Tag: R. Mason Thomas

Pair of Oklahoma Sooners among SEC’s best pass rushers

Oklahoma has two of the highest pressure-rate players in the SEC.

The Oklahoma Sooners have transformed into a very good defense in their third year under head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]. One of college football’s best defensive coordinators has completely turned around a unit that struggled for years under Lincoln Riley.

While Venables is also responsible for OU’s train wreck of an offense, and clearly didn’t make the right hires to replace the departed Jeff Lebby on that side of the ball, he has done the job of getting Oklahoma’s defense closer to where it needs to be.

That includes pressuring the quarterback. It hasn’t exactly been OU’s biggest strength this year, but the Sooners have two players in the top three of the [autotag]SEC[/autotag] in pressure rate generated against FBS opponents, according to CFB Film Room.

Defensive end [autotag]R Mason Thomas[/autotag] is Oklahoma’s best pass rusher and he earned the second-place spot on the list. He closed out Oklahoma’s two most recent wins against Tulane and Auburn. When the Sooners got the lead and needed to slam the door, Thomas has been the guy to get the job done. His pressure rate currently sits at 16.5%.

Perhaps even more impressively is that defensive tackle [autotag]Gracen Halton[/autotag] ranks third in pressure win rate in the SEC. Halton is having success in a rotational role. He doesn’t start for the Sooners but is getting a ton of work, especially in passing situations. He’s third among interior defensive linemen in snaps, just one snap behind true freshman defensive tackle Jayden Jackson. Still, that hasn’t stopped him from getting after opposing QBs and he’s popped on multiple occasions already this year, finding himself in opposing backfields more and more. His pressure rate is 16.4%.

Both players sit behind the leader of the pack, which would be Tennessee’s James Pearce, who has a whopping 22.2% pressure rate against FBS teams this season. However, Thomas and Halton were the only other players to get above 16 percent.

Oklahoma’s defense will certainly be put to the test on Saturday against a wide-open attack courtesy of Lane Kiffin, Jaxson Dart, and the Ole Miss Rebels. With an offense that currently cannot be counted upon to put any points on the scoreboard, OU’s defense will have to play a near-perfect game and maybe even score some points of their own if the Sooners want to win this week on the road.

R Mason Thomas becoming Oklahoma Sooners closer

Oklahoma has benefitted from the late-game play of R Mason Thomas in 2024.

The Oklahoma Sooners nearly had the game slip away from them on Saturday against Auburn, but there wasn’t just one player who helped OU storm back to take the lead and hold off the Tigers.

Quarterback [autotag]Michael Hawkins Jr.[/autotag] shined in his first career start, providing the Sooners with enough big plays to get the win.

Linebacker [autotag]Kip Lewis[/autotag] made a play of the year candidate, intercepting a pass and returning it for 63 yards to give OU a lead it didn’t relinquish.

Safety [autotag]Robert Spears-Jennings[/autotag] had a pivotal sack that pushed Auburn’s offense back once the Sooners took the six-point lead.

But it was defensive end [autotag]R Mason Thomas[/autotag] who came up huge on back-to-back plays when the Sooners led by just three.

With the Tigers facing a third-and-5 at their 44-yard line with two minutes left, Thomas came around the edge and sacked Payton Thorne for a 6-yard loss. Head coach Hugh Freeze decided to roll the dice and try to pick up a fourth-and-11 and extend the drive.

Yet again, Thomas dealt a crushing blow to Auburn’s hopes. He chased Thorne all the way back to the Auburn 25, sacking the quarterback after it looked like Thorne might escape the pressure.

The two massive plays allowed OU to kick a field goal after Freeze was forced to burn his timeouts. Backup kicker [autotag]Zach Schmit[/autotag] drilled the ball through the uprights, and the Sooners held a six-point lead. The Tigers ran just five more plays, completing a Hail Mary well short of the end zone.

Thomas, who has become the best pass rusher on this team, stopped any momentum Auburn had, preventing the Tigers from getting anywhere close to field goal range. He had a similar performance a few weeks ago in OU’s win over Tulane, taking over in the late stages of that game when the Green Wave were trying to mount a comeback.

Oklahoma’s pass rush hasn’t gotten home very often this year. The Sooners have relied more on their run defense and sending extra defenders when it was time to get after the passer. Twice now, Thomas has risen to the occasion when the opponent had a chance to drive for a score at the end of the game.

The Sooners entered the season needing a “closer” to emerge from their defensive line. After five games, they may have found just that in Thomas.

Tennessee will be without key offensive player against Oklahoma

According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, the Tennessee Volunteers will be without one of their best players when they take on the Oklahoma Sooners.

The Oklahoma Sooners have been on the wrong side when it comes to injury luck early in the 2024 season. OU has been down multiple starters at key positions, most notably offensive line and wide receiver. It’s been a major talking point around the early portion of the year, as the Sooners have struggled on offense for the first three games.

But Oklahoma may finally be getting a break regarding the injury bug, as it’ll be affecting their opponent this week at a key spot.

According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the Tennessee Volunteers will be without starting left tackle Lance Heard when they face the Sooners. Thamel’s report is confirmed by the updated injury report from the SEC that lists Heard as out.

It’ll be backup Dayne Davis making the start in Heard’s place as one of Tennessee’s best offensive linemen battles a leg injury. Davis is experienced and will be making his eighth start.

 

As the Sooners try to pull the upset at home, they look like they’ll be getting back some key players of their own. OU hopes to have [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag], [autotag]Branson Hickman[/autotag], and [autotag]Troy Everett[/autotag], among others, on the field against the Vols.

The chess match between Tennessee head coach [autotag]Josh Heupel[/autotag] and offensive coordinator Joey Halzle and Oklahoma head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and defensive coordinator [autotag]Zac Alley[/autotag] gets a little bit more interesting with Heard not in the game.

The biggest beneficiary might be defensive end [autotag]R Mason Thomas[/autotag], who took over late in OU’s victory last week over Tulane. He’s become the best pass rusher the Sooners have, and he’ll look to gain an edge on the blind side of Nico Iamaleava.

The Sooners and the Volunteers will kick things off at 6:30 p.m., a primetime audience for a highly-anticipated contest on ABC.

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R Mason Thomas earns Nagurski Trophy National Defensive Player of the Week award

After a strong performance against Tulane, R Mason Thomas named Bronko Nagurski Defensive Player of the Week.

The breakout was coming at some point for [autotag]R Mason Thomas[/autotag]. And it came in a big way against the Tulane Green Wave on Saturday.

It wasn’t simply that it was a three-sack day for defensive end R Mason Thomas. It was when that three-sack day occurred that was so special.

With just over six minutes to play in the Oklahoma Sooners win over Tulane, the Green Wave were attempting to mount a comeback. But on their second-to-last drive of the game, Thomas put a stop to that.

The junior edge rusher came up with two sacks and batted down a pass on third down to set up his fourth-down sack. Then, on the Green Wave’s final drive of the game, Mason closed up shop for the Tulane offense, getting to Darian Mensah, stripping the quarterback of the ball, and recovering his own forced fumble.

Thomas was named the Bronko Nagurski Trophy Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts.

It was an epic performance that showed off the ability that’s flashed over the last couple of years. During his weekly press conference, Brent Venables said of R Mason Thomas, “Been a long time coming for him from an injury standpoint.”

The Sooners needed someone to step up to create a consistent pass rush, and Thomas showed up in a big way. With Tennessee’s prolific offense coming to town Saturday night, the Sooners need more from R Mason Thomas and the rest of the defensive line to be able to slow down the Volunteers.

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OU’s R Mason Thomas took over in game’s biggest moments

R Mason Thomas erupted in the fourth quarter to help secure the win for the Oklahoma Sooners.

It was January of 2022, just before [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]’ first national signing day as Oklahoma’s head coach. The Sooners’ staff scrambled to recover the remnants of a 2022 recruiting class that had fallen apart in the wake of [autotag]Lincoln Riley[/autotag]’s departure.

When the dust settled, the Sooners came away with the No. 8 recruiting class in the country, according to 247Sports. The group included key homegrown defensive backs like [autotag]Robert Spears-Jennings[/autotag] and Gentry Williams, a trio of linebackers that have become integral for the Sooners defense, and offensive linemen like Joshua Bates and Jacob Sexton, who were key in yesterday’s win over Tulane.

One of the more intriguing additions to that class was initially headed to Iowa State to play for Matt Campbell. But Miguel Chavis and Brent Venables worked their magic and flipped a talented, fast, and athletic edge rusher to come to Norman.

That was [autotag]R Mason Thomas[/autotag].

Thomas played sparingly in his first two seasons with the Sooners, battling injuries that kept his developmental trajectory from taking off. But the Sooners coaching staff knew what they had him.

And on Saturday against Tulane, the potential that we’d seen over the last two seasons may have fully realized itself.

After an interception by Billy Bowman gave the Sooners great field position, Jackson Arnold ran it in from 24 yards out to give the Sooners a 12 point lead with 6:05 remaining in the game. Plenty of time for the Tulane offense to put together a late push.

But on the Green Wave’s ensuing drive, R Mason Thomas took over.

On first and 10, R Mason burst off the left edge of the defense and brought down Tulane quarterback Darian Mensah for his first sack of the game. Two plays later, the Green Wave were attempting to set up a wide receiver screen to create a more manageable fourth down attempt. Thomas felt the screen being set up and when Mensah went to throw, Thomas jumped up to knock down the pass, setting up a 4th and 13. On the next play, he came off the right side of the defense, first working upfield before countering the offensive tackle and beating him inside for his second sack of the day.

That forced the turnover on downs and Oklahoma kicked a field goal. Down 15 and needing to throw, the Sooners’ pass rusher kept the heat on.

Tulane picked up a first down. But Adepoju Adebawore drew a pivotal holding call to make it first and 20 with 1:53 remaining. Feeling the pressure, Mensah scrambled and picked up six yards. And on the next play, R Mason Thomas moved back to the left side, beat his man and hit Mensah, forcing the fumble and had the awareness to scoop the ball up and begin to take it the other way.

Social media exploded with Thomas’ breakout performance.

It was a monster way to finish the day for a guy who had been getting pressure for much of the game. Big players come through in big moments, and R Mason Thomas was unblockable in the final stages of the game.

Pro Football Focus credited him with five total pressures and the highest grade for any Sooners defender. His strip-sack also ensured that the Sooners won the turnover battle for the third game in a row, but more importantly, sealed the deal for Oklahoma.

It has to be a huge confidence boost for Mason and the Sooners are going to need more from him as SEC play begins. Oklahoma will get Tennessee’s explosive offense next week and getting pressure on former five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava will be paramount.

Could this be the breakout game the Sooners needed to unlock their pass rush moving forward? R Mason Thomas and the Sooners defensive line faces their toughest test of the season next Saturday night.

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Oklahoma Sooners captains for week three vs. Tulane

Oklahoma Sooners captains for week three against Tulane Green Wave

The Oklahoma Sooners have spent the week getting ready to take on the Tulane Green Wave in week three of the 2024 college football season.

After a 48-point victory over Temple in week one, the Sooners struggled in a four-point win over Houston in week two. As OU inches closer to [autotag]SEC[/autotag] play, [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]’ team needs to show marked improvement on Saturday, especially on offense.

The team has announced the five game captains for this week’s matchup with the Green Wave. Representing the offense are running back [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag] and offensive lineman [autotag]Jacob Sexton[/autotag]. Representing the defense, OU has defensive lineman [autotag]R Mason Thomas[/autotag], linebacker [autotag]Kobie McKinzie[/autotag] and defensive back [autotag]Robert Spears Jennings[/autotag].

Sawchuk has served as Oklahoma’s starting running back since the final third of last season. After a breakout last five games of 2023, he’s struggled so far in 2024, but there’s still time for him to find his rhythm.

Sexton is one of OU’s only healthy starting offensive linemen, as has been solid no matter where the coaching staff has him lined up. Capable of playing guard or tackle, he’s grown into one of the better players up front on an offensive unit that needs him to continue to lead this week.

Thomas has become a starter at defensive end this season, finally getting to show off his skills as a push rusher after dealing with injuries to begin his Sooners’ career. He’s been a reliable bookend up front on the OU defense early this season.

McKinzie is part of Oklahoma’s rotation at inside linebacker and is growing better and better with the more reps he gets on the defense. The Sooners are deep in the middle of their defense, but McKinzie’s presence has a hard hitter and run stopper have been felt, as OU has been good against the run so far in 2024.

Spears-Jennings is one of OU’s three excellent players at the safety position, also serving as the run stopper and enforcer of the group. He’s had an excellent start to 2024 with a forced fumble and an interception and is Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded safety in college football heading into week three.

The Green Wave will be ready to play against the Sooners, led by new head coach Jon Sumrall, formerly of Troy. Tulane is gunning for the Group of Five’s automatic bid into the new expanded 12-team College Football Playoff, and can make a major statement with a road win over No. 15 Oklahoma.

The Sooners will have to be on their toes and ready to take the win, as opposed to letting it come to them. These five players are the group that the coaching staff has decided are best suited to lead the way as captains this week.

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No. 16 Oklahoma Sooners vs. Temple Owls: Sooners Wire Staff Predictions

Sooners Wire Staff predicts Oklahoma vs. Temple Owls.

The Oklahoma Sooners kick off the 2024 college football season on Friday night when they welcome the Temple Owls to Norman. The Sooners come into the contest No. 16 in the nation in both the US LBM Coaches Poll and the AP Top 25.

The Sooners are No. 13 in the final SP+ rankings prior to their opener, while Temple ranks No. 132 out of 134 teams in the FBS.

On paper, it’s a mismatch and the Oklahoma Sooners should be able to do whatever they want on the gridiron. This game won’t tell us everything we need to know about Oklahoma, but if they put on a performance similar to their 2023 outing against Arkansas State, then odds are this team will be pretty good in 2024.

Oklahoma is a heavy favorite. Fan Duel has OU as 42.5-point favorites heading into Friday’s opener.

As we will each week of the season, here are the predictions from our staff here at Sooners Wire.

More: SEC week 1 predictions

Sooners Wire Staff Predictions

Oklahoma starts fast in week one, showing off their supreme talent on both sides of the ball against Temple.

[autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag]’s debut as OU’s full-time starter at quarterback goes well as he begins the process of getting more comfortable in Seth Littrell’s offense at game speed.

The starters on defense pitch a shutout before the backups give up a fourth-quarter field goal.

As with any first game, there will be things to clean up, but Brent Venables is happy with his team on Saturday morning.

Sooners 59, Owls 3

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College Football experts say Sooners freshman DT has a chance to start

Could a freshman defensive tackle be on the verge of starting for the Oklahoma Sooners?

The Oklahoma Sooners worked overtime to reestablish a defensive culture over the last several years. In particular, head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag], co-defensive coordinator and defensive tackles coach [autotag]Todd Bates[/autotag] and defensive ends coach [autotag]Miguel Chavis[/autotag] made improving the defensive line a top priority.

In their first two recruiting classes (2022, 2023), they made splashes, adding four-star prospects [autotag]Gracen Halton[/autotag] and [autotag]R Mason Thomas[/autotag] (2022) and five-star defensive end [autotag]Adepoju Adebawore[/autotag]. But the big recruiting win came in the 2024 recruiting class when they added five blue-chip prospects: [autotag]David Stone[/autotag], [autotag]Nigel Smith[/autotag], [autotag]Wyatt Gilmore[/autotag], [autotag]Danny Okoye[/autotag] and [autotag]Jayden Jackson[/autotag].

There’s a great deal of excitement about the defensive line that’s been put together, but it can be challenging to make the jump from high school football to playing in the SEC. A pair of college football experts believe one of those true freshmen could start up front for the Venables and [autotag]Zac Alley[/autotag]’s defense.

On a recent episode of “The Oklahoma Breakdown” with Sooners legends [autotag]Teddy Lehman[/autotag] and [autotag]Gabe Ikard[/autotag], the duo was asked what they thought the starting offensive and defensive lines would look like for Week 1. Lehman mentioned Jackson could start.

“Well I think defensive line, right now, I would say it’s probably going to be [autotag]Damonic Williams[/autotag]. Then, between [autotag]Jayden Jackson[/autotag] and [autotag]Da’Jon Terry[/autotag], I would probably say I slightly lean toward [autotag]Jayden Jackson[/autotag].”

Ikard said he considered Williams, Jackson and Terry to all be “starters,” with [autotag]Gracen Halton[/autotag], [autotag]David Stone[/autotag] and [autotag]Davon Sears[/autotag] working in rotation roles for the Sooners.

There have been reports Jackson has been having a great camp, continuing the upward trajectory in his development over the last few years. The former IMG Academy prospect had a number of offers out of high school. With his unique blend of size, strength and quickness, Jackson has a chance to be a three-down defensive tackle, making an impact against the run and on passing downs. He plays with really good leverage, and his first step is special. He’s disruptive and does a great job holding his spot when double-teamed.

The Sooners upgraded their defensive tackle room significantly this offseason by adding transfer Damonic Williams. While the hope was their 2024 signees would make an impact, the possibility of Jackson starting signals the potential the class offers in 2024 and beyond.

Along with Williams and Jackson, both Ikard and Lehman agreed [autotag]Ethan Downs[/autotag] and [autotag]R Mason Thomas[/autotag] would be the starting defensive ends for the Sooners Week 1 against Temple.

Downs has been the foundation of the Sooners defensive line over the last few years. His consistent ability as a pass rusher and run defender makes him invaluable along the defensive line. Entering his fourth season, the veteran will lead the way for the Sooners.

Thomas has special athleticism. Injuries have kept him from making a consistent impact, but when he’s been on the field, he’s flashed immense potential. If he can stay healthy this season, he’ll flirt with eight sacks.

The Sooners defensive line is better than what it was a year ago when they improved in short-yardage situations and really across the board. Now it’s only a matter of seeing how much better the defense will be as a whole with an improved unit up front.

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Oklahoma Sooners success isn’t all on Jackson Arnold

The Oklahoma Sooners have a more complete team heading into 2024, taking some of the pressure off of their first year starter at quarterback

Quarterback is the most important position in football. Make no mistake about it. That’s why they’re the highest-paid players in the NFL and why they’re moving the biggest needle on the name, image and likeness licensing front.

But football is the ultimate team sport. Having great quarterback play can elevate a team that may have other deficiencies. That’s what we saw during the [autotag]Baker Mayfield[/autotag], [autotag]Kyler Murray[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalen Hurts[/autotag] era of Sooner football. Those elite quarterbacks were able to put the Sooners into contention despite a defense that wasn’t consistent enough.

That isn’t the case anymore. For what feels like the first time in a long time, the Oklahoma Sooners aren’t solely dependent on their quarterback to be superhuman.

So while all eyes are on [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] and the Oklahoma offense, the Sooners are heading into the SEC in somewhat unfamiliar territory. The strength of the team is on the defensive side of the ball.

Led by a talented and experienced defensive unit, the Sooners look ready to change the narrative that’s persisted for the last decade. Entering Year 1 in the SEC, Oklahoma isn’t going to rely on its quarterback playing Super Saiyan football for an entire season for it to have a chance to win football games.

That’s because they have a defense capable of being one of the best in the conference, which will take the pressure off Arnold and the offense. Gone are the days when the Sooners have to score 40 to have a chance to win. After allowing 30 points per game in the first season under Brent Venables in 2022, the Sooners have improved by nearly a touchdown a game to 23.5 points per game.

They allowed 30 or more in just three games last season and allowed fewer than four yards per carry. This team held the vaunted Texas offense to 23 points in the Red River Showdown, forcing the 2024 Heisman front-runner into two interceptions and stopping the Longhorns short of the end zone four times from the 1-yard line.

They weren’t perfect last year. There’s room to improve, but the Oklahoma Sooners did just that.

Venables convinced [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag], [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag], [autotag]Woodi Washington[/autotag] and [autotag]Da’Jon Terry[/autotag] to return for another season. That gave the Sooners valuable experience and production. In addition to the development of [autotag]Gracen Halton[/autotag], they added one of the more dynamic defensive tackles in the nation, [autotag]Damonic Williams[/autotag], along with true freshmen phenoms [autotag]David Stone[/autotag] and [autotag]Jayden Jackson[/autotag]. Once considered a weakness of the Sooners’ defense, the defensive interior is now a strength. Combine that with the additions of [autotag]Caiden Woullard[/autotag], who had 9 1/2 sacks for Miami (Ohio), [autotag]Danny Okoye[/autotag], [autotag]Nigel Smith[/autotag], and [autotag]Wyatt Gilmore[/autotag] and the further development of [autotag]R Mason Thomas[/autotag] and [autotag]Adepoju Adebawore[/autotag]. The result is a Sooners defensive front that is loaded with experience and promising young players fighting to break into the rotation.

From the front four to the back seven, the Oklahoma defense is ready to take the next step. And that’s great news for Arnold and the Sooners offense.

The Sooners have a more complete team, even with questions on the offensive side of the ball. They have a team more capable of playing complementary football.

As Arnold gets adjusted to life as the starting quarterback and the offensive line comes together, the defense will lead the way for the Sooners in 2024.

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ESPN believes this true freshman defensive lineman is a sleeper

Oklahoma Sooners true freshman considered sleeper by ESPN.

The Oklahoma Sooners have a number of players that could have a breakout season in 2024. Among Sooners freshmen, [autotag]David Stone[/autotag] and [autotag]Jayden Jackson[/autotag] have received a great deal of love this offseason. But another freshman caught the attention of ESPN’s David Hale.

ESPN’s college football analysts picked one player they believed is a “sleeper” for each of the teams in their preseason top 25. For the Sooners, Hale picked former four-star prospect and Oklahoma native [autotag]Danny Okoye[/autotag].

Freshman defensive lineman Danny Okoye arrived in Norman in January and got to work, putting on more than 20 pounds. The 6-3, 255-pound edge rusher has drawn praise from coach Brent Venables this spring for his work ethic and athleticism — he reportedly runs a 4.56 40-yard dash — and as the Sooners try to find a rotation up front, Okoye could claim his share of playing time early on. – Wilson, ESPN

Okoye was a top 150 prospect in the 247Sports composite in the 2024 recruiting class. He was rated as the No. 12 edge rusher in the cycle. He’s an incredible athlete that has great size and speed. He has a chance to make a significant impact with the Sooners.

Oklahoma has been searching for someone to be a difference maker off the edge. [autotag]Ethan Downs[/autotag] has been their most productive pass rusher over the last two seasons. They added Caiden Woullard in the transfer portal. Woullard had 9 1/2 sacks last season for Miami (Ohio). Then there are stars in the making such as [autotag]R Mason Thomas[/autotag] and [autotag]Adepoju Adebawore[/autotag].

Okoye definitely has the tools to earn playing time for the Sooners this year as they continue to search for consistent pass rush productivity.

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