Takeaways from the Sooners' Pro Football Focus data in the WVU win

NORMAN — After 10 games, we finally have some clarity with the Sooners' rotations among key position groups.

The West Virginia game was the clearest example yet. The Sooners defeated the Mountaineers 59-20 on Saturday night, and they did it with roster decisions that were sure to make Sooner fans happy.

Here's a look at the snap counts for every position group, every player's performance grade and some takeaways:

(Editor's note: Snap-count data and grades provided by Pro Football Focus. Also the offense played 79 total snaps, while the defense played 76).

RUNNING BACK

1. Gavin Sawchuk — 53 (PFF grade of 75.0)

2. Tawee Walker — 15 (57.4)

3. Daylan Smothers — 9 (60.3)

4. Jovantae Barnes — 2 (60.0)

WIDE RECEIVER

1. Nic Anderson — 66 (73.5)

T2. Jalil Farooq — 64 (65.7)

T2. Drake Stoops — 64 (90.2)

3. Gavin Freeman — 13 (55.0)

4. Jayden Gibson — 11 (81.1)

5. JJ Hester — 9 (73.5)

T6. Jaquaize Pettaway — 3 (60.1)

T6. Brenen Thompson — 3 (60.0)

TIGHT END

1. Austin Stogner — 58 (74.0)

2. Josh Fanuiel — 15 (45.3)

OFFENSIVE LINE

1. Jacob Sexton — 79 (47.3)

T2. Walter Rouse — 74 (57.4)

T2. Cayden Green — 74 (56.2)

T2. Andrew Raym — 74 (56.5)

3. McKade Mettauer — 64 (64.1)

4. Savion Byrd — 15 (50.3)

T5. Caleb Shaffer — 5 (53.6)

T5. Troy Everett — 5 (60.3)

T5. Aaryn Parks — 5 (59.9)

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

1. Jacob Lacey — 33 (60.7)

2. Isaiah Coe — 28 (67.4)

3. Jordan Kelley — 23 (74.8)

4. Da'Jon Terry — 21 (71.9)

5. Jonah Laulu — 18 (71.7)

T6. Kelvin Gilliam — 9 (56.4)

T6. Gracen Halton — 9 (60.2)

DEFENSIVE END

1. Ethan Downs — 35 (49.4)

2. Rondell Bothroyd — 34 (70.1)

3. Adepoju Adebawore — 23 (60.5)

4. R Mason Thomas — 22 (63.9)

5. Marcus Stripling — 15 (63.0)

LINEBACKER

1. Danny Stutsman — 57 (57.6)

2. Kip Lewis — 52 (53.0)

3. Jaren Kanak — 21 (68.0)

4. Lewis Carter — 11 (63.8)

5. Kobie McKinzie — 6 (62.5)

6. Konner Near — 5 (63.0)

CORNERBACK

1. Woodi Washington — 63 (66.8)

2. Kani Walker — 62 (50.1)

3. *Kendel Dolby — 60 (79.0)

4. Jacobe Johnson — 12 (91.7)

5. Jasiah Wagoner — 11 (63.8)

6. Makari Vickers — 2 (69.4)

SAFETY

1. Billy Bowman — 53 (75.9)

2. Peyton Bowen — 33 (60.7)

3. Robert Spears-Jennings — 32 (56.1)

4. Reggie Pearson — 21 (58.8)

5. *Samuel Omosigho — 20 (70.6)

6. Key Lawrence — 19 (57.1)

(* indicates playing time at cheetah)

1. Sooner fans, you have your RB1

Good thing it only took 10 games, right?

But seriously, Gavin Sawchuk has cemented himself as the Sooners' rightful starter. He made his fourth consecutive start on Saturday and continues to look more like the explosive runner we saw against Florida State, taking 22 carries for a career-high 135 yards (6.1 yards per carry). This comes just one week after Sawchuk had set a previous career high against Oklahoma State.

This time, the Sooners didn't really mess around with taking Sawchuk out of the game. Walker, who's clearly still not fully healthy, saw just one carry for -2 yards. Barnes didn't see a carry. Smothers only saw two carries. Had the game not been mostly garage time in the second half, it's doubtful we would've seen any running back outside of Sawchuk.

Now, none of this is to say Sawchuk will have all of the snaps to himself. Walker has been good this season and should still see a change-of-pace role if he's healthy. But the OU rushing offense is finally humming, and it's largely because Sawchuk is back.

Don't overthink it, OU coaching staff.

2. Kip Lewis isn't emerging anymore, he's here

With Stutsman expected to return against WVU, the question then shifted to the other linebacker spot. Would it be Kanak, who started the first nine games? Or would it be Lewis, who played heavy snaps against Kansas and OSU and looked like an emerging superstar?

After the West Virginia game, we have our answer. Lewis appears to be the starting LB alongside Stutsman moving forward. The duo saw the bulk of the snaps when the minutes were meaningful, and they combined for 15 tackles. Venables even noted after the game that Lewis simply knows how to find the football.

Kanak's subpar play in recent weeks left the door open for Lewis. But to Kanak's credit, he came in the second half and looked a lot better, finishing with the highest PFF grade among linebackers. He'll still have a role for this team. But Lewis has done enough to overtake the starting job.

3. Stoops is the WR1 for this team

When Andrel Anthony suffered a season-ending injury, Nic Anderson was obviously seen as the next man up. Jalil Farooq figured to see more involvement. But what would've been hard to predict was Stoops' ascension.

He is the No. 1 target for this offense.

Stoops didn't just snag 10 receptions for a career-high 164 yards and three touchdowns against WVU. He saw 13 targets, more than double the amount of any other receiver. Last weekend against OSU, he saw 15 targets when the next closest was Farooq with nine. And guess what? Stoops is flourishing. He's not just a feel-good story of seeing the field as a coach's son.

Since Anthony's injury, Stoops has caught 33 passes for 434 yards and five touchdowns. That's a 12-game pace of 99 receptions, 1,302 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Need more evidence? He leads the Sooners in receptions (62), yards (692) and touchdowns (9). The next closest receiver in receptions is Farooq with 35.

4. Bowman and Bowen lead the safety room

Bowen clearly hasn't been healthy the last few weeks. He's likely still not fully healthy. But he saw more snaps against WVU than he has in any conference game, and it's clear that the coaches prefer the Bowman-Bowen duo on the Sooners' backline.

Spears-Jennings also continues to elevate his role. He's played 82 snaps in the past two games, seeing playing time over veterans like Pearson and Lawrence.

Without Dasan McCollough, who's dealing with injuries, the Sooners also went with Omosigho and Dolby at the cheetah position. Both played well, particularly Dolby, who had four tackles, a pass breakup and three quarterback hurries. He finished with the second-highest performance grade.