Tag: Key Lawrence

15 highest-graded Oklahoma Sooners through Week 4 per Pro Football Focus

Four games into the season, who are the highest-graded Oklahoma Sooners according to Pro Football Focus.

The Oklahoma Sooners are playing good football as they head into Week 5. They’re 4-0 and allowing an average of 8.5 points per game. Though the offense scored just 20 points against Cincinnati, Dillon Gabriel left a little meat on the bone with a couple of bad overthrows and a fumble inside the 10-yard line.

It could have easily been a 34-6 game.

But, the Sooners are 4-0 and looking like a contender in the Big 12. They’ll have to continue to prove it on the field, but for the most part, they’re looking like a much-improved football team.

Through four weeks, the Sooners have received some standout performances, but who has earned the best grades from Pro Football Focus through four games?

Here are the top 15 graded Sooners who have played at least 77 snaps or 25% of the possible snaps this season.

Key Lawrence named to Pro Football Focus’ Team of the Week

After a stellar performance against Cincinnati, Key Lawrence was named to Pro Football Focus’ Team of the Week.

It was another strong performance for the Oklahoma Sooners defense in their win over Cincinnati. They allowed just six points and kept a really good rushing attack under wraps, holding them to under four yards per carry.

Danny Stutsman has been the focal point of the improvement of the defense, but a number of players have had their hand to see the Sooners in the top 10 early in the 2023 season.

One of those players is safety Key Lawrence. Lawrence, who is in his third year with the Sooners after transferring from Tennessee in the 2021 offseason, is in the midst of a breakout season.

On Saturday, Lawrence had a touchdown saving interception to turn back a Cincinnati scoring drive. He also had three tackles in the win. In the effort, he was the highest graded safety in the nation, according to Pro Football Focus.

Lawrence was also named to Pro Football Focus’ team of the week.

In a safety group that has a lot of talent, Key Lawrence has established himself as a bonafide playmaker in the Sooners’ secondary.

He’s forced turnovers in three straight games, including interceptions in the last two. Lawrence is a key piece to the Sooners’ scoring defense which is tied for second in the nation.

The Oklahoma Sooners are hoping to return to Big 12 title contention. Key Lawrence is one of the players that will have to play a significant role for Oklahoma to keep up their early-season success.

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‘We’re going to keep our head down and keep working’: Key Lawrence and Sooners going to continue to work

The Oklahoma Sooners defense is much improved from a year ago and one player at the forefront of that improvement is safety Key Lawrence.

The Oklahoma Sooners defense is looking like a totally different unit after their 20-6 win over Cincinnati. It feels fairly safe to say that the defense is back.

Oklahoma took on a top-10 rushing offense and held them to less than four yards per carry. They faced a mobile quarterback, one that’s shown a propensity for beating teams with his legs and held him to less than three yards per carry.

It’s a unit that’s improved dramatically from a year ago when they were one of the 20 worst defenses in college football.

In the post-game media scrum, Brent Venables mentioned several returning players who have shown improvement from last year. Guys like [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag], [autotag]Isaiah Coe[/autotag], [autotag]Ethan Downs[/autotag], [autotag]Marcus Stripling[/autotag], and [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag]. But it was in response to a question about [autotag]Key Lawrence[/autotag].

Lawrence looks like a player in the midst of a breakout season. He’s recorded two interceptions in as many games and forced turnovers in three straight.

His interception in the second quarter shut down a Cincinnati drive that put them in scoring range. In a game where points were at a premium, Lawrence’s play took 3-7 points off the board for the Bearcats.

According to Pro Football Focus, Lawrence was the Oklahoma Sooners’ highest-graded defender in the win. And [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] has seen the improvement.

“He’s made great improvement, and he’s matured a great deal,” Sooners head coach Brent Venables had to say after the win. “He’s always been an incredibly likable guy. And from a competitive standpoint and a leadership standpoint. And being inside out is where I’ve seen the most growth. His knowledge base has certainly improved. His fundamentals have improved. He’s become a really good leader and great teammate. He lets you coach him hard. And he’s really made a lot of improvement, a lot of growth.”

In a deep and talented safety group, Lawrence has stood out, fulfilling the promise he showed toward the end of the 2021 season when he was forcing fumbles and laying big hits in a win over Iowa State.

That was his first year at Oklahoma.

Not long after a fantastic performance against the Cyclones, the coaching change happened. In came Brent Venables and a new system. 2022 was Lawrence’s third straight season in a new system.

Last season was a learning experience for a lot of guys on the defense. Learning Venables defense and then learning how to win. They learned some hard lessons, but everything that happened last season is helping fuel the Sooners’ defense in 2023.

“We didn’t forget nothing,” Lawrence said in his post-game interview. “We know everything that’s coming. We know nothing’s going to be handed to us. Winning is not easy because everyone would be undefeated if that was the case. So we’ve just got to understand we’re hungry. We know what we want to do. We know what we gotta do to get there, and we’re going to keep our head down and keep working.”

Key Lawrence has been a critical piece for the Oklahoma Sooners defense in 2023. He’s recorded 14 total tackles, a tackle for loss, two interceptions, and a forced fumble. Quarterbacks are recording a 42.4 passer rating when targeting Lawrence in the passing game.

He and the Oklahoma Sooners defense are having a fantastic season through four games. But more challenges lie ahead. And in his own words, Lawrence and the Sooners know what they have to do to get where they want to go.

How are they celebrating?

“Keeping our head down and keep working.”

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5 takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners win 20-6 win over Cincinnati

The Oklahoma Sooners got a strong performance from their defense en route to a 20-6 win over Cincinnati. Here are five takeaways from the performance.

The Oklahoma Sooners kept their undefeated start to the season intact with a 20-6 win over the Cincinnati Bearcats.

It was a strong performance from a defense that was one of the worst in college football a season ago. Now they’re allowing just 8.5 points per game and held a top 10 rush offense in check.

Now 4-0 and 1-0 in Big 12 play, the Sooners look like a legitimate conference title contender.

It was a good performance in a difficult road environment against a well-coached Cincinnati team.

Let’s take a look at five takeaways from the win.

No. 14 Oklahoma Sooners beat Cincinnati Bearcats 20-6

The Oklahoma Sooners opened Big 12 play with a 20-6 win over the Cincinnati Bearcats on the backs of a huge defensive effort.

The Oklahoma Sooners and the [autotag]Cincinnati Bearcats[/autotag] opened Big 12 play on Saturday. This was the third-ever meeting between the two schools.

The Bearcats scored first on their second possession. They were aided by a pass interference call on [autotag]Gentry Williams[/autotag], but the Sooners defense stopped the Bearcats offense allowing just a field goal.

The Sooners then put together a fairly nice drive, but miscues hurt them. First, [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] missed a wide-open [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag] for a walk-in touchdown. Next, [autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag] slipped on what have been a first down on second down. On the following play, Gabriel fumbled on the quarterback run.

The Sooners’ defense got a stop on the following possession before Gabriel put together a methodical drive capped off by a touchdown pass to [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag]. It was Anderson’s fourth of the season.

To start the second quarter, the defense forced a three and out after Danny Stutsman laid the wood on a third down short yardage run.

On the ensuing drive, the Sooners were backed up on their own goalline, facing a 3rd and 19 and looking like they were going to be forced to punt. The Sooners drive didn’t look good as they had a 3rd and 19 from their own 3. But Major was able to find a hole and get a big gain. They would eventually cap the drive off with a field goal to go up 10-3.

The Bearcats came right back to put the pressure on the Oklahoma defense. After a huge gain were set up nicely deep into Oklahoma territory. Emory Jones then threw a jump ball to the front corner of the end zone. [autotag]Woodi Washington[/autotag] provided fantastic coverage, and the ball was intercepted by [autotag]Key Lawrence[/autotag], who picked it off, ranging over from the middle of the field.

Both defenses dominated the rest of the half, but right before the break, Oklahoma shanked a punt to set up Cincinnati in OU’s territory. The Bearcats got down to the Sooners 10-yard line and lined up for a field goal. Cincinnati kicker Carter Brown missed it wide left, and the score would stay 10-3 Sooners going into halftime.

The Sooners outgained the Bearcats 245-175 in the first thirty minutes and the defense shut down the Bearcats’ No. 8 ranked run game, holding them to 39 yards at the half.

The third quarter was much of the same. The Sooners struggled to get anything going on their first possession, punting it back to the Bearcats.

Cincinnati went on a methodical 12-play drive that ended in a 55-yard field goal after a Jonah Laulu sack.

The Sooners responded right back and scored a touchdown on a Gabriel keeper after a nine-play, 75-yard drive where the Sooners were able to find a little success on the ground.

The Bearcats were threatening on their first drive of the fourth quarter, but pressure led Jones to throw into coverage and after the ball was tipped multiple times, [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag] came down with the Sooners’ second interception of the game.

Oklahoma’s defense came up big on a fourth down on the Bearcats’ next two drives and was able to cruise to the 14-point win to move to 4-0 on the season and 1-0 in Big 12 play.

Dillon Gabriel completed 68% of his passes for 322 yards and had a passing and rushing touchdown in the game. It was a good performance, but it could have been even bigger after overthrowing multiple wide receivers in the game and a missed defensive pass interference in the end zone.

[autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag] continued his breakout season, catching seven passes for 117 yards. [autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag] led the way on the ground with 63 yards on 15 carries and had a couple of big runs called back due to a penalty. He averaged 4.2 yards per carry and also had a pair of catches for 18 yards in the win.

[autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] continued his incredible start to the 2023 season with another fantastic effort. The Sooners leader racked up 13 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and a sack. He had multiple fourth-down stops to get the Sooners defense off the field.

The Sooners defense held the Bearcats top-10 rushing attack to 3.7 yards per carry and just 3 of 15 on third down. Quarterback Emory Jones completed just 54% of his passes for 235 yards and was held to 42 yards on 15 attempts (2.8 yards per carry) by the Oklahoma defense.

The Sooners now return back to Owen Field after their two-game road trip to face the Iowa State Cyclones.

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Stock Up, Stock Down: Passing game trending up, run game trending down as Sooners head into Big 12 opener

Taking a look at what is trending up or down as the Oklahoma Sooners prepare for Big 12 play.

The warm-ups are done now. Oklahoma’s nonconference schedule was far from a gauntlet, but they did what they needed to. This team is more equipped to be players for the Big 12 title this year than at any point last year. That much feels like a near certainty.

Starting Saturday at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, we’ll dive deeper into this team and see what they are about as the competition level jumps. They’ll take on one of the Big 12’s newest members, the Cincinnati Bearcats, who will provide unique challenges for the Sooners.

As they spend the rest of the week preparing for the matchup, Oklahoma as a team is trending in the right direction. Health isn’t much of a concern yet, though they’ll be without Justin Harrington. That speaks to the depth this team has built in such short order. They are playing well in all facets of the game, but there are still some question marks to which we don’t have answers.

Below, our stock report looks at what’s trending up for Oklahoma and what’s trending down as the Big 12 season begins.

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.

Oklahoma Sooners roll pass the Tulsa Golden Hurricane 66-17

Dillon Gabriel threw five touchdowns and the Sooners had five interceptions on defense to beat Tulsa 66-17 to close nonconference play.

The Oklahoma Sooners ended their nonconference slate undefeated for the seventh year in a row. The Sooners knocked off in-state opponent, the [autotag]Tulsa Golden Hurricane[/autotag] to the tune of 66-17.

The first quarter started off with a massive kick return before [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag] was stripped, resulting in the first turnover of the season for the Sooners.

But five plays later, Tulsa took a deep shot that was picked off by [autotag]Gentry Williams[/autotag]. Two plays later, Gabriel found Farooq for the 34-yard touchdown.

The Sooners then forced a punt before the offense went on a methodical 11-play drive resulting in a touchdown pass from Gabriel to [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag]. On the ensuing Tulsa possession, [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] intercepted quarterback Roman Fuller and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown.

On the following drive, [autotag]Kendel Dolby[/autotag] picked off Fuller for the third time, resulting in a short field for the offense. They cashed in with another touchdown pass to Stoops to go up 28-0 to end the first quarter.

The Golden Hurricane finally got something going after [autotag]Cardell Williams[/autotag] came in to replace Roman Fuller. He was able to convert several third downs before finding [autotag]Marquis Shoulders[/autotag] in the end zone after [autotag]Makari Vickers[/autotag] got caught peeking into the backfield.

The Sooners responded with a 28-yard touchdown pass from Gabriel to [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] on a 3rd and 11.

Williams went back to work, picking apart several soft spots in the Sooners coverage. Tulsa got back into the end zone when Williams found Devan Williams on an out-and-up, beating Reggie Pearson in coverage.

On the following possession, Dillon Gabriel threw his first interception of the year trying to take a deep shot to [autotag]Gavin Freeman[/autotag].

The Sooners ended the half with a great drive that chewed up the clock but couldn’t punch it in, settling for a field goal. After it was a masterful first half for the Sooners, their inability to score a touchdown after getting to the Tulsa 23 yard line with more than a minute to play and all three timeouts left a lot to be desire. Oklahoma settled for a field goal to go into the break 38-14.

The Sooners outgained Tulsa 371-200 in the first half. The Sooners also didn’t punt in the first half. The only blemish on what was a fantastic first half were the two turnovers.

Tulsa started the second half with a great drive but Oklahoma stoned them once they got to the two-yard line forcing a field goal.

The rest of the quarter belonged to the Sooners, who scored 21 points, including two 40+ yard touchdown passes to Nic Anderson. One of those came from Gabriel, his fifth of the day, and the other from [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag].

[autotag]Key Lawrence[/autotag] came away with the Sooners fourth interception of the day in the third quarter to run away from the Golden Hurricane.

The fourth quarter was much like the third as [autotag]Trace Ford[/autotag] picked off Williams and took it to the four-yard line before [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag] capped off the scoring with his first touchdown of the season.

The Sooners outgained Tulsa 596-292. The Sooners continued to find success on third-down success, going 7 of 9. Dillon Gabriel had another impressive performance, completing 28-31 attempts for 421 yards and five touchdowns. The 421 yards passing are the fourth most in Gabriel’s career and this is the fourth time in his career with five or more touchdowns.

Three wide receivers went over 100 yards on the day. Jalil Farooq led the way with six receptions for 126 yards and a touchdown. Farooq also had three kick returns for 105 yards, including the 62-yard return to open the game. Andrel Anthony continued his strong 2023 season, catching four passes for 112 yards, while Anderson tallied three receptions for 120 yards and three touchdowns.

Drake Stoops added a pair of scores and caught eight passes for 53 yards.

The defense was impressive yet again, holding the nation’s 26th-ranked rushing attack to 75 total yards on 1.6 yards per carry. The Sooners also created five interceptions and were credited with three sacks in the contest.

Danny Stutsman led the Sooners with nine total tackles, two tackles for loss, and the interception. Tulsa native and one of this week’s captains, Gentry Williams was second on the team in tackles with six. He also had a tackle for loss and an interception in his homecoming.

The Oklahoma Sooners are 3-0 to start the season and will face their first true test when they travel to Cincinnati to open Big 12 play.  The Sooners take on the Bearcats at 11:00 a.m. CT as part of Fox Big Noon Kickoff.

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Key Lawrence among College Sports Wire’s top Big 12 performers from week 2

After a strong performance in the Sooners win over SMU, Oklahoma’s Key Lawrence was selected as College Sports Wire’s top Big 12 defensive back from week 2.

The Oklahoma Sooners are 2-0 on the season, led by a defense that’s allowing just 5.5 points per game and rank as a top-10 defense early on. The Sooners will face tougher competition as the season goes on, but the SMU Mustangs offense is a good one. Oklahoma held them to their lowest point total since the end of the 2017 season.

There were a number of key contributors to the strong defensive performance, including [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] and [autotag]Kip Lewis[/autotag] at linebacker. Another player who had a strong game was, safety [autotag]Key Lawrence[/autotag].

Lawrence was named one of College Sports Wire’s top Big 12 performers from the Sooners’ win in week 2.

It was actually the defense that helped lead the Sooners to a victory over SMU on Saturday. They held the Mustangs to just 11 points and that allowed a struggling offense to find their footing in the 4th quarterback. Lawrence was part of that unit that kept Preston Stone from lighting up the scoreboard. – Conn, College Sports Wire

Lawrence came up with a heads up play after Jaylan Knighton broke free for a big run in the fourth quarter. As the Mustangs were looking to cut into the Sooners 14-3 lead on Saturday, Knighton broke free down the left side and Key Lawrence tracked him down. Lawrence swatted the ball out, which Danny Stutsman recovered after Woodi Washington kept it from going out of bounds.

The Sooners have a deep safety group in 2023. The additions of [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag] and [autotag]Reggie Pearson[/autotag] to [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag] and Key Lawrence have given them four players who can make plays. But all offseason as the media spoke of Bowen, Pearson, and Bowman all offseason, defensive coordinator [autotag]Ted Roof[/autotag] quickly reminded everyone of Key Lawrence.

On Saturday, Key Lawrence looked like the player who was making plays in the Iowa State game at the end of the 2021 season. He’s been a big part of Oklahoma’s defensive success to start the 2023 season.

His energy and aggressiveness give the Sooners another player who can impact the game in multiple ways. To be a good or even great defense, the Sooners need difference-makers at every level of the defense. At safety, the Sooners are chock-full of playmakers, and Lawrence stood out on Saturday in the win over SMU.

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Once the forgotten man, Key Lawrence shows he belongs on the field

While the talk with the safeties has been about Billy Bowman, Peyton Bowen and Reggie Pearson, Key Lawrence continues to show he belongs in that conversation.

This offseason the talk about the safety position has been focused around three guys, [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag], [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag], and [autotag]Reggie Pearson[/autotag].

The forgotten man of the group was [autotag]Key Lawrence[/autotag]. Through two games, Lawrence has shown he belongs on the field.

In Saturday’s game, with about eight minutes to go in the 3rd quarter, the Sooners led 14-3. SMU Mustangs running back [autotag]Jaylan Knighton[/autotag] busted through a hole for a 23-yard run.

Lawrence was the final defender, and shortly after Knighton switched the ball to his outer hand, Lawrence punched at it, knocking it free. [autotag]Woodi Washington[/autotag] stopped it from going out of bounds, and [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] jumped on top of it.

Lawrence told reporters Monday that they work on that in practice.

“On Tuesdays, we do the stiff arm drill and I saw this man literally switch the ball in his hands, and the first thing I thought was to attack,” Lawrence said.

That hustle and big play will keep Lawrence on the field and become a trusted member of the defense. Lawrence said that mindset is also something the coaches stress at practice.

“Coach engraved it in us that we need to hustle to the ball, strain every day,” Lawrence said. “If they bust something like that, we all need to be there.”

It’s clear that the team is doing a better job rallying to the ball. They’re not giving up on plays. And after they give up a play, they’re responding with the right attitude. Lawrence’s strip is evidence of the change in mindset for the 2023 Oklahoma Sooners. The Sooners are getting a number of players around the ball, resulting in very few missed tackles.

Lawrence’s performance on Saturday is just one of many examples of the growth of the defense in 2023.

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