Tag: gentry williams

5 keys to an Oklahoma Sooners victory over Oklahoma State in Bedlam

5 keys to an Oklahoma Sooners victory over the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

The Oklahoma Sooners head to Stillwater for one final time as they get set to take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

The vibes surrounding each team are strikingly different. Oklahoma is coming off of their first loss of the season, to Kansas, no less. That loss was preceded by a scare at home from UCF coming out of their bye week.

Meanwhile, Mike Gundy has his Cowboys on a four-game winning streak and isn’t lacking in things he needs to say to motivate his team for this particular game.

Oklahoma will lose this game if they play like they have the last two weeks. In a rivalry game, mistakes are magnified.

There is nothing more Oklahoma State fans want more than to beat Oklahoma as the Bedlam series comes to a close with the Sooners’ departure to the SEC.

The last two games have shown us Oklahoma is improved. However, they are still capable of losing games if they don’t bring their best.

What do the Sooners need to do to come away with a win. Here are five keys to this week’s matchup.

Sooners captains for Bedlam have an Oklahoma flavor

The Sooners captains for the final Bedlam are all very familiar with this rivalry.

The Oklahoma Sooners and the [autotag]Oklahoma State Cowboys[/autotag] battle for the final time as Big 12 foes. It’s the final time for a long time in the regular season. This will be the 118th meeting between the two schools with Oklahoma holding a 91-19-7 lead in the series.

This is a big one not just for final bragging rights for both schools, but also for conference title aspirations. The losing school could basically be eliminated from the race.

In preparation for the game on Saturday, the Sooners have named their captains and all are very familiar with this rivalry. Those captains are [autotag]Ethan Downs[/autotag], [autotag]Trace Ford[/autotag], [autotag]Gavin Freeman[/autotag], [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] and [autotag]Gentry Williams[/autotag].

All five of those players were born and played their high school football in the state of Oklahoma. Downs is from Weatherford and has been the Sooners’ best pass rusher this season leading the team with 4.5 sacks.

Ford is not just from Edmond but he also played for the Cowboys before transferring to the Sooners this past offseason. He’s been a really solid contributor to this defense’s resurgence.

Freeman is from Oklahoma City and has mainly been used as a punt returner and gadget player offensively. It’ll be interesting to see if his role increases at all after a poor offensive performance last Saturday.

Stoops is from Norman and has been one of the best receivers for the Sooners. He leads Oklahoma with 40 receptions, and is fourth in yards and second in touchdowns.

Williams is from Tulsa and has been their best cover guy all season. He missed last week’s game with an injury and it showed big time. This seems to be a good sign about his availability going into this game.

Ultimately, it’s going to mean a lot to these guys who grew up around this rivalry but to walk out of Boone Pickens Stadium with a win, it needs to mean a lot to a lot more than just those five.

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.

Report Card: Poor grades all around as Oklahoma loses to Kansas

Oklahoma struggles nearly across the board areas but how did each position group grade out in the loss to Kansas?

Oklahoma took their first loss of the season on Saturday, falling to the [autotag]Kansas Jayhawks[/autotag] on a rainy and disgusting day in Lawrence. From the first play from scrimmage, it appeared Oklahoma would be in for a fight. And sure enough, that’s precisely what happened.

Oklahoma fell victim to another slow start on both sides of the ball. The Sooners were never able to get their passing game going. Due to the weather conditions, they relied heavily on their offensive line and running backs to generate offense.

The sooners will try and figure things out as they get set to take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys in what will be the last Bedlam for quite some time.

OU played a rough game on all fronts. Some things were encouraging, but a lot of the performance put forth was not good enough. We broke it down by position group below.

No. 7 Oklahoma Sooners vs UCF Knights: How to Watch, key players, weather forecast for gameday

Here is how to watch, some key players and the weather forecast for gameday against the UCF Knights.

The Oklahoma Sooners are set to take on another [autotag]Big 12 Conference[/autotag] newcomer, the [autotag]UCF Knights[/autotag] in Norman on Saturday. The Knights come in 3-3 whereas the Sooners are first in the Big 12 and undefeated at 6-0.

Both teams are coming off a bye week. The last time they played, the Sooners knocked off the Texas Longhorns in a thrilling showdown at the Cotton Bowl. The Knights had a tough 29-point loss to the [autotag]Kansas Jayhawks[/autotag].

The bye weeks couldn’t have come at a better time for both schools. Oklahoma was nursing some injuries and hope to get some of those guys back like [autotag]Troy Everett[/autotag] and [autotag]Gentry Williams[/autotag], who left the game against the Longhorns. According to Brent Venables, Savion Byrd, Kani Walker, Jasiah Wagoner, and Makari Vickers are back.

For UCF, it sounds like they’ll get back their do-everything quarterback, but also they need to regroup. The Knights have lost three straight games and have given up 36 or more points in those three games.

It should be a good game in Norman, OK, so let’s check out how you can watch the game, the injury report, players to watch, and the weather forecast if you decide to be in attendance.

Midseason positional review: How have the Oklahoma Sooners looked at the midway point?

How have each position group done so far for the Oklahoma Sooners at the midway point?

The Oklahoma Sooners have hit the midway point of the 2023 college football season. The Sooners are undefeated at 6-0 in year two under [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]. Venables is now 13-7

Offensively they’ve been pretty good. They rank No. 6 in total offense, No. 9 in 3rd down offense, No. 2 in 1st down offense, and No. 4 in scoring offense.

The defense has also been pretty good and shown vast improvement. They rank No. 50 in total defense, No. 12 in 3rd down defense, No. 31 in rush defense, and No. 2 in turnovers forced.

There is still much improvement that needs to be made for both units, but so far, they’ve made significant strides.

Prior to the season, I broke down each position group, so let’s go through and see how they are doing at this point and give them a midseason grade.

15 highest-graded Oklahoma Sooners through Week 6 per Pro Football Focus

The Oklahoma Sooners are now 6-0 on the seasons after their win over Texas. Which Sooners are the highest-graded after week 6, according to Pro Football Focus.

It takes a team effort to start the season 6-0. Oklahoma is playing well on both sides of the ball through the midpoint of the season. It leads the Big 12 in scoring offense and scoring defense. Nationally, the Sooners are No. 4 in the nation in scoring offense and No. 11 in scoring defense.

They are getting fantastic play from a number of individuals on both sides of the ball. But the biggest difference with this team compared to years past is what’s happening on defense.

It can’t be overstated how much better the defense is. The unit is a big reason Oklahoma is 6-0. Eight of its 15 highest-graded players through the first six weeks of the season are on the defensive side of the ball.

Among players accounting for at least 25% of the snaps, here are the 15 highest-graded Sooners through Week 6, according to Pro Football Focus.

Minimum Offensive Snaps: 119

Minimum Defensive Snaps: 109

Brent Venables provides injury update: Andrel Anthony done for the season

Sooners get some good news and some bad news on the injury front on Monday. Andrel Anthony will miss the remainder of the 2023 season.

The Oklahoma Sooners lost three starters to injuries during the game on Saturday. On Monday night, [autotag]Brent Venables [/autotag]gave an update on each of the players.

The good news is Venables said [autotag]Gentry Williams[/autotag] is good to go. Also, after a scary injury where he was carted off the field, [autotag]McKade Mettauer[/autotag] will be back “sooner rather than later,” according to Venables.

But the Sooners also received some bad news. Oklahoma will be without leading receiver [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag] for the rest of the season. Anthony went down with what looked like a noncontact knee injury at the end of the third quarter.

He’s been huge for the Sooners in his first year in the crimson and cream. From the very first game, it has looked like he and [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] had developed a special connection. He’s been the most consistent deep threat for the Sooners.

Anthony has 27 catches for 429 yards and a touchdown on the season. The Sooners’ depth is going to have to rise to the occasion. [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] is the one who replaced Anthony during the game and caught the game-winning touchdown pass.

He’s the most likely candidate to take his spot in the starting lineup. Anderson leads the Sooners with six touchdowns on the season.

You could also see a healthy dose of [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag]. For the deep threat, we could see some more of [autotag]Brenen Thompson[/autotag], who we saw against the Iowa State Cyclones but didn’t see last week.

Anthony is just a junior, so he most likely will be back next season, but it’s a tough blow for a guy having a career year for Oklahoma. Now it’s up to his teammates to make up for the loss of his production.

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.

Report Card: Sooners pass biggest test of the season in win over Texas

The Sooners won an instant classic against their rivals from Texas 34-30. We went and graded every position group’s performance.

Oklahoma’s win over Texas was a significant notch in the belt of head coach Brent Venables. It also signified the revitalization of Oklahoma football, just a year removed from getting blasted 49-0 in the same stadium by the Longhorns.

Venables’ team spent the entire offseason leveling up and striving to return to the standard people have become accustomed to.

This season, the Sooners handled everything that came their way. Every setback or adversity they faced in their first five games prepared them for Saturday in Dallas. The entire team and coaching staff handled it masterfully as the Sooners beat Texas, 34-30.

It was the most complete performance of the season, and some of the most significant areas the Sooners needed to work on after last season’s 6-7 record were on full display. After passing a test like that, it’s time to pass out some grades. It’s report card time.

5 Texas players to know ahead of this year’s Red River Rivalry game

Five players to watch when the Oklahoma Sooners take on the Texas Longhorns in the Red River Rivalry.

The week is here. The stage is set, and the Oklahoma Sooners are set to take on their most despised rival, the Texas Longhorns.

After beating Cincinnati on the road and hanging 50 points in a 30-point win against Iowa State, Oklahoma is 5-0 (2-0 Big 12). Texas is also 5-0 (2-0 Big 12) and has beaten Alabama on the road. The win against Alabama has catapulted the Longhorns’ season into the stratosphere. The expectations for Texas are now sky-high.

They enter the game ranked No. 3 in the US LBM Coaches Poll, while Oklahoma is No. 12.

When looking at how each team has recruited, Texas is more talented than the Sooners.

They are a deep team with a plethora of talent at every position group. Oklahoma’s hands will be full on Saturday. While the anticipation builds, we’ve highlighted five Texas players who will play a significant part in deciding who wins this game.

Check it out below.

15 highest-graded Oklahoma Sooners through Week 5 per Pro Football Focus

Five games into the season, who are the highest-graded Oklahoma Sooners according to Pro Football Focus?

Football is a team game, but it’s made up of individual performances that enhance the whole. This season, the Sooners are playing well on both sides of the ball and have a top-five scoring offense and defense.

But what’s happening in 2023 is a change of pace from years past.

Of the Sooners’ top 15 highest-graded players, according to Pro Football Focus, nine of them are on the defensive side of the ball. Oklahoma has an elite offense but looks like they have an elite defense to match for what feels like the first time in forever.

Minimum Offensive Snaps: 99

Minimum Defensive Snaps: 89