Peyton Bowen’s instincts and intelligence have always flashed to those around him.
They were particularly on display when he inadvertently blocked a punt in the Sooners’ 28-11 win over SMU. Bowen was supposed to be blocking on the play to create a lane for his teammates to rush the punter. Shortly after the snap, he realized there was no one to block but saw another opportunity arise and didn’t hesitate to take it.
“I saw no guard, no shield, and I was like, ‘Let’s go make a play,’” Bowen said postgame. “That’s what I did and it ended up working out in our favor. It’s one of those take a risk moments, and it worked.
“(The coaches) didn’t even ask questions. I might get told about it tomorrow, but they didn’t say anything on the sidelines.”
The blocked punt by Peyton Bowen. 🔥pic.twitter.com/BnBGYBgI2m
— 𝕺𝖐𝖑𝖆𝖍𝖔𝖒𝖆 𝖛𝖘. 𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖂𝖔𝖗𝖑𝖉 (@soonergridiron) September 9, 2023
Later in the game, Bowen, lined up as a linebacker, broke up a pass on 4th and 5 to give OU the ball back and maintain its 10-point lead.
The freshman @PeytonBowen10 with a clutch PBU on 4th down. 🔥pic.twitter.com/JvHO1V9pxV
— 𝕺𝖐𝖑𝖆𝖍𝖔𝖒𝖆 𝖛𝖘. 𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖂𝖔𝖗𝖑𝖉 (@soonergridiron) September 10, 2023
The former five-star recruit may have a chance to further display his versatility when the Sooners (2-0) face Tulsa (1-1) at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. The statuses of starting cheetah Justin Harrington and backup Dasan McCullough are unknown, meaning Bowen is a candidate to fill in at the hybrid safety-linebacker spot.
“The really great ones, almost invariably, are capable of doing just about anything on the field,” Bowen’s former coach Rodney Webb said. “It speaks to Peyton’s football instincts, intellect (and) ball skills. … He’s such a versatile player; there’s so many different ways a defensive coordinator can use him. He can impact the game in so many different ways.”
Ahead of 2023, significant playing time wasn’t guaranteed for Bowen. He was listed as the Sooners’ second-string strong safety behind junior Billy Bowman. Fellow five-star freshman Jackson Arnold is backing up redshirt senior quarterback Dillon Gabriel while five-star defensive end PJ Adebawore has accumulated one tackle in his limited opportunity.
Bowen is different. The difficulties that come with being a freshman, particularly learning multiple positions in Brent Venables’ complex defense, haven’t overwhelmed him.
The Sooners struggled to find a consistent starter at cheetah last season due to the complexity it presents. Harrington admitted to struggling with learning the spot last season while McCullough experienced the same during OU’s spring practices.
Bowen, a 19-year old with less than a season to learn the position, has earned enough trust to see glimpses of action at cheetah.
“If I want to play, I need to know all those positions,” Bowen said. “Justin Harrington lost his helmet, so I’m like, ‘Alright, I got it. I’m going in at Cheetah.’ I’m waiting on the sidelines every third down ready to go in because I want to play. I want to get those moments (and) get thrown into the fire. It’s a great experience.”
Against SMU’s up-tempo offense, Bowen was able to slow down, know his job and execute it despite a few head-spinning moments. He’s been doing it since arriving at OU and has earned the trust of the Sooners’ coaches while eclipsing their expectations.
“Once he got (to OU), (the coaches) would tell me, ‘We knew he was good. We didn’t know he was this good,” Amee, Peyton's mother, said.
While Bowen has already made impact plays with the Sooners at a variety of positions, his future improvement is what excites Venables.
“He's only going to get better,” Venables said. “... He makes plays, and he's super coachable. I love his humility. He has no ego whatsoever, and that's what is going to allow him to become a great player. He's a hard working dude. He cares about his teammates, and he values his opportunity.”
