Sport week continues to be just a few days away for the Oklahoma Sooners, however Brent Venables could have some scouting work to perform this Saturday.
Nebraska and UTEP, two of OU’s first three opponents, will take the sector on Saturday in school soccer’s “Week 0”.
The Cornhuskers will take a prolonged journey to the British Isles to face off towards a convention foe in Northwestern, and UTEP will host Seth Littrell’s North Texas outfit.
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Scott Frost hopes the journey to Eire will present a chance to deliver his staff nearer collectively, because the maligned head coach hit the switch portal arduous this offseason needing to show round final 12 months’s 3-9 mark.
Casey Thompson is the brand new signal-caller after Adrian Martinez departed to Kansas State, however the former Texas quarterback should show he can play at a excessive stage for 2 halves of soccer.
In his lone season as a starter, Thompson accomplished 63.2 p.c of his passes, throwing for two,113 yards, 24 touchdowns and 9 interceptions.
Towards the Sooners, Thompson totaled 388 passing yards and 5 touchdowns, however the former Oklahoma highschool star was unable to generate a lot offense to assist pull the Longhorns out of an enormous second half collapse.
New offensive coordinator Mark Whipple will attempt to assist Thompson choose via the Northwestern protection that ranked No. 89-overall in factors allowed final season.
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One other key switch in former TCU star Ochaun Mathis will led the best way for the Nebraska defensive position in 2022.
He’ll look to get after Northwestern quarterback Ryan Hilinski, who desperately wants a bounce-back season throughout his second 12 months with the Wildcats.
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Final 12 months’s matchup towards Northwestern was one of many few good performances for the Cornhuskers, as Frosts’ staff dusted the Wildcats 56-7.
Not like Nebraska, UTEP will attempt to flip round a defeat from final season of their Week 0 bout.
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The Miners misplaced to North Texas 20-17 final 12 months, however get to host the Imply Inexperienced one week earlier than they make the journey to Norman for OU’s season opener.
UTEP quarterback Gavin Hardison staged a late drive towards North Texas final 12 months, serving to the Miners to a game-tying area purpose with 55 seconds left, however UTEP was unable to power time beyond regulation.
North Texas quarterback Austin Aune accomplished a 58-yard go to Detraveon Brown with 10 seconds left and on the following play Ethan Mooney drilled the sport successful area purpose for the Imply Inexperienced.
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Each quarterbacks return, although Aune has a quarterback battle on his fingers in Denton, and a repeat of final 12 months’s battle may present nice leisure to the slim Week 0 choices.
Nebraska and Northwestern will begin off the proceedings on Saturday, kicking off at 11:30 a.m. on FOX. UTEP will shut the evening at 8 p.m., although a tv community has but to choose up the competition to be broadcast.
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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,
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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
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OU, OSU, TU Recap
Viewer Question
Thunder Update: Caruso 4-Year Contract Extension, No Christmas Game
Oklahoma transfer LB Dasan McCullough commits to Nebraska
Oklahoma transfer linebacker Dasan McCullough has committed to Nebraska, he confirmed on Instagram Sunday afternoon.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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Central Arkansas Bears (3-8) at Oklahoma Sooners (11-0)
Norman, Oklahoma; Sunday, 1 p.m. EST
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BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Sooners -28.5; over/under is 145.5
BOTTOM LINE: No. 14 Oklahoma hosts Central Arkansas after Jeremiah Fears scored 30 points in Oklahoma’s 87-86 victory over the Michigan Wolverines.
The Sooners have gone 6-0 at home. Oklahoma has a 2-0 record in games decided by less than 4 points.
The Bears are 0-6 on the road. Central Arkansas ranks fourth in the ASUN with 23.8 defensive rebounds per game led by Brayden Fagbemi averaging 4.6.
Oklahoma averages 82.0 points, 5.2 more per game than the 76.8 Central Arkansas allows. Central Arkansas averages 9.0 made 3-pointers per game this season, 2.5 more made shots on average than the 6.5 per game Oklahoma allows.
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TOP PERFORMERS: Fears is scoring 17.9 points per game with 3.5 rebounds and 4.6 assists for the Sooners.
Layne Taylor is scoring 17.0 points per game and averaging 4.4 rebounds for the Bears.
LAST 10 GAMES: Sooners: 10-0, averaging 80.9 points, 29.3 rebounds, 14.1 assists, 10.1 steals and 1.9 blocks per game while shooting 47.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 68.5 points per game.
Bears: 3-7, averaging 73.0 points, 34.3 rebounds, 14.3 assists, 8.8 steals and 1.8 blocks per game while shooting 38.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 75.7 points.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.