Oklahoma-Oklahoma State GameDay: Under the Radar

Brayden Willis ... DaShaun White ... Drake Stoops ... Gavin Freeman

John E. Hoover | Nov 19, 2022

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Oklahoma Sooners

John Hoover: Brayden Willis

It’s Bedlam. Oklahoma’s bowl eligibility (and those invaluable 15 practices) are at stake. So is a 23-year streak of winning seasons. So is state pride. The Oklahoma coaching staff needs to pull out all the stops, dust off all the tricks and open up every vein. That means getting the football to tight end Brayden Willis in some creative ways: downfield, middle screens, some wildcat snaps, maybe even a tight end reverse. Don’t forget his throw to Marcus Major at Nebraska, when the former high school quarterback tossed his first career touchdown pass. If the Sooners are having problems finding motivation to finish this season strong, they need only to get the football to their senior captain and let him go to work — something they didn’t do last week in Morgantown, when he didn’t catch a pass for the first time all year.

Ryan Chapman: DaShaun White

Corralling Spencer Sanders on the ground is going to be the key for Oklahoma. Oklahoma State’s more traditional run game has struggled to find any kind of consistency this year, and Sanders’ decision-making and dynamism in the open field have often proved to be the difference. DaShaun White has had a nice year at the cheetah position, but he’ll need to have his best game to track down Sanders and keep the damage from the quarterback run game to a minimum.

Josh Callaway: Drake Stoops

You would be hard pressed to find anyone on the Oklahoma roster that cares more about the Bedlam rivalry than Drake Stoops. For obvious reasons, this game has been a large part of his football life from the very beginning. Nobody can be counted on more heavily in this game to lay it all out on the line than the redshirt senior in this spot. It would not be surprising to see him come through with at least one big play, maybe a touchdown, in this game. Stoops' biggest moments always seem to come in Norman with the crowd chanting his name, and this weekend could provide the biggest one yet. For Oklahoma to win this game, someone is probably going to have to put together a career day. There is no reason that couldn't be one Mr. Drake Stoops.

FB - Drake Stoops — Drake Stoops :: SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

Ross Lovelace: Gavin Freeman

Oklahoma’s offense has struggled to generate big plays all season, and even though Saturday’s game won’t help the Sooners in any polls, it’s a big game both for momentum and recruiting. I would expect Oklahoma to get creative against the Cowboys, and that could mean finding a way to get the ball to freshman receiver Gavin Freeman. Whether it’s on special teams or offense, Freeman can have an impact with his blazing speed. He’s made big plays on reverses, diving catches and more, as the wideout can be used in many different ways. Saturday, if Oklahoma finds a way to get him a few touches, he could turn one loose. He’s also an Oklahoma kid playing in Bedlam.

Published Nov 19, 2022

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.