Report Card: Position-by-Position Grades From Oklahoma's 42-3 Win at Temple

Oklahoma passed its first road test of the season Saturday, beating Temple 42-3 at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field.

The Sooners were dominant in every facet of the game, outgaining the Owls 515-104 in total yards, picking up 29 first downs to seven for Temple, and holding the Owls to just 3-of-16 on third-down conversions.

The grades reflect the Sooners’ dominance:

Quarterbacks: B+

John Mateer was once again very strong overall, going 20-of-34 for 282 yards, a touchdown and an interception through the air and rushing for 62 yards and a score, including a 51-yard touchdown run.

The biggest issue with Mateer came late in the first half when his throw helped lead to a collision that not only resulted in an interception for Temple’s Ty Davis but also knocked OU receiver Keontez Lewis from the game.

One of the biggest developments in the game came when sophomore Michael Hawkins Jr. — the backup who the Sooners would like to redshirt — made his first appearance of the season.

Hawkins was 1-for-3 passing with a 5-yard completion and ran for 25 yards on six carries.

Running backs: B+

It’s becoming more and more clear that Tory Blaylock is the Sooners’ top running back.

Blaylock ran for 100 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries in the win, becoming the first OU running back to hit the century mark this season.

Xavier Robinson was second with 26 yards on five carries while Javontae Barnes had 12 yards and a touchdown on five carries. Robinson also scored a touchdown on a 6-yard pass reception.

Jaydn Ott didn’t make an appearance until late and had just 11 yards on four carries.

Wide receivers/tight ends: B+

Arkansas transfer Isaiah Sategna finished with seven catches for 97 yards while tight end Jaren Kanak had 86 yards on four catches.

Kanak continues to look like Mateer’s favorite safety-net option, as Mateer found Kanak a couple times early while scrambling from the pocket.

Late in the second quarter, OU lost Keontez Lewis to an apparent head injury after a helmet-to-helmet collision with a Temple defender on a play that wound up as an interception.

Lewis laid motionless on the field for several moments before walking off the field under his own power.

Zion Kearney had his first receptions of the season, and Ivan Carreon got some important snaps, while Elijah Thomas made his offensive debut, catching the pass from Hawkins late.

Offensive line: B

The Sooners used their third different starting group in three games as freshman Michael Fasusi missed the game due to an ankle injury after leaving last week’s game late.

Starting center Jake Maikkula was injured late, though appeared in good spirits on the sideline.

Losing Maikkula could be a problem, as backup (and former starter) Troy Everett didn’t make the trip, leaving guard Febechi Nwaiwu as the emergency option at center.

Defensive line: A

The Sooners dominated up front with four sacks and holding the Owls to just 26 yards rushing.

OU had 11 tackles for loss, including two by Damonic Williams and 1.5 by Taylor Wein.

Defensive end R Mason Thomas, OU’s best pass rusher, was called for targeting following a booth-initiated review after Thomas was initially flagged for roughing the passer.

Because the foul occurred in the second half, Thomas would have to miss the first half of next week’s SEC opener against Auburn, barring a successful appeal.

OU did suffer some injuries among the group, with both defensive end Marvin Jones Jr. and defensive tackle Williams spending time in the injury tent, though it is unclear if either injury will linger.

Linebackers: A

Sammy Omosigho had three pass breakups, while fellow linebacker Owen Heinecke got the only other one the Sooners had on the day.

No OU defender had more than four tackles.

The Sooners allowed Temple just two big plays — a 19-yard completion and a 20-yard run. Both plays happened on back-to-back snaps in the second quarter.

Secondary: A

The biggest news here was the return of Kendel Dolby to the starting lineup nearly a year after his injury against Tennessee in 2024 ended his season.

Dolby and Reggie Powers had four tackles each, as did Heim.

All of the tackles by Dolby and Powers were solo stops, with Powers picking up a sack.

This wasn’t the biggest test for OU’s secondary, but they performed well when needed.

Special teams: A

After struggling on special teams vs. Michigan, the group was much better overall against Temple.

That started early with some trickery, as the Sooners shifted out of their typical extra-point formation following OU’s first touchdown.

Tight end Jaren Kanak moved to quarterback while holder Jacob Ulrich went to tight end and eventually caught a conversion pass from Kanak to put the Sooners up 8-0.

It might not’ve been a decisive play Saturday, but it’ll give OU’s future opponents something to prepare for moving forward.

Later in the first quarter, the Owls tried to ice kicker Tate Sandell with a timeout just before the snap.

Sandell’s “warmup” kick fell just short, but after the timeout, Sandell boomed the 52-yarder field goal true with plenty of distance to put the Sooners up 11-0.

Late in the third quarter, OU backup kicker Austin Welch missed a 52-yard field goal wide left.

Punter Grayson Miller hit three 50-yarders and averaged 50.0 yards per punt.

Kip Lewis, Sooners — OU linebacker Kip Lewis helped the Sooners to a dominant defensive performance vs. Temple on Saturday in Philadelphia. | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images