Oklahoma GameDay: Under the Radar vs. Kent State
John Hoover: Jeffery Johnson/Isaiah Coe
Kent State returns just two offensive linemen with significant starting experience: center Sam Allan is an All-MAC performer with 15 career starts, and left guard Jack Bailey has seven career starts. The other three are new (although there are three backups who arrived via the transfer portal.) With a new quarterback (Collin Schlee), the Oklahoma defensive line has a real opportunity to create havoc up front. Jeffery Johnson and Isaiah Coe combined for five total tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss last week against UTEP. Allan figures to be OK as he calls out the protections, but OU’s two strongest, most powerful interior defensive linemen, plus guys like Jalen Redmod and Jordan Kelley, should have a chance to feast.
Ryan Chapman: Key Lawrence
Billy Bowman stole the show last week, finishing as OU’s co-leader with nine tackles against UTEP. The back end of Oklahoma’s defense will be tested in a different way on Saturday, and it could be Key Lawrence’s time to shine. Kent State is going to try tgo force mental errors by running at a fast pace, and Lawrence could be called upon as the last line of defense if there happens to be a coverage bust or somebody misses their gap in the run game. Lawrence said he has great trust in Bowman this week, and OU’s safety partnership will have another opportunity to show the athletic upside brought to the position as a pairing.
Josh Callaway: Jayden Gibson
Freshman wide receiver Jayden Gibson was one of the biggest standouts of both spring and fall camps. The 6-foot-5 Gibson didn't have any catches in the opener, but this seems like a great time to get his feet wet in a major way against Kent State. Jeff Lebby stated earlier in the week a desire to rotate more offensive playmakers onto the field this week. Pair that mindset with a game that should get ugly and a Golden Flashes secondary that had a rough Week 1, and the stage appears to be set for Gibson to get out and try to make some highlight-reel plays similar to what everyone saw in April's Spring Game.
Ross Lovelace: R Mason Thomas
R Mason Thomas has been drawing rave reviews for weeks now, and showed flashes in his first game action last week against UTEP. For Thomas, who just turned 18 years old, to carve out playing time for Oklahoma is extremely impressive. The Sooners clearly like his potential coming off the edge and he has serious speed when rushing the quarterback. If the first game was any indication, his ceiling could be very high in Norman. The coaching staff also mentioned their desire to play more backups this weekend, which could be another indicator.