Game Day 11-2

gameday

November 2, 2024

The View, G3 | Gameday Info, G4 Player Spotlight, G5 | Scouting the Opponent, G6 Things to Watch, G7

Gameday

Recipes Ingredients 1 lb Greers Ranch House spicy pork sausage 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese

Tailgate Sausage-Cheese Dip 1. In a large saute pan, brown the sausage. Drain.

2. Cut cream cheese and processed cheese into cubes, and place in slow cooker.

3. Add Boudreaux’s sauce, corn, diced tomatoes and Daddy Hinkles seasoning. Cover. Cook on low until cheese is melted (1-2 hours), then turn heat to low.

4. Serve with tortilla chips and vegetables.

1 (16 oz) package processed cheese 1/4 cup Bourdreauxs Sweet and Tangy Swamp Sauce 1 (15 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained 1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes and green chiles 1/4 teaspoon Daddy Hinkles dry seasoning

https://www.miocoalition.com/recipes/tailgate-sausage-cheese-dip/

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What’s left for Sooners?

As Venables talks big game, smaller things remain achievable ive it up to Brent Venables, the man can cover his bases.

Honestly.

Because he said something this week that a guy like me, who looks for holes in others’ arguments while trying to keep them out of my own, can appreciate.

“If we get out of our own way, if we don’t beat Oklahoma, if we do the things that winning requires, even though we have [many] down with injuries,” Venables said, “if we do that, and it’s hard, it’s always going to be hard … But if we do that, we can play with anybody, we can beat anybody that we play against.”

I’m not sure that’s true but, thankfully, erasing all mistakes is unlikely to be Paxson Haws | The Norman Transcript required to beat Maine, OU coach Brent Venables before the Oklahoma Sooners competed against the South Carolina Gamecocks at today’s opponent atop Owen Field, the Black Bears not Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on Oct. 19.

G

Clay Horning GUEST COLUMNIST

Oklahoma vs. Maine When: Saturday, 1:30 p.m.

Where: Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium TV: ESPN+ and SECN+ Radio: KREF FM 99.3 / AM 1400

even an FBS program but an FCS program, limited to 63 scholarships, 22 fewer than Oklahoma.

Also, whether what Venables said is true or not, seeing a quote like that doesn’t make me think, hey, See HORNING on G9

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OU FOOTBALL NUMERICAL ROSTER 0 Kalib Hicks 0 David Stone 1 Jayden Gibson 1 Dasan McCullough 2 Jovantae Barnes 2 Billy Bowman Jr. 3 Jalil Farooq 3 Robert Spears-Jennings 4 Nic Anderson 4 Dez Malone 5 Andrel Anthony 5 Woodi Washington 6 Deion Burks 6 Nigel Smith II 7 Jaren Kanak 7 Zion Kearney 8 Taylor Tatum 8 Makari Vickers 9 Michael Hawkins Jr. 9 Gentry Williams 10 Kip Lewis 10 Bauer Sharp 11 Jackson Arnold 11 Kobie McKinzie 12 Devon Jordan 12 Brendan Zurbrugg 13 J.J. Hester 13 Reggie Powers III 14 Jaydan Hardy 14 Steele Wasel 15 Kendel Dolby 15 Brenen Thompson 16 Danny Okoye 16 Casey Thompson 17 Taylor Heim 17 Jaquaize Pettaway 18 Kaden Helms 18 Erik McCarty 19 Jacobe Johnson 19 Kade McIntyre 20 Lewis Carter 20 Sam Franklin 21 Jeremiah Newcombe

RB 5-11 DL 6-3 WR 6-5 LB 6-5 RB 6-0 DB 5-10 WR 6-1 DB 6-1 WR 6-4 DB 6-0 WR 6-1 DB 5-11 WR 5-9 DL 6-4 LB 6-2 WR 6-1 RB 5-10 DB 6-1 QB 6-1 DB 6-0 LB 6-1 TE 6-4 QB 6-1 LB 6-2 DB 5-11 QB 6-2 WR 6-4 DB 5-11 DB 5-10 QB 6-3 DB 5-11 WR 5-9 DL 6-3 QB 6-0 LB 6-6 WR 5-10 TE 6-5 DB 6-1 WR/DB 6-2 TE 6-3 LB 6-0 RB 5-10 DB 5-9

213 294 197 223 207 200 207 219 219 204 183 195 190 267 223 200 205 192 204 187 221 247 211 242 179 202 202 208 174 219 185 165 253 192 216 189 239 185 200 221 227 198 182

R-Fr. Fr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Jr. R-So. Sr. Sr. R-Sr. R-Jr. Fr. Jr. Fr. Fr. So. Fr. Jr. R-So. R-Jr. So. R-So. Fr. Fr. R-Sr. Fr. Fr. R-Fr. Sr. Jr. Fr. R-Sr. R-Fr. So. R-So. R-Fr. So. R-Fr. So. R-Jr. Fr.

21 Xavier Robinson RB 22 Peyton Bowen DB 22 Chapman McKown RB 23 Eli Bowen DB 23 Emeka Megwa RB 24 Samuel Omosigho LB 25 Andy Bass RB 25 Michael Boganowski DB 26 Kani Walker DB 27 Jayden Rowe DB 27 Gavin Sawchuk RB 28 KJ Daniels WR 28 Danny Stutsman LB 29 Casen Calmus DB 29 Gabe Sawchuk RB 30 Trace Ford DL 31 Cale Fugate DB 31 Ashton Logan P 32 R Mason Thomas DL 33 Phil Picciotti LB 34 Adepoju Adebawore DL 34 Zach Schmit K/P 35 Liam Evans K 35 Jakeb Snyder DB 36 Josh Plaster K/P 38 Owen Heinecke LB 39 Peter Schuh DB 40 Ethan Downs DL 41 Emmett Jones III DB 42 Wyatt Gilmore DL 44 Taylor Wein DL 45 Hampton Fay TE 45 Mykel Patterson-McDonald DB 46 Dax Noles DB 47 James Nesta LB 48 Luke Elzinga P 48 Jocelyn Malaska DB 50 Ben Anderson LS 51 Branson Hickman OL 52 Troy Everett OL 52 Damonic Williams DL 54 Febechi Nwaiwu OL 55 Eddy Pierre-Louis OL

6-0 6-0 5-5 5-9 6-0 6-2 5-11 6-2 6-2 6-2 5-11 5-9 6-4 5-10 5-10 6-2 5-10 6-2 6-2 6-3 6-4 5-10 5-7 5-8 6-0 6-2 5-8 6-4 6-0 6-4 6-4 6-5 5-10 6-0 6-3 6-4 6-1 6-5 6-2 6-3 6-1 6-4 6-3

222 200 174 186 211 236 208 211 205 223 200 152 241 196 185 246 190 217 240 239 251 196 181 180 187 227 184 265 182 245 267 245 172 192 216 229 186 240 301 308 319 339 305

Fr. So. R-Fr. Fr. R-Jr. So. Fr. Fr. R-Jr. R-So. R-So. Fr. Sr. R-Fr. Fr. R-Sr. R-Fr. R-So. Jr. R-Fr. So. R-Sr. Fr. R-Fr. R-Sr. R-So. R-So. Sr. R-Fr. Fr. R-Fr. R-Jr. Fr. Fr. Fr. R-Sr. R-So. R-So. R-Sr. R-Jr. Jr. R-Jr. Fr.

55 Ashton Sanders DL 56 Eugene Brooks OL 56 Gracen Halton DL 57 Gunnar Allen OL 58 Spencer Brown OL 58 Ethan Lane LS 61 Kenneth Wermy OL 64 Joshua Bates OL 65 Jayden Jackson DL 65 Ty Kubicek OL 66 Geirean Hatchett OL 70 Michael Tarquin OL 71 Logan Howland OL 72 Josh Aisosa OL 73 Isaiah Autry-Dent OL 74 Evan McClure OL 75 Daniel Akinkunmi OL 76 Jacob Sexton OL 77 Heath Ozaeta OL 79 Jake Taylor OL 80 Josh Fanuiel TE 80 Bergin Kysar DL 81 Zion Ragins WR 82 Ivan Carreon WR 83 Major Melson WR 84 Davon Mitchell TE 85 Trey Brown WR 87 Jake Roberts TE 88 Jacob Jordan WR 89 Eli Merck WR 90 Caiden Woullard DL 91 Drew Heinig DL 93 Ace Hodges DL 94 Mari Atchison DL 95 Da’Jon Terry DL 96 Davon Sears DL 97 Kyle Carlson LB 98 Tyler Keltner K 99 Markus Strong DL Last updated Aug. 7, 2024 Weights as of June 27, 2024

6-1 6-3 6-2 6-0 6-6 5-11 6-5 6-3 6-2 6-2 6-5 6-6 6-6 6-3 6-6 6-4 6-6 6-6 6-5 6-6 6-3 6-3 5-8 6-6 5-10 6-3 5-9 6-4 5-9 6-0 6-4 6-5 6-1 6-2 6-3 6-2 6-3 5-11 6-3

295 336 291 297 321 230 305 309 300 294 312 317 317 323 310 275 321 322 318 309 250 245 145 223 187 250 181 252 182 206 259 288 284 268 323 295 190 181 290

R-Fr. Fr. Jr. R-So. R-Sr. R-Sr. R-Fr. R-Fr. Fr. R-Fr. R-Sr. R-Sr. R-Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Jr. R-Fr. R-So. R-Jr. Fr. Fr. Fr. R-Sr. Fr. R-Fr. Sr. Fr. R-Fr. Sr. R-Fr. Fr. Fr. R-Sr. R-Sr. R-Fr. R-Sr. R-Fr.

OU Two-deep Roster OFFENSE QB 11 Jackson Arnold 9 Michael Hawkins Jr. RB 2 Jovantae Barnes OR 27 Gavin Sawchuk TE 10 Bauer Sharp OR 87 Jake Roberts WR 15 Brenen Thompson 19 Jacobe Johnson LT 70 Michael Tarquin 71 Logan Howland LG 76 Jacob Sexton 77 Heath Ozaeta 51 Branson Hickman OR 52 Troy Everett RG 54 Febechi Nwaiwu 55 Eddy Pierre-Louis RT 79 Jake Taylor OR 58 Spencer Brown SLOT 6 Deion Burks 17 Jaquaize Pettaway WR 13 J.J. Hester 7 Zion Kearney

DEFENSE

AVAIL ABILIT Y REPORT

Oklahoma WR Nic Anderson — Out WR Jayden Gibson — Out WR Andrel Anthony — Out WR Jalil Farooq — Out

DB Gentry Williams — Out DB Kendel Dolby — Out OL Geirean Hatchett — Out OL Jacob Sexton — Out RB Gavin Sawchuk — Questionable TE Kade McIntyre — Questionable

RB Sam Franklin — Questionable WR Deion Burks — Questionable Availability reports are only released for conference games. Statuses based on past reports and updates from head coach Brent Venables.

LDE 40 Ethan Downs 90 Caiden Woullard DT 65 Jayden Jackson OR 56 Gracen Halton NT 52 Damonic Williams OR 95 Da’Jon Terry

RDE 32 R Mason Thomas 30 Trace Ford MIKE 28 Danny Stutsman OR 11 Kobie McKinzie WILL 10 Kip Lewis OR 20 Lewis Carter CHEETAH 24 Samuel Omosigho 1 Dasan McCullough LCB 26 Kani Walker OR 5 Woodi Washington SS 2 Billy Bowman Jr. 14 Jaydan Hardy FS 22 Peyton Bowen OR 3 Robert Spears-Jennings RCB 4 Dez Malone OR 23 Eli Bowen SPECIALISTS 34 Zach Schmit OR 98 Tyler Keltner 48 Luke Elzinga 31 Ashton Logan KO 34 Zach Schmit 98 Tyler Keltner KR 2 Billy Bowman Jr. 6 Deion Burks PR 22 Peyton Bowen 2 Billy Bowman Jr. LS 50 Ben Anderson 58 Ethan Lane 36 Josh Plaster 48 Luke Elzinga As of Ole Miss Game

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PL AYER SPOTLIGHT

‘They’re going to be phenomenal’ Venables impressed with development of freshmen safeties

2024 OU Schedule W W W L W

Oklahoma 51, Temple 3 Oklahoma 16, Houston 12 Oklahoma 34, Tulane 19 Tennessee 25, Oklahoma 15 Oklahoma 27, Auburn 21 BYE WEEK L Texas 34, Oklahoma 3 L South Carolina 35, Oklahoma 9 L Ole Miss 26, Oklahoma 14 Nov. 2 vs. Maine, 1:30 p.m. ESPN+ and SECN+ Nov. 9 at Missouri, 6 or 6:45 p.m. ESPN or SEC Net. Nov. 16 BYE WEEK Nov. 23 vs. Alabama, 2:30-3:30 or 5-7 p.m.

Nov. 30 at LSU, 2:30-3:30 or 5-7 p.m.

TARIK MASRI TRANSCRIPT S P O R T S E D I TO R

Ok lahoma head coach Brent Venables spoke with absolute confidence about t he f ut u re s of Michael Boganowski, Jaydan Hardy and Reggie Powers.

“All three of those guys, we crushed it with those guys,” Venables said.

The trio of freshmen safeties have seen time in almost every game this season, but it’s been limited. The Sooners have depth in the back end of the secondary with Billy Bowman, Peyton Bowen and Robert Spears-Jennings.

Still, Venables has been impressed with what he’s seen from the freshmen since they stepped on campus. The Sooners’ head coach made it clear he isn’t going to take anything for granted heading into a late-season matchup with FCS foe Maine, but he’s hopeful the game could provide opportunities for young players to get valuable reps.

game. At 6-2, 214 pounds, Boganowski is about the same size as Will linebacker Kip Lewis and a fearless hitter according to his coaches and teammates.

Hardy and Powers each fit the same mold, though are slightly smaller. Both were four-star recruits coming out of high school.

“Man, I’m really excited about those guys,” Venables Morgan Givens | University of Oklahoma said. “I mean, I think they’re Oklahoma’s Jaydan Hardy has seen plenty of game action as a freshman safety. going to be phenomenal. And, no coach speak that’s just “They’ve done a really nice for you, get them in get them cumulative effect of that and Boganowski, a three-star what I’ve seen and they’ve got job,” he said. “You always out, but … they’re taking legit it’s going to pay off and it is recruit from Junction City, great mindsets. They’re tough find windows to get them in number two reps all season paying off in their develop- Kan., first showed flashes of See SAFETIES on G9 the game. Sometimes it works long. There’s going to be a ment.” his physicality in the spring

LET’S GO SOONERS!!

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Scouting the opponent: Maine Black Bears DAVIS CORDOVA CNHI SPORTS OKL AHOMA

Last meeting

Last week

The Maine Black Bears are on the rise.

The Black Bears, who will be visiting Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman on Saturday to play Oklahoma at 2 p.m., have had two bad seasons the past two years, but in coach Jordan Stevens’ third season, the Black Bears have matched their win total from the past two seasons combined.

In Stevens’ first two seasons, the Black Bears won just four games, but this season, Maine is 4-4 with wins over Coalgate, Merrimack, Albany and Villanova.

The Black Bears, though, are coming into Saturday’s game off of a 24-14 loss to FCS No. 15 Rhode Island.

The Black Bears tied up the game early in the fourth quarter with a 4-yard touchdown run from running back Brian Santana-Fis, but the Rams were able to score a touchdown less than three minutes later and put away the game with a field goal in the middle of the quarter.

Maine had a tough time moving the ball with 336 total yards, but especially had trouble on the ground, gaining just 57 rushing yards on 30 attempts.

1st Meeting All-Time OU vs. FCS 2021 — vs. Western Carolina (W, 76-0) • 2020 — vs. Missouri State (W, 48-0) 2019 — vs. South Dakota (W, 70-14) 2012 — vs. Florida A&M (W, 69-13) 2009 — vs. Idaho State (W, 64-0) 2008 — vs.

Chattanooga (W, 57-2) 1999 — vs. Indiana State (W, 49-0) • 1991 — vs. North Texas (W, 40-2) • 1987 — vs. North Texas (W, 69-14) • Now FBS programs

OU’s defensive line as the Oklahoma Sooners competed against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on Oct. 19.

Maine is in the middle of the pact in FCS and in the Coastal Athletic Conference, but are stoked to get the opportunity to play an SEC opponent on Saturday.

With that, the Maine Black Bears are heading into Norman as a massive underdog, but Stevens said the chance to play in a massive stadium in an environment as good as OU’s is a massive moment for

his team and players.

“Just a huge opportunity for our players to get the opportunity to play in that type of environment,” Stevens said.

“It does create extra buzz and motivation for our team. I think the players will be fired up to play and go compete and it will be a good day.

“Just gotta go down there and let it rip and play football and compete in one of the best OU defensive lineman Ethan Downs makes a tackle against South Carolina on Oct. 19. conferences in the country.”

Ole Miss 26, Oklahoma 14 Oklahoma 7 7 0 0 — 14 Ole Miss 7 3 13 3 — 26 First Quarter MISS — Parrish 9 run (C.Davis kick), 12:36.

OKLA — Sharp 11 pass from Arnold (Schmit kick), 2:18.

Second Quarter MISS — FG C.Davis 35, 7:29.

OKLA — J.Jordan 9 pass from Arnold (Schmit kick), :06.

Third Quarter MISS — Prieskorn 24 pass from Dart (kick failed), 9:34.

MISS — Pegues 1 run (C.Davis kick), 5:20.

Fourth Quarter MISS — FG C.Davis 42, 14:51.

A — 67,926.

OKLA MISS First downs 24 18 Total Net Yards 329 380 Rushes-yards 50-147 31-69 Passing 182 311 Punt Returns 3-30 3-9 Kickoff Returns 2-43 0-0 Interceptions Ret. 0-0 0-0 Comp-Att-Int 22-31-0 22-30-0 Sacked-Yards Lost 9-60 1-4 Punts 5-45.6 4-53.0 Fumbles-Lost 2-2 2-1 Penalties-Yards 7-71 7-94 Time of Possession 33:45 26:15 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING — Oklahoma, Barnes 16-67, Tatum 9-42, Arnold 24-39, Sharp 1-(minus 1). Mississippi, Parrish 15-44, Dart 8-24, Bentley 5-5, Pegues 1-1, (Team) 1-(minus 2), Wells 1-(minus 3).

PASSING — Oklahoma, Arnold 22-31-0-182. Mississippi, Dart 22-30-0-311.

RECEIVING — Oklahoma, Sharp 8-53, J.Jordan 6-38, Barnes 5-57, Hester 1-19, Roberts 1-8, Franklin 1-7.

Mississippi, Prieskorn 5-71, Lee 4-59, Watkins 4-59, Wright 3-54, Wells 3-39, Parrish 2-3, M.Davis 1-26.

MISSED FIELD GOALS — None.

Photos by Paxson Haws | The Norman Transcript

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3 THINGS TO WATCH ness on Saturday the frustration will once again be at an all-time high.

They’ve only had 12 plays over 20 yards at home so far this season and just four since the start of conference play.

Sometimes teams will enter a game like this and continue to work on their key plays, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Sooners be aggressive early in the game.

TARIK MASRI T R A N S C R I P T S P O R T S E D I TO R

Oklahoma will be facing an FCS opponent for the fourth time in the last sixth seasons, but just the ninth time overall.

If you add up the combined points scored by the Sooners’ opponents in those games, Oklahoma would still have outscored them in all but one of those games. The Sooners desperately need some momentum to carry into the final three games of the season.

Since the start of conference play they’ve only scored more than 15 points once — 27 in their lone win against Auburn. The Sooners have only played in one game all season in which they led comfortably heading into the fourth quarter.

If they can get an early lead against the Black Bears it could serve as a much-needed tune-up before facing Missouri, Alabama and LSU. Here are three things to watch in Saturday’s game:

1. OFFENSIVE LINE BUILDING CONFIDENCE The stats haven’t been pretty for Oklahoma’s offensive line this season, but it’s hard to find a more difficult stretch of opponents than the one the Sooners have faced over the last several weeks. The Black Bears won’t have that level of future NFL talent on the field.

As bad as the Sooners’ strug-

5 STATS TO KNOW

3. INJURED RECEIVERS ON THE FIELD

Paxson Haws | The Norman Transcript

An OU fan is lifted into the air as the Oklahoma Sooners competed against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on Oct. 19. gles have been this year, many have become exacerbated due to the elite athletes they’ve been facing week in and week out. It’s not that the unit doesn’t have lots of things to improve on, but a lack of confidence and overthinking will create mistakes that are typically easy to avoid.

The Black Bears are ranked 28th in the FCS in sacks per game with 2.5 and had seven two weeks ago against Villanova.

The Sooners have had a different starting offensive line in seven of their eight games so far this season and will be needing to replace left tackle Jacob Sexton who was injured against Ole Miss.

2. CHEERS NOT BOOS It’s been a long time since Oklahoma fans have had something to celebrate at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. It’s been over a month since their last home win (Sept.

14) and almost all of the Sooners’ games have been close or a blowout loss.

It’s hard to take too much satisfaction out of a beatdown over Maine, but the program needs it right now. Then again, if the Sooners don’t take care of busi-

Tarik Masri is the sports editor for The Transcript covering OU athletics and area sports. You can reach him by emailing tarik@ normantranscript.com

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The Sooners haven’t lost to a non-ranked non-conference opponent in 48 games dating back to a 41-24 loss to UCLA in 2005.

They enter Saturday’s game having lost their last two games at home. The last time they lost three straight home games was 1997.

22 Jackson Arnold tied a season high with 22 completions in last week’s loss to Ole Miss. The Sooners threw for 182 yards and finished with 329 yards of total offense.

19 The Sooners have set a school record for sacks allowed in back to back games. Last week they allowed seven in the second half against the Rebels. They currently rank last in the FBS in sacks allowed with 4.8 per game. They rank last in the SEC in rushing yardage at 116.5 yards per game, but they’ve lost 127 yards in their 26 sacks allowed.

137 Despite the Sooners’ offensive struggles, running back Jovantae Barnes has started to find his groove over the past two games.

He’s had 33 carries the last two games for 137 yards for an average of just over four yards per carry.

17 The Sooners’ defense has played 101 drives so far this season and has only allowed touchdowns on 17 of those drives.

63 of those drives ended in a punt, turnover, safety or turnover on downs.

— Tarik Masri, Transcript Sports Editor

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Freshman Isaiah Autry-Dent was moved from the scout team to the varsity team ahead of last week’s game and could see his first playing time on Saturday.

A ndrel A nt hony act ua lly started the Sooners’ season opener after missing the back half of last season with an injury.

Still, he only played a few snaps and hasn’t seen the field since.

Nic Anderson has also been absent despite playing a few drives early in the season. Head coach Brent Venables remains optimistic that some of the Sooners’ injured receivers will be able to return to the field this season.

No availability report was released this week because they’re only required for conference games. While it seems unlikely that any of the injured wide outs will receive substantial playing time, it might be another good opportunity for them to test their health in a game setting.

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WHAT TO WATCH

Penn State’s Allar tops list of ailing QBs in games involving Top 25 teams ERIC OLSON A S S O C I AT E D PR E S S

Quar terback health is among the major Week 10 storylines for games involving Top 25 teams.

Penn State coach James Franklin said Drew Allar’s availability might not be known until game time of Saturday’s matchup between the No. 3 Nittany Lions and No. 4 Ohio State in Happy Valley.

P it t sbu r g h c oach Pat Narduzzi said he was in wait-and-see mode with Eli Holstein for the No. 18 Panthers’ game at No. 20 SMU, and the Mustangs’ Kevin Jennings is questionable with an undisclosed injury.

Indiana coach Cur t Cignetti said he was optimistic Kurtis Rourke will return for the No. 13 Hoosiers’ game at Michigan State.

Texas Tech’s Behren Morton is questionable for the Red Raiders’ game at No. 11 Iowa State, which will be trying to go 8-0 for the first time in program history.

Michigan’s situation for its home game against No. 1 Oregon got clarity Monday when Jack Tuttle announced he was giving up football following a fifth concussion. Davis Warren will make his second straight start and fifth of the

The AP Top 25 The Top 25 teams in The Associated Press college football poll, with firstplace votes in parentheses, records through Oct. 26, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote, and previous ranking: Record Pts Prv 1. Oregon (61) 8-0 1549 1 2. Georgia (1) 6-1 1467 2 3. Penn St. 7-0 1417 3 4. Ohio St. 6-1 1324 4 5. Miami 8-0 1283 6 6. Texas 7-1 1276 5 7. Tennessee 6-1 1081 7 8. Notre Dame 7-1 1000 12 9. BYU 8-0 995 11 10. Texas A&M 7-1 972 14 11. Clemson 6-1 968 9 11. Iowa St. 7-0 968 10 13. Indiana 8-0 952 13 14. Alabama 6-2 706 15 15. Boise St. 6-1 619 17 16. LSU 6-2 577 8 17. Kansas St. 7-1 571 16 18. Pittsburgh 7-0 570 19 19. Mississippi 6-2 471 18 20. SMU 7-1 400 22 21. Army 7-0 312 23 22. Washington St. 7-1 220 23. Colorado 6-2 152 24. Illinois 6-2 113 20 25. Missouri 6-2 44 21 Others receiving votes: Vanderbilt 41, Memphis 34, Tulane 28, Navy 23, Louisville 5, Arkansas 4, UNLV 4, Louisiana-Lafayette 3, South Carolina 1.

Morry Gash | Associated Press

Penn State’s Drew Allar (15) throws during the first half of a game against the Wisconsin Saturday, in Madison, Wis. season.

Allar injured his left knee in last week’s win at Wisconsin and did not play the second half. Beau Pribula, who led Penn State to a 28-13 win, would get the start if

Allar can’t play.

Holtstein left Pitt’s win over Syracuse with an undisclosed injury. Nate Yarnell, who started two games last season, replaced Holstein and would be the starter against

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SMU if Holstein is out. Jennings was hurt late in SMU’s overtime win at Duke.

Rourke injured the thumb on his r ight (throw ing) hand against Nebraska two weeks ago. He had surgery

freshman Will Hammond.

and missed last week’s game BEST GAME against Washington with No. 4 Ohio State (6-1, 3-1 Big Tayven Smith playing in his Ten) at No. 3 Penn State (7-0, place.

Morton hurt his left shoul- 4-0), Saturday, noon ET (Fox) der in the first half against TCU and was replaced by See TOP 25 on G10

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SAFETIES CONTINUED FROM G5

guys mentally, they’re tough guys physically.”

Hardy showed his bigplay ability in his first game with the Sooners against Temple. The freshman picked off a pass and returned it 26 yards.

Still, it’s been one of the few moments the freshmen have been able to shine so far this season.

Boganowski and Hardy have been credited for playing in all eight games, but most of their playing time has been on special teams. Boganowski leads the three in tackles with five.

Through eight games the Sooners have had five different players record an interception and are second nationally with 26 takeaways.

“These guys, this week is every bit as important as last week was,” Venables said. “It’s the same message. You’re hopeful that you’ll get an opportunity early in the game to go in there and continue to gain really valuable experience and really help us win.”

Tarik Masri is the sports editor for The Transcript covering OU athletics and area sports.

HORNING CONTINUED FROM G3

maybe this band of Sooners are actually much closer to respectability than has appeared.

Instead, I wonder if Venables and staff are any good at this coaching thing at all, because if all that stands in OU’s way is getting out of its own way, how bad must the coaching be given the Sooners’ season-long futility.

If they’re good players, they should play well.

Right?

Here’s the kicker.

Venables wasn’t finished.

Paxson Haws | The Norman Transcript

OU defensive lineman Adepoju Adebawore tackles his opponent as the Oklahoma Sooners competed against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on Oct. 19.

“That may not be popular for people to hear and everybody who wants to find negative in all of it,” he said.

“That’s cool, too, but I know what I know.”

See? He anticipated how a quote like that might be taken negatively and decided, you know what, he doesn’t care, he knows what he knows.

I feel bamboozled.

Perhaps the only real way to respond is to hope Venables is right, to hope this team, despite injuries at wide receiver, despite not having a great running back, despite sporting a horrendously-porous-at-best offensive line and a first-year

starting quarterback still learning his way, can still be a good team, even this season, because the head coach does, in fact, know what he knows.

Argue amongst yourselves.

From this space, however, what’s still achievable appears simple, not so ambitious, and can begin today against Maine.

One, just as it seemed before the season began, for even then it appeared the Sooners would be playing behind a makeshift line without a great running back, so much depends on Jackson Arnold’s development and today’s an opportunity for him to enjoy

a big game, gain some confidence and feel like he can still be the man again.

Giving Michael Hawkins such a long tryout in the top spot, through the entirety of the Texas game, did Arnold no favors, but he’s been good lately, completing 40 of 67 passes for 407 yards and three touchdowns without an interception, despite being sacked over and over and over again his last two Saturdays.

And because the intimidation factor should be nil and the athletic advantage should be great, it’s also a chance for that much maligned offensive line to prove, at least to itself, it

knows what it’s trying to do, and if it can do that against the Black Bears maybe it can do it again against a nonetoo-great Missouri squad a week from today.

Indeed, taking that kind of step might be required for line coach Bill Bedenbaugh to keep his job.

Even the defense can find its game again.

It was good enough to win at Ole Miss if only the offense might have duplicated its first-half success in the second, and still the third quarter was abominable, the Rebels gaining more than 10 yards per snap.

And though it may not matter by the spring, what

lay in front of OU remains a canvas upon which offensive coordinator Joe Jon Finley may continue spreading his wings, and he looked pretty good last week, too, given his first opportunity to coordinate and call plays.

None of it may lead to any victories after today, but it might and the Sooners badly need the extra practice time six wins and a bowl game would afford.

Venables sees a vastly bigger world of possibilities available to this team than most of us.

Good for him.

On a smaller scale, big things remain for OU to salvage.

SAT U R DAY, NOV E M BE R 2 , 2 0 2 4 • GA M E DAY

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Franklin has an Ohio State problem. The Buckeyes have beaten the Nittany Lions seven straight times, and in three of those seasons it marked Penn State’s first loss (2017, 2018, 2023).

Penn State is the higherranked team for the first time since 2017 and, based on the second half against Wisconsin, feels good about its chances even if Allar can’t play.

Ohio State is coming off a one-point loss at Oregon and a f lat performance in last week’s 21-17 home win over Nebraska. The Buckeyes have injury and performance issues on the left side of the offensive line, and the running game is struggling.

Until Penn State clears the Ohio State obstacle — and with Allar’s status unknown — the bettors are going with t he Buckeyes. Bet MGM Sportsbook lists Ohio State as a 3 1/2-point favorite.

Matt Freed | Associated Press

Ben McKeown | Associated Press

SMU’s Kevin Jennings (7) carries the ball past Duke’s Alex Howard (3) during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Durham, N.C., Saturday.

and three touchdowns and ran for another score in last week’s 38-9 win over Illinois.

He has completed a nationleading 76.2% of his passes for 296.4 yards per game.

More big numbers are possiHEISMAN WATCH ble. Michigan’s pass defense Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel isn’t as stingy as its recent has moved to the top of the iterations.

BetMGM Sportsbook list of Heisman Trophy candidates NUMBERS TO KNOW with 12-to-5 odds, and he 2 — FBS teams that have and the top-ranked Ducks not trailed in a game (Indihave outscored their last two ana, Army). opponents 73-9 entering its 3 — Georgia’s consecutive game at Michigan on Satur- wins over Florida by 20-plus day. points entering their game in Gabriel threw for 291 yards Jacksonville, Florida.

4 — San Diego State’s consecutive games decided by three points or less, matching the longest streak in the FBS since 2016.

7 — Middle Tennessee’s starting offensive line combinations, most in the nation.

13-1 — Tulane’s road record since 2022 entering its game at Charlotte.

UNDER THE RADAR Louisiana-Monroe (5-2, 3-1 Sun Belt) at Marshall (4-3, 2-1), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+) This feels like a pivotal game for first-year coach

Bryant Vincent and his ULM Warhawks, whose 5-1 start was the best in their 30 years as an FBS program. Last week’s 46-17 loss at South Alabama was a gut punch, and now they go on the road to play a Marshall team that’s 4-0 at home.

The Warhawks’ only winning FBS season was 2012.

Since then ULM is 46-92, and only six teams have lost more games. Terry Bowden was 10-26 overall and 5-19 in the Sun Belt from 2021-23.

ULM would be bowl-eligible with a win over Marshall and remain in the thick of

Pittsburgh quarterback Eli Holstein (10) carries as he’s defended by Syracuse defensive back Devin Grant (23) during the first half of a game, Oct. 24, in Pittsburgh. the Sun Belt race. A loss makes things dicey with the remaining schedule made up of opponents even or ahead of the Warhawks in the league, plus a game at Auburn.

HOT SEAT The Trent Dilfer experiment at UA B mig ht be winding down. The 52-yearold is 5-14 in his second year as a college coach.

UAB passed over Vincent, who took the Blazers to a bowl as interim coach in 2022, to hire the Super Bowlchampion quarterback and

successful Tennessee high school coach. The problem was Dilfer had no coaching or recruiting experience at this level.

The Blazers are 1-6 entering Saturday’s home game against Tulsa, the only win coming against Alcorn State of the FCS. One of his four wins last season was against FCS team North Carolina AT&T. Dilfer’s contract r uns through the 2027. He would be owed $3.6 million if he gets fired after this season.

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