Tag: Jackson Arnold

Sooners Wire Staff Predictions for Oklahoma vs. Alabama Crimson Tide

Can the Oklahoma Sooners come out on top vs. the Alabama Crimson Tide? Here are this week’s staff predictions for OU vs. Alabama.

The Oklahoma Sooners have one heck of a challenge on their hands this Saturday night when they take on the Alabama Crimson Tide. Alabama comes to town as the No. 7 team in the nation, hoping to solidify their place in the College Football Playoff field.

The Sooners are searching for that elusive sixth win. A win in either of their next two games gets Oklahoma to bowl eligibility and helps them finish the season on a high note. There’s no rewriting history for the 2024 season, but close it out with a win over Alabama or LSU or both and it’ll provide a little more optimism for the future.

To get you ready for the Sooners Week 13 matchup with the Crimson Tide, here are this week’s Sooners Wire Staff Predictions.

Staff Predictions for Oklahoma at Missouri

Oklahoma’s season has whittled down to just two games remaining, and both come against two of the SEC’s biggest brands. The Sooners will start with the Alabama Crimson Tide at home, the first time they’ve come to Norman since 2002.

Brent Venables coached in that game as a defensive coordinator. His defense will need to be the calling card on Saturday evening as Jalen Milroe and the Bama offense present problems primarily due to how the Crimson Tide can play off Mileoe’s dual-threat ability.

He’ll stay longer than needed in the pocket and is susceptible to sacks, which is where OU must capitalize.

Offensively, Oklahoma will find it hard to win through the air with a talented Bama secondary with players on the backend.

I want to believe Oklahoma musters up enough to scare Alabama, but the Sooners don’t have healthy horses for Kalen DeBoer’s team.

Alabama is playing for its College Football Playoff life, and that will be the difference. I think we see a reasonable effort in the first half, with the Sooners going into the half down less than ten, but Bama will right the ship and pull away in the fourth quarter.

Alabama 31, Oklahoma 13

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3 keys for the Oklahoma Sooners vs. the Alabama Crimson Tide

3 keys to the game between the Sooners and the Crimson Tide.

The Oklahoma Sooners are 5-5 overall in 2024 and just 1-5 in Southeastern Conference play. Year 3 under head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and Year 1 in the [autotag]SEC[/autotag] hasn’t gone as expected, and OU now teeters on the brink of missing a bowl game for the first time since 1998.

The Sooners have lost four of their last five games after a 4-1 start, with the only win coming against FCS Maine. Oklahoma must win one of their final two regular season games in order to extend a 25-year bowl eligibility streak.

Venables’ team hasn’t won a conference game since before the first bye week of the season, and now coming off of the second bye week, the task at hand doesn’t get any easier. The Alabama Crimson Tide roll into Norman, looking to make another statement to the College Football Playoff committee and hope to stay on track to reach the SEC Championship Game.

They are led by head coach Kalen DeBoer, wrapping up his first season in Tuscaloosa after being hired to replace Nick Saban after the legendary coach retired following the 2023 season.

It’s a tall order for Oklahoma this week, but this is college football. Just when you think you know how things are going to go, they change in an instant. That’s what the Sooners are hoping for this week.

Here are three keys to the game between the Sooners and the Crimson Tide.

1. Run The Dang Ball

Interim co-offensive coordinators [autotag]Joe Jon Finley[/autotag] and [autotag]Kevin Johns[/autotag] showed some promising things against Ole Miss, Maine, and Missouri after Seth Littrell was relieved of his duties after the South Carolina loss. But it all came crashing down against Missouri.

The one thing the Sooners were able to do well in that game was run the ball, but Finley seemed reluctant to keep calling run plays and concepts that had worked earlier in the game. Instead, Oklahoma took to the air, which didn’t work at all behind a shaky offensive line and an overwhelmed quarterback.

If [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag] is back this week, that bodes well for OU. Getting [autotag]Taylor Tatum[/autotag] and [autotag]Xavier Robinson[/autotag] heavily involved in the game is a must, even if Barnes is active. The Crimson Tide are good and explosive offensively, so the Sooners must counteract that with a steady diet of the run game.

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Oklahoma Sooners announce date for 2025 Spring Game

The Oklahoma Football program announced the date for the 2025 spring game.

The 2024 season hasn’t gone as anyone would have hoped in the Oklahoma Sooners debut season in the SEC. There have been changes at quarterback and offensive coordinator throughout the year and a number of injuries on the offensive side of the ball have stunted its development. With all of the issues on offense, there will more than likely be a new offensive coordinator at the helm this spring.

This offseason is a pivotal one for the Sooners, who have had their struggles in 2024. But each offseason provides hope for what could be. On Tuesday, the University of Oklahoma announced the date for the 2025 spring game.

Oklahoma will play its annual spring game on April 12, 2025.

The Sooners have had some big events over the last few years at their spring game.

There was the first look at Brent Venables as the Sooners head coach. The unveiling of statues honoring Heisman winners [autotag]Baker Mayfield[/autotag] and [autotag]Kyler Murray[/autotag].

This past spring gave us our first look at [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] as the Oklahoma Sooners starting quarterback.

In 2025, we’ll likely get our first glimpse at what the Sooners offense will look like under the direction of their fourth offensive coordinator in three years. It will also be the first spring game under Venables without Danny Stutsman leading the defense on the field.

Regardless of how 2024 has gone, 2025 provides a fresh opportunity to get back on track. And the 2025 spring game will give us our first glimpse of what next year’s team looks like.

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Oklahoma Sooners captains against Alabama Crimson Tide

The Sooners will be represented by some of their veterans on Senior Day in Norman.

The Oklahoma Sooners will be back at home this week for their final home game of the 2024 season against the Alabama Crimson Tide. It’ll be Senior Day in Norman, as plenty of veteran stalwarts will be playing their final game on Owen Field.

OU head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] announced his game captains for this [autotag]SEC[/autotag] tilt. Quarterback [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], offensive lineman [autotag]Troy Everett[/autotag], defensive lineman [autotag]Ethan Downs[/autotag], linebacker [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] and defensive backs [autotag]Billy Bowman Jr.[/autotag] and [autotag]Woodi Washington[/autotag] will represent the Sooners for this key contest.

Arnold will be a captain for the second straight game after a dismal performance against Missouri. His fumble at the end allowed the Tigers to win a comeback on their home field. Arnold’s standing as a captain would seem to indicate that he’s still Venables’ starter at quarterback.

Everett has become OU’s starting center, taking control of the job after getting healthy in the middle of the season. He’s one of the few veterans still healthy on the offensive line, surrounded by portal acquisitions and youth up front.

Downs is a steady presence at defensive end for the Sooners. He isn’t the flashiest player, but he’s always in the right place. He’s grown into a solid leader and clutch player for Venables over the last three seasons.

Stutsman is the heart and soul of this team. He’s the vocal leader and the enforcer at inside linebacker in the middle of the defense. He’ll play one more game at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, and his career in the crimson and cream has been excellent.

Bowman Jr. is another player who decided to return to school this past offseason, turning down a chance at the pros. If Oklahoma is makes a bowl game, it’ll likely be Bowman making a pivotal play to get them there. His scoop and score against Mizzou should have given the Sooners their sixth win two weeks ago.

Washington is the longest-tenured player on the team, having been a Sooner since 2019. He’s seen it all over his six years in Norman and is a respected veteran voice in a young locker room.

The senior group of Downs, Stutsman, Bowman and Washington are the only four defensive players that remain from the Lincoln Riley-Alex Grinch era at Oklahoma. They have been here for the transformation of OU’s defense over the last three seasons and have a huge hand in what that side of the ball looks like today.

As the season winds to a close for the Sooners, the coaching staff will clearly be looking to Arnold and the veterans to pave the way for Oklahoma to try to upset Alabama.

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Former Oklahoma Sooners star reveals his pick for offensive coordinator

Dusty Dvoracek has his thoughts on who should replace Seth Littrell at offensive coordinator.

It’s no secret the offense has performed well below expectations for the Oklahoma Sooners this year.

With Jeff Lebby leaving to become the coach at Mississippi State at the end of the 2023 regular season, Sooner fans hoped coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]’ decision to promote from within the program would pay off. Instead, it’s done the opposite.

Seth Littrell and [autotag]Joe Jon Finley[/autotag] were promoted to co-offensive coordinators. Littrell served as the quarterbacks coach and the primary play caller. Finley continued to coach the tight ends.

However, it only took seven games for Littrell to be relieved of his duties. The offense was (and still is) broken, and changes had to be made. Finley was installed as the interim play caller and offensive analyst [autotag]Kevin Johns[/autotag] was promoted to interim co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

After promising signs from the duo against Ole Miss and Maine, the offense sank against Missouri in a crushing loss. Finley and Johns will not be the answer next season, and the external search continues for Venables.

With questions over the choice at quarterback, [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] or [autotag]Michael Hawkins Jr.[/autotag], looming and offensive line problems that have to be fixed, there are a multitude of issues for the new OC on the job to address this offseason.

In addition, the questions about what will happen to the other offensive position coaches on the staff will be interesting to watch. Emmett Jones (wide receivers/passing game coordinator), Bill Bedenbaugh (offensive line) and DeMarco Murray (running backs) will have a new boss, if they’re in Norman next season.

There are plenty of opinions on who Venables should hire, but one person who raises eyebrows is beginning to gain some steam. One former standout at OU has put his support behind a once-unlikely candidate.

Former star defensive lineman Dusty Dvoracek thinks former Mississippi State and Florida coach Dan Mullen should take the reins of the Oklahoma offense. He joined fellow OU standouts Gabe Ikard and Teddy Lehman on “The Oklahoma Breakdown with Ikard and Lehman” last week to voice why he would call Mullen if he was Venables.

“On my list, my No. 1 person I’m calling is Dan Mullen,” the ESPN college football color commentator said. “I have no idea, outside of a major head coaching opportunity, if he’d even entertain this conversation. If you’re asking me what I’d do, I’d pick up the phone and make him tell me no. … The dude can coach offense with anybody in the sport, and he can develop quarterbacks as well as anybody in the sport.”

Dvoracek and Mullen are colleagues at ESPN. The latter has been a studio analyst and color commentator since the 2022 season. It’s been his gig since he was fired by Florida late in the 2021 regular season.

Mullen was Florida’s offensive coordinator under Urban Meyer when the Gators won two national championships in the 2000s. He developed Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow during that time.

He became Mississippi State’s coach in 2009 and served their until 2017. The Bulldogs had some of their best years under Mullen, including the 2014 season where they reached No. 1 in the rankings and beat Alabama. He mentored Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott during his time in Starkville.

He returned to Florida as the coach in 2018, leading to three good seasons before he was fired during a rough 2021 campaign. His supporters note his success as a play caller in the [autotag]SEC[/autotag], while his detractors call out his lack of a strong recruiting presence in his latter years with the Gators.

It’s absolutely imperative for Venables to nail this offensive coordinator search. His future and the program’s future ride so heavily on him getting this move right, heading into a make-or-break 2025 season.

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Should the Oklahoma Sooners have a quarterback competition?

Should the Oklahoma Sooners open up the quarterback job to a competition with two games remaining in the season?

The Oklahoma Sooners are 10 games into the season and haven’t found a consistent answer at quarterback in 2024. That’s such an anomaly for OU Football, a place that features four Heisman winners over the last 25 years and several more finalists. Poor quarterback play isn’t the norm in Norman.

The problems on offense are many. The offense has struggled with injuries, which has certainly impacted everyone around the quarterback. At the same time, turnovers in key situations once again killed any chance the Sooners had of winning a hard-fought game.

The Sooners’ defense gave Oklahoma a chance to win the football game. When OU only needed a field goal to beat the Tigers, [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] fumbled the ball, and the game away.

Twice this season, turnovers have led to changes at quarterback. Arnold had another critical turnover on a night when he wasn’t productive in the offense, throwing for just 74 yards and 3.1 yards per attempt.

He and true freshman quarterback [autotag]Michael Hawkins Jr.[/autotag] have each shown some good things this season. Neither has been able to stake their claim to the starting quarterback job with much authority.

Earlier this season, Brent Venables didn’t rule out the idea of using both quarterbacks in a game. With two games to go, the time may be now to do so.

What Oklahoma does at quarterback in 2025 is one of the bigger storylines ahead of the upcoming offseason. The Sooners have two more games to figure out if either guy can be counted on to be the guy next year or if they need to go into the transfer portal for a veteran quarterback option.

As the Sooners give some of the younger guys some snaps over the next few weeks, finding a scripted series or two for Hawkins could be good for his development. The last time he was on the field was early in the first quarter against South Carolina. He’s a better player than those first three series revealed.

Though Casey Thompson provides you with an experienced voice in the quarterback room, does it make sense to put him on the field and take valuable developmental snaps away from your young quarterbacks? I don’t think so. His experience is valuable, but in a lost season, you have to keep developing players and Arnold and Hawkins deserve the opportunity to finish the season on a high note.

Alabama and LSU will be tough matchups for whoever they put at quarterback. However, the Sooners should create an opportunity for Arnold and Hawkins to compete for snaps and playing time.

If practice is where players sharpen each other, allowing them to compete for playing time could be a catalyst for the final two games of the season and, perhaps, the future.

Best photos from Oklahoma Sooners vs. Missouri Tigers in Week 11

The best photos from Oklahoma Football’s week 11 clash at Missouri Tigers.

The Oklahoma Sooners made their first trip to Columbia, Missouri in over a decade. What started as a defensive war of attrition turned into a drama filled fourth quarter, where miscues became the storyline.

Still, the 97th meeting between OU and Mizzou created some memorable moments like Xavier Robinson’s dominant fourth quarter drive that led to Taylor Tatutm’s touchdown throw to Jackson Arnold. Like Billy Bowman’s fumble return for a touchdown to give the Sooners a lead. Like Drew Pyne’s improbable 75-yard touchdown drive, which included a wing and a prayer throw to Luther Burden on third-and-16. Then there was the tying touchdown to former Sooner Theo Wease.

And if that wasn’t enough, on Oklahoma’s next drive, where all they needed was a field goal, Jackson Arnold fumbled the ball and Missouri returned it for a touchdown.

How that game ended was really just a microcosm of how the Oklahoma Sooners’ season has been. One step forward and two steps back. And that’s how you get to a 5-5 season where you’re now just 1-5 in SEC play.

There are a lot of questions for Brent Venables to answer at this point in his tenure, most notably on the offensive side of the ball. If he doesn’t land a talented offensive coordinator then 2025 could be his last season in Norman.

Sooners among USA TODAY Sports losers of week 11 after letdown vs. Missouri

The Oklahoma Sooners fell to 5-5 with their loss to Missouri and were among USA TODAY Sports losers from week 11.

It wasn’t simply that the Oklahoma Sooners lost to Missouri on Saturday night. It was the way they lost. They watched a lead at halftime disappear. Then, the Sooners tied it up late and took the lead on a fumble returned for a touchdown.

It was a miraculous turn of events that quickly turned into disaster as the Sooners allowed the game-tying touchdown 57 seconds later on a drive that allowed a third-and-16 conversion.

It couldn’t have ended any worse for the Sooners. Jackson Arnold, on second-and-five, couldn’t find anywhere to go with the ball and lost the football when hit, which Missouri took the other way for a game-winning touchdown.

After their disappointing loss, the Sooners were among Paul Myerburg’s losers of the week for USA TODAY Sports.

Hello, rock bottom. That’s where you’ll find Oklahoma after a stunning 30-23 loss to Missouri that got wild in the final minutes. The Sooners scored twice in 78 seconds to go up 23-16 with two minutes to play only to see Missouri respond to tie the score with a minute left. Then, Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold was sacked and fumbled, with the loose ball scooped up by defensive lineman Zion Young and returned 18 yards for the game-winning score. In a nightmare season, this is about as bad a loss the program has suffered in years and years and it’s likely to end without a bowl game for the first time this century. – Myerburg, USA TODAY Sports

There have been too many comparisons between this Oklahoma team and the 1998 squad. The Sooners are in danger of missing bowl season for the first since the final year of the John Blake era.

It’s never good when your team gets compared to one of the lowest periods in program history.

Brent Venables will likely get another year to figure it out, but he’ll be on the hottest of seats moving forward.

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Sooner Magic runs out: Oklahoma loses heartbreaker to Missouri Tigers

Oklahoma Sooners fall to 5-5 on the season with their loss to the Missouri Tigers on Saturday night.

This story was updated because an earlier version included an inaccuracy.

The Oklahoma Sooners let their bowl hopes slip away in the final two minutes of their dramatic matchup with the Missouri Tigers, losing 30-23 in Columbia on Saturday night.

A defensive battle defined a 9-3 first half. The Sooners were carried by the leg of Zach Schmit and the punting and passing ability of Luke Elzinga. Oklahoma had an opportunity in the red zone after Elzinga hit Bauer Sharp on a pop pass that went for 47 yards and gave the Sooners a first-and-goal at the 10. A delay of game followed by back-to-back sacks ended the touchdown threat, and the Sooners were forced to settle for three.

In the second half, the Sooners started to let the game slip away.

Missouri took advantage of a failed fourth-and-1 by the offense and drove down the field. Despite a pair of negative plays, including a forced fumble by Damonic Williams that Missouri quarterback Drew Pyne recovered, Theo Wease took a screen pass 13 yards for the go-ahead score.

After the two teams traded punts, Jackson Arnold hit Deion Burks for what looked like a third-down conversion, but Burks fumbled the ball, putting the defense back on the field. Missouri converted three third downs on the ensuing drive and took a 16-9 lead on Pyne’s touchdown pass to Brett Northfleet with Billy Bowman in coverage.

But Oklahoma answered with a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to tie the game on Taylor Tatum’s throwback to Jackson Arnold. That drive was highlighted by the fantastic running of Xavier Robinson, who carried the ball seven times for 48 yards on the drive and added a reception for seven yards. He picked up three first downs on for the Sooners to lead OU to the red zone and set up Arnold’s touchdown reception.

Then it looked like Sooner Magic had struck again. Missouri’s lead running back, Nate Noel, was stripped by Samuel Omosigho, and the ball popped out of the pile. Billy Bowman was ther to pick it up cleanly and race to the end zone for the touchdown with two minutes remaining to play to give OU a 23-16 lead.

And that should have created a moment for the Sooners defense to close it out. But Missouri and Drew Pyne needed just 57 seconds to drive 75 yards to score the game-tying touchdown. Pyne hit Wease for 28 yards on first down to put the Tigers on the OU half of the 50. The Sooners overcame a weak holding call on Woodi Washington to put Pyne and the Tigers in a third-and-16 situation after an R Mason Thomas sack and an incompletion.

With OU rushing three and dropping eight into coverage, Missouri triple-teamed Thomas, and Pyne lofted a ball down the sideline to Luther Burden, who was open after cornerback Jacobe Johnson fell down in coverage. That gave Missouri first-and-goal at the 10-yard line. Two plays later, Pyne hit Wease on a fade route in the corner of the end zone for the game-tying touchdown.

Still, there was 1:03 remaining on the clock, and the Sooners had two timeouts. A defensive pass interference on Deion Burks gave the Sooners a first-and-10 at their own 30-yard line. Xavier Robinson picked up five yards to put OU in a manageable second down. Arnold dropped back to pass and, when he didn’t throw it right away, was flushed to his right. as he attempted to evade pressure, he was hit, and the ball popped out of his hand. It was picked up by Zion Young, who ran it back for the game-winning touchdown.

It was a devastating turn of events for the Sooners in the final two minutes as they gave the game away with one of their worst defensive drives of the season and then a turnover that’s become the theme of the season for the offense.

It was another horrible performance for the Sooners offense. They gained just 257 yards of total offense, 47 of which came on the fake punt. Arnold was 15 of 24 for just 75 yards in the game, averaging just 3.1 yards per attempt on the day. Robinson finished the day with nine carries for 56 yards. Making his return to the field, Deion Burks led the Sooners in receiving with five catches for 44 yards before leaving the game late due to what looked like a concussion on what could have been a targeting call.

Oklahoma now sits at 5-5 on the year, with games against Alabama and LSU coming after their bye this week. There will be a lot of soul-searching for Brent Venables and his staff as they try to bounce back from a demoralizing defeat at the hands of the Missouri Tigers.

Staff Predictions for Oklahoma Sooners vs. Missouri Tigers in Week 11

Can the Oklahoma Sooners make it back-to-back wins when they go on the road to take on the Missouri Tigers?

The Oklahoma Sooners take on the Missouri Tigers for the 97th time in a history that dates back to 1902. The Sooners are 67-25-4 all-time against the Tigers, but that will have no bearing on this game.

Neither the Sooners nor the Tigers are meeting preseason expectations. Oklahoma was once a top 15 team but hasn’t been ranked in weeks. The Tigers inched inside the top 10 but are hanging onto their place in the top 25 by a thread.

Missouri is 6-2 on the season but just 2-2 in SEC play, with blowout losses to Texas A&M and Alabama. While they are two of the best teams in the conference, the Tigers’ offense struggled against two really good defenses.

Oklahoma’s offense has struggled as well, leading to a coordinator change and multiple quarterback changes throughout the season. However, after a strong first half performance against Ole Miss, an efficient performance against Maine, and the probable return of a pair of key weapons, there’s hope the Sooners are trending in a positive direction on offense. They’ve got a defense good enough to win, just need the offense to carry their weight.

Can the Oklahoma Sooners pick up their sixth win of the season and secure bowl eligibility? Let’s take a look at this week’s Sooners Wire Staff Predictions.

Sooners Wire Staff Predictions for Oklahoma at Missouri

This game comes down to the health of Missouri quarterback Brady Cook, in my opinion. If he’s good to go, the Tigers have enough offense and overall talent to put too many points on the board for Oklahoma to keep up. But if he’s can’t go, or is severely limited, Mizzou’s offense may look closer to what it did against Alabama.

I’ll go with the latter. OU will be without their top two offensive tackles again this week, but the running game does just enough against a struggling Missouri defense. The defense will have to be opportunistic and win the key moments.

If the Sooners get a solid outing from Jackson Arnold, don’t give up the big plays defensively, and win the turnover battle, they’ll get to bowl eligibility.

Oklahoma 21, Missouri 17

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