Tag: Reggie Pearson

Oklahoma Sooners win final Big 12 home game, beat the TCU Horned Frogs 69-45

The Oklahoma Sooners cap off their 2023 regular season with a big win over the TCU Horned Frogs.

The Oklahoma Sooners played their final [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] home game against the [autotag]TCU Horned Frogs[/autotag], coming out on top with a 69-45 win.

On senior day and Oklahoma’s final day in the Big 12, this game had everything.

The defense forced a punt on their first drive and nearly earned an interception.

The offense marched right down the field on their first drive of the game. [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] hit [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] on a 50-yard pass to start the drive. TCU was called for pass interference on Austin Stogner and on the following play, Gabriel then ran it in from eight yards out for his 12th rushing touchdown of the season.

After a muffed punt by [autotag]Gavin Freeman[/autotag] set TCU up with great field position, the Horned Frogs scored on a [autotag]Josh Hoover[/autotag] keeper but missed the extra point.

The offense picked up right where it left off. Gabriel found [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag] on 3rd and 11 for a gain of 17. He then found Gibson on a 59-yard touchdown pass, dragging a defender into the end zone.

After a 48-yard pass to [autotag]Jojo Earle[/autotag] got the Horned Frogs into OU territory, TCU took advantage as Hoover hit Earle on a 6-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to 14-13.

To start the second quarter, the Sooners went with Freeman, Drake Stoops and [autotag]Brenen Thompson[/autotag] as the wide receivers. OU used their speed, and Gabriel hit Thompson on a deep post route for a 53-yard touchdown pass.

The defense forced a three-and-out, and Gabriel continued his incredible performance. He helped convert a third and long and then a fourth down on the drive. [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag] capped it off with a 12-yard touchdown run that gave the Sooners a 28-13 lead.

The Sooners forced a three and out on a sack by [autotag]Reggie Pearson[/autotag]. But TCU tried a fake field goal, and it was snuffed out by the Sooners. The offense took over and marched right down the short field and capped it off with a 7-yard run by Sawchuk.

The Sooners’ defense forced its third straight three and out on TCU’s next drive. And on Oklahoma’s next possession, Sawchuk took off on a 41-yard run, setting OU up in TCU territory. The drive was capped off by a 9-yard touchdown run by [autotag]Tawee Walker[/autotag].

The Sooners took a 42-16 lead into halftime.

The Sooners outgained the Horned Frogs 375-221. They were also 7 of 9 on third and fourth down while holding TCU to 4 of 12. Gabriel finished the half 14-23 for 278 yards and three touchdowns.

The Sooners drove right down the field on their first drive of the half but had to settle for a 23-yard field goal. [autotag]Zach Schmit[/autotag] nailed it to extend the Sooners lead to 45-16. TCU responded as Emani Bailey ran it in untouched from 32 yards out. Gabriel tried another deep shot to Thompson, but it was into the wind and a bit late, and this time it was picked off.

TCU took advantage as Hoover found [autotag]Jared Wiley[/autotag] for the four-yard score to cut the lead to 45-31 after TCU converterted the two-point try. The Sooners faced a 4th and 1 on their own side of the 50 and Gabriel picked up 40 yards on the option keeper. Stoops capped off the drive with a 9-yard touchdown pass from Gabriel.

TCU went right back down the field like it was nothing. Bailey had a 49-yard run and then a touchdown catch on the following play to cut the Sooners lead back to 14. The Sooners drove the field but, after a sack, were forced to kick a 40-yard field goal. Schmit knocked it through to put OU up 17 with 10:14 remaining in the fourth quarter.

The defense finally made a stop, forcing TCU to turn it over on downs in their own territory. The Sooners capitalized as Sawchuk ran it in from nine yards out to make it 62-38. [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag] would add to the lead after a 45-yard interception return to seal the win.

The Sooners had several big-time performances in the win. Dillon Gabriel completed 63% of his passes for 400 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for 36 yards and a touchdown. Gavin Sawchuk had his fourth straight 100-yard day with 22 carries for 130 yards and three touchdowns. Sawchuk added 16 yards on two receptions to his big performance.

On the receiving end, Oklahoma had three players with more than 75 yards in the win. Drake Stoops caught 12 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown. Nic Anderson had four receptions on eight targets for 97 yards. Jayden Gibson continued his strong finish to the season with two receptions for 76 yards and a score.

Defensively, the Sooners struggled in the second half, allowing 299 total yards and 9.3 yards per play. But as they’ve done often this season, the defense came up with big plays in key moments. In addition to his interception return for a touchdown, Billy Bowman led the team with nine tackles.

In total, Oklahoma outgained the Horned Frogs 607-520 on the day.

Oklahoma moved to 10-2 in year two under [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]. Now they wait for this weekend’s results in the Big 12 to know if they’ll be playing next week in Arlington, Texas for the Big 12 title.

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Dillon Gabriel, Drake Stoops have huge nights; Sooners dominate West Virginia 59-20

The Oklahoma Sooners got back to their winning ways with a huge 59-20 win over West Virginia.

The Oklahoma Sooners entered their primetime matchup with the West Virginia Mountaineers on a two-game losing streak. The OU team that showed up on Saturday night looked nothing like we’d witnessed in their road losses to Kansas and Oklahoma State in their 59-20 win over West Virginia.

On the opening drive of the game, the [autotag]West Virginia Mountaineers[/autotag] marched down the field on an eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that took a little over four minutes off the clock to take a 7-0. And then it was all Oklahoma from then on out.

The Sooners put together their own eight-play, 75-yard drive, culminating in Dillon Gabriel’s first touchdown of the night, a two-yard run to tie the game.

After the opening drive, the Sooners’ defense locked in and shut down the Mountaineers’ offense until their final drive of the first half. Oklahoma’s defense forced three punts, two turnovers on downs, including one at the goalline, and WVU missed a field goal. By the time West Virginia scored their second touchdown of the game, it was 31-14 Sooners.

In the first half, [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] threw touchdowns to [autotag]Austin Stogner[/autotag] and [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag] and ran for two scores to stake Oklahoma to a big halftime lead.

In the second half, Oklahoma kept the pressure on West Virginia, and [autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag] started to take over the game. On another career day for the veteran wide receiver, Stoops caught three touchdown passes in the second half to leave no doubt in the Sooners win.

On one of those scores, Stoops was hit hard in the end zone on a play that was reviewed for targeting. That play led to a skirmish under the strobe lights inside Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. No penalties came of it, but on the ensuing point after attempt, [autotag]McKade Mettauer[/autotag] went after Anthony Wilson for his hit and taunt of Drake Stoops and was ejected from the game.

But by that point in the game, the outcome was academic, as the Sooners had run away with the game.

In the win, Gabriel passed former Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan for 10th all-time in passing yards and had eight total touchdowns in the Sooners’ win. Gabriel finished the day completing 64% of his passes for 423 yards and five touchdowns and added 50 yards and three rushing touchdowns in the huge win. His eight total touchdowns are the most combined passing and rushing in the history of Oklahoma Football.

[autotag]Drake Stoops[/autotag], who had a career game a week ago in the loss to Oklahoma State, was dominant for the Sooners in the passing game. He had 10 receptions for 164 yards and three touchdowns.

Getting his second consecutive start, [autotag]Gavin Sawchuk[/autotag] carried the ball 22 times for 135 yards, showing great patience and explosiveness.

[autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] returned for the Sooners defense and recorded eight total tackles and two tackles for loss. [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag] had seven total tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss.

The Sooners held West Virginia to 330 total yards, 4 of 16 on third down, and 2 of 4 on fourth down. Oklahoma was able to keep Garrett Green in check running the football, holding the dual-threat quarterback to 24 yards on 10 attempts.

Oklahoma recorded two interceptions in the win. One from [autotag]Reggie Pearson[/autotag] and the other from true freshman [autotag]Jacobe Johnson[/autotag]. As they had done during their 7-0 start to the season, the Sooners won the turnover battle.

With the win, the Sooners move to 8-2 on the season and 5-2 in Big 12 play. They received a bit of help from UCF who dominated Oklahoma State, opening the door a bit more for a trip to the Big 12 title game.

Oklahoma took care of their end of the bargain and will travel to Provo next Saturday to see if they can beat the BYU Cougars. BYU holds the all-time series lead at 2-0 over the Sooners.

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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.

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Oklahoma Sooners name captains for week 8 contest with UCF Knights

The Oklahoma Sooners captains for the Week 8 game vs. the UCF Knights has been set.

It’s finally almost “football time in Oklahoma” once again after their bye week. The Oklahoma Sooners take on their new [autotag]Big 12[/autotag] foe the [autotag]UCF Knights[/autotag] on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. CT.

On Monday night, the Sooners announced via social media the captains for this week’s contest. The captains are [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag], [autotag]Da’Jon Terry[/autotag], [autotag]Reggie Pearson[/autotag], [autotag]Shane Whitter[/autotag] and [autotag]Caleb Shaffer[/autotag]. Gabriel is fresh off a huge game in the Cotton Bowl and is also playing his former team, perhaps some gamesmanship from Brent Venables.

Pearson is a guy who started early in the year before getting injured. Since returning Pearson, has maintained a steady role in the safety rotation.

Terry is fresh off his best game of the season, where he was virtually unblockable and unmovable.

Shaffer being a captain is interesting because it might point to him winning the starting right guard job while [autotag]McKade Mettauer[/autotag] is out. He came in and played well, especially given the circumstances.

Whitter is someone who is mainly a special teams player for the Sooners. He’s someone people have always thought would be a transfer candidate. He’s committed to the program, to Venables and the standard he’s laid out since arriving in Norman. That’s a guy you want as a leader because it would have been easy to just up and leave.

All in all, it’s a good group of captains, and it’s good to have football back at the palace.

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Midseason positional review: How have the Oklahoma Sooners looked at the midway point?

How have each position group done so far for the Oklahoma Sooners at the midway point?

The Oklahoma Sooners have hit the midway point of the 2023 college football season. The Sooners are undefeated at 6-0 in year two under [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag]. Venables is now 13-7

Offensively they’ve been pretty good. They rank No. 6 in total offense, No. 9 in 3rd down offense, No. 2 in 1st down offense, and No. 4 in scoring offense.

The defense has also been pretty good and shown vast improvement. They rank No. 50 in total defense, No. 12 in 3rd down defense, No. 31 in rush defense, and No. 2 in turnovers forced.

There is still much improvement that needs to be made for both units, but so far, they’ve made significant strides.

Prior to the season, I broke down each position group, so let’s go through and see how they are doing at this point and give them a midseason grade.

Brent Venables provides injury updates on several Oklahoma Sooners

With Oklahoma set to open Big 12 play, Brent Venables offered an injury update on several Sooners.

This offseason, the Oklahoma Sooners’ coaching staff highlighted their improved “competitive depth” from the 2022 season. That depth is being put to the test early in 2023, as injuries to several starters will force the Sooners to go deeper into the roster.

The most notable, at this point, is the knee injury suffered by starting cheetah Justin Harrington, who missed the Tulsa game. Though there’s no official timetable for his recovery, it’s not looking like he’ll be back anytime soon for the Oklahoma Sooners.

The Sooners turned to [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag], [autotag]Kip Lewis[/autotag], and [autotag]Kendel Dolby[/autotag] at cheetah with Dasan McCullough out of action with his own injury. McCullough’s expected to be back for the Sooners this week when they travel to Cincinnati.

There are several other names to keep an eye on. [autotag]Savion Byrd[/autotag] left the Sooners win over Tulsa with an undisclosed injury. He was replaced by a combination of [autotag]Cayden Green[/autotag] and [autotag]Troy Everett[/autotag].

[autotag]Reggie Pearson[/autotag], [autotag]R Mason Thomas[/autotag], and [autotag]Jasiah Wagoner[/autotag] are dealing with ailments of their own. And like Byrd, Brent Venables is “hopeful” for those guys. Now does that mean they’ll be available this week? Time will tell.

Pearson and Thomas are significant members of the Sooners defensive depth chart. Wagoner had an offseason that impressed the coaches and those in attendance at practices.

Also notable, youngsters [autotag]Phil Picciotti[/autotag] and [autotag]Jayden Rowe[/autotag] will have season-ending surgeries.

Picciotti, a true freshman linebacker, hadn’t recorded a snap through three games. Coaches were impressed with the offseason the New Jersey native and IMG Academy talent put together, but he’ll redshirt for 2023 and continue to work toward being an impact player in 2024.

Jayden Rowe, the Tulsa native, will also be out for the remainder of the year. He was a four-star prospect in the 2022 recruiting class and has played 22 snaps for the Sooners across his first two seasons.

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Justin Harrington unavailable at cheetah for the Oklahoma Sooners vs. Tulsa

Though he made the trip with the team, starting cheetah linebacker Justin Harrington not expected to play against Tulsa.

The Oklahoma Sooners are out to build a defense that more resembles what Brent Venables put together at Clemson and Oklahoma. With a pair of strong performances against Arkansas State and SMU already under their belt, the Sooners hope to keep that momentum going against Tulsa before Big 12 play begins next Saturday against Cincinnati.

But as they prepared to play the Golden Hurricane in Tulsa, they’ll have to do so without starting cheetah backer [autotag]Justin Harrington[/autotag].

According to Eddie Radesovich of SoonerScoop.com and On3, the senior defender made the trip to Tulsa but isn’t suited out for today’s game.

Harrington, who is fifth on the team in snaps this season, is out of action with a sprained knee suffered in the win over SMU.

This season, Harrington’s played 91 snaps at cheetah and has generated six total tackles, an interception, and four pressures on the season.

The Sooners will likely turn to Indiana transfer[autotag] Dasan McCullough[/autotag], who will be making his first appearance since being injured in the win over Arkansas State. Oklahoma will also likely utilize [autotag]Reggie Pearson[/autotag] as well as blue-chip true freshmen [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag] and [autotag]Samuel Omosigho[/autotag].

The Sooners need someone to step up and fortify that spot in Harrington’s absence, which could extend into Big 12 play.

After an offseason where the coaching staff highlighted the competitive depth, the Sooners should have a good answer to the cheetah question.

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Sooners safety Robert Spears-Jennings now healthy and ready to make an impact

Robert Spears-Jennings was one of many Sooners who battled injuries this offseason but now he’s healthy and ready to go.

The Oklahoma Sooners safety room is one of the deeper rooms on the entire team. It is full of experience with [autotag]Reggie Pearson[/autotag], [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag] and [autotag]Key Lawerence[/autotag].

It also has some very skilled younger players like [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag] and [autotag]Robert Spears-Jennings[/autotag]. Spears-Jennings battled an injury this off-season but now is back and ready to make an impact on the field.

He told reporters it wasn’t too tough watching Week 1 waiting for his chance to play.

“I told my guys right before the game I’m going to be their biggest fan that game,” Spears-Jennings said. “Every time they made a play, I was the loudest one on the sideline and cheering those guys on.”

But now Spears-Jennings is back as he made his season debut against the SMU Mustangs. He finished with three tackles on the night.

Each one of the safeties brings a different element to the Sooners’ defense which is good to have. Spears-Jennings is someone who can make plays on the ball, but he’s arguably the hardest hitter of the group.

He’s someone who has no issue with laying the wood on someone and helping stop the run game as well.

Safeties coach Brandon Hall has a really good group and so far it has been the best group on the field for the Sooners defense in 2023.

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Key Lawrence among College Sports Wire’s top Big 12 performers from week 2

After a strong performance in the Sooners win over SMU, Oklahoma’s Key Lawrence was selected as College Sports Wire’s top Big 12 defensive back from week 2.

The Oklahoma Sooners are 2-0 on the season, led by a defense that’s allowing just 5.5 points per game and rank as a top-10 defense early on. The Sooners will face tougher competition as the season goes on, but the SMU Mustangs offense is a good one. Oklahoma held them to their lowest point total since the end of the 2017 season.

There were a number of key contributors to the strong defensive performance, including [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] and [autotag]Kip Lewis[/autotag] at linebacker. Another player who had a strong game was, safety [autotag]Key Lawrence[/autotag].

Lawrence was named one of College Sports Wire’s top Big 12 performers from the Sooners’ win in week 2.

It was actually the defense that helped lead the Sooners to a victory over SMU on Saturday. They held the Mustangs to just 11 points and that allowed a struggling offense to find their footing in the 4th quarterback. Lawrence was part of that unit that kept Preston Stone from lighting up the scoreboard. – Conn, College Sports Wire

Lawrence came up with a heads up play after Jaylan Knighton broke free for a big run in the fourth quarter. As the Mustangs were looking to cut into the Sooners 14-3 lead on Saturday, Knighton broke free down the left side and Key Lawrence tracked him down. Lawrence swatted the ball out, which Danny Stutsman recovered after Woodi Washington kept it from going out of bounds.

The Sooners have a deep safety group in 2023. The additions of [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag] and [autotag]Reggie Pearson[/autotag] to [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag] and Key Lawrence have given them four players who can make plays. But all offseason as the media spoke of Bowen, Pearson, and Bowman all offseason, defensive coordinator [autotag]Ted Roof[/autotag] quickly reminded everyone of Key Lawrence.

On Saturday, Key Lawrence looked like the player who was making plays in the Iowa State game at the end of the 2021 season. He’s been a big part of Oklahoma’s defensive success to start the 2023 season.

His energy and aggressiveness give the Sooners another player who can impact the game in multiple ways. To be a good or even great defense, the Sooners need difference-makers at every level of the defense. At safety, the Sooners are chock-full of playmakers, and Lawrence stood out on Saturday in the win over SMU.

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Once the forgotten man, Key Lawrence shows he belongs on the field

While the talk with the safeties has been about Billy Bowman, Peyton Bowen and Reggie Pearson, Key Lawrence continues to show he belongs in that conversation.

This offseason the talk about the safety position has been focused around three guys, [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag], [autotag]Peyton Bowen[/autotag], and [autotag]Reggie Pearson[/autotag].

The forgotten man of the group was [autotag]Key Lawrence[/autotag]. Through two games, Lawrence has shown he belongs on the field.

In Saturday’s game, with about eight minutes to go in the 3rd quarter, the Sooners led 14-3. SMU Mustangs running back [autotag]Jaylan Knighton[/autotag] busted through a hole for a 23-yard run.

Lawrence was the final defender, and shortly after Knighton switched the ball to his outer hand, Lawrence punched at it, knocking it free. [autotag]Woodi Washington[/autotag] stopped it from going out of bounds, and [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] jumped on top of it.

Lawrence told reporters Monday that they work on that in practice.

“On Tuesdays, we do the stiff arm drill and I saw this man literally switch the ball in his hands, and the first thing I thought was to attack,” Lawrence said.

That hustle and big play will keep Lawrence on the field and become a trusted member of the defense. Lawrence said that mindset is also something the coaches stress at practice.

“Coach engraved it in us that we need to hustle to the ball, strain every day,” Lawrence said. “If they bust something like that, we all need to be there.”

It’s clear that the team is doing a better job rallying to the ball. They’re not giving up on plays. And after they give up a play, they’re responding with the right attitude. Lawrence’s strip is evidence of the change in mindset for the 2023 Oklahoma Sooners. The Sooners are getting a number of players around the ball, resulting in very few missed tackles.

Lawrence’s performance on Saturday is just one of many examples of the growth of the defense in 2023.

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