OU-Texas

Well, if you're reading this blog then you not only write half of it, but you know this is a huge game today. For the first time this season I'm not wearing down a good drunk from the night before, so let's see if the quality changes for better or worse. Every year this one is amazing. Well, for the last decade + or so anyway. My first OU-Texas was in 1996, we were mired in the John Blake era and were basically not even a shell of our former greatness. Texas was ranked high, and we hadn't won a game yet. When James Allen plunged across the goal line tallying the go ahead and clinching score (give Blake this much credit, he only beat two teams that year OSU and Texas, I'm just saying if you had to pick two...), I basically went as apeshit as you might expect a drunk 18 year old to. Anyway, my point with that little jaunt down mammary lane is that it doesn't really matter that Texas has looked weaker than usual (it isn't as if we've been dominant either), this game will be extremely tough. I know Stewart Mandel (read: total fuckface and person I'd be most likely to take an unprovoked assault charge over) thinks this one will be similar to last season's 16-13 defensive struggle, but I kind of feel the opposite for no real reason other than I hate his guts. I think Texas has a really good defense and a really bad offense. I think we have above average (but not dominant) of both. How that matches up I'm not really sure, but I think like most years it will be each team just trying answer the other. The fact that I'm sure we'll give up some big ones, makes me think (hope) that we answer with some big ones. In that vein, I think we'll each score some points here and, as fans, we'll endure some sloppy periods as well.

I've only personally seen Garrett Gilbert play a portion of one football game, the national championship of last season. He looked overmatched, and at times like he wanted to cry. Sadly, he held back the tears. While I'll certainly miss the images of Colt McCoy and Jordan Shipley wrestling shirtless with short cut-offs in a meadow with biceps glistening eventually collapsing into a sweaty, spent heap (editors note: this may or may not have actually happened), I've been pretty encouraged by Gilbert era so far. He managed to not throw any picks against Rice and Wyoming, but threw three against Tech and one against UCLA, leaving him with 4 TD's and 4 picks on the season. I'm hoping that we add to the latter column today. Additionally, he's been somewhat proned to the sack. In (very) limited time last year, he was sacked twice, and this year he's been sacked five times. I'm not sure if that speaks more to the O-line or the fact that he can't make a decision. Probably some of both, but given that they don't run the ball extremely well I'm hoping we can dominate the front today, at least on defense.

I know in past seasons we've had some slow starts defensively (not this slow mind you) and things have rounded into form when conference play starts, I'm hoping for that same pattern this year. I don't know for a fact (and am waaay to lazy to actually look) that we've ever been ranked so low defensively, but it certainly doesn't feel like it, and I don't know that it bodes well. For all of our struggles and inconsistency from Lonnie, the defense worries me far more. We've put up plenty of points to win every week, obviously, but have given up way too many (and at bad times) to be comfortable late in any game save one. Publicly it seems that the company line is everything is fine, when most definitely it is not fine. We've not been able to prevent anyone from running or passing the ball. Allowing teams to access their entire playbook doubles their capabilities (save yourself, I did the math) than if we could at least shut down the run. We absolutely have to fix one of the two, preferably both, today. On to the picks...

Offense

While Broyles and DeMarco have been amazing, as Mitch so aptly pointed out yesterday (by the way, an in-season position by position breakdown of our offense? Really? That's the kind of hard hitting journalism that will get you out of the blogosphere and into print. While I'm writing shit that my mom might hang on the fridge next to my hand-tracing/turkey painting, Mitch is actually writing material of value. In short, stop making me look bad. My self esteem is closer to the ground than Mack Brown's knees on a recruiting trip, skeet skeet), I think Texas has the talent on defense to take those two guys away from us on most downs. As a result, somebody else has to step up. While I love Stills and Madu, I think I'm heading back down the road to Lonnie this week. Texas absolutely wants, nee defies him to beat them. While he's been inconsistent at best, I think today he gets his shit together. I like Kevin Wilson & Co., to get him rolling early with short slants, screens and dumps out of the backfield to get him in a groove like we saw in the FSU game. Lonnie seems to really have a confidence issue (read: not what you want in a QB), but when it's up he can really play well. I like for him to roll early and hit some guys not named Broyles

Defense

Though Mitch and I haven't actually discussed this yet, I have a gut feeling that we are going to pick the same guy here. After reading his column yesterday, I think we're on a similar page. I've had my defensive pick all week and with game day upon us, my mind is steadfast. The secondary has been up and down, and while it has shown glimpses we just haven't had enough glimpses for me to pick someone from that position set. I know Travis "Old Steady" (it's official now) Lewis will have his typical game, 10-12 tackles no flash, although he's played in enough of these now I briefly gave him consideration for this award in that I think he'll be pumped up. No, I think our player of the game will come from the front. Stacy McGee showed enough last week that I'm fired up about him now, but he's still inconsistent. Frank Alexander, one of my favorite players for whatever reason, will be everywhere today...but still doesn't do quite enough to make me pet his naughty bits. In this one I like Jeremy Beal. Beal made some comments this week that lead me to believe he will be ready to put a foot in the collective ass of Texas. I think he and Gilbert will become acquainted to the chagrin of young Gilbert. I love Beal in this one for at least two sacks, and a slew of disruptions/tackles/hate fucks.

As I alluded to earlier, I think some points will be scored in this one. I also think Stoops is tired of the racket that we are now owned by Texas. Texas is on their heels a bit, but with something to prove. We've been struggling...and hearing about it ad nauseum. I like us to do enough in this one that we pull it out and go into the by-week unbeaten and firmly in the drivers seat for the conference. Final score today 37-33 in favor of the Sooners. Let's go out and get these miserable fucks.

Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner