Oklahoma Sooners Football

Class of 2023 5-star safety Peyton Bowen raised some eyebrows when he flipped his commitment from Notre Dame to Oregon on Wednesday, but he made an even more surprising decision Thursday.

Bowen announced on social media that he has now committed to Oklahoma. He stated that after his commitment to the Ducks, he "immediately started to rethink my future."

A 6'0", 185-pound safety from John Guyer High School in Denton, Texas, Bowen is ranked as the No. 2 safety and No. 14 overall player in the 2023 class by 247Sports' composite rankings. In his announcement, he cited a desire to stay closer to home as part of his reason for joining the Sooners. He apologized to the fanbases of Oregon and Notre Dame, acknowledging that his decision-making process "could have been handled better."

247Sports recruiting analyst Gabe Brooks describes Bowen as a "sudden athlete with lateral mobility and great initial burst and acceleration" who can be "dangerous as a center fielder thanks to ability to cover territory and make plays on the ball." Bowen also competed in track and field at a high level during his high school career.

Brooks added that the two-sport athlete "projects a potential high-major impact player in the future with immediate special teams value and a long-term ceiling that could lead to the NFL draft."

Bowen's decommitment from Oregon is another loss for Ducks head coach Dan Lanning and his staff. 5-star quarterback Dante Moore, the No. 5 quarterback in his class, flipped from Oregon to UCLA earlier this week.

However, Oregon managed to sign 5-star edge-rusher Matayo Uiagalelei on Wednesday. He is the second 5-star recruit in the Ducks' 2023 class, joining wide receiver Jurrion Dickey.

Texas and Oklahoma may be leaving the Big 12 for the SEC sooner than expected.

Brett McMurphy of The Action Network reported the "climate is right" for the two powerhouses to get out of their SEC contracts ahead of the 2024 season. Texas and Oklahoma are currently slated to join the SEC in 2025.

While the Big 12 appeared to be in danger of dissolving in the immediate aftermath of Texas and Oklahoma announcing their departures, the league instead rebounded to add BYU, Central Florida, Cincinnati and Houston. The addition of those four schools helped the Big 12 land a new television contract and arguably helped pave the way for the Red River Rivals to leave early.

The SEC may also be motivated to bring Texas and Oklahoma into the fold in 2024 ahead of the College Football Playoff's expansion to 12 teams. The Big Ten will add USC and UCLA in 2024, potentially getting a year headstart on the "superconference" trend.

Adding Texas and Oklahoma in 2024 would keep the SEC on equal footing with the Big Ten. The SEC's new television contract with ESPN also starts in 2024 and includes a clause that requires the network to increase the value of the deal for new members.

"The Big 12 would like it to happen a year early, the SEC would like OU and Texas a year early, but FOX could care less and I'm not sure what ESPN will do," a source told McMurphy.

ESPN's desire to start paying out the Texas-and-Oklahoma-sized pay checks may ultimately wind up deciding whether the two schools wind up in the SEC in 2024 or have to wait.

Oklahoma added one of the top playmakers in the 2023 class in receiver Jaquaize Pettaway, and the 4-star prospect should have a significant impact right away.

The 247Sports' composite rankings considers Pettaway the No. 61 overall prospect in the country and the 10th-best receiver.

The 5'11", 170-pound wideout doesn't have elite size, but he more than makes up for it with his blazing speed. The track star competed in the 100-meter dash, posting a time of 10.41 seconds as a high school junior.

The Houston native uses this speed to his advantage on the football field, making him a threat whenever he gets the ball in his hands. He especially thrives as a deep threat who can also turn screens into long plays.

Pettaway became a hot commodity on the recruiting trail with most of the top teams in the SEC, Big 12 and beyond offering scholarships to the Langham Creek High star, including LSU, Georgia, Ohio State, Texas, Texas A&M and Notre Dame.

His commitment to Oklahoma in July gives the program an important piece as it tries to move forward under Brett Venables.

The Sooners (6-6) have been up-and-down offensively in the first season without Lincoln Riley as their head coach, and the passing attack could further suffer if Marvin Mims Jr. declares for the NFL draft. With Drake Stoops graduating, there will be few proven options returning in the receiving corps.

Jalil Farooq and Theo Wease should get an increase in playing time, but Oklahoma should do its best to get Pettaway on the field as soon as possible as a game-changing player with the ball in his hands.

The incoming freshman might need to add strength and refine his route-running before reaching his potential, but he can help the team early even in limited snaps. The coaching staff should create opportunities for him on screens and quick passes, allowing him to use his speed to do the rest.

If he can stay healthy, Pettaway could provide a significant boost in 2023.

The No. 18 Oklahoma Sooners were obliterated 55-24 by the unranked TCU Horned Frogs on Saturday at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas.

Sooners quarterback Dillon Gabriel completed seven of 16 passes for 126 yards before exiting the game in the second quarter after taking an illegal hit from TCU linebacker Jamoi Hodge, who was ejected from the game.

Gabriel scrambled for yardage, and as he began his slide, Hodge hit him hard and directly in the helmet. He walked off the field under his own power before being replaced by Davis Beville, who completed just seven of 16 passes for 50 yards.

Oklahoma's leading receiver was Brayden Willis, who caught two passes for 81 yards. Jovantae Barnes led running backs with 18 carries for 100 yards and two touchdowns, while Eric Gray had 13 carries for 60 yards and one score.

TCU quarterback Max Duggan threw for 302 yards and three touchdowns, in addition to rushing for 116 yards and two scores. Running backs Kendre Miller and Emari Demercado combined for 198 yards and three scores.

Taye Barber led TCU receivers with three catches for 107 yards and one score.

The Horned Frogs offense was unstoppable, posting 668 yards of total offense compared to Oklahoma's 355.

Following the disappointing performance, Oklahoma was slammed on social media.

Oklahoma is 3-2 following back-to-back losses to Kansas State and TCU.

The Sooners will look to get back on track next weekend against the Texas Longhorns, who enter Saturday's game against Virginia with a 2-2 record following losses to No. 2 Alabama and Texas Tech.

The Kansas State Wildcats continue to be a problem for the Oklahoma Sooners after a 41-34 victory at Memorial Stadium on Saturday night.

No. 6 Oklahoma had been cruising to start the season. It won its first three games by a combined score of 127-30, albeit against vastly inferior opponents.

Adrian Martinez led the Wildcats' offensive attack with 382 yards of offense (148 rushing) and five total touchdowns. He ran for 59 yards on the final drive that sealed the win, including a 55-yard scamper on third-and-16.

Martinez scored from one yard out two plays later that gave Kansas State a two-touchdown lead with 1:57 remaining.

The 22-year-old Martinez spent the previous four seasons at Nebraska. He entered the transfer portal in December and opted to play for Kansas State. He came into this matchup with 454 yards of offense in the first three games of the season.

Kansas State was coming off a 17-10 loss to Tulane last week. The offense had just 336 total yards and went 2-of-15 on third downs in the game.

Oklahoma's offense had no problems moving the ball. It racked up 550 yards. Dillon Gabriel threw for a season-high 330 yards and four touchdowns. The junior quarterback has 11 touchdowns without an interception on 117 attempts in four games.

The problem for head coach Brent Venables was the defense and 11 penalties that cost the Sooners 87 yards.

Saturday marked Oklahoma's first home loss to an unranked opponent since Kansas State in September 2020.

Martinez did go up against Oklahoma last year with Nebraska. He was OK with 289 passing yards, 34 rushing yards and two total touchdowns in a competitive game the Sooners won, 23-16.

Wildcats head coach Chris Klieman is doing an excellent job with this program. Now in his fourth season since taking over for Bill Snyder, the 54-year-old has a 3-1 record in four games against the Sooners.

Per Alex Kirshner of Split Zone Duo podcasts, Klieman is 0-4 at Kansas State against ranked opponents outside of Oklahoma.

With Kansas State holding a 27-20 lead early in the fourth quarter, both teams traded touchdowns on the next four drives. The run began with Martinez's 15-yard rushing score with eight minutes remaining.

Oklahoma drove 75 yards in nine plays to cut the deficit down to seven with 4:36 left to play. The Wildcats put the game away with their own 75-yard scoring drive that included Martinez's heroic scamper on third down.

Brayden Willis caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from Gabriel with 35 seconds remaining, but Oklahoma's onside-kick attempt failed, allowing Kansas State to run out the clock.

A marquee win, combined with losses by No. 20 Florida, No. 21 Wake Forest, No. 22 Texas and No. 25 Miami, could push Kansas State into the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time since September 2021.

On the losing end, Oklahoma's playoff hopes are very much up in the air at this point. It will have opportunities for marquee victories, including a showdown with No. 9 Oklahoma State on Nov. 19, but its margin for error is essentially non-existent for the rest of the season.

The Sooners' first chance to rebound will come on Oct. 1 against TCU. Kansas State will host Texas Tech next Saturday.