The 2015 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the
University of Oklahoma
, mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State"
, type = Public research university
, established =
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.7billion (2021)
, pr ...
in the
2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the highest level of college football competition in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The regular season began on September 3, 2015 and ended on D ...
, the 121st season of
Sooner football. The team was led by two-time
Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award
The Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award is given annually to the collegiate American football head coach adjudged by a group of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) head coaches and sports in ...
winner,
Bob Stoops, in his 17th season as head coach. They played their home games at
Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, also known as Owen Field or The Palace on the Prairie, is the football stadium on the campus of the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma. It serves as the home of the Oklahoma Sooners football tea ...
in
Norman, Oklahoma
Norman () is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, with a population of 128,097 as of 2021. It is the largest city and the county seat of Cleveland County, and the second-largest city in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, b ...
. They were a charter member of the
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...
.
Conference play began on October 3, 2015 with a 44–24 win against
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...
in Norman, Oklahoma and ended with a 58–23 win against
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...
in
Stillwater, Oklahoma
Stillwater ( iow, Ñápinⁿje, ''meaning: "Water quiet"'') is a city in, and the county seat of, Payne County, Oklahoma, United States. It is located in north-central Oklahoma at the intersection of U.S. Route 177 and State Highway 51. As of t ...
on November 28, 2015. Oklahoma finished conference play with an 8–1 record winning their ninth Big 12 Championship, their first since 2012.
Oklahoma was selected as the 4th seed to play in the 2015 College Football playoff against 1st seed
Clemson on December 31, 2015 in the
Orange Bowl
The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Miami metropolitan area. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935, making it, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Sun Bowl, the second-oldest bowl game ...
which they lost 17–37. Oklahoma finished the season with an 11–2 record.
Previous season
The
2014 Oklahoma Sooners football team
The 2014 Oklahoma Sooners football team represented the University of Oklahoma in the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season, the 120th season of Sooner football. The team was led by two-time Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award winner, Bob St ...
finished the regular season 8–4, with the four losses in conference play towards
Baylor,
Kansas State
Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...
,
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...
, and
TCU. Oklahoma became bowl eligible after defeating
Iowa State on November 1, 2014. The Sooners were invited to play in the
2014 Russell Athletic Bowl against the
Clemson Tigers
The Clemson Tigers are the athletic teams that represent Clemson University, located in Clemson, South Carolina. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) s ...
. Oklahoma fell short against the Tigers in
Orlando
Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...
with a loss of 6–40.
Preseason
Recruits
Award watch lists
*
Lombardi Award
The Rotary Lombardi Award is an award for college football in the United States. Awarded by the Rotary Club of Houston, Texas annually to the college football player "who best embodies the values and spirit of NFL's legendary coach Vince Lomba ...
:Dominique Alexander
:
Eric Striker
Eric Striker (born October 1, 1993) is a professional Canadian football defensive lineman who is currently a free agent. He played college football at Oklahoma.
Early years
Striker grew up in Tampa, Florida and attended Armwood High School, whe ...
*
Jim Thorpe Award
The Jim Thorpe Award, named in memory of multi-sport athlete Jim Thorpe, has been awarded to the top defensive back in college football since 1986. It is voted on by the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame. In 2017, the award became sponsored by Payco ...
:
Zack Sanchez
Zack Sanchez (born October 11, 1993) is a former American football cornerback. He played college football at Oklahoma.
Early years
Sanchez attended Central High School in Keller, Texas. He originally committed to Baylor University to play colle ...
*
Butkus Award
The Butkus Award, instituted in 1985 by the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando, is given annually to the top linebackers at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of football. The award, named in honor of College Football Hall of Fame ...
:Dominique Alexander
:Erik Striker
*
Maxwell Award
The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the college football player judged by a panel of sportscasters, sportswriters, and National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches and the membership of the Maxwell Football Club to be the best al ...
:
Baker Mayfield
:Samaje Perine
:Sterling Shepard
*
Rimington Trophy
The Dave Rimington Trophy is awarded to the player considered to be the best American football center in college football. Dave Rimington was a center who played at the University of Nebraska from 1979 to 1982.
A member of the National College ...
:Ty Darlington
*
Outland Trophy
The Outland Trophy is awarded to the best college football interior lineman in the United States as adjudged by the Football Writers Association of America. It is named after John H. Outland. One of only a few players ever to be named an All-Am ...
:Ty Darlington
*
Chuck Bednarik Award
The Chuck Bednarik Award is presented annually to the defensive player in college football as judged by the Maxwell Football Club to be the best in the United States. The award is named for Chuck Bednarik, a former college and professional Ameri ...
:Zack Sanchez
:Erik Striker
:
Charles Tapper
Charles Orville Tapper, Jr. (born May 7, 1993) is a former American football defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets. He played college football at Oklahoma.
Early years
Tapper attended publi ...
*
Walter Camp Award
The Walter Camp Player of the Year Award is given annually to the collegiate American football player of the year, as decided by a group of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I FBS head coaches and sports information directo ...
:
Samaje Perine
Samaje Perine ( ; born September 16, 1995) is an American football running back for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oklahoma, and was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the fourth ro ...
*
Biletnikoff Award
The Fred Biletnikoff Award is presented annually to the most outstanding receiver in American college football by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation, Inc. (TQCF), an independent not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. The award was creat ...
:
Sterling Shepard
Sterling Clay Shepard (born February 10, 1993) is an American football wide receiver for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oklahoma. Shepard was drafted by the Giants in the second round of ...
*
Bronko Nagurski Trophy
:Dominique Alexander
:Zack Sanchez
:Erik Striker
:Charles Tapper
*
Doak Walker Award
Since 1990 the Doak Walker Award honors the top running back in college football in the United States. It is named in honor of Doak Walker, a former running back who played for the SMU Mustangs from 1945 to 1949 and in the National Football Le ...
:Samaje Perine
Schedule
Oklahoma announced its 2015 football schedule on November 19, 2014. The 2015 schedule consisted of six home games, five away games and one neutral game in the regular season. The Sooners hosted Big 12 foes
Iowa State,
TCU,
Texas Tech
Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...
, and
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...
and traveled to
Baylor,
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...
,
Kansas State
Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...
, and
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...
. Oklahoma played
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
in
Dallas, Texas
Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...
at the
Cotton Bowl for the 110th time on October 10 for the
Red River Showdown
The Oklahoma–Texas football rivalry is a college football rivalry game between border rivals Oklahoma and Texas. The two teams first played each other in 1900, and the rivalry has been renewed annually and uninterrupted since 1929 for a to ...
.
The Sooners hosted two non-conference games against
Akron
Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city ...
and
Tulsa
Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...
and traveled to its other non-conference foe
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
in
Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state' ...
. Oklahoma met for the first time against the Akron Zips at home to open the season. The Sooners then traveled to Tennessee after defeating the Tennessee Volunteers last season and then hosted in-state rival Tulsa after traveling to Tulsa last year.
Roster
Game summaries
Akron
Tennessee
Tulsa
West Virginia
Texas
Kansas State
Texas Tech
Kansas
Iowa State
Baylor
TCU
Oklahoma State (Bedlam Series)
Clemson (Orange Bowl)
Weekly Awards
*Big 12 Player of the Week
:
Baker Mayfield (Week 3 vs Tulsa)
:Baker Mayfield (Week 10 at Baylor)
*Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week
:
Samaje Perine
Samaje Perine ( ; born September 16, 1995) is an American football running back for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oklahoma, and was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the fourth ro ...
(Week 8 vs Texas Tech)
*Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week
:
Zack Sanchez
Zack Sanchez (born October 11, 1993) is a former American football cornerback. He played college football at Oklahoma.
Early years
Sanchez attended Central High School in Keller, Texas. He originally committed to Baylor University to play colle ...
(Week 2 at Tennessee)
:
Eric Striker
Eric Striker (born October 1, 1993) is a professional Canadian football defensive lineman who is currently a free agent. He played college football at Oklahoma.
Early years
Striker grew up in Tampa, Florida and attended Armwood High School, whe ...
(Week 5 vs West Virginia)
:Zack Sanchez (Week 7 vs Kansas State)
:
Charles Tapper
Charles Orville Tapper, Jr. (born May 7, 1993) is a former American football defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets. He played college football at Oklahoma.
Early years
Tapper attended publi ...
(Week 8 at Kansas)
:Zack Sanchez (Week 11 vs TCU)
*Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week
:
Austin Seibert
Austin Seibert (born November 15, 1996) is an American football placekicker who is a free agent. He played college football at Oklahoma and was selected in fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns.
Early years
Seibert atten ...
(Week 5 vs West Virginia)
Postseason
Awards
*Ty Darlington
:
Academic All-America (First Team)
*
Baker Mayfield
:
Burlsworth Trophy
2016 NFL Draft
The
2016 NFL Draft
The 2016 NFL Draft was the 81st annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015 NFL Draft, 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park (Chicago), ...
was held at the
Auditorium Theatre
The Auditorium Theatre is a music and performance venue located inside the Auditorium Building at 50 Ida B. Wells Drive in Chicago, Illinois. Inspired by the Richardsonian Romanesque Style of architect Henry Hobson Richardson, the building was ...
and
Grant Park in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
on April 28–30, 2016. The following Oklahoma players were either selected or signed as free agents following the draft.
Rankings
References
{{Big 12 Conference football champions
Oklahoma
Oklahoma Sooners football seasons
Big 12 Conference football champion seasons
Oklahoma Sooners football