Tag: Marcus Major

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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3 Offensive Keys to the game for the Oklahoma Sooners vs. TCU

As the Oklahoma Sooners get ready to play the TCU Horned Frogs, here are three keys for the offensive side of the ball.

On Saturday night, Oklahoma pushes forward and looks to take one step closer to an undefeated regular season. This week’s opponent will be the TCU Horned Frogs led by Gary Patterson. Patterson’s team is far from a heavyweight but they aren’t pushovers either. They come into the game with a record of 3-2 with losses to Texas and their big rival in SMU.

Defensively, they do not resemble the TCU defenses of the past. For years, TCU was a stingy, stingy defense that had impactful players at every level. While the talent isn’t bad, they lack the edge of TCU defenses from the past.

So, how does Oklahoma attack them when the Sooners have the ball? Let’s take a look at three offensive keys to put Oklahoma in a spot to come out victorious Saturday night.

Protect the Ball

Yes, it’s quite obvious. However, there is still uncertainty about who will be taking the snaps as starting quarterback. There has been no official word from Lincoln Riley about his decision but the point stands for either Spencer Rattler or Caleb Williams. Rattler was benched for his turnovers against Texas. A fumble on a scramble sealed his fate for that game and opened the door for Caleb Williams.

However, Williams has had some issues securing shotgun snaps. TCU quarterback Max Duggan is a veteran player and has the running and throwing ability to make Oklahoma pay if they give them extra possessions.

The Oklahoma Sooners are the more talented team. They can’t afford to let a team like TCU hand around by giving them good field position off of turnovers. Whoever the quarterback is the Saturday night has to protect the football.

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What does Marcus Major’s return mean for the Oklahoma Sooners?

With reports that Marcus Major has been deemed eligible by the NCAA, what does his return mean for the Oklahoma Sooners?

Earlier Friday afternoon, the Oklahoma Sooners received some major (pun intended) news. Running back Marcus Major was deemed eligible to return to the Oklahoma Sooners after being cleared by the NCAA. It’s a pretty significant development for the Oklahoma Sooners. They’ve made it through five games so far without any significant injuries to the two scholarship running backs on the roster in Kennedy Brooks and Eric Gray.

Major spent all winter, spring, and summer preparing for what was going to be a big opportunity to join a consistent rotation of backs and was ruled ineligible weeks before the team broke fall camp.

What does Major being back mean for the Sooners this season? First and foremost, it gives them depth at a position of serious need. Running backs take beatings like no other position in the sport of football, and as a result, injuries are much more likely. Having Major gives Oklahoma a bit of an opportunity to keep their backs fresh and lessen the likelihood of injury.

His return also allows the head coach and play-caller Lincoln Riley to take the proverbial bubble wrap off Gray and Brooks. The Sooners didn’t go full Air Raid, but at times (see: West Virginia), they tilted too far to the pass in terms of balance. Riley has had an almost perfect split in run:pass ratio since arriving in Norman, and this year at times, he’s had to abandon that.

Some of that was because of the offensive line play, some of that was a personal decision, and some of it had to do with the fact he really can’t run the ball when you have two scholarship running backs. Riley and running back coach DeMarco Murray offered votes of confidence in walk-ons Todd Hudson and Jaden Knowles but having another scholarship running back serves as a buffer.

Look for an uptick in the usage of Riley using 20 (2 RBs, 0 TEs) and 21 personnel (2 RBs, 0 TEs).

Though he’s been reportedly practicing with the team, It’s uncertain how much Marcus Major will factor into the game plan against the Texas Longhorns. However, as the season rolls on, look for Major to slot right into the rotation and try and build off his Cotton Bowl performance, where he had nine carries for 110 yards and a touchdown.

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Report: Oklahoma Sooners running back Marcus Major cleared to play by NCAA

Per a report from Bob Pryzbylo of SoonerScoop.com, Oklahoma running back Marcus Major has been cleared by the NCAA and is eligible to play.

After an offseason that saw a mass exodus at the running back position, the Oklahoma Sooners are finally getting some good news on the Friday before the Red River Showdown.

Per Bob Przybylo of SoonerScoop.com, running back Marcus Major has been cleared to play by the NCAA after being deemed academically ineligible back in the fall.

With just two scholarship backs on the roster for the first five games of the season, Kennedy Brooks and Eric Gray have been forced to carry the load. The return of Marcus Major provides a boost to a position that’s been solid, but has yet to find its footing completely in 2021.

Major was a player receiving a lot of buzz in Spring and Fall camp. DeMarco Murray talked about him as someone who finished the 2020 season on a high note.

Major’s best game came in the Cotton Bowl against Florida to close out the 2020 season when he carried the ball nine times for 110 yards and a touchdown.

It remains to be seen when the Oklahoma Sooners coaching staff will get him on the field, but based on Przybylo’s report, Major could play tomorrow, in theory. If he were to play, it would likely be sparingly as the Sooners will continue to rely on Brooks and Gray to the lead the way for the Sooners running game.

Whenever he makes his first appearance for the 2021 season, Marcus Major will be a welcomed addition to an offense that just played its best game of the season against Kansas State.

As the Oklahoma Sooners continue to fight their way through the Big 12 schedule with hopes of defending their title and contending for the National Championship, getting Major back provides a lift to a running back room that could use some depth.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.

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Per 247Sports Former Sooners’ running back Tre Bradford re-enrolls at LSU

After departing the University of Oklahoma a week and a half ago, it became official late last night that Tre Bradford was returning to LSU per 247Sports.

The winding saga that is the Tre Bradford story has reached a conclusion, at least for now. Bradford, who transferred to the University of Oklahoma in the Spring from LSU left the program just a week and a half before the Oklahoma Sooners’ season opener.

According to reports at the time, he was looking toward returning to LSU. Well, it became official late last night that the former Tiger turned Sooner is now a Tiger again per 247Sports.

Bradford’s time with the Sooners never really got rolling and it’s still a mystery as to what went wrong here. Sooners’ head coach Lincoln Riley didn’t know what to say about the situation but admitted that Bradford was a player that they “flat out missed on” in the transfer portal.

It was incredibly unfortunate timing as the Sooners just lost Marcus Major to academic ineligibility. The Sooners running back depth took a hit two weeks ago with back-to-back losses to the group. Oklahoma has just two scholarship running backs on the depth chart in Kennedy Brooks and Eric Gray. Walk-ons Jaden Knowles and Todd Hudson were expected to get snaps in the wake of the losses of Major and Bradford, but neither saw a touch in the Sooners 40-35 win over Tulane on Saturday.

The Tigers now get a player back who many in Norman thought very highly of. From his fellow running backs to running backs coach DeMarco Murray, to Lincoln Riley, each of them praised the ability he displayed in practices.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.

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Much ado about something? A look at the Oklahoma running back position over the last few years

A look at how things have gone for OU’s running backs and a look at what there is to look forward to going forward.

Like life, college football personnel has its highs and lows. There are times where you’re able to recruit, develop and send players to the league at an astonishing rate. Conversely, there are times when you experience turbulence within a position group seemingly every year.

It may be on field production (or lack thereof) or off the field issues that just deplete your position group.

The Oklahoma Sooners over the last decade have seen both sides of the coin.

From recruiting guys like Samaje Perine, Joe Mixon, Rodney Anderson and watching them go to the NFL to having running backs transfer in and practice for less than 14 practices and then transfer back out in less than 2 months, OU has seen it all of late.

Let’s take a look at the Sooners running back issues and where they are headed going into the future.

Jay Boulware, former Sooners running back coach helped recruit the men mentioned previously in Perine, Mixon and Anderson. Much to the chagrin of the Sooners faithful, he will be remembered for his misses in recruiting in the state of Texas more than anything.

He was let go largely due to the lack of production and development of guys he brought in. In stepped DeMarco Murray.

Murray, a former Sooners running back who went on to play for the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles and Tennessee Titans took over after his first coaching stint at the University of Arizona.

Murray has suffered from some of the same issues Boulware dealt with. Failures to close on guys that were seemingly within reach (Camar Wheaton) or having to deal with suspensions/ineligible guys (Seth McGowan, Marcus Major, Mikey Henderson). The latest wave of running back problems has left OU with two scholarship running backs in a year where the Sooners are more equipped to win the national title than they’ve been since 2008.

How do they bounce back going forward to push this horrible string of mishaps and lack of depth behind them?

It starts with the 2022 and 2023 recruiting classes first and foremost. OU is at a big disadvantage with a week until the start of the 2021 season. There’s no real solution for this year outside of hoping walk on Jaden Knowles can be serviceable and eat some carries to spell Eric Gray and Kennedy Brooks.

That’s also contingent on Brooks and Gray remaining healthy. Things could get real desperate if one/both is injured at any point.

H-Back Jeremiah Hall will likely see carries this year too. Just maybe a receiver lower on the depth chart converts over or Micah Bowens (transfer QB from Penn State with some real mobility) steps up and becomes a RB.

Regardless, this year’s problems will have to be fixed in house.

2022 will see Raleek Brown, Gavin Sawchuk and possibly one more RB (high school recruit or grad transfer) come in to Oklahoma for next season. One of the duo of Gray and Brooks is almost a lock to leave for the NFL after this season with Brooks being the likely one. Gray could leave if he has the season that many anticipate and the Sooners win the national title.

In that scenario four running backs at minimum would need to find their way to OU next year assuming Marcus Major is eligible next year of course.

Four-star running back Jovantae Barnes out of Las Vegas, Nevada has a close relationship with RB coach Murray. Can Murray seal the deal and fight off Alabama and USC for the young man’s pledge?

In 2023, Treyaun Webb has gotten the ball rolling for running backs. Listed as the nation’s no. 3 RB on 247Sports, Webb is an excellent notch on the belt of Murray as long as he can keep him in the fold for the next two years. Guys like Richard Young and Reuben Owens are other names the Sooners are looking at for the class of 2023.

There’s no doubt some of the issues that OU has faced are completely out of the control of the guys in the program. But as we all know to be true, being proactive instead of reactive is the way to go.

Grinding on the recruiting trail and locking down these recruits will go a long way to providing stability in OU’s running back room and preventing such turnover and uncertainty heading into future seasons.

Twitter reacts to Tre Bradford’s departure from Sooners

Is it business as usual or are the #Sooners championship dreams already over? Twitter had a wide variety of reaction to the surprising news about Tre Bradford.

Just 24 hours ago, we discussed how Marcus Major’s ineligibility would impact OU’s backfield. Now, for the second time in as many days, Lincoln Riley and the Oklahoma Sooners are suddenly without another running back in Tre Bradford.

Bradford’s unexpected departure leaves running backs coach DeMarco Murray in strange territory. On the one hand, there is no immediate cause for alarm as Oklahoma still possesses two starting-caliber backs in Eric Gray and Kennedy Brooks (with two more four-star prospects on the way in 2022).

On the other hand, the Sooners have no immediate depth. And if something unthinkable were to happen to either Gray or Brooks, then a position of strength within the offense could become an unexpected liability.

As you could imagine, back-to-back blows to the running back room have sent social media into a frenzy. Especially with the season opener versus Tulane just nine days away.

While some are downplaying the Sooners’ bad luck, others declare their title hopes dead before the season even begins.

Others are simply choosing to smile through the pain.

While whispers that Bradford is returning to LSU are nothing more than speculation at this time, here’s what Patrick Conn of LSU Tigers Wire had to say about the notion: 

Given his familiarity with the running back room, could Tre Bradford find his way back to Baton Rouge with LSU? This is pure speculation but it would make sense if he suddenly had a change of heart. Bradford was expected to be the No. 3 for Oklahoma, but with the injury concerns surrounding Tyrion Davis-Price and John Emery Jr, he could see more playing time this season with the Tigers.

Both Bradford’s reason for leaving the Sooners and his desired landing spot is unknown. What we do know, however, is that we haven’t heard the last of this story.  Sooners Wire will provide updates as they are made available.

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What Marcus Major’s ineligibility means for OU’s backfield

Sooners running back Marcus Major was expected to take the next step in 2021. What does his sudden ineligibility mean for the Oklahoma backfield?

Sooner Scoop reported Tuesday afternoon that redshirt sophomore Marcus Major had been ruled academically ineligible for the 2021 season.

The running back’s sudden removal from the offense comes as a shock to many. Major has been practicing in front of the media throughout fall camp and received high praise from running backs coach DeMarco Murray as recently as last week.

He made huge leaps individually last year just throughout practice. You could probably see it the last six or seven weeks of the season. Was probably practicing better than anyone. He’s a young guy. Obviously, he didn’t get a ton of reps last year, but he’s a guy that’s been around awhile, knows the system. His development… since I’ve been here has only been increasing. So, he’s done a good job for us.

With the season opener versus Tulane 10 days away, an unexpected opportunity has appeared for LSU transfer Tre Bradford.

Both Murray and Lincoln Riley love the versatility Bradford brings to Norman. While he has only been a Sooner since the middle of June, he possesses the speed and work ethic needed to bulldoze his way into the regular-season rotation.

Major’s ineligibility could also lead the Sooners to use Jeremiah Hall as more of a halfback (or at least pretend to). Hall had one rushing attempt in 2020 and has never had more than four in a single season. Though he may not have carried the ball much, his receiving prowess makes him a weapon in the passing game. The suddenly-depleted backfield could allow Hall to showcase his versatility in 2021 with increased work as a running back.

While starting running backs Eric Gray and Kennedy Brooks were going to receive a ton of snaps regardless of Major’s eligibility, Hall and Bradford could suddenly be looking at a much different 2021 season.

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Which under the radar Oklahoma Sooners will make a big impact in 2021?

Every championship contender needs glue guys who help keep the roster together. They may not start for the Oklahoma Sooners, but here are several role players that will have a significant impact.

Every team that is a championship contender has to have a lot of talent. However, when one of your starters goes down with an injury or needs a breather, championship contenders must have enough depth to minimize the talent drop-off. Championship teams also need role players who are good at what they do and are the glue of the roster.

The Oklahoma Sooners appear to be as talented as any team in the country heading into the 2021 football season. Another thing they have going for them heading into what could be a special season is several role players who will have significant impacts for the Oklahoma Sooners.

Oklahoma 2020 player card: No. 24 Marcus Major

Sooners Wire will be creating player cards for readers to be introduced to the 2020 roster. Here is No. 24 Marcus Major.

There is a ton of momentum to having a 2020 college football season these days. No definite signs, yet, but the season would start less than 100 days from now.

Sooners Wire will be creating player cards for readers to be introduced to the 2020 roster.

Here is the offensive No. 24 for Oklahoma.

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Name: Marcus Major

Number: No. 24

Year: Redshirt Freshman

Position: Running back

Hometown: Millwood, Oklahoma

Height/Weight: 5-foot-11, 220 pounds

A four-star in-state recruit per Rivals and EPSN, Marcus Major gathered plenty of interest in his recruitment. Among the 20 teams vying for the third-ranked player in the state of Oklahoma were Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, Texas and USC.

Major missed a majority of the 2019 season due to injury, but played in three games against Kansas, South Dakota and Texas. He ran for 28 yards on ten carries.

Kennedy Brooks will most likely continue to see the largest workload for the Sooners. Rhamondre Stevenson, who played the backup role last season, will most likely be suspended for the first five games of the season. Major will more than likely see a large jump in production in these games. Should he impress, he could earn more and more production in Lincoln Riley’s plug-and-play scheme.

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