Tag: Troy Everett

2023 Position Review and Recruiting Outlook: Sooners offensive line marked by inconsistency

The Oklahoma Sooners offensive line was up-and-down in 2023 but once again finished strong and the future is bright.

The Oklahoma Sooners offensive line had an up-and-down season in 2023. They once again started the season slow, which has become a common theme in recent years.

But they were able to close the season pretty well, another common theme under Bill Bedenbaugh. It was a weird year for the offensive line that saw a lot of reshuffling up front.

They started the season with [autotag]Walter Rouse[/autotag], [autotag]McKade Mettauer[/autotag], [autotag]Andrew Raym[/autotag], [autotag]Savion Byrd[/autotag] and [autotag]Tyler Guyton[/autotag] as the starters along the line. At various points in the season, the line changed whether that was [autotag]Troy Everett[/autotag], [autotag]Cayden Green[/autotag] or [autotag]Jacob Sexton[/autotag] working their way into the starting lineup.

This was a group I was very high on to start the season, so let’s take a look at how I thought they fared.

15 highest graded Oklahoma Sooners on offense per Pro Football Focus for 2023

The 15 highest-graded Oklahoma Sooners on offense after the regular season.

The Oklahoma Sooners’ offense had a banner year in 2023. A number of players had great seasons for an offense that finished No. 3 in the nation in scoring and No. 4 in total yards.

It was an offense that scored more than 40 points seven times and 50 or more three times.

Though there were times when the offense needed to be better, it was one of the best in the nation. Their performances against Texas, Iowa State, West Virginia, and TCU were incredible, helping propel the Sooners to a 10-2 record.

But who were the most important pieces to the offense? Let’s take a look at Pro Football Focus’ top 15 highest-graded players on offense from the 2023 regular season.

Minimum 188 snaps

No. 7 Oklahoma Sooners vs UCF Knights: How to Watch, key players, weather forecast for gameday

Here is how to watch, some key players and the weather forecast for gameday against the UCF Knights.

The Oklahoma Sooners are set to take on another [autotag]Big 12 Conference[/autotag] newcomer, the [autotag]UCF Knights[/autotag] in Norman on Saturday. The Knights come in 3-3 whereas the Sooners are first in the Big 12 and undefeated at 6-0.

Both teams are coming off a bye week. The last time they played, the Sooners knocked off the Texas Longhorns in a thrilling showdown at the Cotton Bowl. The Knights had a tough 29-point loss to the [autotag]Kansas Jayhawks[/autotag].

The bye weeks couldn’t have come at a better time for both schools. Oklahoma was nursing some injuries and hope to get some of those guys back like [autotag]Troy Everett[/autotag] and [autotag]Gentry Williams[/autotag], who left the game against the Longhorns. According to Brent Venables, Savion Byrd, Kani Walker, Jasiah Wagoner, and Makari Vickers are back.

For UCF, it sounds like they’ll get back their do-everything quarterback, but also they need to regroup. The Knights have lost three straight games and have given up 36 or more points in those three games.

It should be a good game in Norman, OK, so let’s check out how you can watch the game, the injury report, players to watch, and the weather forecast if you decide to be in attendance.

Cayden Green’s performance in the Cotton Bowl should lead to more opportunities.

Cayden Green impressed in his first Red River Rivalry game and could be the answer to the Sooners left guard inconsistencies.

Coming into the 119th edition of the [autotag]Red River Rivalry[/autotag], there was a feeling the Texas Longhorns‘ great defensive line would provide UT a significant advantage. Texas came into the game with two dominant interior defensive linemen, [autotag]T’Vondre Sweat[/autotag] and [autotag]Byron Murphy II[/autotag].

Both are going to have a future in the [autotag]NFL[/autotag]. It was going to be a tough battle for [autotag]Troy Everett[/autotag], who has spent more time at center than guard in his collegiate career. Early in the game, Everett struggled to handle Sweat and Murphy.

Enter true freshman [autotag]Cayden Green[/autotag].

Green was recruited to play tackle, and his future could be on the outside. However, he’s shown that he has the skill set to be a dominant guard. He further proved that in the biggest game of the year against arguably the best defensive lineman in the conference.

Once Green was inserted, rarely did we hear Sweat’s name called. Holes started to open up that weren’t there before Green started to play. Green was the one who paved the way on Tawee Walker’s walk-in touchdown.

Green talked to reporters on Monday about playing against Texas’ defensive line. “Their line was pretty nice-sized, but at the end of the day, it’s just football. You just have to do your job,” Green said.

And he certainly did his job.

He might have performed so well he should have a starting role along the offensive line this season. Oklahoma hasn’t been able to solidify their left guard spot. Savion Byrd and Everett have struggled with consistency. Green may go through some growing pains, but his ceiling is so high that it may be better to get his future going now.

With the likelihood that OU and Texas could meet again in the Big 12 title game, there’s no better time to get your future going along the offensive line. Green’s shown he’s good enough to play along Oklahoma’s offensive line. The next six games provide a significant opportunity to get the former four-star offensive lineman significant snaps and be better prepared for a possible Red River title game rematch.

As the Sooners work to improve their ground game and solidify their offensive line, Cayden Green has earned an opportunity to run with the starting offensive line. There’s no bigger stage to announce your arrival to college football than on the grandest stage of them all.

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

Oklahoma Sooners need its running game operating at a high level Saturday

The Oklahoma Sooners running game has been up and down but it needs to get going on Saturday.

Through five games this season, there hasn’t been much to complain about if you are an Oklahoma Sooners fan. The one negative so far, though, has been the running game.

Last year, the Sooners had a top-10 running game. This year many thought the running game could be better. The offensive line had another year in the system, and they are deeper at the running back position. Instead, they are tied for 63rd in the nation.

McKade Mettauer talked about the importance of winning the line of scrimmage with reporters after practice on Monday.

“This game always comes down to the line of scrimmage,” Mettauer said. “On both sides of the ball, offense and defense, the game is going to be decided on the line of scrimmage. So, if we’re able to move those guys and our defense is able to knock back that offensive line that has decided the game most years. I think it’s going to do the same this year.”

The last game and a half, the Sooners rushing attack saw a little bit of life. We started to see some holes that weren’t there early in the season. Marcus Major has started to find his footing running the ball.

The issue is we aren’t seeing the explosive runs we are used to seeing. Any time Oklahoma has busted a big run, it’s been called back for holding. That’s something they have to do a better job at on Saturday.

If they do, Oklahoma has a good chance of walking out of the Cotton Bowl with the Golden Hat.

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

Report Card: All three phases contribute as Oklahoma cruises to 30 point win over Iowa State

Oklahoma plays complementary football and rolls to a 50-20 win over Iowa State. A look at this week’s report card.

Oklahoma put together a complementary effort on Saturday night, beating Iowa State in their last matchup as Big 12 foes. In the Sooners’ 50-20 win, Oklahoma had big day on offense, added a defensive score, and a blocked punt resulted in a safety.

It was a pleasant sight as the Sooners avoided getting caught in a trap game. A few busts in coverage made the game closer than it was.

Outside of the two big plays, the Sooners allowed 234 yards and six points across the remaining three quarters. Brent Venables was able to rally and refocus his troops when the game got to 21-20 in the second quarter. The Sooners didn’t allow another point over the final 39 minutes of the game.

Here’s how the Sooners fared in this week’s Report Card.

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.

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

Time for a bounce back: Some Sooners on offense to keep an eye on vs. Tulsa

After a poor showing on offense against SMU, we’ll be looking at these Sooners to have better games or get more playing time.

Oklahoma’s performance on offense against SMU was head-scratching. The playcalling felt disjointed, especially after the first quarter. Poor blocking was the main culprit, but it also felt very conservative.

Whether that was by design, it needs to be better.

The entire offense needs to be better. The blocking took a step back after dominating Arkansas State. The running backs weren’t particularly explosive or impactful until later in the game. The receivers were essentially a non-factor outside of [autotag]Andrel Anthony[/autotag] and a late fourth-quarter touchdown catch from [autotag]Jalil Farooq[/autotag].

This Saturday will give Oklahoma one more tune-up before they embark on a journey to start their Big 12 schedule. After this week’s matchup with Tulsa, the Sooners will go on the road again to face Cincinnati. The Sooners will want to feel better about their offensive performance before making the trip in week 4.

With a unit that struggled against SMU, there are a number of candidates in need of bounce-back performances. Here are the three players we’ll be watching closely on Saturday.

Up Next: 3 Sooners to Watch on Offense

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4

Can Oklahoma Sooners running game find more success vs. Tulsa?

The running game for the Oklahoma Sooners was thought to be a positive heading into the season but so far hasn’t lived up to the hype.

After a great opening week performance by the Oklahoma Sooners’ offensive line, they put together a poor follow-up one this past Saturday. This offensive line could be one of the better units we’ve seen in recent memory.

The Sooners’ pass protection was pretty good, allowing only one sack and few hurries, but the run game didn’t hold up to their standard. The Sooners averaged only four yards per carry and were tackled for a loss three times.

McKade Mettauer told reporters that performance wasn’t acceptable.

“It wasn’t our best game,” Mettauer said. “We didn’t rush for five yards per carry which is our goal. We need to be better with penalties. Really changed our mentality. We had good effort on Saturday, but that’s not good enough for us to play the way that we need to play, especially with stuff like the running game, where we need to dominate. So, I think clean up penalties and change our mentality, knowing we need to have a really good effort like we have, but we need to clean up our technique.”

With five yards per carry being the goal, the Sooners have actually yet to hit that mark. In Week 1, the Sooners averaged 4.5 yards per carry which was probably the only negative from the week one win over Arkansas State.

If five yards per carry is the standard, then the Oklahoma Sooners aren’t meeting their own expectations to start 2023. For Oklahoma to have success this season, the offensive line will need to find more consistency on the ground.

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

Oklahoma Sooners offensive line looks to get back on track in Week 3 vs. Tulsa

The Oklahoma Sooners offensive line looks to get back on track after underperforming Week 2.

The Oklahoma Sooners are coming off a bizarre offensive performance against the SMU Mustangs. Many thought the Sooners would dominate but that just wasn’t the case.

The most bizarre thing was how the offensive line seemed to get barely any push and rarely created holes. This is an offensive line that has been touted as one of the better ones Oklahoma has had in the last few years, which is saying something.

Offensive tackle Walter Rouse spoke with reporters after practice on Tuesday and said they have to be better going forward.

“Obviously, it’s always good to get a win. But when I say this, I mean the utmost respect for SMU with the type of program that I believe we can be and the type of program all of the coaches know we can be is that I think we could have done a lot better,” Rouse said. “I feel like we should have put that game away a lot earlier.”

Rouse went on to say he felt the effort and want to was there, but the technique needs improvement. The Sooners will take on a Tulsa team that generated a lot of pressure in their first game but didn’t last week against the Washington Huskies.

That is to be expected as Washington’s quarterback Michael Penix Jr. was only hit 16 times a season ago. The Sooners are going to need to duplicate that performance this week.

“Tulsa is going to come out and give us everything they have,” Rouse said. “(They will) show us things we’ve never seen before. We have to respect them, respect their defensive line and come out with good technique.”

The Sooners offensive line will get that opportunity for redemption this Saturday on their first road trip of the season. There’s little doubt the offensive line will play well. Because if there’s one position group that deserves the benefit of the doubt, it’s the offensive line led by [autotag]Bill Bedenbaugh[/autotag].

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