Tag: Gavin Sawchuk

‘He’s made up of all the right stuff’: Gavin Sawchuk electric in first extended action for Sooners

Getting his first extended opportunity of the season, true freshman running back Gavin Sawchuk impressed for the Oklahoma Sooners.

One of the more intriguing storylines in the buildup to the Oklahoma Sooners [autotag]Cheez-It Bowl[/autotag] matchup with the Florida State Seminoles was how the Sooners would handle their running back rotation without [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag].

Gray opted out, choosing to prepare for the 2023 NFL draft, and [autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag] was out, still nursing a leg injury that kept him out of action late in the regular season. That left [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag] as the only runner with significant experience on the depth chart.

But that also created an opportunity to see what fellow true freshman running back [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag] brought to the table. The Oklahoma Sooners coaching staff took advantage of the Cheez-It Bowl stage to give the former two-time Colorado Gatorade Player of the Year action. And Sawchuk was a star.

Sawchuk carried the ball 15 times for 100 yards and caught one pass for eight yards, displaying great quickness, agility and speed. He didn’t look like a player with only two collegiate carries on his ledger coming into the game. He was physical and patient. His 15-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter helped Oklahoma take a 25-18 lead.

“He has a tremendous future,” head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] said after the loss. “He’s made up of the right stuff. Tremendous character, great work ethic, incredibly humble, intelligent, tough. It (would have) been easy for a guy like him to kind of check it in and not get better, but he showed up every day and got better all season long. (Dillon Gabriel and DaShaun White) would attest to that. He’s been a great teammate and he was ready for his opportunity when it presented itself. Really excited for him. Some of his production tonight, outstanding. He’s going to be a lot better going into next year because of it. Kind of like Jaleel (Farooq) in our bowl game a year ago.”

According to Pro Football Focus, Sawchuk averaged four yards per carry after contact in the game. He forced three missed tackles and had two runs of 15 yards or more in the contest, including the touchdown run.

Sawchuk and Barnes combined for 42 carries and 208 yards rushing. Barnes continued to show why he became the backup behind Eric Gray during the season with another strong performance. In his first extended action, Sawchuk was equally impressive. With the two-headed monster at running back, the Sooners have a fantastic 1-2 punch heading into 2023.

The speed that Sawchuk put on display in the Cheez-It Bowl will be a huge weapon for the Sooners in 2023. [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag]’s going to have a great time imagining all the ways he can use his star running backs in the future.

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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.

5 takeaways from Oklahoma’s 35-32 loss to Florida State

Oklahoma loses a nail-biter to Florida State in the Cheez-It Bowl. Here are five takeaways from the game.

Oklahoma’s season ended on Thursday night with a 35-32 loss to the No. 13 Florida State Seminoles in the Cheez-It Bowl — yet another one-possession loss this season.

While the final result is far from desirable, the performance the Sooners put forth, given the circumstances, was very commendable.

The Sooners started fast, going up 14-3 in the second quarter. Their fast starts have been a consistent theme this season. The Seminoles responded with a strong second-half push. Oklahoma answered after falling behind 32-25 to give themselves a chance, but it couldn’t put anything together on its final drive as it tried to earn a last-second field goal try.

With the loss, Oklahoma finished under .500 for the first time since 1998. Here are five takeaways from the Sooners’ performance.

Social media reacts to the Oklahoma Sooners’ 35-32 loss to Florida State in the Cheez-It Bowl

What did social media have to say following the Oklahoma Sooners’ 35-32 loss to Florida State?

It’s never fun to be on the losing end of a contest. Especially one so hard-fought as the Oklahoma Sooners’ 35-32 loss to Florida State in the Cheez-It Bowl.

There were bright spots. The Sooners’ rushing attack was spearheaded by an offensive line missing four starters and was led by true freshmen running backs Jovantae Barnes and Gavin Sawchuk.

Oklahoma showed toughness against a good Florida State team and had a chance to win a game in which they were double-digit underdogs. It wasn’t perfect and they have work to do to improve from 6-7, the worst record they’ve had since 1998.

But there’s a lot to like about the Sooners’ performance despite the loss. Let’s take a look at how social media reacted to the final game of the 2022 season.

Best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners 35-32 loss to Florida State in the Cheez-It Bowl

The best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners’ 35-32 loss to the Florida State Seminoles in the Cheez-It Bowl.

It wasn’t the ending that many would have liked as the Oklahoma Sooners fell to 6-7 with their 35-32 loss to the Florida State Seminoles in the Cheez-It Bowl. That 6-7 record represents the first losing season for Oklahoma since 1998, the final year of the John Blake era.

The Sooners didn’t shy away from running the football with their true freshmen backs, Jovantae Barnes and Gavin Sawchuk. The former four-star backs from the 2022 class accounted for 42 carries, 208 yards, and two touchdowns. It was mostly a strong performance in the run game from the two and an offensive line that was down four starters in Anton Harrison, Wanya Morris, Andrew Raym, and Chris Murray.

For what seems like the millionth time this season, the Sooners lose a close game in which the offense was good enough to win, but the defense couldn’t get stops in the second half.

Going into the offseason, Oklahoma has to improve its defense. It’s going to be hard to win games when your defense allows 30 or more points and 24 in the second half.

For the last time in the 2022 season, here are the best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners game.

Pass protection and pass defense struggle as Sooners fall 35-32 to Florida State

Despite a strong first half showing from the defense, the Oklahoma Sooners allowed 24 second half points and fall 35-32 to Florida State.

The Oklahoma Sooners and the Florida State Seminoles played a fantastic game in the Cheez-It Bowl, but the Sooners couldn’t get enough stops in the second half to avoid their first losing season since 1998.

Oklahoma came out with a clear game plan to run the football with their true freshmen [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag] and [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag] leading the way. It was an effective plan as the Sooners jumped out to a 14-3 lead in the first half, and took a 17-11 lead into halftime.

Despite a running game that produced 260 yards on 59 attempts, averaging 4.4 yards per carry, the Sooners’ offensive line struggled to keep [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] clean throughout, allowing seven sacks. The most costly pressures came on the Sooners’ final drive.

After going down 35-32 on a go-ahead field goal from Florida State kicker Ryan Fitzgerald, the Sooners got the ball back with about a minute to play. However, their final drive was foiled by a false start penalty on Drake Stoops that pushed the Sooners from 2nd and 1 with about 38 seconds to play to 2nd and 6 with 28 seconds remaining after the ten-second runoff. Gabriel overthrew Brayden Willis on a downfield throw before hitting Gavin Sawchuk in the flat for a few yards. On the next play, Gabriel dropped back to pass and had no time to allow the play to develop. The Sooners’ offensive line folded, and the final seconds ticked off the clock.

Missing four starters along the offensive line, the Sooners’ passing game was unable to find much of a rhythm because of the Florida State pass rush. Gabriel hit a few deep balls to [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag] and got Oklahoma on the board with a touchdown throw to [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag] to get the Sooners on the board.

Oklahoma’s defense played well in the first half, keeping the top-20 Seminoles offense mostly in check and coming up with huge fourth-down stops. The second half was a different story, though, as [autotag]Jordan Travis[/autotag] and Florida State began to hit chunk plays down the field in the passing game.

The Seminoles scored 24 second-half points, and the Sooners dropped another close game in a season where they weren’t very good in one-score games.

Coming into the game as double-digit underdogs against a top-15 team in the country, the Sooners received fantastic performances from Barnes and Sawchuk. Both running backs went over 100 yards rushing in the game to help lead the Sooners’ offense. Sawchuk suffered a costly fumble in the second half that led to Florida State points. It was an unfortunate moment for the former four-star running back, but one he’ll learn from moving forward.

Gabriel wasn’t very efficient in the game, but he didn’t have much time to sit back and scan the field. The Sooners’ quarterback was 14 of 24 for 243 yards and a touchdown. He also had 24 yards on 13 carries, including seven sacks. Marvin Mims led the Sooners in receiving with two catches for 77 yards, and Jalil Farooq had a solid game with four receptions for 59 yards and a touchdown. Farooq also had two carries for 14 yards to continue to cement himself as the Sooners’ dual-threat receiver heading into 2023.

Many of the problems that the Sooners dealt with on the defensive side of the ball reared their ugly head in the loss. The defense couldn’t sustain their level of play for four quarters. Tackling was an issue at times, and Oklahoma couldn’t get the necessary stops in crunch time.

Falling to 6-7, the Sooners still go into the offseason with positive momentum after securing the No. 5 recruiting class as of the early signing period. What cost Oklahoma in the Cheez-It Bowl were the same things that were going to be question marks this offseason anyway. Despite that, it’s still another disappointing loss in what’s been a disappointing first season for Brent Venables with the Oklahoma Sooners.

As Venables and his coaching staff go into the offseason, improving the defense will be priority number one for the program. They’ve made nice additions in the transfer portal and in the recruiting class, but those additions have to raise the overall talent and depth on the roster to help the Sooners play complete games in 2023.

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.

5 takeaways from Oklahoma’s Cheez-It Bowl depth chart

5 takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners Cheez-It Bowl depth chart.

Oklahoma will look different when it takes the field against the 13th-ranked Florida State Seminoles on Thursday evening in the Cheez-It Bowl. The Sooners will have some fresh faces in new spots as they look to avoid finishing below .500 for the first time since 1998.

Starters [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag], [autotag]Anton Harrison[/autotag], [autotag]Wanya Morris[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalen Redmond[/autotag] have opted out of the bowl game to prepare for the NFL draft. That leaves voids on both sides of the ball the Sooners have had three weeks to plan for. What were the results of that planning? Well, we have the answers, as Oklahoma released its depth chart for the game.

With that info out, here are five takeaways from the depth chart below.

5 Oklahoma Sooners to watch on offense in the Cheez-it Bowl

With opt-outs at key positions, several players will get an opportunity at extended action. Here are 5 players to watch on offense for the Oklahoma Sooners in the Cheez-it Bowl against Florida State.

The long and arduous 2022 Oklahoma Sooners football season is coming to an end on Dec. 29 as OU takes on Mike Norvell’s Florida State Seminoles in the Cheez-it Bowl.

With several opt-outs, particularly on the offensive side of the ball, Sooners fans will have the chance to see a few younger faces get some time to shine. Let’s take a look at some players to watch.

Sooners RB Eric Gray declares for the 2023 NFL Draft

After a breakout season for the Sooners, Eric Gray declares for the 2023 NFL Draft.

After a breakout season in his second year in Norman, Eric Gray has declared for the 2023 NFL draft.

A bright spot for the Oklahoma Sooners in 2022, Eric Gray had a breakout campaign, finishing second in the Big 12 and 12th in the nation with 1,372 yards.

Gray’s 44 runs of 10 yards or more were the fifth-most in the nation, were three more than Bijan Robinson, and 10 more than Deuce Vaughn. It was quite the performance after being underutilized in the second half of the 2021 season.

The senior running back finishes his career with just over 3,000 rushing yards, 21 touchdowns, and averaged 5.6 yards per carry. He also had nearly 900 receiving yards across four seasons between Tennessee and Oklahoma.

Eric Gray had a fantastic season and was often the best part of the Oklahoma Sooners offense. He had eight 100-yard games, including a 200-yard effort in Oklahoma’s three-point loss at West Virginia. Gray accepted a Senior Bowl invite earlier this week, presumably ending his collegiate career.

Assuming he doesn’t play in the bowl game, the Sooners will hand the ball to Jovantae Barnes, Tawee Walker, and perhaps Gavin Sawchuk in the postseason as they look to figure out their running back situation for 2023.

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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.

Report Card: Oklahoma’s poor performance a rude awakening

The Oklahoma Sooners looked horrific in their loss to TCU. Here’s how each position group graded out in the loss.

Murphy’s Law states that if anything can go wrong, it will. That was the entire story of Oklahoma’s time in Fort Worth Saturday afternoon against the TCU Horned Frogs.

Nothing and absolutely nothing could’ve prepared us and the country for what we all bore witness to as TCU annihilated Oklahoma 55-24.

It was bad in every way, shape, or form. To be quite frank, there are very few positive takeaways from the game.

We’re here to make sense of it all as we go thru and process just what we witnessed. Here’s how we graded Oklahoma’s performance.

Several Oklahoma Sooners featured in ESPN’s 50 greatest true freshmen of all-time

Several Oklahoma Sooners were featured inside ESPN’s top 50 Oklahoma Sooners of all time.

On a roster that endured as much turnover as the Oklahoma Sooners did this offseason, one would think there’d be a clearer path to a starting role for a true freshman. With fall camp getting underway, there are certainly freshmen who could emerge and find a role as a rotational player, or even starter, but they’d have to overcome some talented veterans to take on a feature role.

At running back, many believe Jovantae Barnes or Gavin Sawchuk could take over at running back, but with the glowing remarks about Eric Gray from offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby, that seems unlikely. At least through the first few weeks of the season. Additionally, Marcus Major and Bentavious Thompson provide a hill the true freshmen have to climb.

Gentry Williams could factor in at safety, and Kaden Helms or Jason Llewellyn could be featured in the passing game, but there isn’t a clearly defined role for them as fall camp gets underway.

Looking back, the Oklahoma Sooners have had some true freshmen emerge to have fantastic seasons for the Sooners. In recent history, CeeDee Lamb comes to mind. Lamb caught 46 passes for 807 yards and seven touchdowns in his true freshman season in 2017.

Ahead of the 2022 college football season, ESPN’s Bill Connelly ranked the top 50 true freshmen of all time (ESPN+), and several Oklahoma Sooners were included on the list.