Tag: Isaiah Coe

How did EA Sports rate Oklahoma’s defense in ‘College Football 25?’

When “College Football 25” drops, the Oklahoma Sooners will open with one of the best defenses in the country.

EA Sports is releasing “College Football 25” on July 19, and fans are excited for the return of the college football video game series.

On Thursday, EA released its defensive ratings for the 25 best defenses in the game, and Oklahoma is just outside the top 10.

“College Football 25” has OU as the No. 12 defense ahead of the launch of the highly anticipated video game. It’s the No. 4 best defense in the [autotag]SEC[/autotag]. This comes following the mutual parting of ways between the program and former defensive coordinator [autotag]Ted Roof[/autotag] and the hiring of his replacement, [autotag]Zac Alley[/autotag].

On the field, the Sooners have plenty of experienced talent returning on the defensive side of the ball. The secondary is led by [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag] at safety and [autotag]Woodi Washington[/autotag] at cornerback, but features plenty of young talent as well.

[autotag]Gentry Williams[/autotag] and [autotag]Kani Walker[/autotag] will battle for the spot opposite of Washington. [autotag]Robert Spears-Jennings[/autotag] and [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag] will see an increase in snaps this year with the departures of [autotag]Key Lawrence[/autotag] and [autotag]Reggie Pearson[/autotag].

The defensive line sees some change but still has [autotag]Ethan Downs[/autotag] leading the way up front. [autotag]Da’Jon Terry[/autotag] and [autotag]Trace Ford[/autotag] are veterans who will aid in the development of younger players like [autotag]Damonic Williams[/autotag], [autotag]R Mason Thomas[/autotag], [autotag]Jayden Jackson[/autotag], [autotag]Adepoju Adebawroe[/autotag] and [autotag]David Stone[/autotag]. The defensive line is in a solid place moving forward even after losing [autotag]Jordan Kelley[/autotag], [autotag]Isaiah Coe[/autotag], [autotag]Jonah Laulu[/autotag] and [autotag]Rondell Bothroyd[/autotag]. The Sooners also saw [autotag]Jermayne Lole[/autotag] flip his commitment from OU to Texas in the spring portal window.

The strength of the defense is the talent and depth at linebacker. At the inside spots, [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] returns as the heart and soul of the unit. [autotag]Jaren Kanak[/autotag], [autotag]Kobie McKinzie[/autotag], [autotag]Kip Lewis[/autotag] and [autotag]Lewis Carter[/autotag] will all see plenty of snaps alongside Stutsman. The loss of [autotag]Justin Harrington[/autotag] at the cheetah position stings, but [autotag]Kendel Dolby[/autotag], [autotag]Dasan McCullough[/autotag] and [autotag]Samuel Omosigho[/autotag] provide Alley will plenty of options at that spot.

The Sooners open with an 88 overall defense in “College Football 25,” tied with Texas, Penn State, Utah, Florida State and Iowa.

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Trace Ford brings much-needed experience to Oklahoma’s defensive line

Trace Ford will step into a leadership role in his second season as a Sooner.

The Oklahoma Sooners return plenty of experience on the defensive side of the ball in 2024. However, most of it comes at the linebacker position and in the secondary.

Defensive line is a different story for OU entering Year 3 under head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]. While there is some experience in the trenches with Ethan Downs and Da’Jon Terry, a number of new faces will have to get acclimated to [autotag]Miguel Chavis[/autotag]’ and [autotag]Todd Bates[/autotag]’ way of doing things.

Oklahoma lost standout performers [autotag]Rondell Bothroyd[/autotag], [autotag]Jonah Laulu[/autotag], [autotag]Isaiah Coe[/autotag], [autotag]Jacob Lacey[/autotag] and [autotag]Jordan Kelley[/autotag]. The veterans were crucial to last year’s step forward up front.

Each of those players were redshirt seniors, and all but Lacey ran out of eligibility. Lacey was forced to medically retire prior to spring football.

But another redshirt senior, [autotag]Trace Ford[/autotag], decided to return for his second season in Norman. He’ll step into more of a leadership role as OU moves from the [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] to the [autotag]SEC[/autotag].

Ford isn’t the most experienced player on the D-line for the Sooners (that would be Downs). He may not be a starter at his defensive end position (it’ll likely be [autotag]R Mason Thomas[/autotag] opposite Downs). But, his experience in college football will be extremely valuable for the bevy of talented true freshmen that Chavis and Bates brought in. As a former transfer, he’ll also be a resource for the younger transfer portal additions, such as [autotag]Damonic Williams[/autotag].

Ford played mostly in a reserve role last year on a crowded defensive line. After transferring from Oklahoma State following 8 1/2 sacks in three seasons, he had 18 tackles last year for the Sooners. He also snagged one interception against Tulsa.

Modest stats, sure, but Oklahoma is entering a conference where the trenches are the difference between winning and losing games. Teams that are strong up front and have the athletes to get the job done, typically win in the SEC. The teams that don’t get swallowed up and exposed quickly.

The offensive line remains a question mark for the Sooners, but the defensive line is an area to watch after a lot of player movement since this winter. Having a player like Ford, who provides depth and experience, can only serve to help OU the deeper they get into the season.

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Sooners DL gets huge boost for 2024 with the return of Da’Jon Terry

The Oklahoma Sooners got some more new good news as their anchor in the middle will return in 2024.

While it seems like this has been a crazy week for the Oklahoma Sooners, they did receive some more good news on Thursday. The Sooners have been waiting to see how many of their key players from the 2023 season would return and how many would leave.

They are still waiting on a few guys to make that decision, but one very big piece, no pun intended, made his announcement Thursday. [autotag]Da’Jon Terry[/autotag] announced on social media that he would be returning to the Sooners in 2024.

The 6-foot-3, 321-pound defensive tackle was arguably the Sooners best defensive lineman in 2023. He was the man who clogged up the middle of the defense on key goal-line stands, including the one in the [autotag]Red River Rivalry[/autotag].

 

His numbers aren’t eye-popping. He finished with 17 tackles, three tackles for loss and one sack. But unless you are a superstar like Aaron Donald, for example, your numbers at that position usually aren’t off the charts. That position is key for clogging up the middle and holding blocks so the linebackers can fly around and make plays.

That’s what he did all season, and you need that big of a body when you head to the [autotag]SEC[/autotag]. Oklahoma is going to need more of those kinds of players before next season. Something they are trying to do in the portal.

But with the losses of [autotag]Isaiah Coe[/autotag] and [autotag]Jordan Kelley[/autotag], the Sooners needed Terry to come back. If so, they could only lose two key players at defensive tackle going into 2024.

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5 positions the Oklahoma Sooners should target via the transfer portal

With the transfer portal set to open up next week, what position groups could the Sooners target for some help?

With just one game left to put a bow on the 2023 season, Oklahoma’s vision has widened a bit to prepare for 2024. 2024 is a significant year in the history of Oklahoma football as the Sooners will be moving to the SEC along with the Texas Longhorns.

Oklahoma’s 2023 season is a success after a dismal 2022 campaign where they won just six games. The Sooners have already won 10 games and have shown a lot of growth on and off the field.

Looking at the roster heading into the new calendar year, it’s easy to see that while Oklahoma got better, they will have some holes they must address immediately.

And that’s where the transfer portal comes in.

Oklahoma could lose significant pieces on the offensive and defensive lines and at quarterback. They could also add talent to the secondary and the linebacker unit.

This year, they benefitted from the transfer portal by landing Walter Rouse from Stanford, a rock-solid left tackle who routinely posted some of the best pass-blocking grades on the team, per Pro Football Focus. Da’Jon Terry was a foundational piece of a defense that took a step forward.

Other names like Andrel Anthony, Dasan McCullough, and Reggie Pearson made immediate impacts in their first year with the Sooners.

The transfer portal doesn’t officially open until Dec. 4, but players nationwide have begun announcing their plans to enter the portal.

Here’s a look at five positions the Sooners could target in the transfer portal.

Report Card: Offensive fireworks help gloss over Sooners’ defensive woes

Offense dominates the day and passes final Big 12 test en route to a 69-45 win over TCU. We graded the team’s performance in this week’s report card.

Oklahoma has rebounded from the nightmarish season from 2022. They’ll spend the rest of Thanksgiving weekend at 10-2, a sharp contrast from the 6-6 record they amassed before their bowl game last year.

Friday saw the Sooners end their final regular season as Big 12 members in true Big 12 fashion with an old-fashioned shootout. The two teams combined for over 1,000 yards of total offense and 114 points in a 69-45 Oklahoma win.

Senior Day festivities preceded the game, with more than 20 Sooners recognized. Oklahoma’s win also solidified their 59th undefeated home record as well.

As Oklahoma waits to see how the rest of the Big 12 race plays out, we’re here to grade their performance in the win over TCU. Here’s the final report card for the regular season.

‘Fight for our brothers, fight for our seniors’: Isaiah Coe on the message to the team heading to the 4th Quarter vs. BYU

Isaiah Coe and Danny Stutsman have been two big leaders for this Oklahoma team and they showed it once again with a strong message vs. BYU.

At the end of the third quarter on Saturday, the Oklahoma Sooners were locked in a tie ball game with the [autotag]BYU Cougars[/autotag]. How the Sooners finished the game was now at the forefront.

Since [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] took over, the Sooners had not won a one-possession road game. The Sooners’ only two losses on the season were one-possession games on the road. As they headed to the fourth quarter inside Lavell Edwards Stadium, [autotag]Isaiah Coe[/autotag] and [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] huddled the team up to give a few words of encouragement.

Coe spoke to the media about what was said during that huddle. “We just try to go out there and tell everybody to believe,” Coe said. “Go out there and fight. This is our last road game in the Big 12, so go out there and fight. Last year, we probably would have lost that game, if I’m being honest. Just having that fight, having that will, just being gutsy. Just having that pride in the sense that we are not going to lose this game. Just go fight for our brothers, fight for our seniors.”

The Sooners did fight, The defense was able to get a strip sack, which set up a game-winning touchdown run by Gavin Sawchuk in the fourth quarter. The defense then forced a three-and-out, and the offense would hold the ball for the next 5:08 to seal the win.

That may go under the radar, but could have been a key moment in saving Oklahoma’s Big 12 title game chances.

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20 highest-graded Oklahoma Sooners through Week 10 per Pro Football Focus

The 20 highest-graded Oklahoma Sooners through week 10 per Pro Football Focus.

Though the Oklahoma Sooners are on a two-game losing streak, they’ve already surpassed their win total from a year ago with three games to go and a bowl game.

They still have a shot at a Big 12 title game berth. And after 6-7, that’s all we can really ask for.

The offense has shown improvement on third down and in the red zone. Dillon Gabriel is having a career year. The defense has shown significant improvement this season. A year ago, they allowed 30 or more points seven times. This year that’s only happened once against Kansas. Texas scored 30, but seven of those can be attributed to special teams on the blocked punt.

Yes, they lost winnable games the last two weeks, playing uncharacteristically sloppy football. Otherwise, they’ve been a really good team this year.

As they get ready to close the season, here are the top 20 highest-graded players according to Pro Football Focus through week 10.

Minimum 25% snap count

Offense: 177.75

Defense: 167.75

Week 11 captains announced for the Oklahoma Sooners vs. West Virginia Mountaineers

The Oklahoma Sooners have announced who their captains will be vs. the West Virginia Mountaineers.

The Oklahoma Sooners are coming off back-to-back losses, but it’s now time to move forward. There’s still an outside chance the Sooners can make the [autotag]Big 12 Championship[/autotag] game. That starts this week as the Sooners return home to play the [autotag]West Virginia Mountaineers[/autotag].

On Monday, the Sooners announced who would be representing them as captains for the Week 11 conference game. That would be [autotag]Isaiah Coe[/autotag], [autotag]Jacob Lacey[/autotag], [autotag]McKade Mettauer[/autotag], [autotag]Austin Stogner[/autotag] and [autotag]Tawee Walker[/autotag].

Coe and Lacey are two of the key reasons the Sooners sit at No. 48 in the nation in run defense. They’ll be tested once again against a really good West Virginia rushing attack on Saturday. Coe has 22 tackles and two tackles for loss. Lacey has 15 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, and one sack on the season.

Mettauer has been big all season long for the Sooners. Since his return from injury, it looks like the Sooners running game is finding its groove. We’ll see if that continues this weekend.

Stogner has had an up-and-down season. He has 10 catches for 91 yards but has been asked to be a key blocker for this team. After a rough first half, he seemed to play a much better second half this past Saturday.

Walker has been a pleasant surprise in 2023. The walk-on leads the team in rushing with 444 yards and is second in rushing touchdowns with six. He returned from injury last week and had a great day in limited action.

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Report Card: Offense’s dysfunction dooms Sooners chance to end Bedlam on top

Grading the Oklahoma Sooners by position group in their loss to Oklahoma State.

If Saturday was the last time Bedlam is played, the Oklahoma Sooners will always regret how things went in their final game against their in-state rivals. The Sooners will walk away from this game knowing they have dominated this series. There’s no debating that the Sooners have owned the Cowboys. But on Saturday, Oklahoma had the chance to put one final bow on this lopsided series, and they didn’t get it done.

Oklahoma State came out swinging, and the Sooners responded. But the most common theme was Oklahoma’s offense stalling on four different possessions once they got to the Oklahoma State side of the field. Most notably on the Sooners’ final drive of the game.

Defensively, Oklahoma played well enough to win. After getting bullied early, the defense found its footing and locked in the remainder of the contest.

In the end, the dysfunction and mistakes on offense put Oklahoma in a near-impossible spot. When it mattered most, they couldn’t rectify their own mistakes.

Oklahoma will move on and turn their attention to West Virginia. Before that, it’s time to pass out grades for Oklahoma’s performance against Mike Gundy’s Oklahoma State Cowboys.

Isaiah Coe’s message to his teammates following Saturday’s loss? ‘Just keep fighting’

Saturday’s loss was a tough one, but Isaiah Coe has a message for his teammates.

The Oklahoma Sooners fell to the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Saturday in the final Bedlam game for the foreseeable future. It was a heartbreaking loss for the players and the fan base.

The Sooners had plenty of chances to separate themselves and come away with a win, but as we’ve seen too many times in the [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]’ era, they were unable to win a close game. That’s beginning to be a bit of a trend for the Sooners. Mistakes that weren’t typical prior to the Red River Rivalry win have plagued Oklahoma in their last three games. It’s no coincidence they’ve gone 1-2 since the bye week.

Isaiah Coe talked about it after the game about what his message is to the team. “Just keep fighting,” Coe said. “The season is not done yet. We’ve still got a couple more games, a bowl game, you know, just keep fighting. Finish strong. Try to finish the course. Do what we came here to do. Have some pride.”

While the loss makes the conference title far more difficult, the Sooners still have a chance to show they are much improved from a season ago. We’ve seen it this year. The defense has taken major steps. Last year they were the No. 122 ranked total defense. In 2023, they’ve improved to No. 60 in the nation. That’s a major jump. They also rank 22nd in scoring defense.

It wasn’t all bad yesterday. Several young players for the Sooners got into the game due to injury and showed what the future might hold for this program. Whether it was [autotag]Kip Lewis[/autotag] with 15 tackles or [autotag]Kobie McKenzie[/autotag] and [autotag]Robert Spear-Jennings[/autotag] with seven tackles a piece, the Sooners’ young stars showed out.

While yesterday’s loss stings, the future is bright. It’s going to be a bumpy road early on, but if they stick with it and let the young guys on the team grow, all of these struggles will be worth it in the end.

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