FORT WORTH, Texas — For the first time in its history, OU football will take on a service academy in a bowl matchup.
The Sooners will square off with Navy in the Armed Forces Bowl at 11 a.m. Friday in a game that will be televised on ESPN.
OU will be without linebacker Danny Stutsman and safety Billy Bowman, who have opted out of the bowl to prepare for the NFL Draft, while plenty of other players who are transferring will also be out.
The transfer portal losses include quarterback Jackson Arnold, tight end Bauer Sharp and a slew of wide receivers.
The Sooners will be looking for their first bowl victory of the Brent Venables era and to avoid their second losing season in their last three.
They’ll have a tough matchup, though.
Navy, coached by Westmoore grad Brian Newberry, runs a unique triple-option offense that stresses defenses.
The Midshipmen are looking for just the sixth 10-win season in Navy history.
More:OU football has its next starting QB, but here’s how Michael Hawkins can impact next year
More:Why Armed Forces Bowl is big deal for Brent Venables, OU football despite roster turnover
FINAL:
The Sooners’
Brent Venables went for the win, but Navy was ready.
Justin Reid sacked Michael Hawkins Jr. as the Sooners went for a go-ahead, 2-point try with six seconds left.
It was a wild drive that gave the Sooners a shot at the win, going 65 yards in 13 plays.
OU overcame a controversial incompletion ruling on a third-down pass to Jake Roberts, converting on a fourth-down pass to Roberts.
A defensive holding penalty on third-and-17 gave OU the ball at the 21 with 20 seconds left.
Then Hawkins connected on an 11-yard pass to Jacob Jordan before hitting a wide open Roberts for a 10-yard score.
—Jeff Patterson, Staff writer
Brent Venables and the Sooners only had to use one timeout, holding Navy to a quick three-and-out.
A block-in-the-back penalty on the punt backed up OU to the 35-yard line.
OU has two timeouts and 1:47 to go 65 yards for the tying score.
—Jeff Patterson, Staff writer
It’s the same old song and dance for the OU offense, which only moved the ball 13 yards in five plays and featured another crucial dropped pass.
The Sooners opted to punt on fourth-and-9 after Jake Roberts couldn’t corral Michael Hawkins’ third-down pass.
Navy takes over at its 5-yard line.
The Sooners still have all three timeouts left.
—Jeff Patterson, Staff writer
Blake Horvath capped a 12-play, 66-yard drive with a 6-yard touchdown run to give Navy its first lead of the day.
One play earlier, Horvath converted a fourth-and-3 pass to Eli Heidenreich for 16 yards.
—Jeff Patterson, Staff writer
Another five-minute drive ended with no points for the Sooners.
After Gavin Sawchuk bobbled a third-down pass, the Sooners settled for a 52-yard field-goal attempt, but Zach Schmit hooked it right.
The Sooners are still outgaining the Midshipmen 365-244, but the momentum has shifted to Navy’s side.
—Jeff Patterson, Staff writer
Michael Hawkins looked like he’d made up for his fumble.
Hawkins ripped off an apparent 56-yard touchdown run that would’ve put the Sooners back in front.
Hawkins danced as he was surrounded by teammates in the back of the end zone.
But more than 60 yards behind Hawkins, a flag was on the ground.
OU lineman Febechi Nwaiwu was called for holding, bringing the ball back to the OU 34.
Heading into the fourth quarter, the Sooners are outgaining Navy 343-244.
—Ryan Aber, Staff writer
OU avoided disaster.
After a turnover the ball deep in Sooners’ territory, OU’s defense came up with a big stop, and Midshipmen kicker Nathan Kirkwood pushed a 38-yard field goal attempt just right right to keep the score tied.
—Ryan Aber, Staff writer
All of the momentum is going Navy’s way.
On the first play after Blake Horvath’s 95-yard touchdown run, OU quarterback Michael Hawkins fumbled, giving the Midshipmen the ball at the Sooners 26.
It was the first turnover of the day for either team.
—Ryan Aber, Staff writer
Blake Horvath’s 95-yard touchdown run tied it late in the third quarter.
The run set a Navy record for the longest touchdown run and set an Armed Forces Bowl record for longest play.
Horvath’s run was the longest offensive play allowed by the Sooners since Texas’ Major Applewhite’s 97-yard pass to Wayne McGarity in 1998.
—Ryan Aber, Staff writer
Luke Elzinga bounced back from an 11-yard punt, pinning Navy inside their own 5 on a pooch punt.
OU drove to the Navy 45 before the drive stalled there.
The Sooners’ drive lasted nearly five minutes.
Navy holds a narrow 18:38-16:28 edge in time of possessions.
Neither team has completed a pass in the second half so far.
—Ryan Aber, Staff writer
OU’s defense bent once again but then bowed up to hold the Midshipmen near midfield on the first drive of the second half.
The drive took more than five minutes off the clock.
OU is outgaining Navy 273-142, including 163-55 through the air.
Navy’s punt gave OU the ball at the Sooners’ 20.
—Ryan Aber, Staff writer
Zion Kearney dropped what would’ve been a massive gain on second-and-10 from the OU 21, virtually ending the Sooners hopes of extending their lead before halftime.
Michael Hawkins Jr. scrambled for a bit before finding a wide open Kearney inside Navy territory.
But the throw was slightly underthrown but Kearney still had a great chance to catch the ball.
Kearney couldn’t haul it in, though, staying on his knees for a few moments, frustrated by his drop.
Without any timeouts, the Sooners ultimately played conservatively and took a touchdown lead into the break.
OU is outgaining Navy 265-121 at the break. The Sooners have 14 first downs compared to Navy’s four.
—Ryan Aber, Staff writer
OU’s defense came up with a stop after a rare bad punt from Luke Elzinga gave Navy strong field position in the final three minutes.
The Sooners held Navy to a three-and-out to get the ball back with 1:39 remaining in the half.
Kip Lewis leads OU so far with four tackles.
—Ryan Aber, Staff writer
The momentum continues to go Navy’s way.
After holding the Sooners to a three-and-out, the Midshipmen will get the ball back with less than three minutes left — and in OU territory.
OU punter Luke Elzinga had a rare shank, with just an 11-yard punt after Michael Hawkins’ pass on third-and-16 fell incomplete.
—Ryan Aber, Staff writer
With a short field, Navy finally took advantage against the Sooners’ defense.
The Midshipmen drove 45 yards on six plays, capped by an 11-yard touchdown run by fullback Alex Tecza.
OU had a chance to bring down Tecza two short of the first-down marker on third-and-6 but Tecza bounced through the tackles and finished off the run into the end zone.
The big play on the drive was a 21-yard pass after Navy lined up on third-and-1 looking like Blake Horvath was going to try a keeper.
Horvath instead pulled up and found Cody Howard for a 21-yard gain to set up Tecza’s touchdown run three plays later.
—Ryan Aber, Staff writer
Once again, OU couldn’t convey on short yardage.
The Sooners were stopped twice at their own 45, with Gavin Sawchuk stopped for no gain on third down and Michael Hawkins Jr. stopped short of the line-to-gain on fourth down for OU’s second consecutive turnover on downs to give Navy the ball inside Sooners territory.
OU is outgaining the Midshipmen 227-79.
—Ryan Aber, Staff writer
OU finally went a defensive drive without allowing a big play.
But the Sooners will start inside their own 10 after a 70-yard punt pinned the Sooners at the 8.
OU’s defense held Navy to a three-and-out after turning the ball over on downs at the Navy 20.
—Ryan Aber, Staff writer
In his final game in a long Sooners career, Woodi Washington has his first career reception.
Washington caught a 28-yard pass on a fake punt to keep the Sooners’ drive alive.
Punter Luke Elzinga, a former high school quarterback, completed the pass and is now 3 for 3 for 68 yards on fake punts this season.
The Sooners faced fourth-and-3 from their own 44.
But OU still came up empty on the drive, after Navy’s Kyle Jacob stopped Xavier Robinson for no gain on fourth-and-1 from the Navy 20.
—Ryan Aber, Staff writer
OU’s defense once again had one busted play but once again, the Sooners’ tightened down after that.
A play after Ethan Downs hit Blake Horvath for a 4-yard loss, the Navy quarterback broke off a 37-yard run.
But then the Sooners stopped the Midshipmen, including forcing an incomplete pass on fourth-and-5 from the 25 to put the ball back in the hands of their offense.
—Ryan Aber, Staff writer
Michael Hawkins Jr. scrambled from one side of the field to the other.
But instead of taking off running with plenty of space in front of him, Hawkins floated a pass downfield to freshman wide receiver Zion Kearney for a 56-yard touchdown pass.
The touchdown reception was the first of Kearney’s career and the first touchdown pass for Hawkins since Sept. 21 against Tennessee.
OU is outgaining Navy 140-39.
—Ryan Aber, Staff writer
OU’s first look at the triple option mostly went smoothly.
Navy did burn the Sooners for a 32-yard pass on third down to start, but then OU forced a punt a few plays later to put the ball back in its defense’s hands.
The Midshipmen gained seven yards on four running plays on the drive.
—Ryan Aber, Staff writer
Gavin Sawchuk already has more yards than he did in any game this season.
Sawchuk had four carries for 37 yards on the Sooners’ first drive of the game, including a 21-yard touchdown run to cap off OU’s nine-play, 65-yard scoring drive.
Freshman quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. was 3 for 3 for 19 yards with two carries for nine yards on the opening drive.
Sawchuk hadn’t had a run of longer than eight yards this season entering the game but had a nine-yard run on his second carry of the game and then four plays later, took it 21 yards for the score.
He hadn’t had more than 16 yards in any game coming in.
Sawchuk made his first start since Sept. 14 against Tulane.
—Ryan Aber, Staff writer
More:Navy football coach Brian Newberry shares ‘pretty neat’ bond with Oklahoma father and son
OU wide receiver Deion Burks is not suited up during warmups ahead of the Armed Forces Bowl against Navy on Friday.
Burks missed seven regular-season games this season due to injury and finished with 31 catches for 245 yards and three touchdowns. Burks said last Monday he was practicing with the team during bowl prep and hoped to play.
The former Purdue standout announced earlier this month he intends to return to the Sooners in 2025.
With Nic Anderson, Andrel Anthony, Jalil Farooq, J.J. Hester, Jaquaize Pettaway and Brenen Thompson gone, Burks is expected to be the leader in the room in 2025.
“Easy decision, man,” Burks said of his decision. “Just want to come back. … Got great characters here, coach BV, I believe in his plan, what he has going on. I believe in coach Emmett Jones. … I wanted to leave the place better than I found it.”
—Colton Sulley, Staff writer
More:Oklahoma, Brent Venables go all-in with transfer quarterback John Mateer. Will it work?
More:How Ben Arbuckle is ‘bringing that energy’ for OU football during Armed Forces Bowl prep
OU vs. Navy in the Armed Forces Bowl will be broadcast nationally on ESPN. Courtney Lyle and Rene Ingoglia will call the game from the booth at Amon G. Carter Stadium, with Morgan Uber reporting from the sidelines. Streaming options for the game includes FUBO, which offers a free trial to new subscribers.
More:Brent Venables excited about QB John Mateer joining OU football: ‘He’ll make us better’
More:OU football vs Navy: Inside the matchups for Sooners-Midshipmen in Armed Forces Bowl
Here are a selection of picks from The Oklahoman staff. Our full predictions can be found here.
Navy 24, OU 21
ANCHORS AWEIGH
Midshipmen’s triple option gives Sooners defense playing without Danny Stutsman and Billy Bowman fits. Michael Hawkins Jr. and Xavier Robinson are effective on the ground but it’s not enough as Navy pulls it off.
Navy 23, OU 21
OPT-OUT
Navy’s triple-option flummoxes OU in Armed Forces Bowl. Midshipmen control clock, holding on as Sooners miss late field goal.
Navy 27, OU 21
KNOT TOO BAD
With opt-outs and portal defections galore, the Sooners struggle on both sides of the ball. Blake Horvath and the Midshipmen continue their momentum from the Army game and edge out a victory.
More:OU football vs Navy predictions: Who wins Armed Forces Bowl game?
Game lines and odds from BetMGM as of Friday:
More:How OU football punter Luke Elzinga is thriving in a role he never thought he’d have
The biggest unknown for the Sooners is the status of wide receiver Deion Burks, who played in just one of OU’s last eight games due to injury.
Burks said earlier this month that he hoped to play in the game.
If Burks isn’t available, the Sooners would not have a non-freshman scholarship wide receiver available.
OU will be without running back Jovantae Barnes.
More:Why OU football will be challenged by Navy triple option: ‘Scratch everything you learned’
Temperature at kickoff is expected to be 60 degrees with winds of about 9 mph from the south-southwest according to the National Weather Service. There is no chance of precipitation.
More:OU football vs. Navy: TV channel, betting line, scouting report for Armed Forces Bowl
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