Oklahoma
Why Oklahoma’s Deep Passing Game Continues to Be Dysfunctional Going into Bedlam
NORMAN — Regardless of the opponent, glitches preserve popping up within the Oklahoma passing sport.
The actually seen sort.
Whether or not it’s Dillon Gabriel overthrowing or underthrowing his goal, which has been all too frequent, or the rarity of Marvin Mims dropping a positive landing, the deep ball has all however abandoned the OU offense this season.
“Probably the most irritating half,” Gabriel mentioned, “is it’s self-inflicted.”
It’s one thing the Sooners (5-5 general, 2-5 Huge 12 Convention) have to get mounted as No. 22-ranked Oklahoma State (7-3, 4-3) involves Owen Area for the 117th Bedlam showdown. The sport kicks off at 6:30 p.m. and can be televised by ABC. OU is a 7.5-point favourite regardless of coming off back-to-back losses.
If the Sooners can iron out the deep ball wrinkles in Week 11 which have largely hounded all of them season, they’ll improve their probabilities of victory — and clinch bowl eligibility for the twenty fourth yr in a row.
But when the aerial sport doesn’t get mounted, OU would possibly want a win subsequent week at Texas Tech simply to get to 6-6.
Gabriel threw possibly his greatest deep ball of the yr to Mims final week at West Virginia, however Mims — extensive open contained in the 5-yard line behind the WVU defensive again — raised his palms over his head to succeed in for the soccer, relatively than letting it settle over his shoulder. The ball slipped proper between his palms. It was an uncharacteristic rookie mistake from a confirmed, big-play veteran.
“Straightforward factors on the board that we missed out on,” Mims mentioned.
If it’s not been one factor, it’s been one other on OU’s deep throws. Mims additionally dropped what might have been an enormous catch on the primary play of the sport at Iowa State, although an offensive penalty would have wiped it out.
There’s not a lot to do however proceed repping it in follow. Clearly, offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby likes what he’s seen through the week — and each Gabriel and Mims have made a profession up to now of manufacturing on the deep ball.
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However OU is struggling now, and dysfunction within the deep passing sport has been one of many causes for the Sooners’ slide.
“The working sport’s wanting nice,” Mims mentioned Saturday. “Move sport, generally it’s there, generally it’s not. Probably not a lot else to say.”
Mims did expound on what occurred with the dropped TD. Aside from a grabby DB, no receiver will ever make excuses for dropping such a simple ball. However Mims defined a number of the motive for why he thinks it occurred.
The rain and the chilly, he mentioned, made it powerful.
“For me,” he mentioned, “it was affecting me.
“Actually, at that time, it was raining rather a lot. Ball got here. Took my gloves off; it was laborious to catch with water. Then my palms have been chilly, so I didn’t really feel it to, like, seize it. It simply went proper by way of.”
Mims mentioned he modified to some dry gloves and he caught the following ball thrown his manner. However it wasn’t sufficient.
“They performed with it identical to we did,” Lebby mentioned on Monday. “It was raining for each side. And on the finish of the day, we did not make the performs we wanted to make. We did not coach the best way we wanted to educate. I did not coach the best way I wanted to educate to get it accomplished. That is the underside line.”
Lebby has saved his cool, however at instances, the frustration seeps out.
“I’m stunned that we have not created extra chunks within the throw sport, undoubtedly,” he mentioned. “And once more, I feel you have seen, in case you return and also you watch it, there’s been nice alternatives the place we’ve got not related. And so that’s shocking. It is irritating since you acquired an opportunity to get away from these guys at instances and a number of video games the place we do not. So sure, that is shocking and irritating.”
“It’s mainly simply follow, repetition, figuring out our sport plan, what we see once we go on the market,” Mims mentioned. “Simply stuff that we will expose and break open after which simply executing it within the sport.”
“Sooner or later although,” Gabriel mentioned, “we gotta flush it and we gotta transfer previous it. As a result of we acquired one other alternative to be good. We gotta be enthusiastic about that as a result of we acquired one other alternative to play and it’s Bedlam.”
With the offseason in full swing, head coach Trisha Ford and her staff are making all of the right moves as far as adding some dominant players to their roster. Ford just picked up Micaela Wark, the exclusive designated player from Oklahoma State, to add some extra power to Texas A&M’s offense.
The Aggies also landed Oklahoma State star infielder Tallen Edwards, who won the 2024 Gold Glove Award.
After redshirting her freshman year at Kansas, Wark headed down to Oklahoma State, where she played in 170 games with the Cowgirls as well as starting 157 of those. Before hitting the transfer portal, Wark put up impressive numbers in her three-year career at OSU with 29 home runs and 99 RBI.
In 2024 and 2025, Wark played primarily as the designated player, giving her team some ease when she stepped into the batter’s box. She ended the 2025 season with a batting average of .241 with 28 hits and going deep eight different times.
As far as what this means for the Aggies, it could mean a couple of different things. Last season, the designated player role was primarily graduate Mac Barbara before she fulfilled duties behind the plate, which is when it switched to incoming junior Mya Perez.
Perez played first base for the Aggies for the majority this season, but with a catcher injury sending Barbara behind the dish, Perez stepped in to the designated player role. With Wark primarily being a designated player for two seasons at OSU, Perez very much could go back to her early season role at first base.
With a senior coming into A&M, Wark will provide experience and expertise to a young Texas A&M team. With two seperate Women’s College World Series appearances in 2023 and 2024, Wark understands how to play under pressure.
With one remaining year of eligibility, Wark has decided to come back to her home state for the last season of her college softball career.
On Tuesday, the Oklahoma City Council passed a series of new agreements related to its $900 million new arena project, and the future home of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Mayor David Holt celebrated a 115-page arena use license agreement, or lease, as the principal accomplishment. Council also passed a food and beverage agreement and a preferential rights agreement for the site of the current Paycom Center.
Under the preferential rights agreement, the Thunder would have first rights to redevelop the site after the new arena for up to five years after the new arena opens. There is no limitation for what the Thunder can build on the site, although a spokesperson confirmed demolition would be part of its plans.
“We’re excited at the opportunity to purchase and develop the current arena site,” the spokesperson said. “It will enable the Thunder to provide the vision for a sustainable and vibrant concept to enhance the area and seamlessly complement the new Paycom Center.”
Another developer could make an offer to the city, although the Thunder would be granted a chance to match.
Separately, the City Council voted down a facilities management agreement. Opposed council members cited a lack of assurances about employment for those working at the new arena, including the absence of a labor peace agreement previously endorsed by the council in 2023.
Oklahoma opens the 2025 season against an NCAA Division I FCS opponent.
The Sooners host Illinois State of the Missouri Valley Conference on Saturday, Aug. 30. The Redbirds went 10-4 a year ago and went two rounds deep in the FCS playoffs.
Here’s what to know about the Redbirds:
Illinois State went 4-3 in its first seven games before ending the regular season on a five-game winning streak to reach the FCS playoffs. The Redbirds beat Southeastern Missouri State in the first round before falling to No. 5 UC Davis in the second round.
Their only game against an FBS opponent came in Week 1, when Illinois State fell 40-0.
QB Tommy Rittenhouse (Sr.), RB Wenkers Wright (Sr.), WR Daniel Sobkowicz (Sr.), LB Tye Niekamp (Jr.).
TE Caleb Schmitz (Cincinnati), S Christian LeBrun (UMass), WR Kaevion Mack (Western Michigan), DL Christian Lorenzo (Georgia State), DB Shadwel Nkuba II (Louisiana), OL Jack McGarry (Missouri), OL Logan Brasfield (Coastal Carolina).
Illinois State’s biggest strength is offensive experience: The Redbirds return their leading passer, rusher and receiver from the 2024 season this year.
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As a junior, Rittenhouse completed 66.4% of passes for 2,840 yards, 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also ran for 480 yards and eight touchdowns.
Wright, Illinois State’s leading tailback, went for 1,120 yards and 11 touchdowns a year ago, averaging 5.1 yards per carry. And Sobkowicz caught 80 passes for 1,108 yards and nine touchdowns.
Illinois State was an FCS playoff team in 2024, and with so much returning offensive talent, it’s likely that the Redbirds return to the playoffs this year.
While Illinois State had the Missouri Valley’s fourth-best scoring defense (24.9 points allowed per game) in 2024, the Redbirds struggled mightily to defend pass plays.
The Redbirds finished 10th out of 11 teams in the conference, allowing 266.3 passing yards per contest. That mark was No. 115 of 123 teams that compete at the FCS level.
Illinois State also lost a handful of its most productive defensive players — linebacker LaVoise-Deontay McCoy (graduation), defensive back Keondre Jackson (graduation), defensive lineman Jalan Gaines (graduation) and defensive lineman Steven Curtis (transferred to Minnesota) — during the offseason.
Illinois State isn’t a bad team by any means. The Redbirds were among the FCS’ best a year ago, and with so much returning talent, they should maintain that status in 2025.
But the season opener shouldn’t be particularly difficult for the Sooners.
Illinois State’s pass defense struggled mightily in 2024. With new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and quarterback John Mateer, the Sooners’ offense will likely be very pass-heavy. The season opener will be an opportunity for that duo to show what they bring to the program.
The Redbirds’ offense is proven at the FCS level, but Oklahoma’s defense should overpower them with sheer athleticism and size. Though it will be interesting to see the defense’s performance without Danny Stutsman, Ethan Downs, Billy Bowman Jr. and Woodi Washington.
It’s possible that the Redbirds can keep things close in the first half, but the Sooners’ advantages across the depth chart should allow them to win comfortably and start the season 1-0.
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