Oklahoma

Can Oklahoma State football emerge from haunting Bedlam shadow with OU off to SEC?

Published

4 months ago

August 21, 2024

Press Room

Can Oklahoma State football emerge from haunting Bedlam shadow with OU off to SEC?

STILLWATER — The new Big 12 has arrived, and the old guard has departed.

In building his program from conference also-ran to a consistent contender for league titles, Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy overcame nearly every obstacle his Cowboys confronted.

Rung by rung, they climbed the ladder.

In 2021, they made their first appearance in the Big 12 Championship Game. Last year, they returned again. The Cowboys beat Texas nine times in the last 14 meetings after downing the Longhorns just twice in the previous 24.

On the Cowboys’ climb toward conference supremacy, one major goal remained irritatingly unattainable. Though the balance of power in the Bedlam rivalry had been leaning OSU’s way with two wins in the last three years, OU’s overall dominance dulled the recent orange tint of the series.

But the tectonic plates of college football have shifted. OU is off to the Southeastern Conference, and the Cowboys are in position to emerge from the Sooners’ long shadow in a new Big 12 that lacks blueblood power at the top.

More: Which Oklahoma State football game is most important this season?

When the 18th-ranked Cowboys open the season against South Dakota State at 1 p.m. on Aug. 31 at Boone Pickens Stadium, they embark on a season that will not include Bedlam.

The haunting feeling of a potential loss to OU ruining an otherwise great season no longer sits in the pit of OSU fans’ stomachs.

Bedlam is a tale of bygone days, and the sun shines a little brighter at Boone Pickens Stadium.

“If you look at what this program has done under Coach Gundy’s leadership, certainly going back to 2010, we’re winning like a blueblood,” OSU athletic director Chad Weiberg said. “We’re top 10 in the number of wins, and if you look at the list of who the other nine are, it’s everybody you would think.

“Then there we are. So our goal is to keep winning at that level.”

The Big 12 looks like a league built for wide-ranging competitiveness thanks to an evenly balanced collection of programs. Yet the Cowboys have shown a consistency over the past 14 years that few teams can match.

More: Which Oklahoma State football freshmen to watch in 2024 preseason camp

“I think that we’ve got a number of teams in this league that have an opportunity to make a move national,” Gundy said at Big 12 Media Days last month. “Whether anybody can take over and dominate for an extended period of time would be hard to tell at this point.”

Perhaps new rivals await OSU in the latest version of the Big 12, like newcomers Utah or Arizona. Maybe familiar faces like Kansas State or Texas Tech.

Or could this simply be the time for OSU to forget about rivalries and focus on trophies?

OSU has just one Big 12 title in the league’s 28-year history, but the landscape feels ripe for a program to establish itself as a standard-bearer of the conference. And OSU’s recent trend is heading in the right direction.

“Our goal is being in the championship game every single year,” Weiberg said. “We came out of the previous version of the Big 12 Conference, as we knew it then, by reaching that game two of the last three years. So we want to continue that kind of success.

“We want to carry the momentum we have coming out of that version of the Big 12 into the new version of the Big 12 and keep rolling with that kind of success.”

More: What are Oklahoma State football’s pressing questions as Cowboys open 2024 preseason camp?

2024 OSU football schedule

Week 1: OSU vs. South Dakota State, 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31 (ESPN+)
Week 2: OSU vs. Arkansas, 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 7 (ABC)
Week 3: OSU at Tulsa, 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 14 (ESPN2)
Week 4: OSU vs. Utah, TBA Saturday, Sept. 21
Week 5: OSU at Kansas State, TBA Saturday, Sept. 28
Week 6: OSU vs. West Virginia, TBA Saturday, Oct. 5
Week 7: Bye week
Week 8: OSU at BYU, 9:15 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18 (ESPN)
Week 9: OSU at Baylor, TBA Saturday, Oct. 26
Week 10: OSU vs. Arizona State, TBA Saturday, Nov. 2
Week 11: OSU at TCU, TBA Saturday, Nov. 9
Week 12: Bye week
Week 13: OSU vs. Texas Tech, TBA Saturday, Nov. 23
Week 14: OSU at Colorado, 11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 29 (ABC)

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Oklahoma

Report Card: Oklahoma moves to 11-0 with an 87-86 win over Michigan

Published

5 hours ago

December 19, 2024

Press Room

Report Card: Oklahoma moves to 11-0 with an 87-86 win over Michigan

The No. 14 Oklahoma Sooners are now 11-0 after a wild 87-86 win over No. 24 Michigan, erasing an 11-point second-half deficit. Freshman Jeremiah Fears was the star down the stretch, finishing with 30 points, including a game-winning four-point play in the final seconds, to push OU to victory.

Fears wasn’t alone. Duke Miles contributed 17 points, with three big three-pointers, including a clutch shot during a 9-0 run that gave the Sooners their first lead of the second half. Jalon Moore also had 16 points before fouling out late.

The two seven-footers for Michigan — Vlad Goldin and Danny Wolf — were a tough matchup for OU, as they are for most teams. Goldin dropped 26 points, while Wolf added 15. Both grabbed 10 rebounds for double-doubles.

Tre Donaldson (14 points) and Roddy Gayle (15 points) also had solid performances for Michigan. But in the end, it was Fears’ late heroics that sealed it for the Sooners. Now, let’s dive into the Report Card from Oklahoma’s ranked win:

MVP: Jeremiah Fears

It was a slower first half for Fears, but he continued to get to the line, drawing fouls at a high rate and racking up points from the free throw line. In the second half, though, he broke loose, scoring 20 of his career-high 30 points, including the game-winning four-point play.

In 34 minutes of action, Fears also recorded five turnovers and four assists. He shot 8-12 from the field, 3-4 from behind the arc, and 11-13 from the free throw line—making his 30-point performance even more impressive.

Oklahoma needed big-time shot-making from their guards if they were going to pull this one out, and Fears delivered, showcasing why he’s likely a future NBA lottery pick.

Fears has proven to be the biggest difference-maker in Porter Moser’s tenure at Oklahoma. The Sooners simply haven’t had a player who can do what he does. He showed the clutch gene that could make a huge impact as OU heads into SEC play.

Starting Five: A-minus

Fears was phenomenal, but Miles’ impressive play down the stretch cannot be overlooked. Oklahoma starts three guards, and we’ve seen each of them have their nights scoring-wise. The recipe for success, though, is having two of those guards clicking at once, and tonight, Fears and Miles delivered.

Miles totaled 17 points — 15 of which came in the second half — on 5-11 shooting from the field, 3-6 from behind the arc, and a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line. He hit several clutch shots, including one three-pointer that gave Oklahoma their first lead of the night.

Moore also contributed, adding 16 points on 4-12 shooting from the field and 3-5 from deep, despite being in foul trouble for much of the night. He ultimately fouled out late in the second half.

Sam Godwin chipped in with 6 points and 7 rebounds on 3-6 shooting, while Kobe Elvis added 5 points on 2-7 shooting, including 1-4 from behind the arc. With Fears going for 30, Miles putting up 17, and Moore adding 16, the starters had a strong night overall.

Bench: B-plus

Glenn Taylor stepped up in a big way for Oklahoma. Playing 29 minutes — second most on the team — Taylor totaled 9 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. He shot 3-5 from the field and 2-4 from behind the arc.

Taylor was a key defensive presence throughout the entire game, but he also contributed offensively, particularly in the first half. He scored 8 first-half points and hit two timely three-pointers. His all-around play, making several small but important contributions, helped Oklahoma secure the win.

In other bench news: Luke Northweather scored 2 points on 1-2 shooting in 14 minutes, while Brycen Goodine added 2 points on 1-2 shooting in 11 minutes. Dayton Forsythe had a solid 5-minute stint, and Mohamed Wague played just two minutes.

Rebounding: B

It’s important to note that Michigan’s two seven-footers posed a tough matchup for Oklahoma, and heading into the game, it was expected that the Wolverines would win the rebounding battle. They did, 37-32, but the Sooners kept it close, losing the battle by just five. Given the size disparity, losing by just five on the boards is a solid effort for OU.

Three-Point Shooting: A-plus

The Sooners were red-hot from beyond the arc, shooting 6-12 (50%) in the second half and finishing 12-25 (48%) for the game.

This sharp shooting played a huge role in their comeback win. With Michigan building an 11-point lead with just over eight minutes remaining, OU knew they needed to keep knocking down shots from deep—and they did just that. Miles, Fears, and Moore each hit three three-pointers, while Taylor contributed with two of his own.

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Oklahoma

Oklahoma Sooners, Jeremiah Fears stun Michigan Wolverines in comeback effort

Published

13 hours ago

December 19, 2024

Press Room

Oklahoma Sooners, Jeremiah Fears stun Michigan Wolverines in comeback effort

The Oklahoma Sooners improved to 11-0 on the 2024-2025 college basketball season with an incredible come-from-behind win over the Michigan Wolverines in the Jumpman Invitational.

Jeremiah Fears dazzled with a career-high 30 points, including the game-tying three with 11 seconds remaining, and after being fouled on the three, put the Sooners ahead for good at the foul line.

The Oklahoma Sooners are 11-0 for just the second time in the last 10 years and are now 2-0 against top-25 opponents this season.

Sooners Battled

Porter Moser’s squad showed incredible toughness in the win over the Wolverines. Michigan boasts two of the better big men in the nation in Vladisl Goldin and Danny Wolf. The two combined for 41 points, including 27 first half points.

But Moser made adjustments, and the Sooners defense battled back in the second half to limit the two to just 14 points. Despite being undersized on the inside, Jalon Moore, Sam Godwin, Luke Northweather, and Glenn Taylor Jr. took the fight to the Wolverines impressive big men.

The Sooners overcame 11-point deficits on two different occasions in the second half to take a four-point lead late in the half. And even after they allowed Michigan to take over and go up three with just over a minute to play, Moser drew up a great play to get Fears just enough space to hit the game-tying three with just 11 seconds to play.

It was a resilient win for the Sooners. Through 11 games, Oklahoma looks like a team ready to make a tournament run.

Phenomenal Freshman

Jeremiah Fears has been impressive throughout the season, but he took his game to another level in the win over Michigan. He was 8 of 12 from the field, 3 of 4 from three, and 11 of 13 from the free throw line to lead the Sooners.

His previous career high came in Oklahoma’s other top 25 win of the season against the Arizona Wildcats. Fears has put together his best performances for Oklahoma’s toughest tests.

In the final five minutes of the Sooners’ comeback win, Fears accounted for seven of Oklahoma’s final nine points to earn the win.

He’s been sensational this season and looks every bit the part of a future NBA Draft Lottery Pick.

Three’s the Difference

The Oklahoma Sooners were outrebounded by six on the offensive glass, but they overcame Michigan’s edge on the boards with a really good night shooting from a distance.

Oklahoma was 12 of 25 from three, while Michigan was just 4 of 28 from downtown. Moore, Fears, and Duke Miles each hit three triples and Taylor added a pair off the bench.

If the Sooners can continue to shoot with consistency from three, they’ll be really tough to beat this season. Especially as Fears and Moore continue to finish in the paint.

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.

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Oklahoma

Oklahoma transfer DB commits to Colorado

Published

20 hours ago

December 18, 2024

Press Room

Oklahoma transfer DB commits to Colorado

Oklahoma transfer DB Makari Vickers committed to Colorado, he told On3’s Hayes Fawcett. He will have three years of eligibility remaining.

Vickers spent two seasons in Norman, but took a redshirt this past year. He played in four games, totaling one tackle in that time. That came after eight appearances in 2023 when he had eight tackles and a pass defended as a true freshman.

Vickers played high school football at Tallahassee (FL) Robert F Munroe Day School, where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 83 overall recruit in the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire.

The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and X account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.

Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes have once again been active in the transfer portal so far this cycle. Makari Vickers marks the seventh commitment for Colorado and is the latest splash on Wednesday.

Colorado picked up a notable commitment from former Liberty quarterback Kaidon Salter on Wednesday. He will join elite signee Julian Lewis in the Buffs’ quarterback room and arrives as the No. 11-ranked quarterback to hit the portal so far, according to the On3 Industry Transfer Rankings.

This past season, Salter threw for 1,886 yards and 15 touchdowns while adding 579 rushing yards and seven scores on the ground. That came after a breakout 2023 campaign when he had 2,876 passing yards and 32 touchdowns in the air to go with 1,089 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns in the running game.

Over the course of four seasons, Salter had 5,889 yards, 56 touchdowns, 17 interceptions, a 58.7% completion percentage, 2,006 rushing yards and 21 rushing touchdowns. He will have one year of eligibility remaining as he makes his way to Boulder.

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