Tag: Tyrese Robinson

Pro Football Focus puts the Oklahoma Sooners offensive line in top 10 ahead of week 11

The Oklahoma Sooners offensive line is trending in the right direction and was one of Pro Football Focus’ top 10 offensive lines heading into week 11.

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It may have taken a few weeks to settle in, but the Oklahoma Sooners offensive line is trending in the right direction for the stretch run of the 2021 college football season.

The Sooners offensive line took a while to find its groove, for the most part, because the coaching staff couldn’t settle on their primary five players up front. Though Andrew Raym didn’t start against Texas Tech, he is still the starter at center and played 44 snaps to Robert Congel’s 12.

Anton Harrison has taken control of the left tackle job, while veterans Marquis Hayes, Chris Murray, and Tyrese Robinson fill out the rest of the offensive line.

It’s a group that still has some work to do in the running game as they prepare for their toughest tests of the season, with Baylor, Iowa State, and Oklahoma State coming in the next three weeks. However, they’re trending in the right direction and land at No. 8 in Anthony Treash’s top 10 offensive line units over at Pro Football Focus, heading into week 11.

Oklahoma claims a top-10 spot for the work its offensive line has done in pass-protection. The Sooners actually have the highest-graded offensive line in the Power Five on true pass sets this season. Harrison and Robinson have been the standout performers on such plays, ranking fifth and ninth respectively among all Power Five offensive linemen in true pass set grade. Those two have given the Sooners the highest-graded tackle tandem in the FBS ahead of Week 11.

It’s their work as pass blockers, which has set the Oklahoma Sooners offensive line apart. Since Caleb Williams took over in the Texas game, the Sooners offensive line has allowed just five sacks of their true freshman quarterback.

With the best defenses in the Big 12 coming on the schedule, Caleb Williams and the Oklahoma Sooners need the offensive line to be at its best starting this week against Baylor. They’ll have to clean up the penalties that have plagued this team and get better in the run game. However, giving Caleb Williams time to throw is the most important thing they can do. Because when he has the time, he’s bound to make magic happen.

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Looking back on the 2017 recruiting class and it’s impact on the 2021 Oklahoma Sooner Sooners

A deeper look at the remaining members of Oklahoma’s 2017 recruiting class and their contributions to the 2021 Oklahoma Sooners.

The bye week is the perfect time for reminiscing and reflecting as the current Oklahoma Sooners enjoy their time off relaxing, resting, and recovering from a grueling stretch where they played football for nine straight weeks.

These 2021 Sooners are led in part by many seniors who are looking to cement their legacy in Sooner history. Specifically, we’ll look at the Sooners of the 2017 class. Some have come and gone but upon further review, it’s hard not to marvel at the work of the Sooners coaching staff (past and present) for being instrumental in landing and developing such talent.

As it stands, eight of the 28 members of that class are already in the NFL. CeeDee Lamb, Tre Brown, Kenneth Murray, Creed Humphrey, Adrian Ealy, Marquise Brown, Tre Norwood, and Trey Sermon (yes, he transferred to Ohio State but he spent 3 years in Norman).

Current members of that class like Justin Broiles, Jeremiah Hall, Marquis Hayes, Isaiah Thomas, Tyrese Robinson, and Kennedy Brooks are on the precipice of the NFL themselves.

Let’s take a look at these seniors and their contributions to the program and their role going forward for the remainder of the season.

Oklahoma offensive line starting to figure things out,

As the Oklahoma Sooners prepare for the stretch run of the season, the offensive line is starting to pull things together.

It’s amazing how much practice and repetition can be a benefit to improvement. The more time you spend doing something, naturally you will get better at it. There’s no timetable on how long that may take but in a tale as old as time, if you put the work in, eventually you’ll see the fruits of your labor.

This rings true for the Oklahoma offensive line. Much maligned and the subject of a lot of criticism along, the offensive line of the 4th ranked Sooners has started to put it together.

It’s far from perfect but they are taking steps week in and week out. Their latest performance saw them stymie Texas Tech’s front seven and allow for Oklahoma’s quarterbacks to throw for a combined seven touchdowns.

This followed a span of a few games where they paved the way for running back Kennedy Brooks to run wild over the likes of Kansas State, Texas,  and TCU.

This team still hasn’t reached its ceiling and that’s a great thing as they head into the most important month of their season with all of their aspirations and goals firmly in front of them.

The Big 12 title is staring them down like a linebacker ready to shoot the gap on 3rd and short. Another College Football Playoff berth is on the horizon if they can win their final four games, including the Big 12 championship.

How they get through these games depends on their play on both sides of the line of scrimmage.

The offensive line doesn’t have the star power that the defensive line has but they do have something to prove. After struggling for roughly five games, they began to put it together. A new quarterback was inserted and he’s started to produce like the other award-winning Oklahoma quarterbacks.

At this point, there’s no turning back to the line they were before. They can only go up.

Center Andrew Raym has solidified himself as the anchor of this line. Veteran guards Marquis Hayes and Chris Murray will likely not be here next year and they have started to play like guys who have one more opportunity to do something special. Right tackle Tyrese Robinson has cut back on his penalties and is doing an excellent job moving guys in space. He’s getting to his pass sets in time to keep his quarterback clean while left tackle Anton Harrison is figuring it out as well.

Harrison and Robinson have been really good despite their issues with penalties. If they’re able to cut back on those penalties, the probability of Oklahoma to get their Guard/Tackle counter play working again goes way up.

Coach Bill Bedenbaugh is at the helm of all of this. For a long time, he’s been considered a master teacher and a respected voice for offensive linemen. One could only imagine how the play of his unit affected him, but he continued to chip away at them and has this unit playing some of their best football.

They have a nice chunk of the season left to add to their evolution. Hopefully, it continues and we’re able to see the benefits of their hard work continue to manifest themselves on the field.

Best Pro Football Focus Grades from Oklahoma’s win over Texas Tech

How did Pro Football Focus grade the Oklahoma Sooners in their 52-21 win over Texas Tech?

With their win on Saturday, the Oklahoma Sooners moved to 9-0 on the season and are well situated to make their annual “Championship November” run to the Big 12 championship.

With their toughest games on the schedule still to be played, Oklahoma will need to come out of the bye ready to play their best football of the season. If their performance vs. Texas Tech was any indication, they might be on the verge of streaking into December, a trip to Arlington, and hopefully a chance at the national title in the College Football Playoff.

The Sooners played a complete game in their 52-21 win over the Red Raiders and received standout performances from several players on both sides of the football.

Like we do each week, let’s take a look at how Pro Football Focus graded the Oklahoma Sooners in the win.

Report Card: Grading the Sooners following their 52-31 win over TCU

The Sooners dispatched TCU relatively comfortably. Let’s take a look at how each position group graded out in the 52-31 win.

For a while, it may have seemed like an afterthought to grade out the offense with A’s and B’s across the board. However, that time has arrived.  The offense was a bright spot, and the defense wasn’t as bad as maybe it appeared.

As we do each week, let’s look at how each position group graded in the Sooners 52-31 thrashing of the TCU Horned Frogs.

Quarterbacks: A

No need to beat around the bush here: Caleb Williams was phenomenal in his first start since usurping Spencer Rattler in Oklahoma’s thrilling come-from-behind win against Texas.

He dazzled the sold-out crowd in Norman and had national media in an uproar. Williams was 18 of 23 for 295 yards passing and four touchdowns, three of which made their way to Jadon Haselwood. He added 66 yards rushing, including the electric 41-yard TD run in the third quarter you can see below.

After that performance, there’s no need to speculate about who will be the quarterback as Oklahoma heads to the state of Kansas again for their second true road game against the Kansas Jayhawks.

The next step for Williams is to continue to mature and grow within the offense.

Up Next: Backs and Pass Catchers

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A deeper look: Rotations and positions need to be re-evaluated going forward

A deeper look at how the snap counts for both the offense and defense might have had an impact on the final score in OU’s win over Tulane.

After narrowly escaping a scrappy Tulane team, OU has come under the microscope from fans and analysts alike. Some have wobbled from their preseason predictions that had the Oklahoma Sooners contending for a national title.

That’s their prerogative, but personally, that seems a bit ludicrous.

Most of the top 10 played teams  who viewed their week one matchup as their ‘Super Bowls.” The lone exception really being Alabama, who steamrolled a top 20 Miami team. While we’re not here to make excuses, the first game of the season, without a preseason like the NFL has, is bound to lead to some less than stellar play.

Aside from a very tough Tulane team, what else could’ve caused Oklahoma to struggle? After reviewing the game, a deeper look at the substitutions and snap counts reveals something that could be attributed, at least partially, to why the Sooners struggled.

Defensively, the snap counts — provided by Pro Football Focus — show that 27 Oklahoma defenders logged double-digit snaps. In a game that was close for all but the second quarter, that’s a lot of snaps for reserve players.

Multiple-year starters make sense. Guys like Delarrin Turner-Yell, Woodi Washington, and Pat Fields sit inside the top 10 in snaps. However, when you look down the list, guys like freshman Kelvin Gilliam, Ethan Downs, veterans Marcus Stripling, and Kori Roberson saw time on the field. Jalen Redmond only logged 39 snaps, and Perrion Winfrey was on the field for 36 out of a possible 82 snaps.

In a game that wasn’t a “laugher,” two of your starting defensive linemen logged less than than 50 percent of the defensive snaps. Yes, getting players some in-game experience is fine but playing starters less than 50 percent of the snaps can certainly lead to mishaps and missed assignments.

Alex Grinch loves to rotate and keep guys fresh. While that has value and means something, a freshman like Gilliam, who was no higher than third on the depth chart, played snaps in a game that was still in doubt. That could certainly impact the on-field results when youngsters like Ethan Downs played and didn’t record any pressures, hurries, or tackles.

Grinch will be a lot less liberal with who sees the field while the game against Western Carolina is still up for grabs. Look for the snap counts of the first and second teams to be higher this go around until the game is certainly out of hand.

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Pass catchers will always rotate, and the running backs too. The offensive line and quarterback don’t typically see as much of a rotation as some of their offensive teammates. According to PFF’s grades, the seven offensive linemen that did see the field revealed an up and down performance.

This becomes even more evident looking at the lack of a consistent push in the Sooner’s running game. Though he wasn’t sacked, pressure forced Rattler to bail out of the pocket early or get rid of the ball faster than he may have liked.

Tyrese Robinson, who moved from right guard to right tackle, posted a run-blocking grade of 52. Chris Murray, who replaced him at right guard, had a pass block grade of 58.9 and two penalties. Rattler’s blindside was exceptional between Erik Swenson (85.3) and Anton Harrison (78.2) posted excellent pass-blocking grades.

It’s safe to say that rotating the offensive line is not conducive to success. However, maybe OU will tinker with their offensive line ahead of Saturday. Perhaps Swenson takes more snaps at right tackle instead of Tyrese Robinson, who could slide back inside where he’s more comfortable. A guy like Wanya Morris could finally see the field.

Oklahoma’s very equipped still to be the team many thought they were. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and national champions aren’t crowned in September. It’s back to the drawing board and time for Lincoln Riley and his coaching staff to do some re-evaluating. They need to shorten the leashes of some guys as they get a better grasp of who they can depend on as the season rolls along.

Until then, let’s not press the panic button so soon.

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Offensive keys vs Tulane for the Oklahoma Sooners

Offensive keys to the game for the Oklahoma Sooners in their week one matchup with the Tulane Green Wave.

It’s time.

No more speculation, no more reports about training camp battles and who could conceivably win this spot or that spot. We can all shift our attention on a week to week basis about the opponents in front of Oklahoma.

Another journey to try and scale the proverbial college football mountain begins in less than 24 hours.

Offensively, Oklahoma is lead by one of the presumptive Heisman favorites in QB Spencer Rattler. His development is a significant part of Oklahoma realizing the lofty expectations headed into this season.

Rattler’s great and he’ll elevate the Sooners, but he can’t do it all on his own. Here are the offensive keys as they start the game against what is likely to be a very spirited Tulane team.

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Oklahoma Sooners release official depth chart for Saturday’s matchup with Tulane

Ahead of the 2021 season opener against the Tulane Green Wave, the Oklahoma Sooners released their first official depth chart of the season.

The Oklahoma Sooners officially welcomed in the 2021 college football season with the release of their first official depth chart for their week one matchup with the Tulane Green Wave.

On the depth chart is the familiar “or” signifying the team’s desire to rotate players at certain positions. Specifically, those positions that are still up for grabs or has several players that could be considered starters like Kennedy Brooks and Eric Gray at running back.

As Riley noted in his press conference yesterday, Tyrese Robinson has won the starting right tackle job, while Chris Murray slides in to play right guard. Marquise Hayes will man his familiar left guard spot, but the center and left tackle positions are still up for grabs.

Three of the spots along the defensive front are spoken for with Isaiah Thomas (defensive end), Perrion Winfrey (nose guard), and Nik Bonitto (rush linebacker) solidified as starters for Alex Grinch’s defense.

Linebacker will be led by the three-headed monster of David Ugwoegbu, Brian Asamoah, and DaShaun White.

At cornerback, Woodi Washington has one spot locked down, while D.J. Graham appears to have the edge on Jaden Davis. While at safety, veterans Pat Fields and Delarrin Turner-Yell will lead the way for the Sooners secondary.

As the Oklahoma Sooners get set to play the Tulane Green Wave on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. CST, the depth chart is an ever-evolving document. As players continue to battle in practice and in games, guys will move up and down the depth chart. There will be several guys who start in the Big 12 championship game that weren’t week one starters for the Sooners. Woodi Washington in 2020 is the prime example.

Washington didn’t get a significant role in the secondary until his breakout game against the Texas Longhorns. Washington took that opportunity and didn’t look back on his way to becoming one of the more important players on Alex Grinch’s defense.

Top 21 players for the Oklahoma Sooners entering 2021

As the Oklahoma Sooners get set to continue their reign atop the Big 12 and contend for a national title, here are the top 21 players for 2021.

Heading into the 2021 season, the Oklahoma Sooners have one of the deepest and most talented rosters in the country. On both sides of the ball, the Sooners have great players throughout the lineup that will make big impacts on Saturdays this fall.

On offense, the Sooners are led by Heisman Trophy front-runner Spencer Rattler and a high-powered passing attack. On defense, the Sooners have four guys that can create havoc in both the running game and rushing the passer.

This is a team that should be one of the more exciting teams to watch with their blend of big-play offense and suffocating defense. With just 15 days until kickoff, let’s take a look at the top 21 Oklahoma Sooners heading into 2021.

8 Oklahoma Sooners named to the 2022 Senior Bowl watch list

Ahead of the 2021 season, eight Oklahoma Sooners make the 2022 Senior Bowl watch list.

The Oklahoma Sooners come into 2021 with a veteran group on both sides of the football. That’s part of the reason experts are so high on the Sooners’ chances at a seventh-straight Big 12 Championship and contention for the national championship.

Many in that group of veterans will likely be off to the NFL next season, though some will be more highly sought after than others. The NFL draft process can often put more weight on younger players, often leaving seniors to scrap for their spot among a draft class elite.

Whether it’s a late breakout or competition at the top of the depth chart that prevented them from seeing the field, senior draft prospects can sometimes get dinged depending on the situation.

For those seniors, however, there’s one extra opportunity to make an impression for NFL coaches and front office personnel, and that’s at the Reese’s Mobile Senior Bowl.

At the Senior Bowl, players get put through a week of practice with NFL coaching staffs with scouts, coaches, and general managers in attendance. They go through individual and team drills in the lead-up to the Senior Bowl on the weekend. Though the Senior Bowl isn’t the only thing NFL teams take into account, it can often confirm how they feel about certain players for front offices.

It’s an opportunity for an under-the-radar player or a player with questionable technique or character to get in front of teams and allay any concerns.

In 2021, Tre Brown, Rhamondre Stevenson, Creed Humphrey, Tre Norwood, and Adrian Ealy were in attendance at the Senior Bowl. In 2020, Neville Gallimore and Jalen Hurts took part. In 2018, Baker Mayfield surprised everyone when he participated in the evaluation process.

For 2022, the Oklahoma Sooners have eight players named to the Senior Bowl’s watch list. Not every player will make the final rosters for the week in Mobile, but several will and they’ll benefit greatly from the process.

Let’s take a look at the eight players that could represent the Oklahoma Sooners at the 2022 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama.