Tag: Jalil Farooq

Report Card: Sooners pass biggest test of the season in win over Texas

The Sooners won an instant classic against their rivals from Texas 34-30. We went and graded every position group’s performance.

Oklahoma’s win over Texas was a significant notch in the belt of head coach Brent Venables. It also signified the revitalization of Oklahoma football, just a year removed from getting blasted 49-0 in the same stadium by the Longhorns.

Venables’ team spent the entire offseason leveling up and striving to return to the standard people have become accustomed to.

This season, the Sooners handled everything that came their way. Every setback or adversity they faced in their first five games prepared them for Saturday in Dallas. The entire team and coaching staff handled it masterfully as the Sooners beat Texas, 34-30.

It was the most complete performance of the season, and some of the most significant areas the Sooners needed to work on after last season’s 6-7 record were on full display. After passing a test like that, it’s time to pass out some grades. It’s report card time.

5 takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners’ 34-30 win over the Texas Longhorns

The Oklahoma Sooners knocked off the Texas Longhorns 34-30 and here are five takeaways from the win!

The Cotton Bowl often provides an incredible game to go with the incredible atmosphere in the Red River Rivalry. The Oklahoma Sooners pulled out an incredible win on the backs of a phenomenal drive in the final minute by Dillon Gabriel and the offense.

With the win, the Oklahoma Sooners moved to 6-0 on the season and 3-0 in Big 12 play. A far cry from what this team was a year ago.

There’s so much to break down from this game, but in the aftermath of the incredible effort, here are five takeaways.

Report Card: All three phases contribute as Oklahoma cruises to 30 point win over Iowa State

Oklahoma plays complementary football and rolls to a 50-20 win over Iowa State. A look at this week’s report card.

Oklahoma put together a complementary effort on Saturday night, beating Iowa State in their last matchup as Big 12 foes. In the Sooners’ 50-20 win, Oklahoma had big day on offense, added a defensive score, and a blocked punt resulted in a safety.

It was a pleasant sight as the Sooners avoided getting caught in a trap game. A few busts in coverage made the game closer than it was.

Outside of the two big plays, the Sooners allowed 234 yards and six points across the remaining three quarters. Brent Venables was able to rally and refocus his troops when the game got to 21-20 in the second quarter. The Sooners didn’t allow another point over the final 39 minutes of the game.

Here’s how the Sooners fared in this week’s Report Card.

Wide receiver Brenen Thompson flashes in first action of the season vs. Iowa State

Brenen Thompson showed why Oklahoma is so high on him in his first action of the season against Iowa State.

With the start of the second quarter just underway and the [autotag]Iowa State Cyclones[/autotag] cutting the Sooners’ lead to four, the Oklahoma offense trotted onto the field. The Sooners offense had been unstoppable, a trend that would continue for much of the game.

The Sooners started on their own 25-yard line, and [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] took the shotgun snap. He would then by some time before launching one way downfield to newcomer [autotag]Brenen Thompson[/autotag], who made an incredible adjustment to an underthrown ball, reeling it in for a 54-yard gain.

This was Thompson’s first action of the season after transferring from the Texas Longhorns this offseason. He told reporters after the game it felt good to get his feet wet.

“It was amazing,” Thompson said. “We work our whole lives for that. You dream of that stuff. You love it.”

Thompson finished second on the team with 62 receiving yards, just behind [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag]’s team-leading 81 yards. Thompson brings another element to the Sooners’ offense.

He has speed similar to former Sooners great, [autotag]Marquis Brown[/autotag]. Because of that speed, something [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag] and company are going to have to find ways to get him more and more involved in the offense.

What better time to do that than the week you play your former team in the [autotag]Cotton Bowl[/autotag] in Dallas?

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.

Sooners offense shines, defense settles in as Oklahoma beats the Iowa State 50-20

Oklahoma Sooners put together another strong performance knocking off the Iowa State Cyclones, 50-20.

The Oklahoma Sooners took on the [autotag]Iowa State Cyclones[/autotag] in their conference home opener in Norman on Saturday and came away with a huge 50-20 win to move to 5-0 on the season and 2-0 in Big 12 play.

The Sooners had a great start to the game as [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag] picked off [autotag]Rocco Becht[/autotag] and took it back for a touchdown on the first drive of the game. Iowa State came right back with a 51-yard strike on a 3rd and 18 on a busted coverage.

The Sooners took their first drive right down the field to answer. [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] led the 75-yard drive and capped it off with a one-yard touchdown run. The Sooners immediately gave up a huge run but ultimately held the Cyclones’ offense to a field goal.

Oklahoma got a touchdown on their next possession as Gabriel hit a wide-open [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] for 39 yards.

But then another defensive bust led to a 67-yard touchdown for the Cyclones. After a missed field goal by Zach Schmit, the Cyclones cut the game to one on a field goal of their own.

But the Sooners responded as Gabriel hit [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag] for 46 yards. Gabriel ran it in from six yards out on the next play to make it 28-20 and the Sooners never looked back.

On the Cyclones ensuing drive, Oklahoma got a stop and then Peyton Bowen blocked his second punt of the season. After Trace Ford was unable to recover the blocked kick, the ball rolled out of bounds for a safety.

On their next drive, the Sooners put three more points on the board to go up 33-20.

Gentry Williams picked off Becht on the Cyclones’ next drive. Gabriel then found Stoops to end the half with the Sooners up 40-20.

Oklahoma outgained the Cyclones 340 to 272 in the first half.

The Sooners started the second half where they left off as Gabriel found [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag] on a 41-yard touchdown pass on 4th down. It was an incredible display of balance and athleticism as Gibson bounced off of several would-be tacklers to get into the end zone and extend Oklahoma’s lead to 47-20.

After that, it was a defensive showdown for both teams for the rest of the quarter. The Sooners ended the quarter with a 4th down stop and took a 27-point lead to the fourth.

In the fourth quarter, Oklahoma was content to simply run the clock out. Though they only added a field goal, in the fourth, they did a great job milking the clock and holding strong on defense to close out the game.

They outgained the Cyclones 523 to 352, allowing only 80 yards in the second half.

Dillon Gabriel was fantastic yet again for the Oklahoma Sooners. He completed 67% of his passes for 367 yards and three touchdown passes. He also carried the ball eight times for 37 yards and two scores.

Jalil Farooq led the receiving corps with five receptions for 81 yards on the day. Brenen Thompson saw his first action as a Sooner with two catches for 62 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, the Oklahoma Sooners shut down the Cyclones after allowing 20 points in the first 21 minutes of game time. The Sooners held Iowa State to just 4 of 15 on third down. They held Rocco Becht to a completion rate of 45% and limited the damage after the early coverage issues.

For the first time this season, a team found some success on the ground. Iowa State ran for 150 yards and 5.6 yards per carry. However in the second half, the Sooners held the Cyclones to 2.63 yards per carry.

The Sooners remain unbeaten, setting up the [autotag]Red River Rivalry[/autotag].

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.

Dillon Gabriel top 5 in College Sports Wire’s Heisman Poll

Dillon Gabriel is off to a strong season and has found him in the running for a prestigious award.

The Oklahoma Sooners are off to a 4-0 start after winning on the road against Big 12 newcomer the [autotag]Cincinnati Bearcats[/autotag]. [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] has played a huge part in that start.

He’s thrown for 1,227 yards on 10.4 yards per attempt. He’s also thrown 12 touchdowns and one interception and completing 78% of his passes. Some will point to the level of competition, but the fact is he wasn’t putting up these types of numbers a season ago. There are very few in all of college football that have been as productive as Oklahoma’s quarterback.

His start to the season has put him on College Sports Wire’s first Heisman poll of the season, coming in at No. 5. Gabriel has the eighth-best odds to win the Heisman, according to BetMGM.

Gabriel returned for a fifth year in college football after Oklahoma fell short of expectations with a 6-7 season. Gabriel is among the active passing leaders, just behind Notre Dame’s Sam Hartman. The offense has shown improvement with his efficient play. As Big 12 play ramps up, we will find out if the Sooners offense can keep it rolling. A big test looms next week against Texas. – College Sports Wire staff

As they said, the key game is against the Texas Longhorns. If Gabriel has a strong showing that week the [autotag]Heisman[/autotag] talk will only grow If he plays poorly, it’ll be hard for him to get back into the running by season’s end.

As for now, there’s no doubt you can see the growth in Gabriel’s game. He looks more confident. He looks like he has a strong connection with his receivers. He knows when to take the shots and when to just not make a mistake because of how well the defense is playing.

That’s what you want from your quarterback. Sure, he needs to make some of the layup throws like the ones to [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag] and [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag] against the Bearcats that would have resulted in touchdowns.

He’s not a perfect player, but he’s playing at a high level so far.

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. 14 Oklahoma Sooners beat Cincinnati Bearcats 20-6

The Oklahoma Sooners opened Big 12 play with a 20-6 win over the Cincinnati Bearcats on the backs of a huge defensive effort.

The Oklahoma Sooners and the [autotag]Cincinnati Bearcats[/autotag] opened Big 12 play on Saturday. This was the third-ever meeting between the two schools.

The Bearcats scored first on their second possession. They were aided by a pass interference call on [autotag]Gentry Williams[/autotag], but the Sooners defense stopped the Bearcats offense allowing just a field goal.

The Sooners then put together a fairly nice drive, but miscues hurt them. First, [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] missed a wide-open [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag] for a walk-in touchdown. Next, [autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag] slipped on what have been a first down on second down. On the following play, Gabriel fumbled on the quarterback run.

The Sooners’ defense got a stop on the following possession before Gabriel put together a methodical drive capped off by a touchdown pass to [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag]. It was Anderson’s fourth of the season.

To start the second quarter, the defense forced a three and out after Danny Stutsman laid the wood on a third down short yardage run.

On the ensuing drive, the Sooners were backed up on their own goalline, facing a 3rd and 19 and looking like they were going to be forced to punt. The Sooners drive didn’t look good as they had a 3rd and 19 from their own 3. But Major was able to find a hole and get a big gain. They would eventually cap the drive off with a field goal to go up 10-3.

The Bearcats came right back to put the pressure on the Oklahoma defense. After a huge gain were set up nicely deep into Oklahoma territory. Emory Jones then threw a jump ball to the front corner of the end zone. [autotag]Woodi Washington[/autotag] provided fantastic coverage, and the ball was intercepted by [autotag]Key Lawrence[/autotag], who picked it off, ranging over from the middle of the field.

Both defenses dominated the rest of the half, but right before the break, Oklahoma shanked a punt to set up Cincinnati in OU’s territory. The Bearcats got down to the Sooners 10-yard line and lined up for a field goal. Cincinnati kicker Carter Brown missed it wide left, and the score would stay 10-3 Sooners going into halftime.

The Sooners outgained the Bearcats 245-175 in the first thirty minutes and the defense shut down the Bearcats’ No. 8 ranked run game, holding them to 39 yards at the half.

The third quarter was much of the same. The Sooners struggled to get anything going on their first possession, punting it back to the Bearcats.

Cincinnati went on a methodical 12-play drive that ended in a 55-yard field goal after a Jonah Laulu sack.

The Sooners responded right back and scored a touchdown on a Gabriel keeper after a nine-play, 75-yard drive where the Sooners were able to find a little success on the ground.

The Bearcats were threatening on their first drive of the fourth quarter, but pressure led Jones to throw into coverage and after the ball was tipped multiple times, [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag] came down with the Sooners’ second interception of the game.

Oklahoma’s defense came up big on a fourth down on the Bearcats’ next two drives and was able to cruise to the 14-point win to move to 4-0 on the season and 1-0 in Big 12 play.

Dillon Gabriel completed 68% of his passes for 322 yards and had a passing and rushing touchdown in the game. It was a good performance, but it could have been even bigger after overthrowing multiple wide receivers in the game and a missed defensive pass interference in the end zone.

[autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag] continued his breakout season, catching seven passes for 117 yards. [autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag] led the way on the ground with 63 yards on 15 carries and had a couple of big runs called back due to a penalty. He averaged 4.2 yards per carry and also had a pair of catches for 18 yards in the win.

[autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] continued his incredible start to the 2023 season with another fantastic effort. The Sooners leader racked up 13 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and a sack. He had multiple fourth-down stops to get the Sooners defense off the field.

The Sooners defense held the Bearcats top-10 rushing attack to 3.7 yards per carry and just 3 of 15 on third down. Quarterback Emory Jones completed just 54% of his passes for 235 yards and was held to 42 yards on 15 attempts (2.8 yards per carry) by the Oklahoma defense.

The Sooners now return back to Owen Field after their two-game road trip to face the Iowa State Cyclones.

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.

5 keys to an Oklahoma Sooners win in Week 4 vs. the Cincinnati Bearcats

From run defense to passing offense, here are the keys to a Sooner victory vs. the Bearcats.

The Oklahoma Sooners are headed to Cincinnati, Ohio for their one and only meeting as conference foes against the Bearcats. The Sooners are 2-0 against all-time and [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] was a part of both wins.

This will be their first trip to Nippert Stadium. The 2010 game was played at Paul Brown Stadium, now Paycor Stadium, which is the home of the Cincinnati Bengals. The Sooners will have their work cut out for them as the Bearcats are fresh off an overtime upset loss to in-state rival the Miami (OH) Redhawks.

The Bearcats would love nothing more than to play spoiler to the Sooners’ undefeated season, and they have the players to do that. For the Sooners, they want to right the wrongs of a season ago, losing their first three conference games.

So, without further adieu, let’s take a look at what needs to take place for the Oklahoma Sooners to leave Ohio with a win.

Nic Anderson continues to show what he can be going forward for the Oklahoma Sooners

Nic Anderson was plagued by injuries a year ago but now he’s making the most of every opportunity.

For only the second time in program history, the Oklahoma Sooners had three 100-yard receivers in a game. [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag], [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag] and [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag] all went over 100 yards vs. the [autotag]Tulsa Golden Hurricane[/autotag].

The only other time this has been done was Bedlam in 2012. That was an overtime thriller in Norman the Sooners eventually won when [autotag]Jalen Saunders[/autotag], [autotag]Kenny Stills[/autotag] and [autotag]Justin Brown[/autotag] all surpassed 100 yards.

Hearing Anthony and Farooq went over the century mark shouldn’t be a surprise. They are both starters and a pair of players many thought would have an important role in the offense.

Anderson however is a backup but someone who has a lot of potential. He was hit with the injury bug in his first season, but is healthy and rolling. He talked to reporters after practice on Tuesday about his performance.

“I just trusted in my teammates and the coaches’ plan,” Anderson said. “The gameplan was great. Lebby was really trying to air it out that game and everybody got a chance to touch the ball.”

Anderson channeled his inner Randy Moss with three catches for 120 yards and three touchdowns. All three of the touchdowns showed something different.

The first one showed his great speed as he ran past the defender. The second one showed his route running to come back to the ball and then his ability after the catch with a nice stiff arm, which freed him up to take it to the house. The third one showed the speed but also the strength, as he basically carried the Golden Hurricane defender about 10 yards to the endzone.

The Sooners traditionally play three wide receivers at all times. It’s hard to take Anthony, Stoops, or Farooq off the field. But if Anderson continues to play like this, they are going to have to find ways to get him on the field more.

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.

Stock Up, Stock Down: Passing game trending up, run game trending down as Sooners head into Big 12 opener

Taking a look at what is trending up or down as the Oklahoma Sooners prepare for Big 12 play.

The warm-ups are done now. Oklahoma’s nonconference schedule was far from a gauntlet, but they did what they needed to. This team is more equipped to be players for the Big 12 title this year than at any point last year. That much feels like a near certainty.

Starting Saturday at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, we’ll dive deeper into this team and see what they are about as the competition level jumps. They’ll take on one of the Big 12’s newest members, the Cincinnati Bearcats, who will provide unique challenges for the Sooners.

As they spend the rest of the week preparing for the matchup, Oklahoma as a team is trending in the right direction. Health isn’t much of a concern yet, though they’ll be without Justin Harrington. That speaks to the depth this team has built in such short order. They are playing well in all facets of the game, but there are still some question marks to which we don’t have answers.

Below, our stock report looks at what’s trending up for Oklahoma and what’s trending down as the Big 12 season begins.