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Published Nov 28, 2023
Takeaways from the Pro Football Focus data in OU's win over TCU
Jesse Crittenden  •  OUInsider
Beat Writer
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@jessecrittenden
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It's been a few days since the Sooners' 69-45 win over TCU, and a lot has happened since then. However, a lot happened in that game, too, that could be important for the Sooners moving forward.

Here's a look at the Pro Football Football Focus data for every position group, along with some takeaways:

(Note: The offense played 83 total snaps, while the defense played 91).

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SNAP-COUNT DATA

OFFENSIVE LINE

T1. Cayden Green — 78 (PFF grade of 57.6)

T1. Andrew Raym — 78 (62.3)

T1. Walter Rouse — 78 (67.2)

T1. McKade Mettauer — 78 (59.3)

2. Jacob Sexton — 65 (60.5)

3. Tyler Guyton — 18 (58.2)

T4. Savion Byrd — 5 (66.7)

T4. Troy Everett — 5 (59.7)

T4. Caleb Shaffer — 5 (59.7)

T4. Aaryn Parks — 5 (60.6)

WIDE RECEIVER

1. Drake Stoops — 76 (78.7)

2. Nic Anderson — 70 (65.2)

3. Jalil Farooq — 65 (60.5)

4. Jayden Gibson — 20 (81.4)

5. LV Bunkley-Shelton — 8 (56.9)

T6. Jaquaize Pettaway — 5 (60.2)

T6. JJ Hester — 5 (60.2)

7. Brenen Thompson — 3 (95.4)

8. Gavin Freeman — 2 (52.7)

RUNNING BACK

1. Gavin Sawchuk — 62( 75.8)

2. Tawee Walker — 16 (64.5)

3. Jovantae Barnes — 3 (70.6)

4. Emeka Megwa — 2 (65.9)

TIGHT END

1. Austin Stogner — 71 (61.9)

2. Josh Fanuiel — 5 (57.6)

3. Kade McIntyre — 2 (60.0)

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

1. Jordan Kelley — 35 (52.5)

2. Isaiah Coe — 33 (66.8)

3. Jacob Lacey — 31 (41.3)

4. Da'Jon Terry — 39 (60.1)

5. Jonah Laulu — 28 (60.1)

6. Gracen Halton — 11 (66.8)

7. Kelvin Gilliam Jr. — 1 (60.0)

DEFENSIVE END

1. Rondell Bothroyd — 53 (72.6)

2. Ethan Downs — 47 (62.1)

3. Trace Ford — 33 (40.6)

4. R Mason Thomas — 29 (76.6)

5. Adepoju Adebowore — 17 (57.5)

6. Marcus Stripling — 14 (63.4)

LINEBACKERS

1. Danny Stutsman — 83 (57.3)

2. Kip Lewis — 46 (71.5)

3. Jaren Kanak — 28 (53.9)

4. Kobie McKinzie — 2 (63.0)

5. Owen Heinecke — 1 (55.6)

CORNERBACK

1. Woodi Washington — 83 (71.3)

2. Kendel Dolby — 79 (67.9)

3. Gentry Williams — 55 (47.0)

4. Jasiah Wagoner — 29 (67.3)

5. Jacobe Johnson — 15 (65.2)

SAFETY

1. Billy Bowman — 75 (65.0)

2. Reggie Pearson Jr. — 44 (61.7)

3. Peyton Bowen — 38 (68.0)

4. Robert Spears-Jennings — 28 (51.2)

5. Key Lawrence — 19 (60.7)

6. Samuel Omosigho — 7 (57.5)

7. Dasan McCullough — 4 (63.9)

TAKEAWAYS

1. The future is bright for Sexton and Green, but the offensive line ended in a weird place

The two young offensive linemen couldn't have gotten more experience down the stretch, starting each of the last three games. Green in particular received a heavy workload, playing nearly every snap over the final weeks. Both played pretty well given the circumstances.

But this was a weird place to end up. particularly the dynamic with Sexton and Guyton. OU coach Brent Venables indicated Guyton was available against BYU and didn't play because of Sexton's performance on the field. That came to pass against TCU — Guyton was in fact available and played 18 snaps, but Sexton got the start and played the bulk of the reps. It's hard to imagine Guyton returning given the team has essentially handed the starting job to Sexton.

Both Sexton and Green can improve in individual run blocking but it's hard to ignore how well the Sooners ran the ball over the final three weeks of the season. And both have proven particularly adept at pass protection, especially Sexton, who finished with pass-blocking grades of 74.4 and 72.1 over the last two weeks.

2. Jayden Gibson has earned a bigger role next season

It's pretty interesting to look at Gibson's snap counts this season. He never saw more than 24 snaps a game, and against Oklahoma State he only saw two. Gibson also didn't see a bump in playing time after Andrel Anthony's injury — before the injury he averaged 15.3 snaps per game, and after it he averaged 16.0. That is WELL below the average per-game snaps for Drake Stoops, Jalil Farooq and Nic Anderson.

But there's no denying that Gibson made the most of his limited playing time. He earned a PFF season grade of 83.4, the third highest on the team, and recorded a catch rate of 72.6%, putting his dropping issues in the rearview mirror. He also the regular season with five touchdowns, third on the team, and yards-per-reception average of 28.62, which is second behind Brenen Thompson.

Against TCU, he showed his strength and his athleticism with a 59-yard touchdown, where he dragged his defender several yards to the goal line.

Maybe the coaching staff believes Gibson is more effective in limited snaps. As I noted after Anthony's injury, Jeff Lebby historically likes leaning on three guys at wide receiver, and there's no denying Anderson made a huge impact, too.

But Gibson has proven too good and too skilled to only be playing a fifth of the team's snaps each game. Next season, he needs to see more time.

3. What happened to the Sooners' rushing defense?

It started as a source of strength for the Sooners' defense, but it ended as a real weakness.

In the first nine weeks, only two OU opponents averaged over 3.9 yards per carry. That was not the case over the final two weeks of the season. The Sooners allowed 5.71 yards per carry to BYU on 38 carries and a season-high 6.07 YPC to TCU on 29 carries. It's particularly odd, given that the Horned Frogs finished 10th in the Big 12 in rushing, while BYU finished dead last. It's no wonder the Sooners finished with rush-defense grades of 57.8 and 57.7, respectively, two of the three lowest grades they earned all year.

A big reason is likely the Sooners' inconsistencies at linebacker. Against BYU, Kobie McKinzie saw the bulk of the snaps alongside Danny Stutsman, with Kip Lewis and Jaren Kanak barely playing. But against TCU, it was Lewis and Kanak seeing significant snaps, while McKinzie played just two. Also notable, Dasan McCullough's snaps at cheetah dropped significantly over the final four weeks of the season.

The run defense will be something to monitor in the bowl game and the start of next season.