Oklahoma's offense came to life Saturday in the Sooners' 23-15 win over Mississippi State at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Miss.
But the defense wasn't bad either.
OU quarterback John Mateer was 22 of 29 for 283 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions and also ran for 37 yards on nine carries.
The Pro Football Focus grade afterward for Mateer was indicative of how much better the fifth-year senior was than what he'd been to that point of the season.
Mateer's 83.1 overall PFF grade for the game was not only his best of the season but the best in his two seasons as a Sooner.
His previous best during his time at OU was an 81.0 posted in last year's win at Temple.
The defense's 78.6 overall score was the group's highest of the season, beating out the 75.8 they posted in the season-opening win over UTEP.
Offense
It wasn't just Mateer.
Wide receiver Isaiah Sategna led the team with an 85.5 overall grade, his second highest of the season behind only the season opener.
But the biggest difference came along the left side of the offensive front.
Michael Fasusi, playing for the first time since the season opener, slid back in at left tackle and graded out at 67.0 on 74 snaps. Fasusi was the second-highest graded offensive lineman for the Sooners.
Left guard Noah Best was fifth-best on the team, a spot behind Fasusi, at 63.4. Fasusi and Best helped largely keep Mateer clean and helped open up plenty of room in the running game as well.
The only lineman who graded out higher than Fasusi was center Caleb Nitta, who replaced the injured Jake Maikkula in the second half. Nitta graded out at 72.3 on 27 snaps.
Here are the Pro Football Focus grades and snap counts for Oklahoma's offense:
- Isaiah Sategna, WR (85.5 overall grade, 68 snaps)
- John Mateer, QB (83.1, 74)
- Caleb Nitta, C (72.3, 27)
- Michael Fasusi, LT (67.0, 74)
- Noah Best, LG (63.4, 74)
- Lloyd Avant, RB (62.7, 28)
- E'Marion Harris, RT (61.8, 74)
- Jonathan Hatton Jr., RB (61.4, 16)
- Jake Maikkula, C (60.4, 47)
- Jack Van Dorselaer, TE (59.5, 13)
- Tory Blaylock, RB (59.5, 32)
- Jacob Jordan, WR (56.8, 7)
- Rocky Beers, TE (56.3, 51)
- Hayden Hansen, TE (56.2, 51)
- Jer'Michael Carter, WR (55.2, 20)
- Parker Livingstone, WR (16, 53.0)
- Manny Choice, WR (68, 52.5)
- Peyton Joseph, RG (38.2, 74)
Defense
It was clear that Peyton Bowen, Owen Heinecke, and David Stone played massive roles for the Sooners in keeping the Bulldogs' offense largely in check.
That was clear by the grades as well.
Bowen's 86.1 was not only his highest of the season. but the best of his career. His previous high grade was 79.8 in last season's win over LSU.
Heinecke was second on the team among players that played more than six plays, grading at 80.5. That was Heinecke's highest grade of the season.
Stone finished just behind Heinecke at 79.2. That total is the second-best of Stone's career, behind only the 83.1 he posted in last season's win over Auburn.
The Sooners missed 11 tackles, with linebacker Kip Lewis missing three and defensive end Taylor Wein two.
Here are the Pro Football Focus grades and snap counts for Oklahoma's defense:
- Peyton Bowen, S (86.1 overall grade, 59 snaps)
- Cole Sullivan, LB (81.7, 6)
- Owen Heinecke, LB (80.5, 62)
- David Stone, DT (79.2, 62)
- Reggie Powers III, cheetah (70.9, 37)
- Kenny Ozowalu, DE (69.9, 17)
- Adepoju Adebawore, DE (68.1, 24)
- Danny Okoye, DE (68.0, 26)
- Danny Saili, DT (67.8, 16)
- Jake Kreul, DE (67.2, 20)
- Courtland Guillory, CB (67.2, 68)
- Jayden Jackson, DT (66.8, 41)
- Trent Wilson, DT (66.0, 12)
- Kip Lewis, LB (64.5, 68)
- Trystan Haynes, CB (62.0, 68)
- Omarion Robinson, S (62.0, 30)
- Markel Ford, CB (60.0, 1)
- Bishop Thomas, DT (58.8, 18)
- Jeremiah Newcombe, cheetah (56.9, 31)
- Taylor Wein, DE (55.9, 47)
- Wyatt Gilmore, DE (51.1, 3)
- Michael Boganowski, S (48.9, 47)
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