Oklahoma-SMU Video Review, PFF Numbers and More

Oklahoma left a lot on the table in Saturday night’s 28-11 win over SMU.

The Sooners played mostly stellar defense for the second week in a row but struggled at times on offense (176 yards passing, 4.0 yards per rush) and committed too many penalties (nine for 88).

But the Sooners are 2-0 and now will head to Tulsa for a 2:30 p.m. start at TU’s Chapman Stadium feeling pretty good after two strong defensive performances.

The best evidence that Oklahoma is taking on Brent Venables’ identity comes in how well OU tackled through the first two games.

The Sooners missed just four tackles this week after missing just three last week. That’s seven in two games, according to Pro Football Focus.

Last year’s team averaged 12.2 missed tackles per game for the season. Through two weeks of action in 2022, OU missed a total of 33 tackles (13 against UTEP, 20 against Kent State).

After re-watching the SoonerVision broadcast and diving into the numbers from Pro Football Focus on Sunday, here are a few final observations from OU-SMU:

First quarter

There were a lot of questions about why Dillon Gabriel didn’t attempt any deep throws. One reason is SMU did a good job either playing cover three (one deep middle safety and two deep corners) and cover two (two very deep safeties) — an alignment that encourages short throws over deep throws — or disguising their coverage to make Gabriel see deep coverage. Gabriel had just 64 yards passing in the first half.
Defensive end R Mason Thomas used his speed and quickness to get around a blocker to pressure SMU quarterback Preston Stone, but on the very next play, SMU ran up the middle on a trap play by pulling the guard from the opposite side and knocking Thomas out of the hole. Thomas and his 239 pounds took the full brunt of a man almost 100 pounds heavier. That’s the risk-reward of being undersized on the defensive line.
Great versatility by Andrel Anthony, and great design by Jeff Lebby, to catch a tunnel screen on the left side of the formation and then, with just seconds between plays as Lebby picked up the tempo to catch a bubble screen on the right side.
Gabriel definitely looks faster, quicker and more explosive — and decisive — when he wants to run the football.
Gabriel suffered two more dropped passes early and finished the evening with four, giving him six on the season.
Redshirt freshman linebacker Kip Lewis, who had a busy fourth quarter, got early playing time at the weak side linebacker as Danny Stutsman shifted over to middle ‘backer again.

Second Quarter

Tawee Walker had a good opener and looked strong in the first quarter, but he showed he go into takeover mode here. He carried seven times for 59 yards, including an impressive 30-yard burst up the right sideline.
It was Walker’s ability to break tackles and make defender miss — and the o-line’s ability to get consistent push — that opened up the play-action pass for Gabriel. Gabriel used the motion on a 12-yard pickup to Jalil Farooq as well as on the short TD throw to tight end Blake Smith.
That Smith TD was another brilliant play design by Lebby out of a formation that’s hard to defend: one back, two tight ends and two receivers in narrow splits. Smith motioned across the formation and set up as a fullback before trickling out toward the pylon for an easy touchdown. The drive went 94 yards on 13 plays — by far the Sooners’ best possession of the night.
Stutsman showed on one play just how much he’s grown as a linebacker. He was being actively and aggressively blocked by the left tackle as Stone threw a quick screen to Jordan Kerley, but Stutsman sniffed it out, lowered his center of gravity and spun out of the block in one motion and blasted Kerley for a 1-yard gain.

Third quarter

Everyone is still scratching their head over Lebby’s third-and-7 call on which Gabriel handed off to Gavin Sawchuk off left tackle for a 1-yard gain. Lebby later admitted he was being too conservative.
The forced fumble by Key Lawrence was simply amazing. Jaylan Knighton had the ball in his outside arm and was finishing off a 23-yard run that looked like it was going to be even more. But Lawrence swatted at the ball — as if he was swatting a fly — with his opposite arm, catching Knighton completely by surprise. Woodi Washington had a chance to recover the ball but alertly chose not to because he was so close to the boundary. Stutsman hustled over and fell on it instead.
It started a promising drive on which Walker caught a pass and then took three straight handoffs. But the drive stalled when Lebby went back to Jackson Arnold three times — the last of which was stuffed on fourth-and-1.
Stutsman and Jacob Lacey teamed up to tackle Stone for a 1-yard loss on third-and-2 — the final play of the quarter.

Fourth quarter

Marcus Major’s impressive 24-yard touchdown catch was wiped out when right tackle Tyler Guyton was caught blocking too far downfield. It was a run-pass option, and Guyton clearly either didn’t get the call or see his read. He was run-blocking 6 yards downfield and when he saw Gabriel throw, he sprinted back to the line of scrimmage — too late.
Later on that drive, a couple of tough, contested catches by Farooq and Drake Stoops overcame that Guyton penalty as well as a false start by left tackle Walter Rouse. Farooq’s catch in traffic included good ball placement by Gabriel that allowed him to keep his momentum moving forward, and he threw an absolutely wicked juke on the last defender to get to the end zone untouched.
Back-to-back PBUs — pass broken up — by Kani Walker and Peyton Bowen to end SMU’s ensuing drive showed just how far Oklahoma’s athletic ability and recruiting has progressed in the secondary over the last two years.
Major later caught another Gabriel pass, this one a 27-yarder up the left sideline, and was sprung by effective blocks by both Stoops and Andrel Anthony. Anthony led the team with seven catches, but was eagerly blocking for others late in the game.
Last week, Zach Schmit’s aim was uneven although he didn’t miss any kicks. This week, Schmit was right down the middle on all four of his PATs.

Pro Football Focus numbers

Four offensive linemen — Guyton, Rouse, right guard McKade Mettauer and center Andrew Raym — played all 77 offensive snaps. Appalachian State transfer Troy Everett got 47 snaps at left guard, while starter Savion Byrd got 30.
There was a clear separation of playing time at wide receiver. Anthony led the wideouts with 67 snaps, while Farooq got 60, Stoops (coming off a banged-up shoulder last week) got 48. Snaps for the backup wideouts went to Nic Anderson (17), Gavin Freeman (12), Jayden Gibson (6) and LV Bunkley-Shelton (5).
As born out by the stats, Walker led OU running backs with 43 snaps. Major played 25, Jovantae Barnes 6 and Sawchuk (coming off a preseason injury) 3.
Lebby showed his willingness to get big with the formations as tight ends got played a combined 92 snaps — 67 for Austin Stogner and 25 for Smith.
The Sooners with the highest offensive grades: Gabriel (81.2), Guyton (75.8), Raym (74.5), Walker (72.3) and Anthony (70.5). Thirteen players graded at 60 percent or better.
Among freshmen, only Arnold played on offense.
In all, 21 players got snaps on offense. On defense, a total of 26 players saw playing time, while 20 players played on special teams.
Cornerback Woodi Washington led the defense with 82 snaps, while Kanak and Stutsman and safety Billy Bowman each played 69.
After cornerback Gentry Williams was injured, Walker came in and played 66 snaps, while cheetah linebacker Justin Harrington played 63.
Rondell Bothroyd again led the defensive line with 50 snaps, followed by Ethan Downs (49), Jonah Laulu (37), Trace Ford (33), Jacob Lacey and Jordan Kelley (29), R Mason Thomas (25) and Da’Jon Terry (20).
The Sooners with the highest defensive grades: Stutsman (78.0), Laulu (77.8), Thomas (72.4), Kelley (70.5), linebacker Kobie McKinzie (69.7), Downs (67.5), safety Reggie Pearson (67.2) and Washington (67.1). Nineteen total Sooners graded 60 or better on defense.
Among true freshmen, Bowen again led the defense with 42 snaps. Defensive end P.J. Adebawore played 11, and cornerback Makari Vickers played 5.

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