Oklahoma-Cincinnati Review: PFF Grades, NCAA Stats and More

Looking back at the game and diving into Pro Football Focus' grades and snap-count totals reveals even more about the Sooners win over the Bearcats.
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A third of the way through the college football season, the Oklahoma Sooners aren’t perfect — but their record is.

OU improved to 4-0 on the season with a 20-6 victory at Cincinnati and jumped two spots to No. 16 in the AP Top 25.

Saturday's game was a classic, low-scoring slugfest, and Brent Venables’ remodeled defense was up to the task. A look at this week's NCAA rankings and Pro Football Focus grades and snap counts:

NCAA Statistics

The Oklahoma defense continues its surge — an historic one, at that. According to team publicist Mike Houck, OU’s 34 points allowed so far this season is the fewest by a Sooner defense in the last 30 years — one point less than the 2009 squad and a touchdown better than the 2002 Sooners. Through four games, OU has yielded just 34 points, including just three touchdowns.

The Sooners rank 32nd in the nation in total defense (309.5), 26th against the run (94.0), 60th against the pass (215.5) and 13th in pass efficiency defense.

The big one: OU is tied for second in the nation in scoring defense at just 8.5 points per game.

On offense, Oklahoma is 10th nationally in total offense (506.8), 65th in rushing (157.8), sixth in passing (349.0), fourth in passing efficiency rating and fourth in scoring (46.8).

The Sooners still lead the nation in scoring margin, averaging +38.3 points per game more than their opponent.

Pro Football Focus

According to Pro Football Focus data, offensive linemen Andrew Raym, Walter Rouse, McKade Mettauer and Tyler Guyton and quarterback Dillon Gabriel played all 75 snaps. Tight end Austin Stogner was next with 71, while left guard Troy Everett and wide receiver Jalil Farooq each played 65. Wideouts Drake Stoops (57) and Andrel Anthony (55) were next, while running backs Marcus Major (41) and Tawee Walker (26) got the running back snaps. Wideouts Nic Anderson (25), Jayden Gibson (15), Gavin Freeman (13), offensive lineman Cayden Green (10) and tight end Blake Smith (7) rounded out the rest of the offense. Only 17 players got snaps on offense.

Thirty total players got time on defense. Of OU’s 81 defensive snaps, cornerback Woodi Washington led the way with 78 snaps, while linebacker Danny Stutsman got 76. Linebacker Jaren Kanak and safety Billy Bowman each played 64, and safety Key Lawrence played 61. (Safety Reggie Pearson was injured and did not make the trip.) Dasan McCullough started in place of Justin Harrington and went the distance with 49 snaps at cheetah linebacker, and defensive end Ethan Downs led the linemen with 49. Rondell Bothroyd (47), Kani Walker (45) and Isaiah Coe (32) were next.

Cornerback Kendel Dolby (30) played a season-high in snaps, and freshman safety Peyton Bowen, sophomore corner Gentry Williams and senior defensive tackle Jacob Lacey (29 each) all got significant action.

True freshman corner Jasiah Wagoner got his first action of the season and played two snaps. Other true freshmen snap counts: Bowen (29), P.J. Adebawore (22), Jacobe Johnson (5), Makari Vickers (5), Ashton Sanders (2) and Sammy Omosigho (2).

Sooner wideouts continue to stand out. Against the best and most physical defense the Sooners have faced so far, Anthony led the offense with a PFF grade of 80.0. Rouse was next at 76.7, while Anderson posted a 75.1 and Stoops graded out at 70.6.

On defense, it’s the OU safeties who are leading the way. Lawrence led the defense with a 91.3 grade (Coe was next at 77.6), while Bowman posted a 76.7 and Bowen graded out at 75.8. Bothroyd (73.4) posted the only other grade over 70, but safety Robert Spears-Jennings and corner Kani Walker both graded out at 69.8.



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John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.