days until kickoff, let’s take a look at the top 21 Oklahoma Sooners heading into 2021.

Oklahoma Sooners selected to Pro Football Focus’ All-Big 12 Team

Pro Football Focus released their preseason All-Big 12 team and the Oklahoma Sooners were heavily featured with nine selections in all.

As we get closer to the start of the 2021 season, major media publications will begin releasing their preseason awards and all-conference teams. The Oklahoma Sooners figure to be featured quite prominently on many All-American and All-Big 12 squads. And that was the case as Pro Football Focus released their All-Big 12 team.

In all nine Sooners made the squad, headlined by quarterback Spencer Rattler.

Oklahoma’s Spencer Rattler, Creed Humphrey, Isaiah Thomas and Gabe Brkic named AP All-Big 12 First Team

Four Oklahoma players were named to the AP All-Big 12 first team on Thursday with another five getting placed on the second team.

The end of the season accolades keep coming in for Oklahoma.

On Thursday the AP All-Big 12 teams were announced with nine players receiving honors including four on the first team. Those four are quarterback Spencer Rattler, center Creed Humphrey, defensive tackle Isaiah Thomas and kicker Gabe Brkic.

Rattler was not included on either of the conference’s All-Big 12 teams that were announced last week, which he expressed his displeasure about, and Thomas was on second team as no Sooners defensive players received first team honors. Head coach Lincoln Riley made it clear the team was displeased by those lack of selections. Those frustrations are certainly receiving some validation given the honors that have come their way since including Rattler being deemed the Big 12 Player of the Year by Pro Football Focus.

The five players who were named to the AP All-Big 12 second team are offensive tackle Adrian Ealy, tight end Austin Stogner, wide receiver Marvin Mims, linebacker Nik Bonitto and cornerback Tre Brown.

Similar to Rattler, Bonitto was not named to the first or second team All-Big 12 either, but was named an All-American by Pro Football Focus.

Oklahoma will conclude their season in less than a week next Wednesday night against the Florida Gators in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl.

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Oklahoma kicker Gabe Brkic hits longest field goal for Sooners since 2000 in Big 12 Championship

Gabe Brkic has claimed another school record, nailing a 54-yard field goal during Saturday’s Big 12 Championship.

Gabe Brkic has claimed another school record.

The sophomore kicker nailed a 54-yard try during the second quarter of Saturday’s Big 12 Championship and, in doing so, officially took ownership of the longest field goal by any Sooner dating back to at least 2000. Brkic now owns five of the ten longest field goals by an OU kicker in that time period.

Brkic was named a semifinalist for the Lou Groza award on December 7 and was named to the All-Big 12 first team on Thursday. The sophomore has largely continued his stellar play following one of the best freshman seasons for a kicker in school history.

He missed a 36-yard field goal earlier in the game, blowing an opportunity to put the Sooners up 10-0 in the first quarter. But he would eventually redeem himself in the form of the longest field goal in the school’s recent history. It has yet to be seen if this is the longest in school history.

Nine Oklahoma players make All-Big 12 first and second teams for 2020

It’s a little bit shocking when you look at it. Oklahoma has landed nine different players on the all-Big 12 first and second team.

The Big 12’s head coaches have decided the league’s all-conference selections, and Oklahoma has landed nine different players on the all-Big 12 first and second team.

Kicker Gabe Brkic, H-Back Jeremiah Hall and center Creed Humphrey represented Oklahoma’s three additions to the All-Big 12 first team. This marks the 20th consecutive season that Oklahoma has landed at least three players on the all-Big 12 first team. Oklahoma trails only Iowa State (five) with their three players on the first team.

Six Sooners were named to the second team: cornerback Tre Brown, offensive lineman Adrian Ealy, wide receiver Marvin Mims, defensive end Ronnie Perkins, defensive end Isaiah Thomas and defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey. Oklahoma led all Big 12 teams with six different players on the all-conference second team.

Oklahoma trails only Iowa State (11) with nine players each across the two teams. The Sooners and Cyclones are set to face off in a rematch for the Big 12 Championship in Arlington, Texas on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT.

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