LB Cole Sullivan
Sullivan played in the Sooners’ first two games at linebacker and cheetah and logged 63 total defensive snaps. But he hadn’t played again due to injury until last week’s win over Texas. He recorded 13 defensive snaps against the Longhorns and seems to be back in the rotation. That’ll be big as Owen Heinecke (54 snaps) and Kip Lewis (64) played great but also looked overworked at times in Dallas. This week the Sooners take on an explosive Kentucky offense, led by dual-threat QB Kenny Minchey, who’ll be a handful for the OU defense. Expect Sullivan to spy Minchey in some third-down situations.
— John Hoover
RB Jonathan Hatton Jr.
Jonathan Hatton got the start against Texas, and while Lloyd Avant was the most effective runner, Hatton looked close to breaking off a couple of nice runs. The Sooners need to build on last week’s rushing performance in the third quarter, especially as they play defenses that are steps down from Texas, Georgia and Michigan, and Hatton could be the running partner with Avant to make the difference out of the backfield.
— Ryan Chapman
WR Elijah Thomas
Isaiah Sategna will get the most attention from Kentucky’s secondary, and rightfully so. The fifth-year wide receiver has caught a team-high 25 passes for 331 yards and two touchdowns through the Sooners’ first five games, and the former track star’s speed makes him difficult to contain. Elijah Thomas hasn’t produced much this year, but the athletic second-year wideout has been open plenty of times. Thomas has logged only 49 yards on five receptions so far. Sategna will still likely be the primary option for John Mateer. But if the Wildcats are able to neutralize him, Thomas is another target who should be utilized.
— Carson Field
DE Adepoju Adebawore
While Danny Okoye has gotten plenty of attention for his blocked punt against Texas, and Taylor Wein has the most tackles among defensive ends, Adepoju Adebawore has been among the Sooners' most effective defensive players through five games. Adebawore is third on the team in Pro Football Focus ratings among players who have played more than 45 plays. Only safety Peyton Owen and Wein rank higher. While Kentucky quarterback Kenny Minchey isn't especially mobile — he has just 11 rushing yards and is averaging just 0.3 yards per carry — he has been dangerous with his arm so Oklahoma is going to try to force him from the pocket and bottle him up. Adebawore is a big part of that attack, and will also be especially valuable at setting the edge against the Wildcats' explosive running game.
— Ryan Aber
DT Jayden Jackson
Quietly, Jayden Jackson has been Oklahoma's most consistently dominant player. David Stone has — deservingly — been praised for attention-grabbing play, but Jackson has been the guy in the middle of the trenches from snap one. In order for the Sooners to build off of their emotional victory over Texas, Jackson will have to keep the Wildcats from dictating the terms on offense. UK is a methodical team that wants to be ahead of the chains in order to set up easy passing windows for their offense. If Jackson helps keep the Wildcats from relying on the run game early, it will force Will Stein to open the passing portion of the playbook — allowing for Sooner defenders to harass the quarterback.
— Brady Trantham
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