Tag: Nic Anderson

Oklahoma Sooners offense with an efficient Week 1

Oklahoma’s offense looked efficient in Week 1 after making it a focus all offseason.

The [autotag]Oklahoma Sooners'[/autotag] offense was firing on all cylinders versus the [autotag]Arkansas Red Wolves[/autotag] on Saturday. The Sooners scored on 10 out of 11 possessions, nine of which were touchdowns.

Dillon Gabriel and Jackson Arnold both put on a show combining to go 30 of 33 for 422 yards, three touchdowns through the air and a pair of rushing touchdowns. The running game was pretty good as well. Oklahoma ran for 220 yards on 4.5 yards per carry.

Overall you couldn’t ask for a much better performance from the offense who went for 642 yards and went 11-14 on third downs. Last year the Sooners went a combined 6-20 versus the [autotag]UTEP Miners[/autotag] and the [autotag]Kent State Golden Flashes[/autotag]. That ended up being a sign of what was to come in 2023.

Offensive Coordinator Jeff Lebby told reporters after the game it was nice to see so many receivers step up.

“That’s what we want,” Lebby said. “We talked about it on Monday about playing a bunch of guys and a bunch of guys getting an opportunity to make plays. All of those guys in that room did it. Again, there’s going to be a ton of stuff we have to clean up and we have to be better at without a doubt but proud of that entire group.”

Several wide receivers got involved in the passing game whether it was [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag] who looks like he might be Gabriel’s favorite target, [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag], or [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] before his injury. The two catches of the day might have been made by [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag]. He made two acrobatic contested catches and looks like a guy who just needed to see one go in his hands to gain  confidence.

The biggest takeaway was how efficient the Sooners were in this game. That wasn’t the case a year ago. even early in the season. It’s what they preached all offseason and for Week 1 they checked that box.

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

5 takeaways from Oklahoma’s dominant 73-0 win over Arkansas State

Oklahoma tossed a complete game shutout of the Arkansas State Red Wolves. Here are five takeaways from the dominant performance.

Oklahoma started its 2023 campaign with a bang, scoring 73 points on the Sun Belt’s Arkansas State Red Wolves.

The Sooners pitched a shutout in the process, and this start is a welcome sight for the program, considering how rough they looked at times last year. While the opponent makes it difficult to make any definitive statements, there were some notable performances from the Sooners’ win.

For the first time this season, here are five takeaways in the aftermath of a fun and stress-free Sooners win.

Oklahoma Sooners shutout the Arkansas State Red Wolves in 73-0 win

Oklahoma Sooners open the season in dominant fashion with a 73-0 win over Arkansas State.

The Oklahoma Sooners kicked off the season versus the Arkansas State Red Wolves in Norman on Saturday.

The Sooners started the first quarter strong as they took the ball first, and after a deep ball from [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] to [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag], Drake Stoops took a short pass for the score.

The defense answered with a three and out.

After the three-and-out, it was special teams that joined the party. Gavin Freeman took the punt return 82 yards to the house to put the Oklahoma Sooners up 14-0 just a few minutes into the game.

The Sooners were dominant in every phase of the game in the first quarter.

The Red Wolves connected on a 28-yard pass on a slant to Corey Rucker that came after a face mask on [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag]. That drive ended in a missed field goal after the Sooners stymied the Red Wolves offense.

[autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag] added to the Sooners’ lead with a two-yard run after a 10-play 80-yard drive. Oklahoma went up 21-0 midway through the first quarter. Closing off the scoring in the first quarter was [autotag]Gavin Freeman[/autotag], who scored his second touchdown of the day on a pass from [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] to make it 28-0.

The only negatives of the quarter were the injuries suffered by key Sooners.

[autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] went off holding his shoulder and came back out with a sling and ice on it. [autotag]Dasan McCullough[/autotag] limped off and eventually went to the locker room with a bad limp as well.

The second quarter went much like the first. On defense, the Sooners gave up a chunk of play when quarterback J.T. Shrout threw a nice touch pass over Jaren Kanak to Courtney Jackson for a long gain. The Sooners’ defense bowed up and held Arkansas State to another missed field goal.

Arkansas State had opportunities to make plays in the passing game, but several drops stalled drives and bailed the Sooners out.

The offense was great again in the second quarter, completing the half with a score on every drive.

Gabriel threw for 308 yards and two touchdowns and carried the ball twice for 15 yards and another score. Gabriel completed 81% of his passes. He was decisive and accurate, getting the ball out quickly to his wide receivers and connecting with Sooners at every level of the passing attack. [autotag]Tawee Walker[/autotag], [autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag], and Jovantae Barnes played well, running physical and picking up big runs throughout the half.

After 30 minutes of play, Oklahoma was up 45-0 with zero signs of slowing down.

The second half continued to favor the Oklahoma Sooners. The first-team defense came out and forced a three-and-out, paving the way for the debut of [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag].

On Arnold’s debut drive, he helped lead the Sooners on an eight-play 65-yard scoring effort that was capped off by a Tawee Walker one-yard run.

Arnold’s next drive saw the Sooners open up the passing game a bit. The former five-star quarterback was 4-for-4, leading Oklahoma on a four-play scoring drive that was capped off by Arnold’s first touchdown pass of his OU career on a beautiful play from Jayden Gibson. That score made it 59-0. Arnold helped the Sooners cash in just a few players later, taking advantage of an Arkansas State fumble.

Arnold showed off his legs, carrying the ball for a seven-yard touchdown to put the Sooners up 66-0.

The Sooners capped off their scoring on Arnold’s final drive of the game. Oklahoma went 11 plays and 67 yards spanning 7:22 of game time. The drive culminated in a seven-yard touchdown run by Kalib Hicks.

Offensively, Oklahoma spread the ball around. 10 Sooners had a reception. The Sooners slot trio of [autotag]Drake Stoop[/autotag]s, [autotag]Gavin Freeman[/autotag], and [autotag]Jaquaize Pettaway[/autotag] combined for 17 receptions for 131 yards and two touchdowns. [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag] showed off his downfield ability in his debut for the Sooners. Anthony caught three passes for 66 yards and drew a pass interference call.

[autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag] and [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag], Oklahoma’s 2022 signees, also came up big in the win. Gibson had two receptions for 56 yards and a touchdowns and Anderson secured two catches for 66 yards.

Though there’s room for improvement, the running game was really good on Saturday. They ran for 220 yards and averaged 4.5 yards per carry. They were picking up chunk yards, but there were times that they were dropped for losses, putting them behind the chains. Walker was the most efficient on the day, averaging 5.5 yards per carry in the game and finishing with 44 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries. [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag] carried it 13 times for 49 yards.

It was a fantastic performance by the defense despite a lack of pass rush. Arkansas State couldn’t sustain any offense, and the Sooners held them to 208 total yards and just 4.2 yards per play.

After struggling on third and fourth down in 2022, Oklahoma was able to get off the field consistently, holding the Red Wolves to just 2-of-12 on third down and 0-1 on fourth down.

The Sooners were dominant from start to finish in this game, setting a tone early and keeping that edge for a full 60 minutes.

The shutout win provides some confidence for the Oklahoma Sooners as they get ready to face better offenses in the coming weeks starting with SMU in week two.

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

Media weighs in on Oklahoma’s breakout player, toughest game in 2023

OU and College Football Media Personalities weigh in on which Sooners will have a breakout season for Oklahoma in 2023. Which game will be the toughest this season?

The 2023 college football season is nigh upon us. The Oklahoma Sooners open the season with the Arkansas State Red Wolves coming to town.

A new year creates new opportunities for players on both sides of the ball to experience breakout seasons.

While depth was an issue a year ago, the work of this coaching staff on the recruiting trail and through the transfer portal have helped create competition at a number of spots. The Sooners feel good about the “competitive depth” they’re carrying into the season across the board.

Oklahoma released its depth chart ahead of week one, which provided some answers to the position battles they’ve been working through this year. But how will that depth reveal itself on gameday and which players will experience breakout seasons in 2023?

We’ve gathered the opinions of a number of media personalities from across Oklahoma Sooners coverage. Here’s who they think will have a breakout year and which game will be the toughest in 2023.

From my days covering the Dallas Cowboys for Inside The Star, this has been one of my favorite pieces to create.

Hope you enjoy.

Jalil Farooq and the wide receiver room ready to prove people wrong

Everyone keeps talking about the question marks at wide receiver but Jalil Farooq thinks they have a lot of players who can make plays.

One of the position groups to watch this season is the wide receiver room. The hope is veteran guys such as [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag] and [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] can take their games to another level and help replace [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag].

They also hope the addition of [autotag]Emmett Jones[/autotag] will help the group as well.

The room was in a bad spot after [autotag]Cale Gundy[/autotag] left the program late in fall camp and a first-time position coach, [autotag]L’Damian Washington[/autotag], was thrown into the fire.

Washington did the best he could under the circumstances, but they needed a veteran to help with the issues they struggled with. In comes Jones, who spent time at Kansas between a pair of stints at Texas Tech. Most recently, with the Red Raiders, Jones also held the title of passing game coordinator.

“I love how he coaches,” Farooq said. “He has a different plan for every player in the room. So, he’s one of those coaches that has a genuine gift.”

This room has an array of skills and attributes, such as height and speed,  something Farooq said excites him for the season.

“Everybody has different talents, everybody bringing a little piece to the room, just everybody is different,” Farooq said. “When everybody is different in the room, everybody will bring their own piece. Take advice from everybody and their game, and that’s how you be the best receiver for you.”

Some of those expected to make an impact this year are [autotag]Gavin Freeman[/autotag], [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag], [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag], [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag], [autotag]Brenen Thompson[/autotag] and [autotag]Jaquaize Pettaway[/autotag]. There are question marks in the room, but those in that room hope to prove a lot of people wrong.

Freeman, Thompson and Pettaway may not be the biggest wide receivers, but they’re dynamic in the open field and have elite speed. Gibson, Anderson and Anthony offer size and athleticism.

While Farooq and Stoops are expected to lead the way for the Sooners, there are a number of guys they will rely upon for significant snaps. At OU media day, Jeff Lebby shared that he would prefer to play seven or eight guys at wide receiver. Though it’s unknown how the snap counts play out, there’s a great deal of depth and just as importantly, the younger guys are more experienced heading into 2023.

Where they may not have the veteran leadership they did last year with Mims, Theo Wease and Stoops, the Sooners make up for it with wide receivers coach Emmett Jones. Oklahoma’s banking on the talented assistant helping bring out the best in his talented wide receiver corps.

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Oklahoma Sooners have the weapons to be great on offense

Though the Sooners lost a lot of talent to the NFL draft, there’s still the talent for the offense to be dynamic in 2023.

The Oklahoma Sooners are in the midst of a minor retooling on the offensive side of the football. They’re working to replace three starters along the offensive line, their top two pass catchers ([autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag] and [autotag]Brayden Willis[/autotag]), and their leading rusher ([autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag]).

[autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag] led the Oklahoma Sooners in receiving yards each of his three seasons in Norman.

Despite all of the turnover, the Oklahoma Sooners are still an incredibly talented offense.

Replacing [autotag]Anton Harrison[/autotag] at left tackle is [autotag]Walter Rouse[/autotag]. Rouse started 38 games at Stanford, a program known for producing good to great rushing attacks. That should play well in a [autotag]Jeff Lebby [/autotag]offense that wants to run the rock and run it a lot.

At right tackle [autotag]Tyler Guyton[/autotag] is replacing one-year starter Wanya Morris. There may not be a player in Oklahoma’s starting lineup that has as high a ceiling as Guyton. Jared Verse, a future top 10 pick in the 2024 NFL draft, called Guyton the best tackle he’d faced. Though he doesn’t have a ton of experience, the expectations are high for the incredibly athletic offensive tackle.

[autotag]McKade Mettauer[/autotag] slides over to right guard to replace Chris Murray, and at the moment, it looks like [autotag]Savion Byrd[/autotag] is the frontrunner at left guard. Byrd has just one collegiate start under his belt but was good in the Sooners matchup with Florida State. Byrd helped the Sooners have a fantastic day on the ground against the Seminoles.

Oklahoma is hoping for a similar breakout from [autotag]Austin Stogner[/autotag] that Willis experienced a year ago. In a thin tight end room, Stogner has to have a big season. He has the athletic prowess to be a game-changer in the passing game. His only question is his health. If Stogner can stay healthy for an entire season, there’s a chance he surpasses Willis’ receiving totals from a year ago.

Wide receiver still has some questions. Namely, who will start on the outside opposite [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag]? [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] will likely start in the slot in three or more wide receiver sets. Then it comes down to a host of wide receiver talents that are vying for that No. 2 spot. There are a lot of really good options, like [autotag]Brenen Thompso[/autotag]n, [autotag]Andrel Anthon[/autotag]y, [autotag]LV Bunkley-Shelton[/autotag], [autotag]Gavin Freeman[/autotag], [autotag]Jaquaize Pettaway[/autotag], [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag], and [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag]. There’s a good chance the Sooners roll two deep at each wide receiver spot in games to keep everyone fresh in the Sooners’ uptempo offense.

But they have a good amount of depth to work with.

Speaking of depth, there’s no position on the offensive side of the ball as deep as the Sooners running back room. Led by [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag] and [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag], the Sooners are loaded with talented runners. In addition to the sophomore running backs, the coaching staff is high on [autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag] and [autotag]Tawee Walker[/autotag] and the roles they’ll be able to play this year. Throw in true freshmen [autotag]Kalib Hicks[/autotag] and [autotag]Daylan Smothers[/autotag], and the Sooners have six guys they feel can help them run the football.

Featuring guys like Farooq and Barnes provide a physical dynamic that should allow Oklahoma to pick up dirty yards after contact and after the catch.

In addition to becoming a more physical team, the Sooners emphasized adding speed this offseason. Freeman and Sawchuk return and Oklahoma also added Smothers, Thompson, and Pettaway to their ranks. That’s a group of guys that are threats to score from any spot on the field any time they touch the ball because of speed.

At quarterback, the Sooners have an experienced veteran who threw for more than 3,100 yards and 25 touchdowns in Dillon Gabriel last season. 2022 was his first at the Power Five level and he was good. Now, he needs to take a step to improve the Sooners fortunes on third and fourth down and in the red zone.

The Sooners lost a lot of talent to the draft this offseason, but that doesn’t mean their devoid of talent. It’s a deep offensive roster that can help the Sooners be even better than they were in 2022.

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One question for each position group ahead of Oklahoma Sooners’ fall camp

With fall camp right around the corner, here’s one question for each position group that the Oklahoma Sooners must answer before the season.

Big 12 media days are in the rearview mirror, which means fall camp is right around the corner ahead of the 2023 college football season.

The Oklahoma Sooners, like every team in college football, head into the season with question marks at a few positions. Even at positions where there are returning starters, there are certainly questions worth asking.

So as we get ready for the start of the 2023 college football season with fall camp coming in a couple of weeks, here is one question for each position group the Oklahoma Sooners must answer if they want to contend for the Big 12 title in 2023.

Oklahoma Sooners No. 7 in ESPN’s future offense rankings

Despite the turnover on offense, ESPN likes where the Sooners are heading, slotting them No. 7 in their future offense power rankings.

The Oklahoma Sooners are working to replace several starters off of an offense that was pretty good in 2022.

Marvin Mims, Eric Gray, Anton Harrison, Wanya Morris, Chris Murray, and Brayden Willis were each selected in the 2023 NFL draft. If you’re keeping track at home, that’s the top two receivers, leading rusher, and three starting offensive linemen.

Though there is a lot of turnover that they’re working through, they still have a group of talented players on offense to fill those holes. That’s why the Sooners were ranked No. 7 by Adam Rittenberg in ESPN’s future offense rankings

Scouting the Sooners: Despite Oklahoma’s first losing season since 1998, the offense produced at a decent clip, finishing 10th nationally in rushing (219.4 yards per game). The SEC transition looms for the Sooners, but the unit projects well with depth at quarterback, wide receiver and other positions. Quarterback play will remain a strength as [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] returns for a second season in coordinator Jeff Lebby’s offense, and incoming freshman [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag], ESPN’s No. 3 overall recruit, should carry the unit through the 2025 season. Oklahoma loses top rusher [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag], a fifth-round NFL draft pick who gained 1,366 yards last season, and will turn to sophomore [autotag]Jovantae Barnes[/autotag], redshirt freshman [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag] and others. Barnes averaged 4.5 yards per carry as Gray’s backup last fall. The Sooners regain tight end [autotag]Austin Stogner[/autotag], who played his first three seasons at OU before transferring to South Carolina for 2022. He leads a group that includes junior [autotag]Blake Smith[/autotag], second-year [autotag]Kaden Helms[/autotag] and others. – Rittenberg, ESPN

Jovantae Barnes and Gavin Sawchuk are going to be dynamic players. Barnes ran for more than 500 yards last season. In Sawchuk’s first extended run with the Sooners, he ran for 100 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. With as much as Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby wants to run the ball, being able to hand it to a pair of dynamic runners 25-30 times a game will create big plays and set the tone for the Sooners offense.

OU lost top wide receiver [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag] Jr. to the NFL, and will lean on junior [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag], senior [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag], freshman [autotag]Gavin Freeman[/autotag] and others to fill the production void. The Sooners added Michigan transfer [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag], and signed [autotag]Jaquaize Pettaway[/autotag], ESPN’s No. 45 overall recruit in the 2023 class. Younger receivers [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag] and [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] also will be part of the mix. The offensive line should remain a strength, especially at center with senior [autotag]Andrew Raym[/autotag] and at guard with [autotag]McKade Mettauer[/autotag]. Junior [autotag]Tyler Guyton[/autotag] started five games at tackle in 2022, and Oklahoma did well in the portal with [autotag]Walter Rouse[/autotag] (Stanford) and [autotag]Caleb Shaffer[/autotag] (Miami Ohio), both multiyear starters. Depth appears solid with sophomores [autotag]Jake Taylor[/autotag] and [autotag]Savion Byrd[/autotag], and others. OU added [autotag]Cayden Green[/autotag], ESPN’s No. 2 guard and No. 55 overall recruit for 2022. – Rittenberg, ESPN

If there are questions, it’s at wide receiver beyond Jalil Farooq and Drake Stoops and along the offensive line where they’re hoping transfer additions can help solidify the unit.

If Walter Rouse and his 38 starts can be the answer at left tackle, the Sooners have options at guard with Caleb Shaffer and Cayden Green. Green got a lot of opportunities during the spring with injury issues plaguing the Sooners offensive line.

Even with questions on offense, the future is bright with an experienced signal caller in Dillon Gabriel and impressive skill talent. If they can find more efficiency on third down and in the red zone, the Oklahoma Sooners will take their offense to another level in 2023.

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Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on Twitter @john9williams.

2023 Player Profile: Dillon Gabriel looking to lead OU to one final Big 12 title

A look at Dillon Gabriel as the Oklahoma Sooners prepare for their final season in the Big 12.

Evaluating the current roster, Sooners Wire profiles the current players, with quarterback [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] up next.

Continue reading “2023 Player Profile: Dillon Gabriel looking to lead OU to one final Big 12 title”

Don’t forget about these Oklahoma Sooners for 2023

Though the Oklahoma Sooners have added a lot of talent this offseason, there are several Sooners we shouldn’t overlook for 2023.

The Oklahoma Sooners coaching staff has been hard at work this offseason to retool and upgrade the roster. Through a transfer portal class ESPN ranked No. 4 and a recruiting class ranked No. 4 by 247Sports, the Oklahoma Sooners have brought in a ton of talent to compete for jobs in 2023.

And it’s a roster that needed it, considering they are ninth in the Big 12 in returning production for 2023, and they’re heading to the SEC in 2024.

At the same time, the talent they’re bringing back is young and unproven. In particular, the 2022 recruiting class and transfer portal additions. While they didn’t play a ton last year, they’ve now spent a year with Brent Venables and this coaching staff and will have an opportunity to earn some significant playing time.

Despite the additions, there are several returning Sooners we shouldn’t forget about for 2023.