Tag: Jeff Lebby

No. 16 Oklahoma Sooners vs. Tulsa Golden Hurricane: Sooners Wire staff predictions

The Oklahoma Sooners look to build on their 2-0 start against Tulsa on Saturday and here are this week’s Sooners Wire staff predictions.

The 2023 season is about stepping into what a Brent Venables team is going to look like moving forward. 2022 was an aberration. It wasn’t representative of what this team will look like this season or even when the Sooners move into the SEC in 2024.

Through two games, Oklahoma’s defense looks like a different animal. Most notably, the Sooners have missed 22 fewer tackles through two games than they did in 2022. That’s a significant difference.

Last year against Kent State and UTEP, the Sooners allowed 16 points. This year against Arkansas State and SMU, Oklahoma allowed 11. Not a huge difference, but it’s still an improvement.

They’ve graded out as a better run defense and even a better pass rush, according to Pro Football Focus.

The other notable difference is how successful they’ve been on third down. Through two games a year ago, the Sooners’ defense allowed a third-down conversion 35% of the time. Arkansas State and SMU were only able to convert 21% of the time against Oklahoma’s defense.

There’s a lot still to prove each and every week for the Oklahoma Sooners in 2023, and their next opportunity to prove that this team is “built different” is Saturday against Tulsa.

Here are this week’s Sooners Wire Staff Predictions.

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Time for a bounce back: Some Sooners on offense to keep an eye on vs. Tulsa

After a poor showing on offense against SMU, we’ll be looking at these Sooners to have better games or get more playing time.

Oklahoma’s performance on offense against SMU was head-scratching. The playcalling felt disjointed, especially after the first quarter. Poor blocking was the main culprit, but it also felt very conservative.

Whether that was by design, it needs to be better.

The entire offense needs to be better. The blocking took a step back after dominating Arkansas State. The running backs weren’t particularly explosive or impactful until later in the game. The receivers were essentially a non-factor outside of [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag] and a late fourth-quarter touchdown catch from [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag].

This Saturday will give Oklahoma one more tune-up before they embark on a journey to start their Big 12 schedule. After this week’s matchup with Tulsa, the Sooners will go on the road again to face Cincinnati. The Sooners will want to feel better about their offensive performance before making the trip in week 4.

With a unit that struggled against SMU, there are a number of candidates in need of bounce-back performances. Here are the three players we’ll be watching closely on Saturday.

Up Next: 3 Sooners to Watch on Offense

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Sooners defense leads the way: 3 stars in Oklahoma’s win over the SMU Mustangs

Oklahoma took down SMU 28-11 on Saturday behind some stifling defense. We broke down our three stars for the game.

A week ago, if someone told you Oklahoma would hold an explosive SMU team to less than 20 points, you’d likely be very excited. We confirm the Sooners did that on Saturday night.

Oklahoma won a grind-it-out type of game 28-11, but the main story for the Sooners was the electric play of their defense. Sure, they gave up over 300 yards, but the Sooners were excellent and resilient when SMU crossed the 50-yard line. Their defense cranked it up a notch, and the Sooners got off the field.

It wasn’t a perfect performance, especially considering the conservative nature of the offensive game plan and the lack of explosiveness the offense showed in a total flip of what it looked like the week before against Arkansas State.

Still, when it mattered the most, Oklahoma found plays in the second half, and it was enough for the Sooners to get to 2-0.

Up Next: 3 Stars from OU’s win over SMU

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Oklahoma fans rip offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby after struggles vs SMU

If only OU had an offensive play-caller as good as Lincoln Riley. Sooner fans want the current play-caller gone. It’s only Week 2.

Remember when Lincoln Riley left USC and Brent Venables was hired as his Oklahoma replacement? OU fans weren’t sad to see Riley go. They were angry at him more than being sad. They also felt the Venables regime would set the bar higher than Riley did, that the new coach could take the Sooner program to the next level.

We noted this point in August of 2022:

“If you aren’t closely following Sooner football, you should know that Oklahoma is recruiting at a very high level under new coach Brent Venables. The success of OU recruiting is leading a lot of Sooner fans to sincerely and unironically thank Lincoln Riley for leaving so that Venables could raise the bar for the program.”

The recruiting might be good, but there’s simply no replacement for Lincoln Riley as an offensive play-caller. Offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby is under fire from Oklahoma fans for his poor performance against SMU, and for the fact that Art Briles attended the game (and was on the field) in OU gear. Lebby, when asked about the topic after the game, did not handle the situation well.

You will want to follow Sooners Wire for complete OU coverage, but you can see for yourself how angry Oklahoma fans are with their offensive coordinator, the guy who can’t hold a candle to Lincoln Riley as a play-caller.

Just check out the reactions below:

No. 17 Oklahoma Sooners vs. SMU Mustangs: Sooners Wire staff predictions

Sooners Wire Staff Predictions for the Oklahoma Sooners week 2 matchup with the SMU Mustangs.

Week two is upon us, which provides another opportunity for the No. 17 Oklahoma Sooners to show what they’re working with in 2023.

It was a strong opening week for Oklahoma, who put up 73 points in a shutout win over Arkansas State. SMU also had a good performance against Louisiana Tech to open the season 1-0.

In Oklahoma’s first big challenge of the season, what can we expect from the Sooners when they host the SMU Mustangs on Saturday night at 5 p.m. CT on ESPN+.

Here are this week’s staff predictions from here at Sooners Wire.

Sooners Wire Staff Predictions

I think Oklahoma’s offense should have its way with SMU’s defense. But the offensive line will be tested. SMU had six sacks a week ago. Defensively the Sooners face one of the better offenses they’ll face all year.

If Oklahoma can hold them in the 20s, it’s a good performance. But if you hold them under 20, it’s a great one.

Oklahoma 48, SMU 24

Contact/Follow Jaron Spor

Up Next: More Sooners Wire Staff Predictions

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Early execution among the three offensive keys to a Sooners win vs. SMU

Offensive keys to the game when the Oklahoma Sooners take on the SMU Mustangs.

Oklahoma enters Saturday’s matchup with SMU on a four-game winning streak against the Dallas-based institution. The last time these two schools played each other was 1995. Things have changed drastically in both programs since, and it’ll be interesting to see how things shake out on the field come Saturday evening in Norman.

Oklahoma’s offense put on a clinic against Arkansas State and will carry it into this game. Here’s the skinny on this game: expecting Oklahoma to put up another 73 points is highly irrational.

That doesn’t mean Oklahoma shouldn’t be able to score in the 40-point range, but from a pure talent perspective, SMU’s defense is better.

The Mustangs are full of veteran players, and that veteran leadership is precisely why they are one of the favorites to win the American Athletic Conference.

They will be unphased, with 15 seniors starting on both sides of the ball. Many have played at more prominent institutions and seen teams of Oklahoma’s size and talent before making their way to Dallas.

For this offense to uphold its end of the bargain, it’ll likely need to do what we highlighted in our three keys for this week.

Up Next: 3 Keys on Offense vs. SMU

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Report Card: Sooners breeze through Arkansas State with big-time performances

The Oklahoma Sooners were fantastic in their win over Arkansas State, but how did they grade in this week’s Report Card?

Saturday allowed us to see team 129 in Oklahoma’s illustrious football history for the first time this season. This team entered the day with cautious optimism, but a cloud of last season’s disappointment still hungover over the program. Year two of Brent Venables’s tenure needed to start off with a bang, and his team did just that as they dismantled the Arkansas State Red Wolves 73-0.

The Sooners are on another level regarding raw talent than the Arkansas State Red Wolves. That is abundantly clear, but Oklahoma had to show it could dominate an inferior opponent. They also needed to showcase the improvements in recruiting and among their returning players.

Saturday was a fun, stress-free showcase of domination. Now that the first game is behind us, it’s time to dive deeper and hand out our first grades of the year in this week’s report card.

No. 19 Oklahoma Sooners vs. Arkansas State Red Wolves: Sooners Wire staff predictions

Sooners Wire Staff Predictions for the Oklahoma Sooners week 1 matchup with the Arkansas State Red Wolves.

The Oklahoma Sooners get set to take on the Arkansas State Red Wolves on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT. The week one contest marks the first opportunity for the Sooners to redefine what Oklahoma Football will look like under Brent Venables.

It won’t tell the whole story, but 2023 is a new year with a new team. What happened a year ago doesn’t matter as much. So with a fresh slate, let’s find out what the staff here at Sooners Wire has to say about the matchup in this week’s staff predictions.

Sooners Wire Staff Predictions

The Arkansas State Red Wolves were one of the worst teams a year ago. They also don’t return much, as they rank 101st in returning production.

This is a game where you should see Oklahoma physically overwhelm their opponent. We should see the signs of the physicality that’s been preached all offseason.

If Oklahoma can hold them under 10 points, that would be a very impressive defensive performance. I think Oklahoma jumps on them early and coasts to the finish line with a lot of young players getting into the game.

Oklahoma 45, Arkansas State 10

Contact/Follow Jaron Spor

Up Next: More Sooners Wire Staff Predictions

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Three Oklahoma Sooners to watch on offense against Arkansas State

Taking a look at three Oklahoma Sooners to watch on offense vs. Arkansas State.

Saturday will mark the start of year two for Jeff Lebby as Oklahoma’s offensive coordinator. While the Sooners posted some solid numbers last year, it always felt like they could’ve done more. That sentiment is something players and coaches alike have echoed throughout the offseason. Situational football was emphasized, along with consistency.

However, some significant pieces from last year’s team are no longer in Norman.

OU’s rushing attack ranked No. 10 in the country, averaging 219.4 yards per game. The offensive line responsible for that lost three starters in [autotag]Anton Harrison[/autotag], [autotag]Wanya Morris[/autotag], and [autotag]Chris Murray[/autotag]. Harrison was a first-rounder to the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Morris was a third-rounder to the Kansas City Chiefs. Starting running back [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag] went off and posted the ninth-best season on the ground in program history last year. He’s with the New York Giants.

[autotag]Brayden Willis[/autotag] and explosive star receiver [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag] will be missed in the passing game. Willis is with the San Francisco 49ers, and Mims was a third-round pick by the Denver Broncos. The two combined for 1,597 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. That’s an insane amount of production lost and presents a massive hole in the passing game.

The challenge in the offseason for Lebby was finding replacements for the names lost. Additionally, he and the offensive staff had to help develop the guys coming back this offseason. The time to prove it starts on Saturday.

With that in mind, here’s our look at three offensive players to watch for the season opener against Arkansas State.

Up Next: An Ascending Offensive Linemen

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3 Arkansas State Red Wolves to know ahead of Oklahoma’s Week 1 contest

Taking a look at three Arkansas State Red Wolves to know as Oklahoma gears up for their 2023 season opener.

Oklahoma’s season opener should be a relatively stress-free affair as long as they respect their opponent and come out flying like they did in game one last season. They are the more talented and deeper team on a day where depth will matter because of the sweltering heat the teams will be playing in.

For Arkansas State, this season is about rebuilding back to where they were from 2010-2019. During that stretch, the Red Wolves had nine winning seasons, went to nine straight bowl games, and won five Sun Belt titles.

Last season, they went 3-9 overall and 1-7 in the Sun Belt. While Arkansas State struggled last year, this year brings new opportunities and fresh faces. The transfer portal created a little turnover, but the Red Wolves also received some talented arrivals.

Corey Rucker, WR

One player to know for the Red Wolves is Corey Rucker. He’s their best offensive weapon and looks like a guy that could sneak into day three of the NFL Draft next April.

He’s been productive every year of college except for last year.

He committed and started his career at Arkansas State, and he was a big-time target in 2020 and 2021 before leaving for South Carolina in 2022. He returned to Arkansas State this spring after an injury derailed his season with the Gamecocks a year ago.

In 2021, Rucker was named FWAA Freshman All-American and Second Team All-Sun Belt Conference after posting a team-high 826 receiving yards, which was fifth in the Sun Belt on 59 catches. He scored nine touchdowns, leading the team and ranking second in the league that year.

He’s not overly big, but at six feet, he’s not scared to attack the ball in the air. He lined up outside and in the slot for Red Wolves. He has the speed to stress corners.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see new starting cornerback Gentry Williams get the assignment, as he has more footspeed than Woodi Washington.

UP NEXT: The man throwing to Rucker

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