Oklahoma Sooners Football | RRS Position Grades

Position Grades

Offense

Quarterback - After struggling against the TCU Horned Frogs, I had hoped Trevor Knight would bounce back with one of his better performances of his career in a big time rivalry. Instead, the offense found themselves unable to move the chains running a mere 14 plays in the first half as Knight went 4-of-6. By the time the clock hit zero, Knight had completed just 12-of-20 passes for 129 yards and a single touchdown. Conservative was the name of the game and TK hit multiple receivers in the hands although the pass was ruled incomplete. Not a stellar outing as Knight lacks the confidence he once had. Overall Grade: C-

Offensive Line - It was no secret that Texas' defense has problems with stopping the run. The point of attack then relied on the offensive line creating gaps for the runningbacks. Instead this "NFL Sized" line failed to do so consistently dropping Oklahoma's yards per rush average to 3.4 on the day, the lowest output of the season. On 20 pass attempts, this line gave up a single sack but lacked the dominance fans wanted to see once again. Overall Grade: D+

Runningbacks - Samaje Perine carried the ball 18 times and tallied up 62 yards. However, the freshman proved vital in the 4th quarter picking up a first down on to keep the Sooners' drive alive. The speedster of the group, Alex Ross had a great day on special teams with a 91 yard return as well as 30 yard return later in the game. It is becoming apparent the likes of Keith Ford are severely missed on the field. Overall Grade: C+

Receivers/Tight Ends - The issues at the position continue as the coaching staff slowly loses confidence in the ability to throw and catch the ball. Sterling Shepard racked up 100 all purpose yards on a quiet morning/afternoon but remains the only consistent hands on the field. One player, K.J. Young failed to pull in a reception although a few throws were spot on. Needless to say, that seemed to be a fear all afternoon. As for Blake Bell, the coaching staff finally put him in the middle of the field and he produced 30 yards on two catches. Heck, even Aaron Ripkowski got involved in the passing game. Overall Grade: D+

Defense

Defensive Line - The speed of the defensive front seems to slow down with each game. Tyrone Swoopes found room to run when he needed it and UT ran the option with success. When it comes down to it, the linebackers made all the noise while the DL lacked the ability to move the pocket and make the QB uncomfortable. Overall Grade: C

Linebackers - Against the run, the linebackers held their own for the second half but produced a mixed bag of results in the first. Malcolm Brown rushed 69 yards on 10 carries before the half. After, Oklahoma held the backs to just 42 yards on 16 carries. However, against the pass, the middle of the field was open early and often as Texas receivers crossed into the open field for multiple first downs. Jordan Evans had a miscue in coverage but finished the game with 14 tackles. Oklahoma's elite pass rusher made his presence known with a sack and two tackles for loss during the game. Overall Grade: B-

Secondary - Swoopes, a starter thrust into the limelight had not thrown for over 250 yards in his career. On Saturday against Oklahoma, he did just that completing 27-of-44 passes for 334 yards and two touchdowns to set a career high. OU's secondary looked lost in coverage while fans witnessed them failing to rotate in coverage and screening each other. The saving grace for the secondary lies in an interception returned for a touchdown by Zack Sanchez. Holding the UT offense in check for a majority of the second half, things fell apart toward the end as Texas marched down and scored quickly .Simply put, there is no excuse for an average QB to have a career day on this defense. Overall Grade: D+