Oklahoma GameDay: Under the Radar
Coming off a Senior Day victory over Iowa State, the SI Sooners staff takes a look at OU players who could be pivotal in Oklahoma beating OSU and landing a berth in the Big 12 Championship Game.
Austin Stogner
John E. Hoover / SI Sooners
John Hoover: Austin Stogner
This feels like a reach, because Stogner hasn’t been a factor in the Oklahoma passing game all season. His best game was a three-catch, 36-yard performance in the season opener against Tulane. He has just 11 receptions and 105 yards this year, including just two catches in the Sooners’ last five games. But historically, Oklahoma tight ends — Jermaine Gresham, James Hanna, even Blake Bell (sort of) — have had big games in Stillwater. Lincoln Riley hasn’t called that “leak” route much this season, where the inside receiver drags flat through the defense, then quickly gets vertical, essentially on a corner route from the other side of the field. Against an OSU defense that pursues with fervor, this might be a good time to call it. If Caleb Williams hits it this time, it could be a timely momentum shift in what’s expected to be a tight Bedlam game.
Jadon Haselwood
John E. Hoover / SI Sooners
Ryan Chapman: Jadon Haselwood
No Oklahoma receiver has really had a big day as of late, as the OU offense has struggled to get anything going through the air after the bye week. If there is one area to try and exploit OSU’s defense, it would be deep over the middle, and Jadon Haselwood could be primed for a big night as Caleb Williams’ safety valve. The former 5-star receiver will have to play like it on Saturday night, as his blend of size and steady hands should be able to have enough success to keep the chains moving for the Sooners. It may take a career day out of Haselwood for OU to emerge victorious, but traditionally Oklahoma’s best players have shown out when their team needed them the most. Bedlam will serve as an opportunity for Haselwood to lay down a marker as Oklahoma’s go-to guy through the air.
Gabe Brkic
John E. Hoover / SI Sooners
Josh Callaway: Gabe Brkic
This game may very well come down to just what Gabe Brkic shows up. Brkic is one of three finalists for the Lou Groza Award, despite going 0-for-3 the last two weeks against Baylor and Iowa State. The Sooners will need Brkic to get back to his usual, reliable self. There is simply no way Oklahoma can expect to win this game without Brkic hitting at least a couple of field goals — and may need him from deep. In a year that has been surprisingly up and down, this game could define Brkic’s season and really, in a sense, his entire tenure in Norman. It is not often that one can say a kicker is arguably the most important player going into a game, but it feels that way here. Brkic has to be himself again or the Sooners are going to be in deep trouble.
