Bill Bedenbaugh proves his prowess with outstanding debut from highly-touted freshman offensive lineman
Michael Fasusi earned his stripes in his first career start against the Michigan Wolverines
Much has been made about the Oklahoma Sooners‘ offensive line after last week’s 35-3 win against Illinois State. Despite the Sooners missing starters and shuffling the offensive line last week, fans and analysts panicked about the state of the room and that it would limit Oklahoma’s offense all season.
If you’ve read my work throughout the offseason, you’ll know I’ve never panicked about the room for a few reasons: One: the health, Two: the film, and Three: their coach. They were missing three starters, the film wasn’t as bad as some claimed it was, and they are coached by the best offensive line coach in the country. With the starters back, they proved their mettle in a tough showdown against the Michigan Wolverines, shutting down Michigan’s vaunted pass rush and playing a key role in helping Oklahoma ice the game at the end.
However, one player stole the show in Week Two and is the long-term future of the Oklahoma Sooners. True freshman Michael Fasusi made his first career start at left tackle in this matchup, and pitched a near complete shutout of a deadly Michigan pass rush room. Securing Fasusi as part of Oklahoma’s class of 2025 was Bill Bedenbaugh’s biggest recruiting win as the offensive line coach of the Sooners. He might have secured another first-round pick to add to his immense legacy and increased the ceiling of Oklahoma’s offense along the way.
Michael Fasusi Already Looks Like a First-Round Pick
It’s rare for true freshmen to earn playing time at Oklahoma. More often than not, the Sooners have depth that pushes all but the very best down to the scout team and reserve roles. It’s even rarer for one to outright start as a freshman, and even more for one to start in the second game of the season. However, Fasusi has been a notable exception and has had this role well in hand for quite awhile.
He more than proved that the offseason buzz was well-deserved with his stellar performance in virtually shutting out the Wolverines’ defensive line. Playing all but the final nine snaps of the game, Fasusi did not allow a single sack and allowed just two pressures from the Wolverines, an impressive stat for his first start.
Pass rusher Derrick Moore, arguably Michigan’s best player, was completely blanked in this matchup, with just one pressure and a pass rush win rate of just 6.3%! Fasusi played a key role in shutting down one of the best pass rushers in America and helping Oklahoma’s offense roll over the Wolverines.
We heard all offseason long just how impressive Fasusi was in camp. It’s one thing to hear it and perform during the offseason, but it’s an entirely different ball game in the season, and Fasusi shut down any naysayers about the fall camp being overblown. He’s here to lock down the starting left tackle job for the next three seasons, and he’s gonna parlay that to a high NFL Draft position if he keeps his play up like he did against Michigan.
Bill Bedenbaugh’s still got his fastball, folks.
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