Tag: Jalil Farooq

3 offensive keys that could lead to an Oklahoma victory over Texas Tech

3 Offensive keys to an Oklahoma Sooners win vs. the Texas Tech Red Raiders in week 9.

The Oklahoma Sooners are desperate for a bounce-back in the worst way. After an embarrassing performance against the Kansas Jayhawks, which saw the Jayhawks dominate for at least 2.5 quarters of the game, the Sooners should be chomping at the bit to play again.

They will get their shot as they play their penultimate home game this 2021 season against the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Texas Tech comes in with their cloud hanging over their head in the form of having to play with their interim head coach in Sonny Cumbie, who took over for recently let go head coach Matt Wells.

The Sooners offense looked very uninspired much of the game. The offensive line didn’t dominate as they should’ve and while they were down a few playmakers, the Sooners’ offense didn’t look like it had been looking of late.

This Texas Tech defense ranks 70th in the nation in total defense. They aren’t great but they are not horrible either. They offer some decent resistance. However, with better focus and some better execution, there are plays to be had against them. Here are the Sooners Wire offensive keys to the game:

Switch it up

Far too often teams come out and just try to jam the ball down their opponent’s throat by running hapless runs one after the other.

This week, the Sooners should come out with some of their more creative play designs and get the juices flowing early.

The fans will be rocking and the Sooners need a fast start to wash away the stink of that previous game. Lincoln Riley should roll out one of his patented gadget plays and some quick passes to get Texas Tech on its heels early and the offense into a rhythm.

As Caleb Williams gets more comfortable in this offense, we should see the Sooners bring back the uptempo play calling as well to wear teams out.

Up Next: Play Action a Key to OU’s success

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4 Oklahoma Sooners looking for a big game against the Kansas Jayhawks

As the Oklahoma Sooners get set to face the Kansas Jayhawks, who’s looking to stand out in this lopsided matchup?

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A trip to Lawrence, Kansas is up next for the Oklahoma Sooners as they keep moving forward in Big 12 play. They look to keep the momentum rolling as they’ve seen a major uptick in offensive production over the last few weeks due to significantly better offensive line play and a midseason change at quarterback.

Kansas is highly unlikely to pose a real threat to Oklahoma due to the massive gulf in talent. For that reason, this game serves as a get-right game for quite a few guys on Oklahoma’s team. There are a few guys we think could use a solid performance as Oklahoma heads into the home stretch of their conference schedule. Here’s our list:

Jadon Hadselwood, WR

It may seem crazy to include the guy that just put together a hat trick against TCU, however, Jadon Haselwood needs to build off of that performance. Oklahoma needs to continue to evolve and develop roles despite the fact they are undefeated.

Good teams don’t peak in October.

Haselwood might have taken a step forward to separate himself from the pack and firmly put himself into contention for the receiver spot opposite Marvin Mims but he’s got to keep stacking performances together similar to the one he had against TCU.

Three touchdowns is a tough ask but consistently being a target that Caleb Williams can depend on is a very attainable thing. Look for Lincoln Riley to keep feeding him.

Up Next: Can we have a Volunteer(s)?

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Best Pro Football Focus Grades from Oklahoma’s win over TCU

Who earned the highest grades from Pro Football Focus in the Oklahoma Sooners 52-31 win over the TCU Horned Frogs?

On Saturday night, the Oklahoma Sooners were in a dog fight in the first half of their matchup against the TCU Horned Frogs. Though the game ended as a 21-point blowout win for the Oklahoma Sooners, it was a three-point game when the Sooners took over with 1:25 left in the second quarter.

Caleb Williams and the offense went 76 yards on five plays, culminating in an 11-yard touchdown strike to Jadon Haselwood on a beautiful back-shoulder throw, to make it 24-14. From that point, the Sooners never looked back.

They forced the Horned Frogs to punt on the opening possession of the second half, and another Williams to Haselwood touchdown essentially put the game out of reach, 31-14.

Though TCU battled to get back in the game, the Oklahoma Sooners had an answer at every corner and never let the game get closer than 14 points the rest of the way.

As we do each week, let’s look back at how Pro Football Focus graded the Sooners in their 52-31 win over the TCU Horned Frogs.

Report Card: Grading the Sooners following their 52-31 win over TCU

The Sooners dispatched TCU relatively comfortably. Let’s take a look at how each position group graded out in the 52-31 win.

For a while, it may have seemed like an afterthought to grade out the offense with A’s and B’s across the board. However, that time has arrived.  The offense was a bright spot, and the defense wasn’t as bad as maybe it appeared.

As we do each week, let’s look at how each position group graded in the Sooners 52-31 thrashing of the TCU Horned Frogs.

Quarterbacks: A

No need to beat around the bush here: Caleb Williams was phenomenal in his first start since usurping Spencer Rattler in Oklahoma’s thrilling come-from-behind win against Texas.

He dazzled the sold-out crowd in Norman and had national media in an uproar. Williams was 18 of 23 for 295 yards passing and four touchdowns, three of which made their way to Jadon Haselwood. He added 66 yards rushing, including the electric 41-yard TD run in the third quarter you can see below.

After that performance, there’s no need to speculate about who will be the quarterback as Oklahoma heads to the state of Kansas again for their second true road game against the Kansas Jayhawks.

The next step for Williams is to continue to mature and grow within the offense.

Up Next: Backs and Pass Catchers

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Oklahoma named among the top schools for recruiting two key positions

ESPN ranked the top schools in terms of 2021 signees on the offensive side of the ball. The Oklahoma Sooners near the top at two spots.

Whether or not there is a football season going on, there is always the year-round machine that is recruiting. The Oklahoma Sooners are coming off a top 12 class where they ranked No. 11 according to 247Sports composite team rankings. They take into account each of the three major recruiting outlets. Despite only 16 signings, the Sooners brought in a good amount of talent that will be on display for years to come.

ESPN highlights two key positions in recruiting

According to a column by ESPN*, they ranked which schools brought in the best talent on the offensive side of the ball. The focus here being the quarterback and the wide receivers.

*Editor’s note: Link to story requires a paid subscription

The Quarterback (Caleb Williams)

Gonzaga TD Club photo via USA TODAY Sports

For the 2021 class, the Sooners were mentioned among three teams in signing quarterbacks. The USC Trojans signed two passers in the ESPN 300 which put them at the top ahead of Washington and Oklahoma.

Lincoln Riley’s success at quarterback is well documented, and Williams fits in perfectly with this offense. Outside of Williams’ ability and talent, the most promising aspect of this signing is that in the past Riley had been relying on transfer quarterbacks. Now, with current starter Spencer Rattler, who Oklahoma recruited out of high school, the coaches will be able to develop Williams and keep consistency at the position within the program.

Following the Rattler era, Lincoln Riley will have another No. 1 quarterback in Caleb Williams waiting in the wing. With his recent run of making quarterbacks into Heisman Trophy finalists, Riley likely won’t see a shortage of top tier quarterbacks any time soon.

The Wide Receivers

(Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News via AP)

The Sooners signed a total of four wide receivers among the ESPN 300, which put them at the top of the list of wide receivers.

  • Mario Williams (247Sports composite No. 4 WR)
  • Billy Bowman (No. 2 Athlete)
  • Cody Jackson (No. 17 WR)
  • Jalil Farooq (No. 21 WR)

It’s no surprise Oklahoma is on the list of top receivers — the staff has had a lot of success at the position over the past few recruiting classes. Williams is the No. 1 receiver in the class, and it’s the second time Oklahoma has signed the top receiver in the past three classes after signing Jadon Haselwood in 2019.

All four of the receivers in this class are inside the top 150 and two are in the top 100 with Williams being the highest ranked at No. 17 overall.

The Sooner faithful have watched top receivers over the years with CeeDee Lamb, Dede Westbrook, Marquise Brown, and others. These four could make their mark sooner than later. Case in point, Marvin Mims was the leading receiver as a freshman.

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August recruiting update: Oklahoma homing in on 2021 WR targets

August recruiting update: Oklahoma spreading the wealth for WR targets

Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley hasn’t seen a shortage in wide receiver talent in his time with the Sooners, and he isn’t planning on it anytime soon.

The Sooners already have one of the two five-star recruits at WR, and they’re not stopping there.

With second-ranked WR Mario Williams and four-star Cody Jackson already committed, Riley is dedicated to getting a talented cast around top-ranked 2021 QB Caleb Williams.

Here are some of the top wide receiver targets for Oklahoma’s 2021 class:

EMEKA EGBUKA—FIVE-STAR-NO. 1 WR

Oklahoma already has 2021’s second-ranked receiver in Mario Williams, but are going for it all by seeking the top-ranked route-runner in Emeka Egbuka. Egbuka has 35 division I offers in total, but now Oklahoma will have to fight against Clemson, Ohio State and Washington for his talents. At 6-foot-1, 180-pounds, there’s not much that Egbuka can’t do as a receiver. Riley could use him in nearly any situation, and as a punt and kick returner. Egbuka was thought to be leaning towards Ohio State, but with Williams pushing for him hard, who knows what could happen?

BILLY BOWMAN—FOUR-STAR-NO. 1 ATH

Riley has recently started stoking the fire for No. 1 athlete in the country Billy Bowman. Bowman recently committed to Texas, and has not shown many signs of flipping. But at 5-foot-10, 170-pounds, Bowman is nearly a must-have in terms of speed for Riley’s future offense. Oklahoma recently reached out to offer, and if they could get Bowman to Norman for a visit, the rest could be history.

JALIL FAROOQ—FOUR-STAR-NO. 33 RB

Ranked the 33rd receiver in 2021, Jalil Farooq would look familiar in Riley’s offense, but still incredibly useful. At 6-foot-1, 200-pounds, Farooq could be a splitting image of a certain Cowboys first-round draft pick in 2020. The Sooners will have to fight all of the major schools for Farooq, but should they land him, will have one of the more talented and diverse WR classes.

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Oklahoma makes top-7 for four-star WR Jalil Farooq

Four-star WR Jalil Farooq announced his top seven schools on Friday, and it should come as no surprise that the Sooners made the cut. 

It appears that Lincoln Riley’s next star receiver is in his sights.

2021 Four-star WR Jalil Farooq announced his top seven schools on Friday, and it should come as no surprise that the Sooners made the cut.

Sooners nation will know on Sept. 27 whether Upper Marlboro, MD. native plans to make Norman his new home.

Nabbing Caleb Williams, the No. 1 QB in the country and a close friend of Farooq’s, certainly doesn’t hurt OU’s chances, but it won’t be the difference-maker either.

“It’s kind of been the same even before [Williams] committed,” Farooq told Sports Illustrated. “They’ve always been communicating with me. I can tell it’s real there, I just want to experience it as much as I can, whenever I can. Caleb is definitely a plus for me; we’re good friends.”

Should Farooq choose the Sooners, he will become the third wideout in the class, joining Mario Williams and Cody Jackson.

OU is joined in his top seven by Boston College, LSU, Alabama, Clemson, Maryland and Wast Virginia.

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