The Oklahoma Sooners are having a bad season by their standards, and somehow they are 4-2 on the year. But, the defense and easy start to the schedule got them where they are now. The offense has had no part, really, in any of their wins. That may be stretching the truth a bit, but it really feels like the Sooners have won the games they have won strictly off of the defense.
This is going to be a long year, and all Sooners fans know that, too. As far as a large part of the fan base is concerned, this season is already chalked up. There is no fixing the offense now, not until changes are made internally. But, there is still one pretty big reason to continue watching this team.
And no, it's not the defense. Well, they aren't my reason, anyway.
I think we forget how new and young this team is. There are some veterans or older guys on the roster, yes, but it feels like a lot of the best football on the team is being played by some of the younger dudes on the team. No, really, the freshman class alone is balling out this year, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
Against the Texas Longhorns , even in a terrible loss, cornerback Eli Bowen showed that he can potentially be a superstar at the college level. He's good, very good, and he's likely only going to get better. He's been one of the best cornerbacks on the team in the last few games.
And then there is Jayden Jackson , who started Week 1 as a defensive tackle. He isn't showing up in the stat sheet a ton, but he is doing things and making plays that you can't really log as a stat. In the run game, he's taking up space, and eating up blocks for the other defenders to go one on one or have a free lane to the passer or runner.
Of course, on the offensive side of the ball, there is quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr., who has shown some flashes that he can be great, but still has a ways to go. And the best player on that side of the ball this year may be Taylor Tatum. But, he just so happens to play running back where you have a high chance of injury. But, he's been the best running back in the room by far. He looks poised to be a star.
And of course, we cannot forget about guys like Zion Kearney and Zion Ragins, who have played a lot more as of late and will be paying dividends later in their careers.
This class has been awesome and is a huge reason why their depth has allowed them to get to 4-2 on the year despite having some of the most brutal injuries in the SEC. We will get to see them some more this week against the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Related: Oklahoma Sooners commit is not letting Saturday's loss to Texas Longhorns sway him away one bit
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