2016 OU Sooners Football

[SoonerDave]

true, and i totally understand how that's frustrating for fans... i just don't see it as justification for the various "the sky is falling" and "it's time for a new head coach" rumblings i've been hearing. -M

Its the scope of the losses that raises the flags. Lose a 35-31 showdown in the last minute to a top ten team? Hey, that's how it goes. But when you play the best, and get *blown out* each time, it shows where you are as a program. Clemson showed this to us two straight years, now tOSU. Things have to break *just right* for us *not* to get blown out. That's not where fans expect OU to be as a program. And that's why people look to Stoops and what he commands as a salary and say this guy should *never* field a team that brings back echoes of the Blake era. Yet it seems we have nervous flashbacks to that era, particularly against more physical teams. And if that's a consequence of staffing to win a spread-happy Big 12, that's a problem I don't know how we solve short of exiting the conference. We can't be lockstepped into a conference that inherently puts us behind the eight-ball when it comes to vying for championships.

[dankrutka]

References to the Blake era don't make sense. Even if OU went 6-6 this season, the program is in such a stronger position across the board. There are valid criticisms, but those points are kind of undermined by making comparisons to the Blake era... which was a disaster in every possible way. This team would blow out any Blake era team.

Probably OU's top problem is that recruiting really fell off from 2010-2015. OU went from pulling in top 10 classes to pulling in top 20 classes. OU's current 2017 recruiting class is the best OU has put together (assuming it holds until signing day) in years. 2018 is off to a good start. Like Barry Switzer said, it's not about Xs and Os, it's about Jonnie's and Joe's. OU just needs more talent across the board. They don't have enough quality depth (see the lines) or even good options (see CBs) across the board to compete with some of the elite teams. In some ways, things are moving in the right direction. I see the current problems to actually be a manifestation of problems from past recruiting.

[Laramie]

Guys, my family, brothers & friends have all supported the University of Oklahoma Sooners' (Big Red) since early years leading back to my childhood.

I'm a Sooner born and Sooner bred
and when I die, I'll be Sooner dead
Rah Oklahoma, Rah Oklahoma
Rah Oklahoma, OK U!

It's not the end of the world. Sure, we had Great Expectations with our OU Football:

“Suffering has been stronger than all other teaching, and has taught me to understand what your heart used to be. I have been bent and broken, but - I hope - into a better shape.”
― Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

Historically, OU football is rich in tradition and will continue to be; Bob Stoops gave us a glimpse of that in 2000. We continue to long for the great days of old.

Enjoy Sooner football; however, don't let it define who we are.

[SoonerDave]

I don't think anyone is actually suggesting these teams are literally at a Blake level, but as I was mentioning earlier it's the idea that Stoops and the caliber of coach he is necessarily implies that we should *never* see the kind of disorganization or general competitive level on the field that would *remind* us of that awful era. It's just hard for someone like yours truly see us struggle to remember to get all 11 guys out on special teams, seem frequently confused on how we're supposed to line up defensively, and not have shuddering echoes of the Blake Error at least come to mind.

Here's one example that illustrates where I'm coming from. OU has corner issues. Everyone knows that. And I lost track of how many plays where tOSU just comes up in all-but a bunch formation to the near side, and get isolation on that weak corner if for no other reason than to see if they are *ever* going to shift that corner to play outside leverage and force the WR in, allowing the safety to provide help over the top. If that happened, I sure never saw it.

That's not some magical defensive brilliance or unheard of notion. That seems a pretty basic way of helping out a kid who just isn't experienced or skilled enough or whatever at corner. But I don't think we even *tried* to help, and tOSU was glad to say, "well, ok, if you're going to do that, we're going to pounce..." and that bears eerily familiar to what Baylor did here in Norman two years ago...to the same side corner...and we never adjusted...to a chorus of boos as Baylor ran the *exact same play* some seven or eight consecutive times.

Those kinds of seemingly inexplicable sequences are what scare up Blake memories for me.

[Richard at Remax]

Kinda random and could be wrong (I had quite a few adult beverages saturday) but did anyone notice the lack of replays on the big screen during the game?

[Eric]

Posted by Jake Trotter on ESPN on Tuesday:

The stark fact is, Oklahoma hasn’t defeated a top-20 opponent that didn’t have an injured starting quarterback since it took down Alabama in the 2013 Sugar Bowl.

Ouch.

OSU fan saying honestly I hope that OU doesn't fall into a spiral of self fulfilling prophecy. Hopefully they can get it turned around. This year seems to be a down year for the league as a whole, so hopefully that bodes well for the Sooners.

Lord knows OSU is going to need to catch some serious breaks to have a successful season.

[dankrutka]

That stat is a little misleading in my opinion. Stidham at Baylor is unquestionably the quality of a top-notch starter and was only behind Petty because he was younger. OU beat TCU after only having their own starting QB for one half. And OU destroyed OSU who had a former starter playing (even if Rudolph is a lot better), but it's not like OSU was beating OU that day. OU won convincingly in every phase of the game. Injuries are part of the game and OU won all of those games.

[Dustin]

#### texas!

Boomer Sooner!

[Laramie]

Game full of excitement, down to the wire . . .

[OKCRT]

This game has lost much of it's luster and nationally it's doesn't register much. What a shame Texas has done to this once great conference. Just a shame. It's become a regional contest in a 2nd tier conference.

[reverend]

Listened on the radio why traveling to the McAlister area. Stopped at Chili's in, I think, Atoka and there were as many Texas fans as there were Sooner fans. I got to watch the second half of the fourth quarter there and I was on the edge of my seat. When they started all the laterals instead of a hail mary for the last play I got nervous. If we had somehow lost the game on some buffoonish play like that I would rioted in that Chilis. Good to have the Golden Hat back on the right side of the Red River.

[Spartan]

This game has lost much of it's luster and nationally it's doesn't register much. What a shame Texas has done to this once great conference. Just a shame. It's become a regional contest in a 2nd tier conference.

Don't worry, Sooner fans can continue the age-old tradition of pretending that OSU is just another game.

[SoonerDave]

Several takeaways from this game:

1. The OU offense is getting into a great rhythm:

a. Samaje Perine is getting back into 2015 form - he missed a chance for some long-range runs of the type he made last year on a couple of occasions. I think he's still just a bit hesitant on that surgically repaired foot - but once/if he gets that step back, man, he's like a human bowling ball.
b. Once Mayfield got rolling, he made some *tremendous* throws into tight windows - the slant to Westbrook was a *much* more complicated throw than it looked initially: Andrews clears out to the boundary, Westbrook feints a comeback and then bolts to the cleared out area and the ball arrives *perfectly* on time. Westbrook's speed to the endzone was startling.
c. How about a shout-out to the job Bedenbaugh has done with the OU OL? Corey Wren is becoming a *force* at C as a *freshman*, and in general this line simply dominated UT's front.

2. Young players stepped up when they had to on D.

a.You never like to give up 40 points, but... when the D *had* to come up big, it did. Jordan Smallwood's pick of Buchele's throw inside the 10 after Mixon's muff was, to me, the turning point of the game. OU takes the ensuing possession, scores, and goes up 15. What a swing. Lots of kids who really shouldn't have expected to play showed up big-time. And plays like Smallwood's are positively *infectious* for a young defense.
b.OU may have corner problems, but their DL is getting *really* good. Jordan Wade, Neville Gallimore, even without Charles Walker, this group is getting great leverage, disrupting blocks, and getting pressure. If OU can get this group healthy, there's all kinds of upside.

With so many injuries on D vs Texas, the fact that so many kids stepped up and *made plays when they had to* is a huge leading factor for the program. Players making plays is sometimes something you just can't teach, but when one or two guys start doing it, good things usually happen.

I suspect KSU will be a tough out this week, despite the fact they have one of the least potent offenses in the Big 12. The risk of a post-Texas letdown is always there, but I also think KSU's offense is the least-well-prepared to leverage OU's defensive weaknesses. KSU has beaten OU in Norman two consecutive times, and I sure suspect Bob would like to get that blemish off his head.

My real concern (well, with this D, every week is a potential concern), is Texas Tech in two weeks. I believe they'll be gunning for Mayfield, and I don't mean that in a good way. I think that sticks in Tech's craw in general and Kingsberry's in particular, and if something "happens" to Mayfield in that game, it won't surprise me a bit. That game is a land mine waiting to blow up in OU's face.
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[dankrutka]

Corey Wren is becoming a *force* at C as a *freshman*, and in general this line simply dominated UT's front.

Great points all around, but Erick Wren is actually a senior.

There are certainly reasons for optimism, but one other concern I saw is that the young secondary guys were toatlly out of position repeatedly. There were quite a few times they had no clue where to line up and some of those resulted in time outs. Buechelle missed wide open, uncovered wide receivers on several occassions in the second half. Hopefully, that gets shored up this week. The offense certainly seems to have turned a corner.

[SoonerDave]

Great points all around, but Erick Wren is actually a senior.

Gosh, don't I feel stupid. You are absolutely right on both counts. I thought sure I had read he was a freshman. I obviously was confusing him with someone else. And my brain was kicking back to the 80's when I think OU had a DB named Corey Wren. Yeah, I'm getting old. But the kid has just played fantastic nonetheless.

There are certainly reasons for optimism, but one other concern I saw is that the young secondary guys were toatlly out of position repeatedly. There were quite a few times they had no clue where to line up and some of those resulted in time outs. Buechelle missed wide open, uncovered wide receivers on several occassions in the second half. Hopefully, that gets shored up this week. The offense certainly seems to have turned a corner.

The constant alignment issues are *obviously* of concern, and I won't pretend I understand how someone doesn't remember that if you see "X", you line up there. I don't think UT was throwing out some complex offense at us. KSU won't make those mistakes.

I also think OU discovered perhaps via film study that Buchele is not accurate when pressured even a little. His two best deep throws in the 3rd quarter were only after he could set up in the pocket and plant. Those two throws for TD's were spot-on. However, if he encountered *any* pressure, he just didn't see the field very well and just seemed to "shot-put" the ball out. He short-armed out-routes and OU was able to get hands in the air to deflect some of them.

KSU only threw for 104 yards against Tech, and if OU gets even one or two DL guys back they ought to be able to set up in what looked like a base 4-2 set and just commit to not letting KSU run the ball. None of this 3-3-5 nonsense they tossed out there late and our LB's lined up incorrectly and let D'Onta Foreman run wild those last two drives.