Tag: kennedy brooks

Oklahoma Sooners’ Caleb Williams made ‘outstanding instinct play’

On ESPN’s Debatable, Mike Golic Jr. said Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Caleb Williams made an “outstanding instinct play” versus Kansas.

On ESPN’s Debatable, Mike Golic Jr. discussed Oklahoma quarterback Caleb Williams’ incredible fourth and 1 play where he snatched the football from OU running back Kennedy Brooks and picked up the first down.

Golic Jr. had this to say about Williams’ heroics:

Offensively and in this situation, hell no I’ve never seen this. And the reason I’m saying, ‘made a smart play’ is because I don’t believe Caleb Williams knew that in this instance on fourth down it could be a legal handoff behind the line of scrimmage that wasn’t somehow a penalty in this play versus if it had happened downfield. Caleb made an outstanding instinct play right here. He knew it was fourth down and he knew, hey, we had to get one yard come hell or high water and so he grabbed that thing and went for it there. – Golic, ESPN’s Debatable

Without hearing from Williams himself, it’s impossible to say exactly what he was thinking in the moment. Brooks did have this to say about their memorable connection late against Kansas.

“I felt somebody tugging at it and then I saw it was Caleb, so I knew that I couldn’t get tackled with the ball so I gave it to Caleb. Only thing I wasn’t sure about was if I was behind the line of scrimmage or in front of it, but I felt like I was behind it and I knew it was fourth down so I was like, ‘I can’t get tackled with the ball’ so I just gave the ball to Caleb and hopefully he can get the first down,” Brooks said.

Whether instinct or awareness, the pair combined to author up one of the highlight-reel plays of this season for the Sooners.

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Positional Report Card: How did the Sooners grade out in their win vs. Jayhawks?

In what turned out to be the Oklahoma’s worst performance of the season, how did each position group grade in this week’s Report Card?

Despicable. That’s it. That’s the word for Oklahoma’s collective performance against the Kansas Jayhawks.

Of course, they did enough in the second half to win the game and hop on the bus for Norman still undefeated. However, not one group put their best foot forward and it’s a start contrast from last week’s performance.

Some individual efforts were nice but collectively, position group by position group, this may have been the lousiest game of the year.

Without further ado, let’s look at the positional grades Oklahoma earned for their game against Kansas.

In their win against Kansas, a few Sooners were worthy of game balls

Despite a very uninspiring performance against the Jayhawks, three Sooners stood out for Oklahoma in their 35-23 win over to move to 8-0..

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Let’s not beat around the bush. The Sooners don’t deserve for anyone to be getting any significant type of praise after the way they performed in Lawrence, Kansas.

Oklahoma looked unprepared, disinterested, and otherwise unbothered to play with any fire in the first half against Kansas. One can only imagine how that locker room was at halftime.

However, in the second half, the Sooners showed life. Overall, a few notable performances stood out from the rest of the pack, even though the team as a whole was underwhelming.

Here are this week’s game ball recipients.

Caleb Williams, QB

It’s becoming evident that Caleb Williams has something special about him. He’s shown that in the Texas game, and he gave the world a full game of that against TCU.

Against Kansas, Williams did whatever was necessary to get a win — even going as far as to take the ball from a stopped Kennedy Brooks and rumble forward for a critical conversion in the fourth quarter.

He had a very poor interception on an underthrown 50/50 ball, but he played composed despite the fact the Sooners as a whole looked lifeless most of the game.

Up Next: A Wide Receiver and Defensive Back Starred for the Sooners

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5 Takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners 35-23 win over the Kansas Jayhawks

As the Oklahoma Sooners improve to 8-0 with their 35-23 win over the Kansas Jayhawks here are five takeaways from yet another close win.

The Oklahoma Sooners got everything they could handle from the Kansas Jayhawks in their 35-23 win. Though it was a 12 point game at the end, it was a much more closely contested game than the final score would indicate.

The Oklahoma Sooners came into this 38 point favorites over a Jayhawks team that hasn’t won since week one when they beat FCS South Dakota 17-14.

It was an ugly game for much of the first half, and the Oklahoma Sooners went into half-time trailing 10-0. Yes. A Lincoln Riley offense failed to score a point in the first half of a game for the first time in his tenure with the Oklahoma Sooners. Per the Oklahoma Sooners Sports Information Department, it was the first time OU’s been held scoreless since the 2014 Russell Athletic Bowl when Clemson shut out the Sooners offense in the first 30 minutes.

While they got the win, it’s one of those wins that feels like a loss and that will probably be the case when the latest USA TODAY’s AFCA Coaches Poll and the AP Top 25 are released tomorrow.

As we continue to recap this game, let’s look at 5 things that stood out from the 35-23 win.

Oklahoma Still asleep, Kansas Jayhawks lead Sooners 10-0 at halftime

The Jayhawks owned the time of possession battle and shocked the No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners in the first half in Lawrence.

Kansas punched No. 2 Oklahoma in the mouth from the word go in a shocking first half from Lawrence, Kan, that ended with KU leading the Sooners, 10-0.

The Jayhawks (1-5, 0-3 Big 12) got the football first and proceeded to put together a time-consuming, 14-play, 80-yard scoring drive. It was capped by KU running back Devin Neal’s 1-yard touchdown run.

Along the way, Kansas converted three 3rd-down conversion tries. The Jayhawks also chewed up the first 9:15 of the game clock.

KU later added a 28-yard Jacob Borcila field goal try. That ended a 12-play, 69-yard drive that ate up nearly seven more minutes of the first-half game clock.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma’s offense never got on track. Freshman quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked on the Sooners’ first third-down conversion try and was later picked off by Kansas’ Ricky Thomas Jr. as he tried to connect with Jadon Haselwood.

KU outgained OU in total offensive yards 195 to 78. The Jayhawks also had 12 first downs compared to Oklahoma’s four. Kansas quarterback Jason Bean completed 6-of-9 passes for 63 passing yards and ran 10 times for 53 rushing yards. Neal added 75 rushing yards for KU on 14 carries.

Williams finished his first half 6-of-9 passing for just 71 yards with the one interception. Sooners’ running back Kennedy Brooks rushed it six times 28 rushing yards with a long of 11 yards. Haselwood was OU’s leading receiver with two grabs for 33 receiving yards.

Kansas ran 39 offensive plays, while Oklahoma had just 17. The Jayhawks won the time of possession battle convincingly, possessing the football for 22:00 against the Sooners’ 8:00.

5 Areas of Concern for the Oklahoma Sooners vs. the Kansas Jayhawks

Five areas of concern for No. 2 Oklahoma when the Sooners travel to take on the Kansas Jayhawks.

If history is any indication, there’s just not much to be concerned about when it comes to playing the Kansas Jayhawks in football for the Oklahoma Sooners.

OU has won its past 16 against Kansas — the Sooners’ longest active winning streak against an opponent — and the four matchups with Lincoln Riley as head coach by an average margin 33 points, 51-18.

So, admittedly, it’s a stretch to be worried about much of anything Kansas presents. But, bear with me for this exercise as we look at five areas of concern for the Oklahoma Sooners vs. the Kansas Jayhawks.

3 Keys to the game for the Oklahoma Sooners Offense vs. the Kansas Jayhawks

As the Oklahoma Sooners get set to face the Kansas Jayhawks, what must they do offensively to ensure a win?

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Oklahoma’s second trip to Kansas this fall for Big 12 football happens this week as they head to Lawrence, this time to take on the Jayhawks. This trip will be an opportunity for Oklahoma to keep building on the offensive success they’ve had recently. Their last trip to Kansas a few weeks ago to play Kansas State showcased them starting to round into form.

That game was started and completed by Spencer Rattler. Since then, Rattler has been replaced by true freshmen Caleb Williams, and Williams will make the first road start of his Sooners career.

This should be the type of game where Oklahoma gets pretty deep into their offensive depth chart, as the game should be decided by the end of the third quarter.

As the Sooners get set to take on the Jayhawks, here are 3 keys for the Sooners offense to thrive on Saturday.

Keep the Line Pushing

There is absolutely no reason the Sooners offensive line should not continue to have solid performances as they’ve had recently. They hold a distinct advantage in size and athleticism in the trenches.

If this is to be a blowout, the Sooners offensive line will have to be as dominant and physical as they have been.

Anton Harrison left the game on Saturday and was replaced by Erik Swenson. If Anton Harrison cannot go, the Sooners could turn back to Swenson or go with Tennessee transfer Wanya Morris. Regardless of who starts, both should see significant time, even if Harrison can play.

Up Next: More Offensive Keys to the Game

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7 Bold Predictions for the Oklahoma Sooners matchup with the Kansas Jayhawks

As the Oklahoma Sooners look to extend their 16-game winning streak over the Kansas Jayhawks, here are 7 Bold Predictions for Saturday.

Heading into the Oklahoma Sooners matchup with the Kansas Jayhawks, the most important question has been answered. The Sooners know who they’re quarterback is and based on the way Caleb Williams has played in his first extended run leading the way for Oklahoma, it’s unlikely he’ll cede that spot anytime soon.

That said, there are still questions for Oklahoma as they work through the 2021 season.

With injuries in the secondary and an unknown timetable for the return of Woodi Washington and Delarrin Turner-Yell, someone will need to answer the bell as defensive playmaker for the Sooners.

Offensively things have gone as well as can be expected the last two weeks as Caleb Williams has helped Oklahoma rediscover its big-play ability.

As the Sooners get set to take one the Kansas Jayhawks in Lawrence, Kansas this Saturday, let’s take a look at 7 Bold Predictions for this week’s game.

Tale of the Tape: How do the Sooners and Jayhawks stack up statistically?

As the Oklahoma Sooners get ready for their road game with the Kansas Jayhawks, how do the two teams match up statistically?

Coming off an impressive win over the TCU Horned Frogs, the Oklahoma Sooners will go on the road to face a team that hasn’t put up much of a challenge in the last 25 years. The Oklahoma Sooners have won 16 straight over the Kansas Jayhawks, most recently a 62-9 blowout win last year in Norman.

Overall, the Sooners hold a 78-27-6 edge in the series. However, the Jayhawks have only 10 wins in the matchup since 1938. Kansas’ last win in the series was in 1997, which was the last win in a three-game win streak over the Oklahoma Sooners.

Those 1990s Sooners teams were certainly some dark days.

Kansas has looked slightly improved since making the switch from Les Miles to Lance Leipold. They haven’t won since Week 1, when they beat Football Championship Subdivision South Dakota 14-7, but they’ve hung in some games, providing a glimpse of optimism for the future.

Early in the third quarter, Kansas pulled within six of Coastal Carolina before the Chanticleers ran away with the game. They held Baylor to 14 in the first half before the Bears went on a rampage, outscoring the Jayhawks 31-0 in the second half. Against Duke, Kansas had a 27-21 lead early in the third quarter before the Blue Devils went on a 31-6 run to close the game.

Their games of late against Iowa State and Texas Tech have been complete blowouts, with the Jayhawks unable to find the end zone until the second half.

It’s still not great football, and Lance Leipold has a lot of work to do to pull the Kansas Jayhawks out of the doldrums of the Big 12. However, they’re showing signs of life, and that should be taken as a positive sign.

For the Oklahoma Sooners, they’re coming off two impressive wins. The comeback win over Texas and a 21-point romp over TCU, which was close in the first half before the Sooners ran away.

Heading into this week’s matchup in Lawrence, Kansas, how do the Oklahoma Sooners and Kansas Jayhawks matchup statistically?

Let’s find out.

Report Card: Grading the Sooners following their 52-31 win over TCU

The Sooners dispatched TCU relatively comfortably. Let’s take a look at how each position group graded out in the 52-31 win.

For a while, it may have seemed like an afterthought to grade out the offense with A’s and B’s across the board. However, that time has arrived.  The offense was a bright spot, and the defense wasn’t as bad as maybe it appeared.

As we do each week, let’s look at how each position group graded in the Sooners 52-31 thrashing of the TCU Horned Frogs.

Quarterbacks: A

No need to beat around the bush here: Caleb Williams was phenomenal in his first start since usurping Spencer Rattler in Oklahoma’s thrilling come-from-behind win against Texas.

He dazzled the sold-out crowd in Norman and had national media in an uproar. Williams was 18 of 23 for 295 yards passing and four touchdowns, three of which made their way to Jadon Haselwood. He added 66 yards rushing, including the electric 41-yard TD run in the third quarter you can see below.

After that performance, there’s no need to speculate about who will be the quarterback as Oklahoma heads to the state of Kansas again for their second true road game against the Kansas Jayhawks.

The next step for Williams is to continue to mature and grow within the offense.

Up Next: Backs and Pass Catchers

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