NORMAN — For Eli Bowen, there hasn't been any splashing in the shallow end of the pool. He's been thrown right into the fire.
The true freshman has become a significant part of the Oklahoma's cornerback rotation, particularly over the last couple of weeks. With the Sooners now firmly into SEC play, it's now about getting the best players on the field.
Bowen has proven he's one of those players.
"It’s been good to see my hard work pay off," Bowen said during Wednesday's availability.
He has a lot of reasons to feel confident.
Bowen wasn't in the rotation to start the season, as he didn't play against either Temple or Houston. But his playing time shot up in Week 3 against Tulane with 19 snaps, and that's been parlayed into a bigger role to start SEC play. He played 12 snaps against Tennessee before logging 29 snaps last weekend against Auburn.
But he hasn't just played. He's been a help to the Sooners' secondary, and there hasn't been any drop off in SEC play. His 80.3 Pro Football Focus grade against Tennessee was the third-highest mark on the defense. Against Auburn, his 70.3 PFF grade ranked seventh.
There's been an adjustment period for Bowen, but he credits his connection to his teammates and the offseason workouts with OU strength and conditioning coach Jerry Schmidt for helping him get ready.
"I think Coach Schmidty did a good job right when we got here for the freshmen, putting us through the workouts of not making it easy for us," Bowen said. "Holding us to that standard, (I) feel like that helped a lot.
"On the field, it’s really just remembering you’re here for a reason. Everyone has the same opportunity as you. Just believe in yourself."
No one has touted Bowen's readiness more than Brent Venables. The OU coach specifically singled out Bowen before the season for his football IQ and repeatedly said there would be opportunities for him to make an impact.
"He's been sound," Venables said. "Young players, you want guys that when they get out there, they know what to do. And that's the responsibility of the player. The coach knows what he's good at, what his strengths are, what his weaknesses are. The player has to own the responsibility of knowing what to do and knowing adjustments and know how to communicate. And so far, that's a piece of it that he's been really sound on.
"He's super coachable. He's very skilled. His fundamentals are ahead of the curve that way. And he's a tough guy... He's been the model of consistency and he's always ready. So that when I say, the moment doesn't seem too big. That's a big part of it too. He's ready. So he's earned the opportunity to get more playing time. And he's gonna be a really good player.”
The opportunities will likely increase for Bowen as the Sooners come out of the bye week, and the stats back that up. His 73.3 overall PFF grade and 73.7 coverage grade (which ranks third on the team) are both higher than every other cornerback on the team. The one knock on Bowen has been his size (5-foot-9, 186 pounds), but that hasn't been an issue. According to PFF, he's been targeted six times and only allowed two receptions.
The Sooners are going to need him as they prepare for the second half of the season, which includes four games against top-15 opponents. They come out of the bye week against No. 2 Texas, a huge test for a true freshman playing in OU's secondary.
But the last few weeks have given Bowen confidence that he's ready for the challenge.
"It’s definitely been a big stepping stone because it’s the first games I’ve actually played in," Bowen said. "It gave me confidence to know that I can be out there playing how I should be playing."
Not an OUInsider.com premium member? Sign up today to get loads of inside information on Oklahoma football, softball, basketball, and recruiting, all for just a few dollars a month. Click HERE to get started!
