Oklahoma's Offense 'Capable' of Strong Cheez-It Bowl Showing Despite Opt Outs

The Oklahoma offense is going to be shorthanded in Orlando.

Running back Eric Gray, fresh off the ninth-best rushing season in program history totaling 1,364 yards on the ground, opted out of the contest to prepare for the NFL Draft.

Gray’s offensive tackles Anton Harrison and Wanya Morris will both also miss the Cheez-It Bowl as they prepare for the draft. Backup running back Marcus Major is likely to miss the contest as well with an injury that held him out of practice last week, as he was spotted on a scooter with a protective boot on his right foot.

Fresh off his best game of the season against Texas Tech, wide receiver Theo Wease will also be unavailable as he committed to transfer to Missouri after the regular season ended.

Facing a Florida State defense that comes into the matchup ranked No. 13-overall in total defense and 20th in the country in sacks per game, OU offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby expects his offense to compete despite the absences.

“The biggest thing is we have guys that are capable,” Lebby said during his Cheez-It Bowl press conference on Monday. “They have not played a bunch, but they are capable. We feel great about where we are at. [I] have a ton of confidence in the guys that are going to walk out there first on the 29th, guys that are going to go play and play their butt off and do everything they can to go fight for a win.”

The abscence of key pieces isn’t totally unexpected, as they’ve become the norm in college football.

Last year Oklahoma was able to weather a number of opt outs in the Alamo Bowl against Oregon, albeit the teams were a bit more evenly matched than OU and Florida State are entering the Cheez-It Bowl.

“I think opt-outs are going to happen and it is what it is nowadays,” OU quarterback Dillon Gabriel said. “That is an individual decision, which everyone understands. But, it's another opportunity and it's a blessing and nobody takes that for granted on our side."

While the Sooners are focused on putting together a game plan designed for success against the Seminoles, the expectation is there for there to be minimal drop-off in production no matter who is in the lineup.

“It is different,” Gabriel said, “but I think it is also a big opportunity for new guys and what they are going to be able to showcase in what they do.

“We truly have a next-man-up mentality, so just being ready for that and letting them seize the opportunity.”

Up next in the Cheez-It Bowl for the Sooners will likely be true freshman Jacob Sexton at left tackle, spot-duty starter Tyler Guyton at right tackle, and running back Jovantae Barnes will debut as the feature back with support from fellow runners Tawee Walker and Gavin Sawchuk.

Guyton and Barnes have both seen plenty of playing time this season, but they’ll be stepping up into new roles on Thursday.

But regardless of how experience they’ve had to date, grasping an opportunity against Florida State could be the key to stepping up into a much larger role in 2023.

Wide receiver Marvin Mims said regardless who takes the field, there’s high expectations for how the offense is to perform in the bowl.

“You just want to play, get out on the field and have fun with your brothers,” he said, “but at the same point you are rolling with who you are rolling with. If you are a younger guy, who is getting more opportunities, you have to go out there and put it on film… In a couple weeks, you have new guys coming to take your spot.

“So those reps really do matter and they actually show, and especially in practices. If you are fortunate to get out in the game, you have to make the most of it. At the end of the day just come out and have fun with your brothers and play football.”

When the Cheez-It Bowl kicks off at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday night, the opt outs and injuries aren’t going to matter to the OU offense.

All that will matter is executing at a high enough level for the program to avoid its first losing season since 1998.

“For us, when we got on that plane,” said Lebby, “we knew it was a great opportunity to go out and compete one more time, and that was special and unique for us. We wanted to do this together.

“The guys that got on the plane, they had a couple great days of practice and had great bowl prep. The guys are ready to go compete.”

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