Oklahoma-Texas GameDay: Under the Radar
John Hoover: Michael Turk
Michael Turk
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Oklahoma isn’t going to have a lot of advantages built into this game. One area the Sooners are better is at punter. No joke, that could be huge in the Cotton Bowl. Expect OU’s offense to bog down. A lot. It’ll be on Michael Turk — arguably college football’s best punter — to flip field position and make Texas have to drive the full field. Turk is averaging 45.8 yards per kick so far this season, which ranks 11th nationally, with nine of his 25 punts traveling more than 50 yards and 10 of them landing inside the opponents’ 20-yard line. That kind of distance, and that kind of precision, will help push the Horns’ backs to their own goalie. Turk set the school record last year by averaging 51.17 yards per punt (the official NCAA record was 51.0, but Turk didn’t have enough punts to statistically qualify).
Ryan Chapman: Brayden Willis
Brayden Willis
Kevin Jairaj / USA TODAY Sports
If the Sooners are going to try and play ball-control against Texas, they’ll have to hit a few passing plays down the field to at least keep the Longhorn defense honest. And while letting Marvin Mims take the top off the defense could result in massive chunk plays, letting tight end Brayden Willis attack the Longhorns over the middle of the field may be the safer method for Davis Beville or whoever is taking snaps for the Sooners. Bringing Willis and Daniel Parker on the field together will allow Oklahoma to block up a loaded box in the running game, but it can also let Willis slip into the pockets of the Texas defense in the play-action passing game. If OU can hit Willis over the middle of the field for a couple of big first down plays, it will force the Longhorn linebackers to stay back and perhaps open up a few more running lanes for Eric Gray and Jovantae Barnes.
Josh Callaway: Justin Broiles
Justin Broiles
Kevin Jairaj / USA TODAY Sports
Justin Broiles has had an interesting Oklahoma career with certainly some ups and downs. But, in this game, with all this adversity, the Sooners need one of their veteran leaders to step up. A captain on Saturday, Broiles has experienced this game multiple times, so he knows what it is all about. Likely without Billy Bowman, the Oklahoma defense needs Broiles to deliver his best game on the back end. Even one game-changing turnover could be the difference in the end. Perhaps Broiles could provide that spark in his final Red River Showdown. This game provides the opportunity to leave a lasting legacy in Oklahoma lore. This is the perfect opportunity for Broiles to leave a memory for years moving forward with a career-defining performance to help the Sooners find a way to get this win over Texas when the odds are stacked against them.
Ross Lovelace: Jovantae Barnes
Jovantae Barnes
BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN-USA TODAY NETWORK
With all of the attention on Eric Gray and Marcus Major’s potential return from injury, Jovantae Barnes could have a second big game in store. Not only will he get chances in the backfield, but Barnes could be a game changer in the return game. If Billy Bowman isn’t able to go, Barnes’ role on special teams becomes even more vital. Assuming he and Jalil Farooq are returning kicks on Saturday, Oklahoma’s offense might need a big play or two to jump start a drive. In the run game, Barnes seemed to find chemistry with the offensive line in the second half. We haven’t seen him break one free yet, but with his speed, this could be the weekend. The Sooners will need all the fireworks they can get.
