Billy Bowman's 2023 Third on Top Five Player Seasons Under Brent Venables at Oklahoma

2023 is when things became to come together for Brent Venables at Oklahoma. It would be the final year for the Sooners in the Big 12 before they set off for the SEC. And while OU didn't win the conference they had won 14 times, they certainly left a good impression.

One of those impressions was the play of Billy Bowman Jr., who returned three interceptions for touchdowns — a school record — during OU's 10-3 season.

Bowman did not commit to play for Venables out of high school. That honor belonged to Oklahoma's former head coach, Lincoln Riley, who signed him out of Denton Ryan, TX. Known for his playmaking ability, Bowman was expected to be an impact player for the Sooners for years to come.

Now that he's a starter with the Atlanta Falcons, it's safe to assume he was. 2023 was his finest year.

Billy Bowman, Oklahoma Sooner — Oklahoma's Billy Bowman Jr. (2) intercepts a pass and runs the ball in for a touchdown in the first quarter during an NCAA football game between University of Oklahoma (OU) and Iowa State at the Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023. | NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

After starting as a true freshman in 2021, Bowman quickly made a name for himself as a good coverage safety with ballhawking ability. Once Venables took the head coaching positition heading into the 2022 season, Bowman was thought to be one of the main players to beenfit from the program's new direction.

2022 saw him earn his first interceptions as a Sooner. He picked off three passes during a 6-7 campaign. A bad day in Lubbock in an overtime loss to the Texas Tech Red Raiders was a sour note on an otherwise solid individual outing in 2022.

All of it prepared him for a monster 2023 season.

Top Five Player Single-Seasons Under Brent Venables

Bowman's first pick in 2023 came in OU's road match against new Big 12 Conference foe Cincinnati. His tip-drill interception helped in the fourth quarter helped seal the the 20-6 victory.

The next week, Bowman dazzled the Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium crowd with a 44-yard interception returned for a touchdown against Iowa State. In a game where Oklahoma put 50 points on the Cyclones, Bowman's interception and cross-field return for a score was the highlight of the day.

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His finest moment came in the Sooners' first road trip to Provo, UT to take on another new Big 12 opponent in BYU.

With quarterback Dillon Gabriel knocked out of the game in the first half, the Sooners clung to a 17-14 lead. The offense was stalling with freshman quarterback Jackson Arnold inserted into the game and the defense was suffering from altitude fatigue.

The Cougars drove to the 2-yard line for a first and goal. That's when Jake Retzlaff's pass was intercepted at the goal line by Bowman, who raced 98 yards the opposite direction for his second touchdown of the season.

Bowman's score helped Oklahoma secure a 31-24 victory against BYU.

OU faced TCU in the final regular season game with hopes to earn Venables' his first double-digit win season of his head coaching career.

What started off as a dominant performance for the Sooners turned into an old fashioned Big 12 shootout. Once again, Bowman made the play of the day in a game full of them.

With 6:02 left in the fourth quarter and the Horned Frogs continuing to gash OU's defense for big plays, Bowman stepped in front of a pass and returned it 45 yards for a score. Oklahoma would win 69-45 in their final Big 12 game in school history.

Bowman's 2023 was one of the more exciting single seasons from a defensive player in recent history. In addition to his three touchdowns, Bowman picked off three more passes for six interceptions on the season.

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