Cookin' with Grill Boy: Putting the finishing touches on SMU

In this weekly addition to OU Insider, I put a bow on the previous game then transition to the upcoming game. Since it is Week 3, we will discuss Southern Methodist, preview Tulsa, and make some bold predictions.

1. We opened the first two articles in this series by discussing the transfer players. So first things first, lets discuss the portal additions and how they performed.

Starting with the running backs, former Miami transfer Jaylan Knighton and former Texas A&M transfer LJ Johnson Jr. combined to rush for 97 yards on 4.04 yards per carry for the Mustangs while fumbling once and never reaching the end zone. This comes after a game in which they combined for 192 yards on 6.19 yards per carry and a score. While Arkansas State didn’t have much talent at tailback, Knighton and Johnson will likely be a top-three duo that Oklahoma’s defense faces this year. The other transfer that many expected to make a big impact was former Sooner commit Jordan Hudson. He got injured early and did not record a catch. Former OU DL Kori Roberson did not record a stat. I didn’t see when he got hurt, but with how many times we ran directly up the middle, there’s no way any DL that played significant snaps wouldn’t have at least one tackle.

2. I think these first two games might be the finest example of sack total ≠ pressure. Oklahoma sacked Johnny Manziel — I mean, Preston Stone — only once, officially hurried him five times, and had him throwing off of his back foot so often I thought I heard him yell out “Kobe!” from the stands. It seems the only ones that still think we’re getting no pressure through two games are just slaves to the box score. Could it improve? Absolutely. But SMU kept tight ends and running backs in to help against a four-man front and Oklahoma consistently had Stone under duress.

3. During the KREF postgame show, we take phone calls. Last year, I dreaded the calls as upset Sooner fans used Tyler McComas and I as the drywall that their younger self might have put a fist through. Most calls start with “How are you guys?” to which I consistently replied “weird." Because I couldn’t get it through my head that the offense had ZERO three-and-outs, no turnovers, covered, and yet I felt they didn’t play well. How could a man who arrived with his favorite hashtag being #SCOREFROMFAR simply refuse to even attempt to score from far? How could we not see Jayden Gibson, Jaquaize Pettaway, Nic Anderson, or perhaps our two biggest home run hitting backs in Gavin Sawchuk and Jovantae barnes? After typing all of that out, I’m convinced Lebby was told to be conservative. This has to be the first game of Jeff Lebby’s career that didn’t include at least one true deep shot, so I’m refusing to believe he just didn’t want to dial one up. What seems even crazier is that once the Mustangs pulled close, Oklahoma turned it on and marched down the field for a score, forced a turnover on downs, then scored again like they had been in rhythm all game. My tinfoil hat is snug on my head at this point, but I feel like Lebby and Brent Venables used this game to work on their complimentary play calling while also keeping their cards close to the vest ahead of conference play. I’m willing to hear other theories on this.

4. SMU Offensive Coordinator Casey Woods said before the game that Oklahoma has “elite-level, elite-caliber corners”. Casey Woods knows ball. Woodi Washington is off to the best start of his career. He led the defense in snaps (82 our of a possible 84), was targeted three times by my count, and did not give up a catch to my knowledge. I re-watched the game twice and I believe those numbers are accurate. Gentry Williams, who’d earned the starting spot in camp, went down with an injury. Kani Walker stepped into his place and played the best football of his young Oklahoma career. Gentry will be back against Tulsa and is a captain for his homecoming game in the 918.

5a. Danny Stutsman might be the best player on Oklahoma’s entire team. Stutsman was named the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week, and I don’t know the last time that honor has been bestowed on a Sooner. He was everywhere. After Week 1, Arkansas State’s Butch Jones said the team looked “faster”. While it is true that OU has some speedsters on defense, I believe Butch’s compliment can be credited to Danny Stutsman. In this case, a fast defense is not a physical trait but a mental trait. The defense is sniffing out trick plays, reading the offense, and reacting at a pace never seen last year. They feel one step ahead because they are starting to understand the defense at a cerebral level, and that starts with their leader.

5b. I could not get through the review portion without mentioning the Diaper Dandy himself, Peyton Bowen. The kid is already a star. Call it premature, but all we’ve heard is how tough this Venables defense is to learn. We heard that Bowen played at five different positions in camp. Yet he’s out there in the second game of the season and logs 49 snaps. With Justin Harrington likely sidelined this week to recover from an injury, expect Bowen to have 50-plus snaps against Tulsa with many of those at Cheetah. He and Kip Lewis are the early surprises of this defense. Both of the youngsters have bright futures.

1. Coach Kevin Wilson is no stranger to Oklahoma fans, but perhaps his background is more of an unknown. Wilson walked on at guard and center for the North Carolina Tarheels back in the early 80's. He’s coached OL in some capacity at five different locations, including when he was OC/OL Coach in Norman from 2002-2005. This background helps us understand his answer when a reporter asked him if he would call his offense more aggressively against a talented Oklahoma team. Wilson said, “In general, you have to be as aggressive as you can, but it also goes back to what your line can block and what your quarterback can handle.” I think that’s the first time I’ve heard a head coach mention his line’s ability to block when asked about play calling. That being said, he won’t put his line in a bad position against Oklahoma. They’ll have to earn it and I believe they will.

2. On this week’s depth chart that Tulsa released, Braylon Braxton is listed at the top of the quarterback position. Coach Wilson said that he is still working through an injury and they could start Redshirt Freshman Cardell Williams who left the last game with a hand injury. Their third string quarterback, junior Roman Fuller, came in for Williams against Washington and was actually impressive for a G5 third-stringer. Sooner fans might want to see Braylon, as he opened the season about as poorly as imaginable. It’s been tough sledding since he was named Freshman All-American Honorable Mention by College Football News. Braxton completed only three of his four pass attempts, but unfortunately two of those three completions were interceptions to the other team. He achieved the near impossible 0.0 QBR for his efforts against Arkansas Pine Bluff. Williams came in and completed 13 of 14 for 233 yards and three scores and has quality upside.

3. Longtime Twitter followers of mine will know how hard I’ve stumped for Braylin Presley to get an Oklahoma offer. He started his career at Oklahoma State before transferring to Tulsa. While at Bixby High School Braylin was the Tulsa World Player of the year as a junior, three time all-state, and Oklahoma Gatorade Player of the Year. He led Tulsa in receiving against Washington with three catches for 54 yards on a day the Golden Hurricane couldn’t get anything going. He will line up at running back, slot and on the outside. I know this one is personal for him, as he badly wanted to be at Oklahoma this season after leaving Stillwater. If they want big plays in the passing game, they’ll have to rely on his track speed to try and take shots downfield. If Gentry matches up on him, there will be many friends and family in the stands having flashbacks, as the two grew up together and would’ve played on the same high school football teams and ran track together had their families not moved.

4. Senior running back Jordan Ford is putting together a nice start to the season. He is averaging 5.2 yards per carry on 34 carries over the first two games. He’s built up that nice average without hitting many true long ones like LJ Johnson Jr. for SMU had done. I am always more impressed with backs that don’t have outlier runs skewing their early averages. With the top two quarterbacks banged up, expect Tulsa to pound the rock early and often. This isn’t a roster, or really a program, that can sustain hits to their two-deep. The tone of Wilson’s press conference suggested that he was going to play well within his roster’s limits and not put his quarterbacks or defense in harms way unnecessarily. A week after a fumbleroosk, a flea flicker and multiple reverses from SMU, I think we’ll get mostly straight up football from Wilson and the Golden Hurricane.

5. This will be Kevin Wilson’s greatest test to date. According to Tulsa’s AAC Media guide, the University of Tulsa has the smallest enrollment of any FBS school at 3,705 students. Coach Wilson even touched on this during his Tuesday presser. He thanked Oklahoma and Oklahoma State for being good in-state partners as Tulsa looks to build their brand and grow their enrollment. For those wondering, he thanked Joe Castiglione first. The other smallest schools in FBS are Rice, Navy, Air Force, and Army. Despite their diminutive size, shockingly, Tulsa is sixth all time in conference championships with 35, ahead of both Texas (30) and Alabama (33).

Each week, we’ll see if anyone can nail the exact score. If you do, I’ll try and get Parker to send you a can of Olipop or something. (I have not discussed this with him, but I can at least try!)

None hit the Southern Methodist prediction, so off we go!

My prediction:

OU 42

Tulsa 10

Throughout the season we will do bold predictions for each game. I will start us off, and then I will ask the members to give me some bold predictions in the comments. From the member-produced predictions, I’ll add any that came true to the next article.

Most accurate member predictions last week:

@Hoodleehoo — “Each TD will be scored by a different player”. Four players, four touchdowns. Andrel Anthony, Jalil Farooq, Marcus Major, and BLAKE SMITH!

@FlyLikeASooner — “Andrel scores the first TD and the defense comes up with two picks." This was close enough for me. Andrel did score the first TD and the defense had two turnovers.

Tulsa predictions:

1. There will be another big special teams play. After watching a punt return TD in Week 1 and a punt block in Week 2, I’m not sure how bold this is, but I’m going with it.

2. Oklahoma makes a field goal from 45+ yards. Eventually this team is going to have to make longer field goals. I think this is the first look we get at a long one.

3. Oklahoma has a strip sack. Our edges are getting off of the ball so fast. I feel like Tulsa doesn’t have the big tackles to get around like SMU did and Rondell Bothroyd, R Mason Thomas, Trace Ford, Ethan Downs, or PJ Adebowore gets one out of there.