Tag: Jaren Kanak

Report Card: Oklahoma’s poor performance a rude awakening

The Oklahoma Sooners looked horrific in their loss to TCU. Here’s how each position group graded out in the loss.

Murphy’s Law states that if anything can go wrong, it will. That was the entire story of Oklahoma’s time in Fort Worth Saturday afternoon against the TCU Horned Frogs.

Nothing and absolutely nothing could’ve prepared us and the country for what we all bore witness to as TCU annihilated Oklahoma 55-24.

It was bad in every way, shape, or form. To be quite frank, there are very few positive takeaways from the game.

We’re here to make sense of it all as we go thru and process just what we witnessed. Here’s how we graded Oklahoma’s performance.

Oklahoma Football: 5 things to watch on defense against TCU

Five things to watch on defense as the Sooners look to rebound against TCU

We’re changing things up a bit this week. Instead of five players, we’re looking at five things to watch on defense.

Why?

The Sooners’ defense against Kasnas State was a non-factor, to put it kindly. They allowed nearly 300 rushing yards against Kansas State’s offense and were completely helpless against option plays.

If the Sooners want to come out of Fort Worth with a win, the defense needs to play better than they did in week four. The Sooners’ front seven was dominated by KSU’s offensive line, plain and simple.

Report Card: Oklahoma grades poorly in loss to Kansas State

A poor showing by Oklahoma’s defense doomed the Sooners against Kansas State in our report card from week four.

Any dreams of an undefeated season have officially come to an end as Oklahoma suffered its first loss of the season Saturday night against the Kansas State Wildcats. This has become a recurring theme over the last four years between these two.

Somehow Kansas State just finds a way to beat Oklahoma. Saturday’s loss against the Wildcats followed the same script as the previous losses. Deuce Vaughn was a thorn in Oklahoma’s side, accompanied by a breakout performance from an athletic quarterback. This time, instead of Skylar Thompson, it was Nebraska transfer, Adrian Martinez. He looked like the second-coming of former Heisman winner Cam Newton against Oklahoma. He diced them up through the air and ran for days against this Sooners’ defense.

Ultimately, Oklahoma lost the game 41-34. The story may have ended differently if they could’ve come up with two more plays on both sides of the ball. They couldn’t get out of their way. With that said, we have our final grades for the game and shared them below.

5 Sooners to watch on defense against Kansas State

Oklahoma will need a solid performance from these five defensive players when they take on Kansas State.

Oklahoma’s Big 12 campaign gets underway under the lights Saturday night in what should be a competitive matchup. Oklahoma and Kansas State two have played each other fairly close over the last few years. Kansas State comes into the game on the heels of a loss while Oklahoma straps their pads up following a dismantling of their longtime rivals, the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

In recent years, Kansas State felt like a lock to push the Sooners to the brink. While that remains a possibility, if Oklahoma can take care of things on the defensive side of the ball, they’ll put themselves in a much better position to win on Saturday.

There are a handful of Oklahoma players that could play a significant role in propelling this defense to victory. Take a look at our five defensive players to watch heading into the matchup with the Wildcats.

Report Card: Sooners earn high marks in convincing road win vs. old foe Nebraska

Oklahoma earns high marks all around for a complete and thorough road win against long-time rival Nebraska.

Oklahoma’s win against Nebraska was their first notable win of the season as it came against a Power Five opponent.

The Oklahoma Sooners dominated the Cornhuskers 49-14, and in many ways, it served as the perfect tune-up before conference play forces Oklahoma to shift into another gear.

As a team, the Sooners looked good from top to bottom. Players who needed to step up showed up. Others showed they could be big-time contributors for the Oklahoma Sooners this season.

Now that the dust has settled and the Sooners turn their focus to Kansas State, we’ll share our final grades for Oklahoma’s win against Nebraska.

Stock Up, Stock Down: Receivers show up in a big and Jaren Kanak makes a splash

Taking a look at who’s trending up and who’s trending down following OU’s 49-14 win against Nebraska.

Oklahoma went up to Lincoln, Nebraska and things got out of hand. After forcing Oklahoma to punt to start the game, Nebraska came out swinging with a solid hook that connected on their first offensive drive of the game. From there, a crimson avalanche hit Nebraska, and the Cornhuskers never recovered.

Oklahoma went on to win 49-14, and aside from a garbage-time touchdown, Oklahoma may have held Nebraska to just seven points.

From great performances from the receivers to the defensive line routinely bullying the Nebraska offensive line, it was clear there was a distinct difference in the talent on each of these rosters.

Oklahoma cleared the nonconference part of its schedule and ended it by passing its biggest test with flying colors. With the smoke clearing on the game, we look at whose stock is trending up and whose is trending down as the Sooners get ready for their Big 12 opener at home against Kansas State.

Linebacker Jaren Kanak proves ready for prime-time role

Getting his first extended run against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Jaren Kanak proved he’s ready to contribute even as a true freshman.

In the wake of Brent Venables’ move from Clemson defensive coordinator to Oklahoma Sooners head coach, one of the more intriguing story lines to follow was that of Clemson commit and Kansas native [autotag]Jaren Kanak[/autotag].

It wasn’t long after Venables made the move to Norman that rumblings surfaced that Kanak wanted to follow the defensive coordinator he had committed to play for. Venables, not wanting to undermine his friend and former employer, Dabo Swinney, encouraged Kanak to stay committed to Clemson.

Kanak came to Oklahoma anyway and immediately made noise in the offseason program with his work ethic and his athleticism. That showed up on Saturday. Though he played some against UTEP and Kent State, the Nebraska game provided the first extended game action for the athletic linebacker, and he proved ready for the opportunity.

Kanak played 42 snaps on Saturday and led the Oklahoma Sooners with 10 total tackles (3 solo) and four stops (Pro Football Focus). He also led the Oklahoma Sooners with four pressures, one better than Ethan Downs. He did so while playing only the sixth-most defensive snaps against Nebraska.

The guy has a chance to be an elite talent for the Oklahoma Sooners, and his versatility fits right in at the cheetah position in Brent Venables and Ted Roof’s defense.

“He played good,” Venables said after the game Saturday. “You know, again, I’m talking to myself. And I’m super proud of Jaren. He’s one of the most unassuming guys in our locker room. And then he also had the first what we call the ‘Swift Sooner Award,’ which goes to whoever causes, gets the first turnover. And he did that as well, punched the ball out, did a great job. And he’s just learning how to play linebacker. He has no idea what he’s doing yet. But he’s made a lot of improvements from fundamentals and language. And I know things are going a million miles an hour for him, but he did a nice job.”

The opportunity wasn’t too big for the true freshman who played more snaps in Week 3 (42) against Nebraska than he played in weeks 1 and 2 combined (33).

While Venables was encouraged by Kanak’s efforts, he knows there’s a lot of room to grow. And that should be a scary thought for opposing offensive coordinators.

“The tape is going to be great for him to learn from. He’s really hard on himself. He’s an easy guy to coach because he’s really demanding himself, as opposed to being a young, immature freshman that doesn’t want to be told when he’s terrible. And he wasn’t terrible today, but he made some mistakes. He’ll be the first one to say that. But so did a bunch of other guys. So, I’m really proud of him and the progress that he’s made. Ted’s (Roof) done a great job with him.”

Though DeShaun White will likely return to his starting role as the cheetah linebacker, Kanak should get more opportunities to play in meaningful situations.

With a tough matchup coming against the athletic and speedy Deuce Vaughn, Kanak could be a part of the game plan to slow Kansas State’s best player.

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7 takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners dominant win over Nebraska

Takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners dominant 49-14 win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

That was a fun one. After so much talk of how the Sooners were on “upset alert” heading into their week three matchup against Nebraska, Oklahoma crushed their rivals 49-14.

Just about everyone wearing a white jersey looked great on Saturday, and after a quick Nebraska score, the Sooners looked unstoppable.

Here are five takeaways from the Crimson and Cream dominating performance against Big Red.

Relive the Sooners 49-14 domination of Nebraska through stunning images

Relive some of the best moments from Oklahoma’s 49-14 win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers through stunning still images.

Their first trip to Lincoln since 2009 couldn’t have gone any better for the Oklahoma Sooners. Their 49-14 win helped the Sooners improve to 3-0 on the season.

It was a game that saw several players have break out performances. Eric Gray ran for 113 yards and two touchdowns, averaging more than 10 yards per carry. Marcus Major added two more touchdowns to his ledger for 2022. Jalil Farooq had his best performance of the season and caught his first career touchdown pass.

It was the best performance of the season for the Oklahoma Sooners who earned their third straight 30-point win of the season.

It wasn’t the most efficient day for Dillon Gabriel, but his 61-yard touchdown run to put Oklahoma on the board, ignited the Sooners, sparking 49 unanswered points and a dominant performance from the defense.

The defense allowed only 327 yards, 3.6 yards per carry, and 4.3 yards per play. They lived in the backfield, collecting four sacks and nine tackles for loss, keeping Casey Thompson from beating the Sooners with his legs.

It was a huge win in Brent Venables first road trip against a Power Five team. Let’s take a look back at the Sooners win through these stunning still images.

No. 6 Sooners make a statement in 49-14 drubbing of Nebraska

The No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners left no doubt in the 88th matchup with Nebraska, winning 49-14.

The No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners left very little to chance in a massive 49-14 win against the Nebraska Cornhuskers. In the 88th meeting between the stories rivals, the Crimson and Cream emerged victorious.

Things looked a little hairy for OU after an early punt and Nebraska score, but Dillon Gabriel quieted the crowd with a 61-yard touchdown run.

The Sooners didn’t look back after that. Oklahoma scored 49 unanswered points with a fast-paced offense and a punishing, physical defense.

It’s hard to ask more of OU’s offense than what they gave against Nebraska. Both Eric Gray and Marcus Major looked phenomenal running the football. Gray finally found the end zone, finishing the day with 113 yards and two touchdowns. Major had a rushing touchdown and receiving score for another solid day at the office.

While the Huskers seemed to be getting pressure to Dillon Gabriel early, the Sooners’ offensive line locked in after going down 7-0. Wanya Morris came in at right tackle after not starting the game and the unit dominated Nebraska’s front seven from then on.

Gabriel started the scoring with his long touchdown run and helped Oklahoma take the lead on the following drive with an efficient drive that ended with a beautiful throw to Jalil Farooq for the first touchdown of his young career.

After the first two weeks of the season that saw little production, Farooq looked great, getting open, making plays after the catch and displaying the ability that got everyone excited during Oklahoma’s win in the Alamo Bowl.

In the second quarter it was more of the same. The Sooners defense kept Casey Thompson and the Cornhuskers’ offense from getting into any kind of rhythm.

In the second quarter it Major’s one-yard touchdown run and touchdown reception from Brayden Willis that began to put the game out of reach before Eric Gray’s incredible touchdown runs on either side of halftime that broke the heart of Cornhuskers fans and the ankles of Nebraska players.

The defense looked physical, punishing and relentless. While Huskers QB Casey Thompson looked solid early, the Sooners pass rush got to the QB four times and Thompson seemed to have multiple white jerseys in his face every time he dropped back.

True freshman Jaren Kanak looked like a veteran in his first road game as a college player. However, he did miss out on a couple of sacks. Both Casey Thompson and Chubba Purdy got away from him when he got into the backfield. However, the young man did force a fumble to get OU the ball back.

The tackling in general wasn’t as good as it was against UTEP and Kent State, so there are a few things to work on this week.

Focus on the positives. The Sooners were looking at a very bad situation with a defecit on the scoreboard and a raucous crowd in the stand. They weathered the storm and made this game an absolute blowout.

The Sooners saw a lot of milestones today. Brent Venables has both his first Power Five win and his first road win. Eric Gray had his first multi-touchdown game as a Sooner and Brayden Willis threw his first touchdown pass.

OU proved a point in Lincoln.

A lot of people were expecting an upset after the Huskers fired Scott Frost. A lot of people thought the Sooners were going to stumble heading into conference play.

They didn’t. Oklahoma has passed every test so far in this young season and look like an absolute wagon heading into week four.

The Kansas State Wildcats are coming for a primetime matchup at Gaylord Family Memorial Stadium. The journey back to the Big 12 Championship starts now for the Oklahoma Sooners.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today. You can also follow Ben on Twitter @bendackiw.