Former Oklahoma standout Gracen Halton turned a big Sunday into a headline-making one for the San Francisco 49ers.
The rookie defensive lineman played a major role in San Francisco’s 32-29 win over the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, and his night featured both pressure and payoff. In the second quarter, Halton got to Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold for a nine-yard sack while Seattle was moving the ball, forcing the Seahawks to settle for a field goal on that drive.
He wasn’t done there. Halton later delivered the biggest snap of the game when he punched the ball loose from Seahawks running back George Holani at Seattle’s own goal line, then recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown. Once the officials confirmed the score, Halton broke out his signature celebration, the same one he used after a scoop-and-score touchdown for OU against Kent State in 2025.
GRACEN HALTON HAVE A DAY 👏📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/j24NvY7Ygl
Halton finished with three solo tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack and the touchdown in a back-and-forth win. Through the 2026 season, he has 14 total tackles, four tackles for loss and a sack.
Halton’s college resume at Oklahoma was built over four seasons and 47 games, where he totaled 84 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks. The 49ers chose him in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
He wasn’t the only former Sooner making noise on Sunday. Nik Bonitto helped drive the Denver Broncos’ 23-17 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, finishing with four total tackles, three solo tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks. Bonitto has now been selected to the Pro Bowl twice since entering the NFL in 2022, and he earned Second Team All-Pro honors in 2024.
At Oklahoma, Bonitto spent four years in Norman and picked up All-American and All-Big 12 honors in 2020 and 2021.
Kendal Daniels also made his presence felt in primetime for the Atlanta Falcons. In their 30-23 overtime loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night Football, Daniels recorded eight tackles, including seven solo stops, along with a sack of Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley and a pass breakup.
Daniels spent one season at Oklahoma in 2025 after playing at Oklahoma State from 2022 to 2024, and that lone year with the Sooners was enough to make him a defensive star.
Elsewhere, Kyler Murray helped keep the Minnesota Vikings’ undefeated start rolling with a 23-13 victory over the New Orleans Saints that moved them to 5-0. Murray had his best game with the franchise, completing 24 of 30 passes for 229 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions while adding 51 rushing yards.
Murray missed Week 2 after suffering a concussion in the Vikings’ season opener against the Green Bay Packers, then returned in Week 3 and has remained the starter since. The former Oklahoma Heisman winner from 2018 is in his first season with Minnesota after the Arizona Cardinals selected him with the first overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. He spent the first seven seasons of his pro career in Glendale.
In Other News...
Kentucky Has A Real Week 6 AP Poll Respect Case
The Week 6 Associated Press poll once again turned into a reminder that rankings are about more than just what happened on the field last Saturday. Texas fell from No. 1 to No. 7 after a close loss, while Kentucky stayed buried lower than several other SEC teams with similar records, and James Madison still could not crack the top 25 despite being unbeaten. For Oklahoma fans, the most glaring wrinkle was familiar in a different way: the Sooners remained unranked even after beating the No. 1 team.
The bigger issue is what the poll seems to reward, and what it seems willing to overlook. Preseason expectations and strength of schedule appear to matter as much as recent results, if not more, which is why some teams get the benefit of the doubt while others do not. For Oklahoma, that leaves a clear opening to keep stacking wins and force the voters to eventually catch up, even if the respect does not arrive as quickly as the on-field resume would suggest. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahomas First Mississippi State Meeting Just Got More Interesting
Oklahomas first trip to Mississippi State now has a set kickoff, with the SEC slotting the Oct. 24 meeting for 2:30 p.m. CT at Davis Wade Stadium. It will be the Sooners first-ever game against the Bulldogs, adding a fresh crossover to a schedule that already has plenty of intrigue as both teams navigate the stretch run of the season.
The matchup carries an extra layer because Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby will see Oklahoma and Brent Venables for the first time since leaving his job as the Sooners offensive coordinator. With both programs coming off recent on-field ups and downs and more games looming before then, this one already has the feel of a late-October game that could mean more than just another SEC date on the calendar. [Read more 🡒]
Sooners Turned Red River Into An SEC Statement Fans Will Love
The Red River Rivalry already carries enough weight on its own, but Oklahoma turned this years meeting at the Cotton Bowl into the kind of result that can linger well beyond October. Peyton Bowen gave the Sooners a huge lift on defense with an interception returned for a touchdown, and Tate Sandell finished the job with a 47-yard walk-off field goal that sent Oklahoma home with a win over the No. 1 Texas Longhorns.
It was the sort of performance that gets noticed well beyond the rivalry itself, and both players were rewarded for it when the SEC handed out its weekly honors. Bowen was named the leagues defensive player of the week, while Sandell earned special teams recognition, a fitting nod for a game Oklahoma turned into a statement in front of a national audience. [Read more 🡒]