Tag: Mike Woods

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 storylines as the Oklahoma Sooners get set to face the Tulane

As the Sooners get set to kickoff the 2021 season with their matchup vs Tulane, what are the top five storylines heading into week 1.

Less than 24 hours from now, the Oklahoma Sooners will open the season against the Tulane Green Wave.

It sure feels good to type those words. Tomorrow, starting at 11:00 a.m. CST, the Oklahoma Sooners will finally begin their journey toward the national title.

As they get set to host Tulane’s home game, the Sooners will defer choice of uniform to the Green Wave creating the possibility the Sooners will be on their road whites on Saturday.

As “talking season” as Lincoln Riley likes to call it, comes to a close, let’s take a look at the top storylines heading into week one.

Oklahoma Sooners have options at WR in wake of Theo Wease injury

The injury to Theo Wease is a loss to the Oklahoma Sooners offense, at the same time, they have a WR group that can mitigate the loss.

Injuries happen in football. Without taking into consideration the high-contact nature of the sport, collegiate and professional athletes are attempting to do things that put an enormous strain on the body. It’s why we see non-contact injuries at every level. But that’s why a team never shies away from an opportunity to add talent to its depth chart.

The Oklahoma Sooners depth chart took a hit on Wednesday as it was reported that Wide Receiver Theo Wease suffered a lower body injury that was likely to keep him out for several weeks.

With Wease out, the Sooners will be without one of their top pass catchers. Wease tied for the team lead in receptions in 2020 with Marvin Mims.

With Mims starting in the slot, it looks like it will be Mike Woods and Jadon Haselwood starting on the outside in Wease’s absence.

Haselwood, the former five-star recruit hasn’t had the smoothest career for the Sooners. 2020 was derailed by injuries, but he looks poised to have a big season for the Sooners in 2021.

Woods comes to the Sooners from Arkansas where he averaged 19.3 yards per reception in 2020 with the Razorbacks. Despite his production, Woods is coming into a much better situation with Lincoln Riley, Spencer Rattler, and the Sooners than he had in Fayetteville. Even before Wease’s injury, Woods was a player that had a chance to become a star in 2021.

And then there’s Mario Williams who’s had a standout Spring and Fall and has thrust himself into the wide receiver rotation. Among the freshman trio that also includes Cody Jackson and Jalil Farooq, Williams has shown he’s ready to run with the first-team offense.

Unlike the running back position, which lost two important depth options last week, the wide receiver room looks more equipped to handle the loss of one of their starting wide receivers. Between Haselwood, Woods, and Williams, the Sooners have talented options that can step in and fill the void left by Theo Wease.

It’s never good losing a player with as much experience as Theo Wease but the Sooners are well stocked with options to carry the weight until he returns.

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REPORT: Oklahoma WR Theo Wease suffers injury in practice

Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Theo Wease injured in practice just three days from the season opener against Tulane.

We are less than 4 days away from the Oklahoma Sooners starting their 2021 season. Unfortunately, they will likely be starting the season down a man in their wide receiver corps. Junior receiver Theo Wease suffered an injury in practice per John Hoover of All Sooners on Sports Illustrated.

According to Hoover’s report the injury is a lower body injury that is expected to sideline him for at least a few weeks.

There are no concrete specifics on the exact location or full severity but it looks like Wease will not be suiting up with the rest of his teammates for the season opener against Tulane. The matchup was recently moved to Norman amid concerns over the impact of Hurricane Ida on Louisiana.

Wease was being counted on for stability as another veteran option for a receiver group that needs to take a step forward after a decent but not great year last season as a collective.

The likes of Jadon Haselwood, Arkansas transfer Mike Woods, highly touted freshman Mario Williams, Drake Stoops and the Sooners collection of tight ends will have to complement super sophomore Marvin Mims in Wease’s absence. The entire group of pass catchers looks to build on last year’s performance.

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Wide receiver Mike Woods “a weapon” for the Oklahoma Sooners offense

The Oklahoma Sooners are deep at wide receiver, but Mike Woods will be a weapon in the Oklahoma Sooners arsenal.

Lincoln Riley and the Oklahoma Sooners have done a great job at finding talent through the transfer portal. Though they lost Tre Bradford to the transfer portal, overall it’s been a net positive. Eric Gray is the player that’s been most talked about and Wanya Morris is competing to start at left tackle. But one player that often gets lost in the discussion is wide receiver Mike Woods.

Perhaps it’s due to the depth they have at wide receiver and also because he didn’t play in Oklahoma’s spring game that he isn’t talked about more. But this is a player who averaged 19.3 yards per reception in the SEC for the Arkansas Razorbacks. For perspective, in Marquise Brown’s most productive season in 2017 with the Sooners, he averaged 19.2 yards per reception per College Football Reference.

That’s the kind of player the Oklahoma Sooners got in Mike Woods.

In his Tuesday press conference, Lincoln Riley spoke about Woods and what he’s meant to the program since transferring in from Arkansas.

He’s one of those (transfers) that’s in the category that’s been a great teammate to have in here. Great guy to coach. Bought in, culture, everything day one. He’s been a joy to have. We got to see a lot of game tape on him. He was very productive, impressive, and he’s backed that up here. Big, very explosive human being that can really go. He can really go up and high point the ball. Talented player. Excited to see him play for live. I think he can be a weapon out there. He’ll certainly be in that rotation and we’ll get to see a lot of him on Saturday. – Riley

Mike Woods is arguably the most underrated addition the Sooners made in the 2021 offseason. His size and downfield ability will be a huge asset for Spencer Rattler and the Oklahoma Sooners offense.

In a deep wide receiver room, who starts isn’t going to matter as much as who gets the targets. So while at the moment, Riley has Woods, “in the rotation,” he’s certainly got the talent to be one of Oklahoma’s three best wide receivers in 2021.

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.

Running Back Eric Gray on OU to SEC, new teammates, adjusting to OU

Speaking to the media, Eric Gray discussed a variety of things from his decision to come to Norman and acclimating to OU and the offense.

As the 2021 season inches closer, there isn’t a more anticipated debut than that of Eric Gray’s for the Oklahoma Sooners. After putting on an impressive display of athleticism and big-play ability at Tennessee and in the Oklahoma Sooners’ spring game, the buzz around Eric Gray has crescendoed over the last six months.

Soon, all of the hype will give way to what he does on the field. In a loaded backfield with Kennedy Brooks, Marcus Major and Tre Bradford, Gray and the Sooners will have opportunities for big plays out of the running back position.

Ahead of fall camp, Eric Gray was one of 10 players to meet with the media via Zoom, and he was asked about a host of things including his time in the SEC and the players he faced that are now teammates.

Transfer Mike Woods experience provides explosive depth option for the Sooners

In 2021, the Sooners didn’t have a reliable deep threat beyond Marvin Mims. Mike Woods provides another option for Spencer Rattler and OU.

The top of the Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver depth chart appears pretty well solidified at two of the three spots. Marvin Mims takes over the slot wide receiver role, and Theo Wease was mentioned as a player who’s made a big jump by Nik Bonitto at Big 12 media days.

The return of Jadon Haselwood from injury last year provides a player with size and athleticism on the outside. Haselwood’s athleticism and catch radius gives Spencer Rattler someone he can throw to regardless of how well his receiver is covered.

With those three appear locked into playing time and true freshman Mario Williams standing out in spring practice and the spring game, Mike Woods is flying under the radar.

Woods, who transferred in from Arkansas, provides the Oklahoma Sooners with another reliable option to use on the outside in the Sooners’ wide receiver rotation.

Last year, Razorbacks’ quarterbacks had a 120 passer rating when targeting Woods. His 72.7% catch percentage led Arkansas last season.

When Arkansas went deep, it had its most success targeting Woods. On throws more than 20 yards down the field, Woods averaged 52.3 yards per reception and 39.25 yards per route run. Woods’ catch percentage on throws more than 20 yards downfield was 75% on eight targets.

And that’s an element to the passing game that Woods brings to the table. A deep threat who averaged 18.5 yards per reception will help put pressure on opposing defenses. He gives Spencer Rattler another weapon to target downfield. And a weapon that can win downfield more consistently.

In 2020, the Oklahoma Sooners struggled to find consistency with their deep passing attack. Perhaps Woods can be an answer to that.

Mims was the only consistent option for the Sooners down the field last season. But that changes in 2021.

Though the passing offense will likely run through Mims in his second year with the Sooners, don’t overlook Woods as a player that will make a huge impact. Even in a limited role, his ability to stretch the field and threaten a defense with a big play will put stress on the opposition. And with Spencer Rattler’s big arm, there’s no doubt that he can’t wait to unleash some deep passes to the Sooners’ newest deep threat.

Trio of Oklahoma Sooners named to 2021 All-Transfer Team

The transfer portal has been kind to the Oklahoma Sooners over the years and that didn’t change in 2021 as they added several starters this offseason.

The transfer portal has become a unique weapon in the arsenal of Oklahoma Sooners Head Coach Lincoln Riley. The portal was instrumental in putting the Oklahoma Sooners on their current trajectory after landing Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, and Jalen Hurts. And the hits keep on coming.

Yesterday, 247 Sports released their All-Transfer Team heading into the 2021 season, and several Sooners, including one former Sooner, were featured on the list.

Ironically, the pipeline from the Tennessee Volunteers provided the Sooners with three of their biggest 2021 acquisitions in the same offseason. It hires former Oklahoma Sooners quarterback and offensive coordinator Josh Heupel, as their new head coach. Heupel’s Volunteers could have greatly benefitted from having Eric Gray, Wanya Morris, and Key Lawrence on the squad, but that’s what happens when coaches run a program into the ground.

Tennessee’s loss was Oklahoma’s gain in the 2021 transfer portal as they found two starters in Gray and Morris and a potential future starter in Lawrence.

Let’s take a look at the players to make the team.

Oklahoma adds Arkansas transfer wide receiver Mike Woods

Oklahoma has made a transfer portal addition with the commitment of Arkansas transfer wide receiver Mike Woods.

Over the past week, Oklahoma basketball has been adding numerous players in the transfer portal as it builds the roster going into the summer before the first season under new head coach Porter Moser.

Now, Lincoln Riley and Sooners football are getting in on the fun with the addition of Arkansas wide receiver Mike Woods.

Over the last two seasons in Fayetteville, Woods caught 65 passes for over 1,000 yards receiving and nine touchdowns. He is a significant add to a receiving corps that very well could be down a key member, Trejan Bridges, depending on how the investigation into that situation plays out.

Originally a three-star recruit out of Magnolia, Texas, Woods was not offered by Oklahoma coming out of high school. However, he received numerous Power Five offers, eventually choosing to play for the Razorbacks over Iowa State, Texas Tech and Minnesota.

Now, he’s a Sooner and will look to flourish in a Lincoln Riley offense and with Heisman-hopeful quarterback Spencer Rattler.