Game Day - Aug 30,2024

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August 30, 2024 The View, G3 | Player Spotlight, G5 | Things to Watch, G6 | Scouting the opponent, G7

Gameday

Recipes Ingredients 2 1/2 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1 inch cubes 2 1/2 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 1 inch cubes tap here 1 tablespoon kosher salt plus more to taste

Chili con Carne

Freshly ground black pepper 1/3 to 1/2 cup olive oil

1) Pat the meat dry with a paper towel and season with the salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large stew pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the meat, in small batches, until well browned, adding more oil to the pan if needed. Transfer meat to a bowl and reserve.

2) Discard all but 2 tablespoons of the oil from the pan. Saute the onions over medium heat for 10 minutes, scraping up the browned bits with a wooden spoon from the bottom of the pan. Add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes more. Stir in the chili powders, cumin, and oregano and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in 5 cups of the stock. Add the meat and any accumulated juices to the pot.

Bring to a gentle simmer. Season the chili with salt and pepper to taste, and stew the meat with a cover slightly ajar until almost tender, about 3 hours.

3) In a food processor or blender puree half of the beans with the remaining stock. Add the bean mixture to the chili along with the whole beans. Simmer for 1 hour more or until the meat is tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with rice and selections of condiments, like sour cream, chopped cilantro, shredded cheddar, minced fresh or sliced pickled jalapenos.

Cook’s Note Try to avoid using canned beef broth because it can give the chili an unpleasant tinny taste. The chili tastes best if made a day a head, refrigerated, and reheated.

2 large Spanish onions, chopped 10 large cloves garlic, minced 1/4 cup New Mexico red chile powder 2 tablespoons ancho chile powder 1 tablespoon ground cumin 2 teaspoons oregano, crushed (preferably Mexican) 6 cups beef or chicken broth, homemade or low-sodium canned (see note) Two 15 1/2-ounce cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed

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THE VIEW

Giving a hoot?

Oklahoma vs. Temple When: Friday at 6 p.m.

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

Against Owls, if Sooners deliver this, they’ll have told us something ooner fans will be cheering for their team tonight, of course, but if they take pleasure in looking ahead, there’s another team they should be cheering for Saturday and a week from Saturday, too.

Tulane.

Given what some are calling Oklahoma’s easiest out-of-conference schedule in forever, one quality opponent on the slate before playing host to coach Josh Heupel and No. 15 Tennessee would be nice and the Green Wave’s the best bet.

They open against Southeast Louisiana, which they’ll beat and follow with No. 18 Kansas State, in New Orleans, which they could beat.

Root for that scenario, because Temple, 3-9 and 1-7 in the American Athletic Conference a year ago and chosen to finish dead last in the conference this

S

Clay Horning GUEST COLUMNIST

season is of little quality, nor is Houston and it’s with that in mind one wonders what OU might possibly do this evening that might be enlightening.

Monday, head coach Brent Venables summarized what he hoped to see.

“Really looking forward to watching,” Venables said, “… an offense that runs the ball downhill, takes care of the football, creates explosive plays, [is] really efficient and puts pressure on the defense.”

He continued.

“Seeing a defense that stops the run, swarms the football, tackles well, gets off the field on third down,” Venables said, See HORNING on G9

The Transcript File Photo

OU’s Gavin Sawchuk runs with the ball during the spring game, Saturday, April 20, at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

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SOONERS NUMERICAL ROSTER 0 Kalib Hicks RB 5-11 213 R-Fr. Denton, Texas (Ryan HS) 0 David Stone DL 6-3 294 Fr. Del City, Okla.

(IMG Academy [Fla.]) 1 Jayden Gibson WR 6-5 197 Jr. Winter Garden, Fla. (West Orange HS) 1 Dasan McCullough LB 6-5 223 Jr. Bloomington, Ind. (Indiana University) 2 Jovantae Barnes RB 6-0 207 Jr.. Las Vegas, Nev. (Desert Pines HS) 2 Billy Bowman Jr. DB 5-10 200 Sr. Denton, Texas (Ryan HS) 3 Jalil Farooq WR 6-1 207 Sr. Lanham, Md. (Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. HS) 3 Robert Spears-Jennings DB 6-1 219 Jr. Broken Arrow, Okla. (Broken Arrow HS) 4 Nic Anderson WR 6-4 219 R-So. Katy, Texas (Katy HS) 4 Dez Malone DB 6-0 204 Sr.%5E Fresno, Calif. (San Diego State University) 5 Andrel Anthony WR 6-1 183 Sr. Lansing, Mich. (University of Michigan) 5 Woodi Washington DB 5-11 195 R-Sr.%5E Murfreesboro, Tenn. (Oakland HS) 6 Deion Burks WR 5-9 190 R-Jr. Inkster, Mich.

(Purdue University) 6 Nigel Smith II DL 6-4 267 Fr. Melissa, Texas (Melissa HS) 7 Jaren Kanak LB 6-2 223 Jr. Hays, Kan. (Hays HS) 7 Zion Kearney WR 6-1 200 Fr. Fresno, Texas (Hightower HS) 8 Taylor Tatum RB 5-10 205 Fr. Longview, Texas (Longview HS) 8 Makari Vickers DB 6-1 192 So. Quincy, Fla. (Munroe HS) 9 Michael Hawkins Jr. QB 6-1 204 Fr. Dallas, Texas (Emerson HS) 9 Gentry Williams DB 6-0 187 Jr. Tulsa, Okla.

(Booker T. Washington HS) 10 Kip Lewis LB 6-1 221 R-So. Carthage, Texas (Carthage HS) 10 Bauer Sharp TE 6-4 247 R-Jr. Dothan, Ala. (Southeastern Louisiana Univ.)

11 Jackson Arnold QB 6-1 211 So. Denton, Texas (Guyer HS) 11 Kobie McKinzie LB 6-2 242 R-So. Lubbock, Texas (Lubbock-Cooper HS) 12 Devon Jordan DB 5-11 179 Fr. Tulsa, Okla.

(Union HS) 12 Brendan Zurbrugg QB 6-2 202 Fr. Alliance, Ohio (Alliance HS) 13 J.J. Hester WR 6-4 202 R-Sr. Tulsa, Okla.

(University of Missouri) 13 Reggie Powers III DB 5-11 208 Fr. Centerville, Ohio (Centerville HS) 14 Jaydan Hardy DB 5-10 174 Fr. Lewisville, Texas (Lewisville HS) 14 Steele Wasel QB 6-3 219 R-Fr. Choctaw, Okla. (University of Akron) 15 Kendel Dolby DB 5-11 185 Sr. Springfield, Ohio (Northeastern Oklahoma A&M) 15 Brenen Thompson WR 5-9 165 Jr. Spearman, Texas (University of Texas)

16 Danny Okoye DL 6-3 253 Fr. Tulsa, Okla.

(NOAH Homeschool) 16 Casey Thompson QB 6-0 192 R-Sr.%5E Oklahoma City, Okla. (Florida Atlantic Univ.)

17 Taylor Heim LB 6-6 216 R-Fr. Yukon, Okla.

(Bethany HS) 17 Jaquaize Pettaway WR 5-10 189 So. Houston, Texas (Langham Creek HS) 18 Kaden Helms TE 6-5 239 R-So. Bellevue, Neb. (Bellevue West HS) 18 Erik McCarty DB 6-1 185 R-Fr. McAlester, Okla. (McAlester HS) 19 Jacobe Johnson DB 6-2 200 So. Mustang, Okla. (Mustang HS) 19 Kade McIntyre TE 6-3 221 R-Fr. Fremont, Neb. (Archbishop Bergan HS) 20 Lewis Carter LB 6-0 227 So. Tampa, Fla. (Tampa Catholic HS) 20 Sam Franklin RB 5-10 198 R-Jr. Little Rock, Ark. (Univ. of Tennessee-Martin) 21 Jeremiah Newcombe DB 5-9 182 Fr. Gilbert, Ariz. (Casteel HS) 21 Xavier Robinson RB 6-0 222 Fr. Yukon, Okla. (Carl Albert HS) 22 Peyton Bowen DB 6-0 200 So. Corinth, Texas (Guyer HS) 22 Chapman McKown RB 5-5 174 R-Fr. Norman, Okla. (Norman North HS) 23 Eli Bowen DB 5-9 186 Fr. Corinth, Texas (Guyer HS) 23 Emeka Megwa RB 6-0 211 R-Jr. Fort Worth, Texas (University of Washington) 24 Samuel Omosigho LB 6-2 236 So. Heartland, Texas (Crandall HS) 25 Andy Bass RB 5-11 208 Fr. Oklahoma City, Okla. (Heritage Hall HS) 25 Michael Boganowski DB 6-2 211 Fr. Junction City, Kan. (Junction City HS) 26 Kani Walker DB 6-2 205 R-Jr. Suwanee, Ga. (University of Louisville) 27 Jayden Rowe DB 6-2 223 R-So. Tulsa, Okla. (Union HS) 27 Gavin Sawchuk RB 5-11 200 R-So. Littleton, Colo. (Valor Christian HS) 28 KJ Daniels WR 5-9 152 Fr. Franklinton, La. (Bowling Green School) 28 Danny Stutsman LB 6-4 241 Sr. Windermere, Fla. (Foundation Academy) 29 Casen Calmus DB 5-10 196 R-Fr. Brentwood, Tenn. (Brentwood Academy) 29 Gabe Sawchuk RB 5-10 185 Fr. Littleton, Colo. (Valor Christian HS) 30 Trace Ford DL 6-2 246 R-Sr.%5E Edmond, Okla. (Oklahoma State University) 31 Cale Fugate DB 5-10 190 R-Fr. Tulsa, Okla.

(Bixby HS) 31 Ashton Logan P 6-2 217 R-So. Anaheim Hills, Calif. (University of Colorado) 32 R Mason Thomas DL 6-2 240 Jr. Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Cardinal Gibbons HS) 33 Phil Picciotti LB 6-3 239 R-Fr. Perkasie, Pa. (IMG Academy [Fla.]) 34 Adepoju Adebawore DL 6-4 251 So. Kansas City, Mo. (North Kansas City HS)

34 Zach Schmit K/P 5-10 196 R-Sr. Oklahoma City, Okla. (Bishop McGuinness HS) 35 Liam Evans K 5-7 181 Fr. Moore, Okla.

(Moore HS) 35 Jakeb Snyder DB 5-8 180 R-Fr. Bixby, Okla. (Bixby HS) 36 Josh Plaster K/P 6-0 187 R-Sr.%5E Flower Mound, Texas (Arizona State Univ.)

38 Owen Heinecke LB 6-2 227 R-So. Tulsa, Okla. (Ohio State University) 39 Peter Schuh DB 5-8 184 R-So. Montvale, N.J. (St. Joseph Regional HS) 40 Ethan Downs DL 6-4 265 Sr. Weatherford, Okla. (Weatherford HS) 41 Emmett Jones III DB 6-0 182 R-Fr. Lancaster, Texas (Lubbock-Cooper HS) 42 Wyatt Gilmore DL 6-4 245 Fr. Rogers, Minn. (Rogers HS) 44 Taylor Wein DL 6-4 267 R-Fr. Brentwood, Tenn. (Nolensville HS) 45 Hampton Fay TE 6-5 245 R-Jr. Fort Worth, Texas (Michigan State Univ.)

45 Mykel Patterson-McDonald DB 5-10 172 Fr. Moore, Okla. (Westmoore HS) No. Player Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown (Previous School) 46 Dax Noles DB 6-0 192 Fr. Norman, Okla.

(Norman HS) 47 James Nesta LB 6-3 216 Fr. Huntersville, N.C. (William Amos Hough HS) 48 Luke Elzinga P 6-4 229 R-Sr.%5E Grand Rapids, Mich. (Central Michigan Univ.)

48 Jocelyn Malaska DB 6-1 186 R-So. Bethany, Okla. (University of Utah) 50 Ben Anderson LS 6-5 240 R-So. Charlotte, N.C. (Charlotte Latin School) 51 Branson Hickman OL 6-2 301 R-Sr. McKinney, Texas (SMU) 52 Troy Everett OL 6-3 308 R-Jr. Roanoke, Va. (Appalachian State University) 52 Damonic Williams DL 6-1 319 Jr. Torrance, Calif. (TCU) 54 Febechi Nwaiwu OL 6-4 339 R-Jr. Coppell, Texas (University of North Texas) 55 Eddy Pierre-Louis OL 6-3 305 Fr. Tampa, Fla. (Tampa Catholic HS) 55 Ashton Sanders DL 6-1 295 R-Fr. Pasadena, Calif. (Cathedral HS) 56 Eugene Brooks OL 6-3 336 Fr. Las Vegas, Nev. (Sierra Canyon [Calif.] HS) 56 Gracen Halton DL 6-2 291 Jr. San Diego, Calif. (St. Augustine HS) 57 Gunnar Allen OL 6-0 297 R-So. Aledo, Texas (Aledo HS) 58 Spencer Brown OL 6-6 321 R-Sr.%5E Detroit, Mich. (Michigan St. University) 58 Ethan Lane LS 5-11 230 R-Sr. Dallas, Texas (Jesuit College Prep. School of Dallas) 61 Kenneth Wermy OL 6-5 305 R-Fr. Cache, Okla. (Cache HS) 64 Joshua Bates OL 6-3 309 R-Fr. Durango, Colo. (Durango HS) 65 Jayden Jackson DL 6-2 300 Fr. Indianapolis, Ind. (IMG Academy [Fla.])

65 Ty Kubicek OL 6-2 294 R-Fr. Sacramento, Calif. (Capital Christian HS) 66 Geirean Hatchett OL 6-5 312 R-Sr. Ferndale, Wash. (University of Washington) 70 Michael Tarquin OL 6-6 317 R-Sr.%5E Ocala, Fla. (USC) 71 Logan Howland OL 6-6 317 R-Fr. Westfield, N.J. (The Hun School of Princeton) 72 Josh Aisosa OL 6-3 323 Fr. Edmond, Okla.

(Santa Fe HS) 73 Isaiah Autry-Dent OL 6-6 310 Fr. Fulton, Miss. (Itawamba Agricultural HS) 74 Evan McClure OL 6-4 275 Fr. Bixby, Okla.

(Bixby HS) 75 Daniel Akinkunmi OL 6-6 321 Fr. East London, England (NFL Academy) 76 Jacob Sexton OL 6-6 322 Jr.. Edmond, Okla. (Deer Creek HS) 77 Heath Ozaeta OL 6-5 318 R-Fr. Snoqualmie, Wash. (Mount Si HS) 79 Jake Taylor OL 6-6 309 R-So. Las Vegas, Nev. (Bishop Gorman HS) 80 Josh Fanuiel TE 6-3 250 R-Jr. Missouri City, Texas (Cameron University) 80 Bergin Kysar DL 6-3 245 Fr. Edmond, Okla. (Santa Fe HS) 81 Zion Ragins WR 5-8 145 Fr. Macon, Ga. (Jones County HS) 82 Ivan Carreon WR 6-6 223 Fr. Odessa, Texas (Odessa HS) 83 Major Melson WR 5-10 187 R-Sr. Mansfield, Texas (Legacy HS) 84 Davon Mitchell TE 6-3 250 Fr. York, Ala. (Los Alamitos [Calif.] HS) 85 Trey Brown WR 5-9 181 R-Fr. Nashville, Tenn. (Christ Presbyterian Academy) 87 Jake Roberts TE 6-4 252 Sr.%5E Norman, Okla. (Baylor University) 88 Jacob Jordan WR 5-9 182 Fr. Southlake, Texas (Carroll Senior HS) 89 Eli Merck WR 6-0 206 R-Fr. Norris, S.C. (D.W. Daniel HS) 90 Caiden Woullard DL 6-4 259 Sr. Massillion, Ohio (Miami [OH] University) 91 Drew Heinig DL 6-5 288 R-Fr. Jenks, Okla.

(Glenpool HS) 93 Ace Hodges DL 6-1 284 Fr. Oklahoma City, Okla. (Casady School) 94 Mari Atchison DL 6-2 268 Fr. Tulsa, Okla.

(NOAH Homeschool) 95 Da’Jon Terry DL 6-3 323 R-Sr.%5E Meridian, Miss. (University of Tennessee) 96 Davon Sears DL 6-2 295 R-Sr.%5E Detroit, Mich. (Texas State University) 97 Kyle Carlson LB 6-3 190 R-Fr. Dallas, Texas (Highland Park HS) 98 Tyler Keltner K 5-11 181 R-Sr.%5E Tallahassee, Fla. (Florida State University) 99 Markus Strong DL 6-3 290 R-Fr. Raiford, Fla. (Union County HS) Last updated Aug. 7, 2024 Weights as of June 27, 2024

OU Two-Deep Roster OFFENSE QB 11 Jackson Arnold 9 Michael Hawkins Jr. RB 27 Gavin Sawchuk OR 2 Jovantae Barnes TE 10 Bauer Sharp OR 87 Jake Roberts WR 15 Brenen Thompson OR 4 Nic Anderson LT 70 Michael Tarquin 71 Logan Howland LG 76 Jacob Sexton 77 Heath Ozaeta 51 Branson Hickman 64 Joshua Bates RG 54 Febechi Nwaiwu 66 Geirean Hatchett RT 79 Jake Taylor OR 58 Spencer Brown SLOT 6 Deion Burks 17 Jaquaize Pettaway WR 3 Jalil Farooq 13 J.J. Hester

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

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32 R Mason Thomas 30 Trace Ford MIKE 28 Danny Stutsman 11 Kobie McKinzie WILL 10 Kip Lewis OR 20 Lewis Carter CHEETAH 15 Kendel Dolby 24 Samuel Omosigho LCB 26 Kani Walker OR 5 Woodi Washington SS 2 Billy Bowman Jr. 14 Jaydan Hardy FS 22 Peyton Bowen OR 3 Roberts SpearsJennings RCB 4 Dez Malone OR 9 Gentry Williams

SPECIALISTS K 98 Tyler Keltner 34 Zach Schmit P 48 Luke Elzinga 31 Ashton Logan KO 34 Zach Schmit 98 Tyler Keltner KR 2 Billy Bowman Jr. 3 Jalil Farooq PR 22 Peyton Bowen 2 Billy Bowman Jr. LS 50 Ben Anderson 58 Ethan Lane H 36 Josh Plaster 48 Luke Elzinga

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F R I DAY, AUGU ST 3 0 , 2 0 2 4 • GA M E DAY

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PL AYER SPOTLIGHT

Jackson in rare air as true freshman starter on defensive line TARIK MASRI TRANSCRIPT S P O R T S E D I TO R

At 6-2 and 300 pounds coming out of high school, Jayden Jackson already had the look of a starting defensive tackle when he arrived on campus.

Still, it’s hard to predict whether a freshman will be ready to start playing immediately at a Power Four school. Size is one piece of the puzzle, but not many freshmen have the maturity to handle such a big responsibility.

Ok lahoma head coach Brent Venables has been impressed with his combination of size and athleticism, but it’s his mindset that has set him apart during the offseason.

That’s a big part of why Venables trusted him with the starting defensive tackle spot heading into the season opener against Temple.

“He is mature beyond his years, very focused, driven, ambitious,” Venables said on Monday. “He shows up, puts the work in every single day.

He’s a model of consistency with his habits.”

Jackson will be making history this Friday, becoming the school’s first true fresh-

OU’s defensive linemen perform a drill during practice Aug. 13. man to start at defensive tackle since Tommie Harris did it in 2001. Harris would go on to become a two-time all-american for the Sooners and a first-round pick in the 2004 NFL Draft.

Jackson said being named

a starter before his first college game was a blessing, but that he knows he’ll have to continue to earn his spot. “ That job isn’t rea l ly secured,” he said. “You know, we have a bunch of depth.

And a bunch of guys con-

tinuously working. So it’s not there yet.”

Jackson’s biggest strength is expected to be his ability to shut down plays in the running game. Still, it remains to be seen who will step up as the Sooners’ next great pass

Williams (nose tackle) and R Mason Thomas (right defensive end).

The Sooners’ three other defensive linemen are all upperclassmen that have starting experience at the Power Four level. Still, they have several young talents that will be waiting for an opportunity to take on a bigger role.

Dav id Stone, a not her highly-regarded defensive tackle from the 2024 recruiting class, is tied with junior Gracen Halton on the depth chart for the backup spot behind Jackson.

“I saw a comment that he’s been the hardest working guy and I truly do believe that,” Jackson said about Stone.

“He’ll call me when I’m in class or something and be like, ‘Hey come up here, I’m watching film by myself.’

That’s been amazing to see from him.”

Sophomore edge rusher Paxson Haws | The Transcript Adeopju Adebawore is also tied for second the depth chart, but could see opporturusher.

The Sooners return only nities during passing downs. one starting defensive lineman from last year’s squad in Tarik Masri is the sports editor defensive end Ethan Downs. for The Transcript covering For the season opener, Downs OU athletics and area sports. and Jackson were named You can reach him by emailing starters alongside Damonic tarik@normantranscript.com

LET’S GO SOONERS!!

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Four things to watch in the season opener TARIK MASRI TRANSCRIPT S P O R T S E D I TO R

1. JACKSON ARNOLD’S TIME Arnold’s debuted season has been highly anticipated since committing to the program as a five-star recruit out of Atlanta. Ever since Arnold first stepped on campus, the Sooners’ coaching staff has never wavered on its belief that Arnold would eventually become the future of the program.

Those are some very high expectations for a 19-year old sophomore, but by all accounts Arnold has stepped into that role seamlessly.

However, what will truly matter is how the Sooners’ new signal caller performs on Saturdays (and this Friday). In limited action last season, Arnold displayed the ups and downs expected from a former five-star freshman quarterback.

Purdue transfer Deion Burks gives the Sooners a dangerous weapon at wide receiver that will likely get the ball in a variety of ways and could take some pressure off the young quarterback.

times fans only pay attention to the guys up front is when something goes wrong, but all the offseason buzz surrounding the Sooners’ unit has created plenty of intrigue around the offensive line going into the season.

However, it’s hard to expect to learn a whole lot from the unit against a Temple defense that gave up almost 200 yards rushing per game last season. The questions about the offensive line won’t go away until it proves itself against the SEC. The key for the Sooners’ offensive line has to be playing a clean game. Missed assignments and penalties are easy to overcome against Temple, Houston and Tulane, not against Tennessee, ‘Bama and LSU.

3. ADJUSTING TO COLLEGE FOOTBALL’S RULE CHANGES

Several new rules have been implemented by the NCAA ahead of the season that will take some getting used to for players, coaches and fans.

Teams will now be allowed to have one player on the field wear helmet communication technology similar to what is 2. CLEAN PLAY ON THE used in the NFL. Coaches will

OFFENSIVE LINE

The cliche goes that often-

See WATCH on G10

The Transcript File Photo

OU’s Jackson Arnold passes during the spring game, Saturday, April 20, at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

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Scouting the opponent: Temple Owls TARIK MASRI TRANSCRIPT S P O R T S E D I TO R

The 130th season of Oklahoma is expected to be unlike any other in program history.

In the Southeastern Conference, the road games will be louder, the opponents will get tougher and the pressure to perform week-in and week-out will be even higher.

Still, the Sooners have three games in non-conference play that should serve as a proper tune-up before the competition ramps up.

It all starts against Temple, who on paper should be the Sooners’ most manageable game this season. The Owls have gone 3-9 in each of the last three seasons and haven’t won a road game since 2021.

With all the attention the Sooners’ schedule has been getting this offseason, the season opener against the Owls can feel inconsequential.

The school agreed to have the game moved up to Friday night in part to create more excitement surrounding the game.

Instead of c ompet ing against Georgia-Clemson, Miami-Flor ida or Notre Dame-Texas A&M for air time, the Sooners got a pri-

2023 NCAA Rankings Comparison Points pg 4th / 109th Points Allowed pg 48th 127th First Downs pg 4th / 60th Rush Yards pg 35th / 123rd Pass Yards pg 6th / 25th Pass Yards Allowed pg 112th / 99th Total Offense pg 3rd / 75th Total Defense pg 79th / 124th Turnover Margin 23rd / 133rd Sacks pg 88th / 94th Sacks Allowed pg 36th / 30th 3rd Down Offense 7th / 72nd 3rd Down Defense 14th / 128th Red Zone Offense 26th / 129th Red Zone Defense 44th / 82nd Kickoff Return Avg. 50th / 109th Punt Return Avg. 96th / 104th

The Transcript File Photo

OU’s Kalib Hicks runs with the ball during the spring game, Saturday, April 20, at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. metime spot on ESPN for their first game in their new conference.

“I think this is an aberration,” Venables said about the game being played on Friday.

“I don’t think this is a philosophy of Oklahoma now. I’m always for playing in those kickoff-type games. There are benefits to that. One, you can get on a different type of stage to kick off the season, showcase your program,

think that’s a great thing.”

The Sooners and the Owls last met on a football field in 1942 when Temple pulled out a 14-7 win in Philadelphia.

Here’s a look at what to expect from Temple on Friday:

OFFENSE The Sooners likely won’t know who they’ll be facing at quarterback until after kickoff. Temple head coach Stan

is expected to bring something different to the offense.

The Owls will run a lot of two tight end formations and prefer to run the ball often to set up play action.

“They give you multiple sets out of the 12 personnel, really like their running backs,” Venables said on Monday. “They have gamebreaking speed. They have some excellent wideouts, too, that can take the top off

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a defense, too.”

Last year they averaged just 95.7 rushing yards per game, which was at the bottom of the American Athletic Conference.

They ended up finishing 109th in scoring offense and had to lean on quarterback E.J. Warner to keep the offense rolling. Now Warner is gone and they’ll also be See OPPONENT on G11

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Drayton said this week that he won’t be announcing a starter before the game.

The two leading candidates have been Rutgers transfer Evan Simon (wears No. 12) and Forrest Brock (wears No. 11), who has only seen action in one game in his career so far.

Redshirt sophomore Tyler Douglas (wears No. 14) has also been in the running and each of the three quarterback

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F R I DAY, AUGU ST 3 0 , 2 0 2 4 • GA M E DAY

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“creates turnovers, plays and competes with great passion.”

The usual fare.

Yet, the truth is, if the Sooners don’t do at least those things against the Owls, it could be a sign of trouble.

Here, in this space, we’re shooting higher.

If looking for a few things that might translate into vic-

tories over future opponents of quality, here are three.

1) A running back who makes people miss.

It’s possible I’ve underestimated Gavin Sawchuk. He averaged 6.2 yards per carry last season over enough carries (94) to not have small sample size issues.

Yet, it was his electric speed — he ran a 4.24 40-yard dash on pro day if you can believe it — that propelled him, not so much an ability to make defenders dive for air.

His forté tended to be huge carries, very short carries and almost no carries in which he’d acrobatically elude three would-be-tacklers to gain 5 yards.

Perhaps he’ll break more ankles this season, or Jovantae Barnes will break out and surprise us, or, you never know, given the opponent, Sam Franklin and Taylor Tatum may be called upon tonight and show us some of that.

A guy that makes people miss could be a very big deal.

2) Not a good game from Jackson Arnold, but a great one.

Sam Bradford’s first start, he completed 21 of 23 passes for 363 yards and three touchdowns without an interception against North Texas in 2007.

Baker Mayfield wasn’t that sharp to begin, but after beginning 4 of 10, he completed 19 of 23 the rest of the way, finished with 388 passing yards and three touchdowns without an interception against Akron

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in 2015.

If Arnold could do something like that, and why not with a deep group of wide receivers that could be the strength of the offense, he’ll have shown us something terrific independent of the quality of opponent.

3) A clean game, on the sidelines and on the field.

That doesn’t mean no turnovers, though that would be a good sign, too.

It means not taking dumb timeouts because the play clock’s about to hit zero.

It means not giving up any big plays because the defensive play call failed to get to the players clearly.

It means a lack of false starts offensively and no dead ball penalties from players or coaches.

It means running a tight ship.

Of course, OU doesn’t have to do all that.

It’s only Temple, a seemingly meaningless game.

But do all that and this evening might not be meaningless at all.

Paxson Haws | The Transcript

OU quarterback Jackson Arnold throws the ball during practice Aug. 13.

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Paxson Haws | The Transcript

The OU offensive line works through drills during practice Aug. 13.

WATCH CONTINUED FROM G6

be able to speak to that player directly through a speaker in their helmet until 15 seconds remain on the play clock.

On offense this will be quarterback Jackson Arnold and on defense, the Sooners will primarily use Danny Stutsman.

Offenses in college football tend to run hurry up much more often than offenses in the NFL, which leaves less time for coaches to call plays through their headset. Both Offenses and defenses have used signaling and signs to speed up the process of calling a play, so it’s unclear how teams will adjust to the new technology.

Another big change is the NCAA adopting the two-minute timeout. Like the NFL’s two-minute warning, the

OU Football Schedule (Fr.) Aug. 30 vs. Temple, 6 p.m. ESPN Sept. 7 vs. Houston, 6:45 p.m. SECN Sept. 14 vs. Tulane, 2:30 p.m. ESPN or ESPN2 Sept. 21 vs. Tennessee,

2:30-3:30 or 5-7 p.m.

Sept. 28 at Auburn, 2:303:30 p.m.

BYE WEEK Oct. 12 vs. Texas, 2:30 p.m. ABC or ESPN Oct. 19 vs. South Carolina, 11-Noon Oct. 26 at Ole Miss, 11-Noon

two-minute timeout occurs in the country. His last three with two minutes remaining years at SDSU the Aztecs before every half. ranked in the top 10 in special teams efficiency by ESPN’s 4. SPECIAL TEAMS rankings.

Ok lahoma head coach After going 15-21 on field Brent Venables made it clear goals last season, the Soonhe wasn’t happy with how his special teams units per- ers brought in Florida State formed last season. In the transfer Tyler Keltner. Headoffseason he brought in San ing into the game against Diego State’s Doug Deakin Temple, Keltner is listed on as special teams coordinator. the top line of the Sooners’ Deakin is considered one of two-deep depth chart, but the top special teams coaches his name has an “or” next to

Nov. 2 vs. Maine, 1:30 p.m.

ESPN+ or SECN+ Nov. 9 at Missouri, 2:303:30 or 5-7 p.m.

BYE WEEK Nov. 23 vs. Alabama, 2:303:30 or 5-7 p.m.

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

it, meaning last year’s starter Zach Schmit is right there too.

Every extra point and every field goal will be critical for whoever gets the opportunity on Friday, because it may decide the starting job.

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

You can reach him by emailing tarik@normantranscript.com

F R I DAY, AUGU ST 3 0 , 2 0 2 4 • GA M E DAY

G11

2023 STATS

OU / OPP

Avg. Per Play 6.8 / 5.4

SCORING

Avg. Per Game 507.0 / 389.6

PPG 41.7 / 23.5

RUSHING

Fumbles-Lost 19-11 / 13-6

Yards 2,368 / 1,805 YPA 4.5 / 3.9 YPG 182.2 / 138.8 TD’s 32 / 14

Penalties-Yds 88-761 / 76-622

PASSING

TOP Per Game 29:04 / 30:56

Yards 4223 / 3260 Att-Comp-Int 453-310-9 / 474-269-20 Avg Per Game 324.9 / 250.8 TD’s 34 / 18 Total Offense 6,591 / 5,065

OPPONENT CONTINUED FROM G7

replacing a big chunk of last season’s starters up front.

DEFENSE The Owls ranked 99th or worse nationally in passing defense, rushing defense and scoring defense last season.

They were one of the bottom six teams in the countr y in both rushing defense (198.3 yards per game allowed) and scoring defense (35.7 points per game

Per Game 58.5 / 47.9 Net Punt Avg 39.6 / 38.3

3rd Down 48.9% / 31% 4th Down 68.4% / 52.9% Field Goals 15-21 / 21-27 RZ Scores 60-67 / 34-42 RZ TD’s 46-67 / 22-42

allowed). They’ll also have to replace their leading tackler from last season in Jordan Magee.

Temple defensive coordinator Everrett Withers has transitioned the team from a 3-4 to a 4-3 front and the Owls will be hoping the new scheme can create more success on that side of the ball.

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

You can reach him by emailing tarik@normantranscript.com

The Transcript File Photo

OU’s Danny Stutsman makes a tackle during the Sooners’ game against Central Florida, Satruday, Oct. 21, 2023, at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

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