Some of Oklahoma freshman linebacker Kobie McKinzie’s friends and family will see him suit up for the first time collegiately when the Sooners play at Texas Tech on Saturday.
McKinzie, a former four-star recruit from Lubbock, graduated from Lubbock-Cooper High School last fall before enrolling at OU in the spring. Recently, head coach Brent Venables praised his growth and said the 6-foot-2 hard hitter has “concrete in his helmet.”
“I’ve matured a lot in ways that I didn’t think I could and that’s been good for me,” McKinzie said. “Playing defense as a young guy in college, it's a different ballgame. A lot of guys in that box are very mature and older, so when you come in younger at university like this and playing the guys that you play, you grow up really fast.”
McKinzie took a winding path to Norman, committing to the Sooners under the Lincoln Riley and Alex Grinch regime, decommitting when they left for Southern California, then recommitting to OU upon Venables’ arrival.
He has only played in two games this season — against Kansas and Oklahoma State — after battling a groin injury in fall camp. But, he has completely bought into Venables message that playing time is earned, and he has tried to support his teammates from the sidelines.
“It wasn't hard to be engaged at all, because I love football, regardless if I'm playing or not,” McKinzie said. “I can be engaged with the game pretty much from anywhere — on the couch, on the field or on the sideline. It's a little different aspect on the sideline. I haven't been in that situation ever until I got to college. Like I said, it wasn't hard for me to stay engaged because I'm excited to see those guys get the things that they deserve from their work as well.”
Though he knows he will redshirt, McKinzie is already looking for opportunities to be better next season. He wasn’t surprised by the coaching staff’s hefty film study demands and he has embraced them.
“The playbook for sure,” McKinzie said of what he wants to improve on. “Understanding the game, understanding the fit, understanding the gaps, the schemes, all of that good stuff. So, just in the offseason spending more time. I won't be the youngest guy in the room, so you have to take on that role of being mature and knowing that playbook pretty well.
“I truly feel like you have to be a student of the game every day, because Coach V says he's a student every day. He's one of the greatest minds of college football. And so to become great and be at that top level, you have to be a student of the game and love it genuinely.”
Sophomore wide receiver Jalil Farooq during the game against OSU on Nov. 19.
Farooq putting drops behind him
Wide receiver Jalil Farooq has been an effective all-purpose weapon for Oklahoma this season, recording 29 catches for 387 yards and three touchdowns while also showing some burst as a rusher a kick returner.
However, in OU’s 28-13 Bedlam win over Oklahoma State, he registered three costly drops that limited the Sooners’ offense, which didn’t score after the first quarter.
To open the third quarter, Farooq bobbled a pass on second-and-5 that would’ve provided a first down and more. His struggles snowballed with a drop on first-and-10 on the next drive, then, on the next drive, another on third-and-5 that forced OU’s third straight punt.
“I felt like my first drop, I was in my head a lot,” Farooq said. “I feel like I gave up a touchdown. So I was just in my head. Just gotta get better. Learn and let go, continue to get back on the jugs (machine).”
Farooq’s sophomore season started slow, but ramped up fast midseason when he delivered key performances against Texas and Iowa State. He intends to put his struggles last week behind him and get rolling again against Texas Tech.
“He'll be able to bounce back because he's had production,” offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby said. “He knows what he's capable of. I think he knows that he left some big yards out there. To have two of the touch drops that were inside of like five, six yards from the line of scrimmage, those actually had the ability to be really big plays.
“And then obviously the scramble on third down, (quarterback Dillon Gabriel) makes an unbelievable play for us there and we have to make that play.”
Because of OU’s offensive deficiencies in the second half against the Cowboys, Farooq’s 30-yard touchdown catch to put the Sooners’ up 14-0 in the first quarter went largely unremembered. He won’t soon forget it though, and hopes to use it as a confidence booster as he tries to become a more vocal leader his team can rely on next season.
“The touchdown felt great,” Farooq said. “The scheme was great, the play was designed perfectly and we executed it.”
Redshirt senior offensive lineman Robert Congel during the season opener against Tulane on Sep. 4.
Congel called on again
Last Saturday marked the second consecutive Bedlam contest where Robert Congel filled in for an injured Andrew Raym as Oklahoma’s starting center.
Congel likely will finish the season as the Sooners’ starter, too, after Raym tweeted Tuesday he underwent successful surgery for an undisclosed injury.
Surgery was a success.. hoping for a quick recovery. Thank you all for the thoughts and prayers 🙏🏽🤟🏽
— Andrew Raym7️⃣3️⃣ (@andrew_raymBAHS) November 22, 2022
A sixth-year senior who started his career as a walk-on at Texas A&M, then transferred to OU from Arizona in 2021, Congel has been a versatile depth piece for the Sooners in his two seasons in Norman.
At times he has spelled starting left guard McKade Mettauer when needed, and will now look to step up again as the Sooners’ snapper.
“It's been challenging, but it's been good to play other positions,” Congel said. “It's always good to add value to yourself through that, and this team this season, it's just so close that I don't have to be starting to enjoy the ride with my brothers.”
During portions of the game against Oklahoma State, Congel’s shotgun snaps to quarterback Dillon Gabriel seemed a tad slow, and Lebby said the Sooners need to play cleaner in that regard moving forward.
“That's on me,” Congel said. “I gotta get those snaps back there a little bit quicker, but we worked on it today and I feel pretty good about it.
“It's just, every center snaps differently. I knuckleball it and Raym just grabs it like he's throwing a football and he sends it back there. Mine are kind of lofting back there so it’s just something I gotta work on this week. I gotta throw a fastball. It wasn’t getting there quick enough.”
