Fresh off its bye week, Oklahoma is readying for the remainder of the season. After six games, it sits atop the Big 12 standings with a 3-0 conference record.
The Sooners have had time to put their win over Texas behind them and come down from that emotional roller coaster. Brent Venables has done a good job keeping this team focused on what comes next. He will have to do it again as Oklahoma prepares to host the UCF Knights on Saturday.
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UCF is the second of three Big 12 newcomers the Sooners will see this season. Oklahoma knocked off Cincinnati in its Big 12 opener and will face BYU on the second to last weekend of the regular season.
The Sooners and Knights have never played. So Saturday’s showdown will be a new experience for both. UCF also enters the game off its bye week. Before that, it was on the wrong end of a blowout by the Kansas Jayhawks, 51-22. Kansas ran for 399 yards in the win.
As the Oklahoma Sooners get ready to play the UCF Knights, here are five players to know ahead of Saturday’s contest.
1
John Rhys Plumlee, QB
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The leader of this UCF team, quarterback John Rhys Plumlee, was in need of the bye week. An injury to his knee in September interfered with Plumlee’s season. All signs point to him being healthy and ready to roll against Oklahoma.
In 13 games last season, Plumlee completed 63% of his passes for 2,586 yards, rushed for 862 yards on almost 5.5 yards per carry, and amassed 25 total touchdowns.
Plumlee is an athletic quarterback capable of beating you through the air and on the ground. If we’re talking overall, he’s probably the second-best quarterback Oklahoma has faced in 2023 after Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers. Plumlee’s athleticism provides a very different challenge than Ewers.
Oklahoma must remain disciplined in its rush lanes to account for Plumlee in the QB run game.
2
RJ Harvey, RB
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UCF has two productive backs it will lean on Saturday. RJ Harvey leads the team in rushing with 511 yards on 89 carries. He has scored six times on the ground and is probably the back you would consider their workhorse.
Harvey has excellent lateral quickness, which is used to exploit defenders when he presses the line of scrimmage. He displays good burst and long speed to hit the home run every time he touches the ball. On a 48-yard touchdown run earlier this season, he hit a top speed of 20 miles per hour.
The Knights aren’t afraid to throw him the ball either; his 172 receiving yards are third on the team. He is tied for the team lead in receiving touchdowns with two.
Simply put, he may be their most dynamic offensive weapon.
Harvey is a big play waiting to happen.
3
Johnny Richardson, RB
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On more than 40 fewer carries than Harvey has, Richardson has 441 rushing yards. He is averaging a robust 8.3 yards per carry. To further hammer home how explosive he is, Richardson entered October with the second-highest percentage of his rushing yards that came on runs of 15 yards or longer. The percentage? 67.8.
Oklahoma has done a marvelous job this season in run defense. This UCF team is averaging 248 yards per game. That’s third in the nation. The game will be won or lost based on how Oklahoma handles these running backs and John Rhys Plumlee.
4
Kobe Hudson, WR
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The top receiving threat for Gus Malzahn’s team is Kobe Hudson. The senior out of Georgia stands 6-foot-1 and has been a steady force for the Knights since transferring from Auburn.
He’s well on his way to eclipsing his 641 receiving yards from last year. Hudson enters the game with 22 catches for 473 yards to go with two touchdowns.
Based on his style of play, this feels like a matchup for Gentry Williams, who can use his length and long speed to play physically with Hudson.
5
Tre’Mon Morris-Brash, DE
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This Oklahoma offensive line will go up against one of the most productive edge players in the nation. Tre’Mon Morris-Brash has been dominant all season for a beleaguered Knights defense that struggles big-time against the run.
Morris-Brash has been impressive. He leads the conference in sacks: five for a loss of 47 yards. He has 11 tackles for loss in six games. That’s good for third nationally. Simply put, he’s a splash play waiting to happen.
Oklahoma will opt to run the ball quite a bit, considering how bad the UCF run defense is (120th nationally), but the Sooners will still want to push the ball down the field. Whether in the run game or while passing, Morris-Brash should be accounted for in Oklahoma’s preparations on offense.
6
Jason Johnson, LB
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Jason Johnson is a significant part of the UCF defense. When you talk about what UCF wants to do defensively, Johnson is at the heart of it all.
He is third in tackles in the Big 12 behind Danny Stutsman and Nickolas Martin of Oklahoma State, but Johnson leads the conference in solo tackles at 34.
He’s a big guy in the middle and was an All-AAC first-team selection in 2022. He’s an every-down type of linebacker and one of the best defenders in the conference.
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