Tag: Valero Alamo Bowl

Pro Football Focus ranks Marvin Mims as the No. 8 returning wide receiver in college football

Oklahoma wide receiver Marvin Mims was ranked as college football’s No. 8 returning wide receiver by Pro Football Focus.

In some ways, it seems like ages ago when Oklahoma wide receiver Marvin Mims addressed his future with OU. Two days before Oklahoma’s bowl game versus the Ducks, Mims indicated that he planned on returning to Oklahoma, but that an official decision hadn’t been made yet.

“I definitely want to be here. I haven’t made that much of a decision yet, but I still want to be here. I’m pretty sure that everyone playing in this bowl game still wants to be here, too. There have been some departures to go to other schools and stuff like that, but me being here, I definitely want to be in the crimson and cream next season,” Mims said on Dec. 27.

Mims was his typical explosive self against Oregon. The Frisco, Texas, native hauled in a 55-yard touchdown grab to put OU in front 23-3 and the Sooners would go on to top the Ducks 47-32.

Obviously, much has changed since then. True freshman quarterback Caleb Williams entered the transfer portal and OU has brought in UCF transfer quarterback Dillon Gabriel. The Sooners also hosted USC transfer quarterback Jaxson Dart and USC transfer tight end Michael Trigg on recent visits, though that pair is yet to make a decision on their future.

All of this meant Mims’ future could still be up in the air.

Oklahoma’s first workouts with Jerry Schmidt, the Sooners’ new director of sports enhancement and strength and conditioning, began this week and Mims was in attendance.

That indicates Mims is here to stay at Oklahoma. It’s huge news for Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby as he looks to tailor his first offense in Norman around Mims’ talents.

Pro Football Focus ranked Mims as college football’s No. 8 returning wide receiver. Here’s what Pro Football Focus had to say about Mims.

Mims has yet to be a full-time starter, but his skill set and level of production as a true freshman and sophomore were too good to ignore. He owns an 86.5 receiving grade, 19.1 yards per catch, 3.14 yards per route run and a 143.8 passer rating when targeted since 2020.

Over that span, Mims has turned 34.4% of his targets into a gain of 15 or more yards, the third-highest rate in the Power Five. He should be a vital piece to Jeff Lebby’s offense in 2022. – Pro Football Focus.

Over the course of his OU career, Mims has caught 69 passes for 1,315 receiving yards. Mims was Oklahoma’s leading receiver each of the past two seasons and he finished the 2021 season with 705 receiving yards and five touchdowns.

The 5-foot-11, 177-pound wide receiver was named an All-Big 12 honorable mention choice by the league’s head coaches for his work this past season.

During the 2020 season, Mims tied the Big 12 true freshman record and set the OU freshman record with nine touchdown receptions. He earned freshman All-America honors from The Athletic and ESPN and was selected second-team All-Big 12 by the Big 12’s head coaches and media.

According to Pro Football Focus, Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy checked in as college football’s No. 4 returning wide receiver, former OU wide receiver Mario Williams is No. 6 and TCU’s Quentin Johnston is No. 9.

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Where did the Oklahoma Sooners land in USA TODAY Sports latest 1-130 re-rank?

Following a big bowl win over the Oregon Ducks, the Oklahoma Sooners climbed back into the top 10 of USA TODAY Sports 1-130 re-rank.

The Oklahoma Sooners have bounced all around the rankings and polls over the last year. For much of the season, they were a top-five team, but close wins began to take some of the shine off of the Sooners.

When the Sooners lost to Baylor, it gave credence to the notion they weren’t as good as the preseason expectations. Despite the bounce-back win over Iowa State, the Sooners ended the regular season on a low note against Oklahoma State in Bedlam. That loss dropped the Oklahoma Sooners out of the top 10.

Fast forward through a coaching change and a big Alamo Bowl win over Oregon, and Oklahoma ended the season a little more highly thought of than they were at the end of the regular season. The Sooners climbed back into the top 10 of the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll and the AP Top 25.

In USA TODAY Sports Paul Myerburg’s 1-130 re-rank of all of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the Sooners finished the season No. 9 in the country. They’re the third-highest ranked Big 12 team behind No. 5 Baylor and No. 6 Oklahoma State, each of which earned big bowl wins.

Turning the page on a new chapter of Oklahoma football under Brent Venables, there’s a lot to be excited about. Finishing 2021 on a high note with the win over Oregon should help set the stage for a promising offseason in Norman.

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Oklahoma Sooners fall on the wrong side of USA TODAY Sports’ ‘Winners and Losers’ of Bowl season

Despite the Alamo Bowl win, the Sooners have seen a bunch of turnover and turmoil over the last month and a half.

Much of the last month and a half for the Oklahoma Sooners has been fraught with turmoil. From the coaching change to decommitments, the Oklahoma Sooners have had to work to repair the damage done by Lincoln Riley and his departure to USC.

With a top 10 recruiting class in 2022 and the latest additions of transfers into the program, the Sooners reclamation project is coming to fruition. However, just as they entered the offseason, still reveling in their Alamo Bowl win over the Oregon Ducks, quarterback Caleb Williams made the decision to enter the transfer portal. Along with him is promising wide receiver Mario Williams, who has indicated that he wants to play with Caleb Williams.

Paul Myerburg of USA TODAY Sports chose his “Winners and Losers” from the 2021 bowl season and while the Big 12 came up on the positive side of the ledger, the Sooners last month hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows.

Winning the Alamo Bowl with Stoops on the sidelines and new coach Brent Venables ready to take over was exactly what the program needed after losing Lincoln Riley to Southern California in late November. But then came another enormous loss: Caleb Williams, the star freshman who took over early in Big 12 play and surged into the Heisman Trophy race, announced this week he would be entering the transfer portal “to see who may offer the best preparation and development for my future career.” While he has the option of staying at OU, that the Sooners just took a commitment from UCF transfer Dillon Gabriel suggests the staff has already planned for life without Williams. – Myerburg

It didn’t take long for the Oklahoma Sooners to respond to the transfer portal entry if Caleb Williams. As Myerburg suggests, the announcement of Dillon Gabriel’s arrival through the portal is telling. While Williams left the door open for a return in his transfer announcement, Mario Williams’ departure makes it fairly clear that the Sooners have prepared for life without Caleb Williams in 2022 and beyond.

While there’s an overarching confidence in the future of Oklahoma football with Brent Venables at the helm and Jeff Lebby calling the offense, it always hurts to lose good players. The Oklahoma Sooners will recover. Despite the turnover, they’ll be one of the favorites for the Big 12 once again in 2022.

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Oklahoma’s Jalil Farooq among Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded wide receivers during bowl season

Oklahoma wide receiver Jalil Farooq was one of Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded Power Five wide receivers during bowl season.

Oklahoma freshman wide receiver Jalil Farooq enjoyed his best performance of the season in the Sooners’ 47-32 win over Oregon in the Valero Alamo Bowl.

Farooq led the Sooners in receiving yardage versus the Ducks with three receptions for 64 yards. The Landham, Md., native played in eight games this season.

Most of his work came on special teams, though. Prior to the Oregon game, Farooq’s only grab was against Kansas on Oct. 23 when he caught one pass for five yards.

Farooq was the second-highest graded Power Five wide receiver during bowl season with an offensive grade of 90.7 according to Pro Football Focus. That was also the highest grade any Sooner received from PFF against Oregon.

Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba earned the highest offensive grade among Power Five wide receivers during bowl season with a grade of 91.6 after his record-setting Rose Bowl performance against Utah.

Smith-Njigba hauled in a school-record 15 receptions for an FBS bowl game record 347 receiving yards. The sophomore also had three touchdown grabs in Ohio State’s 48-45 win over Utah.

Kentucky’s Wan’Dale Robinson earned an offensive grade of 90.0 from PFF after nabbing 10 grabs for 170 yards in the Wildcats’ 20-17 Citrus Bowl win over Iowa.

With Oklahoma true freshman quarterback Caleb Williams’ decision to enter the NCAA’s transfer portal, what the Sooners’ wide receivers will look like entering 2022 has been a primary topic of conversation.

Freshman wide receiver Mario Williams also entered his name into the transfer portal following his starting quarterback’s decision. Former five-star recruit Jadon Haselwood has already transferred to Arkansas.

There’s been speculation that other wide receivers could follow suit.

Farooq came to Oklahoma as a consensus four-star recruit across the four recruiting services. The 6-foot-1, 203 pound freshman was rated as the nation’s No. 109 player overall by ESPN, No. 158 by Rivals, No. 174 by 247Sports and No. 238 by On3.

If Farooq chooses to stay, his performance against Oregon is an indicator that he’s ready to step into a primary pass-catching role for Oklahoma in 2022.

Oklahoma expects to return its leading receiver from the past two seasons in Marvin Mims.

Mims caught 32 passes for 705 yards with five touchdowns this season. In 2020, Mims recorded 37 receptions for 610 yards with nine touchdowns.

The Sooners are also set to return Drake Stoops who had 16 grabs for 191 yards and a pair of touchdown receptions in 2021. Oklahoma’s other wide receivers include Brian Darby, Cody Jackson and Trevon West.

It appears that former five-star Theo Wease plans to stay at Oklahoma as well. Wease didn’t play in a game this season and has battled injuries throughout his career. During his time at OU, Wease has 45 receptions, 666 receiving yards and six touchdowns.

OU has also signed four-star wide receivers Nicholas Anderson and Jayden Gibson in its 2022 signing class. Gibson is rated as the nation’s No. 49 player overall according to Rivals, while Anderson is listed as the nation’s No. 106 player by ESPN.

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How did CBS rank the Big 12’s bowl games from the 2021 season?

There were some thrilling games during the 2021 bowl season, but did the Big 12’s bowls rank among the 37 played during the 2021 postseason?

Bowl season has come and gone and there’s just one more game remaining on the schedule for the 2021 college football season. While I fall into the camp that generally feels there are too many bowl games, I will say that there were a lot of enjoyable football games this December and January and it’s going to be a long nine months without college football.

The Big 12 went 5-2 during the bowl season and played in some really intriguing contests. Not every game lived up to the pre-game build, but there were still fun matchups nonetheless.

Tom Fornelli over at CBS Sports took the time to rank all 37 bowl games that got played in 2021 and here’s how the games featuring Big 12 teams landed on Fornelli’s list.

Bob Stoops Bleacher Report’s ‘Interim of the Week’ after 47-32 Alamo Bowl win

For a memorable return to the sideline in Oklahoma’s 47-32 win over Oregon for Hall of Fame head coach Bob Stoops was named Bleacher Report’s Interim of the Week.

When you look back on the 2021 season, many moments and emotions will come to mind. It was a roller coaster ride. From close wins over unranked opponents to the Baylor and Oklahoma State losses to the coaching transition, the Oklahoma Sooners saw it all in 2021.

And one of the best moments in program history happened after Lincoln Riley stepped down, and that was the return of Bob Stoops. Over a 24 hour period, from the Bedlam loss to Riley leaving for USC, the Sooners were dealt haymaker after haymaker. When Stoops stepped to the podium the Monday after, he was the hand reaching down to pick Oklahoma up off the mat.

With home visits opening up and the early signing period just around the corner, Stoops’ return steadied the Sooners’ ship as it prepared for the offseason and allowed the Oklahoma administration to go through their coaching search without feeling rushed. All because they had a steady hand at the wheel.

The Oklahoma Sooners reaped the rewards of Stoops –along with the remaining Oklahoma assistants — efforts on the recruiting trail and with Brent Venables taking the helm were able to return the Sooners to the top 10 in 247Sports Team Recruiting Rankings for the 2022 recruiting cycle with a month left till National Signing Day.

And Stoops and the Oklahoma Sooners were rewarded for keeping it together with a fantastic effort from the players en route to a 47-32 win over the Oregon Ducks in the Alamo Bowl. Stoops was named “Interim of the Week” by Bleacher Report’s David Kenyon for his efforts.

After the departure of Lincoln Riley to USC, Oklahoma needed an interim coach. While the administration conducted the search for his replacement, a familiar face—Sooners legend Bob Stoops—temporarily took control of the program.

Caleb Williams tossed three touchdowns, while Kennedy Brooks scampered for 142 yards and three scores in the Alamo Bowl victory. Oklahoma built a 30-3 halftime lead en route to a 47-32 triumph, handing Stoops a memorable win as the program begins the transition from Riley to Brent Venables. – David Kenyon

Bob Stoops was the perfect man to lead the Oklahoma Sooners through the bowl season in an offseason that was filled with turmoil and defection. Now, he gets to jump back into the golf cart and ride off into the sunset of his preferred golf course, once again, going out on top.

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Sooners safety Delarrin Turner-Yell declares for the 2022 NFL Draft

After three years starting for the Oklahoma Sooners, safety Delarrin Turner-Yell has declared for the NFL Draft.

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With the Sooners ending a tumultuous 2021 season on a high note with a win over the Oregon Ducks in the Valero Alamo Bowl, many Sooners took it as a positive way to close their final chapter at Oklahoma.

Nik Bonitto, Perrion Winfrey, and Isaiah Thomas all opted out before the game, while guys like Pat Fields, Marquis Hayes, Tyrese Robinson, Kennedy Brooks, and Gabe Brkic played in the win over Oregon, but have since declared for the 2022 NFL draft.

Following other Sooners defenders, safety Delarrin Turner-Yell has made it known he’ll be heading to the NFL.

Turner-Yell has been a steadfast and reliable option on the backend of the Sooners defense since coming to Norman.

In his career, he was a three-year starter, making 30 career starts. Turner-Yell led the Sooners with three interceptions this season and was fourth in tackles with 53.

For his career, he finishes with 190 total tackles, four interceptions, and a forced fumble. Turner-Yell was an All-Big 12 Second Team selection this season and an Academic All-Big 12 Second Team honoree as well.

Turner-Yell was reliable, had very few busts in coverage, and was a physical player at the strong safety position for Alex Grinch’s Speed D. His experience, leadership, and physicality will be yet another major hole for the Sooners to replace in Brent Venables’ first year as Sooners head coach.

The Hempstead, Texas native marks the 10th starter from this year’s team to declare for the NFL Draft. If Turner-Yell gets drafted, it’ll mark the second consecutive year a Sooners defensive back was drafted.

At a glance, a name like Key Lawrence immediately comes to mind as a guy that can replace Turner-Yell as the Sooners head into a winter where they’ll be retooling a lot of different positions on top of acclimating a handful of new coaches.

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‘Forever a Sooner’: Safety Pat Fields heading to Stanford on a full academic Scholarship

Oklahoma Sooners Safety Pat Fields announced via his Twitter account that he’s heading west to Stanford to further his education.

Wrapping up a senior season that saw him win first-team academic All-American honors, safety Pat Fields announced via his Twitter account that he’ll be heading west to study management science and engineering at Stanford University. He’s received a full academic scholarship to attend the esteemed university in California.

Fields, who started “Town Business,” a financial literacy seminar with the mission of instructing student-athletes on money management, budgeting, credit, and personal branding. In collaboration with the OU National Black Alumni Association, he created the Black Wall Street Foundation to provide scholarships for underrepresented and lower-income students from Tulsa.

For the 2021 season, Fields was elected one of the captains to represent the Oklahoma Sooners along with Jeremiah Hall, Caleb Kelly, Isaiah Thomas (who was added later), and Spencer Rattler.

For the Oklahoma Sooners this season, Fields set career highs in tackles, tackles for loss, and interceptions. His leadership and consistency provided the stability that the Oklahoma secondary needed as it dealt with injuries and inexperience at cornerback.

In the Oklahoma Sooners 47-32 win over the Oregon Ducks in the Alamo Bowl, Pat Fields was named the defensive MVP after leading the Sooners with six solo tackles and added a tackle for loss.

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3 stars from the Oklahoma Sooners 47-32 win over the Oregon Ducks in the Valero Alamo Bowl

Who were the Oklahoma Sooners 3 stars from their 47-32 Alamo Bowl win over the Oregon Ducks?

Another season has reached its end for the Sooners and while it didn’t end with them hoisting a national title, they were able to end it on a high note with a win against a ranked opponent in the Oregon Ducks. The dominant win gives them some momentum as they head towards some time off and then winter workouts.

Months ago if you said that Bob Stoops would be the interim head coach for this bowl game with Brent Venables, the head coach in waiting someone would’ve considered having you institutionalized but we somehow found ourselves in that situation.

Now that the game is over and Stoops has officially and symbolically passed the torch on to Venables, the Sooners are ready to roll into the future. But last night’s performance gave us one more glimpse at this year’s team with a few guys standing out in San Antonio one last time. So let’s check out this week’s three stars!

Caleb Williams, QB

While he still has a massive decision looming, nothing seemed to be weighing too heavily on Caleb Williams’ mind as he put together a complete performance to close out an absolute whirlwind of a true freshman year.

Against the Ducks, Williams completed 21 of 27 passes for 242 yards and three touchdowns while rushing seven times for 34 yards. For the sixth time this season, he threw at least two touchdown passes.

After an opening drive that stalled out, it seemed like Williams and first-time play-caller Cale Gundy found exactly how to attack Oregon and never let up as the offense roared up and down the field.

Williams looked decisive, composed in the pocket, and threw some absolute lasers to receivers Jalil Farooq, Mario Williams, and a bomb like the one below to Marvin Mims.

After showing some noticeable development in his pocket presence, Williams wrapped up his true freshman year on a great note.

He heads into an offseason clouded with a major decision to make in regards to where he will play next year. If this was his last hurrah with Oklahoma, it was a heck of a lasting impression. And if it wasn’t, he provided yet another glimpse at what makes Williams such a fascinating player.

Up Next: Running Game Impressive

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5 Takeaways from the Oklahoma Sooners 47-32 win over the Oregon Ducks

It was a great team effort in the Alamo Bowl as the Sooners knocked off the Ducks 47-32 behind Kennedy Brooks and Caleb Williams big games.

Everything turned up aces for the Oklahoma Sooners on Wednesday in their Valero Alamo Bowl win over the Oregon Ducks. After a 6-3 stalemate in the first quarter, the Sooners broke it open with 24 second quarter points to go into halftime with a 30-3 lead at the break.

While Oregon made things interesting enough to attempt an onside kick late in the fourth quarter the game was never really in reach for the final three quarters.

Oklahoma’s defense got the only turnover of the game and the young defensive front got pressure on Oregon quarterback Anthony Brown.

The offense was explosive through the air and on the ground. Kennedy Brooks and Eric Gray each had runs of at least 40 yards and Marvin Mims and Jalil Farooq made big plays in the passing game.

The Oklahoma Sooners finished the 2021 season on a high note, kicking off the Brent Venables era with a lot of optimism about the future.

As we look back on the Sooners 47-32 win, let’s take a look back at five takeaways from the Alamo Bowl.

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