Tag: sooners football

Sooners cornerback Jacobe Johnson moving to wide receiver

The Oklahoma Sooners are trying to find playmakers at wide receiver and Jacobe Johnson could be an answer.

The Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver room hasn’t simply had bad luck. It’s had terrible luck on the injury front.

Dating back to the Red River Showdown in 2023, the Sooners have lost four key wide receivers expected to make significant contributions in 2024. Andrel Anthony tore his ACL a year ago and still isn’t ready to play significant snaps for the Sooners. Jayden Gibson was lost for the season in fall camp. Jalil Farooq broke his foot on the first series of the season. And after battling a hamstring injury, Nic Anderson lasted just nine snaps in his week four debut.

To say they need some help at wide receiver is an understatement. In an attempt to get more size and speed on the outside, the Oklahoma Sooners are moving former four-star athlete Jacobe Johnson from cornerback to wide receiver.

The Mustang, Okla. native, has good size, speed, and athleticism to be a contributor to the wide receiver depth chart.

When meeting with the media on Wednesday, Brent Venables discussed the transition and shared that it may not be this week for Johnson to contribute, but he’ll have a chance to make an impact in several weeks.

Venables called him a “natural wide receiver.” The Sooners head coach highlighted his ball skills, his competitive toughness, and 4.4 speed that Johnson plays with.

With a bye week coming after the Auburn game, Oklahoma has some time to get Johnson ramped up. If he can be ready to roll by the Texas game, the Sooners could have another playmaker available.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.

Sooners defense steps up in the fourth, Oklahoma beats Tulane Green Wave 34-19

The Oklahoma defense came up big in the second half and the Sooners beat Tulane 34-19 to move to 3-0.

Oklahoma needed another strong defensive effort in the second half, but they came through, and the Sooners beat the Tulane Green Wave 34-19 to move to 3-0 on the season.

Tulane started with the ball, but the Sooners forced a three-and-out to give Oklahoma’s much-maligned offense a chance to find some early momentum.

After the Sooners failed to score over their final eight drives against Houston, they got off to a nice start against Tulane, marching down the field on a methodical 14-play scoring drive. Oklahoma converted three third downs on the drive, each of them coming with less than five yards to go to get the first. The longest play of the drive was a 12-yard catch and run by Jovantae Barnes.

The drive culminated with a tough [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] one-yard touchdown drive.

Oklahoma and Tulane traded punts for the next five drives, but the Sooners missed out on points when the kicking operation took too long to get set up and drew a flag for delay of game. Oklahoma was forced once again to punt.

Punter [autotag]Luke Elzinga[/autotag] pinned the Green Wave inside their own 10-yard line, and the Sooners defense forced another three-and-out.

The Sooners then came through with another 7-play scoring drive to take a 14-0 lead. OU didn’t face a third down on the drive, and true freshman running back [autotag]Taylor Tatum[/autotag] scored the first touchdown of his Sooners career on a nine-yard reception for the score.

After Tulane missed a field goal, the Sooners took over and had another efficient drive, going six plays for 67 yards, with Tatum picking up his second touchdown of the day on a one-yard run. Jackson Arnold showed off his wheels with a 47-yard run on a read-option to open the drive and put the Sooners in scoring range in an instant.

The Green Wave then followed it up with a clock-eating 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that took a really nice throw from backup quarterback Ty Thompson and an incredible catch from Reggie Brown to get on the board. Tulane missed the extra point so the Sooners went into halftime up 21-6.

After halftime, it was a different ball game. The Green Wave held the Sooners to a field goal on their opening drive of the half. On Oklahoma’s third and seven from the Tulane eight-yard line, Jackson Arnold was sacked for a three-yard loss. It forced the Sooners to settle for a field goal. The way the drive ended would signal what the Sooners offense would look like for their next four drives.

The running game couldn’t get going, and the offensive line struggled with Tulane’s pressure packages.

The Green Wave cut the score to 21-13 on their first drive of the second half, finding some explosive plays in the passing game. It was aided by a questionable pass interference call on safety Robert Spears-Jennings, but the Green Wave were able to take advantage.

The Sooners and Green Wave traded punts as the offensive line struggled to contain Tulane’s blitz packages.

Facing a first and 15 after an illegal formation penalty on Michael Tarquin, left guard Heath Ozaeta released a Green Wave linebacker who ran right up the middle and put pressure on Arnold. Arnold avoided the pressure and tried to throw a ball to Deion Burks, but Tulane linebacker Tyler Grubbs stepped in front of the pass for a pick six to cut Oklahoma’s lead to five.

The punters continued to do incredible work as Brent Venables and Jon Sumrall tried to play the field position game. But Tulane got the ball with just over 10 minutes to go in the game. The Sooners defense stepped up before forcing a fourth and one attempt from Tulane. Darian Mensah faced the run and dropped back to pass, but his attempt to hit the slant was disrupted by cornerback Kani Walker, who knocked the ball into the air and after it went through linebacker Kobie McKinzie’s hands, Billy Bowman came up with the interception.

The Sooners responded with a four-play 43-yard touchdown drive, capped off by a Jackson Arnold 24-yard touchdown run, his second of the game. Arnold had to break multiple tackles to get in the end zone.

With Tulane attempting to move the ball to try and come back in the game on, the Oklahoma Sooners defense stepped up and shut the door. Defensive end R Mason Thomas had three sacks on the final two drives, including a strip sack and fumble recovery.

OU’s defense came through on fourth down twice in the final minutes to seal the game once again for the Sooners.

Despite the interception returned for a touchdown, Jackson Arnold had a nice afternoon for the Sooners. Though he failed to throw for more than 200 yards once again in 2024, he ran for 97 yards on 14 carries. He would have had 100 yards, but took time off the clock to kneel on the ball so that the Sooners could avoid snapping it again, taking a three-yard loss on the final play of the game.

Arnold finished the night 18 of 29 for 169 yards, one passing touchdown, two rushing touchdowns, 97 yards rushing, and one interception.

[autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag] was really good once again. He had seven receptions for 80 yards to lead the way for a dinged-up receiving corps. Other than a drop on a critical third down, Burks showed off his catch and run ability through the game.

[autotag]Bauer Sharp[/autotag] was second on the team in receiving with four receptions for 28 yards. Offensive coordinator Seth Littrell made a concerted effort to get the tight ends and running backs involved in the passing game and they caught nine of Arnold’s 18 completions.

The defense held the Green Wave to 13 points and came through once again in critical moments. Senior linebacker Danny Stutsman led the way with 12 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss. Robert Spears-Jennings had seven tackles, including six solo, and 0.5 tackles for loss.

The Sooners won the turnover battle once again, the third time that’s happened this season, and held a really good Tulane offense to just 279 yard of total offense. Oklahoma held the Green Wave to just 3.1 yards per carry for the game.

The Sooners are now 3-0 on the season as they get ready to welcome the high-flying Tennessee Volunteers to Norman next Saturday night in primetime.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.

Sooners Wire staff predictions for No. 13 Oklahoma vs. Tulane Green Wave

Sooners Wire staff predicts another close matchup as the Oklahoma Sooners get set to take on the Tulane Green Wave.

The No. 13 Oklahoma Sooners (2-0) welcome the Tulane Green Wave (1-1) to Norman on Saturday afternoon. Both teams played Big 12 squads last week in tight ball games.

The Sooners struggled to put away Houston in a 16-12 win, and Tulane nearly pulled off an upset of Kansas State at home but threw an interception in the end zone on what would have been a game-tying touchdown drive in the final seconds.

Week three promises to provide another intriguing matchup in Norman, but who wins? Here’s a look at this week’s Sooners Wire Staff Predictions!

Sooners Wire Staff Predictions

Oklahoma stays unbeaten at 3-0 in 2024 with another tense win at home.

OU’s defense controls the game for the most part, and the Sooners win the special teams battle for the third game in a row. Field position proves to be critical again, but the OU offense has a better outing than they did against Houston.

Someone from the running back room turns in a solid performance, and the duo of Jackson Arnold and Deion Burks connects enough times to get the job done. The offense is aided by a touchdown from either the special teams or the defense, and OU beats a good Tulane team by 10.

However, there’s still plenty of room for improvement and healing to do during the week before Tennessee comes into Oklahoma riding high on three impressive victories to open the season.

Sooners 24, Green Wave 14

Contact/Follow Aaron Gelvin

 

Up Next: More Sooners Wire Staff Predictions

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

Injuries continue to cloud offensive line direction for Oklahoma Sooners

The Oklahoma Sooners have suffered a number of injuries to their offensive line, which is making it difficult to develop cohesion.

Two games into the 2024 season, the Oklahoma Sooners still don’t have any answers along the offensive line. Much of that is due to injuries, namely to Branson Hickman, Jake Taylor, Geirean Hatchett, and Troy Everett. But Spencer Brown was underwhelming in his start against Temple.

The Sooners have gone deep into the well up front to try and find the right mix. When Taylor went down on Saturday after just 23 snaps, the Sooners turned to redshirt freshman Logan Howland, who came in at left tackle, bumping veteran Michael Tarquin to the right side.

The offensive line was pretty good in pass protection, but struggled to create room for the Sooners rushing attack, which was held to just 75 yards on the night and under three yards per carry.

With Tulane set to come to town, Oklahoma will likely roll out an offensive line that has Howland at left tackle, Jacob Sexton at left guard, Bates at center, Febechi Nwaiwu at right guard, and Tarquin at right tackle. Far from the group Bill Bedenbaugh and Seth Littrell expected to enter the season with.

Though they gave up three sacks in the game, the Sooner’s offensive line regularly gave Jackson Arnold enough time to work within the pocket. But the passing game couldn’t find a rhythm as the wide receiver room deals with injuries itself and Arnold goes through early career struggles.

Brent Venables mentioned in his weekly press conference that true freshman Eddy Pierre-Louis has been working with the offense during practice. He didn’t indicate how much work with the first team he was getting, but the Sooenrs are high on the former four-star interior offensive lineman.

2024 is repeating 2023 in a way. Oklahoma opened both seasons with a huge win over an overmatched opponent. In week two of last year, the Sooners struggled with SMU, as they did with Houston on Saturday night. There wasn’t a clear answer at left guard last year, and injuries have created chaos up front this year. The running game was hit-and-miss, and OU didn’t really know who their lead back was until midseason.

The injuries the Sooners have suffered have made it difficult for the offensive line to develop much chemistry, cohesion, and communication. Three elements that are critical to good offensive line play. It’s a challenge the coaching staff is working through as they work to get more players involved in the offensive line rotation.

If the Sooners can find a consistent running game, it would open up so much for their offense. Teams wouldn’t be able to sit back and take away everything Oklahoma wants to do in the passing game.

Will they be able to find that running game this week against a Tulane team that allowed the Wildcats to run for 6.5 yards per carry? A Green Wave team that held Kansas State to just 2 of 10 on third down? We’ll find out this Saturday afternoon in Norman.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.

Where are the Oklahoma Sooners in the US LBM Coaches Poll after Week 2?

The Oklahoma Sooners survived their matchup with Houston, did it change where they stand in the US LBM Coaches Poll?

It wasn’t the performance anyone was expecting as the Oklahoma Sooners needed a safety in the final two minutes to seal a 16-12 win over the Houston Cougars. But they came away with the win to move to 2-0 on the season.

After their win, the Sooners remained steady in the US LBM Coaches Poll at No. 13 in the nation. Issues abound, but the Sooners have little time to address them as they get ready for the Tulane Green Wave on Saturday.

The Green Wave are coming off a near upset of the 15th-ranked Kansas State Wildcats. After receiving votes in the poll last week, Tulane fell out of the receiving votes after the loss.

There were no changes at the top of the poll. The top six stayed the same as it was a week ago. Georgia received 48 out of a possible 52 first-place votes, followed by Ohio State, Texas, Alabama and Ole Miss in the top five.

Texas is coming off an impressive 31-12 win over the Michigan Wolverines, which established it as a serious national title contender.

In addition to the Crimson Tide and Rebels, Missouri and Tennessee moved up in the polls to No. 7 and No. 9 in the nation, respectively, after their wins on Saturday. That makes four teams in the top nine that the Sooners are slated to play in 2024.

Just outside of the top 10, the Sooners are behind No. 11 USC and No. 12 Miami. Both teams have significant wins to start the season. The Trojans knocked off LSU in Week 1, and Miami beat Florida to open the year.

More important than their ranking, the Oklahoma Sooners have much to prove to themselves as they get ready for their final nonconference showdown before SEC play begins on Sept. 21.

Here’s a look at the full US LBM Coaches Poll.

Week 2 US LBM Coaches Poll

Ranking Team Record Points
1 Georgia Bulldogs 2-0 1,346 (50)
2 Ohio State Buckeyes 2-0 1,281 (3)
3 Texas Longhorns 2-0 1,259 (1)
4 Alabama Crimson Tide 2-0 1,157
5 Ole Miss Rebels 2-0 1,136
6 Oregon Ducks 2-0 987
7 Penn State Nittany Lions 2-0 956
8 Missouri Tigers 2-0 955
9 Tennessee Volunteers 2-0 930
10 Utah Utes 2-0 871
11 USC Trojans 2-0 803
12 Miami Hurricanes 2-0 798
13 Oklahoma Sooners 2-0 700
14 Oklahoma State Cowboys 2-0 588
15 Kansas State Wildcats 2-0 578
16 Michigan Wolverines 1-1 501
17 LSU Tigers 1-1 410
18 Arizona Wildcats 2-0 399
19 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 1-1 388
20 Clemson Tigers 1-1 326
21 Louisville Cardinals 2-0 288
22 Washington Huskies 2-0 176
23 Iowa State Cyclones 2-0 157
24 Nebraska Cornhuskers 2-0 91
25 Memphis Tigers 2-0 85

Schools Dropped Out

No. 20 Kansas; No. 21 Iowa; No. 23 North Carolina State

Others Receiving Votes:

Texas A&M 68; Boston College 36; Syracuse 33; Illinois 33; Northern Illinois 30; Wisconsin 28; South Carolina 25; UNLV 19; Boise State 18; Iowa 17; Kansas 10; North Carolina State 9; UCF 7; Texas State 7; TCU 6; North Carolina 5; California 5; Liberty 4; Pittsburgh 2; Michigan State 2; BYU 2; Tulane 1; James Madison 1; Indiana 1

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.

Oklahoma Sooners hang on to beat Houston Cougars

Oklahoma Sooners hang on to beat Houston 16-12 behind a strong performance from the Sooners defense.

The Oklahoma Sooners dealt with a much different Houston Cougars team than the one that lost to UNLV last week.

Houston had a much better gameplan than last week to help support quarterback Donovan Smith. The Sooners were marred by miscommunication and inefficiency in the passing game, lack of a consistent run game. and an uncharacteristic lack of discipline. But they got enough breaks, and the defense made enough stops to come away with a 16-12 win over Houston.

The Oklahoma Sooners took advantage of a ball tipped by the Houston Cougars return man to get great field position after a rough first possession. On the very next play, Jackson Arnold found Brenen Thompson to put Oklahoma up 7-0.

Houston then went on a 12-play drive that spanned 8:25 but had to settle for a field goal on their second drive of the game.

On Oklahoma’s first drive of the second quarter, Jackson Arnold led the offense on an eight-play, 81-yard drive, culminating in a touchdown pass to tight end Jake Roberts.

And that’s where the highlights ended for an offense that struggled to move the ball with much consistency in the second half. The Sooners only had 110 total yards and averaged just 2.1 yards per carry after halftime.

The defense had a communication breakdown on the first drive of the second half, which led to Houston’s lone touchdown and cut the lead to 14-12. But the Sooners defense came up with the stop on the two-point conversion.

Oklahoma had an opportunity to ice the game with a long drive, but after getting to midfield, Houston’s defense stymied Oklahoma on first and second down run plays, and then [autotag]Jackson Arnold[/autotag] was sacked on third down.

Luke Elzinga buried Houston at the five-yard line with a great punt and on Houston’s first play from scrimmage, defensive tackle Gracen Halton came up with the play of the game, burying Stacy Sneed at the goalline and earning the safety for the Sooners.

Oklahoma had visions of running out the clock, but an unsportsmanlike penalty on Joshua Bates gave Houston a little more time for one final desperation drive. Houston made a few plays, but the Sooners defense got one more stop in the game to close out the win and move to 2-0.

The Sooners offense struggled throughout, recording just 249 yards of total offense, including zero points in the second half.

Jackson Arnold finished the night 19 of 32 for 174 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He also carried the ball 11 times for 28 yards.

[autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag] had nine receptions for 53 yards and a touchdown.

But this was a game that was about the defense. Though Houston was able to move the ball at times, Oklahoma’s defense held the Cougars to just 12 points and just five yards per play. OU held Houston to just 4 of 15 on third down and 1.7 yards per carry.

[autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] was an absolute monster for the defense, recording 15 total tackles, including 12 solo, and one for a loss. Robert Spears-Jennings came up big with five total tackles, a tackle for loss, and an interception in the second half that set up Oklahoma with great field position. Samuel Omosigho earned some extended playing time and came up with five total tackles and two tackles for loss.

Halton’s safety was the second tackle for loss he recorded in the game. [autotag]Damonic Williams[/autotag] recorded two tackles and a sack.

The Oklahoma Sooners now hope to regroup and get ready for a Tulane team that took Kansas State to the brink of an upset on Saturday.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.

Oklahoma Football releases depth chart for week 2 vs. Houston Cougars

What’s new on the Oklahoma Sooners depth chart ahead of their week two matchup with the Houston Cougars?

The Oklahoma Sooners released their depth chart for their week two matchup against the Houston Cougars on Friday night. Though a lot has stayed the same from week one, there are a few notable differences.

With Jalil Farooq out for six to eight weeks with a foot injury, J.J. Hester is slated to start opposite Brenen Thompson OR [autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag], while [autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag] continues to occupy the slot position. Behind Hester are true freshmen [autotag]Zion Kearney[/autotag] and [autotag]Zion Ragins[/autotag]. The Sooners may have to go to their talented former four-star prospects if Hester’s unable to improve from his performance against Temple, where he had a couple of drops.

The offensive line is pretty much the same as last week, but [autotag]Joshua Bates[/autotag] has moved and is now listed as a co-starter alongside [autotag]Branson Hickman[/autotag]. Bates impressed during fall camp and earned some first-team reps but dealt with injuries in the latter stages of camp. Hickman, who was the solo starter last week for Temple, hurt his ankle in the first quarter. Initially, the Sooners slid Geirean Hatchett over from left guard to center to fill in for Hickman, but in the second half, it was all Bates.

Notably, the Sooners ran for 40 more rushing yards and just over nine yards per carry in the second half, albeit more against Temple’s backups. Given Hickman’s injury situation, the Sooners may choose to be conservative with their veteran center against Houston, making sure he’s healthy for the remainder of the season.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.

Predictions for No. 13 Oklahoma Sooners vs. Houston Cougars

Sooners Wire staff predicts this week’s matchup between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Houston Cougars.

The No. 13 Oklahoma Sooners welcome the Houston Cougars (0-1) to Norman for a Saturday evening affair. The Sooners lead the all-time series, 3-1, with their most recent win coming in 2019 in Jalen Hurts’ debut.

Since that meeting, both teams have changed coaches and conferences. However, Saturday night will make for an intriguing nonconference affair inside Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

The Cougars are coming off a disappointing 20-point loss to UNLV, while the Sooners beat Temple by 48. Oklahoma’s offense ranks 23rd in points per game at the Football Bowl Subdivison level, and Houston is sitting at No. 124 after Week 1.

However, the Sooners are likely to see a better team this Saturday night than the one that lost in Week 1. How will the game turn out, our team here at Sooners Wire predicts Oklahoma vs. Houston.

Sooners Wire Staff Predictions

Week 2 has arrived in Norman, and after the Sooners dispatched the Temple Owls with little resistance, they turn the page and continue to gear up for their inaugural conference schedule in the SEC.

In front of them this week at Owen Field is the Houston Cougars. Houston lost key pieces this offseason with Patrick Paul heading to the NFL and Matthew Golden transferring to the Texas Longhorns. Houston also lost convincingly to UNLV, so morale was depleted to start the season. I expect a better effort from them this week, but it will not matter.

Here’s why.

This Oklahoma team is bigger, stronger, faster and better. Improved health should help the stability and overall production of the offensive live that struggled against Temple. Bounce-back performances from some depth receivers will help the Sooners look more explosive this week.

Jackson Arnold throws for another three touchdowns, Jovantae Barnes touches pay dirt for the first time this year, and I think the Sooners’ defense forces Cougars QB Donovan Smith into a couple of turnovers. The Sooners improve from their dreadful 1 of 12 performance on third down and get closer to 45%.

Oklahoma 49, Houston 17

Contact/Follow Bryant Crews

Up Next: More Sooners Wire Staff Predictions

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3

The Good, the bad and the ugly from the Oklahoma Sooners win over Temple

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly from the Oklahoma Sooners week one win over the Temple Owls.

The Oklahoma Sooners had a strong start in their 51-3 win over the Temple Owls. They did just enough on offense to take advantage of a great defensive effort.

Oklahoma knew it didn’t need to go deep into the playbook to beat the Owls. While the offensive performance isn’t quite what we’d expect from the Sooners, it didn’t need to be for OU to win and cover the 42 1/2-point spread.

There was a lot of good in Oklahoma’s win over the Owls and some stuff that has to improve as the Sooners move through the 2024 season. Here’s a look at the first installment of the good, the bad and the ugly from Week 1.

The Good: Defense is Back in Norman

It’s just one game, but the Oklahoma Sooners defense looked great against the Temple Owls on Friday night.

The Sooners held Temple to less than 200 yards of total offense and 1.9 yards per carry. Oklahoma’s defense recorded six turnovers, the most in a game since 2003. It also recorded six sacks and nine tackles for loss. The production came from everyone.

The Owls couldn’t get much going offensively as the Sooners frustrated them with a relentless defensive effort.

The Sooners will face tougher teams down the road, but you have to be happy about what they put on the field to start the 2024 season.

The Bad: Run Game Needs Work

Yes, the Oklahoma Sooners ran for 217 yards. You take the 28 yards from sacks out of the equation and the yardage number jumps to 245. On the surface, that looks pretty good. But nearly a third of that rushing total came on the final drive when [autotag]Michael Hawkins[/autotag] and [autotag]Taylor Tatum[/autotag] added 76 yards to the total.

In the first half, OU ran for 4.1 yards per carry. By contrast, the Sooners averaged 9.1 yards per carry in the second half. A much better number, but Temple went deeper into the depth chart as the game went on.

Yes, the offense had a vanilla game plan, but the first-team offense should have been more effective against the Temple Owls. The unit was without [autotag]Jake Taylor[/autotag] and lost [autotag]Branson Hickman[/autotag] to injury in the early going.

The Sooners will have an opportunity to right the ship when they take on a Houston Cougars team that allowed UNLV to rush for nearly 200 yards and average 4.1 yards per carry.

The Ugly: Wide Receiver Depth takes another Hit

The Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver room was lauded this offseason for being one of the deepest in the nation. Well, that depth is going to be put to the test as the Sooners suffered another significant injury.

[autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag], who was third on the team in receiving yards in 2023, was expected to have another strong season but suffered a broken foot in the first quarter of the win over Temple. That’s the second significant injury suffered by the wide receiver during the last month. [autotag]Jayden Gibson[/autotag] was lost for the season in the preseason.

[autotag]Nic Anderson[/autotag] has been banged up and is expected to be ready to roll this week against the Cougars, and Oklahoma will need the breakout star from 2023 to have a repeat season this year.

[autotag]Deion Burks[/autotag] looked good and [autotag]Brenen Thompson[/autotag] is off to a nice start to the season. But the Sooners need Anderson back and will need a younger player to earn a significant role in the wide receiver rotation.

Oklahoma can’t afford another significant wide receiver injury.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.

Jayden Jackson starting at defensive tackle because ‘he’s worked for it’

After a tremendous offseason, freshman defensive tackle Jayden Jackson earns opportunity to start week one vs. Temple.

The Oklahoma Sooners have taken a different approach with their younger players than they did in year one, when freshmen didn’t play much. They’re letting competition play out, and if guys get the opportunity to get on the field early, [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag] and his staff will give them the chance. And true freshman [autotag]Jayden Jackson[/autotag] has earned the opportunity to start for the Sooners this week when they take on Temple.

Speaking at the Rudy’s BBQ Coach’s Show this week, Venables was asked about Jackson, who is listed atop the depth chart at defensive tackle for week one.

“Since Jayden got here, he’s really shown a different level of maturity,” Venables said. “He shows up every day. Just how he lives his life, everything is pretty clean for him. … He makes good decisions, and he’s got incredible discipline.”

Discipline as a defensive lineman, especially a defensive tackle, is as important as some of the more tangible traits like strength or quickness. The defensive tackle can often be responsible for multiple gaps in the defensive alignment and has to be ready to go from run defender to pass rusher or vice versa in a split second. If a defensive tackle guesses wrong or doesn’t play their assignment, it can open up a massive hole in the middle of the defense,c creating vulnerability.

Jayden Jackson’s being lauded for his discipline and decision-making is a strong sign of his potential. If you make good decisions and remain disciplined off the field, it will translate to the field.

Coming out of IMG Academy in the 2024 recruiting class, Jackson flew a bit more under the radar than his teammate [autotag]David Stone[/autotag], who was a five-star prospect and the crown jewel of the Sooners 2024 class. However, Stone himself praised Jackson’s ability and work ethic coming out of high school, and his trajectory has been skyrocketing ever since.

Jackson had a really strong spring, earning the start in the Sooners’ spring game. And he’s continued that throughout fall camp.

“He knows what he wants,” Venables said. “He’s willing to sacrifice things that don’t help get him what he wants. He just lives a really disciplined lifestyle and that’s a prerequisite in order to earn an opportunity to play at a consistent level. He’s really (starting) because he’s worked for it.”

Jackson has the size, strength, and quickness to be an immediate contributor for the Sooners defense. He had a great first offseason, where he showed the coaching staff that he’s ready to play a significant role for the Sooners. And it all starts this Friday night against Temple.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow John on X @john9williams.