Jeff Lebby – Page 8 – Syndication Server

3 Offensive Keys vs. Iowa State: Sooners need to get the ground game going

Oklahoma’s offense has to put forth a more complete performance against Iowa State on Saturday. Take a look at our offensive keys to a win.

Oklahoma will host their first Big 12 opponent of the year on Saturday night when Matt Campbell’s [autotag]Iowa State Cyclones[/autotag] come to Norman for what should be a rocking crowd.

Oklahoma looks to go 2-0 in Big 12 play and set up a massive matchup with arch-rival Texas next week in Dallas.

This week, though, the focus is on the Cyclones. For a Sooners team that looked resilient on the road against Cincinnati, they’ll have to be better this week. Otherwise, they could be on upset watch.

Offensively, they were good, not great.

Sure, Dillon Gabriel threw for 322 yards, completed 68% of his passes, threw a touchdown, and ran for a score. However, two missed throws that would have been sure-fire touchdowns took the luster off what would’ve been a great day.

On the ground against possibly the best defensive line in the conference, they ran the ball 34 times for 103 yards. It wasn’t good in the first half, but improved to average more than four yards a carry in the second.

That efficiency level must be more consistent against an Iowa State team that will employ a defense begging Oklahoma to run against it. With that said, here are three keys to a more complete offensive showing and for the Sooners’ offense to help pull out a victory.

Up Next: Keys to the Game

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Three Iowa State Cyclones to know for Saturday’s matchup with the Oklahoma Sooners

Okahoma hosts Iowa State on Saturday and comes in with a talented cast of players. Here are three Cyclones to know.

Oklahoma returns home after starting their Big 12 campaign on the road against a tough Cincinnati team in a game they won 20-6. They’ll be under the lights for a primetime kick against the Iowa State Cyclones (2-2, 1-1 Big 12).

This isn’t the same Iowa State team that Oklahoma had some very close contests with a few years ago. However, Matt Campbell is an excellent coach and will have his guys ready to play hard.

Oklahoma is in a prime spot to look ahead to their monumental matchup with Texas next weekend. But for that game to mean nearly as much as it can, Oklahoma, like Texas, needs to take care of business this weekend.

Players have reiterated that they look at themselves as 0-0 every week, which must be displayed on Saturday night.

Who are some of the Iowa State names Oklahoma will need to be on the lookout for? We took the liberty of listing the three players to know below.

Up Next: Three Cyclones to Know

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Oklahoma Sooners one of the biggest team ranking risers of the summer

The Sooners continue to hit it out of the park in the 2024 class being one of the biggest risers since the summer.

Not many teams in the country have had as big of a rise in the recruiting rankings as the Oklahoma Sooners over the last few months. The Sooners have been on an absolute heater since July.

With the most recent commitment of [autotag]Danny Okoye[/autotag], the Sooners are No. 7 in 247Sports’ team composite ranking and No. 8 over at On3. On3 Sports ranked the teams to make the biggest jump since the summer, and the Sooners were included, moving up nine spots.

Brent Venables and Co. flexed their recruiting muscles in a big way last cycle, ending with the nation’s No. 6 recruiting class. It featured three five-stars and 15 blue-chippers in total. Beating that haul in 2024 was always going to be a tall task, but the Sooners are yet again on the verge of securing a top-10 class. Five-Star Plus+ DL [autotag]David Stone[/autotag] choosing OU over Miami was the highlight of the summer in that regard, but the Sooners have also added four-star pass-rushers [autotag]Nigel Smith[/autotag] and Danny Okoye to a very good defensive class. Not to be outdone, OC [autotag]Jeff Lebby[/autotag] and the Sooners offense has amassed some weapons this summer with elite running back [autotag]Taylor Tatum[/autotag], four-star tight end [autotag]Davon Mitchell[/autotag], and wideouts [autotag]Ivan Carreon[/autotag] and [autotag]Zion Ragins[/autotag], among others. – Keegan Pope On3 Sports

This move has ranked the Sooners as the fourth-biggest riser of any team in the country. But the Sooners are not done yet. They are still waiting on the decision of offensive linemen [autotag]Grant Brix[/autotag] and [autotag]Daniel Akinkunmi[/autotag]. They also are waiting for defensive back [autotag]Devon Jordan[/autotag].

Of the three players mentioned, Oklahoma holds a lead for only Akinkunmi, according to On3 Sports. There’s also always that potential of a flip from a five-star or two, but we don’t need to get everyone’s hopes on that just yet.

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 at Cincinnati Bearcats: Sooners Wire staff predictions

Can the Oklahoma Sooners keep the good times rolling on the road against the Cincinnati Bearcats. Here are this week’s staff predictions.

The Oklahoma Sooners get ready for their last Big 12 opener as they travel to take on the Cincinnati Bearcats in week four. The Sooners are rolling and take on a Bearcats team looking to rebound after their first loss of the season.

Can Oklahoma continue its defensive performance on the road against a talented dual-threat quarterback? Can the offense keep hitting big plays through the passing game? Can the running game find some running room against one of the best defensive fronts in the country?

We’ll find out starting at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday.

Here are this week’s Sooners Wire Staff Predictions

When we first saw Oklahoma’s schedule, this game against the Bearcats was the one that worried me the most before the Texas game.

Cincinnati is a team that shouldn’t be overlooked.

That defensive line is nasty and physical. They can disrupt an entire game plan. My worry has only grown due to how well the Bearcats’ offense is playing, particularly running the football. Their run game is No. 8 nationally.

Combine that with the loss last week, and this might be a trap game for the Sooners. If they’re not careful, they could look past the Bearcats and come out flat because of Cincinnati’s loss to Miami (Oh.).

They can very well lose this game. I think they’ll win, but it’ll be a lot closer than people think.

Sooners 34, Cincinnati 24

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Up Next: More Sooners Wire Staff Predictions

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Report Card: Saturday against Tulsa was about passing final nonconference test with flying colors

Oklahoma dominated Tulsa from beginning to end. Take a look as we go position by position and hand out grades for the performance.

Saturday’s dismantling of Tulsa was a much-needed conclusion for the Sooners to their nonconference schedule. The Sooners needed to erase any doubts, bouncing back and disposing of teams handily after a grind-it-out win against SMU.

The concerns about the conservative nature of the offense against SMU were put to rest as Oklahoma slung the ball all over the field for 476 yards.

Defensively, the Sooners grounded the Tulsa passing attack, allowing less than 250 yards through the air.

It was a convincing win and a pleasant, feel-good tuneup before they turn their heads to Cincinnati. Big 12 play is upon them, but before we turn the page, let’s pass out grades for this weekend’s performances.

Dillon Gabriel continues hot start to the season

Dillon Gabriel continues to show why he’s QB1 for Team 129.

There isn’t much you can complain about when it comes to [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag]’s play in nonconference. Gabriel has completed more than 80% of his passes with an 11:1 touchdown to interception ratio.

The one interception was on a go ball to [autotag]Gavin Freeman [/autotag]where the defensive back just made a great play on it. It wasn’t a bad decision. Gabriel had success with one-on-one balls all day but that one just didn’t go in his favor.

Gabriel told reporters after the game he felt the offense bounced back well.

“As a unit, we did really well,” Gabriel said. “Making a bunch of plays. Turning some short passes into chunks. We played with really good tempo. Just putting that all together is a beauty to see.”

It was a beauty to see. The Sooners did a great job of getting into the tempo but also slowing it down in the red zone and on critical downs to make sure they were in the right play. That resulted in the Sooners being perfect in the red zone and 8 of 10 on third and fourth down.

In two of the first three games, Gabriel has had the two highest completion percentage games of his career, something he contributes to the guys around him.

“You look at my play but I think it’s a combination of a lot of things,” Gabriel said. “The competitive plays downfield. Obviously the confidence in one another, confidence in the system. Year two in the system, you look at all of that and it’s a combination of a lot of things. The hard work and determination as a collective group, I look at it as a unit.”

[autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] flashed his amazing throwing ability again in this game as well. There’s no doubt he will get his opportunity to shine but for now, for Team 129, Gabriel is QB1.

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.

‘We want to be incredibly balanced’: Jeff Lebby knows the running game must improve

The Oklahoma Sooners offense dominated the Tulsa Golden Hurricane but Jeff Lebby knows they need to be more balanced long term.

The Oklahoma Sooners offense had an up-and-down performance vs. the [autotag]SMU Mustangs[/autotag] two weeks ago. This week was much different and better as an overall unit.

The Sooners scored on 9 of 12 possessions. One of those they didn’t score on was when they were kneeling out the clock. The Sooners are No. 1 in the nation in third-down offense, a major emphasis this offseason.

Jeff Lebby told reporters after the game, he was really impressed with the performance on Saturday.

“I liked the fact that we threw it around pretty well, we took care of the QB,” Lebby said. “I thought our protection was really dang good all day. I don’t like the one interception. I don’t like not scoring a touchdown right before half but I thought our guys had a great attack mindset to be up here and do what we needed to do.”

The only negative from the Sooners offense was another performance from the run game that that fell below their standards. McKade Mettauer said last week the goal is to average five yards per carry. They have yet to hit that mark and fell below it again averaging 4.3 vs. the [autotag]Tulsa Golden Hurricane[/autotag]. That played a role in them not scoring before half.

That’s something Lebby acknowledged they need to get corrected.

“We want to have great balance,” Lebby said. “I know we didn’t have great balance today, obviously. We want to be incredibly balanced. With the way it happened today, again we threw it around a little bit more than probably normal but felt we wanted to be aggressive, be able to go make plays down the field.”

It’s never a bad thing to be a team that can win in multiple ways but one thing is for sure, the Sooners will need to get the running game going if they want to achieve their goals long term.

That challenge gets increasingly harder starting this week as they play the Cincinnati Bearcats who bring one of the best defensive lines in the conference to the game.

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.

3 stars from the Oklahoma Sooners wire-to-wire domination of Tulsa

Oklahoma fired on all cylinders against Tulsa. Here are this week’s three stars from the Sooners 66-17 win.

The Oklahoma fan base asked for more explosive plays, and Jeff Lebby ensured his offense delivered on Saturday in Tulsa. Oklahoma’s passing offense put up 476 yards and threw for six touchdowns on the way to a 66-17 win.

Oklahoma never trailed and was in complete control throughout. The game was a stark difference from what the Sooners looked like against SMU, especially on the offensive side of the ball.

Oklahoma took on the identity of a battering ram against the Mustangs. This week, the offense transformed into long-range combat specialists, opening the passing offense to attack in a variety of ways. It was a sight to behold and allowed Oklahoma to showcase the growth it has experienced in the expansive receiver room.

Defensively, the good times continued to roll as the Sooners held Tulsa under 300 yards of total offense and finished the game with five interceptions. The Sooners turned those five interceptions into 34 points. Overall, it was another complete effort from beginning to end, with complementary football played by Brent Venables’ Sooners.

A handful of players were worthy of recognition for their performance, but we felt these three needed to be highlighted the most.

Up Next: 3 Stars of the Game

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Five Takeaways from Oklahoma’s dominating win over in-state foe Tulsa

Oklahoma brought the hammer down on in-state foe Tulsa on Saturday as they won 66-17. We have our five takeaways from the game.

Oklahoma wrapped up their nonconference schedule for the 2023 regular season on Saturday with pure domination of their in-state foe, the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. Oklahoma blew the doors off Tulsa 66-17.

From the outset, the Sooners had a weird start as starting receiver and kick returner Jalil Farooq fumbled the opening kick to Tulsa. But from then on, the Sooners were in control.

The week there was a lot of focus on Oklahoma’s offense and the conservative approach against SMU.

Jeff Lebby answered those concerns quickly, and the defense continued their improved and inspired play on the way to a runaway victory.

With the game fresh on our minds, here are our five takeaways from Oklahoma’s win.

3 keys for the Oklahoma Sooners offense to come away satisfied vs. Tulsa

What do the Oklahoma Sooners need to do offensively to not simply get a win but come away satisfied with their performance agains the Tulsa Golden Hurricane?

At least offensively, Oklahoma’s path to victory on Saturday is reasonably straightforward. The obvious things are executing situationally, dominating the line of scrimmage, and not turning the ball over.

Oklahoma has the talent advantage. That should be enough as long as they execute.

However, things aren’t that simple because Oklahoma isn’t just trying to scrape by. This is an opportunity for them to continue to refine themselves as an offensive unit so that they are firing on all cylinders in preparation for the Big 12 portion of their schedule.

Offensively, if they play like they did against SMU, the Sooners may have some problems on their hand that wouldn’t bode well for the remainder of their season.

With that in mind, let’s look at the three offensive keys to a Sooners victory in which Oklahoma fans and the offensive unit can walk away feeling like they accomplished something.

Up Next: 3 Keys on Offense vs. Tulsa

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