Report Card for Oklahoma Sooners 35-3 win over Illinois State

The Oklahoma Sooners opened the season with a decisive 35-3 win over the Illinois State Redbirds on Saturday night in Norman. Marking the start of a new season, John Mateer dazzled en route to a school record for passing yards in a debut.

While the outcome may not have had the point margin many were expecting, the Sooners still played a strong game. They took care of business on both sides of the ball and dominated their opponent in the most important category: the scoreboard.

After Oklahoma's Week 1 win over the Illinois State Redbirds, let's take a look at our first report card of the season.

Quarterback: A

John Mateer had a fantastic debut for the Oklahoma Sooners, setting a new school record for passing yards in a debut. He was 30 of 37 for 392 yards and three touchdowns and added another 24 yards and a touchdown on the ground. His performance would have garnered an A+, but the interception and a few other throws that were just off kept it from being the perfect performance. Still, a lot to like from Mateer in his Sooners debut.

Running Back: B

Tory Blaylock seemed to be the only Oklahoma running back that could consistently find the hole in the running game. he ran for 45 yards on eight carries, averaging 5.5 yards per carry. Starter Jovantae Barnes averaged just 1.3 yards per carry, and Xavier Robinson averaged only 2.1 yards per carry. That's a stark contrast to Blaylock.

Yes, the Sooners weren't showing a lot of their run concepts in this game with Michigan coming to town next week, but the running back room needs to be better than it was on Saturday. Blaylock's performance in his Oklahoma debut saves this from a worse grade. Here's hoping his injury isn't long-term.

Wide Receiver: A+

It was a really good day for the Oklahoma Sooners' wide receiver room. It feels like it's been a long time since we could say that. Led by Keontez Lewis and Deion Burks, four Sooners wide receivers combined for 19 receptions on 23 targets for 250 yards and three touchdowns.

Lewis and Burks received a bulk of the workload, but Isaiah Sategna and Jacob Jordan made plays in the passing game. The group found the open spaces in zone coverage and Lewis and Burks made plays in 50-50 situations to come down with tough catches.

It may have just been Illinois State, but it was a strong performance from the wide receiver group.

Tight End: B+

Jaren Kanak showed out in his debut at tight end with five receptions on seven targets for 90 yards. Carson Kent and Will Huggins each had a catch. The grade would be a bit higher were Oklahoma more successful in the running game against Illinois State and there's a slight deduction due to the Kanak fumble. Overall, however, Kanak's performance was really encouraging for a tight end position that has been down the last couple of years.

Offensive Line: B+

The running game will be the big talking point this week after averaging just 3.2 yards per carry against the Illinois State Redbirds. It was a vanilla gameplan as Oklahoma prepares for Michigan in Week 2. Also missing potential starters like Michael Fasusi, Derek Simmons, and Heath Ozaeta, and losing Jacob Sexton to injury early in the game certainly didn't help matters.

But while the running game wasn't great, John Mateer was kept relatively clean. He had time in the pocket to wait on the deep crossing routes to come open. Though they allowed a couple of sacks, you have to give them credit for their work in the passing game.

They have to improve their rushing attack, but from a pass protection standpoint, the Sooners are in a better place in 2025.

Defensive Line: B

The Sooners' defense allowed Illinois State to average 4.5 yards per carry. That's not great. However, much of those yards came on just a few runs. Generally, the Sooners limited what the Redbirds were attempting to do with the ground game.

Oklahoma created enough pass rush to make life uncomfortable for the Redbirds quarterbacks even if there weren't a lot of sacks. Peyton Bowen, David Stone, and Taylor Wein each had quarterback hits and Wein came away with his first career sack.

It wasn't a super eventful day for the Sooners defensive line, but they did their job.

Linebacker: B+

Sammy Omosigho led the way with eight total tackles and a sack. Kip Lewis had four total tackles and a pass breakup on third down to force a punt early in the game. Kobie McKinzie played with a lot of speed and physicality in the run game and as a blitzer. Owen Heinecke and Kendal Daniels also had some good moments for the Sooners.

The group combined for three of Oklahoma's five tackles for loss in the win.

While Illinois State found some success in the running game in the first half, the defense played much better in the second half, allowing just 34 yards on 13 carries. In coverage, Oklahoma's linebacker corps didn't allow the Redbirds to find much success in the short to intermediate part of the passing game.

Secondary: B+

Gentry Williams and Courtland Guillory got the start at cornerback for the Sooners and they both showed up. Williams had a memorable tackle for loss when Illinois State tried to set up a wide receiver screen. Guillory was targeted frequently in the second quarter and held up in man coverage.

At safety, the Sooners stood out as well. Peyton Bowen splashed on a blitz from the backside and put a lick on starting quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse. The Sooners pass defense allowed just one pass play of more than 10 yards in the game. That'll play.

Special Teams: B+

The Oklahoma Sooners' special teams units weren't asked to do a whole lot on Saturday, but they came through. The star was Isaiah Sategna, who was aggressive as the punt returner. He had four punts for 63 yards and had a long of 21 yards. Sategna had a big return wiped out due to a block in the back penalty when defensive end Danny Okoye grazed the Redbirds punt coverage player.

Punter Jacob Ulrich averaged 47.5 yards per punt. One went for 54 yards but he had a short punt that allowed the Indiana State offense to start a drive in Oklahoma territory. That'll need to be more consistent moving forward as the Sooners look to play field position.

Coaching: A-

The Oklahoma Sooners coaching staff came into this game not looking to give anything away on either side of the ball. Still, they won pretty comfortably, and there were no critical mistakes in game management.

Overall: A-

The Oklahoma Sooners had a few mistakes in the game, whether it was a fumble or untimely penalty. The defense gave up a few runs of 10 yards or more, and the offensive line struggled to provide clean holes in the running game. Still, it was a decisive 32-point win on opening night for the Sooners. There was a lot to like about this performance and it set the stage for a season that has the chance to be a special one in 2025.

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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Positional grades for Oklahoma Sooners win over Illinois State