Oklahoma

Oklahoma Sooners inside Athlon Sports post-spring top 25

Published

2 years ago

May 29, 2023

Oklahoma Sooners inside Athlon Sports post-spring top 25

“Don’t call it a comeback, I been here for years.” Those are the lyrics of the great LL Cool J from his hit “Mama said knock you out.” They feel apt for the Oklahoma Sooners months ahead of the 2023 college football season.

After Oklahoma’s first losing season since 1998, one would think the expectations would change for the Sooners, but in preseason power rankings, that doesn’t appear to be the case. Oklahoma is projected to be a top 25 team when they open the 2023 season in September.

Though it was a rough go-round in Brent Venables first year as a head coach, that doesn’t change the reality that Venables is one of the best defensive minds in college football. He’s proven it several times over the last two decades and there’s little doubt he and the Sooners won’t improve from their 2022 season.

Count Steve Lassan of Athlon Sports as a believer in Oklahoma’s bounce-back season. He’s got the Sooners at No. 16 in Athlon Sports post-spring top 25.

Year 1 for Brent Venables in Norman didn’t go according to plan, as the Sooners posted their first losing season (6-7) since 1998. However, a wide-open Big 12 and a roster returning 12 starters — including quarterback Dillon Gabriel — should be enough for Oklahoma to return to Big 12 title contention. The Sooners lost their top two receivers and both starting tackles on the offensive line, but a deep backfield should help stabilize the offense. Venables hit the portal hard to help a defense that allowed 30 points per game last fall, and those reinforcements, combined with another year in the scheme, should equal some improvement. Also, Oklahoma is due for a little better luck after losing five games by seven points or fewer in ’22. – Lassan, Athlon Sports

Oklahoma’s returning arguably their most-important players from a year ago in Dillon Gabriel and Danny Stutsman. The two provide important continuity on both sides of the ball as leaders of their respective units.

Gabriel will be working with an offense that’s expecting Jalil Farooq to take a step and a running back tandem to replace Eric Gray. As we await answers to the questions on the offensive side of the ball, the Sooners can feel confident in their offense because they have one of the best quarterbacks in the conference manning the helm.

In just his first season as a starter, Danny Stutsman was incredibly productive, leading the Big 12 in tackles. He was an iron man, playing nearly 1,000 snaps. Though he lost linebacker running buddies David Ugwoegbu and DaShaun White, Stutsman and the Sooners are expected to make improvements with another offseason in the scheme and an influx of talent through the transfer portal.

Presumably, joining Stutsman in the starting lineup at linebacker are Jaren Kanak and Dasan McCullough, who bring elite athleticism and speed to the position to help make Oklahoma a faster football team. Oklahoma also added Rondell Bothroyd and Trace Ford to their defensive end rotation to help provide improved pass rush. They’ll work in a rotation along with Ethan Downs, R Mason Thomas, Reggie Grimes, Marcus Stripling, and five-star newcomer Adepoju Adebawore.

If Oklahoma can improve its pass rush from what it was in 2022, it’ll be a drastically improved football team in 2023.

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 John on Twitter @john9williams.

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Oklahoma

Navy Midshipmen Seek Victory Over Oklahoma in Armed Forces Bowl

Published

20 minutes ago

December 23, 2024

Press Room

Navy Midshipmen Seek Victory Over Oklahoma in Armed Forces Bowl

Navy won its rivalry game with Army West Point, but there’s one more game left on the schedule and one more shot at some history for the Midshipmen.

Navy is preparing to face Oklahoma in the Armed Forces Bowl on Friday, their first appearance in a bowl game under second-year head coach Brian Newberry. Kickoff is set for noon eastern.

If the Midshipmen (9-3) are able to beat the Sooners (6-6), it would mark the sixth time in school history that they won at least 10 games in a season, joining the teams from 1905 (10-1-1), 2004 (10-2), 2009 (10-4), 2015 (11-2) and 2019 (11-2).

Navy needs to put its blowout win over Army out of its minds. The Sooners, while not the OU that most are used to, will still be a formidable opponent. But there will be change under center after the transfer of quarterback Jackson Arnold.

No such issues with Navy quarterback Blake Horvath, as he looks to cap off the season with an incredible performance in the postseason.

Here is a preview of the game.

Armed Forces Bowl

Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, Texas

Time: noon, ET, Friday

TV: ESPN

Radio: WBAL 1090 AM / 101.5 FM (flagship), Navy Football Radio Network.

Coaches: Navy: Brian Newberry (14-10 at Navy, overall); Oklahoma: Brent Venables (22-16 at Oklahoma, overall).

Fun fact: Newberry played high school football at WestMoore High School in Oklahoma City, about an hour and a half away from Oklahoma’s campus in Norman.

All-Times Series: Navy leads series, 1-0.

Last meeting: Navy 10, Oklahoma 0 (1965 in Norman, Okla.).

Series notes: This is Navy’s first bowl game against OU, but not its first bowl game against an SEC school. The Midshipmen played Ole Miss in the 1955 Sugar Bowl. Navy has played Missouri and Texas, but neither was in the SEC at the time.

Last Week: Navy def. Army, 31-13 (Dec. 14); Oklahoma lost to LSU, 37-13 (Nov. 30).

About Navy: Navy’s win over Army allowed the Midshipmen to claim the Commander in Chief’s trophy and you can’t doubt the accomplishment. Navy won the two service academy games by a combined 45 points. That’s just domination.

Last week, Midshipmen defensive back Rayuan Lane III accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl, just the fifth Navy player to accomplish that feat. He’ll play in this game and then take his shot at getting drafted into the NFL.

Along with chasing 10 wins, Horvath is chasing the single-season touchdown pass record at Navy. He’s tied it with 13, putting him in the company of Ricky Dobbs. He tossed two touchdowns against Army.

About Oklahoma: Even though OU only finished .500, this game marks a rare chance for Navy to measure itself against one of the game’s historic programs.

Oklahoma is the sixth-winningest program in FBS history with 950 wins and is playing in a bowl game for the 26th straight season, with a record of 31-25-1. OU’s 58 bowl appearances are the fourth-most in FBS.

The first year in the SEC was a gauntlet for the Sooners, who faced eight ranked opponents during the season. But, their win over No. 7 Alabama probably robbed the Crimson Tide of a chance to play in the College Football Playoff.

Next Up: The season concludes for both teams.

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Oklahoma

Oklahoma Ford Sports Blitz: December 22

Published

8 hours ago

December 23, 2024

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, December 22nd 2024, 11:25 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

OU, OSU, TU Recap

Viewer Question

Thunder Update: Caruso 4-Year Contract Extension, No Christmas Game

OU, OSU, TU, ORU Basketball Recap

OSU Wrestling Beats Virginia Tech

Play The Percentages

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Oklahoma

Oklahoma transfer LB Dasan McCullough commits to Nebraska

Published

16 hours ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

Oklahoma transfer LB Dasan McCullough commits to Nebraska

Oklahoma transfer linebacker Dasan McCullough has committed to Nebraska, he confirmed on Instagram Sunday afternoon.

The 6-foot-5, 235-pound McCullough spent the past two seasons in Norman with the Sooners. He began his college football career in 2022 at Indiana, where he earned Freshman All-American status.

McCullough will come to Nebraska with one season of eligibility remaining.

McCullough, who played Oklahoma’s versatile hybrid linebacker/safety position called the Cheetah, suffered an injury before the start of Oklahoma’s fall camp this season and missed the first five games. He returned to the field in October and played in the final seven games, the last five of which he started. He recorded 17 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss in 2024.

In 2023 at Oklahoma, McCullough played in 10 games and started seven while making 30 tackles with 3.5 TFLs and three pass deflections.

McCullough, who was a star recruit and ranked No. 61 nationally in the 2022 class, comes from a football family. His dad, Deland McCullough, played running back in the NFL and is currently Notre Dame’s associate head coach and running backs coach.

While Deland spent three seasons as the Kansas City Chiefs’ running backs coach from 2018-20, Dasan played his high school ball at Blue Valley North High School in Overland Park, Kansas. Deland became Indiana’s associate head coach and running backs coach in 2021, and Dasan, then an Ohio State verbal commit, flipped to Indiana not long after.

Dasan followed his father to Bloomington and made an impact right away. He played in all 12 games with four starts and racked up 51 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, four sacks and four pass deflections. He gained Freshman All-American honors and a Big Ten honorable mention selection.

— Steve Marik, Inside Nebraska staff writer,

Analysis

McCullough is a versatile backend defender that can play a variety of roles in Nebraska’s defense.

A rare blend of size and athleticism at 6-5, McCullough shows good speed and change-of-direction ability for his size. Has high-end instincts and IQ, which shows up in zone coverage and reacting against the run. Has had some intriguing flashes as a pass-rusher, but largely relies on athleticism to get into the backfield, still developing consistent pass rush moves.

Technically sound tackler, though lean he’s got wiry body strength. Consistent aggression could improve as could hip fluidity. Athletic enough to hold his own in man coverage, technique can continue to improve, better in zone at this point in his career.

In Nebraska’s scheme, McCullough can play all three linebacker positions, rover or even safety if needed. He’s likely best at inside linebacker with a few pass-rush opportunities.

This addition provides Nebraska defensive coordinator John Butler something of a chess piece to move around his defense.

— Tim Verghese, Inside Nebraska recruiting analyst

Additional analysis

McCullough is a versatile and sizable defender who played both a traditional linebacker position and Oklahoma’s “cheetah” spot, which is roughly equivalent to the nickel. He also saw some periodic snaps as an edge rusher for the Sooners during his two years in Norman.

McCullough at his best against the run, as he takes good pursuit angles, fills gaps responsibly and is a reliable tackler. That said, he’s intelligent and instinctive in zone coverage and can generally be trusted to hold his own in man-to-man matchups against tight ends and running backs.

McCullough ought to be quite the chess piece in John Butler’s defense, and could truly thrive in Lincoln depending on the Huskers’ specific vision for his diverse skill set.

— OUInsider writer Parker Thune