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Oklahoma-BYU Review: PFF Grades, NCAA Stats, Redshirt Report and More

Looking back at the game and diving into Pro Football Focus' grades and snap-count totals reveals even more about the Sooners' win over the Cougars.
John E. Hoover|
Oklahoma-BYU Review: PFF Grades, NCAA Stats, Redshirt Report and More
Oklahoma-BYU Review: PFF Grades, NCAA Stats, Redshirt Report and More

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Oklahoma Sooners

The effort, violence and savagery that BYU played with last week in its final home game of the season might have caught Oklahoma a little off guard. 

The Sooners were a 24-point favorite, but had to hold on to win 31-24 at LaVell Edwards Stadium. BYU’s fanatical pursuit on defense created collisions that were some of the hardest the Sooners have seen all season.

“Yeah, they hit good,” said wideout Drake Stoops. “I got hit a couple times, I was surprised. Their safeties rally to the ball. They just play hard overall as a team. They got a lot of drive and a lot of will and they’re definitely competitors and they’re physical for sure.

“But, I mean, Oklahoma plays physical football too.”

The win pushes OU’s record to 9-2 this year, and the Sooners close the season on Friday — the day after Thanksgiving — with a home game against TCU. Oklahoma opened as a 12 1/2-point favorite (currently 10 1/2).

The Horned Frogs are the reigning national runner-up with a blowout loss to Georgia in the national championship game, but Sonny Dykes’ squad has been rebuilt and reshuffled and comes into Friday with a 5-6 mark, meaning they’ll be more motivated to get bowl eligible.

Here’s a look at some OU numbers — NCAA statistics and Pro Football Focus grades and snap counts — coming off the Sooners’ win over the Cougars:

NCAA Statistics

The Oklahoma offense ranks No. 3 nationally in total yards per game (492.9), No. 7 in passing yards per game (314.7), No. 38 in rushing yards per game (178.2), No. 4 in points per game (40.8) and No. 5 in team passing efficiency rating (172.03).

The Sooner defense sits 64th in yards allowed per game (378.0), 77th in passing yards allowed per game (232.9), 57th in rushing yards allowed per game (145.1), 29th in points allowed per game (20.2) and 12th in team passing efficiency defense rating (114.23).

While the overall defensive rankings aren’t impressive, the Sooners have compensated with an opportunistic, big-play defense that's been good in clutch situations.

OU ranks No. 2 nationally in takeaways (24), No. 3 in turnover margin (plus 1.09 per game) and No. 2 in interceptions (18). The Sooners also still rank No. 2 nationally in blocked punts (2).

The OU defense also ranks 10th nationally in third-down conversion percentage (29.3) but 87th in fourth-down conversion percentage (54.8), and rank 22nd nationally in red zone defense percentage (75.8).

Meanwhile, the OU offense ranks 11th nationally in third-down conversion percentage (48.6) and 12th in fourth-down conversion percentage (68.8), but only ranks 43rd in red zone offense percentage (87.5).

Oddly, OU ranks No. 7 nationally in tackles for loss (7.5 per game) but only 105th in quarterback sacks (1.64 per game).

Individually, quarterback Dillon Gabriel ranks No. 10 nationally in completion percentage (69.9), No. 5 in passer efficiency rating (171.9), No. 7 in passing touchdowns (27), No. 9 in passing yards (3,260) and No. 10 in passing yards per game (296.4). He also ranks No. 5 in points responsible for (228) and points responsible for per game (20.7), and ranks No. 20 in rushing touchdowns (11).

Drake Stoops ranks 26th in receptions per game (6.0) and 53rd in both receiving yards (755) and receiving yards per game (68.6). Stoops and Nic Anderson both rank No. 15 nationally in touchdown receptions (9), while Anderson ranks No. 1 in the nation in yards per catch (23.26).

Danny Stutsman ranks No. 26 nationally in total tackles per game (9.1) and No. 6 in tackles for loss per game (1.6).

Billy Bowman ranks No. 6 in interceptions per game (0.5), and Jalil Farooq ranks 27th in kickoff return average (22.2) and 57th in all-purpose yards (101.73).

Pro Football Focus

As expected, Saturday’s tense win over the Cougars wasn’t a particularly generous game for participation. Only 18 total players got in on offense, and only 14 of those played double-digit snaps.

Left tackle Walter Rouse, left guard Cayden Green, center Andrew Raym and right tackle Jacob Sexton led the way by playing all 65 snaps. Right guard McKade Mettauer got 64 snaps.

Again, receivers were next: Nic Anderson and Drake Stoops each played 59 snaps, Jalil Farooq played 57, and tight end Austin Stogner played 56.

Running back Gavin Sawchuk played 43 snaps, quarterback Dillon Gabriel played 37, and backup QB Jackson Arnold played 28. Backup wideout Jayden Gibson played 23, and backup running back Tawee Walker played 19.

The rest of the offensive snaps went to tight end Josh Fanuiel (5), running back Jovantae Barnes (3), wideout Gavin Freeman (1) and right guard Savion Byrd (1).

Similarly, only 25 players got snaps on defense, led by cornerback Woodi Washington (64). The other corner, Kani Walker (57) was next. Linebacker Danny Stutsman played 52 snaps, while safety Billy Bowman played 48, slot corner/cheetah linebacker Kendel Dolby 47, defensive end Rondell Bothroyd 46, and linebacker Kobie McKinzie 44.

The defensive line rotation was active, with Isaiah Coe (35), Jacob Lacey (35) and Ethan Downs (32) leading the way, and R Mason Thomas (22), Trace Ford (22), Da’Jon Terry (21), Jordan Kelley (18), P.J. Adebawore (3) and Marcus Stripling (3) supporting.

Linebacker Kip Lewis (24) came in right behind Downs. Safeties Reggie Pearson (23), Robert Spears-Jennings (22), Key Lawrence (19) and Peyton Bowen (17) were next, while cheetah linebacker Dasan McCullough (17) closed out the main rotation.

Linebacker Jaren Kanak (8) and cornerback Jasiah Wagoner (7) played as well.

Head coach Brent Venables and offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby both said Saturday that Gabriel was “playing well” before his injury, and his PFF grades bear that out. Gabriel again led the offense with an overall 85.6 PFF grade, including 89.7 on pass plays.

Gibson, who caught a touchdown pass and a 55-yard deep ball from Gabriel, was next with an 84.1 overall offensive grade and an 82.3 on passes.

Arnold also posted a winning grade of 72.1 overall that included 64.4 on pass plays and 68.6 on run plays.

Tawee Walker (67.9) and Sawchuk (67.1) also graded out well, while Raym (66.4), Farooq (66.3), Stoops (65.0), Rouse (64.1), Sexton (63.8) and Mettauer (62.3) all posted winning grades.

Among the blockers, Rouse posted an 88.1 on pass blocks, while Green posted an 80.6 and Sexton posted a 78.0 and Mettauer posted a 72.6.

On defense, Bowman led the Sooners with a 90.7 overall PFF grade, which ranked No. 1 nationally among safeties last week and included a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown. His coverage grade was 91.9. Bowman allowed only one catch for five yards (on just two targets).

Terry was second among OU defenders with a 71.3 overall grade, while Washington (68.5), Bowen (65.9), Stutsman (65.8), Ford (65.5) and Kani Walker (64.5) were next.

Oklahoma missed only 12 tackles in Provo, and that was spread among 10 different players, per PFF.

Redshirt report

There was just one change this week — but it was a big one.

Brent Venables said after the WVU game that Oklahoma intended to redshirt backup quarterback Jackson Arnold over the final three games of the season unless “disaster” struck.

Disaster struck when Dillon Gabriel went down at the end of the first half and Arnold had to come in to finish the game.

It was Arnold’s fifth appearance of the season, meaning he went past the NCAA's four-game limit and he can’t redshirt this season. But the decision paid off handsomely, as Arnold delivered several clutch plays in the fourth quarter to help the Sooners win, and they're still in contention for a conference championship.

The obvious question now is two-fold:

First, is Gabriel good to go Friday against TCU? He seemed to hit his head on the BYU grass and, going back to last year, has a history of concussions. If not, Arnold will face the Horned Frogs for an entire game.

Second, if Gabriel can play, does Arnold continue to get situational snaps to build game experience for when he’s the starter next year against an SEC schedule?

Other true freshmen who played against WVU were Green (his 10th game) on offense, and Bowen (11th), Adebawore (11th) and Wagoner (sixth) on defense, and wide receiver Jacobe Johnson (10th) and linebacker Lewis Carter (10th) on special teams. 

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John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

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