Oklahoma

Getting More Aggressive Must be Part of Oklahoma QB Michael Hawkins Jr.’s ‘Maturation’

Published

3 months ago

October 16, 2024

Getting More Aggressive Must be Part of Oklahoma QB Michael Hawkins Jr.’s ‘Maturation’

NORMAN – When Brent Venables made the decision to replace quarterback Jackson Arnold with true freshman Micahel Hawkins Jr., he kept circling back to one major issue – turnovers.

“The turnovers and where they were at were really a real issue, obviously,” Venables said ahead of the Auburn game when identifying what went wrong with Arnold in the lineup against Tennessee.

Throughout the spring and fall, every indication from Venables was that Hawkins was doing a great job of both learning the offense and making quick, smart decisions on the practice field.

Through 10 quarters of football, Hawkins has delivered on protecting the ball in the passing game.

He’s thrown no interceptions, but not only that, he hasn’t really come close to put the ball in harm’s way through the air. Hawkins hasn’t had to rely on the good fortune of a defensive back dropping an interception, as the ball either ends up in the hands of an OU receiver or safely out of bounds after making the decision to live to fight another down.

Taking care of the football is always a good thing, but Venables said Hawkins still has to take the opportunities in front of him when they reveal themselves throughout a game.

“We had plenty of opportunities in the first drive of the game,” Venables said on Tuesday. “After getting the first down, we’re open, we’re behind the defender and we just overthrow it. We don’t catch it in the end zone. We attack vertically. There’s always a pros and cons with that, too. You want to try to stay on time and stay on schedule and stay ahead of the chains. So when you take shots down the field, you like your matchup, you like your coverage, you like where you’re at on the field, but you’ve got to live and die with that, too.

“… And then our third drive, we get things going there, and we get three first downs but we miss some opportunities within the drive. There’s plenty of opportunities, but we got a slant rout open on 3rd and 7, we go to hit him. Again, well-designed play, and it’s going to be tight coverage, but we’ve got to make those plays.”

Hawkins finished the game 19-for-30 through the air for 148 yards. He was under duress essentially the entire contest, as he was sacked five times.

But there were a few moments late where even a turnover might have been more productive than just throwing the ball away.

Down 27-3 in the fourth quarter, Hawkins threw the ball away on fourth-and-3. Despite having no obvious places to throw the football, the offense doesn’t have a chance to convert if the ball isn’t kept in play.

Hawkins again was unable to make anything happen on the final play of the game, where he threw the ball out the back of the end zone as time expired.

The offensive issues don’t rest on the shoulders of the true freshman – far from it.

But there are chances to be more aggressive with the football, and that’s the next step Hawkins will have to take in his development as he gets more comfortable and makes just his third career start against South Carolina on Saturday (11:45 a.m., SEC Network).

The coaching staff will continue to work with him on exactly when to try and make a big-time throw as well to balance pushing the ball further downfield without being reckless.

“The second half, he had a couple of really nice throws,” Venables said. “Over-the-middle type coverage, bang-bang type plays. Didn’t happen the first half early. There’s times you don’t trust it. That’s just part of the maturation. You don’t want that. You go back, you freeze the picture, show ‘em what’s there. You develop that for practice and the confidence that comes with it. Everybody’s gotta be on the same page. And again, you go back, you show ‘em the ones that were good and then you say, here’s the ones that were there. You match ‘em up with maybe what we did in practice.

“… So you try to show the players that you do that to create affirmation, that you’re being shown the right things. You gotta execute the things that you know are gonna be successful. When you get on the field with a call, you’re in a good position to be successful.”

Hawkins will be the first to say he can make improvements, too. He was quick to identify areas where he can be better in the immediate aftermath of the loss to Texas.

“I just could’ve came out a little harder,” he said on Saturday. “Saw little things I could’ve fixed on the sideline after plays. Got to do better, could’ve gotten through it better and just leading my team in a better way. The biggest thing for me is just coming back harder, my mindset of working and leading my team when things go left.”

Growing pains are to be expected with a true freshman quarterback in the SEC, and Venables is looking forward to Hawkins getting right back on the horse at practice this week as he works to improve.

“As I go back, were there opportunities there? Were guys wide open? Yeah, several times wide open,” Venables said. “Is the protection there when they were wide open? Yeah, it sure was. Do we got to pull the trigger? Yeah, we do

“… You try to build the confidence, continuity, cohesion, the timing, all of those things. By the end, we’re gonna go right back at it again. You hit it head-on as much as anything.”

Source link

Oklahoma

Oklahoma Ford Sports Blitz: January 5

Published

2 minutes ago

January 6, 2025

Press Room

Join News 9 Sports Director Dean Blevins, News On 6 Sports Director John Holcomb, and Toby Rowland for this week’s edition of the Oklahoma Ford Sports Blitz.

Sunday, January 5th 2025, 11:32 pm

By:

News On 6,

News 9

OKLAHOMA CITY –

This week on the Oklahoma Ford Sports Blitz, Dean Blevins, John Holcomb, and Toby Rowland begin the show with their opening takes.

Toby’s Top 3

Thunder Report: Thunder Beat Celtics 105-92

OU, OSU, TU Update

Viewer Question

OU, OSU, TU Basketball Recap

Play The Percentages

Source link

Oklahoma

Oklahoma State Adds UCLA Defensive Lineman in Transfer Portal

Published

8 hours ago

January 5, 2025

Press Room

Oklahoma State Adds UCLA Defensive Lineman in Transfer Portal

Oklahoma State has added another potential impact player along the defensive front.

On Sunday, OSU added UCLA defensive lineman Sitiveni Havili-Kaufusi out of the transfer portal, according to a report from Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports. Havili-Kaufusi spent his past three seasons of college football with the Bruins but is looking for a change as he enters 2025.

Havili-Kaufusi had his most productive year last season, making 10 total tackles, including a tackle for loss. He finished his UCLA career with 22 tackles across 33 games, as he played in almost every contest for the Bruins in his time there.

While his production doesn’t necessarily jump off the page, adding a defensive lineman who OSU can rely on to stay on the field throughout the season would be a huge advantage. Although injuries can happen to anyone at any time, as OSU learned with Collin Oliver and Nick Martin last season, being a durable player entering a new situation is typically a key for quick success.

After going 3-9 and boasting one of the worst defenses in college football in virtually every area in 2024, the Cowboys are looking to shake things up over the offseason. The first big change was with the staff, firing two-year defensive coordinator Bryan Nardo and bringing in veteran Todd Grantham to lead that unit. That change led to a number of other staff changes, including Grantham adding some of his former assistants to the OSU staff.

Havili-Kaufusi is just the latest addition to Grantham’s unit through the transfer portal. After adding him, other linemen and some highly touted players in the secondary, OSU could be set for a resurgent year defensively.

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.

Source link

Oklahoma

Boston Celtics (26-9) at Oklahoma City Thunder (29-5) Game #36 1/5/25

Published

15 hours ago

January 5, 2025

Press Room

Boston Celtics (26-9) at Oklahoma City Thunder (29-5) Game #36 1/5/25

In what very well may be a preview of this year’s NBA Finals, the Celtics take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 3rd game of a 4 game road trip. The Celtics opened the trip with wins over the Timberwolves and the Rockets. this is the first of 2 games between these two teams this season. They will meet for the 2nd and final time in Boston on March 12. They split the series 1-1 the last two seasons with each team winning on their home court. The Celtics are 79-66 overall all time against the Thunder and they are 39-38 in games played in Oklahoma City.

The Celtics remain 2nd in the East, 4.5 games behind the first place Cleveland Cavaliers, who have win their last 8 games. The Celtics are now 2 ahead of the 3rd place Knicks, who won 9 straight before losing their last game to the Thunder. The Celtics are 12-3 on the road and they are 6-4 in their last 10 games. They are 4-2 against Western Conference opponents and have won their last 3 games.

The Thunder are in first place in the West. They are 6.5 games ahead of 2nd place Memphis and 7 ahead of 3rd place Houston. They are 9 games ahead of the 4th place Los Angeles Lakers. They are 15-2 at home and they are 10-0 in their last 10 games. They are 10-0 against Eastern Conference opponents and they currently have a 14 game win streak.

The Thunder made several key moves in the off season. The biggest move may have been signing Isaiah Hartenstein away from the NY Knicks. He has especially been important due to the absence of Chet Holmgren. They also traded Josh Giddey for Alex Caruso. They drafted Nikola Topic, who will miss the entire season with a torn ACL. They also drafted Dillon Jones and Ajay Mitchell, with an eye to the future. Finally, they signed undrafted Alex Ducas to a 2 way contract.

This is the third game of a 4 game Western road trip that started with back to back wins in Minnesota on Thursday and in Houston on Friday. After this game, they will finish the road trip in Denver on Tuesday. They will return home to face 2 more Western Conference teams, Sacramento and New Orleans. They then head to Toronto to face the Raptors again for the 3rd time. They will then host Orlando and Atlanta before their 2nd Western road trip of the month through Golden State, Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers and Dallas.

Kristaps Porzingis returned to the starting lineup in the Celtics’ last game against the Rockets after missing 4 straight games with a sprained ankle. He should be ready to play in this game as well. Al Horford sat out Friday’s game for rest but is expected to return for this game. Jalen Brown has missed the Celtics’ last two games with a shoulder strain and is questionable for this game. I’m using wishful thinking and including him in the starting lineup. If he can’t play once again, Sam Hauser should once again get the start in his place.

For the Thunder, Alex Caruso will miss his 7th game with a hip strain. Cason Wallace will likely continue to start in his place. Chet Holmgren is out with a right iliac hip fracture. I expect Isaiah Hartenstein will continue to start in his place. The Thunder’s 3 two way players are all also out with injuries. Alex Ducas (back), Adam Flagler (finger), and Ajay Mitchell (toe) are all out for this game. Rookie Nikola Topic is out for the season with an ACL tear.

Probable Celtics Starters

PG: Jrue Holiday
SG: Derrick White
SF: Jaylen Brown
PF: Jayson Tatum
C: Kristaps Porzingis

Celtics Reserves
Luke Kornet
Payton Pritchard
Neemias Queta
Sam Hauser
Baylor Scheierman
Jaden Springer
Xavier Tillman, Sr
Jordan Walsh

2 Way Players
JD Davison
Drew Peterson
Anton Watson

Injuries/Out
Jaylen Brown (shoulder) questionable

Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla

Probable Thunder Starters

PG: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
SG: Cason Wallace
SF: Lugentz Dort
PF: Jalen Williams
C: Isaiah Hartenstein

Thunder Reserves
Branden Carlson
Ousmane Dieng
Isaiah Joe
Dillon Jones
Aaron Wiggins
Jaylin Williams
Kenrich Williams

2 Way Players
Alex Ducas
Adam Flagler
Ajay Mitchell

Injuries/Out
Alex Caruso (hip) out
Alex Ducas (back) out
Ajay Mitchell (toe) out
Chet Holmgren (hip) out
Adam Flagler (finger) out
Nikola Topic (ACL) out

Head Coach
Mark Daigneault

Key Matchups

Jrue Holiday
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Jrue Holiday vs Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 31.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 6.1 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. He is shooting 52.5% from the field and 35.6% from beyond the arc. Gilgeous-Alexander is tied for the lead in the MVP race and is the key to the Thunder’s winning ways. In order to slow the Thunder, the Celtics must slow down SGA.

Photo by David Berding/Getty Images
Jalen Williams

Photo by Joshua Gateley/Getty Images

Jayson Tatum vs Jalen Williams
Williams is averaging 20.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.8 steals per game. He is shooting 48.1% from the field and 35.3% from beyond the arc. Williams can score both inside and out and so the Celtics must stay with him on defense whether he is in the paint or on the perimeter. Jayson Tatum has been playing very well on this road trip and the Celtics need him to continue that trend on both ends of the court in this game.

Honorable Mention
Kristaps Porzingis vs Isaiah Hartenstein
Hartenstein is averaging 12.2 points, 12.3 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game. He is shooting 57.3% from the field and 0% from beyond the arc. He is a threat to score inside and is a very good rebounder and shot blocker. The Celtics need to keep him out of the paint and away from the rim.

Keys to the Game
Defense – Defense is always a key to winning. The Thunder average 115.4 points per game (10th) The Celtics average 119.4 points per game (4th). This is going to be a tough matchup for the Celtics as the Thunder are first in the league with a defensive rating of 102.9 while the Celtics are 6th with a defensive rating of 109.4. The Celtics need to tighten up their defense and make playing defense a priority especially against this Thunder team that plays lock down defense. The Celtics need to especially defend the paint since the Thunder are 10th in the league with 49.9 points in the paint per game.

Rebound – Rebounding is also a key to winning. The Celtics need to rebound on the defensive end to keep the Thunder from getting second chance points and they need to rebound on the offensive end to give themselves extra possessions. The Thunder are 18th with 43.6 rebounds per game while the Celtics are 8th with 45.0 rebounds per game. Much of rebounding is desire and effort and the Celtics as a team have to put in the extra effort to grab rebounds.

Take Care of the Ball – The Celtics need to keep their focus and not turn the ball over. The Thunder are 1st in the league with 23.4 points off turnovers per game. They are also 1st with 11.8 steals per game. The Celtics have to move the ball because they are a much better team when they move the ball and don’t over dribble. But they must focus and make careful passes and not get sloppy. They also have to be aware when dribbling the ball so as not to allow the Thunder to get steals. The Thunder will make them pay if they get sloppy and turn the ball over.

Be Focused and Ready for a Tough Game – The Thunder have not lost to an Eastern Conference team this season. They have also only lost 5 games. The Celtics have to be ready to go to the basket if they struggle from three. They also have to be ready to shoot from midrange if both the paint and the perimeter are defended tightly. The Celtics must stay focused on playing hard for 48 minutes and on playing tough defense and on playing the right way.

X-Factors
On the Road – The Celtics are playing in their 3rd straight road game. The Celtics have the advantage of having a mostly healthy roster but then, the Thunder have won 14 straight games in spite of missing some players. The Thunder have the advantage of being at home in front of their fans and they have great fans. The Celtics need to overcome the distractions of travel and playing on the road in front of hostile fans.

Coaching – Joe Mazzulla led the Celtics to a championship in just his second season but Mazzulla didn’t win the Coach of the Year last season. It was Thunder coach, Mark Daigneault that won the Coach of the Year honor. He is also the Coach of the Month for December this season. Both rosters are deep and talented and so coaching may be a factor in this game.

Officiating – Officiating is always an x-factor. How the refs call the game has a big influence on how the teams play. Will they let them play or call every little bit of contact? Will they call it evenly or will they favor one team or the other. It all effects the outcome of the game and the Celtics need to play the right way and not allow the officiating to take them out of their game. The Celtics should never be caught complaining to the refs while the other team goes in for a score.

And make sure to check out CelticsBlog’s Playback stream for a live conversation about the game. To participate, just create a free account, connect your LP sub if you have it, and join our community.

Source link