Tag: Jaden Knowles

‘You learn so much’: DeMarco Murray’s NFL experience valuable for Sooners running backs

Speaking to 94.7 The Ref, running back Jaden Knowles spoke on what DeMarco Murray meant to him and the Oklahoma Sooners.

[autotag]DeMarco Murray[/autotag] has been on a roll over the last couple of recruiting cycles. He’s helped the Oklahoma Sooners land a pair of four-star running backs in back-to-back recruiting classes.

And it doesn’t look like he’s slowing down anytime soon. The Sooners have been projected to land four-star running back [autotag]Jeremy Payne[/autotag] in the 2024 cycle and are trending in a positive direction with [autotag]Caden Durham[/autotag], another four-star runner.

His experience as a highly-productive collegiate and NFL runner is paying dividends for the Oklahoma Sooners on the recruiting trail and in Norman. It’s that experience that former running back Jaden Knowles pointed to when asked about DeMarco Murray and his impact on “The Weatherman.”

“By far my favorite coach ever by far,” Knowles shared with The Rush on 94.7 The Ref in Norman. “We had a great connection. I learned so much from him when I first got here at OU. He just took my game to the next level because you learned so much from different eyes. Especially from somebody who was in the NFL, and you know, exceeded in the NFL. You learn so much stuff because you think you already know a lot about football and how to run the ball because you’ve been doing it for your entire life. But there’s some things that I’ve learned that I never thought of and that, you know, I translated to the field, which helped me a lot, you know, gave me an opportunity in 2021 season. You know, I’m just so thankful for him and wish him the best.”

Knowles was able to get some run in the 2021 season as Kennedy Brooks worked his way back after his opt-out season in 2020, and Eric Gray got up to speed with the Sooners’ offense.

The Sooners were the beneficiaries of a breakout season from [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag], someone who’d been lost in the shuffle in 2021 under the previous regime. And with DeMarco Murray leading the way, Oklahoma looks to have a pair of runners that will be highly impactful in 2023 as well.

Jovantae Barnes and Gavin Sawchuk led the way for the Sooners’ offense in the Cheez-It Bowl loss to Florida State, each going over 100 yards rushing. They ran hard, and they were decisive in a game where Oklahoma was rolling out four new offensive linemen against a really good Seminoles defensive front.

DeMarco Murray has had a huge impact for the Oklahoma Sooners as a recruiter and as a coach. In Jeff Lebby’s offense, the running game is the engine that makes it go. What Murray has done on the recruiting trail and on the development side, he’ll have the Sooners rushing attack humming for as long as he is in Norman.

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‘I’m extremely impressed’: DeMarco Murray shares thoughts Eric Gray, Jovantae Barnes and the RB group

Speaking to the media Wednesday, DeMarco Murray shared his thoughts on the state of the running back group.

Replacing a running back with three career 1,000-yard seasons is no easy task. [autotag]Kennedy Brooks[/autotag] will be missed as he departs for the NFL. But as the world turns, so does turnover in college football. Here today, gone tomorrow.

As they’ve been over the years, the Oklahoma Sooners are well-positioned to keep the good times rolling at running back with [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag], [autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag], [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag], [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag], Todd Hudson, [autotag]Jaden Knowles[/autotag], and [autotag]Tawee Walker[/autotag].

It’s a really good and diverse group of talents that each could have an impact for the Sooners in 2022. In [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag]’s offense that will run more than 70 plays a game and aim for balance, the running backs will be put to work as the Sooners look to return to a balanced offense.

Speaking with the media on Wednesday, running backs coach [autotag]DeMarco Murray[/autotag] shared his thoughts on the state of the running back group as they near the end of spring practice.

2022 Spring Preview: What does the running back room look like for the Sooners?

A deep dive at the Oklahoma Sooners’ running back room ahead of spring practice.

Spring is upon us, and that means spring practice for the Oklahoma football team. Spring practice will not get underway until March 22 for the Sooners, who head into the 2022 season under Brent Venables, who took over after the departure of Lincoln Riley at the tail end of last season.

Venables is widely respected in all collegiate coaching circles for his character, passion and defensive wizardry. It’s hard to imagine the Oklahoma Sooners struggling to become an elite defensive unit over time, considering Venables’ track record.

Offensively, the Sooners head into spring looking to pick up offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby’s offense.

Lebby takes over a Sooners offense that has plenty of talent in all the right places but is trying to bounce back from a bumpy 2021 season. The offense navigated two different quarterbacks (neither of which is with the team anymore); offensive line struggles throughout the season; and their play-caller did them no favors either.

Lebby’s offense differs from Riley’s in a few ways, but, most notably, it differs in its usage of running backs and the run game when married with tempo. Riley slowed the pace considerably. With Lebby in charge, look for a lightning-fast offense, reminiscent of Oklahoma’s Sam Bradford-led offenses.

Lebby goes fast, but his veer-n-shoot offense is a power running game with zone elements mixed in with the air raid as its foundation. For this offense to be at its best, running backs coach DeMarco Murray will have to have his room full of talented running backs ready to go.

Let’s look at what the Sooners will have in their running back room as we start spring ball.

Players react to Brent Venables being named the next head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners

Current players react to the news that Brent Venables will be the next head coach at the University of Oklahoma.

As Sunday rolled along, what was just rumor leading into the weekend appeared to be taking shape as leadership for the Oklahoma Sooners took a flight to South Carolina to bring home their next head coach.

Just a few hours ago, Bruce Feldman of The Athletic and Pete Thamel of CBS Sports broke the news that the Sooners would be naming Brent Venables the next head coach of the University of Oklahoma football team. Before the Oklahoma Sooners could officially announce it, players from the current team began sharing their reactions to a meeting they had with the Sooners’ new head coach via Zoom while Venables was en route.

Based on their reactions on Twitter, they came away impressed. Let’s take a look at what the players had to say.

How does Lincoln Riley feel about these Sooners through week 2?

Lincoln Riley spoke with the media on Tuesday afternoon. The #Sooners head coach provided insight on numerous Sooners through two weeks of action.

Tuesday afternoon, Lincoln Riley sat down with the media to provide his final thoughts on the 76-0 win over WCU and discuss Saturday’s matchup against the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

While there is much we still don’t know about the 2021 rendition of the Oklahoma Sooners (for example, how they will play against real competition), Riley did discuss the progression of numerous Sooners through the first two weeks – and how he views their impact moving forward.

On the progression of Perrion Winfrey

After missing some time during preseason camp, the 2020 All-Big 12 selection is returning to form. In response to Sooner Scoops’ Bob Przyblo, Riley believes defensive lineman Perrion Winfrey has “improved significantly from week 1 to week 2.” The senior pressured WCU quarterback Rogan Wells on multiple occasions, earning 1.5 sacks for a Sooners defense that held the Catamounts to 178 total yards.

Winfrey’s production is sure to increase alongside his snap count. As Riley and defensive coordinator Alex Grinch are likely to give their starting defense a longer leash against Nebraska.

Cornhuskers’ quarterback Adrian Martinez was sacked five times by an Illinois team that ranks 120th in the FBS in total defense. That’s a green light for Winfrey and the defensive front to bring the pressure early and often.

On his confidence in Jaden Knowles and Todd Hudson

Due to last-minute ineligibilities and sudden changes of heart, the Sooners entered the 2021 campaign top-heavy in the running back room. Eric Gray and Kennedy Brooks are both capable of being RB1, and each has led the Sooners in rushing through the first two weeks. But the depth behind them has been the primary storyline in OU’s backfield.

Walk-on running backs Jaden Knowles and Todd Hudson carried the ball 13 times against WCU. Knowles rushed just four times but was highly productive with 37 yards and two touchdowns. While Hudson also found the endzone twice in just nine attempts.

The sample size may be small, but both running backs appear to have impressed Lincoln Riley.

If Knowles and Hudson can continue to make the most of their opportunities, however, limited they may be, then OU’s running back worries could become a distant memory.

Passing Out Grades: Report Card for Oklahoma after win vs WCU

How did the Sooners grade out in their 76-0 win over Western Carolina? Check out this week’s positional report card.

After a week of re-evaluation and reflection, the Oklahoma Sooners came out and showed the world that they did not put their best foot forward in game one against Tulane. Tulane played hard for the entirety of the game. However, OU flexed at once and was up 37-14 and eventually took their foot off the gas and allowed the door to be left open for Tulane to come back.

Oklahoma let out some frustration and then some against the Catamounts en route to posting a 76-0 final score. They would narrowly escape, and head coach Lincoln Riley made it known things would be different during their game against Western Carolina. The man did not lie.

There were several aspects of the team that had decent but not spectacular moments in the previous game. After the game in our previous report card, we broke down the grades for those units.

NEXT: How did the Quarterbacks and Running Backs Grade Out?

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5

Oklahoma Sooners score dominating 76-0 win over Western Carolina

The Oklahoma Sooners got a dominant performance on both sides of the football on their way to a 76-0 blowout of Western Carolina.

After a first half that saw the Oklahoma Sooners (2-0) jump out to a 45-0 lead over the Western Carolina Catamounts, Oklahoma continued to pour it on after halftime en route to a 76-0 win over their FCS opponent on Saturday night.

The Sooners rushed for 277 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 7.3 yards per attempt, and Spencer Rattler had five touchdown passes before giving way to the second and third-string quarterbacks after halftime.

13 different Sooners caught passes from Spencer Rattler, Caleb Williams, and Ralph Rucker, and seven different players scored a touchdown in OU’s win.

Williams completed 5 of 10 passes for 84 yards and carried the ball four times for 60 yards, including an electric 59-yard run on a read-option. Rucker completed was 2 of 2 for 10 yards as the Sooners were just trying to milk the clock.

In the first half, Eric Gray led the Sooners rushing attack, picking up 74 yards on nine carries and adding one reception for 20 yards and a touchdown. Kennedy Brooks carried the ball six times for 48 yards and a touchdown before Jaden Knowles, and Todd Hudson took over in the second half. Knowles had four carries, 34 yards, and two touchdowns, and a 54-yard reception. Hudson had nine carries for 25 yards and two touchdowns.

Mario Williams led the way for the Sooners receiving corps with four catches for 49 yards and a touchdown, and Jadon Haselwood caught two touchdowns, and Mike Woods got his first score with the Sooners.

On the night, the Sooners’ defense allowed just 11 first downs and 178 total yards of offense, much of which was after halftime. They forced three turnovers and sacked Western Carolina quarterbacks four times on the evening. Perrion Winfrey led the way with 1.5 sacks. In the first half alone, they recorded three sacks and six tackles for loss as they smothered the Catamounts.

It was everything you could hope for the Oklahoma Sooners when playing an FCS opponent at home. They were dominant in every area of the game and did a nice job of getting their depth involved in the win.

The Sooners next play the Nebraska Cornhuskers at home at 11 a.m. CDT next Saturday, and we’ll have all the coverage in the build-up here at Sooners Wire.

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Top storylines as the Oklahoma Sooners get set to face the Tulane

As the Sooners get set to kickoff the 2021 season with their matchup vs Tulane, what are the top five storylines heading into week 1.

Less than 24 hours from now, the Oklahoma Sooners will open the season against the Tulane Green Wave.

It sure feels good to type those words. Tomorrow, starting at 11:00 a.m. CST, the Oklahoma Sooners will finally begin their journey toward the national title.

As they get set to host Tulane’s home game, the Sooners will defer choice of uniform to the Green Wave creating the possibility the Sooners will be on their road whites on Saturday.

As “talking season” as Lincoln Riley likes to call it, comes to a close, let’s take a look at the top storylines heading into week one.

5 burning questions as the Sooners prepare to face Tulane in week 1

As the Sooners get set to take on the Tulane Green Wave in week one there are still some burning questions about a team ready to contend.

The start of the 2021 college football season is now just four days away for the Oklahoma Sooners. This is a season that most are expecting to be an incredibly successful year for OU.

As they get ready to announce their presence in earnest with a home matchup against the Tulane Green Wave, the Sooners are looking to win their seventh straight Big 12 title, first College Football Playoff game, and first national championship since 2000.

This is as good a team as Lincoln Riley’s had during his tenure as head coach. And yet, this is a team that still has questions to answer as they head into the 2021 season.

Non-conference schedule presents opportunity to discover running back depth for Oklahoma

With questions at running back, the Oklahoma Sooners’ top priority in non-conference play will be to figure out their running back depth.

It’s been a tumultuous 10 months for the Oklahoma Sooners running back position. A roller coaster ride that would scare off even the biggest thrill-seeker.

First, last year’s starter at running back, T.J. Pledger, left for Utah via the transfer portal. Kennedy Brooks returned from his COVID opt-out season. Rhamondre Stevenson declared for the NFL draft. Eric Gray arrived in Norman from Tennessee. Seth McGowan and Mikey Henderson were dismissed from the team. Then Tre Bradford arrived to provide depth for a Sooners backfield that saw a ton of turnover this spring.

But apparently, the turnover wasn’t finished. With just eight days until the Oklahoma Sooners open the 2021 season against the Tulane Green Wave, the Sooners were dealt another blow at the running back position with the loss of Marcus Major, who was deemed academically ineligible for the fall of 2022. A day later, the Sooners lost Tre Bradford, who presumably is heading back to LSU, returning to a team he departed just months prior.

The Oklahoma Sooners have options at running back in redshirt junior Jaden Knowles and redshirt sophomore Todd Hudson. However, they’re largely unproven players who haven’t touched the ball much for the Sooners in a game.

Though most of the significant workload will go to Kennedy Brooks and Eric Gray, the Sooners have to find a reliable player to take those third running back snaps. The non-conference schedule will be a huge opportunity for the Sooners to find out who will take those third running back snaps.

Oklahoma has options in H-Back Jeremiah Hall, as well as Knowles and Hudson. Hall hasn’t carried the ball much in his career with the Sooners, but he’s an option that can be used as a running back in the passing game. He’s a good pass protector and has excellent hands.

If they’re able to get up big in games against Tulane, Western Carolina, and Nebraska as is being projected, Lincoln Riley and DeMarco Murray will have a fantastic opportunity to figure out their running back depth chart as they enter Big 12 play.

Brooks and Gray will lead the way, but in the event of an injury, the Sooners need to find a reliable option to run behind their top two runners. That answer may not be apparent at this point, but the Sooners coaching staff will need to work something out in quick order.