Sooners Report Card: UCF

Oklahoma’s 31-29 win over UCF was a heart-stopping affair for Sooners fans but in the end, a win is a win. Still though there were plenty of shaky performances, and even a few strong ones, to take note of in the latest edition of SoonerScoop.com’s report card. Let’s take a look at who were the stars for Oklahoma on Saturday in Norman.

OFFENSE:

QB: Dillon Gabriel – 84 – Missed some throws and struggled to find a rhythm but was off the field for large stretches.
RB: Marcus Major – 65 – Got better as the game wore on but badly missed a block in the third and dropped a would-be big catch for Oklahoma.
WR: Drake Stoops – 73 – Had a few key drops but that touchdown was obviously a pivotal moment.
WR: Nic Anderson – 90 – One of the few Sooners offensive players with plenty to feel good about.
WR: Jalil Farooq – 71 – Starting to feel like the Sooners offense’s success may have a lot to do with him.
TE: Austin Stogner – 72 – Saw some nice blocking, but still inconsequential in the passing game.
OT: Walter Rouse – 64 – I thought he was ok but wasn’t winning the edge enough.
OG: Cayden Green – 68 – I thought he was pretty solid but I also need to go back and watch more.
C: Andrew Raym – 73 – I thought Raym was very good and was having to cover up a LOT of inexperience to his sides.
OG: Caleb Shaffer – 30 – Oklahoma needs Savion Byrd to play like he did in the fourth quarter.
OT: Tyler Guyton – 60 – He actually had some trouble with the young defensive end – Lawrence.

Offensive Average: 68.2 (750)

DEFENSE:

DE: Rondell Bothroyd – 76 – Not much in the way of pressure but thought he was OU’s best edge run defender.
NT: Jacob Lacey – 83 – Big sack in the first half and continues to be disruptive in general.
DT: Da’Jon Terry – 73 – Thought he may have had one of his lesser games of the year.
DE: Ethan Downs – 87 – One of the few sources of real pressure in the front four – but thought he got pinned a few times in the run game.
LB: Danny Stutsman – 85 – Consistent and steady for him, wasn’t elite but did keep OU out of trouble more than once.
LB: Jaren Kanak – 81 – The penalty felt like a turning point in the game but did largely think he saw things well.
CH: Dasan McCullough – 73 – Can’t say as I noticed him much during the game, that surprises me.
CB: Woodi Washington – 40 – Just an awful, awful performance from Woodi.
CB: Gentry Williams – 77 – Not his best stuff but was fairly steady and usually in good position.
S: Billy Bowman – 82 – The dropped interceptions on drives like that almost always end up huge but thought he was pretty solid, great coverage on the 2-pt conversion.
S: Key Lawrence – 65 – Saw Lawrence miss a lot more tackles than I’ve seen from him this year.

Defensive Average: 75.6 (832)

SPECIAL TEAMS:

K: Zach Schmit – 25 – I don’t know what OU can do to get him on track but try everything.
P: Luke Elzinga – 90 – Man, he was really, really good. If that’s what OU can get all year, punting problems are gone.
KR: Jalil Farooq – 73 – Poor choice to take it out on a high kick in the end zone.
PR: Gavin Freeman – 86 – Really liked his work in the return game, very decisive and got upfield.

Special Teams Average: 68.5 (274)

Sooners Key Reserves:

RB: Gavin Sawchuk – 80 – Far from perfect but this was the guy we saw against Florida State, OU needs him to be that guy.
WR: Gavin Freeman – 65 – Man his decision on the third down catch could have been crippling for Sooners.
WR: Jayden Gibson – 84 – Great block on Stoops’s touchdown and key catch to keep the chains moving.
DE: Trace Ford – 78 -Got caught out a few times in the run game but did make some strong plays.
DT: Isaiah Coe – 89 – I thought he was absolutely outstanding and UCF struggled to move him.
DT: Jonah Laulu – 85 – Huge play reading the screen in the fourth quarter – such a savvy guy.
LB: Kip Lewis – 84 – Oklahoma just has to find a way to get this guy more snaps.
CB: Kendel Dolby – 86 – This guy is just around the play, so smart and instinctual.
S: Reggie Pearson – 74 – I didn’t see him much but when I did he made a few good plays, read some stuff well.
S: Peyton Bowen – 84 – Starter, he should be. Big (and smart) plays follow this guy around.
COV: Jacobe Johnson – 91 – I don’t usually include this but he was REALLY good for Oklahoma today.

Reserves Average: 81.8 (900)

Team Average: 74.5 (2756)

My Overall Grade: 71

Breakdown

This is a UCF team that I thought the Sooners would blow out (acknowledged here) so I can’t try and pretend this was a strong performance. Still though it’s Oklahoma learning to win games in various ways. They’ve blown plenty of teams out and let’s be real Gus Malzahn is a guy capable of pulling off one of these unbelievable with some regularity – ask Nick Saban.

This is one of those wins that will feel like a lost not only to Sooners fans but also the Oklahoma team and staff. They get to go back to the drawing board and have plenty of opportunities to refocus for the stretch run in the Big 12.

As Brent Venables would say, it’s not good enough but there’s plenty of reason to think it can be better. Largely because we’ve seen it be much better.

Sooners Scoring Standard

100-82: Playoff Contender
82-74: Big 12 Title Contender
74-65: Bowl Game Participant
65-0: ‘I’ll be hoooome for Christmas