Marquis Hayes – Page 6 – Syndication Server

Passing Out Grades: Report Card for the Sooners vs. West Virginia

The Oklahoma Sooners played another tight one in their 16-13 win over West Virginia, but how did each position group grade out in the week 4 win?

Without ever having thoughts of being a teacher, passing out bad grades doesn’t seem like a fun time. The Oklahoma Sooners won against West Virginia but it wasn’t pretty and most notably one side of the ball struggled immensely.

At the end of the day, a win is a win. However, things must change offensively if the Sooners are to seriously contend for any trophies this season.

Let’s pass out some grades.

Quarterbacks: C-

This grade is the lowest grade I’ve handed out to this position group this year. It needs to be said that all quarterback grades are products of the offensive line play in front of them.

Spencer Rattler’s offensive line was not good but he has also had moments when he answered the call. Rattler, upon further review, missed a few throws that really would have given Oklahoma some chances to open things up.

He’s still struggling to make better decisions throwing vertically. A contested deep ball to wide receiver Michael Woods could have been intercepted had the defensive back not prematurely celebrated.

He threw an interception as he was targeting Drake Stoops late in the first half, focusing on Stoops the entire route and letting the ball float in the air too long.

At times, he continues to not set his plant foot and drive off of it causing balls to sail or not have the accuracy they need.

At the end of the game, he was 6 for 6 and orchestrated the game-winning drive to lead his team down the field and get them in a position to win. He has to be better and Lincoln Riley has to coach him better.

Most importantly…

Up Next: The Offensive Line

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Best Grades from Pro Football Focus in OU’s win over WVU

Taking a look at the best grades from Pro Football Focus for the Oklahoma Sooners in their win over West Virginia.

The Oklahoma Sooners have started to find a way to win defensive battles in 2021. It’s a far cry from what the Sooners looked like just a couple of years ago when they had to score 40-50 points per game to win. The defense in those early years of Lincoln Riley’s tenure as offensive coordinator and then head coach were some of the worst years of defense this program’s ever seen.

The script has flipped for the 2021 Oklahoma Sooners. The offense has been inconsistent. They haven’t been able to run the ball as effectively as they’d like and the Sooners defense is carrying the day.

For the second straight week the Sooners were unable to reach 30 points while the defense held their opponent to fewer than 16 points. While we’d certainly like to see more points scored, the Sooners are going to win a lot of games if they can continue to keep their opponent to fewer than 20 points a game.

There will be challenges in the coming weeks with Kansas State, Texas, and TCU on the docket, but the Sooners defense looks more up to the challenge than at any other point in the last five years.

Let’s take another look at Saturday’s win over West Virginia through the lens of Pro Football Focus (Subscription required) and take a look at which Sooners graded in the top five of various categories.

5 questions we’re asking as the Sooners open Big 12 play vs West Virginia

Five questions we’re asking as the Oklahoma Sooners focus their attention on West Virginia.

Big 12 football is officially a go for the Oklahoma Sooners. They navigated a less than stellar non-conference slate with an escape of Tulane, a throttling of Western Carolina and tough rivalry win against long-time foe Nebraska. They’ll start their conference title defense against the Mountaineers of West Virginia under the lights on Saturday night.

Heading into the game, it’s been noted that Oklahoma hasn’t shown themselves to be worthy of the preseason hype as national champions. Whether you agree or disagree, it means nothing as the games now are tough every week. OU has plenty of time to mold themselves into the team that many think can compete against the likes of Georgia and Alabama for the national title. Each game presents their own set of problems and questions.

As the Sooners narrow their focus in on West Virginia, let’s take a look at the five questions we will be asking.

Offensive keys vs Tulane for the Oklahoma Sooners

Offensive keys to the game for the Oklahoma Sooners in their week one matchup with the Tulane Green Wave.

It’s time.

No more speculation, no more reports about training camp battles and who could conceivably win this spot or that spot. We can all shift our attention on a week to week basis about the opponents in front of Oklahoma.

Another journey to try and scale the proverbial college football mountain begins in less than 24 hours.

Offensively, Oklahoma is lead by one of the presumptive Heisman favorites in QB Spencer Rattler. His development is a significant part of Oklahoma realizing the lofty expectations headed into this season.

Rattler’s great and he’ll elevate the Sooners, but he can’t do it all on his own. Here are the offensive keys as they start the game against what is likely to be a very spirited Tulane team.

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Top 21 players for the Oklahoma Sooners entering 2021

As the Oklahoma Sooners get set to continue their reign atop the Big 12 and contend for a national title, here are the top 21 players for 2021.

Heading into the 2021 season, the Oklahoma Sooners have one of the deepest and most talented rosters in the country. On both sides of the ball, the Sooners have great players throughout the lineup that will make big impacts on Saturdays this fall.

On offense, the Sooners are led by Heisman Trophy front-runner Spencer Rattler and a high-powered passing attack. On defense, the Sooners have four guys that can create havoc in both the running game and rushing the passer.

This is a team that should be one of the more exciting teams to watch with their blend of big-play offense and suffocating defense. With just 15 days until kickoff, let’s take a look at the top 21 Oklahoma Sooners heading into 2021.

8 Oklahoma Sooners named to the 2022 Senior Bowl watch list

Ahead of the 2021 season, eight Oklahoma Sooners make the 2022 Senior Bowl watch list.

The Oklahoma Sooners come into 2021 with a veteran group on both sides of the football. That’s part of the reason experts are so high on the Sooners’ chances at a seventh-straight Big 12 Championship and contention for the national championship.

Many in that group of veterans will likely be off to the NFL next season, though some will be more highly sought after than others. The NFL draft process can often put more weight on younger players, often leaving seniors to scrap for their spot among a draft class elite.

Whether it’s a late breakout or competition at the top of the depth chart that prevented them from seeing the field, senior draft prospects can sometimes get dinged depending on the situation.

For those seniors, however, there’s one extra opportunity to make an impression for NFL coaches and front office personnel, and that’s at the Reese’s Mobile Senior Bowl.

At the Senior Bowl, players get put through a week of practice with NFL coaching staffs with scouts, coaches, and general managers in attendance. They go through individual and team drills in the lead-up to the Senior Bowl on the weekend. Though the Senior Bowl isn’t the only thing NFL teams take into account, it can often confirm how they feel about certain players for front offices.

It’s an opportunity for an under-the-radar player or a player with questionable technique or character to get in front of teams and allay any concerns.

In 2021, Tre Brown, Rhamondre Stevenson, Creed Humphrey, Tre Norwood, and Adrian Ealy were in attendance at the Senior Bowl. In 2020, Neville Gallimore and Jalen Hurts took part. In 2018, Baker Mayfield surprised everyone when he participated in the evaluation process.

For 2022, the Oklahoma Sooners have eight players named to the Senior Bowl’s watch list. Not every player will make the final rosters for the week in Mobile, but several will and they’ll benefit greatly from the process.

Let’s take a look at the eight players that could represent the Oklahoma Sooners at the 2022 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama.

Oklahoma Football Notebook: Lincoln Riley, Spencer Rattler, Marquis Hayes and Mikey Henderson talk Thursday

Oklahoma football head coach Lincoln Riley, QB Spencer Rattler, OL Marquis Hayes and RB Mikey Henderson met with the media on Thursday.

The penultimate week of spring practices for the Oklahoma Sooners is drawing to a close with just one more week of practices before April 24’s spring game. Continue reading “Oklahoma Football Notebook: Lincoln Riley, Spencer Rattler, Marquis Hayes and Mikey Henderson talk Thursday”

Oklahoma 2020 player card: No. 54 Marquis Hayes

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

Here is No. 54 for Oklahoma.

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 No. 54 for Oklahoma.

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Name: Marquis Hayes

Number: No. 54

Year: Redshirt Junior

Position: Offensive Line

Hometown: Maryland Heights, Missouri

Height/Weight: 6-foot-5, 330 pounds

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Marquis Hayes was a four-star offensive lineman that signed with the Sooners as part of the class of 2017. Ranked as the number seven offensive guard in the nation and the number one recruit in the state of Missouri, Hayes was recruited by Bill Bedenbaugh.

After redshirting in 2017, Hayes played in 3 games in 2018 including 13 starts in 2019 (missed game against South Dakota due to injury).

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