(by Ryan Chapman) The Alabama Crimson Tide were the jewel of Oklahoma’s first SEC home schedule. Kalen DeBoer’s team help up their end of the bargain. When the Crimson Tide take Owen Field at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday night in a contest broadcast on ABC, the visitors will still have everything to play for. Though Alabama is 8-2 overall and 4-2...read more from Oklahoma Sooners on SI
What's gone wrong for OU football in 2024 season, and how can Sooners fix it for 2025?
(by Ryan Aber, Colton Sulley) NORMAN — In what has become a lost season for OU, barring a surprise finish, there are no shortage of problem areas for the Sooners in 2024. Most of the issues have come on the offensive side. Going into Week 12 action, the Sooners were No. 117 nationally in total offense at just 326.8 yards per game. Last season’s team...read more from The Oklahoman
Alabama at Oklahoma odds: Early point spread released, How to Watch
(by Nick Schultz) As the regular season starts to wind down, Alabama will look to continue its push for the College Football Playoff as it heads to Oklahoma in Week 13. Ahead of the matchup, the early point spread has been released. The Crimson Tide opened as 14.5-point favorites over the Sooners, according to FanDuel. The over-under also opened at 49.5...read more from On3.com
Sunday Offering: Multiple Offers and Reassurance for Oklahoma This Week
(by Dekota Gregory) Less time preparing for an opponent meant more time looking toward the future instead of just Saturday for Oklahoma. The Sooners were busy extending offers and getting on the road during their last bye week before finishing the season against Alabama and LSU. And with the high school season also nearing the end...read more from Oklahoma Sooners on SI
'We Crushed It:' Why Oklahoma's Freshman DBs Have Such a Bright Future
(by John E. Hoover) There are two good reasons Oklahoma signed seven defensive backs in the 2024 recruiting class. First, the Sooners needed immediate defensive help. Second, these guys can all play. Cornerback Eli Bowen has emerged as the most visible because, two thirds of the way through his first year of college football, he’s taken over...read more from Oklahoma Sooners on SI
Oklahoma S Peyton Bowen Still Working to Get 'Feet Back Under' Himself in Punt Return Game
(by Ryan Chapman) NORMAN — Peyton Bowen burst onto the scene last year on special teams. The 5-star recruit announced himself to Oklahoma fans with a punt block against SMU in the Sooners’ second game in 2023, and then he repeated his heroics with another punt block against Iowa State. This year brought more opportunity for Bowen on...read more from Oklahoma Sooners on SI
'Great Focus' for Oklahoma's Jacobe Johnson Means He Can Handle the Two-Way 'Grind'
(by John E. Hoover) Slowly but surely, Oklahoma’s Jacobe Johnson is getting the hang of it all. Special teams? No problem. Wide receiver? It’s coming along. Starting cornerback? Still making progress. “It's been good. It's a grind, obviously,” Johnson said Wednesday. “Playing both sides of the ball is not easy, especially on this level, but I'm just...read more from Oklahoma Sooners on SI
Greg Sankey reacts to success of SEC, ABC TV partnership: 'We've hit a long touchdown pass'
(by Nick Schultz) This season marked a year of change for the SEC as Oklahoma and Texas came aboard and divisions went away. But one of the biggest moves was on the TV side as the league’s new media rights deal with ABC kicked in. The SEC’s partnership with CBS came to an end at the end of the 2023 season, meaning ABC became the...read more from On3.com
Column: Forget the Redshirt, Oklahoma Needs to Give the Football to Xavier Robinson
(by John E. Hoover) Brent Venables had a plan. But a better plan was to win the football game. That’s why quarterback Jackson Arnold didn’t redshirt last season. And it’s why running back Xavier Robinson shouldn’t redshirt this season. Like Arnold last year at BYU, Robinson was called upon late in his freshman season to come off the bench at...read more from Oklahoma Sooners on SI
Getting offensive coordinator position right will largely determine Brent Venables' OU future
(by Chip Rouse) There have always been skeptics who questioned if Brent Venables would be able to step outside of his comfort zone and mastery of defensive football to lead a complete college football program, especially one with as high standards as exist at Oklahoma. When he was hired away from Clemson, where for 10 seasons he...read more from Stormin' in Norman
Oklahoma Sooners defensive back still has confidence in team with two games left
(by Aaron Gelvin) The Oklahoma Sooners fumbled away a golden opportunity to become bowl eligible last week, losing on the road against the Missouri Tigers. OU will have to win at least one of their final two games to make the postseason. If they fail, it’ll break a 25-year streak of bowl-eligibility. It’s been quite a fall from grace in Norman over the...read more from the Sooners Wire
Early Oklahoma recruiting class breakdown: Superlatives for the Sooners' potential 2025 signees
(by Collin Kennedy) The early signing period for the class of 2025 is just over the horizon. Prospects can begin putting pen to paper as early as December 4 and will be able to do so through December 6. Why not lookahead as the 2024 season winds down? 247Sports national recruiting analyst Tom Loy, national scouting analyst Cooper Petagna...read more from Sooners Illustrated
SIP Ep. 128 | Can Oklahoma keep its 2025 class together? + OU stands behind Brent Venables
(by Josh Callaway) In the midst of Oklahoma's second and final bye week of the 2024 season, the Sooners Illustrated Podcast is back with a brand new episode to discuss all the latest.
Sooners Illustrated's Josh Callaway first begin the show by examining the Sooners' 2025 recruiting class and how confident OU should feel that they can keep...listen to podcast from Sooners Illustrated
How kicker Zach Schmit found confidence to 'swing freely'
(by Jesse Crittenden) NORMAN — Zach Schmit isn't afraid to acknowledge his struggles over the past two seasons. Oklahoma's place kicker was a popular candidate for fan frustrations in 2022 and 2023 as he struggled mightily to find consistency. Schmit made just 27 of 39 field goals attempts (69%) the past two seasons, ranking...read more from the OUInsider
SoonerScoop podcast: OU, Brent Venables still the right fit for each other?
(by Bob Przybylo) It’s a bye week for OU, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t any fireworks. Administrators, players are coming to the defense of OU head football coach Brent Venables. No doubt that it has been a grind and a struggle. The initial bye week had OU at 4-1 overall and getting ready for Texas. This one? OU is 5-5 overall and needed one...listen to podcast from the SoonerScoop
Why It's a Good Thing the Left Side of Oklahoma's OL Has Gone Unnoticed With Two Freshmen Starting
(by Dekota Gregory) It often goes unnoticed what Heath Ozaeta and Logan Howland do on the left side of Oklahoma’s offensive line, but it’s probably best that way. Both redshirt freshmen, Ozaeta made his first career start at left guard Week 4 against Tennessee, while Howland started at left tackle Week 3 against Tulane. The young duo didn’t...read more from Oklahoma Sooners on SI
Should the Oklahoma Sooners redshirt running back Xavier Robinson?
(by John Williams) The Oklahoma Sooners have a predicament ahead of them. If Xavier Robinson takes a snap against Alabama or LSU, he’ll lose his redshirt year in 2024. He played a couple of snaps against Texas and Ole Miss and then got more opportunities against Maine and this last week against Missouri. Against the Tigers the Carl Albert...read more from the Sooners Wire
Danny Stutsman sends message to Oklahoma fans doubting Brent Venables
(by Barkley Truax) Sitting 1-5 in conference play through mid-November, Oklahoma‘s first season in the SEC has not gone to plan. A bowl opportunity is still on the table for the Sooners, leading to some questioning about what should be done with the team’s leadership moving forward. Danny Stutsman, who was already on campus before...read more from On3.com
Sooners On SI Podcast, Ep. 266
(by John E. Hoover) Sooners On SI's John Hoover and Ryan Chapman tackle all the problems, mistakes and troubles from last week's game at Missouri and present solutions for multiple fixes as Oklahoma navigates its second bye week and Sooners head coach Brent Venables has come under fire (thought not from his bosses). Lots...listen to podcast from Oklahoma Sooners on SI
Will OU football WR Jalil Farooq return in 2025? He has a decision to make
(by Colton Sulley) NORMAN — Jalil Farooq has appeared in two games this season after breaking his foot in OU football’s season-opening win over Temple on Aug. 30 and returning for last Saturday’s loss to Missouri. With the possibility of the Sooners clinching a bowl game berth becoming slimmer with two games remaining, at home against...read more from The Oklahoman
