Baylor 2022 Season Preview: Oklahoma Sooners

Bears face crucial road test against Oklahoma November 5

Author:
Cameron Stuart
Publish date:
Aug 1, 2022 8:13 PM EDT

In this story:

Baylor Bears

Oklahoma Sooners

The Baylor Bears travel to Norman to open up the final month of the regular season. With it, they will also open up their toughest stretch of the season.

The Bears completely outclassed the Sooners at McLane Stadium in 2021, in a tight game the Bears put to bed in the fourth quarter to give Oklahoma their first loss of the season.

This could be their biggest test if the Bears want to be in the discussion for a Big 12 championship and a New Year's 6 bowls.

The Sooners should be comfortable with their new head coach Brent Venables at this point in the season but will need to replace a huge portion of their lineup with the transfer portal fire sale they had last year with Lincoln Riley's departure.

Oklahoma Sooners

2021 Record: 11-2 (7-2 Big 12)

Head Coach: Brent Venables

The Sooners enter a new era in 2022 as Brent Venables comes to Norman from Clemson for his first head coaching job. The wheels fell off the Schooner wagon towards the end of last season, losing to the Bears and rival Oklahoma State in November before Riley jumped ship.

This year is a rebuild, but Sooner style. That said, with the talent and pedigree of the program, they should be right back in the Big 12 mix this season.

Offensive scheme: Spread

Defensive scheme: Hybrid

Returning offensive starters: 5

Like I said, the Sooners always have talent, but they lost a lot of skill and muscle from last year's team, including their top two quarterbacks and running backs. New offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby and transfer quarterback Dillon Gabriel led one of the nation's best offenses when they worked together in 2019. That said, Dave Aranda and Ron Roberts certainly seemed to have figured out Lebby's offense, based on the dominating defensive performance against Lebby's Ole Miss offense in last year's Sugar Bowl.

Projected offensive starters:

QB Dillon Gabriel

RB Eric Gray

WR Theo Wease

WR Drake Stoops

WR Marvin Mims

TE Brayden Willis

LT Anton Harrison

LG McKade Mettauer

C Andrew Raym

RG Chris Murray

RT Wanya Morris

Returning defensive starters: 4

The returning defensive starters is more glaring evidence of how little experience the Sooners are dealing with in 2022. Only four starters are coming back, with a hybrid style scheme that Venables ran at Clemson, it could take a while for everyone to get on the same page. The Sooners defense had some real stinkers last year (Texas, Oklahoma State) but held the Bears in check for most of the contest. If the Sooners defense has yet to gel by the time these two teams meet in 2022, Blake Shapen could have a field day.

Projected defensive starters:

DE Reggie Grimes

DE Ethan Downs

DT Jalen Redmond

DT Jeffery Johnson

LB DaShaun White

LB Danny Stutsman

LB Shane Whitter

CB Woodi Washington

CB D.J. Graham

S Billy Bowman

S Key Lawrence