Tag: gracen halton

Stingy defense leads Sooners to 51-3 win over Temple Owls

The Oklahoma Sooners defense forced six turnovers to lead the way in a 51-3 win over the Temple Owls.

The Oklahoma Sooners took care of business in their 51-3 win over the Temple Owls.

On a night when OU honored the 1974 and 1975 national championship teams, squads that had great defenses, OU’s defense led the way for the Sooners, forcing six turnovers.

Temple took the opening kick, but couldn’t create much before going three and out. And that was about as productive as the Owls would be in the first half. Defensively, Oklahoma forced Temple to go punt, fumble, punt, interception, fumble, punt, punt, and fumble.

[autotag]Ethan Downs[/autotag] forced the Sooners first turnover of the season, a strip of quarterback Forrest Brock, which was recovered by Da’Jon Terry. Cornerback [autotag]Kani Walker[/autotag] grabbed Oklahoma’s first interception of the season picking off a tipped pass by cheetah linebacker [autotag]Kendel Dolby[/autotag]. [autotag]Robert Spears-Jennings[/autotag] and [autotag]Gracen Halton[/autotag] also forced fumbles in the first half to help create a strong start in the turnover department for the Sooners.

The Sooners offense took advantage of a stingy defensive effort by scoring on six of their eight possessions in the first half.

On the Sooner’s first offensive possession, [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] led OU on a seven-play 76-yard touchdown drive, culminating in a 14-yard scoring strike between Arnold and tight end [autotag]Bauer Sharp[/autotag]. It was the first of four touchdown passes for the Sooners five-star quarterback, who was making his first start at home.

The Sooners took advantage of good field position provided by the defense to lead a five-play, 46-yard drive ending on Arnold’s second touchdown pass of the day, this time to [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag].

[autotag]Tyler Keltner[/autotag] provided some answers at kicker, nailing field goal attempts of 50 and 46 yards to put the Sooners up 20-0.

Though the offense slowed a bit in the second quarter, they closed the half strong, with touchdowns on two of their last three possessions. A nice return from [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag] gave OU the ball in the Temple half of the field, and Oklahoma drove the ball 44 yards on five plays for another Burks touchdown.

After OU punted late in the half, the defense forced yet another turnover inside the Temple 10-yard line, and Arnold cashed in with his fourth touchdown pass of the day and third to Burks to put Oklahoma up 34-0 at halftime.

In the second half, the Sooners’ offense struggled to get going punting on their first possession. The defense forced a three and out and Keltner pushed his third field goal of the day through the uprights to put the Sooners up 37-0.

Temple began to generate some offense on their second possession of the half, moving the ball inside the Sooners 20-yard line. However, sacks from [autotag]Ethan Downs[/autotag] and a combination of [autotag]Ashton Sanders[/autotag] and [autotag]Gracen Halton[/autotag] put the Owls in a 3rd-and-22 situation. After an incomplete pass, Temple kicked a field goal for their only points of the game.

The rest of the way, it was about the Sooners’ defense. [autotag]Lewis Carter[/autotag] forced a fumble on a punt, which was scooped up by [autotag]Jaren Kanak[/autotag] and returned for a touchdown.

True freshman safety [autotag]Jaydan Hardy[/autotag] recorded the first interception of his Sooners career, the sixth of the game for Oklahoma.

On Oklahoma’s final drive of the game, it was true freshman running back [autotag]Taylor Tatum[/autotag] doing the heavy lifting. He carried the ball four times for 66 yards, finishing the drive with an eight-yard touchdown. Fellow true freshman quarterback [autotag]Michael Hawkins[/autotag] also looked good on the drive, showing off his athleticism and quick release to help the Sooners move the ball down the field.

Defensive tackle [autotag]Markus Strong[/autotag] finished off the Owls with a pair of sacks on their final drive of the game.

It was a strong defensive performance, however, as the Sooners allowed just 197 yards of total offense and 1.9 yards per rushing attempt. The Sooners forced six turnovers, recorded six sacks nine tackles for loss, and rarely let the Owls offense create much momentum.

The Sooners offense looked good in stretches, but with several starters out along the offensive line, there wasn’t much cohesion up front. Arnold was sacked four times, and regularly the Sooners rushing attack was bottled up. A talking point for much of the offseason wasn’t resolved in week one and perhaps has created more questions.

Though the running game produced 217 yards at 6.2 yards per carry, it wasn’t a consistent performance, especially in the first half. Oklahoma ran for 87 yards in the first half and 130 yards in the second.

Arnold was efficient, going 17 of 25 for 141 yards and four touchdowns. Though his yards per attempt (5.64) will be nothing to write home about, he didn’t have a ton of time to work the ball down the field. Yet he played mistake-free football, and with a defense like Oklahoma’s is key.

Injuries along the offensive line will be important to monitor moving forward. [autotag]Branson Hickman[/autotag] exited the game with an ankle injury. [autotag]Geirean Hatchett[/autotag] and [autotag]Joshua Bates[/autotag] finished the game at center for the Sooners.

[autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag] is also an injury situation to monitor. He left the game early as well. Farooq came through with a big 47-yard possession on the Sooners opening drive of the game. Brent Venables revealed after the game that Farooq broke his foot and will be out 4-6 weeks.

It was a solid performance from the Sooners in all three phases. If they can continue to get defensive efforts like the one tonight against Temple, it’ll take a lot of pressure off of an offense that has some questions to answer along the offensive line. They’ll need to improve their rushing attack as they move forward, but there were some building blocks to work with.

The Sooners move to 1-0 on the season and get set to host the Houston Cougars in week two.

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College Football experts say Sooners freshman DT has a chance to start

Could a freshman defensive tackle be on the verge of starting for the Oklahoma Sooners?

The Oklahoma Sooners worked overtime to reestablish a defensive culture over the last several years. In particular, head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag], co-defensive coordinator and defensive tackles coach [autotag]Todd Bates[/autotag] and defensive ends coach [autotag]Miguel Chavis[/autotag] made improving the defensive line a top priority.

In their first two recruiting classes (2022, 2023), they made splashes, adding four-star prospects [autotag]Gracen Halton[/autotag] and [autotag]R Mason Thomas[/autotag] (2022) and five-star defensive end [autotag]Adepoju Adebawore[/autotag]. But the big recruiting win came in the 2024 recruiting class when they added five blue-chip prospects: [autotag]David Stone[/autotag], [autotag]Nigel Smith[/autotag], [autotag]Wyatt Gilmore[/autotag], [autotag]Danny Okoye[/autotag] and [autotag]Jayden Jackson[/autotag].

There’s a great deal of excitement about the defensive line that’s been put together, but it can be challenging to make the jump from high school football to playing in the SEC. A pair of college football experts believe one of those true freshmen could start up front for the Venables and [autotag]Zac Alley[/autotag]’s defense.

On a recent episode of “The Oklahoma Breakdown” with Sooners legends [autotag]Teddy Lehman[/autotag] and [autotag]Gabe Ikard[/autotag], the duo was asked what they thought the starting offensive and defensive lines would look like for Week 1. Lehman mentioned Jackson could start.

“Well I think defensive line, right now, I would say it’s probably going to be [autotag]Damonic Williams[/autotag]. Then, between [autotag]Jayden Jackson[/autotag] and [autotag]Da’Jon Terry[/autotag], I would probably say I slightly lean toward [autotag]Jayden Jackson[/autotag].”

Ikard said he considered Williams, Jackson and Terry to all be “starters,” with [autotag]Gracen Halton[/autotag], [autotag]David Stone[/autotag] and [autotag]Davon Sears[/autotag] working in rotation roles for the Sooners.

There have been reports Jackson has been having a great camp, continuing the upward trajectory in his development over the last few years. The former IMG Academy prospect had a number of offers out of high school. With his unique blend of size, strength and quickness, Jackson has a chance to be a three-down defensive tackle, making an impact against the run and on passing downs. He plays with really good leverage, and his first step is special. He’s disruptive and does a great job holding his spot when double-teamed.

The Sooners upgraded their defensive tackle room significantly this offseason by adding transfer Damonic Williams. While the hope was their 2024 signees would make an impact, the possibility of Jackson starting signals the potential the class offers in 2024 and beyond.

Along with Williams and Jackson, both Ikard and Lehman agreed [autotag]Ethan Downs[/autotag] and [autotag]R Mason Thomas[/autotag] would be the starting defensive ends for the Sooners Week 1 against Temple.

Downs has been the foundation of the Sooners defensive line over the last few years. His consistent ability as a pass rusher and run defender makes him invaluable along the defensive line. Entering his fourth season, the veteran will lead the way for the Sooners.

Thomas has special athleticism. Injuries have kept him from making a consistent impact, but when he’s been on the field, he’s flashed immense potential. If he can stay healthy this season, he’ll flirt with eight sacks.

The Sooners defensive line is better than what it was a year ago when they improved in short-yardage situations and really across the board. Now it’s only a matter of seeing how much better the defense will be as a whole with an improved unit up front.

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Oklahoma Sooners success isn’t all on Jackson Arnold

The Oklahoma Sooners have a more complete team heading into 2024, taking some of the pressure off of their first year starter at quarterback

Quarterback is the most important position in football. Make no mistake about it. That’s why they’re the highest-paid players in the NFL and why they’re moving the biggest needle on the name, image and likeness licensing front.

But football is the ultimate team sport. Having great quarterback play can elevate a team that may have other deficiencies. That’s what we saw during the [autotag]Baker Mayfield[/autotag], [autotag]Kyler Murray[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalen Hurts[/autotag] era of Sooner football. Those elite quarterbacks were able to put the Sooners into contention despite a defense that wasn’t consistent enough.

That isn’t the case anymore. For what feels like the first time in a long time, the Oklahoma Sooners aren’t solely dependent on their quarterback to be superhuman.

So while all eyes are on [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] and the Oklahoma offense, the Sooners are heading into the SEC in somewhat unfamiliar territory. The strength of the team is on the defensive side of the ball.

Led by a talented and experienced defensive unit, the Sooners look ready to change the narrative that’s persisted for the last decade. Entering Year 1 in the SEC, Oklahoma isn’t going to rely on its quarterback playing Super Saiyan football for an entire season for it to have a chance to win football games.

That’s because they have a defense capable of being one of the best in the conference, which will take the pressure off Arnold and the offense. Gone are the days when the Sooners have to score 40 to have a chance to win. After allowing 30 points per game in the first season under Brent Venables in 2022, the Sooners have improved by nearly a touchdown a game to 23.5 points per game.

They allowed 30 or more in just three games last season and allowed fewer than four yards per carry. This team held the vaunted Texas offense to 23 points in the Red River Showdown, forcing the 2024 Heisman front-runner into two interceptions and stopping the Longhorns short of the end zone four times from the 1-yard line.

They weren’t perfect last year. There’s room to improve, but the Oklahoma Sooners did just that.

Venables convinced [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag], [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag], [autotag]Woodi Washington[/autotag] and [autotag]Da’Jon Terry[/autotag] to return for another season. That gave the Sooners valuable experience and production. In addition to the development of [autotag]Gracen Halton[/autotag], they added one of the more dynamic defensive tackles in the nation, [autotag]Damonic Williams[/autotag], along with true freshmen phenoms [autotag]David Stone[/autotag] and [autotag]Jayden Jackson[/autotag]. Once considered a weakness of the Sooners’ defense, the defensive interior is now a strength. Combine that with the additions of [autotag]Caiden Woullard[/autotag], who had 9 1/2 sacks for Miami (Ohio), [autotag]Danny Okoye[/autotag], [autotag]Nigel Smith[/autotag], and [autotag]Wyatt Gilmore[/autotag] and the further development of [autotag]R Mason Thomas[/autotag] and [autotag]Adepoju Adebawore[/autotag]. The result is a Sooners defensive front that is loaded with experience and promising young players fighting to break into the rotation.

From the front four to the back seven, the Oklahoma defense is ready to take the next step. And that’s great news for Arnold and the Sooners offense.

The Sooners have a more complete team, even with questions on the offensive side of the ball. They have a team more capable of playing complementary football.

As Arnold gets adjusted to life as the starting quarterback and the offensive line comes together, the defense will lead the way for the Sooners in 2024.

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Oklahoma Sooners transfer target announces official visit date

Looking to add some more depth to the defensive tackle room, the Oklahoma Sooners will be hosting transfer target Philip Blidi on an official visit in April.

The [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] may have windows, but those windows seem to never truly close. The Oklahoma Sooners are looking to add to their defensive line depth this offseason with a pursuit of Indiana defensive tackle transfer Philip Blidi.

The former Hoosier announced he’d be visiting OU on an official visit the weekend of April 19-21. (UPDATED after Blidi corrected his tweet that stated April 12).

Blidi, who spent three years at Texas Tech before transferring to Indiana in 2023, recorded 30 tackles and four tackles for loss for the Hoosiers last season.

In 2022 with the Red Raiders, Blidi had 18 total tackles, four tackles for loss, and two sacks. At 6-foot-3 and 295 pounds, Blidi is a force in the middle.

The Oklahoma Sooners are light on experience at defensive tackle after Jacob Lacey was forced to medically retire. The only defensive tackle that played more than 100 snaps for the Sooners a year ago is [autotag]Da’Jon Terry[/autotag].

Oklahoma has some talented up-and-comers like [autotag]Gracen Halton[/autotag], [autotag]Ashton Sanders[/autotag], [autotag]Markus Strong[/autotag], [autotag]David Stone[/autotag], and [autotag]Jayden Jackson[/autotag]. However, if the Sooners feel like they need more experience taking snaps next to Terry, Blidi would be a good option.

In 2023, Blidi played 444 snaps for Indiana’s defense and was the third highest-graded player on Indiana’s defense, according to Pro Football Focus.

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Best photos from latest Oklahoma Sooners spring practice

Spring ball is heating up and here are the best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners latest spring practice.

Spring practice is in full throttle as the Oklahoma Sooners prepare for the 2024 college football season. There are a number of intriguing storylines to watch this spring with [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] taking over at quarterback and the turnover along the offensive line.

The newcomers are making a strong impression on the media in attendance. [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag] and [autotag]Bauer Sharp[/autotag] have stood out in the passing game as Arnold gets acclimated to life as the starting quarterback.

Defensively, true freshmen [autotag]David Stone[/autotag], [autotag]Jayden Jackson[/autotag], and [autotag]Reggie Powers[/autotag] have mixed in with the first-team defense and looked good in the early going.

There are a number of players that the team is taking precautions with on the injury front, so it’s hard to know who exactly is leading the way in the most high-profile position battles.

What we do know is that this is a deeper team than what the Sooners took into the spring a year ago, especially at wide receiver, defensive back, and linebacker. The competitive depth across the board is better this spring than in any year of the [autotag]Brent Venable[/autotag]s era at Oklahoma, which should serve the team well as they try to work out their depth chart.

Here’s a look at the best photos from the Sooners most recent spring practice.

‘Definitely handling my business’: David Stone knows what he needs to do to see the field early

With the loss of Jacob Lacey, it’s time for the younger guys to step up and David Stone knows what he needs to do.

The Oklahoma Sooners will return one of the more experienced defenses in all of college football in 2024. The one spot that doesn’t have a lot of snaps to its ledger is the interior defensive line.

They bring back [autotag]Da’Jon Terry[/autotag], who played 306 snaps at defensive tackle last season. [autotag]Davon Sears[/autotag], who played a lot for Texas State prior to his arrival to Norman, didn’t play much for the Sooners in 2023. Neither did former four-star [autotag]Gracen Halton[/autotag] or 2023 signees [autotag]Ashton Sanders[/autotag] or [autotag]Markus Strong[/autotag].

Outside of Terry, no other Sooners defensive tackle played more than 100 snaps last season

There are some talented players with potential, but not much in the way of experience.

That’s why it was such a big loss when Jacob Lacey stepped away from the game due to a medical issue. Lacey led the defensive tackle position in snaps last season and was expected to start in 2024. With experienced depth lacking on the roster, the younger guys will have every opportunity to get on the field and make plays.

Someone who has an opportunity to fill that void is [autotag]David Stone[/autotag]. Last week the newcomers did a round of interviews and Stone spoke about what he needs to do to get on the field.

“Definitely handling my business,” Stone said. “Limiting the amount of errors that I make. As a freshman, that’s something that people tend to do is make mistakes but if I want to see the field, I know that’s something I’ve got to limit. I have very small room for error when it comes to technique so I just have to make sure I stay on top of things like that and learning the playbook.”

Defensive tackle is one of the positions that be difficult to make an impact early. They level of talent and physicality takes a significant step up from high school to college and from college to the NFL.

While the physical side is always tough, the mental side can be just as tough, if not more so, for incoming freshmen, especially in a complicated Brent Venables defense. But if Stone can figure things out and get the mental side down, he could be in for a big year.

Stone is no stranger to transition after moving from Del City to IMG Academy to play out his final two years of high school ball. He’s also no stranger to playing against the best as IMG attempted to schedule as difficult a slate of games as possible to highlight their athlete.

Every step of the way, David Stone has risen to the occasion. With his ability and mentality, there’s no reason to doubt he can’t come in and be an impact player in year one.

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DT Jacob Lacey announces return to the Sooners for 2024 season

The Oklahoma Sooners defensive line continues to get a boost after Jacob Lacey announced his return for the 2024 season.

Though the Oklahoma Sooners have suffered a lot of losses on the offensive side of the ball, the defense is retaining players left and right.

Billy Bowman and Danny Stutsman opted to return to Oklahoma instead of a potential top-100 draft selection. Yesterday, Da’Jon Terry announced his return. Coming back to help Terry man the middle for the Sooners will be [autotag]Jacob Lacey[/autotag].

Lacey transferred to Oklahoma from Notre Dame last offseason and became a significant part of the Sooners defensive tackle rotation. Lacey was 11th in defensive snaps, but led the defensive tackle position with 363 snaps in 2023.

In 2023, Lacey recorded 16 total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and a sack. And while those numbers may not be eye-popping, but he and his defensive tackle mates helped improve Oklahoma’s run defense and in particular their short-yardage defense.

In short, they did the dirty work.

Lacey and Terry provide the Sooners veteran leadership at the position as the Sooners continue to bring along [autotag]Gracen Halton[/autotag], [autotag]Ashton Sanders[/autotag], and [autotag]Markus Strong[/autotag] as well as the Sooners vaunted 2024 defensive tackle class projected to be headlined by [autotag]David Stone[/autotag] and [autotag]Jayden Jackson[/autotag].

Lacey and his defensive tackle teammates will be instrumental in the Sooners success when they move to the SEC next year.

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Attack Quinn Ewers: Keys to an Oklahoma Sooners win vs. the Texas Longhorns

Oklahoma faces off with Texas on Saturday in a big time matchup. Here are our 6 keys to the Sooners knocking off the Longhorns.

Oklahoma will have to up the level of play for its showdown with Texas. The Sooners have played some outstanding football throughout the season and have dominated nearly every team they played on one side of the ball or both.

Texas represents a significant leap into a new stratosphere regarding talent and the game’s overall magnitude.

Oklahoma will have to do some things this week that they’ve struggled to do all season. There are some major hurdles in winning the Red River Rivalry game this year.

Without further adieu, let’s look at what Oklahoma can do on Saturday and walk out of Dallas with the Golden Hat and first place in the conference.

How did the Oklahoma Sooners grade out in their win over Cincinnati?

The Sooners earned a solid win on the road over a tough Cincinnati team. How did each position group grade out in this week’s report card?

The Oklahoma Sooners opened Big 12 play with a win that characterizes the growth of this team so far in 2023. It wasn’t a 48-45 game that we grew accustomed to during the Lincoln Riley era.

It was a 20-6 defensive battle where field position and run defense were the key components of the win.

This is what defensive football looks like. Don’t turn the ball over, run the ball, stop the run, win on third down, and win the field position battle.

The Oklahoma Sooners are taking on a new identity under Brent Venables, and while they didn’t light up the scoreboard vs. Cincinnati, they did what they needed to do to get a win on the road in a tough environment.

Here’s a look at this week’s report card.

Sooners DT Gracen Halton taking advantage of every opportunity

A pleasant surprise for the Sooners this year as been the emergence of Gracen Halton. Someone taking advantage of his opportunities.

Much has been made about how well the defensive line has been playing, especially against the run. The Oklahoma Sooners currently rank No. 15 in the nation in run defense.

That in itself is a massive improvement from a season ago. One guy on that defensive line who isn’t getting talked about enough is [autotag]Gracen Halton[/autotag]. Halton has arguably played the best of any of them and constantly flashes when he’s in the game.

Halton told reporters after practice on Monday he has improved from a year ago.

“I won’t say that I’m there but I’ve got a lot of work to do but I’m way better than I was last year,” Halton said. “Technique-wise and everything else, so I’ve got a lot of work to do, but I’m definitely better than last year.”

Halton has been playing as a role player rather than a starter, but he said the starters have really helped him get to where he is today. “I’m just learning from them,” Halton said. “They’re more experienced than me so every opportunity that I get, I’m just trying to go all in. That’s what I’m trying to display and show on TV and for the people watching.”

While his stats aren’t eye-popping, he is second on the team in tackles for loss with 2.5. But it’s the plays he makes consistently that don’t show up on the stat sheet like beating his guy and forcing the runner to cut back right into another tackler.

Stuff like that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet, but it’s stuff that will show up on film. Which will ultimately lead to more playing time for the one they call “G Baby.”

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