Takeaways from the Pro Football Focus data against BYU

PROVO, Utah — There was a lot going on for Oklahoma in its 31-24 win over BYU on Saturday.

Danny Stutsman struggled with food poisoning all week, and he was subbing in and out during the game. Dillon Gabriel suffered an "upper-body injury" that kept him out of the second half. Gentry Williams suited up but didn't play — Malaki Vickers didn't travel, either — as the Sooners' cornerback carousel continues.

And, of course, the Sooners' Pro Football Focus data left plenty to analyze. Here's a look at the snap counts for every position group, the PFF performance grades for every player and some takeaways:

(Editor's note: The offense played 65 snaps, while the defense played 64).

RUNNING BACK

1. Gavin Sawchuk — 43 (PFF grade of 67.1)

2. Tawee Walker — 19 (68.2)

3. Jovantae Barnes — 3 (58.9)

WIDE RECEIVER

T1. Nic Anderson — 59 (50.9)

T1. Drake Stoops — 59 (65.0)

2. Jalil Farooq — 57 (66.2)

3. Jayden Gibson — 23 (84.1)

4. Gavin Freeman — 1 (60.0)

OFFENSIVE LINE

T1. Cayden Green — 65 (56.2)

T1. Jacob Sexton — 65 (63.5)

T1. Andrew Raym — 65 (66.3)

T1. Walter Rouse — 65 (63.8)

T1. McKade Mettauer — 65 (62.0)

TIGHT END

1. Austin Stogner — 56 (50.3)

2. Josh Fanuiel — 5 (58.9)

QUARTERBACK

1. Dillon Gabriel — 37 (85.6)

2. Jackson Arnold — 28 (72.1)

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

1. Isaiah Coe — 35 (60.8)

2. Jacob Lacey — 35 (56.3)

3. Da'Jon Terry — 21 (71.4)

T4. Jonah Laulu — 18 (58.2)

T4. Jordan Kelley — 18 (59.5)

DEFENSIVE END

1. Rondell Bothroyd — 46 (58.5)

2. Ethan Downs — 32 (56.9)

T3. R Mason Thomas — 22 (59.9)

T3. Trace Ford — 22 (65.5)

T4. Adepoju Adebowore — 3 (57.7)

T4. Marcus Stripling — 3 (61.3)

LINEBACKER

1. Danny Stutsman — 52 (65.2)

2. Kobie McKinzie — 44 (56.0)

3. Kip Lewis - 24 (50.7)

4. *Dasan McCullough — 17 (44.5)

5. Jaren Kanak — 8 (27.4)

CORNERBACK

1. Woodi Washington — 64 (68.5)

2. Kani Walker — 57 (64.5)

3. Jasiah Wagoner — 7 (34.3)

SAFETY

1. Billy Bowman — 48 (90.7)

2. *Kendel Dolby — 47 (57.2)

3. Reggie Pearson — 23 (55.2)

4. Robert Spears-Jennings — 22 (55.5)

5. Key Lawrence — 19 (60.0)

6. Peyton Bowen — 17 (65.8)

1. Kobie McKinzie continues his move up the depth chart

Stutsman's strip sack in the fourth quarter was a pivotal play in the game, but it wasn't the finest day for the Sooners' linebacker corps. The Cougars gashed the Sooners on the ground for a season-high 217 rushing yards while averaging 5.6 yards per carry.

Kip Lewis again earned the start next to Stutsman, but it was an inconsistent outing for the redshirt freshman. So with Lewis struggling, the coaching staff didn't turn to Kanak — they opted to play McKinzie. His 44 snaps were more than Lewis and Kanak combined (32), and he finished with a higher PFF grade than both. McKinzie finished with five tackles, which ranked fifth on the team.

The 44 snaps for McKinzie is his second most of the season behind the 56 he played against Oklahoma State.

Despite showing improvement against West Virginia, the struggles continued for Kanak. He missed two tackles in his eight snaps played — tied with Kendel Dolby for the most — and finished with the lowest PFF grade on the defense.

It wasn't a perfect outing for McKinzie. But it's clear that he, not Kanak, is the third linebacker on the depth chart behind Stutsman and Lewis.

2. Weirdness on the offensive line

One of the things that stood out about Brent Venables' press conference on Monday was his comments about Tyler Guyton and Jacob Sexton.

Guyton suited up but didn't play against BYU, marking his second-straight missed game. Sexton again replaced him at right tackle and played every snap.

It seemed reasonable to think Guyton wasn't really available. However, Venables' comments suggested otherwise.

"I think he was back," Venables said about Guyton's status against BYU. "Jake just did a great job, you know? So there's something to that, too. Jake's done a really good job, made the most of his opportunity, so I think it's more about Jake was about Tyler, but he's available."

There is something to that. Sexton has a similar PFF season grade (63.0) to Guyton (63.8). Guyton has the edge in pass blocking (71.2, 59.4) but Sexton has the better grade in run blocking (68.1, 61.7).

Also, it appears the Sooners have found a solid combination with the fivesome of Andrew Raym, McKade Mettauer, Cayden Green, Walter Rouse and Sexton. They've played nearly every snap over the past two weeks, and the Sooners have had a lot of success running the ball.

But Guyton is projected as a first or second-round pick in next year's draft. It should be interesting to see who gets the start and how the snaps shake out against TCU.

3. No messing around at wide receiver

Since Andrel Anthony's injury, the Sooners' wide receiver rotation has largely worked out as expected. Nic Anderson has essentially taken all of his snaps. Jalil Farooq, Drake Stoops and Anderson are seeing the lion's share of the reps.

However, it has been interesting to see the lack of involvement of other receivers outside that top three. Here are the snap counts for the other receivers since Anthony's injury against Texas:

Jayden Gibson: 24, 16, 2, 11, 23

Gavin Freeman: 19, 16, 6, 13, 1

LV Bunkley-Shelton: 8, 0, 0, 10, 0

Jaquaize Pettaway: 2, 0, 0, 3, 0

Brenen Thompson: 0, 6, 5, 3, 0

It appears Pettaway and Thompson are headed for redshirts. Freeman just hasn't really been involved or made an impact. Gibson has easily made the biggest impact outside of the top three, but the playing time just hasn't been consistent.

The Sooners talked a lot about the depth at wide receiver coming into the season. But for the most part, they've relied on three players in every conference game.

4. Tough day for the defensive line

There's also been a lot of discussion about the Sooners' pass rush. It's warranted — the Sooners finished with a pass-rush grade of 54.2 against BYU, their lowest of the season. Only three of the nine defensive linemen who logged at least 18 snaps finished with an individual grade higher than a 60. Of course, the linebackers didn't help either.

The Sooners finished with just one sack and four tackles for loss. Venables on Monday argued that the low stat totals aren't due to a lack of effectiveness. Instead, he suggested that opposing teams have focused on adding extra blockers and getting the ball out quickly.

There is evidence of both things, particularly the last few weeks. And he's right, stats aren't always necessarily accurate. But the BYU film shows a defensive line that struggled to get off blocks and make a consistent impact, too. In fact, the Sooners haven't had a pass-rush grade higher than 58.1 in four weeks. For reference, the Sooners' lowest grade in the first seven weeks was 63.1 against Arkansas State.

It'll be something to monitor against TCU.