Tag: LSU Tigers football

The good and bad of Commanders’ QB Jayden Daniels

Daniels made some plays Sunday that only a few quarterbacks in the NFL could dream of making.

Sunday’s Commanders’ win was about as ugly a win as you can imagine, so how did rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels play?

Let’s be real, shall we?

Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels was sacked eight times. Eight times! I re-watched the eight sacks. Honestly, on four of the eight, Daniels appeared to freeze, hold the ball, not see an open receiver, and, like Sam Howell last year, ended up eating the ball for a sack.

Yet, on the other hand, there could have been another four or five sacks, where Daniels used his foot quickness to escape. At times, Daniels was a magician weaving in and out of trouble, keeping his feet.

On the first touchdown to Terry McLaurin, Daniels fell, fumbled the ball, recovered it, got up, and found McLaurin in the end zone. It was remarkable, and only a handful of NFL quarterbacks could have made that play.

What I am saying is for as bad as Daniels was taking sacks, he was also nothing short of magical on some plays.

For example, in the third quarter, facing a third and 14, Daniels took off on a beautiful run, gaining 24 yards and sliding to avoid being hit. Yes, Daniels was bad, but he was also good and spectacular on some plays!

Yes, Daniels missed Terry McLaurin twice deep in the second half. It occurred on two separate possessions, and McLaurin would have unquestionably scored on both plays. Therefore, that should have been 14 Commanders’ points.

Yet, on the other hand, Daniels also completed 25 of 31 passes for 226 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 118.5. This was another game in which Daniels had no turnovers.

Yes, Daniels looked like a rookie regressing in some areas, but it is also just as true: Daniels made plays most NFL quarterbacks cannot make.

Jayden Daniels will sometimes disappoint and frustrate Commanders fans. But at other times, he is not only good but also one of the better quarterbacks in terms of his ability to manage the ball, his completion percentage, his QBR, and his running ability.

Enjoy his “growth and development.” It looks like he will be a really good addition to Washington.

 

Former Sooners starting tight end commits to LSU Tigers

Oklahoma Sooners transfer portal tight end Bauer Sharp commits to the LSU Tigers.

Another Oklahoma Sooners product has found a new home via the [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag]. After it was reported that Brenen Thompson committed to Mississippi State, tight end [autotag]Bauer Sharp[/autotag] has reportedly committed to the LSU Tigers.

Sharp led the Oklahoma Sooners in receiving in 2024 after making the move from Southeastern Louisiana State last offseason.

He’s an athletic tight end that wasn’t used quite properly in the Sooners passing attack. Only 12 of his 55 targets came on throws 10 yards or more down the field.

It was an up-and-down season for Sharp, who is still developing as a tight end after making the move from quarterback early in his collegiate career. But he was one of the few bright spots in the passing game.

Too many times, however, the offensive coordinators asked Sharp to be the point man on trick plays instead of taking advantage of his athleticism down the field.

Now, Sharp will have the opportunity to face much more favorable coverages with the Tigers, who employ an impressive group of wide receivers. In 2024, Sharp led the Sooners with 42 catches and 327 yards receiving. He also had two receiving touchdowns this season for the Sooners.

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Where do Oklahoma Sooners rank in USA TODAY Sports’ 1-134 rankings?

Where does OU rank in USA TODAY Sports latest 1-134 rankings after falling to 6-6?

The Oklahoma Sooners finished the 2024 regular season at 6-6, after losing against LSU on Saturday night. It was a bitter end to a very difficult campaign.

As OU awaits their bowl destination, some teams will still be playing on conference championship game weekend. USA TODAY Sports staff writer Paul Myerberg took on the challenge of ranking all 134 FBS teams after Rivalry Week, and he has the Sooners as the No. 48 team in the country.

As a team that is a regular in the Top 25, typically the top 10, this is a far fall for the Sooners under [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]. In fact, No. 48 might be a generous ranking from Myerberg, as Oklahoma is a .500 team in their first year in the [autotag]SEC[/autotag].

The Sooners fall between 7-5 Pittsburgh (No. 47) and 6-6 Nebraska (No. 49) on the 1-134 list. Their ranking is good for 13th in the SEC behind Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, Alabama, Ole Miss, Missouri, Texas A&M, LSU, Florida, Vanderbilt and Arkansas. In fact, only Auburn, Kentucky, and Mississippi State ranked behind the Sooners on Myerberg’s list from the SEC.

With a new offensive coordinator in tow and plenty of roster decisions to make, the road to the 2025 season has already begun in Norman.

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Oklahoma Sooners lose finale 37-17 to the LSU Tigers

The Oklahoma Sooners offense stagnated and the defense gave up a number of big plays in their 37-17 loss to the LSU Tigers.

There was a lot of optimism heading into the Bayou as the Oklahoma Sooners were looking to build off of a strong performance against the Alabama Crimson Tide in Week 13. But the LSU Tigers put together an impressive performance on offense and the Sooners weren’t able to respond in a 37-17 loss to the close the 2024 regular season.

The Oklahoma Sooners deferred to start the game and forced a punt on LSU’s opening drive of the game. But the Sooners offense struggled to get going and LSU was able to make something happen on their second drive of the game when Garrett Nussmeier found Kyren Lacy for an 18-yard touchdown.

Oklahoma punted the ball back on their next possession, but with LSU facing a third-and-10, Gracen Halton created pressure up the middle and as Garrett Nussmeier attempted to elude the rush, Halton swiped the ball away and R Mason Thomas recovered it and returned it for a game-tying score.

After the two teams traded punts, the game looked like it might turn in OU’s favor when Thomas beat projected first-round pick Will Campbell around the edge and hit Nussmeier, who landed hard on his throwing shoulder. But a big run from Caden Durham set up an LSU field goal to give them the 10-7 lead.

Oklahoma answered right back, though, as Jackson Arnold connected with J.J. Hester for a 50-yard strike to get the Sooners offense going. Arnold then picked up 28 yards on the ground, and Xavier Robinson punched it in for the two-yard score to give the Sooners a 14-10 lead.

But the lead was short-lived as Aaron Anderson took the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for the go-ahead touchdown.

Though OU answered with a field goal, the momentum was clearly in the hands of the Tigers.

Nussmeier returned to the game with just over two minutes remaining in the half, and after a few short passes to get the ball moving, the LSU quarterback hit Chris Hilton Jr. for a 40-yard touchdown with Eli Bowen in coverage.

Oklahoma elected to run out the clock to end the first half trailing 24-17.

The second half saw the Sooners punt on their opening possession. The Tigers then found another big pass play as Nussmeier connected with Hilton for another score, this time a 45-yard strike and again with Bowen in coverage.

That put the Sooners in a position they didn’t want to be in, forced to throw down multiple scores, and Arnold couldn’t create enough in the passing game to move the football. The LSU Tigers’ pass rush was simply able to tee off at that point with little concern for the Sooners’ passing attack.

And with that, the Oklahoma Sooners first season in the SEC ends with a whimper. There was a lot of hope after Oklahoma earned a big win over Alabama a week ago, but outside of the quarterback run game, the Sooners offense was back to their inconsistent ways.

Robinson suffered a groin injury during the game but he and the offensive line weren’t nearly as good this week as they were a year ago. The LSU Tigers defense held the Sooners to 277 total yards, with 167 coming on the ground. 75 of those rushing yards came from Arnold.

Through the air, Arnold was 14 of 21 for 110 yards in the loss. 50 of those yards came on the deep ball to Hester. Otherwise, Arnold had just 60 passing yards on his other 20 attempts, or just three yards per attempt.

For the game, LSU put up 395 total yards and were 8-of-17 on third and fourth down. Nussmeier, who battled back from the shoulder injury finished the game 22 of 31 for 277 yards and three touchdowns.

This wasn’t at all the performance that many were expecting after how well OU played a week ago against Alabama. But LSU provided a different challenge and Oklahoma couldn’t keep up with their passing attack.

The Sooners close the season 6-6 and have a lot of questions they’ll have to answer on the offensive side of the ball.

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3 keys for the Oklahoma Sooners vs. the LSU Tigers

3 keys for the Oklahoma Sooners against the LSU Tigers.

Week 14 of the 2024 college football season brings us the Oklahoma Sooners matching up against the LSU Tigers. OU is currently 6-5 overall and 2-5 in Southeastern Conference play, as the final week of the regular season features a key matchup in Baton Rouge.

[autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]’ team secured a 26th-straight bowl berth last week with a surprising 24-3 victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide. Now Oklahoma is looking to guarantee a winning record this year and improve their bowl destination.

To get a second-straight win, the Sooners will need to play excellent football on the road against a very good team. The Tigers looked like one of the best teams in the [autotag]SEC[/autotag] earlier this season before losses against Texas A&M, Alabama, and Florida put a damper on their season. Still, they are capable of playing with the best of the conference, getting wins over teams like Ole Miss and South Carolina earlier this year.

LSU is coming off of a bounce-back win over Vanderbilt, and it’ll be Senior Night at Tiger Stadium. They are also looking to improve their bowl game and send their seniors off with a win over a blue blood program.

Here are three keys for Oklahoma, as they try to take down the Bayou Bengals.

1. Handle the Atmosphere

Night games in Death Valley can get incredibly rowdy, and that’s exactly the environment the Sooners are walking into on Saturday night. The Tigers have one of the best homefield advantages in all of college football, and that place will be rocking.

The Sooners haven’t handled road atmospheres very well this year, with their only road win coming at Auburn. The quarterback who started that game ([autotag]Michael Hawkins Jr.[/autotag]) won’t be starting this week. [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], who started road losses against Ole Miss and Missouri, will have to step up and lead his troops in an environment that will be way tougher than Faurot Field.

2. Another Epic Defensive Performance

The OU defense was on fire against Alabama last week, shutting down the Crimson Tide offense time and time again. One of the most explosive offenses in the conference was powerless to move the ball against [autotag]Zac Alley[/autotag]’s unit.

LSU goes about things a bit differently on offense, but they’re still effective. Garrett Nussmeier isn’t a heavy run threat, but he’s thrown for nearly 3,500 yards this season. His weapons can hurt you, as the Tigers are very good at the skill positions. As per usual this season, it’ll be up to the defense to win this game.

3. New Wrinkles on Offense

The Sooners ran the ball almost at will last week, and it was effective. LSU has had a week to prepare for what Oklahoma did against Alabama, so there will have to be some new things in the playbook.

The general tone should stay the same. OU needs to run the ball, run the quarterback, hold onto the ball and shorten this game. LSU has struggled with quarterback run game, allowing Jalen Milroe and Marcel Reed to have big days against the Tigers.

That’s the primary recipe for success for this team, with all of their obvious limitations on offense. The Tigers will almost certainly load up the box this week, forcing the Sooners to throw the ball. Can Arnold do that? It’s the question that might decide this game.

Oklahoma and LSU will kick off at 6:00 p.m. from Baton Rouge, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.

Sooners Wire Staff Predictions or Oklahoma vs. LSU Tigers in Week 14

Sooners Wire Staff Predictions for Oklahoma vs. LSU Tigers in Week 14.

The Oklahoma Sooners put themselves in a position to clinch a winning season as they get ready to go on the road to face the LSU Tigers. Prior to the bye week, OU was looking like a team that would finish 5-7 and miss bowl season for the first time since 1998.

But the Sooners put together a strong gameplan to beat the Alabama Crimson Tide in Week 13 behind a dominant performance in the run game and on the defensive side of the ball.

Now, they go to Baton Rouge to take on an LSU Tigers team that fell out of College Football Playoff contention with a three-game losing streak over the last month. LSU snapped it with a win over Vanderbilt, but it was hardly a dominating performance.

Can the Sooners finish the regular season on a high note and win back-to-back games for the first time since starting SEC play? Here are this week’s Sooners Wire Staff Predictions.

Sooners Wire Staff Predictions

Both of these teams have their flaws, and both of them have things that they do well.

The key for the OU defense will be in the secondary. If they can avoid getting beat deep by LSU’s stable of excellent wideouts, they’ve got a chance.

The Tigers have seen the film from what the Oklahoma offense did last week, and they’ll certainly stack the box and force Jackson Arnold to push the ball downfield, something he hasn’t proven capable of doing against SEC competition.

The gameplan for OU is similar to a week ago. Run the ball, shorten the game, keep everything in front of you, and force some turnovers. That’s the recipe for a low-scoring game with a ton of weight on the shoulders of the Oklahoma defense.

Oklahoma 17, LSU 13

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LSU Tigers wearing alternate uniforms for game against Oklahoma Sooners

Oklahoma’s opponent this week will be wearing alternate jerseys at home.

The Oklahoma Sooners hit the road for the final game of the regular season, as their Week 14 battle will come against the LSU Tigers. Head coaches [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and Brian Kelly will face off for the first time with both teams hoping to improve their postseason destination in the [autotag]SEC[/autotag].

Two teams with iconic uniforms will match up in this game, but one team will be changing up their look. LSU announced on social media that they will be wearing alternate jerseys at home on senior night.

This is notable because the Tigers are one of a very small number of teams that typically wear white jerseys at home, forcing their opponent to wear their traditional home color uniforms. This week, however, LSU will be breaking out purple alternate jerseys, meaning the Sooners will be wearing their traditional road, white jerseys.

The Tigers will also wear white helmets and pants, another change, as they traditionally wear yellow. It’s still a good look, don’t get me wrong, but it’ll certainly be jarring to see LSU with a much different look than we are used to seeing them.

The Sooners will try to come out of the Tigers’ den with a victory on Saturday night, as the game will be broadcast on ESPN and will kickoff at 6:00 p.m.

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3 Oklahoma Sooners true freshmen to watch against LSU

Who are three freshmen to watch when the Oklahoma Sooners visit the LSU Tigers?

The Oklahoma Sooners and the LSU Tigers will meet in the final game of the regular season on Saturday night. OU is coming off a 24-3 upset win over the Alabama Crimson Tide last week, and they’re looking to get back-to-back high-level wins.

As [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and the Sooners hit the road to Baton Rouge, they’ll once again be turning to plenty of true freshmen to step up. Because of all of the injuries Oklahoma has faced this year, there have been plenty of members of the [autotag]2024 recruiting class[/autotag] who have played a ton of meaningful snaps. It’ll be no different against the Bayou Bengals, and here are three names to keep your eye on in Death Valley in Week 14.

1. Xavier Robinson, RB

In a matter of weeks, running back [autotag]Xavier Robinson[/autotag] has gone from buried on the depth chart and an afterthought to an integral piece of the present and future of the OU offense.

Robinson carried a big load against Alabama last week, and he’s in line to do so again against LSU this week. His bruising run style means he’s always falling forward, and it’s hard for the first tackler to bring him down.

The Carl Albert High School product didn’t look like a freshman against the mighty Crimson Tide, and OU will need that to be true against the Tigers this week as well.

2. Eddy Pierre-Louis, OL

Offensive lineman [autotag]Eddy Pierre-Louis[/autotag] didn’t play against Missouri, but he got some very good reps against Alabama, in a game where OU’s offensive line was able to control the action up front. He’s another player who figures to factor into this team’s future plans on the O-line.

Pierre-Louis plays a lot of right guard, a key spot with OU’s inside runs or gap scheme outside runs with pulling linemen. He played well against a very talented defensive front and will need to do so again if his number is called versus LSU this week.

3. Eli Bowen, DB

Cornerback [autotag]Eli Bowen[/autotag] did an excellent job against Alabama’s Ryan Williams a week ago. Now, he’s got another tough challenge matching up against LSU’s Kyren Lacy. Bowen has become inarguably the best corner on this football team, and his future in Norman is so bright.

Oklahoma’s secondary has been hit or miss for most of the 2024 season, but they were on last week, with Bowen playing a big role. The Tigers boast a dynamic passing attack that will test the Sooners vertically, meaning that the secondary will have to play very well again this week.

What happened the last time the Oklahoma Sooners played the LSU Tigers?

This is the first regular season matchup between the Oklahoma Sooners and LSU Tigers.

The Oklahoma Sooners and the LSU Tigers will square off for just the fourth time ever on Saturday when OU travels to Baton Rouge for the final game of the regular season.

After a surprisingly dominant performance against the Alabama Crimson Tide last week, [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]’ Sooners will try and win a second straight game, having ensured themselves a 13th game and a 26th-straight bowl berth.

Now [autotag]SEC[/autotag] rivals, Oklahoma and LSU have met three times in their respective histories, all in the postseason. The first meeting came in the Sugar Bowl following the 1949 season. Bud Wilkinson’s undefeated Sooners dominated the Tigers, winning by a final score of 35-0 in New Orleans.

Meeting No. 2 was a big one, as the schools squared off in the BCS National Championship Game following the 2003 season. Heisman Trophy winner [autotag]Jason White[/autotag] and the OU offense were stymied by Nick Saban’s LSU defense, as the Tigers won 21-14. That game was also played in the Sugar Bowl in the Bayou Bengals’ backyard in Louisiana. LSU split the national title with USC that year.

For the most recent meeting, we have to go back just five years. In 2019, Oklahoma and LSU met in the [autotag]College Football Playoff[/autotag] Peach Bowl semifinal in Atlanta, Georgia. Heisman runner-up [autotag]Jalen Hurts[/autotag] and CeeDee Lamb led the Sooners against Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase, Heisman winner Joe Burrow, and the Tigers.

Unlike the previous year’s CFP loss against Alabama, the Sooners weren’t immediately beaten badly out of the starting blocks. The game was tied 7-7 halfway through the first quarter, but the Tigers began to run away in the late first.

LSU exploded to a 35-7 lead and a 49-14 halftime advantage, as they didn’t take their foot off the gas the way Alabama had the year before. The Tigers were out for blood that day, stretching the lead as big as 56-14 in the third quarter. It was an embarrassing playoff performance for the Sooners, but LSU was simply too good.

The Tigers won 63-21 and would win it all that year, defeating Clemson (and defensive coordinator Brent Venables) in the national championship game. The stats from the semis are astounding. Jefferson had a ridiculous 14 catches for 227 yards and four touchdowns with all four scores coming in the first half. Burrow accounted for eight total touchdowns, mostly throwing jump balls or wide-open passes to his excellent receivers.

Oklahoma ran for just 97 yards, and only Lamb had more than 30 receiving yards. Two straight lackluster performances in the playoff from Oklahoma ended up being their final two appearances in the four-team version of the bracket.

Now, the teams meet in Death Valley for the first time in the regular season. Oklahoma wants to improve to 7-5 and get to a better bowl game while logging a mini-run to end a horrid 2024 season. LSU is looking to continue to rebound from a late-season slide and see where they land when bowl season comes.

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Who will be Oklahoma’s captains against the LSU Tigers on Saturday?

Oklahoma Football game captains for Week 14 vs. the LSU Tigers.

The Oklahoma Sooners improved to 6-5 overall on the 2024 season with their victory over the [autotag]Alabama Crimson Tide[/autotag] in Week 13. OU is now 2-5 in SEC play, with just one week left in the regular season. Their Week 14 game comes against the [autotag]LSU Tigers[/autotag] on the road in Death Valley.

Oklahoma head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] has chosen his game captains for the regular season finale. Quarterback [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], offensive lineman [autotag]Troy Everett[/autotag], defensive linemen [autotag]Damonic Williams[/autotag] and [autotag]Ethan Downs[/autotag], linebacker [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] and punter [autotag]Luke Elzinga[/autotag] will represent the Sooners on the road. Arnold, Everett, Downs and Stutsman were also captains last week.

It’s actually the third straight week as a captain for Anrold, who is set to make his ninth start of the season on Saturday. He wasn’t asked to do much as a passer last week, but he played a clean game and ran really tough against Alabama. He led the Sooners with 131 rushing yards on 25 carries, helping to set the tone offensively.

Everett has become OU’s starting center, taking control of the job after getting healthy in the middle of the season. He’s one of the few veterans still healthy on the offensive line, surrounded by portal acquisitions and youth up front.

Williams is one of Oklahoma’s set of excellent defensive tackles, wrapping up his first season in Norman. With some of the veterans on the OU defense moving on next year, Williams will be in the spotlight more next season if he decides to stay in school.

Downs has been as steady as a rock at defensive end for the Sooners. He plays his best in the biggest games and is one of the best leaders on this team. He had an excellent performance helping shut down Jalen Milroe and the Tide offense last week.

Stutsman continues to be Oklahoma’s heartbeat. He was incredible against Alabama on Saturday, and is the ultimate leader on this team. He’ll be playing possibly the final game of his excellent career on Saturday if he decides to opt-out of the bowl game to prepare for the NFL draft.

Elzinga has been perhaps the most consistent player on the entire roster this year. He’ll be sorely missed next season, as he’s been able to pin opponents deep since taking over as the starter midway through last season.

As the Sooners try to go into the Tigers’ den and come out with a victory, look for these players to lead the way on the road.

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