Tag: Skylar Thompson

6 Takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners’ 37-31 win over Kansas State

The Sooners did a lot of good things in their win over the Kansas State Wildcats, but there are some they need to tighten up before Texas.

Another week, another one-score win for the Oklahoma Sooners as they took down their nemesis from the last couple of years, the Kansas State Wildcats. Though the first half was a close affair, the Sooners started to pull away in the third quarter outscoring the Wildcats 14 to seven to take a 27-17 lead entering the fourth quarter.

Though Oklahoma would be outscored in the fourth, they continued scoring, unlike in last year’s matchup, and made enough plays on both sides of the ball to come up with the big win. Oklahoma is now 5-0 (2-0 in the Big 12) with a big-time matchup with the Texas Longhorns on the horizon.

But before we get to Texas, here are six takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners win over the Kansas State Wildcats.

Oklahoma Sooners pick up big win over Kansas State 37-31

In one of their most complete performances of the season, the Oklahoma Sooners beat Kansas State 37-31 to move to 5-0 on the season.

As crazy as it may sound, this was the best Oklahoma Sooners win of the season. They went to Manhattan, Kansas for their first road game of the season and took care of business against a tough Kansas State team, 37-31.

The game wasn’t necessarily as close as the score indicated.

The Wildcats got the ball to start the game and methodically worked the down the field with some timely completions by super senior quarterback Skylar Thompson, who played despite a week-long game of smoke and mirrors from head coach Chris Klieman about the quarterback’s availability.

Kansas State made its way into the red zone before a forced fumble by defensive end Reggie Grimes and subsequent 60 yard return by Nik Bonitto set the Sooners up nicely.

After making it inside the 10, penalties, a botched snap, and poor blocking would result in the Sooners settling for three points off of a field goal from Gabe Brkic.

The Wildcats would answer on a touchdown pass from Thompson to star running back Deuce Vaughn.

The Sooners would respond with a 12 play 75-yard touchdown drive of their own capped off by a very creative run play involving Jeremiah Hall.

The Sooners and Wildcats swapped field goals before halftime. Oklahoma went into the locker room with a 13-10 lead.

Neither team punted until the 3rd quarter. Kansas State kept opting to go for it and the Sooners defense couldn’t get off the field. Conversely, Kansas State simply could not stop Oklahoma as every drive ended in points.

Things would get weird in the third quarter thanks in part to two different reviews.

Trailing 27-10, Kansas State attempted and recovered an onside kick, and referee Kevin Hassell went to confirm the ball traveled 10 yards. It did, but Lincoln Riley smartly and probably due to information he was receiving via his headset challenged the play again.

Riley argued that kicker Ty Zentner had accidentally kicked the ball twice (which he had). The illegal touching gave Oklahoma the ball. They would do nothing with it and instead turned it over on third and long on a Spencer Rattler interception putting Kansas State deep in their own territory. The pick amounted to nothing more than a punt as Rattler threw it up there hoping to make a play or catch a defensive pass interference call.

Another review came on a 4th down completion from Thompson to receiver Landry Weber. A superb attempt to catch it was ruled incomplete as the ball hit the ground as he attempted to secure it.

A slick Jeremiah Hall TD reception on a shovel pass from Rattler put the Sooners in front 34-17.

The Wildcats would eat up a lot of clock while scoring to make it 34-24.

The Sooners responded with another field goal from Brkic, which was followed by a kick return for a touchdown from Malik Knowles. Knowles now has three return touchdowns this year. Kansas State had one last attempt to get an offside and the attempt was unsuccessful as wide receiver Jadon Haselwood calmly caught the kick and took a knee.

Spencer Rattler threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns, running back Kennedy Brooks was the lead back of the day posting 91 yards and a touchdown while Jeremiah Hall scored twice and Marvin Mims re-emerged with four catches for 71 yards.

Oklahoma can now return to Norman and prepare themselves for the Red River Shootout with the 4-1 Texas Longhorns. Kansas State will have a bye before playing Iowa State on October 16th.

2 Sooners to watch on defense in Week 5

2 Sooners who will be critical to the defensive effort in week 5

Whether or not Kansas State quarterback Skylar Thompson plays tomorrow, Oklahoma can still expect a big game from its pash rush. The Wildcats’ offensive line has surrendered 13 sacks against Thompson and backup quarterbacks Will Howard and Jaren Lewis through four games.

Oklahoma State shut down K-State’s passing attack in week four, limiting Lewis and Howard to just 198 total yards with a touchdown and an interception. The OSU defense recorded one interception, two sacks, and nine quarterback hurries against the reserve signal-callers.

If OSU could generate that much pressure against K-State, there is no reason to believe Oklahoma and its no. 1 ranked pass rush isn’t capable of doing the same thing. That’s why Perrion Winfrey is critical to a win in Manhatten.  

The Wildcats succumbed to multiple interior pass rushes last week. That should serve as a green light for Winfrey to force his way through the center of the offensive line and dirty up the jersey of whoever the Wildcats roll out at quarterback. He was the only Sooner to register a sack against a stout West Virginia offense last weekend, and he should find his job much easier tomorrow. 

But in order for Perrion Winfrey, Nik Bonitto, and the rest of the OU pass rush to key in on the quarterback, Kansas State must first become one-dimensional.

Brian Asamoah made a big impact in the ground game last week. He neutralized Leddie Brown, never allowing the running back more than three yards from scrimmage, and finished with a team-high nine tackles. Another big game is needed from the junior linebacker tomorrow when he faces the dangerous Deuce Vaughn.

A sophomore running back from Texas, Vaughn is the only certified game-changer on the Wildcats’ roster. He’s shifty, explosive, and is a master at breaking tackles by dropping his pad level.

But if Asamoah can help bottle up Vaughn, who accounts for 7 of K-State’s 13 touchdowns by himself, then OU’s defense is primed for another dominant outing.

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Big 12 Power Rankings after week 1 of the season

How does the Big 12 stack up after the first full week of college football action?

The Big 12 got off to a rough start in the first full week of action. Though they finished with a 9-1 record on the weekend, the games were much closer than they should have been. With just two Power Five matchups on the slate, the Big 12 struggled against Group of Five and FCS teams throughout the weekend.

It was a similar start to the season as last year when the Big 12 saw several upsets at the hands of FCS schools. It created a perception that teams like Iowa State and Kansas State weren’t very good, but they bounced back in the following weeks to come up with big wins in the conference.

These teams will likely look better as the season progresses, but it was an unfortunate start for a conference trying to prove it belongs among the Power Five with realignment on the horizon.

*Ranking is based on the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll – last updated Aug. 10.

Texas Longhorns vs Kansas State: QB tale of the tape

On Saturday, the Texas Longhorns will be led by senior Sam Ehlinger. Kansas State counters with freshman Will Howard.

Saturday’s game between the Texas Longhorns and Kansas State Wildcats will feature quarterbacks on opposite sides of the spectrum. Continue reading “Texas Longhorns vs Kansas State: QB tale of the tape”

Sam Ehlinger named semifinalist for Collegiate Man of the Year Award

You can now add the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year award to the number of watch list that have Sam Ehlinger in their sights.

The Texas Longhorns quarterback Sam Ehlinger has been mentioned in many awards this year. At least the watch list for these awards. He can now add the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year award. Continue reading “Sam Ehlinger named semifinalist for Collegiate Man of the Year Award”

Texas QB Sam Ehlinger named Big 12 Co-Offensive Player of the Week

Once again Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger picked up weekly honors. He was named this week’s Co-Offensive Player of the Week.

Following Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger’s performance against the UTEP Miners, many wondered what he would do for an encore. Against UTEP, Ehlinger threw five touchdown passes to five different receivers and totaled 426 yards. Many felt he could do more against a defense that gave up almost 600 yards on defense.

Against the Red Raiders, the Longhorns scored a total of eight touchdowns. Of the eight, six were courtesy of the team captain, Sam Ehlinger. He didn’t throw for 400 yards again but he made plays when the team needed him most. On the final two touchdown drives, he completed 6/7 for 93 and touchdown passes to Joshua Moore and Brennan Eagles. Ehlinger found Moore in overtime to leave with the win.

Ehlinger totaled 332 yards of offense and six touchdowns. Not only that but he became the first player in school history to throw for five touchdowns, twice. Even more impressive that he did it in back to back games to start the 2020 season. For his efforts, Ehlinger was named Big 12 Co-Offensive Player of the Week.

This marked the third time that Sam Ehlinger has earned that honor. He shared the award these week with Kansas State’s Skylar Thompson who threw for a career high 344 yards in the upset win over Oklahoma in Norman on Saturday. Next up for the senior is retribution against the Texas Christian Horned Frogs at 11 am CDT. The Longhorns will have their conference home opener in front of nearly 25,000 fans at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.

Chasing Colt McCoy

Player Yards Touchdowns
Colt McCoy 13,253 112
Sam Ehlinger 9,558 78

 

Down goes Oklahoma! What Kansas State upset means in big picture

The Big 12 has had a rough start to the 2020 season and that only got worse when powerhouse Oklahoma fell at home to Kansas State Saturday

For the second straight fall it’s Kansas State that has ruined Oklahoma’s hopes for an unbeaten regular season.

Oklahoma entered the day ranked third in the nation and a four touchdown favorite against Kansas State, who knocked them off last fall in Manhattan.

Despite Kansas State playing without eight players who were kept home due to positive COVID-19 tests, the Wildcats walked into Norman and managed to pull the upset.

Quarterback Skylar Thompson not only threw for 334 yards and a touchdown but also finished three Wildcats drives with his legs as he ran for three scores on the day.

Perhaps the most important thing Thompson did on the afternoon was not turn the ball over as Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler had some big-time growing pains, throwing three interceptions on the day.

Oklahoma’s defense had trouble stopping the big play most of the second half as Kansas State erupted for 31 second half points after putting up just seven in the games first 30 minutes.

In what is an incredibly strange year of 2020 it’s hard to speak in absolutes just a few weeks in but it really is feeling like it’s Texas or bust for the Big 12 this fall.

Kansas State lost their only previous game this season to Arkansas State before pulling the upset today while the conference has already had it’s fair share of embarrassing losses to the Sun Belt early on.

Oklahoma will undoubtedly drop like a rock in the new polls on Sunday and have a ton of work cut out for themselves if they hope to be in the College Football Playoff yet again this winter.

If there is good news for the Sooners it’s that the loss came so early on but when considering resumes a few months from now, this loss to a Kansas State team that lost on their own home field to Arkansas State will be difficult to look past, even if the Sooners run the table from here out which is going to be difficult enough on it’s own.

Is it time to start thinking the Sun Belt Champion should warrant more consideration for the playoff than the Big 12 winner?

You may have laughed but it’s getting to be worth a conversation.

Four Ohio State women’s golfers earn WGCA All-American Scholar honors

Four members of the Ohio State women’s golf team earned WGCA All-American Scholar status on Monday.

Four members of the Ohio State women’s golf team have earned Women’s Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar honors for the 2019-20 academic year, according to a release from the school’s athletic department Monday.

In order to be considered for the All-American Scholar Team, student-athletes must maintain a minimum 3.50 cumulative grade-point average. Congratulations to these four ladies.

Ohio State WGCA All-American Scholars

Junior Yukie Sasaki (1st selection – Hospitality Management)
Junior Sofia Seldemirova (2nd selection – Marketing)
Senior Adeena Shears (3rd selection – Human Development and Family Science)
Sophomore Skylar Thompson (1st selection – Speech and Hearing Science)

Senior Adeena Shears becomes the ninth Buckeye in program history to earn the honor three times, while junior Sofia Seldemirova has accomplished the feat twice. Junior Yukie Sasaki and sophomore Skylar Thompson each received the recognition for the first time.

Big 12 Football: Ranking all 10 quarterbacks

When it comes to Big 12 football, quarterbacks get all of the glory and all of the blame when it doesn’t go well. Let’s rank the passers.

In the Big 12 Conference it has been all about the offense. Of course that all starts with the gunslinger at each school. Over recent years the names of Patrick Mahomes, Baker Mayfield, Colt McCoy, Bryce Petty and many others have led high-powered offenses onto the field.

With so many quarterbacks ready to be the next great Big 12 quarterback, we ranked each one to determine who reigns supreme.

Continue reading “Big 12 Football: Ranking all 10 quarterbacks”

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