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2018 Oklahoma Sooners football team


2018 Oklahoma Sooners football
Big 12 Conference
No. 4
No. 4
12–2 (8–1 Big 12)
Lincoln Riley (2nd season)
Cale Gundy (2nd season)Bill Bedenbaugh (2nd season)
Air raid
Mike Stoops (12th season; first 6 games)Ruffin McNeill (interim; remainder of season)
3–4
Rodney AndersonKenneth MannKenneth MurrayBen PowersAustin Seibert
Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium

The 2018 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season, the 124th season for the Oklahoma Sooners. The team is led by Lincoln Riley, who is in his second year as head coach. They play their home games at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma. They are a charter member of the Big 12 Conference.

Conference play began with a 37–27 win against Iowa State in Ames, Iowa and ended with a 59–56 win against West Virginia in Morgantown, West Virginia. Oklahoma finished conference play with the best record in the conference with an 8–1 record. They went on to play Texas in the 2018 Big 12 Championship Game, which they won 39–27 to win their twelfth, and fourth consecutive, Big 12 championship.

In the final College Football Playoff rankings of the season, Oklahoma was ranked fourth, earning them a spot in the 2018 Orange Bowl, in a national semi-final game against first-seeded Alabama. This was Oklahoma's second consecutive and third overall CFP bid. The Sooners lost to the Crimson Tide, 34–45, marking the sixth consecutive loss for the school in CFP semi-finals or BCS national championship games.

Sooners quarterback Kyler Murray, following in the wake of Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield, earned several national honors himself, including winning the school's second consecutive and seventh overall Heisman Trophy. This was the first time that quarterbacks from the same school won the award in back to back seasons.

The Sooners signed a total of 22 recruits.

College recruiting information (2018)
Brey Walker OTMoore, OklahomaSouthmoore High School6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)320 lb (150 kg)Nov 28, 2015
Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Patrick Fields STulsa, OklahomaUnion High School6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)190 lb (86 kg)Mar 5, 2017
Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
T.J. Pledger RBWest Hills, CaliforniaIMG Academy5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)190 lb (86 kg)Mar 25, 2017
Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Jordan Kelley DTTulsa, OklahomaUnion High School6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)293 lb (133 kg)Mar 26, 2017
Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Miguel Edwards CBDeerfield Beach, FloridaDeerfield Beach High School6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)164 lb (74 kg)Apr 28, 2017
Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Starrland Baldwin CBHouston, TexasCypress Falls High School5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)172 lb (78 kg)May 11, 2017
Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Tanner Mordecai QBWaco, TexasMidway High School6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)197 lb (89 kg)Jun 1, 2017
Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Ron Tatum DEOklahoma City, OklahomaPutnam City High School6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)269 lb (122 kg)Jun 12, 2017
Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Tramonda Moore OTOklahoma City, OklahomaIndependence Community College6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)330 lb (150 kg)Jun 18, 2017
Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Kundarrius Taylor WRMemphis, TennesseeRidgeway High School6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)200 lb (91 kg)Jun 23, 2017
Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Jaylon Robinson WRFort Worth, TexasAll Saints' Episcopal School5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)170 lb (77 kg)Jun 26, 2017
Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Jaquayln Crawford WRRockdale, TexasRockdale High School5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)163 lb (74 kg)Jul 17, 2017
Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Jalen Redmond DEMidwest City, OklahomaMidwest City High School6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)233 lb (106 kg)Jul 29, 2017
Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Darrell Simpson OTJustin, TexasNorthwest High School6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)336 lb (152 kg)Aug 12, 2017
Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Delarrin Turner-Yell SHempstead, TexasHempstead High School5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)170 lb (77 kg)Aug 26, 2017
Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Brian Asamoah II LBColumbus, OhioSt. Francis DeSales High School6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)210 lb (95 kg)Sep 7, 2017
Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Ronnie Perkins DESt. Louis, MissouriLutheran High School North6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)260 lb (120 kg)Oct 29, 2017
Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Nik Bonitto LBFort Lauderdale, FloridaSt. Thomas Aquinas High School6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)200 lb (91 kg)Jan 4, 2018
Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Brendan Radley-Hiles CBCalabasas, CaliforniaIMG Academy5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)183 lb (83 kg)Jan 6, 2018
Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
DaShaun White LBNorth Richland Hills, TexasRichland High School6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)222 lb (101 kg)Jan 6, 2018
Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Brayden Willis TEArlington, TexasMartin High School6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)220 lb (100 kg)Jan 29, 2018
Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Michael Thompson DTCreve Coeur, MissouriParkway North High School6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)273 lb (124 kg)Feb 7, 2018
Recruit ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:
Overall recruit ranking:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.
Sources:

"2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. | | | | | |

Listed in the order that they were released

AwardPlayerPositionYear
Lott TrophyCaleb KellyLBJR
Rimington TrophyJonathan AlvarezCSR
Maxwell AwardRodney AndersonRBJR
Kyler MurrayQBJR
Doak Walker AwardRodney AndersonRBJR
Fred Biletnikoff AwardMarquise BrownWRJR
CeeDee LambWRSO
John Mackey AwardGrant CalcaterraTESO
Butkus AwardCaleb KellyLBJR
Outland TrophyBobby EvansOLJR
Ben PowersOLSR
Dru SamiaOLSR
Lou Groza AwardAustin SeibertK/PSR
Ray Guy AwardAustin SeibertK/PSR
Wuerffel TrophyCaleb KellyLBJR
Walter Camp AwardRodney AndersonRBJR
Earl Campbell Tyler Rose AwardRodney AndersonRBJR
CeeDee LambWRSO

The Big 12 media poll was released on July 12, 2018 with the Sooners predicted to win the Big 12. The Sooners received 46 of 52 first place votes.

Oklahoma announced its 2018 football schedule on October 26, 2017. The 2018 schedule consists of 7 home games, 4 away games and 1 neutral-site game in the regular season. The Sooners will host three non-conference games against FAU, UCLA and Army. Oklahoma will host Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State and travel to Iowa State, TCU, Texas Tech, West Virginia in regular conference play. Oklahoma will play Texas in Dallas, Texas at the Cotton Bowl Stadium on October 6 in the Red River Showdown, the 113th game played in the series.

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
September 111:00 a.m.Florida Atlantic*No. 7Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial StadiumNorman, OKFOXW 63–1486,402
September 812:00 p.m.UCLA*No. 6Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial StadiumNorman, OKFOXW 49–2186,402
September 1511:00 a.m.at Iowa StateNo. 5Jack Trice StadiumAmes, IAABCW 37–2758,479
September 226:00 p.m.Army*No. 5Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial StadiumNorman, OKFSN PPVW 28–21 OT87,177
September 292:30 p.m.BaylorNo. 6Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial StadiumNorman, OKABCW 66–3386,642
October 611:00 a.m.vs. No. 19 TexasNo. 7Cotton Bowl StadiumDallas, TX (Red River Showdown) (College GameDay)FOXL 45–4892,300
October 2011:00 a.m.at TCUNo. 9Amon G. Carter StadiumFort Worth, TXABCW 52–2745,055
October 272:30 p.m.Kansas StateNo. 8Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial StadiumNorman, OKFOXW 51–1486,436
November 37:00 p.m.at Texas TechNo. 7Jones AT&T StadiumLubbock, TXABCW 51–4660,454
November 102:30 p.m.Oklahoma StateNo. 6Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial StadiumNorman, OK (Bedlam Series)ABCW 48–4787,635
November 176:30 p.m.KansasNo. 6Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial StadiumNorman, OKFOXW 55–4086,371
.mw-parser-output .tooltip-dotted{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}November 237:00 p.m.at No. 13 West VirginiaNo. 6Mountaineer FieldMorgantown, WVESPNW 59–5660,713
December 111:00 a.m.vs. No. 14 TexasNo. 5AT&T StadiumArlington, TX (Red River Showdown/Big 12 Championship Game)ABCW 39–2783,114
December 297:00 p.m.vs. No. 1 Alabama*No. 4Hard Rock StadiumMiami Gardens, FL (Orange Bowl–CFP Semifinal) (College GameDay / SEC Nation)ESPNL 34–4566,203
*Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after October 30 released prior to gameAll times are in Central time
Column 1Column 2Column 3Column 4Column 5
2018 Oklahoma Sooners Football
Quarterback

 1 Kyler Murray – junior (5'10, 195)  3 Connor McGinnis – junior (6'4, 202)  9 Tanner Schafer – sophomore (6'3, 193) 10 Austin Kendall – sophomore (6'1, 210) 14 Reece Clark – junior (6'4, 199) 15 Tanner Mordecai – freshman (6'2, 206) Running backs

 4 Trey Sermon – sophomore (6'0, 224) 21 Marcelias Sutton – senior (5'9, 192) 22 TJ Pledger – freshman (5'9, 200) 24 Rodney Anderson – junior (6'0, 211) 26 Kennedy Brooks – freshman (5'11, 205) 27 Jeremiah Hall – freshman (6'2, 252) (FB+) 29 Joe Castiglione Jr. – junior (5'11, 184) (FB+) 36 Isaiah Harris – freshman (5'9, 199) 39 Michael Anderson – freshman (5'8, 170) 41 Coby Tillman – Freshman (5'11, 233) (FB+) 45 Carson Meier – senior (6'5, 254) (FB+) Wide receiver

 2 CeeDee Lamb – sophomore (6'2, 189)  3 Mykel Jones – junior (5'11, 188)  5 Marquise Brown – junior (5'10, 168) 12 A.D. Miller – junior (6'3, 189) 14 Charleston Rambo – freshman (6'1, 175) 17 Jaquayln Crawford – freshman (5'10, 176) 25 Drake Stoops – freshman (5'9, 169) 28 Reggie Turner – senior (5'8, 155) 37 Spencer Jones – junior (6'1, 193) 38 Devin Staton – freshman (6'2, 195) 82 Andrew Magee – freshman (6'3, 197) 83 Nick Basquine – senior (5'11, 192) 84 Lee Morris – junior (6'2, 207) 85 Sam Iheke – junior (6'4, 201) 86 Karsten Mathis – freshman (6'4, 195) 87 Myles Tease – senior (5'9, 171) 88 Chase Nevel – senior (6'0, 184) 89 Jaylon Robinson – freshman (5'9, 163) Tight ends

49 Dane Saltarelli – freshman (6'3, 231) 80 Grant Calcaterra – sophomore (6'4, 221) 81 Brayden Willis – freshman (6'3, 221) Long snappers

51 Kasey Kelleher – freshman (5'10, 224) 53 Jax Wilson – freshman (6'4, 231) 57 Zach Edwards – freshman (5'10, 185) | | Offensive lineman

52 Tyrese Robinson – OL – freshman (6'3, 332) 54 Marquis Hayes – OG – freshman (6'5, 351) 56 Creed Humphrey – C – freshman (6'5, 325) 59 Adrian Ealy – OT – freshman (6'6, 328) 61 Ian McIver – OL – freshman (6'3, 324) 62 David Swaby – OT – sophomore (6'9, 320) 63 Alex Dalton – C – senior (6'3, 290) 66 Logan Roberson – OL – sophomore (6'3, 341) 69 Clayton Woods – C – junior (6'2, 287) 70 Brey Walker – OT – freshman (6'6, 338) 71 Bobby Evans – OL – junior (6'4, 299) 72 Ben Powers – OL – senior (6'4, 320) 73 Quinn Mittermeier – OL – senior (6'5, 265) 74 Cody Ford – OL – junior (6'3, 317) 75 Dru Samia – OT – senior (6'4, 274) 76 Dalton Bishop – C – sophomore (6'5, 289) 77 Erik Swenson – OT – sophomore (6'5, 311) 79 Darrell Simpson – OT – freshman (6'5, 301) Defensive lineman

 7 Ronnie Perkins – DE – freshman (6'3, 234) 31 Jalen Redmond – DE – sophomore (6'2, 253) (LB+) 41 K'Jakyre Daley – DE – freshman (6'2, 254) (LB+) 42 Mark Jackson Jr. – DE – junior (6'3, 265) (LB+) 50 Arthur McGinnis – DT – junior (6'1, 265) 55 Kenneth Mann – DE – junior (6'3, 255) 72 Amani Bledsoe – DE – junior (6'5, 270) 88 Jordan Kelley – DT – freshman (6'3, 297) 90 Neville Gallimore – DL – junior (6'3, 320) 91 Dillion Faamatau – DT – junior (6'3, 219) 92 Michael Thompson – DT – freshman (6'5, 336) 93 Tyreece Lott – DE – sophomore (6'2, 301) 94 Troy James – DT – freshman (6'1, 304) 95 Isaiah Thomas – DE – freshman (6'5, 254) 96 Caden Blanchard – DT – freshman (6'2, 299) 97 Marquise Overton – DT – senior (6'1, 315) 98 Zacchaeus McKinney – DT – freshman (6'3, 306) 99 Ron Tatum – DL – freshman (6'5, 270) | | Linebacker

 9 Kenneth Murray – sophomore (6'2, 238) 18 Curtis Bolton – senior (6'0, 232) 19 Caleb Kelly – junior (6'3, 221) 23 DaShaun White – freshman (6'0, 221) 24 Brian Asamoah II – freshman (6'1, 219) 30 Levi Draper – freshman (6'1, 226) 33 Ryan Jones – freshman (6'2, 236) 35 Nik Bonitto – freshman (6'3, 225) 36 Josh Schenck – sophomore (5'11, 209) 38 Bryan Mead – sophomore (6'2, 230) 40 Jon-Michael Terry – sophomore (6'3, 241) 48 Deuce Nisbet – freshman (6'1, 214) 49 Travis DeGrate – freshman (6'2, 232) Defensive backs

 1 Jordan Parker – S – sophomore (6'1, 190)  6 Tre Brown – CB – sophomore (5'10, 182)  8 Kahlil Haughton – S – senior (6'1, 197) 10 Patrick Fields – S – freshman (5'11, 193) 11 Parnell Motley – CB – junior (6'0, 177) 12 Starrland Baldwin – CB – freshman (5'11, 161) 13 Tre Norwood – CB – sophomore (6'0, 179) 16 Miguel Edwards – CB – freshman (5'11, 173) 20 Robert Barnes – S – sophomore (6'2, 207) 25 Justin Broiles – DB – freshman (5'10, 181) 26 Caleb Murphy – DB – freshman (5'11, 207) 28 Chanse Sylvie – S – junior (5'11, 187) 29 Prentice McKinney – S – senior (6'1, 187) 32 Delarrin Turner-Yell – S – freshman (5'10, 175) 34 Tanner Baum – CB – sophomore (5'11, 196) 35 Robert Charlton II – DB – junior (5'10, 181) 44 Brendan Radley-Hiles – DB – freshman (5'9, 186) Placekickers

30 Calum Sutherland – freshman (5'9, 191) 43 Austin Seibert – senior (5'10, 214) (+P) 47 Gabe Brkic – freshman (6'2, 189) (+P) 48 Stephen Johnson – freshman (6'1, 185) Punter

46 Reeves Mundschau – freshman (5'11, 179) |

NamePositionAlma materJoined staff
Lincoln RileyHead Coach / QuarterbacksTexas Tech (2006)2015/2017
Ruffin McNeillAssistant Head Coach / Interim Defensive CoordinatorEast Carolina (1980)2017
Shane BeamerAssistant Head Coach / Tight Ends and H-BacksVirginia Tech (1999)2018
Cale GundyCo-Offensive Coordinator/ Inside Receivers / Recruiting CoordinatorOklahoma (1994)1999
Bill BedenbaughCo-Offensive Coordinator / Offensive LineIowa Wesleyan (1995)2013
Kerry CooksAssistant Defensive Coordinator / Defensive BacksIowa (1997)2015
Jay BoulwareSpecial Teams Coordinator / Running BacksTexas (1996)2013
Tim KishInside LinebackersOtterbein (1976)2012
Bob DiacoOutside LinebackersIowa (1995)2018
Dennis SimmonsOutside ReceiversBYU (1997)2015
Calvin ThibodeauxDefensive LineOklahoma (2006)2016
Bennie WylieDirector of Sports PerformanceSam Houston State (1999)2018
Clarke StroudDirector of Football OperationsOklahoma (1990)2018
Jamarkus McFarlandGraduate assistantOklahoma (2013)2016

Kansas State has a week off between the previous win against Oklahoma State and their next game against Oklahoma. Oklahoma's new defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill was able to simplify the defensive plan which helped turn out good results against Texas Christian in the previous week with a Sooner victory 52-27. K-State's Coach Snyder commented: "They're very much the same football team that they were on the defensive side of the ball, on both sides actually, but certainly on the defensive side. I saw some tweaks, a few things, that you might consider to be changes -- don't know if they're changes or are just there and hadn't surfaced previously. But by and large, it's the same defense."

When the game rolled around, both the offense and the defense for Oklahoma performed to control the game from start to finish, with a final score of 51-14 and an Oklahoma win.

  • Trey Sermon 124 rushing yards
1234Total
No. 14 Longhorns7713027
No. 5 Sooners31771239
StatisticsTEXOU
First downs2329
Plays–yards437508
Rushes–yards32–8840–129
Passing yards349379
Passing: Comp–Att–Int23–37–125–34–0
Time of possession28:0032:00
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
TexasPassingSam Ehlinger25/36, 349 yards, 2 TD, INT
RushingSam Ehlinger14 carries, 42 yards, TD
ReceivingCollin Johnson8 receptions, 177 yards, TD
OklahomaPassingKyler Murray25/34, 379 yards, 3 TD
RushingTrey Sermon18 carries, 65 yards, TD
ReceivingCeeDee Lamb6 receptions, 167 yards, TD
StatisticsOKLABAMA
First downs2628
Plays–yards69–47170–528
Rushes–yards32–16342–200
Passing yards308328
Passing: comp–att–int19–37–025–28–0
Time of possession23:5236:08
TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
PassingKyler Murray19/37, 308 yds, 2 TD
RushingKyler Murray17 car, 109 yds, 1 TD
ReceivingCeeDee Lamb8 rec, 109 yds, 1 TD
PassingTua Tagovailoa24/27, 318 yds, 4 TD
RushingJosh Jacobs15 car, 98 yds
ReceivingDeVonta Smith6 rec, 104 yds, 1 TD

Scores against non-conference opponents

1234OTTotal
Opponents1471421056
Oklahoma563131217146

Scores against the Big 12

1234Total
Opponents72998780338
Oklahoma104145100115464

Scores against all opponents

1234OTTotal
Opponents861061011010394
Oklahoma1601761311367610

Oklahoma had eight players selected in the 2019 NFL draft.

RoundPickPlayerPositionNFL team
11Kyler MurrayQuarterbackArizona Cardinals
125Marquise BrownWide receiverBaltimore Ravens
238Cody FordOffensive tackleBuffalo Bills
397Bobby EvansOffensive lineLos Angeles Rams
4114Dru SamiaGuardMinnesota Vikings
4123Ben PowersGuardBaltimore Ravens
5170Austin SeibertKickerCleveland Browns
6211Rodney AndersonRunning backCincinnati Bengals
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