NFL Draft News & Analysis

Oklahoma-Oklahoma State grades: Mayfield leads the way for Sooners

AMES, IA – NOVEMBER 3: Quarterback Baker Mayfield #6 of the Oklahoma Sooners passes the ball in the second half of play against the Iowa State Cyclones at Jack Trice Stadium on November 3, 2016 in Ames, Iowa. The Oklahoma Sooners won 34-24 over the Iowa State Cyclones. (Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Baker Mayfield;

Oklahoma Sooners 38, Oklahoma State Cowboys 20

Here are the top-graded players and biggest storylines from Oklahoma’s 38-20 win over Oklahoma State.

Oklahoma Sooners

Quarterback grade: Baker Mayfield, 83.3

Despite losing top weapon, Mayfield has near-perfect day throwing the football

While it looked like the Sooners might be in trouble when they lost WR Dede Westbrook (he left with concussion symptoms after a second-quarter collision), Mayfield stepped his game up and continued to play at the incredible level he’s played all season. His final line of 13-of-19 doesn’t tell the whole story of course. Four of those six incompletions were dropped passes, and another was the pass that Westbrook had knocked loose. So Mayfield had just one off target throw all afternoon. When under pressure Mayfield completed 4-of-5 passes for 133 yards and three touchdowns. Interestingly enough, Mayfield never once targeted a receiver on the left side of the field, doing all of his damage in the middle and right side of the field. Mayfield finishes the regular season with an incredible 93.6 overall grade

mayfield-passing-chart

Top offensive grades:

QB Baker Mayfield, 83.3
WR Dede Westbrook, 77.5
WR Geno Lewis, 76.0
RT Bobby Evans, 74.6
RG Dru Samia, 71.9

Run game carries load after Westbrook goes down

Early on it seemed like the Maybrook connection that we’ve all come to know and love would be carrying the Sooners to victory, as they had already hooked up four times for 111 yards and Westbrook’s excellent touchdown. But after he was injured, the Sooners turned to the one-two punch of Samaje Perine (63.3) and Joe Mixon (63.8). Mixon was mostly held in check minus his game-clinching 79-yards touchdown run, but Perine had a big day. While his grade ends up low because he fumbled twice, he still rushed for 242 yards on 37 carries, including 118 after first contact. He forced five missed tackles as well.

mixon1

Top defensive grades:

ED Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, 86.1
LB Jordan Evans, 84.9
DI Matt Romar, 76.5
CB Steven Parker, 76.2
DI D.J. Ward, 74.8

Usual suspects come up huge at key moments in game to carry Oklahoma defense

It was a solid game all around by this defensive unit, but in particular there were some standout players. As he often does, Okoronkwo took over the game, both in the run game and pass game. He made four solo run stops, and recorded a sack, two hits and two hurries when rushing the passer. He finishes this regular season with 50 total pressures and a 17.0 pass rushing productivity score. Evans had two great pass-breakups and allowed just one 15-yard catch all day in coverage, while coming up big in the run game as well. While the Sooners defense may have bent at times, they never really broke. They made big stops when they needed to, and they had guys like Okoronkwo and Evans to thank for that.

Oklahoma State Cowboys

Quarterback grade: Mason Rudolph, 56.8

Rudolph’s hot streak comes to an end as he plays poorly in rainy conditions

Rudolph seemed to have problems all game with trying to get a grip on the football, as it seemed to be slipping out of his hands every time he threw. In a very bizarre stat, Rudolph was 3-of-3 for 119 yards on throws more than 20 yards downfield but was 0-of-7 on passes between 10 and 20 yards. Rudolph found himself under pressure on 8 dropbacks (out of 29) and failed to complete any of his five attempts, while also taking two sacks. While this was a tough game for Rudolph, it shouldn’t take away from the phenomenal season he had in which he graded out at 89.5 overall, among the best college quarterbacks in the country.

rudolph-pass-chart

Top offensive grades:

RG Michael Wilson, 76.9
HB Justice Hill, 75.4
HB Chris Carson, 71.4
TE Zac Veatch, 68.9
TE Blake Jarwin, 67.2

Run game for Oklahoma State continues to find success despite loss

One of the reasons for optimism going into this game for Oklahoma State was the suddenly surging rushing attack. While they didn’t get the victory, it was not for lack of a successful run game. Justice Hill had a big day, gaining 99 yards on 16 carries, while forcing four missed tackles. Chris Carson was just as good, gaining 91 yards on 12 carries while scoring a touchdown and forcing a missed tackle. Overall the Cowboys averaged 6.4 yards per rush and if they had gotten a little more out of their passing game this might have been a completely different game.

Top defensive grades:

DI Vincent Taylor, 84.4
CB Ramon Richards, 80.7
S Tre Flowers, 78.8
ED Jarrell Owens, 78.0
S Jordan Sterns, 75.6

Solid efforts from some defensive players, but not enough stops to stay in the game

Early on this game looked like it would be an all-timer for safety Jordan Sterns, and even though he missed some tackles late it was still very good. Sterns finished with a ridiculous 15 tackles, six of which constituted offensive failures. On the front seven, Vincent Taylor continued his strong play with another big game. He had a sack and two hurries, and added another defensive stop. But he was very dominant against the run, constantly clogging up the middle and forcing the Sooners RBs to cut elsewhere. Overall the Cowboys defense missed 13 tackles, which is one of the biggest reasons for this loss. Plenty of times everyone on the defense did what they were supposed to do, only for it to be nullified by a missed tackle.

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