Oklahoma Sooners defensive back Billy Bowman Jr. (2) celebrates after returning an interception for a touchdown during a college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the TCU Horned Frogs at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Friday, Nov. 24, 2023. Oklahoma won 69-45. Bryan Terry, The Oklahoman
The Oklahoma Sooners enter the [autotag]SEC[/autotag] in 2024, and OU fans are as excited about the defensive side of the ball as they’ve been in a long time. Under third-year head coach [autotag]Brent Venables[/autotag], that unit looks capable of playing up to the standard in Norman.
Star power and veteran leadership are certainly part of the reason why. Linebacker [autotag]Danny Stutsman[/autotag] and safety [autotag]Billy Bowman[/autotag] both could have gone pro this past winter, but opted instead to stay in school and help lead the Sooners into the SEC. The seniors have already received plenty of offseason recognition, but as the season draws closer, they were recognized again on Monday.
Both players were named to the preseason Associated Press All-America team that was released less than a week before Week Zero marks the beginning of the college football season. Both Stutsman and Bowman made the second team-defense on AP’s team.
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Stutsman was 15th in the nation in tackles for loss last season, averaging 1.3 per game. He was Oklahoma’s lifeblood, the team’s leader and tallied over 100 tackles for the second straight year. He was joined at the linebacker position on the second team by Oklahoma State’s Nick Martin and Old Dominion’s Jason Henderson.
Bowman was a nightmare in the secondary for opposing offensive coordinators. Three pick-six touchdowns accompanied his six total interceptions last year, making him one of the most dangerous defensive backs in all of college football. He was joined at the safety position on the second team by Dillon Thieneman of Purdue.
The duo was also named finalists for the Nagurski and Bednarik Trophies.
Stutsman and Bowman give Venables and new defensive coordinator [autotag]Zac Alley[/autotag] plenty of experience and talent at two important spots on the defense as the Sooners move into the SEC. Their returns meant that Oklahoma didn’t have to reload on the defensive side of the ball and they have a chance to take another step forward in 2024.
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 Aaron on X @AaronGelvin.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Oklahoma duo makes AP preseason All-American team
The energy was off the charts in the Frost Bank Center even before opening tip for what many hoop fans are hoping is the next great NBA rivalry. Both the Spurs and Thunder the traded blows on the offensive and defensive end in an exhilarating display of basketball that included 12 lead changes and 11 ties. Oklahoma City took a slim 60-58 lead into the locker room at halftime. The second half played out in much the same fashion with extremely high-level basketball and neither team able to pull away, though San Antonio were the ones who took a 5 point lead heading into the 4th quarter. That chink in the Thunder armor though was enough to blow the game wide open to begin the final frame for the Spurs. They spent the vast majority of the 4th quarter just making life hell for the Thunder, who waved the white flag and pulled their starters with 3 minutes left in the game.
Led by huge performances from Stephon Castle, Harrison Barnes and a particularly special performance by Keldon Johnson off the bench, the win marks their second straight win over the defending champions and their 7th win in a row, the longest for the club since 2019. Tonight’s win sets the table for Thursday’s Christmas Day match-up in Oklahoma City pretty nicely, sending a message to anyone still doubting whether or not the Silver and Black are for real.
The rematch on Christmas Day starts at 1:30 CT on ABC and ESPN.
Christmas is nearly here, but are you done with Christmas shopping? You still have a few days left, and we know that so many people face the annual challenge of what to buy someone who has everything, or is hard to buy for.
News 9 spoke to Von Maur representative Mathew Burniga to learn how to wrap up your Christmas shopping.
NORMAN, Okla. — Derrion Reed scored 22 points, Xzayvier Brown finished with 18, and Oklahoma set the program’s single-game record for field-goal percentage on Monday night as the Sooners beat Stetson 107-54 on Monday night.
Oklahoma shot 67.8% (40 of 59) from the field and had its highest-scoring game since a 107-86 win over Arkansan-Pine Bluff on Nov. 30, 2023. The previous record was 66.1% (39 of 59) against Baylor on Feb. 26, 2005.
The Sooners made 12 of 24 from 3-point range, outrebounded Stetson 39-24, and outscored the Hatters 54-18 in the paint.
Mohamed Wague had 15 points and nine rebounds for Oklahoma and Tae Davis added 12 points and six assists. Kuol Atak and Nijel Pack each scored 11 points.
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Ethan Copeland, the only Stetson (4-9) player who scored in double figures, had 14 points.
Oklahoma (9-3) used runs of 15-3 and 10-2, the latter of which culminated with a Jadon Jones three-point play that gave the Sooners a 26-11 lead a little more than eight minutes into the game.
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