Oklahoma Sooners Football

The No. 6 Oklahoma Sooners' College Football Playoff hopes took a massive hit Saturday, as they suffered their first loss of the season, falling 38-33 to the Kansas Jayhawks at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kansas.

Kansas snapped an 18-game losing streak against Oklahoma with the win, which was the program's first over the Sooners since 1997.

By falling to 7-1 on the season, OU perhaps played its way out of the CFP picture, and Sooners and college football fans voiced their opinions on X, formerly known as Twitter:

https://twitter.com/grantpostmortem/status/1718348561455210520

Oklahoma’s chances of making the CFP are now Dead in the Water. https://t.co/vZDuqyUSEa

— Hunter Dickinson’s Father (@mizsports35) October 28, 2023

https://twitter.com/DamonDrutherz/status/1718367544518771136

Just like that.

OU’s CFP dreams have died on a cold and wet day in Lawrence, KS.

— Matty Mulls 🎙 (@mattymullspod) October 28, 2023

Oklahoma football always fighting for their life please keep them out of the cfp

— Tay (@taybrud) October 28, 2023

The idea of Oklahoma losing CFP contention to Kansas is hilarious

— will? (@thewillwhited) October 28, 2023

Yeah Oklahoma just ruined the Big 12 chances of making the CFP. Upset loss to Kansas will end their hopes

— 🏄🏾‍♂️ (@ReyZach_) October 28, 2023

Oklahoma should be banned from any CFP discussions

— Stef (@SLxHill) October 28, 2023

Oklahoma deserves to lose today. So many mistakes

— Sooners HQ (@TheSabatore) October 28, 2023

The most undisciplined, poor efforted game since well into last year.

We deserve what we get.🫠

— J🅿️ (@indy_sooner) October 28, 2023

Although it was a cold and rainy day in Lawrence that featured a lengthy lightning delay, both offenses moved the ball at will in what was a back-and-forth affair from start to finish.

The Sooners and Jayhawks did the bulk of their damage on the ground with Oklahoma rushing for 269 yards and five touchdowns, and KU rushing for 225 yards and four scores.

Oklahoma picked off Kansas quarterback Jason Bean on back-to-back drives to take the lead and then have a chance to put the game away, but a false start penalty forced the Sooners to punt the ball away rather than going for it on fourth down.

Kansas made Oklahoma pay, and Bean got redemption on the pivotal play of the game when he hit Lawrence Arnold for a 37-yard gain on a fourth-and-6 to set up the go-ahead touchdown run with 55 seconds left:

4TH DOWN CONVERSION IS GOOD@KU_Football LOOKING DANGEROUS pic.twitter.com/a1tFxHfYX4

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 28, 2023

By letting Kansas score the go-ahead rushing touchdown, Oklahoma preserved some time and timeouts, and it got the ball deep in Jayhawks territory to give itself a chance at a game-winning touchdown.

Quarterback Dillon Gabriel's last-ditch effort was broken up, however, and Kansas scored its biggest win of the Lance Leipold era:

JAYHAWKS WIN
JAYHAWKS WIN
JAYHAWKS WIN @KU_Football TAKES DOWN OKLAHOMA 😱 pic.twitter.com/excnMqFJib

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 28, 2023

In addition to Oklahoma likely falling out of the CFP race, Gabriel's Heisman Trophy candidacy was damaged Saturday, as he went just 14-of-19 for 171 yards with no touchdowns and one interception, although he did rush for 64 yards and three scores.

Now, the Sooners' focus will shift toward trying to win out, win the Big 12 and potentially give themselves an outside shot at the CFP.

Their first chance to turn things around will come next Saturday when they face Oklahoma State on the road, while the 6-2 Jayhawks will attempt to build on this week's signature win when they take on Iowa State on the road next Saturday.

The No. 5 Oklahoma Sooners will be without one of their best offensive players for the rest of the year.

Per ESPN's Adam Rittenberg, Sooners head coach Brett Venables told reporters that wide receiver Andrel Anthony will miss the remainder of the 2023 season after suffering a knee injury that requires surgery.

Anthony leads Oklahoma with 429 receiving yards while also adding 27 catches and a touchdown. He reacted to the injury on social media:

it’s all God’s plan.. Romans 8:18.. “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”
Thank you for the love and support sooner nation🤞🏽 #boomer

— Andrel Anthony Jr. (@andrel_jr) October 10, 2023

Anthony suffered the injury in the fourth quarter of Oklahoma's 34-30 win over No. 3 Texas on Saturday. He had five catches for 42 yards before his exit.

"Injury is never a good thing, so day in and day out, we're going to help our brother up" Jalil Farooq told reporters. "After he gets surgery, gets treatment, 24/7, he'll be back in no time. Can't wait till he touches the field again."

A transfer from Michigan, Anthony quickly took advantage of his newfound opportunity with the Sooners. He had 19 receptions for 328 yards and four touchdowns in two seasons with the Wolverines, and he quickly surpassed that total this year.

Venables will rely on a deep receiving corps to make up for the loss of Anthony. Farooq is Oklahoma's second-leading receiver with 415 yards and two scores on 20 catches. Nic Anderson leads the team with six receiving touchdowns, while Drake Stoops has a team-high 29 receptions. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel will likely continue spreading the ball around in Anthony's absence.

Oklahoma will enjoy some time off this week before returning to action on Oct. 21 against UCF.

USC head football coach Lincoln Riley opened up about some of the threatening situations he faced when he left Oklahoma to take the job with the Trojans.

He spoke about the instances with Graham Bensinger on In Depth with Graham Bensinger (5:25 mark) and revealed there were multiple break-ins at his home (h/t Scooby Axson of USA Today).

"Yeah, I had multiple … had a lot of different people trying to break into the house the days after it happened," Riley said. "And 95 percent of the fans and people out there at Oklahoma or anybody else are great. You typically always have that percentage that at times take it too far. Obviously, this was one of those instances."

Riley's family hired armed security guards, and some people even got access to his nine-year-old daughter's cellphone number.

"I didn't care about the house. I didn't care about anything else, just their safety," the coach said. "We wanted the girls to be able to finish out school, because the semester was almost over. And as that stuff transpired we said, 'No, we gotta get them the hell out of here as fast as we can.'"

Riley coached the Sooners for five seasons from 2017 through 2021.

It was a successful time for the program, which won the Big 12 every year he was at the helm except for the final one. It also went to the College Football Playoff in three of his five years, and quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray each took home a Heisman Trophy during that span.

Yet Riley departed for USC ahead of the 2022 campaign and took some players from the Sooners with him as transfers, including quarterback Caleb Williams.

Williams won the Heisman Trophy last season for the Trojans and is on the short list of realistic contenders again this year. He could also be the No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft.

Some Oklahoma fans were surely upset that Riley left what seemed like a good situation with an annual contender to take another job, even if that job was a prestigious one at USC. The departure of Williams likely didn't do anything to change those feelings.

However, it seems like a handful of fans took things way too far and put the coach and his family in dangerous situations.

Riley explained that he knows most Oklahoma fans are "great," but he and his family needed to take certain precautions to maintain their safety in the aftermath of his decision to join the Trojans.

Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby issued an apology on Monday after disgraced former Baylor head coach Art Briles, who is his father-in-law, was seen on the field with him following Saturday's 28-11 win over SMU.

"Just want everybody to understand, my father-in-law—his presence on the field after the game the other night is just something that created a distraction. And I do—I apologize for that," Lebby said in a prepared statement at the start of his weekly media session, per ESPN. "That was not the intent at all. The intent was just to celebrate with my family."

Baylor fired Briles in 2016 after an investigation determined that he and his staff failed to take action against players named in sexual assault allegations.

He has made multiple attempts to return to coaching, accepting jobs with Grambling State and the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats. However, both teams reversed their decisions after receiving a significant amount of public backlash. The 67-year-old was recently hired to coach the Dallas franchise of the International Football Alliance, which is an upstart professional league scheduled to debut in the spring of 2024.

Seeing Briles on the field wearing Sooners gear was met with social media backlash from Sooners fans. Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione and coach Brent Venables said they were surprised by his presence after the team's victory.

"I was just as disappointed as many of our fans when I learned of the postgame situation tonight," Castiglione said Saturday. "It shouldn't have happened and it was my expectation it never would, based on boundaries we previously set. I've addressed it with the appropriate staff."

Lebby added that he spoke with both Castiglione and Venables to address the situation.

"Joe Castiglione, Coach Venables both have addressed concerns with me, have talked to me about it, and again, can make sure that everybody understands that this is something that will not come up again," he said.

The No. 19-ranked Sooners will take on Tulsa on Saturday.

University of Oklahoma redshirt sophomore quarterback General Booty is using his unique name to his advantage in the world of name, image and likeness endorsements.

Per Front Office Sports, Booty has an NIL deal with Rock 'Em Socks for a line of underwear:

Oklahoma QB General Booty has launched his own line of underwear as part of an NIL deal with Rock ’Em Socks. pic.twitter.com/ZppRYeJwYW

— Front Office Sports (@FOS) August 30, 2023

On3 NIL posted a video of the announcement of the partnership between Booty and Rock 'Em Socks, and it was noted that Booty's under garment line will include socks as well:

Through an NIL partnership with Rock ‘Em Socks, Oklahoma quarterback General Booty has released an underwear and sock collection.

Details via @Pete_Nakos96: https://t.co/o0cWJjW9eH pic.twitter.com/8J6JDd1Oqg

— On3 NIL (@On3NIL) August 30, 2023

Booty arrived at Oklahoma last season after spending the previous campaign at Tyler Junior College in Texas and throwing for 3,115 yards and 25 touchdowns.

He appeared in only one game for the Sooners last season and did not register any stats.

Booty's father and uncles all played major college football, as his father Abram was a wide receiver at LSU, his uncle John David was a quarterback at USC and his other uncle Josh was a quarterback at LSU before appearing in 13 MLB games across three seasons for the Florida Marlins from 1996 to 1998.

Entering the 2023 season, General Booty is not expected to make a significant on-field impact for the Sooners.

Dillon Gabriel is returning as the team's starting quarterback, while Jackson Arnold and Davis Beville are ahead of him on the depth chart as well.

Oklahoma opens its 2023 schedule Saturday when it hosts Arkansas State at Memorial Stadium in Norman.

The Oklahoma Sooners are set to enter the SEC with a catalyst on the defensive line.

David Stone Jr, a five-star defensive line recruit in the Class of 2024, announced his commitment to play for Oklahoma Saturday.

I’m coming home ⭕️🤍🫵🏾 pic.twitter.com/n4unRwhUWk

— David “Stoney” Stone Jr. (@iamdavidstonejr) August 27, 2023

Stone is ranked as the 10th overall player nationally, the third best defensive line prospect in the country and the No. 3 player in the state of Florida. He currently plays for IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL but is from Oklahoma City and played his first two seasons with Del City High School in Oklahoma.

He recorded 50 tackles, five sacks and nine quarterback pressures in his junior season with IMG Academy

Stone stands at 6'4" and weighs 275-lbs. He had 34 scholarship offers and had made visits to Florida, Miami, Michigan State and Oklahoma. He joins a Sooners class that has 22 commits, two-five star recruits and is currently ranked as the 11th-best class in the nation.

He will join the Sooners program in their first season in the SEC as they depart from the Big-12 Conference and beefing up the defense will be crucial in that conference. The team's defense was ranked 99th in the nation in 2022 by CollegeFootballReference.com and that would have been second-worst in the SEC that season.

Brent Venables' first season at Oklahoma did not go according to plan, but he still takes pride in his roster-building approach compared to that of Colorado head coach Deion Sanders.

David Ubben of The Athletic shared comments Venables made to OUNightlySports, a student-run television station.

"We're another year in establishing our standards and our culture and our values," he said. "That matters. A year ago, I challenged the guys. I wasn't like Deion that gave guys a bunch of pink slips. I gave guys 12 months of grace to go to class, live right off the field and show up with a great urgency and respect for your opportunity at the University of Oklahoma."

That wasn't the only time Venables brought up Sanders.

He also did so during an appearance on local radio station KREF when discussing the departure of 21 players following that first season.

"I gave guys 12 months of grace. I was unlike Deion," he said (h/t Ubben). "I gave guys 12 months of grace to figure it out. Here's three: Go to class, live right off the field and when you show up here you show up with respect and appreciation with your opportunity. And if you go 0-for-3 for 12 months, you need a fresh start, so we helped 21 guys, give or take, find a fresh start."

Oklahoma went 6-7 in Venables' first season in 2022 and capped off a disappointing effort with a loss to Florida State in the Cheez-It Bowl.

It was the first time since the 2014 campaign the Sooners lost more than two games, and things might not get much easier for the former Clemson defensive coordinator considering the program's impending move to the daunting SEC.

But he still jumped at the chance to take a shot at Sanders, who took quite the drastic approach ahead of his first season with the Buffaloes.

As Barkley Truax of On3 noted, Colorado lost 58 players and added 50 more through the utilization of the transfer portal. It was an unprecedented approach for a team coming off a 1-11 season.

It remains to be seen what the results will be on the field, but count Venables among those who disapproved.

While Kyler Murray's current storylines revolve around his professional football career, his legendary season with the Oklahoma Sooners continues to be celebrated in Norman.

The university unveiled a statue in his honor this weekend in the lead-up to the program's annual spring game.

𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐳𝐞@K1 📍 Heisman Park#OUDNA pic.twitter.com/EIVypPdTpU

— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) April 22, 2023

The statue shows the quarterback in his throwing motion while wearing his signature headband. The statue joins the other six Sooners to win a Heisman, Baker Mayfield, Sam Bradford, Jason White, Billy Sims, Steve Owens and Billy Vessels.

Current Sooners coach Brent Venables and former coach Bob Stoops were in attendance, as were several members of the Arizona Cardinals organization, including new head coach Jonathan Gannon.

Murray started one season with the Sooners after beginning his career with Texas A&M, leading the team to the College Football Playoff and earning the aforementioned Heisman Trophy. He threw for 4,361 yards and 42 touchdowns with just seven interceptions. He also added 1,001 yards on the ground and 12 touchdowns. He also played baseball for the Sooners and was the ninth overall pick in the 2018 MLB draft.

He would then be selected with the first overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft by the Cardinals and is a two-time Pro Bowler.

The statue will make its regular-season debut when the Sooners host Arkansas State on September 2.

HEIGHT: 5'9½"

WEIGHT: 207

HAND: 9¾"

ARM: 29⅝"

WINGSPAN: TBD

---

40-YARD DASH: N/A

3-CONE: N/A

SHUTTLE: N/A

VERTICAL: 37.5"

BROAD: 9'10"

---

POSITIVES

— Physical, nonstop running style. Fights for yardage.

— Great burst and acceleration. Flies to and through the second level.

— Very good explosiveness and cut ability. Can make defenders miss in space.

— Above-average strength and balance. Can knock off hits and come to balance quickly to keep moving.

— Above-average flexibility. Contorts his body to soften contact.

— Comfortable pass-catcher out of the backfield.

---

NEGATIVES

— Average long speed. Not a major threat to create scoring plays from nothing.

— Can get too cute at the second level at times, which is unnecessary given how well he runs through defenders.

---

2023 STATISTICS

— 12 G, 213 ATT, 1,366 YDS (6.4 AVG), 11 TD; 33 REC, 229 YDS, 0 TD

---

NOTES

— DOB: November 4, 1999

— 4-star recruit in Tennessee's 2019 class, per 247Sports' composite list, transferred to Oklahoma in 2021

— 23 career starts (18 at Oklahoma, five at Tennessee)

— 2022 second-team All-Big 12

---

OVERALL

Eric Gray is a compact, angry runner with plenty of juice in the open field to eventually take command of an NFL backfield.

Though not the biggest back around, he sure tries to run like it. Gray always runs with a full head of steam and makes defenders pay for not taking him on cleanly. He has the ability to let tackles bounce off his lower half, and he'll occasionally plow right over defenders and trudge forward for some extra yardage. When that's coupled with outrageous burst to and through the second level, he can be a devastating runner between the tackles.

Gray is a nifty player in space as well. For one, he has wonderful vision and a natural feel for how to set up defenders and contort his body to minimize contact. Additionally, the 23-year-old is a springy athlete. He shows good explosive ability in tight spaces, allowing him to leave defenders whiffing at air from time to time.

Gray is a good pass-catcher, too. Not only did he take the majority of Oklahoma's receptions out of the backfield, but he even played a major role in Tennessee's passing game in 2019 and 2022 when he wasn't the full-time starter. He has smooth and comfortable hands, as well as the twitchiness and feel for space to thrive as a pass-catcher.

That said, he isn't perfect. For all his tools, he can get caught being indecisive. There are instances when he tries to get too cute, be it at the line of scrimmage or when trying to deal with a second-level defender.

More importantly, his long speed is nothing of note. He isn't slow by any means, but his speed will be a dime a dozen compared to other NFL starting backs. It's also worth noting that he is an older prospect, which has put some tread on his tires and may limit his growth potential compared to younger players.

Gray can be a strong No. 2 running back right away with the potential to work toward a starting role. The physicality, explosiveness and pass-catching skills he brings will all be welcomed immediately by whichever team drafts him. Gray would fit best in a downhill system that can emphasize his strengths between the tackles.

---

GRADE: 6.8 (Potential Role Player/Round 4)

OVERALL RANK: 105

POSITION RANK: RB8

PRO COMPARISON: D'Ernest Johnson

---

Written by B/R NFL Scout Derrik Klassen