Week 1 is finally here. The Sooners have officially entered game week, and Sooner Nation is beaming excitedly. By the time the game begins this Saturday, we would've waited 247 days for Oklahoma football. So, without further ado, let's jump into the game preview.
Photo credit to Saturday Blitz.
Oklahoma
The Sooners finished the 2022 season with an abysmal 6-7 record, ending with a 35-32 bowl loss to Florida State. As last year was Oklahoma's first losing season of the 21st century, it's hard to go anywhere else but up.
The Sooners will start Dillon Gabriel in the home opener against the Red Wolves. He completed the 2022 season with 3,168 passing yards, 25 touchdowns, and six interceptions. Javonte Barnes, the expected starting running back, ended the season with 519 rushing yards on 116 attempts with five touchdown runs. Wide receivers Jalil Farooq and Drake Stoops are the anticipated starting receivers, and they finished 2022 with a collective 76 catches, 859 yards, and eight touchdowns.
A few of the goals the players and coaches have voiced aiming to achieve this season include bettering the offensive line, stopping the run, improving the competitive depth, and having a more explosive offense. In this game, I predict we will see almost all of those come to fruition. Our offensive line will allow the running backs to eat up Arkansas State's defense, we will shut down their run attack, and the player rotation throughout the game won't have much effect on the production. I'm not prepared to predict offensive explosiveness, as we lost our primary big-play weapons (Marvin Mims, Brayden Willis, and Eric Gray). We have the potential for big plays on a more consistent basis, but the receivers expected to get the majority of the reps this season have played more of an "extra" role on the offense as opposed to primary target number 1.
I'm also predicting OU will have a high-caliber defensive showing. Having brought in the players they did through the portal and recruiting, we have more than 11 players prepared to take snaps at any point in the game. When we get deep into the second quarter and start the second half, we won't have the issues we did last year, where the starters were getting tired but had no one to back them up.
Arkansas State
The Red Wolves finished the 2022 season with a 3-9 record, which kept them from bowl eligibility. Their only wins were against Grambling State, Louisiana-Monroe, Massachusetts. By all accounts, this should be a good sign that Oklahoma will walk all over them. Don't forget that this is still a D-1 team with D-1 players.
Arkansas State focuses on the ground game for their rushing attack. Last year, they ran the ball 247 times, gaining 2,719 yards and 16 touchdowns. That is an average of 11 yards per carry. Such a statistic is nothing to ignore. The Sooners will have their work cut out for them on the line.
Arkansas State's starting QB is expected to be J.T. Shrout. He is a transfer to the Red Wolves who brings power five experience from the Colorado Buffaloes. He finished last season with a 44.3% completion rate, seven touchdowns, and eight interceptions. He will be entering a new offense with new weapons that could elevate his performance.
(Stats above for Oklahoma and Arkansas State courtesy of ESPN).
Prediction
The main thing Oklahoma needs to be worried about is Arkansas State's running game. The defensive line and linebackers struggled mightily for Oklahoma last year against the run. Yes, we led the country in tackles for a loss going into the bowl game. Despite that, we finished the season with the 24th-worst rushing defense in college football. Didn't even make the top 100. Oklahoma allowed 4.4 yards per carry, 2,268 rushing yards, and 27 touchdowns. With a rushing attack as good as Arkansas State's, we need to make a statement with a vastly improved rush defense. And I think we will.
Score Prediction: Arkansas State 10, Oklahoma 52
Oklahoma Yardage
Passing Yards: 250+
Rushing Yards: 180+
Total Yards: 430+
Arkansas State Yardage
Passing Yards: 120-150
Rushing Yards: 80+
Total Yards: 200-250
The Sooners will win, and it will be a glorious start to the 2023 season. Boomer Sooner!
Comentarios