The Oklahoman

Murray nabs award, freshmen defenders emerging

- Joe Mussatto jmussatto@ oklahoman.com

The season is just two weeks old, but it’s already clear which OU freshmen will become key contributo­rs and which are likely to redshirt.

Freshman defensive players Brendan RadleyHile­s, Ronnie Perkins and

DaShaun White have already combined for 20 tackles. All three are on track to soon surpass the redshirt threshold.

College football’s new redshirt rule allows players to participat­e in up to four games and still redshirt and maintain an extra year of eligibilit­y. The Oklahoman will monitor how the Sooners are using the rule each week in our redshirt tracker.

Players who are out for the season with injuries are not listed. Upperclass­men contributo­rs with redshirts available are not listed because they will far exceed four games played.

The games played informatio­n comes from OU’s official participat­ion logs.

Played in two games, can appear in up to two more and redshirt

Offense

Tanner Mordecai, quarterbac­k, freshman

T.J. Pledger, running back, freshman

Jaylon Robinson, wide receiver, freshman

Drake Stoops, wide receiver, freshman

Brayden Willis, tight end, freshman

Defense/special teams

Nik Bonitto, linebacker, freshman

Miguel Edwards, defensive back, freshman

Ronnie Perkins, defensive end, freshman

Brendan Radley-Hiles, nickelback, freshman

DaShaun White, linebacker, freshman

Played in one game, can appear in up to three more and redshirt

Offense

Coby Tillman, fullback, freshman

Defense/special teams Gabe Brkic, kicker, freshman

Patrick Fields, safety, freshman

Jordan Kelley, defensive tackle, freshman

Played in no games, can appear in up to four more and redshirt (scholarshi­p players only)

Offense

Jaquayln Crawford, wide receiver, freshman

Tramonda Moore, offensive lineman, junior

Darrell Simpson, offensive lineman, freshman

David Swaby, offensive lineman, sophomore

Brey Walker, offensive lineman, freshman

Defense/special teams Brian Asamoah, linebacker, freshman

Ron Tatum, defensive lineman, freshman

Michael Thompson, defensive lineman, freshman

Delarrin Turner-Yell, safety, freshman

Murray earns honor

Oklahoma quarterbac­k Kyler Murray was named Walter Camp Offensive Player of the Week for his performanc­e Saturday in OU's 49-21 win against UCLA.

The redshirt junior was 19 for 33 through the air for 306 yards and three touchdowns. Murray threw one intercepti­on, his first of the season.

He was OU's leading rusher with 69 yards and two touchdowns. They were the first rushing scores of Murray's Sooner career. Saturday was the first game a quarterbac­k led the Sooners in rushing yards since Trevor Knight had 146 rushing yards against Iowa State in 2014.

Former OU quarterbac­k Baker Mayfield, the man Murray is replacing, won the Walter Camp Player of the Year award last season.

Rise in ranks

Oklahoma continued its gradual climb in the AP Poll this week. The Sooners checked in at No. 5, up one spot from last week, after beating UCLA 49-21 on Saturday.

The top-four remained the same in this week's rankings: Alabama, Clemson, Georgia and Ohio State. OU flipped spots with Wisconsin, as the Badgers fell from No. 5 to No. 6.

Oklahoma is the highestran­ked Big 12 team. West Virginia checked in at No. 14, TCU at No. 15 and Oklahoma State at No. 24.

 ?? [PHOTO BY BRYAN TERRY, THE OKLAHOMAN] ?? Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray, left, scrambles past UCLA’s Osa Odighizuwa during Saturday’s game at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Oklahoma won 49-21.
[PHOTO BY BRYAN TERRY, THE OKLAHOMAN] Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray, left, scrambles past UCLA’s Osa Odighizuwa during Saturday’s game at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Oklahoma won 49-21.
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