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2023 Season Preview: Oklahoma Sooners look to break drought vs. the BYU Cougars

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2023 Season Preview: Oklahoma Sooners look to break drought vs. the BYU Cougars


The Oklahoma Sooners have taken on the Brigham Young Cougars twice in the history of the program.

They are 0-2 in those games. The most recent loss came in the infamous Sam Bradford injury game in 2009, which ended any national championship aspirations that season.

This time around, they will play in Provo, Utah. The November matchup could provide an interesting weather element for the Sooners to have to manage.

BYU is an interesting team. Their top 22 can compete with just about anyone in the Big 12. Depth, however, is the concern.

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They added 19 guys this offseason from their recruiting class and the transfer portal, which should factor into their two-deep.

The Cougars hope to have better depth than they did a year ago. BYU returns 63% of its production from 2022. That ranks 70th in the nation according to ESPN (ESPN+).

Offensively, led by the now-departed Jaren Hall, BYU was 36th in the country. Hall threw for 3,171 yards, 31 touchdowns, and only six interceptions.

To replace Hall, Sitake brought in former USC and Pitt quarterback Kedon Slovis. Slovis started 11 games for the Pittsburgh Panthers last season, throwing for 2,397 yards, 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

The Cougars also lose their top three running backs from a year ago. To mitigate the loss of leading rusher Christopher Brooks, BYU added transfers Aidan Robbins and Deion Smith.

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Robbins ran for more than 1,000 yards last season for the UNLV Rebels. Smith ran for more than 300 yards for the Colorado Buffaloes.

They lost Puka Nacua, their top wide receiver from a year ago, but return a lot of production from 2022 and added depth this offseason.

Defensively the Cougars ranked 97th in points per game last season. They have to improve on that side of the ball if they want to compete in year one in the Big 12.

Five of their top six leaders in tackles return. They also had five players record four tackles for loss or more, and three of them return for this season. Ben Bywater led the way in 2022 with 98 total tackles, four tackles for loss, one sack, and three interceptions.

Like the Oklahoma Sooners, the Cougars struggled to find a consistent pass rush last season. They bring back a lot of experience, but not a ton of production. John Nelson led BYU in sacks in 2022 with just three.

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Boise State Broncos transfer Isaiah Bagnah hopes to help with that. He had seven tackles for loss and six sacks in the 2021 season before he was limited to just six games in 2022.

They have to figure out how to generate pressure after finishing 130th in sacks last year out of 131 teams. They also finished 129th in tackles for loss and 98th against the run.

But they have a great coach in Kalani Sitake who hopes to see vast improvement this year.

This is a tricky game because in late November in Provo, the temperature averages 52. The weather could play a factor. The crowd will provide a raucous environment, hosting arguably the biggest game in their program’s history. This has the feel of a “blue-out,” with the team rocking their all-blues and those in attendance matching.

This is a team with not a lot of depth, so do they wear out by the time they play OU? The key for this game is to get up on them early. If they hang around, BYU will beat you.

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Until OU shows me they can do that, I’m not betting on it.

Score Prediction: 34-27 BYU

Predicted Record: 9-2

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.





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What will the weather be like on Christmas Day in OKC? See 2024 Christmas forecast

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What will the weather be like on Christmas Day in OKC? See 2024 Christmas forecast


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Oklahoma City won’t have a white Christmas in 2024, but we also won’t be breaking any high temperature records.

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Here’s what you need to know about the Christmas forecast in OKC and across Oklahoma.

Oklahoma Christmas 2024 forecast

According to the National Weather Service, it will be cloudy but dry on Christmas Day in Oklahoma.

A chance of rain will increase in the late evening hours.

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Here are the forecasted highs and lows across central, western and northern Oklahoma:

  • Oklahoma City: Low of 44°F, high of 52°F
  • Enid: Low of 36°F, high of 50°F
  • Lawton: Low of 46°F, high of 57°F
  • Woodward: Low of 30°F, high of 52°F
  • Ada: Low of 46°F, high of 56°F



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Former Oklahoma State DC Bryan Nardo Expected to Join Charlotte Staff

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Former Oklahoma State DC Bryan Nardo Expected to Join Charlotte Staff


Oklahoma State’s former defensive coordinator is wasting no time finding another gig.

On Monday, Doug Samuels of FootballScoop reported that Bryan Nardo is expected to join the defensive staff at Charlotte. One of the most recent teams to jump to the FBS level, Charlotte could soon be adding a coach with Big 12 experience.

Nardo spent the past two seasons in Stillwater as the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator. While his first season wasn’t necessarily the most impressive, it seemed his adjustments and overall scheme were key in OSU’s ascension to a 10-win season and Big 12 Championship appearance.

However, everything fell apart for Nardo in year 2. With the Cowboys ranking among the bottom 10 in the FBS in most statistical categories, OSU’s defense was the main issue in the team’s winless Big 12 campaign.

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However, not all of the blame for OSU’s three-win season can be placed on Nardo. OSU’s offense also struggled mightily throughout the season, but the injuries piling up for the OSU defense sealed Nardo’s fate.

With future NFL players Collin Oliver and Nick Martin not playing a snap after September, the Cowboys were without their anchors and other injuries piled up from there. With a myriad of backups and players not playing in their natural positions, Nardo had no true opportunities to run his desired scheme. Still, OSU’s horrendous rankings and results on the field were still too much to overlook as the team overhauled virtually its entire staff this offseason.

With Nardo heading east, the Cowboys hired Todd Grantham as his replacement shortly after the position opened. Nardo is also not the first former OSU defensive coordinator to head to Charlotte.

After being let go following the 2017 season, Glenn Spencer went to Charlotte and was its defensive coordinator for the 2018 season.

Want to join the discussion? Like Oklahoma State Cowboys on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Cowboys news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.

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Navy Midshipmen Keys to Beating Oklahoma Sooners in Armed Forces Bowl

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Navy Midshipmen Keys to Beating Oklahoma Sooners in Armed Forces Bowl


The Armed Forces Bowl is the Navy Midshipmen’s kind of bowl game. As they prepare to take on the Oklahoma Sooners, they are familiar with the surroundings at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas.

Kickoff on Friday is at noon eastern on ESPN.

This is Navy’s (9-3) third appearance in the Armed Forces Bowl, as they beat Middle Tennessee in 2013 and then played a highly-dramatic affair with Louisiana Tech in 2016, which Navy lost 48-45.

At stake for the Midshipmen is their first 10-win season under second-year coach Brian Newberry and their sixth 10-win season in program history. Also with the win the Midshipmen can double their win total from a season ago in Newberry’s debut.

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All in all, it would be the capper for a successful second year under their former defensive coordinator.

Oklahoma (6-6) is coming off a sluggish debut in the SEC, where at times the Sooners struggled to score points but scored a huge elite season win over Alabama, a victory that likely kept the Crimson Tide out of the College Football Playoff.

Third-year coach Brent Venables is also dealing with losing players to the transfer portal and two potential defensive stars who may not play in the game as they prepare for the NFL.

How does Navy win? Here are three keys to watch.  

Wanna see a simple cause-and-effect relationship?

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In Navy’s nine wins, the Midshipmen have outscored teams 104-7 in points off turnovers. The only team to score any points off a Navy turnover in those nine games? Incredibly, it was Bucknell in the season opener.

In the Midshipmen’s three losses, Navy has been outscored 48-0 in points off turnovers.

Navy needs to avoid turnovers, avoid giving up points when it turns the ball over. It also needs to force turnovers and score points off those turnovers.

Yes, that’s rather simple. But the Midshipmen are polar opposite teams in this category, which means that first turnover of the game, whoever commits it, could be telling.

It’s not as if Navy is going to become a different team than it was against Army West Point, and certainly quarterback Blake Hovarth’s ability to throw the ball as a differentiator. But, the Midshipmen just need to be who they are.

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Navy is averaging 249.3 rushing yards per game, the seventh-best average in FBS and the program’s best since 2019.

Navy hasn’t played Oklahoma in decades comma but Army played the Sooners recently in Norman. Back in 2018, OU needed overtime to beat Army, 28-21. Oklahoma doesn’t see option teams at all during the season. That’s an edge for Navy.

Oklahoma has had some turnover at quarterback since the end of the regular season. Starter Jackson Arnold transferred to Auburn and another quarterback is in the portal.

The Sooners expect to start Michael Hawkins Jr. behind center, who actually began the season as the starting quarterback. So Navy’s defensive staff will need to break down some tape from earlier in the season.

He has 536 passing yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. He’s a solid runner. But he was benched for fumbling the ball multiple times against South Carolina. Ball protection is key against Navy, which does a good job of creating turnovers. Pressure on Hawkins will be a difference-maker in the game.

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