Takeaways from the Pro Football Focus data in OU's loss to OSU

There were a lot of factors that contributed to the Sooners' 27-24 loss to Oklahoma State on Saturday.

Among them includes injuries and personnel decisions. The Pro Football Focus data paints a picture of a secondary that's struggling with injuries, while other position groups saw confusing player rotations.

It's all in the data.

Here's a look at the snap counts for each position group, their PFF single-game performance grade and some takeaways:

(Editor's note: The offense played 65 snaps, the defense played 84).

RUNNING BACK

1. Gavin Sawchuk — 46 snaps (PFF grade 63.6)

2. Tawee Walker — 11 snaps (70.7)

3. Daylan Smothers — 5 snaps (58.8)

4. Jovantae Barnes — 2 snaps (32.0)

WIDE RECEIVER

1. Nic Anderson — 64 snaps (57.9)

2. Drake Stoops — 60 snaps (79.1)

3. Jalil Farooq — 59 snaps (64.9)

4. Gavin Freeman — 7 snaps (38.3)

5. Brenen Thompson — 4 snaps (44.8)

6. JJ Hester — 3 snaps (57.0)

7. Jayden Gibson — 1 snap (57.6)

OFFENSIVE LINE

T1. Andrew Raym — 65 snaps (58.0)

T1. Tyler Guyton — 65 snaps (64.0)

T1. McKade Mettauer — 65 snaps (59.8)

T1. Walter Rouse — 65 snaps (64.2)

T1. Cayden Green — 65 snaps (61.3)

TIGHT END

1. Austin Stogner — 60 snaps (48.2)

2. Blake Smith — 2 snaps (57.7)

3. Josh Fanuiel — 1 snap (59.0)

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

1. Jacob Lacey — 43 snaps (64.1)

2. Da'Jon Terry — 36 snaps (68.0)

3. Isaiah Coe — 34 snaps (62.0)

4. Jordan Kelley — 26 snaps (80.9)

5. Jonah Laulu — 18 snaps (62.7)

DEFENSIVE END

1. Ethan Downs — 54 snaps (59.7)

2. Rondell Bothroyd — 51 snaps (66.7)

3. Trace Ford — 48 snaps (57.5)

4. Adepoju Adebowore — 15 snaps (52.7)

LINEBACKER

1. Kip Lewis — 82 snaps (64.1)

2. Kobie McKinzie — 57 snaps (63.6)

3. Jaren Kanak — 27 snaps (41.6)

4. Dasan McCullough — 23 snaps (75.4)

5. Samuel Omosigho — 1 snap (61.0)

CORNERBACK

1. Woodi Washington — 84 snaps (63.8)

2. Kendel Dolby — 62 snaps (66.1)

3. Gentry Williams — 37 snaps (48.4)

4. Kani Walker — 26 snaps (55.7)

5. Makari Vickers — 15 snaps (44.0)

6. Jasiah Wagoner — 7 snaps (57.6)

SAFETY

1. Billy Bowman — 84 snaps (68.7)

2. Robert Spears-Jennings — 50 snaps (79.4)

3. Reggie Pearson — 24 snaps (67.1)

T4. Key Lawrence — 10 snaps (44.1)

T4. Peyton Bowen — 10 snaps (53.7)

1. The Sooners running back rotation remains a mystery

Sawchuk made his third consecutive start against the Cowboys and turned in a season-best, and possibly career-best, performance with 111 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. Walker clearly isn't fully healthy but still made an impact in limited snaps with 59 yards and a score.

The question though, is why did Barnes and Smothers see the field?

Barnes didn't play for five weeks and then saw 19 snaps against Kansas, which all came late in the game. He then saw two snaps against OSU and was immediately pulled after he was involved with a bad first-quarter turnover. Barnes was seen as the top running back coming into the season, but injuries have kept him from finding a rhythm.

Smothers is the more interesting case. The true freshman had only played FOUR snaps since the season opener, and they all came in a blowout win over Tulsa. So why was he on the field in the second half in a contested, must-win game against a bitter rival on the road? The future is bright for Smothers but that's a really tough position for a true freshman to be in, particularly since he hadn't logged one snap in conference play. It's also all confusing because Sawchuk and Walker were playing well.

The Sooners' running back rotation has been a mess all season and injuries haven't helped. Marcus Major has missed two straight weeks, which hasn't helped. But the personnel decisions continue to be confusing.

2. Kip Lewis has made his case for a bigger role

The Sooners' linebacker room took a massive hit with Danny Stutsman unable to play.

In the absence of their star player, the coaching staff didn't turn to Jaren Kanak. They trusted Lewis, a redshirt freshman, and he delivered. He played all but two snaps and led the Sooners in tackles with 15.

Lewis was largely out of the rotation against Texas and UCF — he played eight combined snaps in those games — but he's since reemerged. He played 42 snaps against Kansas and been a playmaker in back-to-back weeks.

But of course, this hasn't been random. Kanak, who played nearly every snap the first seven weeks, has struggled mightily in recent weeks. He started the game against OSU and then was immediately pulled by the coaching staff, and he saw his snaps go to Lewis and Kobie McKinzie. Kanak finished with the lowest PFF performance grade for the second consecutive week.

It's unclear why Kanak has struggled so much. But it's opened the door for Lewis, and he's made the most of his opportunity.

3. The wide receiver rotation is a mess

Anderson, Farooq and Stoops again led the group in snaps. No surprise there.

However, the rotation behind them was downright baffling. Why did Hester play snaps, when he had played four snaps all season before the game? Why does Thompson continue to be used so sparingly?

But the biggest confusion — why did Gibson play ONE snap? The Sooners clearly need playmakers with Andrel Anthony out. Gibson was projected as one of the players who would step up in his absence. Instead, he's played just 41 snaps in the last three weeks. Why couldn't he get on the field against OSU?

He's made several big plays this season. His height and athleticism would surely help this offense. It's just bizarre.

4. The offensive line finally appears set in stone

Against Kansas, the Sooners rotated a bunch of players on the offensive line. But they didn't mess around against OSU.

Raym, Mettauer, Guyton, Green and Rouse played every single snap. No Savion Byrd, Troy Everett, Caleb Shaffer or Jacob Sexton. The game plan was a huge change from the last several weeks.

Now, it was an up-and-down game for the boys up front. The Sooners largely ran the ball really well. But Dillon Gabriel was sacked twice, and Raym was responsible for two bad snaps that resulted in turnovers.

Things could change against West Virginia. But if nothing else, Green has clearly earned a permanent role.

5. The safety position will be a group to watch moving forward

Bowman played every snap against OSU. That's not a surprise. After him, it's a bit of a question mark.

Lawrence played just 10 snaps and performed poorly, and he didn't really see the field after the first quarter. Bowen is clearly still hobbled and has barely played the last few weeks. Pearson was suspended for the first half due to his targeting penalty against Kansas, but played 24 snaps in the second half and earned the sixth-highest PFF grade on the team.

Spears-Jennings was the biggest beneficiary. He played a season-high 50 snaps and earned the second-highest PFF grade. He also finished tied for second in tackles with seven.

Has Spears-Jennings earned a bigger role moving forward? Can Bowen get healthy and play more down the stretch? Has Lawrence played himself out of the rotation?

It should be interesting to watch.