Tag: Reggie Grimes

Relive the Sooners 33-3 win over Kent State in stunning still images

A look back at the Oklahoma Sooners 33-3 win over Kent State in stunning still images.

It took a minute, well nearly 29 minutes, for the Oklahoma Sooners offense to get going, but once it did, it was all she wrote.

The defense picked up the offense in the Oklahoma Sooners’ 33-3 win over the Kent State Golden Flashes long enough for the Sooners to hit a big play to Marvin Mims to get on the board. That 36-yard touchdown strike opened the floodgates for an Oklahoma offense that scored 33 unanswered points.

After a solid performance in Week 1, Mims erupted with seven catches for 163 yards and two touchdowns. Dillon Gabriel nearly hit 300 yards passing on the evening while completing 75% of his attempts.

Oklahoma held Kent State to fewer than 300 yards of total offense, 3.2 yards per carry, and just 6.23 yards per attempt through the air.

They collected 13 tackles for loss and three sacks as a unit, led by Danny Stutsman’s 12 tackles (9 solo), four tackles for loss and a sack. Billy Bowman and Justin Broiles had 11 total tackles each.

Jalen Redmond didn’t record a sack, but he had 2.5 tackles for loss, and Reggie Grimes continued getting to the quarterback, adding 1.5 sacks to give him four on the season.

For 29 minutes, it looked like Kent State had the upper hand in this matchup. Dillon Gabriel’s 36-yards strike saved the day and opened the door for the Sooners to find some momentum going into halftime.

As we do each week, let’s take a look back at some of the best photos from the Sooners 33-3 win over Kent State.

Oklahoma Sooners use big 3rd quarter to beat Kent State 33-3

Led by strong performances from Marvin Mims and Danny Stutsman, the Oklahoma Sooners beat the Kent State Golden Flashes 33-3, improve to 2-0.

It took nearly the entire first half for the Oklahoma Sooners (2-0) to get anything going consistently on the offensive side of the ball. But once they did, they were unstoppable.

The Sooners defense carried Oklahoma for much of the first half. While Kent State was able to move the ball at times, the Sooners defense were able to make the plays to keep the Golden Flashes from extending drives into scoring position.

Trailing 3-0 after a missed field goal, [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] methodically moved the Oklahoma offense passed the 50-yard line. With a first and 10 at the Kent State 36-yard line looked off the coverage and went deep to [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag] down the left sideline to get Oklahoma on the board for a 7-3 lead going into halftime.

Receiving the ball to start the second half, the Sooners picked up right where they left off. A good mix of run and pass plays got the Sooners into the red zone quickly and [autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag] finished off the drive with a beautiful 16-yard run. Major now has three rushing touchdowns on the season and is making a case to get a heavier workload in the Sooners offense.

From the final drive of the second quarter to the end of the third, the Oklahoma Sooners scored on five straight possessions with 31 unanswered points. Early in the fourth quarter they added a safety after Kent State quarterback Colin Schlee ran out of the end zone after the snap sailed over his head.

Dillon Gabriel was efficient with the football, completing 21 of 28 attempts (75%) for 296 yards, and three touchdowns. Marvin Mims led the way in the receiving game with seven receptions for 163 yards and two touchdowns. [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] added a score on an incredible catch and run to the end zone where he broke tackles and avoided Kent State defenders before diving for the pylon.

In the first half, the Oklahoma running game was held to seven yards on 13 attempts before finding some room in the second half thanks to the big-play passing offense. In the second half, the Sooners ran for 127 yards on 23 carries.

Defensively, the Sooners seemingly lived in the Kent State backfield. They finished the day with 13 tackles for loss and three sacks. The Golden Flashes ran for 164 yards, but only averaged 3.2 yards per carry. Kent State quarterback Colin Schlee threw for only 131 yards and a 58% completion percentage.

[autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] led the way defensively with 12 tackles (9 solo), four tackles for loss, and a sack. [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag], who tied for the team lead in tackles against UTEP, tied for second this week with fellow safety [autotag]Justin Broiles[/autotag] with 11. Bowman added a forced fumble, while Broiles had a tackle for loss.

After a strong week one performance that ended with 2.5 sacks, [autotag]Reggie Grimes[/autotag] added another 1.5 sacks to bring his total to four through the first two games. Jalen Redmond was also a monster along the Oklahoma defensive line, finishing the day with 2.5 tackles for loss.

The Oklahoma Sooners now prepare for their first road test of the season where they’ll head to Lincoln to face the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

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No. 7 Oklahoma Sooners vs. Kent State: Preview, injury reports and broadcast info for Saturday

The No. 7 Oklahoma Sooners host the Kent State Golden Flashes on Saturday, and if you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place.

The No. 7 Oklahoma Sooners host the Kent State Golden Flashes on Saturday, and if you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place.

Oklahoma is coming off of a 45-13 win over UTEP in a game where the Sooners mostly dominated save for a few minutes in the second quarter. The Sooners played a balanced game offensively, throwing for 233 yards and rushing for 259 yards.

Kent State is playing its second road game of the season after opening with a 45-20 loss on the road vs. Washington. The Golden Flashes gave up a ton of yardage threw the air as Huskies quarterback Michael Penix, Jr. threw for 345 yards and four touchdowns.

Check out our staff predictions for Saturday’s matchup.

Here’s when you should tune in to see the game:

Kent State at No. 7 Oklahoma injury report:

Oklahoma

T.D. Roof, LB: Out for season

Daniel Parker Jr., TE: Probable (Missed UTEP game with Illness)

Players to watch:

Oklahoma

[autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag], QB: 65.2%, 233 yards, 2 passing touchdowns, 1 rushing touchdown.

[autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag], RB: 16 carries, 102 yards. 2 receptions, 33 yards.

[autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag], RB: 7 carries, 57 yards, 2 touchdowns.

[autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag], WR: 3 receptions for 81 yards.

[autotag]Brayden Willis[/autotag], TE: 3 receptions for 40 yards, 2 touchdowns.

[autotag]Reggie Grimes[/autotag], DE: 3 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks.

[autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag], LB: 9 total tackles (6 solo).

[autotag]David Ugwoegbu[/autotag], LB: 7 total tackles (3 solo), 1 tackles for loss, 1 sack.

[autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag], S: 9 total tackles (7 solo).

Kent State

[autotag]Colin Schlee[/autotag], QB: 50%, 178 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions.

[autotag]Marquez Cooper[/autotag], RB: 11 carries, 36 yards, 1 touchdown.

[autotag]Dante Cephas[/autotag], WR: 6 receptions, 105 yards.

[autotag]Devontez Walker[/autotag], WR: 4 receptions, 56 yards, 1 touchdown.

[autotag]Jojo Evans[/autotag], S: 7 tackles (all solo).

[autotag]Khalib Johns[/autotag], LB: 4 tackles (3 solo), 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack.

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Oklahoma Sooners inside Joel Klatt’s top 10 after week 1

The Oklahoma Sooners moved into Joel Klatt’s top 10 after their 45-13 win over UTEP on Saturday.

The Oklahoma Sooners opened the 2022 season with a 45-13win over the UTEP Miners. OU jumped out to a 21-0 lead early in the first quarter and that was pretty much all she wrote.

[autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag], so far, has proven to be as advertised. His poise in the pocket and accuracy with the football helped Oklahoma work quickly on offense. He spread the ball around, finding seven different receivers.

The running game started off strong with 259 yards on the ground, averaging 6.8 yards per carry. [autotag]Eric Gray[/autotag] ran for 102 yards, and [autotag]Marcus Major[/autotag] chipped in 57 yards and two touchdowns.

Let by [autotag]Reggie Grimes[/autotag] and [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag], the Oklahoma Sooners came to play, holding the Miners to negative rushing yards in the first half. They recorded six sacks on the day and allowed just 13 points.

The Sooners began answering some of the questions that left people doubting just how good they could be in 2022. Fox Sports’ Joel Klatt left the Sooners outside his top 10 teams heading into 2022, but after the Sooners’ 45-13 win in week one, they’re inside Klatt’s top 10.

Let’s take a look.

3 stars from Oklahoma’s 45-13 win vs. UTEP

Dillon Gabriel, Reggie Grimes, and Eric Gray separated themselves as stars on Saturday in OU’s 45-13 win against UTEP.

It feels good to be able to spend time analyzing actual game action against other opponents. It felt as if we’d never make it, but we did, and it’s glorious.

Oklahoma laced up the cleats and strapped on the pads on Saturday to take on the UTEP Miners. The Miners, led by Dana Dimel, came into the game 0-1 after losing in week zero to North Texas.

On the other side, a historic day unfolded for Brent Venables.

He returned to Oklahoma and coached in his first game since leaving Norman to be Clemson’s defensive coordinator over a decade ago. This time was different. He became the 18th Oklahoma head coach to win his head coaching debut as the Sooners took down UTEP 45-13.

Offensively, Oklahoma entered the season replacing their starting quarterbacks, running back, starting left guard, a Swiss army knife in Jeremiah Hall, and a couple of notable pass catchers who transferred or went to the NFL. Defensively, they lost six starters. Five went to the NFL, and the other, safety Pat Fields, transferred to Stanford.

Saturday was step one in establishing new stars for the Oklahoma program and seeing guys in new positions taking steps forward in the right direction. Some names stood out in particular as we select our three stars for the first time this season.

From the Student Section: It’s clear Brent Venables’ Oklahoma is different

From the Student Section: OU runs all over UTEP for first win of the Brent Venables era

Welcome home, Brent Venables. More than a decade after leaving Oklahoma for Clemson, Venables finally had his first game as a head coach. It was worth the wait. Over 80,000 fans packed the Palace on the Prairie for his long-awaited debut.

I was among the first people in line. We got into the stadium just after they opened the gates. After buying a bag of kettle corn, my roommate and I made our way to the very top of the student section. We had made it.

Yes it was hot. We didn’t care. We were just happy that Sooners football was finally back.

The pessimist in me was worried we would be subjected to a repeat of the Tulane game. I just couldn’t shake this feeling that something was going to go wrong.

Clearly I didn’t drink enough crimson Kool-Aid in the offseason.

The Sooners looked unstoppable their first three offensive possessions. I knew that Jeff Lebby liked his tempo offense, but three touchdowns on 13 plays and 3:32 of possession is just insane.

I’m going to say this now, so I don’t have to say it again: Yes, I know it was UTEP. Can we move on?

While the offense was putting the Sooners up 21-0, the defense showed the early fruits of the Brent Venables era.

Reggie Grimes and Ethan Downs are going to be a very good pass-rushing duo this season. Grimes had 2.5 sacks to Downs’ one against the Miners. The front seven as a whole played very well. The tackling looks much better, and everyone seems a step or two faster.

The one group on defense that left a bit to be desired was the secondary.

That group didn’t have a bad game, it just underwhelmed a little bit. It gave UTEP’s receivers a bit too much space for UTEP quarterback Gavin Hardison.

Hardison stood tall when OU’s pass rush did get to him and did a good job of getting the ball out quickly. A lot of QBs would’ve gotten sacked more than he did on Saturday. Hardison made several good throws on the run and didn’t make it easy for OU’s defense.

Something that does need to be cleaned up on defense is the penalties, and that goes for the offense as well.

On UTEP’s first two scoring drives, both drives were extended by defensive pass interference calls on the Sooners. That’s something to keep an eye on as the season progresses.

Now for the offense.

Dillon Gabriel came in as advertised. He looked good in the quick passing game, he can tuck it and run when he needs to and he has the arm talent to win football games. I was much more impressed with his running back.

Eric Gray looked like an RB1 yesterday. His speed and ability to make defenders miss are going to be very valuable to the OU offense this year. While Gray didn’t make it into the end zone, Marcus Major did, twice.

I was impressed with how Gabriel came out in the second half after it looked like UTEP had figured out how to slow the Sooners’ offense. They hadn’t. OU returned to its no-huddle style and got Gabriel back in a groove with a few easy completions.

Don’t let any talking heads fool you this week. This game was never close. The Miners didn’t have the talent to hang with OU and were gifted a score or two from some, in my opinion, soft DPI calls. The Sooners weren’t perfect, but no one was expecting perfection.

The D-line looked like a Brent Venables D-line. The defense had a new fire we haven’t seen in Norman in years. The players are benefiting from this coaching change and can only get better from here.

The Sooners not playing down to a Group of Five opponent feels good. It should be expected, make no mistake, but it does feel good to cover in a game that OU was favored to win by more than 30 points.

The Sooners get one more tuneup game at home against the Kent State Golden Flashes before heading to Lincoln to take on Nebraska. After that, Big 12 play begins for what could be the final time.

As for the student section’s lack of electricity, that’s a story for another article

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Social media reacts to the Sooners 45-13 win over the UTEP Miners

Sooner Nation enjoyed a great day as the Oklahoma Sooners started the season with a 45-13 win over UTEP.

The Oklahoma Sooners got off to a fast start in week one of the 2022 college football season. Literally.

Taking the ball to open the game, the Sooners took just five plays and 1:17 to score the first touchdown of the Brent Venables era. After an incomplete pass to Marvin Mims on a deep shot down the field, the Gabriel came back with a 16-yard completion to Drake Stoops on an RPO.

Eric Gray followed that up with five yards on the ground for his first carry of the season before Gabriel hit Mims for a 42-yard bomb to get Oklahoma in the red zone.

Gabriel then kept the ball on a read-option and went 12 yards for the touchdown.

It was a great opening drive, encapsulating everything Oklahoma wants to be offensively; fast-paced, run game involved, and the ability to hit big plays down the field.

Defensively, the Sooners were relentless. They regularly had multiple players to the ball carrier. Though there were 11 missed tackles per Pro Football Focus, that’s an improvement to what happened a year ago vs. Tulane when they had 15 missed tackles in the season opener. Oklahoma also had more sacks and tackles for loss this year against the Miners than they did a year ago against the Green Wave.

Aside from a lull early in the second quarter, the Oklahoma Sooners had their way with the UTEP Miners on Saturday. Though UTEP started to make something interesting with 10 straight points in the second frame, Oklahoma found a second gear on a hot day and were able to limit the damage.

Overall, it was a great start to the season for the Oklahoma Sooners and Sooner Nation enjoyed every bit of it. Here are some of the best reactions from Twitter.

5 Takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners 45-13 win over UTEP

There was a lot to like in the Sooners’ 45-13 win over the UTEP Miners in the season opener.

The Oklahoma Sooners (1-0) kicked off the Brent Venables era with a dominating 45-13 win over the UTEP Miners on Saturday. It was a win that received contributions up and down the lineup. From seniors to true freshmen, Oklahoma saw a host of players make an impact on Saturday.

They couldn’t have gotten off to a better start in week one as the offense scored touchdowns on their first three drives, each drive consisting of six plays or less.

On the first two defensive possessions, Oklahoma forced punts to help the Sooners jump out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter.

From there, the Sooners were able to cruise to victory in Venables’ first game as a head coach. As we continue to break down the season-opening win, here are five takeaways from Saturday’s performance.

Best photos from the Oklahoma Sooners’ 45-13 win over the UTEP Miners

Relive the magic from Brent Venables’ Oklahoma debut with some of the best photos of the Sooners’ 45-13 win over the UTEP Miners.

The Oklahoma Sooners enjoyed a great start to the Brent Venables era with a 45-13 win over the UTEP Miners.

It wasn’t always pretty, but Dillon Gabriel was an efficient 15 of 23 for 233 yards and two touchdowns. He added a touchdown on the ground to help Oklahoma jump to a 21-0 first-quarter lead. Brayden Willis caught both of Gabriel’s touchdown passes, and Marvin Mims led Oklahoma in receiving with three receptions for 81 yards.

Oklahoma ran for 259 yards as a team, averaging 6.8 yards per carry, led by Eric Gray’s 102 yards. Marcus Major added 57 yards and two touchdowns.

The Sooners defense made plays in the backfield, recording six sacks and nine tackles for loss. Reggie Grimes led the way with 2.5 sacks. Danny Stutsman and Billy Bowman each had nine tackles for a Sooners defense that held the UTEP Miners to 28 yards rushing.

Final thoughts on the Oklahoma Sooners season opener vs. the UTEP Miners

As the Oklahoma Sooners get set to embark on a new era, here are some final thoughts on the matchup with the UTEP Miners.

When the final whistle blew against the Oklahoma State Cowboys in Stillwater, many were left feeling underwhelmed by the results of the 2021 season. It was supposed to be the one that restored Oklahoma as a legitimate national title contender.

It never materialized. From the week one nail-biting win over Tulane to the losses to Baylor and Oklahoma State, it was as disappointing a year as an 11-win season can be.

While there were initial frustrations in the wake of Lincoln Riley’s departure, this offseason provided a chance to reset the foundation and the identity of OU Football.

Riley’s tenure didn’t yield a national championship, but he won a lot of games. At the same time, it never felt as if this team was getting any closer to national title contention.

From the Alamo Bowl win over Oregon to a record-setting spring game, and now to the start of the 2022 season, it’s time to turn the page. It’s time to see what the Sooners can do under first-year head coach Brent Venables.