Snap counts, performance grades in OU's win over Auburn

The Sooners opened SEC play with a 24-17 win over Auburn on Saturday.

It was a big win for the Sooners, but it was also the first look at how the coaching staff may want to handle the rotations at each position group throughout conference play.

Here’s a look at the snap counts and performance grades for every OU player, per Pro Football Focus:

Offense

Quarterback

John Mateer — 66 (66.9)

Running back

Tory Blaylock — 52 (53.4)

Jovantae Barnes — 12 (45.8)

Xavier Robinson — 3 (59.6)

Wide receiver

Deion Burks — 63 (58.2)

Keontez Lewis — 62 (54.9)

Isaiah Sategna — 57 (78.4)

Jer’Michael Carter — 5 (53.3)

Zion Kearney — 4 (55.7)

Ivan Carreon — 1 (61.6)

Offensive line

Heath Ozaeta — 66 (47.4)

Derek Simmons — 66 (68.2)

Jake Maikkula — 66 (62.2)

Febechi Nwaiwu — 66 (58.0)

Logan Howland — 57 (63.2)

Michael Fasusi — 9 (63.2)

Ryan Fodje — 1 (60.0)

Tight end

Jaren Kanak — 58 (67.8)

Carson Kent — 10 (53.9)

Will Huggins — 2 (60.0)

DEFENSE

Defensive tackle

Damonic Williams — 38 (61.9)

Jayden Jackson — 37 (68.1)

Gracen Halton — 35 (66.1)

David Stone — 34 (75.0)

Defensive end

Marvin Jones Jr. — 51 (61.7)

Taylor Wein — 41 (58.0)

R Mason Thomas — 28 (53.1)

Adepoju Adebawore — 17 (42.2)

Danny Okoye — 7 (60.4)

Linebacker

Kip Lewis — 52 (73.5)

Kendal Daniels — 49 (60.6)

Kobie McKinzie — 48 (60.7)

Sammy Omosigho — 23 (65.3)

Owen Heinecke — 18 (57.0)

Cornerback

Courtland Guillory — 62 (55.0)

Gentry Williams — 52 (56.8)

Devon Jordan — 17 (52.1)

Jacobe Johnson — 13 (44.1)

Kendel Dolby — 5 (65.5)

Safety

Peyton Bowen — 69 (88.8)

Robert Spears-Jennings — 57 (62.8)

Reggie Powers — 21 (55.7)

Michael Boganowski — 15 (73.2)

Jaydan Hardy — 3 (61.7)

NOTES

— If there was any room for questions about the running back rotation, that’s gone. Tory Blaylock got the start and played the vast majority of snaps, even in a game where he didn’t run the ball particularly well (11 carries, 13 yards).

Jovantae Barnes had one carry for zero yards. Xavier Robinson played three snaps. Jaydn Ott never saw the field, and didn’t appear close to seeing the field.

— The top three at receiver (Deion Burks, Isaiah Sategna, Keontez Lewis) is very clear, and that was the case in the SEC opener. Unless/until Javonnie Gibson can break into the rotation, there won’t be much room for wideouts outside of that group.

— The only rotation on the offensive line came at left tackle between Michael Fasusi and Logan Howland. Fasusi came in after the first series but barely played the rest of the way. He clearly wasn’t healthy.

— The rotation along the interior of the defensive line is almost dead even between the top four guys. A big reason for that is David Stone, who has quickly become the player the Sooners really needed. In addition to his five tackles, one sack and one TFL, he finished with the highest grade along the defensive line. He’s become a player that’s difficult to take off the field.

— Peyton Bowen again led the Sooners in snaps, and also had the highest PFF grade on either side of the ball.

— It was a tough game at times for Courtland Guillory, but that didn’t keep the Sooners from keeping the true freshman on the field. He still played almost every snap, while veterans like Kendel Dolby and Jacobe Johnson only saw a handful of snaps.

— Kip Lewis and Kobie McKinzie had been rotating almost evenly with Sammy Omosigho and Owen Heinecke through the first three weeks. Against Auburn, Lewis and McKinzie saw a lot more of the snaps.

Up next: The Sooners have a bye week before returning to action against Kent State on Oct. 4.