Tag: ollie gordon

Broncos assistant coach will take a close look at Senior Bowl running backs

Broncos assistant coach Favian Upshaw will take a close look at Senior Bowl running backs this week, including Cameron Skattebo.

Denver Broncos offensive quality control coach Favian Upshaw is set to coach the National Team running backs at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama this week, the all-star game announced on Saturday.

Upshaw will now get a close look at NT running backs Cameron Skattebo (Arizona State), LeQuint Allen (Syracuse), Donovan Edwards (Michigan), Ollie Gordon (OSU), Jo’quavious Marks (USC), Damien Martinez (Miami), Kalel Mullings (Michigan) and Bhayshul Tuten (Virginia Tech).

With Javonte Williams scheduled to become a free agent in March, the Broncos are expected to target running backs this offseason.

Skattebo (5-11, 216 pounds) is arguably the most notable RB that Upshaw will work with at the Senior Bowl. The 22-year-old senior is projected to be a third-round pick in the NFL draft.

Upshaw played quarterback at Georgia Southern before transitioning to coaching. After initially coaching at the high school level, he spent time at Tulane, Savannah State and Georgia Southern before jumping to the NFL with the Broncos in 2023.

The 2025 Senior Bowl will be played at 2:30 p.m. ET (12:30 p.m. MT) on Saturday, Feb. 1. The game will be televised on NFL Network.

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Ollie Gordon starts Heisman campaign with strong opener

Ollie Gordon showed off his skill with three touchdowns in Oklahoma State’s season opening win over South Dakota State.

Mike Gundy and the Oklahoma State Cowboys heard all offseason about the challenge they would face in Week 1 of the season. The South Dakota State Jackrabbits were going to give them all they could handle in the season opener. The Cowboys put a stop to that with a double-digit halftime lead and 21 third-quarter points. The biggest plus – Ollie Gordon showed why he is a legitimate Heisman candidate.

Gordon put on a show, with 27 rushing attempts, 104 rushing yards, and two touchdowns on the ground. He also caught four passes for 42 yards and a touchdown as well. It was the Gordon show for the Cowboys, and it wasn’t Alan Bowman struggled under center.

Here is one of Gordon’s most impressive runs of the day, which got him into the end zone to make it 17-3 Cowboys:

https://twitter.com/UnnecRoughness/status/1829957620792508838

Bowman threw for 267 yards and three touchdowns. He did not turn the ball over in the game, and neither did his teammates, a clean game for the 17th-ranked Cowboys.

Gordon is coming off a 2023 season where he rushed 258 times for over 1,600 yards. Gordon scored 20 touchdowns on the ground, and another one via the air in 2023. He has over 2,100 total rushing yards for the Cowboys in his career.

The next opponent for Oklahoma State is the Arkansas Razorbacks. They will host the Hogs on Saturday, and then play their first road game at Tulsa on September 14th. The Cowboys have a massive Big 12 affair on September 21st against Utah.

Oklahoma State prospects will have something different on their helmets

Oklahoma State football players like RB Ollie Gordon will have QR codes on their helmets for fans to scan and donate to the team fund

The Oklahoma State Cowboys have a handful of 2025 NFL Draft prospects set to play this college season. Thanks to an interesting wrinkle, those prospects–like all Cowboys players–will have something innovative on their helmets.

Oklahoma State revealed that all of their helmets will feature a scannable QR code on the back. Scanning the code with a mobile device will take folks to the football team’s general fund.

Say you’re inspired by RB Ollie Gordon breaking off one of his signature big plays that makes Gordon one of the higher-rated backs in the coming draft cycle. Now you can instantly scan the QR code and donate directly, like a GoFundMe sort of NIL package.

Head coach Mike Gundy said on the Pat McAfee show that the QB codes will also be made available all around the Stillwater area on game days.

Oklahoma State’s Ollie Gordon rare non-quarterback in Heisman conversation

Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon is a rare non-quarterback candidate to win the 2024 Heisman Trophy award.

Oklahoma State Cowboys running back Ollie Gordon is one of 10 favorites to win the 2024 Heisman Trophy award according USA Today Sports, as they prepare for the season getting ready to start this weekend.

Gordon was one of the top running backs a season ago and is one of two players on the list who is not a quarterback. This is what the article had to say about the star back.

Gordon is the one non-quarterback really in the Heisman mix after leading the Bowl Subdivision last season in rushing yards (1,732) and finishing second in touchdowns (21). As the focal point of Oklahoma State’s offense, he could exceed those totals if the Cowboys can find some balance in the passing game. But Gordon’s recent arrest on DUI charges could complicate his Heisman candidacy, even if coach Mike Gundy said he won’t miss any playing time.

Gordon and the Oklahoma State Sooners open their season on August 31st at home against South Dakota State.

That was not the only member of the Big 12 on the list. Both Colorado Buffaloes star players Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter made the list. Sanders is the quarterback for coach Deion Sanders, while Hunter is listed as a cornerback and wide receiver. Here is the clip on them:

Ranked individually among the top players in college football, Sanders and Hunter have name recognition, a track record of high-level production and the eyeballs that come with starring for one of the most-watched programs in the country. Heisman-winning campaigns have been built on less. But there’s a catch: Colorado might be better, but the Buffaloes won’t rank among the best teams in the FBS – and that’s become pretty much a must-have prerequisite for Heisman contention. Sanders and Hunter might have to settle for two of the top spots in next year’s NFL draft.

Sanders and Hunter will start a little earlier. They host North Dakota State on August 29th.

Gavin Sawchuk gives Oklahoma Sooners big play ability

The Oklahoma Sooners have their lead back for 2024 and Gavin Sawchuk is set to have a big season.

It took about half the season for the Oklahoma Sooners running game to really take off. Yes, [autotag]Tawee Walker[/autotag] had played well in spurts, but the run game was largely inconsistent. That is, until [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag] was healthy.

He began to show what he was capable of in the win over UCF when he carried the ball 10 times for 63 yards and a touchdown. But his season really took off following the loss to Kansas, where he only saw six carries as the Sooners rode Walker, who had a great game with 23 carries and 146 yards and a touchdown.

The next week against Oklahoma State, Sawchuk led the way at running back with 13 carries for 111 yards and a touchdown. It was his run of 64 yards that revealed the big play threat that the Sooners had in Sawchuk.

Sawchuk used that game as a springboard for the rest of the season, running for more than 100 yards in each of the final five games of the year. He totaled 744 yards and 9 touchdowns over the course of the season. Over the final five games, Sawchuk carried the ball 86 times for 617 yards and six touchdowns. He averaged 7.2 yards per carry.

If you take those numbers from the final five games of the season and prorate it over 13 games, Sawchuk would have carried the ball 223.6 times for 1,604 yards and 15.6 touchdowns.

Much of his success was found because of his ability to create big plays on the ground. He finished the season with a breakaway percentage (yards gained on runs of 15 yards or more) of 54%. Among 260 players with at least 59 rushing attempts last season, Sawchuk’s breakaway percentage ranked 14th in the nation last season, according to Pro Football Focus.

For perspective, that 54% finished just behind Oklahoma State’s Ollie Gordon, who finished with a breakaway percentage of 54.8%. Gordon is widely considered one of the best running backs in the nation.

Well, the Sooners may have one of the best running backs in the nation as well in Gavin Sawchuk.

Although there are questions about the offensive line, the Sooners have their answer at running back. Sawchuk is primed for a big-time season if the  Oklahoma offensive line can come together. And as Jackson Arnold adapts to life as the starter in the SEC, having a player that can create a big play in an instant will be a huge factor for the Sooners offense.

Sawchuk has the juice to turn a lot of heads in college football and put himself into the race for the Doak Walker award. If Sawchuk can create big plays in the running game it will go a long way to helping the Sooners be a contender in 2024.

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

Ollie or Nothing: How Texas can limit the Oklahoma State offense

We look at how Texas can slow the Oklahoma State offensive attack.

The Oklahoma State Cowboys (9-3) stand as the Texas Longhorns’ (11-1) next test. On the surface, Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon is the biggest problem for the team to solve.

Gordon has had a tremendous season on the year running for 1,580 yards and 20 touchdowns on 245 carries and 6.4 yards per carry.

The Oklahoma State back certainly isn’t the best running back to wear the orange and black for the Cowboys. Former Heisman winner Barry Sanders’ numbers dwarf what Gordon has done this season. Nevertheless, Ollie is the best running back in college football and a huge reason his team is in the Big 12 title game.

Stopping Gordon might be the initial priority for most teams, but stopping everyone else might be much easier. That’s what Texas did last week against Texas Tech and lead running back Tahj Brooks. Brooks ran for 95 yards on 19 carries while his quarterback Behren Morton threw for just 88 yards on 36 attempts.

The change in defensive approach led to last week’s blowout win over Texas Tech. The Longhorns allowed dominant defensive tackles in T’Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy to take over on the interior. Linebackers Jaylan Ford, Anthony Hill and David Gbenda cleaned up whatever made it to the second level of the defense. They played aggressive coverage and allowed Tech to get a couple nice runs but little in the way of scoring opportunities.

How does Texas dominate Oklahoma State? Perhaps the best way to beat the team is by allowing the Longhorns defensive front to take on a heavier load and eliminate easy throws for the Cowboys.

Texas hopes to secure its first Big 12 title since the team defeated the Nebraska Cornhuskers 14 years ago.

Scouting Oklahoma State’s best weapon: Running back Ollie Gordon

Can the Longhorns stop Ollie Gordon?

Oklahoma State’s star running back Ollie Gordon has been a dominant force on the field this season. He has been able to rush for almost 1,500 yards and score an impressive 18 touchdowns.

It seems like nobody can stop him, as he consistently makes incredible plays and is a key player in every game. His dominant performances have undoubtedly contributed to Oklahoma State’s success this season, putting the Cowboys in the Big 12 Championship game.

Gordon rushed for over 160 yards in back-to-back games against Houston and BYU last week. He has had four games this year with over 160 rushing yards.

The star running back had a slow start to the season, failing to reach 100 yards in a game until Week 4 when the Cowboys lost to Iowa State in Ames. However, since then he has been performing exceptionally well, with only one off game against UCF, which they lost 45-3.

The Texas Longhorns defense didn’t get to play UCF this year, but that doesn’t mean they can’t take notes from that performance to stop Gordon once again.

Texas’ defensive line, led by T’Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy, has held opponents to an average of just 85 rushing yards per game, preventing breakaway runs and up-the-middle rushes by opposing running backs.

If Texas can prevent Oklahoma State from establishing their running game on Saturday, they will likely dominate the game and secure a Big 12 Championship.

Keys to the Game: What must the Sooners do vs. WVU to break two-game losing skid?

Oklahoma takes on West Virginia on Saturday. We’ve got you covered with our keys to the game.

Oklahoma takes the field Saturday with one thing on their mind: win. The Sooners are reeling right now after losing their back-to-back games. The most recent loss saw their in-state rivals get the last laugh in what will likely be the final Bedlam football matchup for years to come. Oklahoma played a sloppy game offensively, and ultimately, those mistakes doomed them.

They now turn their attention to West Virginia, a team playing some good football as of late. If Oklahoma is to have any small shot at fighting their way back to one final Big 12 title game, they must win out.

West Virginia is outside the Big 12 title picture but, like everyone, aims to end their Big 12 rivalry with Oklahoma with a win. The Mountaineers are averaging 37.8 points per game in their last four games. Their only loss? Oklahoma State.

What will it take for the Sooners to come out on top come Saturday? We highlighted it below in our keys to the game.

Robert Spears-Jennings breaks down 4th Down stop on Ollie Gordon

Robert Spears-Jennings breaks down one of the biggest plays from the Sooners loss to Oklahoma State.

Early in the first half against the [autotag]Oklahoma State Cowboys[/autotag], the Oklahoma Sooners found themselves in a predicament. Starting safety [autotag]Key Lawerence[/autotag] went out of the game with an injury. His backup, [autotag]Reggie Pearson[/autotag], was suspended for the first half due to a targeting call during the second half of the loss to Kansas.

In came sophomore [autotag]Robert Spears-Jennings[/autotag]. Spears-Jennings had shown promise but was hurt in the offseason and is just now finding his groove. Man, did he have a day on Saturday. He finished second on the team with seven total tackles and had a pass deflection.

His most important play came on 4th Down early in the 3rd Quarter. The Sooners were down 17-14, and [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] had just thrown an interception. The Cowboys marched all the way down to the Sooners’ 16-yard line but faced a 4th and 1.

Mike Gundy decided to go for it and give it to the nation’s leading rusher, [autotag]Ollie Gordon[/autotag]. As Gordon took the handoff and worked off of left tackle, Spears-Jennings came on a blitz and tracked him down from the backside, stopping him short of the sticks.

He broke down that play after Monday’s practice.

“Coach gave me a blitz, and I tried to make sure to try to make this play right here because this is a game-changing play,” Spears-Jennings said. “They were in high red, so if they get that first down, it’s a high chance of them scoring.”

At the time, it was a game-changing play as the Sooners marched down the field to take a 21-17 lead. Unfortunately, that play got lost a bit in the outcome, but it was another example of young talent making plays.

As the Sooners continue to build upon a defense that was one of the worst in the nation in 2022, seeing blue-chip prospects out there making plays provides encouraging signs that Oklahoma is headed in the right direction.

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.

Report Card: Offense’s dysfunction dooms Sooners chance to end Bedlam on top

Grading the Oklahoma Sooners by position group in their loss to Oklahoma State.

If Saturday was the last time Bedlam is played, the Oklahoma Sooners will always regret how things went in their final game against their in-state rivals. The Sooners will walk away from this game knowing they have dominated this series. There’s no debating that the Sooners have owned the Cowboys. But on Saturday, Oklahoma had the chance to put one final bow on this lopsided series, and they didn’t get it done.

Oklahoma State came out swinging, and the Sooners responded. But the most common theme was Oklahoma’s offense stalling on four different possessions once they got to the Oklahoma State side of the field. Most notably on the Sooners’ final drive of the game.

Defensively, Oklahoma played well enough to win. After getting bullied early, the defense found its footing and locked in the remainder of the contest.

In the end, the dysfunction and mistakes on offense put Oklahoma in a near-impossible spot. When it mattered most, they couldn’t rectify their own mistakes.

Oklahoma will move on and turn their attention to West Virginia. Before that, it’s time to pass out grades for Oklahoma’s performance against Mike Gundy’s Oklahoma State Cowboys.