Big 12
Big 12 Preview Series: Expectations Remain Very High For Oklahoma in 2020
WVSN’s Big 12 Preview Series will give a snapshot of all nine of WVU football’s Big 12 opponents throughout this week. The schedule for this week is:
Monday: Baylor and Iowa State
Tuesday: Kansas and Kansas State
Wednesday: Oklahoma and Oklahoma State
Thursday: TCU and Texas
Friday: Texas Tech
Oklahoma has won five consecutive Big 12 football championships and, and in 2020 the Sooners are expected to be at the top of the league again.
Much like Baylor and Kansas State, Oklahoma lost lots of talent to graduation. However, unlike the Bears and Wildcats, the Sooners could have enough talent returning for 2020 to not miss a beat this season.
On offense, the Sooners have ridden the play of three Heisman Trophy caliber quarterbacks in Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray and Jalen Hurts (with Mayfield and Murray winning the award in consecutive seasons prior to Hurts placing as a finalist in 2019). This season, however, OU will turn to redshirt freshman Spencer Rattler to lead. Rattler was the top quarterback prospect in the entire 2019 recruiting class but saw very limited time last season.
So far, so good for the OU freshman in 2020. In the Sooners’ season-opening win over Missouri State on Saturday, Rattler completed 14 of 17 passes for 290 yards and four touchdowns.
All five starting offensive linemen from 2019 are back again in 2020 to protect Rattler. Highlighting that group is center Creed Humphrey, who was named the Big 12 Co-Offensive Lineman of the year last season alongside West Virginia’s Colton McKivitz. During Big 12 Football Media Day on Big 12 Now, Humphrey said the offensive line has big expectations for 2020.
“We fully believe there’s no reason for us not to have the best offensive line in the country year in and year out,” Humphrey said. “We had a good season last year, but it wasn’t up to our standards. ”
OU will also be without starting running back Kennedy Brooks, who opted out of the 2020 season.
On defense, the Sooners will miss middle linebacker Kenneth Murray, an all-conference player and first-round NFL Draft selection, but will return first team All-Big 12 defensive end Ronnie Perkins.
Five Key Departures:
QB Jalen Hurts
- Heisman Trophy finalist in 2019
- 1st Team All-Big 12 in 2019
- Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year in 2019
- Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year Finalist in 2019
- 3,851 passing yards, 69.7 percent completion, 32 TD, 8 INT
- 1,298 rushing yards, 20 TD
WR CeeDee Lamb
- 1st Team All-Big 12
- Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year Finalist
- 62 rec., 1,327 yards, 14 TD
LB Kenneth Murray
- 1st Team All-Big 12 in 2019
- 102 tackles, 17 TFL, 4 sacks, 4 PBU
CB Parnell Motley
- 2nd Team All-Big 12
- 41 tackles, 1 INT, 13 PBU
RB Kennedy Brooks
- Opted out of 2020 season
- 2nd Team All-Big 12
- 1,011 yards, 6 TD
Top Five Returners:
QB Spencer Rattler
- Preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year in 2020
- No. 1 QB prospect in 2019 recruiting class
- 7-11, 81 passing yards, 1 TD
WR Charleston Rambo
- Preseason All-Big 12 in 2020
- 48 rec., 743 yards, 5 TD
C Creed Humphrey
- Big 12 Co-Offensive Lineman of the Year in 2019-
- 1st Team All-Big 12 in 2019-
- Preseason All-Big 12 in 2020-
- Rimmington Trophy Finalist-
- 26 starts in first two seasons
RT Adrian Ealy
- 2nd Team All-Big 12 in 2019
- Preseason All-Big 12 in 2020
DE Ronnie Perkins
- 1st Team All-Big 12 in 2019
- Preseason All-Big 12 in 2020
- 38 tackles, 13.5 TFL, 6 sacks
Schedule:
- Sept. 12 vs Missouri State
- Won, 48-0
- Sept. 26 vs Kansas State
- Oct. 3 at Iowa State
- Oct. 10 vs Texas
- Oct. 24 at TCU
- Oct. 31 at Texas Tech
- Nov. 7 vs Kansas
- Nov. 21 vs Oklahoma State
- Nov. 28 at WVU
- Dec. 5 vs Baylor
