Tag: Jalil Farooq

Oklahoma Sooners keep Big 12 title hopes alive; beat the BYU Cougars 31-24

The Oklahoma Sooners didn’t play their best game but came away with a 31-24 win over the BYU Cougars.

The Oklahoma Sooners made their first trip to the state of Utah to take on the [autotag]BYU Cougars[/autotag] for the one and only time as Big 12 foes. It was a game with sloppy field conditions. Players constantly slipped all game long.

After both teams opened the game with punts, but [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] hit [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag] on a 55-yard pass to set up Oklahoma with a first and goal. Gabriel found [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] for the touchdown to put the Sooners up 7-0. It was Anderson’s ninth touchdown of the season and broke a three-game scoring drought.

On BYU’s next possession, Cougars quarterback [autotag]Jake Retzlaff[/autotag] found [autotag]Chase Roberts[/autotag] for the 23-yard score on a fourth and one just outside the red zone.

The Sooners stalled on their next drive but nearly got a fresh set of downs. Oklahoma nearly pulled off a fake punt when [autotag]Luke Elzinga[/autotag] connected with Ethan Downs, but Nic Anderson was called for offensive pass interference and the Sooners were forced to punt. After a great BYU punt return, the Cougars would be set up in OU territory but fumbled the first play.

Seven plays later, Gabriel found Gibson for a 27-yard touchdown pass to put the Sooners up 14-7. BYU answered on the following drive after converting a pair of third downs to tie it up.

After a couple of long 3rd Down conversions themselves, the Sooners were set up with a first and goal at the five but were forced to settle for a field goal. BYU tied it up on a field goal of their own as time wound down in the first half.

The Sooners outgained the Cougars 236 to 213 in the first half. The Sooners went 5 of 8 on third down, and the Cougars were 6 of 10 on third and fourth down in the first half.

As the Sooners were headed out for the second half, they were without star quarterback [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag]. It was reported Gabriel suffered a head injury and wouldn’t return. [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] started the 2nd Half.

Both teams couldn’t get much going to start the second half. However, BYU found success on their second drive of the half, moving inside the Sooners five-yard line. On first and goal from the two, Retzlaff threw it out to the left, and Billy Bowman picked it off and returned it 100 yards for the touchdown. The Sooners led 24-17 midway through the third quarter.

The pick-six wouldn’t deter the Cougars, who responded with an eight-play 75-yard drive to tie the game at 24. The Cougars gashed the Sooners in the running game, and Retzlaff ran it in from 11 yards out to tie it back up.

After a good return by [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag] and back-to-back solid runs [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag], the Sooners were in Cougars’ territory. Unfortunately, the promising drive came up empty as [autotag]Zach Schmit[/autotag] missed wide left, and the score stayed tied.

On the ensuing drive, the defense came up with another huge play. With the Cougars facing a third and four, [autotag]Kobie McKinzie[/autotag] and Danny Stutsman blitzed off the right side. McKinzie drew the offensive linemen inside, freeing up Stutsman for a free run at Retzlaff. Stutsman hit him hard and came up with a strip sack to give Oklahoma the ball in Cougars’ territory. The Sooners capped the turnover off with a tough, physical 16-yard touchdown run by Sawchuk to put the Sooners up seven with about eight minutes left in the fourth quarter.

The Sooners’ defense continued their best stretch of the game, forcing a three and out after two false start penalties on the Cougars.

The offense took over with nearly six minutes left in the game. It was a masterful, time-killing drive to end the game. The drive started with a deep shot to Nic Anderson, which Arnold overthrew, but it was an opportunity for Oklahoma to put a stamp on the game and win it. After the incomplete pass, the Sooners ran nine plays for 22 yards (including three kneel downs) and took 5:08 off the clock to finish the game.

The key play in the drive came as the Sooners faced a third and eight at the BYU 38-yard line. Three weeks ago against Kansas, facing a similar situation, Jeff Lebby opted to run the football to force the Jayhawks to burn their timeouts. Today against BYU, Lebby put the ball in his true freshman quarterback’s hands to win the game.

Arnold threw a strike to Jalil Farooq on the short slant and Farooq fought his way to pick up enough yardage to get the first down.

The Sooners kneeled out the clock to escape with the win.

Oklahoma would be outgained 390 to 374 in the game but the defense would tie the Cougars in the 2nd half, 7-7. The defense would also force three turnovers.

In the win, Dillon Gabriel completed 62% of his passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns. Arnold was 5 of 9 for 33 yards. He also ran the ball eight times for 24 yards.

Gavin Sawchuk earned his third-straight 100-yard game, carrying the ball 14 times for 107 yards and a touchdown.

Jalil Farooq had five receptions for 53 yards, and Drake Stoops caught four passes for 63 yards. But it was Jayden Gibson who provided the big plays for the Sooners offense, with two receptions for 82 yards and a touchdown.

On defense, Danny Stutsman recorded 10 tackles, a sack, two tackles for loss and a forced fumble. In addition to his pick-six, Billy Bowman had eight total tackles and a tackle for loss. The interception was Bowman’s fifth on the season.

The Sooners are now 9-2 on the season and 5-2 in Big 12 play. They still have an outside shot at making the Big 12 title game but will be watching Texas vs. Iowa State and Oklahoma State vs. Houston closely on Saturday.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Jaron on Twitter @JaronSpor.

No. 16 Oklahoma Sooners vs West Virginia: How to Watch, key players, weather forecast for gameday

Key players, injury report, and how you can watch Saturday’s matchup between the Oklahoma Sooners and the West Virginia Mountaineers.

The Oklahoma Sooners and the West Virginia Mountaineers are set to play this Saturday in Norman, Okla. The Sooners are coming off back-to-back losses after starting 7-0, and the Mountaineers are coming off a dominant win over the BYU Cougars.

The Mountaineers have been a pleasant surprise this season in the Big 12. They are currently tied with Oklahoma and a host of other teams for third. They are 6-3 on the season and possess one of the nation’s best running games.

WVU takes a running back by committee approach along with a dual-threat quarterback. The rushing attack is what makes the Mountaineers’ offense go. If the Sooners can stop the running game, they’ll have a good chance at winning this game and snapping their losing streak..

But let’s look at how you can watch the game, some key players, the weather forecast, and the latest injury report.

Keys to the Game: What must the Sooners do vs. WVU to break two-game losing skid?

Oklahoma takes on West Virginia on Saturday. We’ve got you covered with our keys to the game.

Oklahoma takes the field Saturday with one thing on their mind: win. The Sooners are reeling right now after losing their back-to-back games. The most recent loss saw their in-state rivals get the last laugh in what will likely be the final Bedlam football matchup for years to come. Oklahoma played a sloppy game offensively, and ultimately, those mistakes doomed them.

They now turn their attention to West Virginia, a team playing some good football as of late. If Oklahoma is to have any small shot at fighting their way back to one final Big 12 title game, they must win out.

West Virginia is outside the Big 12 title picture but, like everyone, aims to end their Big 12 rivalry with Oklahoma with a win. The Mountaineers are averaging 37.8 points per game in their last four games. Their only loss? Oklahoma State.

What will it take for the Sooners to come out on top come Saturday? We highlighted it below in our keys to the game.

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

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.

Jeff Lebby explains fourth-down call in Sooners’ loss to Oklahoma State

Jeff Lebby explains why the call on 4th Down to keep the game going was the right call.

With 1:46 left in the fourth quarter, Oklahoma Sooners’ quarterback [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] trotted onto the field with one timeout, trailing by three and needing to go 80 yards. On the first play of the drive, Gabriel hit [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] for a 21-yard gain.

The Sooners were in business. But after an incomplete pass to [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag], a drop by Anderson, and a five-yard gain on a quick slant to [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag] on third-and-10, the Sooners faced a fourth-and-5 with the game on the line.

Gabriel sprinted to his left and threw it to Stoops, who juggled it but eventually came down with it. The only issue: The route was two yards too short. The Sooners turned it over on downs, and the Cowboys took over and ran out the clock.

Offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby was asked about that call.

“We liked it,” Lebby said. “We thought it was going to be man to man. It needed to be about a yard deeper. That’s the reality of it. I can put us in a better situation there.”

This is the third week in a row the Sooners’ offense and its play-calling have been drawn into question. The offense went up against a very poor Oklahoma State defense and moved the ball pretty well, racking up 492 yards. But they only had 24 points to show for it.

Too many times, the offense stalled around midfield. This is also the second week in a row the offense turned it over three times. Turnovers hadn’t been an issue for this offense in the two years under Lebby. Two of those turnovers were due to snap issues from a guy who has been a three-starter and is a senior on this team. That can’t happen.

No, Lebby didn’t have the bad snaps. He didn’t drop wide-open touchdowns, and he didn’t throw the ball into double coverage resulting in an interception. But he has to be better.

The defense was once again pretty good. It allowed one touchdown after the 9:42 mark in the second quarter. The only other Cowboys score came after Oklahoma State recovered a botched snap at the OU 20-yard line. The defense forced a three-and-out to hold the Cowboys to three and keep the game within reach for the Sooners offense.

Unfortunately, Lebby and the offense couldn’t take advantage of a porous Cowboys defense.

The team can still salvage a good season, but it starts with the offense, and that’s not something we thought would be an issue before the season.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Jaron on Twitter @JaronSpor.

Oklahoma Sooners stunned by the Oklahoma State Cowboys in final Bedlam

The Oklahoma Sooners were unable to overcome three turnovers and a terrible no-call in the end zone and fall to Oklahoma State 27-24 in final Bedlam.

The Oklahoma Sooners and the [autotag]Oklahoma State Cowboys[/autotag] battled in another classic [autotag]Bedlam[/autotag] game.

Both teams started the game hot offensively. The Cowboys scored on their first drive on a 20-yard run by [autotag]Ollie Gordon[/autotag] and the Sooners answered with a 64-yard run by [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag].

On the next Sooners possession, Oklahoma tried a direct snap to [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag] the snap mishandled and the Cowboys recovered the fumble. Oklahoma State capitalized on [autotag]Alan Bowman[/autotag] 13-yard touchdown run to make it 14-7.

The offense really couldn’t find a rhythm and the Sooners quickly found themselves down 17-7 early in the second 1uarter. But that’s when the defense really started to settle in for the rest of the game.

[autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] hit [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] on a six-yard pass to cut it to 17-14.

But just when it seemed like Oklahoma was getting things going, they regularly stalled once they got to midfield.

Trailing 17-14 to start the second half, Dillon Gabriel launched a deep ball to Brenen Thompson in double coverage. The ball was intercepted and Oklahoma State was able to put together a nice drive. The Sooners defense responded, stuffing Ollie Gordon on fourth and 1.The Sooners’ offense answered with a 23-yard run by [autotag]Tawee Walker[/autotag] to take a 21-17 lead.

Oklahoma State had another great drive going before Gordon was once again stuffed on fourth down. However, Oklahoma couldn’t do anything with it, turning it over on downs on their next possession.

With the Oklahoma State Cowboys driving deep into Sooners territory, [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag] picked off running back Ollie Gordon’s pass on a trick play to start the fourth quarter. Bowman returned it all the way to midfield. But again, the offense couldn’t capitalize to put the game away. After three straight runs, the Sooners were forced to punt.

A beautiful pooch punt put the Cowboys on their own three-yard line. But that didn’t stop them. Oklahoma State took the lead on a 97-yard drive that was aided by a pass interference call on Makari Vickers and a Brent Venables unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. The official appeared quick with the flag on replay.

Gordon would cap it off with a one-yard run to give Oklahoma State the 24-21 lead.

The Sooners gave it right back to the Cowboys on their half of the field on an Andrew Raym snap that hit Gabriel in the shins and rolled straight to the Cowboys defensive line.

The defense responded to force a three-and-out, but the Cowboys would add a field goal to go up 27-21.

The next drive is where things get interesting. Gabriel hit [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag] on a 46-yard pass to give Oklahoma a first down at Oklahoma State’s 16-yard line. The Sooners were stuffed on their first two plays and on 3rd and 12, Gabriel would fire a ball to Stoops in the end zone.  Stoops was tackled by the Cowboys defender allowing the ball to fall to the turf incomplete. There were no flags on the play, despite an official standing right there. Oklahoma settled for a field goal to make it 27-24.

The Sooners’ defense forced a Cowboys punt. Gabriel got the ball back on their 20-yard line with 1:46 to go in the game. Gabriel hit Stoops on a 21-yard pass. But again at midfield, the Sooners’ offense stalled again.

On third and 10, Jeff Lebby called a short slant to Jalil Farooq, who was only able to pick up five yards, setting up a fourth and five. Lebby dialed up another pass attempt that Stoops caught short of the first down marker and was tackled out of bounds before he could turn it upfield, turning the ball over on downs.

It was an unfortunate end for the Oklahoma Sooners who had numerous opportunities to take control of the game, but turnovers, mental miscues and poor officiating kept them from winning the game.

Drake Stoops had a phenomenal game, catching 12 passes for 134 yards and a touchdown. Gabriel completed 70% of his passes for 344 yards and a touchdown. He also had a fumble and an interception.

Gavin Sawchuk and Tawee Walker had solid performances, helping the Sooners average 5.5 yards per carry in the game.

Getting the start in place of Danny Stutsman, Kip Lewis led the Sooners with 15 total tackles. Robert Spears-Jennings earned the first extended run of his Sooners career and finished second on the team with seven total tackles, including a pivotal fourth down stop.

Oklahoma’s defense did a nice job, limiting Ollie Gordon in key situations, still, the star running back ran for 133 yards and two touchdowns. The Sooners held Oklahoma State to 5 of 15 on third downs and 1 of 4 on fourth downs. The defense was good enough to win the game.

The Sooners’ three turnovers on offense had a huge impact on the outcome of the game.

The Oklahoma State Cowboys now put themselves on the road to the Big 12 title game with the win. The Sooners have now lost two in a row and head home to take on an underrated West Virginia squad.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Jaron on Twitter @JaronSpor.

No. 11 Oklahoma Sooners vs Oklahoma State Cowboys: How to Watch, key players, weather forecast for gameday

Here is how to watch the final regular season Bedlam game as conference foes.

The Oklahoma Sooners head north to Stillwater to take on the [autotag]Oklahoma State Cowboys[/autotag] in the final Big 12 Bedlam battle.

The Sooners have a record of 91-19-7 in the series. The Cowboys are looking to end the series by winning two of the last three games. They come in red hot winning four straight and by an average margin of victory of 15.25 points per game.

Ollie Gordon has burst onto the scene, rushing for more than 900 yards in his last five games. He currently leads the nation with 1,087 yards rushing. The Sooners come into the game off their first defeat of the season and two weeks removed from a nailbiter against UCF.

They haven’t played well the last two weeks and are dealing with injuries to key players.

But let’s dive into how you can watch the game, some key players, what the weather will look like, and the injury report for both schools.

Report Card: Poor grades all around as Oklahoma loses to Kansas

Oklahoma struggles nearly across the board areas but how did each position group grade out in the loss to Kansas?

Oklahoma took their first loss of the season on Saturday, falling to the [autotag]Kansas Jayhawks[/autotag] on a rainy and disgusting day in Lawrence. From the first play from scrimmage, it appeared Oklahoma would be in for a fight. And sure enough, that’s precisely what happened.

Oklahoma fell victim to another slow start on both sides of the ball. The Sooners were never able to get their passing game going. Due to the weather conditions, they relied heavily on their offensive line and running backs to generate offense.

The sooners will try and figure things out as they get set to take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys in what will be the last Bedlam for quite some time.

OU played a rough game on all fronts. Some things were encouraging, but a lot of the performance put forth was not good enough. We broke it down by position group below.

‘Just doing whatever I can for the team’: Jallil Farooq simply wants to help the Oklahoma Sooners win

Jalil Farooq played some running back in the Sooners last game but for him he doesn’t care what position he plays, he just wants to win.

When you look at the stat sheet from the Oklahoma Sooners game against the [autotag]UCF Knights[/autotag], you’ll see [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag] had three carries for 16 yards. Immediately you don’t think much of it because Farooq is a guy they love to get the ball to on reverses or sweeps.

But dive a little deeper, and it gets more interesting. Those three carries were when he was lined up at running back. Now, Farooq played running back in high school, so he knows the position, but he hasn’t played that position at Oklahoma.

With the loss of [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag] the game before, it was interesting Oklahoma would use him that way. Is it because they want to get the ball in his hands, or is it because they still aren’t feeling great about the running backs?

It’s probably a little bit of both. Farooq told reporters he’ll do whatever it takes to win. “Just doing whatever I can for the team,” Farooq said. “It’s actually fun. It feels like high school once again. So just being able to be out there, move around, make plays when I can, enjoying football.”

With the weather not looking great for this weekend, it’ll be interesting if that formation sticks around or if it was just a one-week wonder after the performance [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag] put on in the 4th Quarter.

We’ll find that out Saturday at 11:00 a.m.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Jaron on Twitter @JaronSpor.