‘I just want to win’: Blocking or Receiving, Jadon Haselwood key for Sooners’ Offense
The Oklahoma Sooners have been working it a ton in games, but haven’t been able to connect. The back-shoulder fade can be such a weapon when it’s working, but for much of 2021, Jadon Haselwood and his quarterback weren’t able to connect on the route.
As the first half of the game against TCU came to a close, Oklahoma was locked in a 17-14 battle with the Horned Frogs, when Lincoln Riley and the Sooners offense went back to the back-shoulder well once again. This time connecting as Caleb Williams threw a perfect ball and Jadon Haselwood timed his release perfectly for the 11-yard touchdown.
It was a turning point in the game heading into halftime with TCU set to get the ball first to start the second half.
The Oklahoma Sooners started fast in the first quarter jumping out to a 14-0 lead, but then scored just three points (they had a missed field goal as well) over the next 20 minutes of game time.
Though it came before the break, Haselwood’s touchdown reception kick-started a scoring onslaught that saw the Sooners put up 35 points from the late first half touchdown to the end of the game.
Jadon Haselwood would add two more red zone touchdowns in the second half to complete the trifecta, and now for two weeks in a row, he’s been a key player in key moments for the Sooners. Against the Texas Longhorns in the Red River Showdown, it was Haselwood’s blocking that would allow Kennedy Brooks to score go-ahead touchdowns on the Sooners final two drives to complete the improbable comeback.
For Haselwood, it’s simple. He just wants to win. Via a Zoom call with the media on Tuesday he said:
You can expect me to do everything I need to do for us to win. Whether it’s blocking or whatever. The roles got flipped Saturday and I ended up getting three touchdowns. I just want to win. Whatever I got to do to help us win. Whether it’s making the key block, catching the ball, getting the first down, whatever, I’m with it. – Haselwood
Whether it’s in the running game or the passing game, Haselwood has been a huge key for the Sooners. Unlike Marvin Mims or Michael Woods who have been making the big plays down the field, Haselwood has become a weapon in the short to intermediate passing game.
He leads the Sooners in targets, receptions, and with the hat trick on Saturday, touchdowns in 2021. However, just one of his team-leading 27 receptions was on a throw more than 20 yards down the field.
Haselwood is doing the dirty work in the run game and picking up the tough yards in the passing game.
After getting his feet wet his freshman year and missing most of 2020 with a knee injury, Jadon Haselwood is displaying the promise that made him one of the more highly-anticipated recruits of the last several years.
Through the adversity, he’s developed into a leader in the locker room and on the field as he becomes a weapon as a blocker and in the passing game that many expected him to become.
If he and Caleb Williams can continue to develop the chemistry that led to Haselwood’s three touchdowns on Saturday, then this Oklahoma Sooners offense will continue to produce at a high level.
Despite the early-season struggles connecting on the back-shoulder fade, Saturday’s touchdown late in the first half provided just a glimpse of the red zone capabilities the Oklahoma Sooners offense can be.
But for Haselwood, it doesn’t matter if he’s catching touchdowns or blocking for the rest of the team. To hear him say it, “I just want to win.”
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