Tag: Jaxon Player

Oklahoma Sooners run game to be tested vs. ‘stout’ Baylor defensive front

The Oklahoma Sooners take on another tough run defense this week when they face the Baylor Bears and their “stout” defensive front. From @john9williams

One of the bright spots in the 2022 season has been the emergence of the running game for the Oklahoma Sooners. Entering the season, there were question marks after [autotag]Kennedy Brooks[/autotag] left for the NFL and [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag] was underutilized in 2021.

All of those questions have been answered nine weeks into the season as the Sooners boast the No. 16 rushing attack in the nation, averaging 217.5 yards per game. On Saturday, against an Iowa State team that allowed just 105 yards per game on the ground, Oklahoma was able to rack up 186 rushing yards. Eric Gray had his fifth 100-yard day of the season, and the Sooners used that strong rushing attack to help take pressure off a passing game that wasn’t hitting on all cylinders.

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Gray and the Sooners’ offensive line will be tested this Saturday against a Baylor defense that’s allowing only 3.42 yards per carry and 113.2 yards per game rushing. Led by defensive tackles [autotag]Siaki Ika[/autotag], [autotag]Gabe Hall[/autotag], and [autotag]Jaxon Player[/autotag] have a strong interior that will make life incredibly difficult for the Oklahoma Sooners on the ground.

“Yeah, I mean, they are. They’re really, really stout inside, have played really well,” offensive coordinator [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag] said on Monday. “You know, I think for us, it’s about being really efficient, being really good on first down, finding a sense of better third down situations and staying on the field to create as much stress as we can for them defensively. But they’re incredibly stout inside and playing well.”

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Last year, the Sooners ran for just 82 yards at 2.8 yards per carry against Baylor’s defense in the loss. They’ll need to be much better than that to help the Sooners’ offense stay out of long down and distance situations and sustain drives.

This is another week where a diverse rushing attack and the quick passing game can help keep the Bears’ defensive front guessing a bit. The use of jet motion to make the Baylor defense think a bit more can help the Sooners’ offense a step ahead.

Texas Tech ran for 146 yards on Saturday against Baylor, and the Bears allowed 217 yards against West Virginia a few weeks back. It may be tough sledding early in this one, but as the game wears on, the Oklahoma Sooners and Eric Gray will continue to create big runs on the ground, and the Sooners’ offense will have a chance to score some points.

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Oklahoma Sooners in top 5 for Tulsa transfer defensive tackle Jaxon Player

As the Oklahoma Sooners look to retool their defense, they find themselves in the top 5 for Tulsa transfer defensive tackle Jaxon Player.

The Oklahoma Sooners have some work to do to rebuild their defensive front with Nik Bonitto, Isaiah Thomas, and Perrion Winfrey heading to the NFL. They have a solid group of young players, but those players haven’t played a ton of snaps for the Sooners. Brent Venables, Ted Roof, and company need to add some depth in the transfer portal and they’ve been active early in their tenures.

Looking to solidify their defensive interior, the Sooners have an offer out to Tulsa defensive tackle Jaxon Player, who today dropped his top five destinations, including the Oklahoma Sooners.

Player also included Baylor, Oklahoma State, Arkansas, and TCU in his top five.

Listed at 6-0, 290 pounds, Jaxon Player worked at both the 1 and 3-technique defensive tackle spots for the Golden Hurricaine. His Production has increased each year he’s been in college and has racked up 30.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks over the last three seasons.

Defense & Fumbles Table
Tack Tack Tack Tack Tack Def Def Fumb Fumb
Year School Conf Class Pos G Solo Ast Tot Loss Sk TD PD FR FF
2018 Tulsa American FR DT 7 5 9 14 0.5 0.0 0 0 0 0
2019 Tulsa American SO NT 9 16 21 37 7.0 0.0 0 0 0 1
*2020 Tulsa American JR DL 9 23 14 37 8.5 3.0 0 0 1 0
*2021 Tulsa American SR DL 13 22 28 50 15.0 5.0 0 1 1 1
Career Tulsa 66 72 138 31.0 8.0 0 1 2 2
Provided by CFB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 1/4/2022.

At Clemson, Brent Venables prioritized big, run-stuffing defensive tackles and it’s clear that Player has that ability. With five sacks in 2021, he also brings some pass rush prowess to his game as well. If brought in, it’s likely that he’d slot right in next to Jalen Redmond in the starting lineup for the Oklahoma Sooners. His production and experience would make for a fantastic addition to Todd Bates defensive tackle rotation.

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