Senior defensive back Billy Bowman Jr. during the game against LSU on Nov. 30.
Junior defensive lineman Damonic Williams, redshirt junior offensive lineman Troy Everett and senior linebacker Danny Stutsman before the game against LSU on Nov. 30.
Sooners celebrate during the game against LSU on Nov. 30.
{{description}}
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Senior defensive back Billy Bowman Jr. during the game against LSU on Nov. 30.
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana – Billy Bowman Jr. walked off the field, removed his helmet and reached over the barricade at Tiger Stadium to embrace his family.
From the outside looking in, that moment, following OU’s (6-6, 2-6 SEC) 37-17 loss to LSU (8-4, 5-3 SEC) on Saturday was not the dream.
But for Bowman Jr., in a lot of ways, it was.
“Going to places like Auburn, (Mississippi), Missouri and LSU, and playing teams like Alabama, that is something you dream about as a kid,” Bowman Jr. said postgame. “I have had fun doing that.”
The senior defensive back turned down the NFL Draft last season for exactly this, and even in the midst of misfortune, confusion and just plain defeat, he achieved what he wanted to. His childhood aspirations had come to fruition, leadership goals had been attained and a life between two crimson and cream end zones had been lived, fully.
“There is no greater feeling than when you can have fun, even when your record is 6-6,” Bowman Jr. said on Saturday. “Just going to work, with my teammates, my brothers, that’s been emotional.”
Although this is not the end of his football career, there was a sense of finality for Bowman Jr. along with players like fellow defensive leader Danny Stutsman as they trekked into the locker room following the loss.
After the conclusion of the Sooners’ last regular season game, ESPN updated its predictions, sending OU to the Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa, Florida, or the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana. Bowman Jr. and Stutsman will soon enter the NFL Draft, and both stated postgame that they are unsure if they will play in the post-season matchup.
However, whether they participate in the bowl game or not, their personal transformations and dedication to the program through coaching and conference changes have provided them with a portfolio of work to utilize in whatever comes next.
“I remember coming in as a scrawny three-star, just trying to eat the table scraps to get onto the field,” Stutsman said, thinking about his time at OU. “From where I am today, it has been a lot of hard work. I couldn’t do it without my teammates, the strength staff that built me into the man I am today, and Coach Venables, the character he has instilled in me.
“I am happy to be a Sooner, it is one of the proudest things I could ever say, and I am just proud of this university and proud of everything it has given me.”
Junior defensive lineman Damonic Williams, redshirt junior offensive lineman Troy Everett and senior linebacker Danny Stutsman before the game against LSU on Nov. 30.
Despite OU’s lackluster performance against LSU, which could potentially mark the conclusion of Bowman Jr. and Stutsman’s collegiate careers and the end of an era for Oklahoma’s defense, it is understood that there is life for the unit after the two defensive leaders decide to depart.
“We’re Oklahoma, and we’re not going to take a backseat to anybody,” Bowman Jr. said of what is next for the defense. “We brought the right guys in the building transfer-wise, freshman-wise, and I expect them to do that again.”
There have been positive signs throughout OU’s difficult season, as players like redshirt sophomore linebacker Kip Lewis became a pass coverage threat, recording two pick-sixes, or as junior defensive lineman R Mason Thomas overcame injuries he sustained in 2023 and collected a career-high nine sacks.
It even showed as junior defensive lineman Gracen Halton forced fumbles, and freshman defensive back Eli Bowen rose through the ranks, gradually earning playing time throughout the season.
On Saturday, fittingly, Stutsman, who is ranked ninth in Oklahoma history with 377 total tackles, led the team 10, but it was Bowman Jr., Halton and Lewis who followed behind him with seven. Halton also made a crucial play in the first quarter, sacking LSU’s quarterback Garrett Nussmeier on the Tigers’ own nine-yard line and forcing a fumble. This allowed Thomas to scoop and score, and tie the game 7-7.
Sooners celebrate during the game against LSU on Nov. 30.
For Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables, plays like the ones made by Halton and Thomas are subtle signs of the team’s development.
“I do know, without question, that there are a bunch of guys who made improvements this back half of the season,” Venables said. “We will continue to do these things to improve the football team fundamentally. This is where progress will come from — putting your head down, going back to work and doing the things you need to do to improve.”
The growth of younger players will also be accompanied by the refinement of defensive coordinator Zac Alley’s system.
Alley joined OU’s staff in January after previous stints as the defensive coordinator at Jacksonville State and Louisiana Monroe and was recently nominated for the Broyles Award, which is given to the top assistant coach in college football. Now, after the completion of his first regular season at Oklahoma, he will have the chance to expand his defensive scheme through those returning next year.
“Obviously for me, it was about learning a lot,” Alley said. “Everybody says, well you come in, and you are learning a new language, new terminology, and the guys are learning a new system, but now, that part will carry over for next year, so I am excited for that.”
Oklahoma’s defense still has a long way to go after allowing LSU to score 37 points — the most OU has given up this season — and allowing the Tigers to generate 395 total yards of offense on Saturday.
Now, more than ever, as veterans are preparing to leave, there are big gaps to fill and improvements to make for players returning.
However, for leaders like Bowman Jr., there was an understanding that as he walked away from Death Valley on Saturday night — and potentially his collegiate career — letting it go and leaving it behind for someone else was a part of the reason he came back.
“It is the end of a story,” Bowman Jr. said. “But it continues to go on.”
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Breaking + Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday in fall/spring. Friday in summer.
Breaking + Wednesday, Friday, Sunday in fall/spring. Monday in summer.
If you’ve read this far, you are as invested in this city and campus as we are. That’s why we are asking you to invest in us.
Since 1916, the Daily has served the Norman and OU communities with free independent local journalism produced by the city’s largest reporting staff drawn from one of the nation’s top journalism colleges.
OU students pay about $14 in annual fees that help support the Daily. If you find value in our work and are not a student, please consider matching or exceeding that with a one-time or recurring donation. Grassroots support from readers like you can collectively make a transformative difference in our organization.
