Tag: Sooner Nation

Red River Rivalry picked as a conference game that will decide the College Football Playoff

The Red River Rivalry could be a key game in the CFP landscape, according to 247Sports’ Josh Pate.

It’s been a long time since the [autotag]Oklahoma Sooners[/autotag] versus the Texas Longhorns had national implications. It’s still been one of the best rivalries in all of sports but it hasn’t meant a whole lot to the national landscape.

This year could be different. Texas has big expectations this season causing some to believe anything short of a conference championship is a failure of a season. Oklahoma has expectations because it’s year two under [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag].

Combine that with an, on paper, easy schedule and a complete roster turnover, those in [autotag]Sooner Nation[/autotag] are excited about the season. 247Sports‘ Josh Pate put out a list of five conference games that will decide the College Football Playoff, and the Red River Rivalry came in at No. 3.

If Texas wins this game especially convincingly like they did last year, Texas has kind of arrived and then you ask a ton of questions about OU. If Brent Venables can pull off this win though, we’re using arrival but we are talking about the Sooners instead. – Pate, Late Kick Show

Everything that Pate said is true. If Texas was to win this game convincingly, there will be many question marks about Oklahoma and the program’s direction. On the other hand, if Oklahoma pulls out a win, it would provide a lot of confidence about Oklahoma’s staying power.

It’s great for the sport and for the two programs for this game to have College Football Playoff significance. That’s how it should be. Each year, this game should be a factor in the conference title race and playoff contention. That’s what has made this game so special for so long.

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WATCH: Sooner Nation rushes the Lloyd Noble floor after upset win over No. 2 Alabama

Sooner Nation packed the Lloyd Noble Center and celebrated at center court after the Oklahoma Sooners stunned No. 2 Alabama.

The scene matched the moment as the Oklahoma Sooners stunned the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide in front of a raucous crowd at the Lloyd Noble Center. The Sooners came away with a 93-69 win over the Crimson Tide with a fantastic shooting performance and a defensive effort that lasted a full 40 minutes.

The fans in attendance were fantastic the entire way, showing up for the Sooners taking on a top-five Alabama team in the Big 12-SEC challenge. In arguably the best basketball conference in the nation, Oklahoma hasn’t had the crowd to help provide a home-court advantage in most matchups, but that wasn’t the case on Saturday. And the home crowd was rewarded with a stellar performance.

For showing up and showing out, the Sooners fans in attendance celebrated on the Lloyd Noble court.

Absolute pandemonium unfolded as the final buzzer sounded, and the Sooners got to enjoy a home basketball environment that is the essence of college basketball. With a schedule fraught with great basketball teams coming to Norman, here’s hoping Sooner Nation can match the atmosphere they created at the Lloyd Noble Center on Saturday.

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Sooner Nation reacts to the Texas Longhorns 20-19 loss to No. 1 Alabama

In what turned out to be a fantastic game. the Texas Longhorns fell to Alabama and Sooner Nation reacted accordingly.

The Texas Longhorns were 20-point underdogs heading into their matchup with the No. 1 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide. And in a nail-biting one-point loss to the Tide, the Longhorns looked almost as if they were… dare I say… back.

Although it wasn’t Alabama’s best performance in a penalty-riddled game, the Longhorns’ defense stood tall, holding Alabama to 374 yards of offense. 2021’s Heisman Trophy winner, Bryce Young, was held to 213 passing yards and just 5.5 yards per attempt on the day.

After losing starting quarterback Quinn Ewers to injuries early in the game, the Longhorns held steady throughout, going toe-to-toe with arguably the best program in college football for the last 12 years.

If this is indeed who Texas is in 2022, it certainly adds another element to the Big 12 title race.

Though it was a one-point loss, it’s still a loss. Sooner Nation, while paying respect to the effort Texas put on the field on Saturday, reveled in the Longhorns coming up short.

To provide you an appetizer for Oklahoma’s 6 p.m. kickoff, let’s take a look at some of the best social media reactions.

Final thoughts as the No. 7 Oklahoma Sooners prepare to face Kent State

More Marcus Major? Jalen Redmond breakout? Final thoughts as the Oklahoma Sooners face the Kent State Golden Flashes.

A 6 p.m. CT kickoff provides a fantastic opportunity to watch a great day of football as we get ready for Oklahoma’s week two matchup with the Kent State Golden Flashes.

The Sooners come into this game as heavy favorites and should come away with another decisive victory to start the season.

It was a dominant performance against UTEP, but there were still some areas that the Oklahoma Sooners needed to improve as they prepared for week two. Our Ben Dackiw looked at five things the Sooners needed to work on this week ahead of their matchup with Kent State.

Surrounding the game, the Sooners will be hosting several prospects from the 2023 recruiting class and beyond. Players like [autotag]Cayden Green[/autotag] and [autotag]Heath Ozaeta[/autotag], who have committed, and four-star defensive line target [autotag]Jordan Renaud[/autotag]. Our Bryant Crews outlines the prospects confirmed to be in attendance Saturday night.

There are several players on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball that we’ll be watching in Oklahoma’s matchup with Kent State.

And as you get ready for tonight’s matchup, take a look at how we see this one playing out with our Sooners Wire staff predictions.

Sooner Nation reacts on social media to recruiting news and projections involving blue-chip prospects for 2023

Locks, crystal balls, and recruiting projections sent Sooner Nation ablaze on Saturday, and here are some of the best social media reactions.

The Party at the Palace was an opportunity to showcase the Oklahoma Sooners to a host of college football prospects in the 2023 recruiting class. And it made a huge impression on several prospects. On Friday and into Saturday, Oklahoma assistant coaches began dropping “lock” emojis on social media creating a frenzy among the fan base about which players they could be referring to.

Recruiting analysts began to share tidbits about what it could mean for the 2023 recruiting class without sharing names. Then just after lunchtime, the 247Sports crystal balls, Rivals FutureCasts, and On3 predictions started dropping for highly-regarded 2023 prospects Colton Vasek, Jordan Renaud, and David Hicks.

Three blue-chip prospects for Brent Venables’ defensive line after already adding [autotag]Adepoju Adebawore[/autotag] and [autotag]Derrick LeBlanc[/autotag] recently.

In these three recruiting battles, the Sooners are going up against Texas for Vasek, Alabama for Renaud, and Texas A&M for Hicks. And if the projections come to fruition, they’ll be huge wins for the Oklahoma Sooners in Brent Venables’ first full-year recruiting cycle. That doesn’t even include recent projections for players like [autotag]Makari Vickers[/autotag] and Jacobe Johnson in recent days. And with Peyton Bowen and Ryan Yaites in attendance, it’s possible the Sooners could flip commitments from Notre Dame and LSU.

Just when we thought Brent Venables’ 2023 recruiting class couldn’t get any better, he and his staff went out and showed us how it could get better.

From Baker to Brent, here are 8 takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners spring game

From the return of Baker Mayfield to the beginning of the Brent Venables era, here are 8 takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners’ spring game.

The 2022 Oklahoma Sooners wrapped up spring ball with a spring game that had a record crowd, a Heisman statue presentation, more than 200 former players, and more than 50 recruits on hand. Oh, and some football was played.

It wasn’t a clean spring performance with several turnovers and other miscues, but it was a fantastic way to end the spring in the Red’s 21-17 win over the White.

For the last four months, Brent Venables has been rebuilding a foundation of a program that while successful under the last coaching staff, had begun to lose its edge, missing the College Football Playoff in back-to-back seasons and failing to qualify for the Big 12 championship.

On a windy April day in the spring, the Sooners stood out and provided a lift for a program and a fan base eager to turn the page and begin the Brent Venables era of football.

As the Sooners begin pursuit of National Championship No. 8, here are 8 takeaways from Oklahoma’s spring game.

Social Buzz: What Sooner Nation is saying ahead of the Oklahoma Sooners Spring Game

Social media is buzzing about the return of Baker Mayfield and many other former players for the Oklahoma Sooners 2022 Spring Game.

“Pack the Palace.” You’ve probably heard that phrase over the last month as Oklahoma Sooners head coach Brent Venables has implored Sooner Nation to show up for the 2022 Spring Game. It’s become as common as “uncommon effort,” one of Venables’ key phrases.

Venables put the challenge out to Oklahoma fans to show up earlier in the week and the word is this will be the biggest Spring Game crowd in the history of the program.

The new era of Oklahoma Sooners football is about to start off with a bang in Brent Venables’ first appearance on the Oklahoma sidelines as head coach. To say the fan base is excited about the Spring Game is an understatement. And Venables is excited to put his team on display for the incredibly passionate fan base that is Sooner Nation.