Observations from Oklahoma's Red-White Game
A smattering of belated thoughts on the Oklahoma Sooners’ performance in the spring Red-White Game.
*I’ll reiterate that drawing hard conclusions from a spring game is for suckers.
*Let’s start with a quick reality check: second-year quarterback Jackson Arnold seemed shaky on RPOs. It’s not fair to say he was missing his reads consistently, given that we don’t know what calls he was executing. However, Arnold bypassed the run on RPO action often enough to suggest that.
And when the young QB did keep it, he held the ball for a long time. Is he processing what he’s seeing fast enough? Keep in mind that the defense wasn’t really changing the picture on him after the snap, either.
I’m not a quarterback guru and I’m not in the huddle, so I look at these more like warning signs than a judgment on Arnold’s maturation to this point. But his performance in the spring game did serve as a reminder that he probably has some growing to do if he’s going to be a reliable performer this fall.
That said, Arnold looked like a true five-star QB throwing the ball. While offensive coordinator Seth Littrell didn’t ask him to do much in terms of dropback passing, he showed no problems flinging it deep. Pairing that kind of downfield proficiency with a stout ground game would give the Sooners a dangerously explosive offense.
*Speaking of the ground game, I didn’t see a huge line of demarcation between the presumed top three in the rotation at running back. If No. 1 runner Gavin Sawchuck remains plagued by injuries in his third season, OU could still get solid production out of Kalib Hicks and Sam Franklin. Importantly, Franklin appears ready for the move up from the FCS level to the big leagues.
Adding a home-run threat in freshman Taylor Tatum can’t hurt, either. As for Jovantae Barnes… who knows?
*Imagine what it must feel like for slot receiver Deion Burks to move from whatever he was doing at Purdue last year to this offense. The former Boilermaker made the kind of plays expected of him based on chatter from camp this spring.
Note, however, that Burks took advantage of glaring coverage busts on his two long touchdown catches. I’d still anticipate he ends the season as OU’s most productive receiver, but it won’t be so easy for him when the bullets are live.
*Surveying the defensive players on the field, no one can deny Brent Venables and the OU coaching staff have upgraded the physical caliber of the prospects entering the program in the last three seasons. That goes for more than just the players on the top line of the depth chart. The backups are bringing more to the table than just a positive attitude.
The defensive backs look particularly impressive compared with editions from previous seasons. For example, OU has two 6-2 cornerbacks in the game when Kani Walker and Dez Malone are on the field. That type of length will help the Sooners do battle with the more physical receiving corps that populate the SEC. Meanwhile, safeties Michael Boganowski and Robert Spears-Jennings left no doubt they can give the D a physical presence in the secondary.
*You can understand the enthusiasm for freshman defensive tackle Jayden Jackson after watching him in action. His frame should enable him to contribute right away.
But contributing and serving as a cornerstone of the defense are vastly different things. If Jackson is playing starter-type snaps once the season kicks off, it doesn’t bode well for OU’s depth in the trenches. Adding Louisville transfer Jermayne Lole to the defensive line in the days since the spring game makes for a good start to solidifying the unit. Even so, DL coach Todd Bates could stand to bring in one more free agent – preferably someone who can float between nose tackle and the three-tech position.
Also, keep expectations for freshman DT David Stone in check – at least for the first part of the season. It looks like he’s still adjusting to the physicality of the college level.
*We caught our first glimpse of Dasan McCullough at WILL linebacker, and he held up better than expected. He likely stands to make the biggest impact in the coming season playing something closer to a traditional SAM LB in a 4-3 scheme, though, which he also did in the Red-White Game. With the number of physical rushing attacks OU will face this season, Venables and defensive coordinator Zac Alley may play McCullough more in that role this fall.