Oklahoma
The 10 Highest-Graded Players from BYU’s Comeback Win Over Oklahoma State
Late on Friday night, BYU used a miraculous game-winning drive to maintain an unbeaten record. Here are the 10 highest-graded players from BYU’s win over Oklahoma State (minimum of 10 snaps).
Despite the ups and downs in the first half, BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff was the highest-graded player against Oklahoma State. Retzlaff had 304 total yards and 3 total touchdowns. He also had a pair of interceptions in the first half.
Retzlaff had the highest rushing grade for BYU on Friday night. Retzlaff was credited with three big-time throws and PFF also counted three drops, so his adjusted completion percentage was 72.7%.
Most importantly, Retzlaff was clutch when BYU needed it most, leading a 75-yard touchdown drive in 62 seconds to secure the win.
It’s fitting that the two players that connected for the game-winning touchdown were the two highest-graded players. Darius Lassiter was great from the opening snap. On the first play of the game, Lassiter and Retzlaff connected for a 50-yard gain that setup a touchdown on the opening drive.
Lassiter finished with 6 catches for 129 yards, none more important than the game-winner with 11 seconds left. Lassiter caught the ball from the 15 and made not one, but two Oklahoma State defenders miss for the game-winning touchdown.
ARE U KIDDING!!?
BYU COMES UP CLUTCH IN THE FINAL SECONDS 😳 pic.twitter.com/TVT3xeRivt
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 19, 2024
BYU ran the ball at will on Oklahoma State and BYU tight end Mata’ava Ta’ase was a major reason why. Ta’ase played 36 total snaps and 78% of his snaps were run-blocking assignments. He finished with the best run-blocking grade on the team.
BYU’s offense is just better with LJ Martin on the field. Martin ran for a career high 120 yards on 20 carries, averaging 6.0 yards per carry. Martin had two rushing touchdowns. His second run touchdown, in particular, was a great individual effort in which he stiff-armed an Oklahoma State defender and found paydirt.
LJ STIFF ARM. AND WE’RE TIED.
📺 ESPN https://t.co/cesVgHXuDq pic.twitter.com/zALbVS4pOi
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) October 19, 2024
Of Martin’s 120 rushing yards, 61 came after contact. His ability to get yards after contact was great. His ability to navigate blocks and find running lanes was even better. That was Martin’s best game in a BYU uniform.
BYU had a season-high 262 rushing yards against Oklahoma State.
Tommy Prasses was the highest-graded defender and is only one of two defenders in the top ten. It was an uncharacterist performance from the BYU defense on Friday night, but Tommy Prassas stepped in and made some key tackles in space.
His most important play came in the second half when he made a diving catch on a tipped pass. That turnover turned into points for the BYU offense.
Prassas had the best coverage grade for BYU on Friday night.
BYU’s offensive line was great against Oklahoma State and Brayden Keim graded out the best of all of them. Keim allowed one quarterback pressure in 31 pass-blocking snaps.
BYU may have found their future starting center over the last two games. Bruce Mitchell has been great as Connor Pay’s replacement against Arizona and Oklahoma State. Mitchell had the best pass-blocking grade by a wide margin: 85.3. Mithcell didn’t allow a single pressure in 31 pass-blocking snaps.
A third offensive lineman? You bet. Austin Leausa was the highest-graded run blocker along the offensive line. He was particularly effective when BYU ran zone running schemes.
The second and final defender to make the top 10. Safety Crew Wakley had two stops and he didn’t allow a reception in coverage.
Keelan Marion had his best game of the season against Oklahoma State, finishing with 56 receiving yards on two catches. One of his two catches was a 34-yard touchdown pass from Jake Retzlaff. Marion left his defender in the dust on that play – he was wide open.
DO YOUR DANCE TWINS 🕺🕺🕺
📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/pXhSmw0NGW
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) October 19, 2024
Oklahoma
Woman rescued from Oklahoma City house fire; no injuries reported
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA (KOKH) — The Oklahoma City Fire Department responded to a home fire late Tuesday evening, around 10:42 p.m.
According to OKCFD, fire could be seen from a window of the home located in the 4200 block of N. Phillips Avenue.
Firefighters were able to rescue an adult female from inside the home. No injuries were reported in connection with the fire.
Investigators believe that the fire may have originated from an outlet near the refrigerator that had a power strip plugged in that was supplying multiple appliances.
There was also no smoke detector present within the home.
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Oklahoma
No. 14 Oklahoma Rallies for Win Over Oral Roberts Behind Willits’ Grand Slam
NORMAN — The Sooners were behind the eight ball for much of Tuesday’s game against Oral Roberts.
But one swing of the bat got them in a more favorable position.
Shortstop Jaxon Willits blasted a grand slam in the sixth inning to give No. 14 Oklahoma its first lead before eventually winning 7-6.
The Sooners trailed by as many as five runs before they rallied late.
In the first inning, Oral Roberts’ Cooper Combs hit a two-out grand slam to give the Golden Eagles a comfortable cushion. OU infielder Deiten Lachance got the Sooners on the board in the second inning with a solo home run, but ORU responded with a solo shot of its own in the next frame.
The Golden Eagles made it a 6-1 run game in the top of the fourth, and they appeared to be on cruise control. But in the bottom of that frame, OU’s rally began.
Dasan Harris made it a four-run game again with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth before Camden Johnson hit a sacrifice fly of his own in the fifth.
Then, in the sixth, the Sooners took their first lead of the game.
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Harris singled before Kyle Branch and Connor Larkin walked to load the bases. Willits then swung at the first pitch he saw, sending it well over the right-center field fence.
Neither team scored after Willits’ home run, as OU relief pitcher Xander Mercurius retired nine ORU batters in a row to seal the Sooners’ one-run win.
Michael Catalano started on the mound for Oklahoma, but his outing was short-lived — he gave up four earned runs on two hits and five walks in 1 ⅓ innings.
After coach Skip Johnson relieved Catalano in the second inning, six different OU arms entered the game. Reid Hensley collected the win, while Mercurius got the save.
OU improved to 28-12 overall with the win, while Oral Roberts dropped to 23-15. The Sooners are 7-3 in midweek games this season, and they clinched the season sweep of the Golden Eagles on Tuesday.
Next, the Sooners will hit the road for a three-game series against Auburn. The Tigers, ranked No. 11 by D1Baseball, are 10-8 in SEC play and took two of three games against Florida over the weekend.
The series will open on Friday, and first pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
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Oklahoma
Did Oklahoma Stay Atop the Polls After Tumultuous Week?
NORMAN — After an up-and down week that saw Oklahoma drop the lone Bedlam match of the season, and then split two tight games with Arkansas before blowing out the Razorbacks on Sunday, the Sooners remained No. 1 in the NFCA/Go Rout coaches’ poll released Tuesday.
But there’s far from a consensus.
Oklahoma received 12 first-place votes — the same total they had last week — but five other teams received first-place votes.
Texas Tech remained No. 2 with four four-place votes and Alabama No. 3 with seven. Nebraska moved up two spots to No. 4 with four first-place votes, followed by Florida with two and UCLA with two.
Texas is No. 7, followed by Tennessee, Arkansas and Florida State.
Texas A&M, the Sooners’ opponent for the final regular-season weekend in two weeks, comes in at No. 11.
Other SEC teams include Georgia at No. 15, Mississippi State at No. 17 and LSU at No. 20.
OU hosts the Georgia Bulldogs in a three-game series beginning Friday.
Other Sooners’ opponents this season in the polls include No. 14 Duke, No. 18 Oklahoma State, No. 19 Arizona, No. 24 Arizona State and No. 25 Washington.
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Oklahoma also remained in the top spot in the D1Softball poll, with Alabama No. 2 there followed by Texas Tech, Nebraska at Texas.
The Sooners dropped a spot in the Softball America poll, with Nebraska elevating to No. 1 behind the two-way stardom of former OU standout Jordy Frahm (formerly Jordy Bahl).
Frahm is 13-4 with a 1.36 ERA and 157 strikeouts in 118 2/3 innings in the circle and hitting .440 with 16 home runs and 42 RBIs. Another former Sooners player, Hannah Coor, is among the Cornhuskers’ regulars as well.
The Sooners have 158 home runs, just three away from tying their own season record in the category, but UCLA has closed the gap in a major way, sitting just four behind Oklahoma.
OU freshman sensation Kendall Wells leads the nation with 34 home runs, three ahead of UCLA’s Megan Grant. Wells tied Jocelyn Alo‘s program record for home runs in a season with her home run in Sunday’s win.
The Sooners host Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 6 p.m. Tuesday in their final non-conference game of the season before opening the series against Georgia at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Love’s FIeld.
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