Oklahoma-Ole Miss Gameday Preview: Under the Radar

The Sooners hope these players can fly under the radar for Saturday's game with the Rebels.

Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold / BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

R Mason Thomas

Maybe a tough call to pick a team’s leader in quarterback sacks to fly under the radar, but it’s probably high time for R Mason Thomas to make a play again. He didn’t have a sack in the first two games, then had three in two possessions of the fourth quarter against Tulane. He had a half-sack against Tennessee and delivered two more fourth-quarter sacks late in the Auburn game, but then had zero against Texas and another shared sack last week against South Carolina. A little more consistency on Saturday at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium — contributing a couple of hard hits on Jaxson Dart before the 4-minute mark of the fourth quarter — would go a long way to helping Oklahoma’s cause.

— John E. Hoover 

Zion Kearney

Deion Burks’ setback on Tuesday cast more doubt over his ability to make it back into the lineup this weekend, putting the pressure back on OU’s young receivers to step up. Last week, Jacob Jordan stole the show, but Zion Kearney may be a candidate to get more targets on Saturday. He was one of the few bright spots against Texas, catching four passes for 45 yards, and it may be time for Oklahoma to look to the future instead of continuing to draw up plays for J.J. Hester, Bauer Sharp, Jake Roberts and other older pieces who won’t factor much into the future. For any receiver to make a real impact, however, Oklahoma’s offensive line will have to find a way to hold up in the face of another talented pass rush. 

— Ryan Chapman 

Sammy Omosigho

Someone will have to be in charge of Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart this week, and Sammy Omosigho could be that man from the cheetah spot after an underrated outing last week. Dart will always need a pair of eyes on him and has to be contained, or else he will make any defense pay. If Omosigho is able to help keep Dart from putting his cape on and playing hero ball, then OU could keep this one close enough to still have a chance late. 

— Dekota Gregory

David Stone

Much of the freshman praise and attention has rightly gone to Jayden Jackson, who has started as a true freshman from week one. He has been a tremendous addition for the Sooners. Lately, though, fellow true freshman David Stone has officially joined the party. Stone has graded out well on PFF ranks and has been a force on the Sooners’ defensive line lately. He got extended run against South Carolina and showed why he was a 5-star coming out of high school. As Oklahoma moves forward during a disappointing season, it’s all about the future now. Letting the young guys loose and seeing the future talent on the field could define the last month of the season. Stone has a chance to cement his spot moving forward and carry plenty of positive momentum into next season — and that starts on Saturday.

— Ross Lovelace

Jayden Jackson

Save Jacob Jordan, it felt like no player rose to the occasion like Jayden Jackson, who had a sack and was in on several big tackles. Right now, he looks like one of OU’s best disruptors coming off his best two games this season (he also had five tackles against Texas).

— Bryce McKinnis

Eli Bowen

Eli Bowen has played 107 of his 177 defensive snaps this season over the past two weeks and will have another important assignment this week as the Sooners' defense looks to slow down Jaxson Dart and Mississippi. The Rebels' signal caller leads the SEC in completion percentage and passing yards and leads the nation in yards per attempt, giving Oklahoma's secondary another tough matchup, especially if standout wide receiver Tre Harris is able to play for Mississippi (he’s been questionable on the SEC Availability Report this week). Dart is averaging over 340 passing yards per game, and Bowen will be an important part of OU's plan to try and slow down the star quarterback. 

— Randall Sweet