Clemson - The Semi(wood)'s

Well sports fans, here we are at the penultimate game for college football. The Sooners come into this game having Steamrolled (it's the name of this blog) the Big 12 powerhouses in a November that can only be described as badass. Somehow, after losing to a decidedly shitty texas squad in October, the Sooners "got their shit together" and kicked everyone's ass thereafter. So much so, that even though Clemson is #1 and undefeated, OU is favored in this game and also predicted by many to win it all. I, not surprisingly, have less confidence. Lest we forget, this same Clemson squad demolished OU but 1 year ago. Hopefully, the locker room bulletin board is overloaded with reminders of this.

The matchup is a wet dream for the NCAA and media outlets everywhere. The rematch, the balanced teams, the coaching undertones with Venables, the undefeated darlings, and the old time power all simmer together and make the most delicious matchup. I'm nervous, the Sooners have a recent history (approximately the last decade) of wilting when the lights are hottest. Clemson, no doubt, feels slighted that they, the #1 and undefeated team, come in as underdogs. There is no shortage of motivation for either side, In short, this is huge.

Offense

All week, the story has been Mayfield and Watson. I even read an ESPN puff piece on Mayfield's intramural days at OU. Both are dynamic and both will probably influence the outcome of this game more than any one player on their respective teams. That said, I'm not going with Mayfield here. Perine and Mixon are going to both be huge, they are as essential to the hopes of Sooner nation as Mayfield. But, one player has scarcely been mentioned all week. I think Sterling Shepard hauls in 10 balls, and scores twice. I think Clemson doesn't have an answer for him tonight.

Defense

Whoa doctor, this is where the rubber meets the road. Deshaun Watson is as dynamic of a player as there is in college football. I was looking at some advanced metrics on him and in most categories his two most similar comparisons historically are Cam Newton and Russell Wilson. Yikes. The idea is simple, the execution? Nearly impossible. Shut down Watson and OU will win this game. Who will step up for the Sooners today? Whew, my hope is everyone but if pinning it down to one individual, I'm going with Charles "Ass" Tapper. He's really developed into a monster this year. I think his foot is squarely in Watson's ass all day.

Score

Many years ago, my buddy Mitch and I were driving around in my home town, during a weekend I had coaxed him to make the drive 4 hours up I-44. It was cold, and with little else to do, we stopped at a Blockbuster Music Store and purchased a CD (ladies and gentleman, my submission for most dated sentence of 2015). Why do I remember this apparently mundane sequence of events so vividly? It was both of our first exposures to a band called Parliament. I'm not saying I remember everything perfectly after that point, but I do know we listened to it on repeat about 5 times. Last night I had the great pleasure of seeing George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic live. As I proceeded to boogie, my mind turned to that long ago night, and I only felt good vibes for Sooner nation. Sooners beat Clemson today 34-24.

Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner.

Oklahoma Sooners vs. Clemson Tigers

If I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet I wouldn't be more surprised than I am now. As of early September 2015 I had zero expectations for the season. After the inexplicable Texas defeat, I was wondering if there was any chance to stay above .500. I have the heart of a champion.

It takes a lot to make it this far but I've got three keys. The first is good health. The Sooners endured a head shot to Baker Mayfield that knocked him out of the TCU game. Needless to say without a healthy Shake N Bake the Sooners are not in the Playoff. Zack Sanchez was out against Iowa State and Kansas, the two games they could most afford to lose him. Which leads to the second key.

Luck. Let's face facts here. The Sooners ran a November gauntlet against the Big 12's best teams and didn't have to face any of them at full strength because of, ahem, injuries. You could also look back to last year and see the effect in reverse. How might have the Sooners been impacted had Baker Mayfield been cleared to play and/or Joe Mixon had not been suspended? NCAA rules vagueries and punching a woman in the face are conscious decisions, not luck, but in the sense that off the field choices impacted the on field product I'd call that bad luck for the football team.

Finally, you just have to be good. Since Texas the Sooners have been good. The D has been solid. Moving Steven Parker to Safety looks like a stroke of genius. Jordan Thomas has improved immensely. The defensive line is the best in years. Offensively they are a borderline juggernaut. They have the best one-two running back combo in college football. Baker and Sterling Sheperd are a nightmare. There is no more complete team in the four team field.

OFFENSE

The key here is for the O-Line to lock in. Listening to Clemson talk they have visions of last year and terrorizing an overmatched Trevor Knight. I saw one sound bite where the Clemson player said it was as simple as getting to the man with the ball. The running game will mitigate that pin your ears back mentality but if the O-Line can be on point it could be a long night for the Clemson D. They haven't seen anything like what our offense brings.

What I would love to see is for the passing game to "do it's thing" and open up the run game such that Semaje and/or Mixon can run roughshod on national TV. Mayfield is understandably getting his propers but seeing a total team effort on offense would be sublime.

If I could flip and flop here a little bit though I am picking Baker for my OPOG. Spoiler, if the Sooners make it to the championship I'll probably pick him again. He's just the damn man.

DEFENSE

Deshaun Watson is the QB that haunts the dreams of Sooners everywhere. I cringe to think of Clemson in 3rd and long, the secondary does its job only to have this guy take off up the middle of the field. It's bound to happen a few times but let's not make it an ongoing deal please.

If he does have a weakness it appears he can be turned over. Going back to the luck factor it certainly helps the Sooners that Clemson's second best wide receiver got sent home this week.

After getting embarrassed last year the D will be locked in. The key is to not be stupidly over aggressive. No tearing helmets off, no taking people to the ground 15 seconds after the whistle, no late hits out of bounds or roughing the passer etc. Don't give the Clemson offense new life and chances to extend drives.

I'm taking Zack Sanchez as my DPOG in the hopes that the Sooners turn Watson over more than once. Zack seems to play well on big stages and none are bigger than this.

SCORE

Revenge is on the mind of the Sooners. I still can't believe Jerry Jones couldn't finagle an OU-Bama matchup in the Cotton Bowl but the opportunity for the Sooners to avenge last year's bowl debacle is the best motivator you could ask for. This has the feel of a business trip. There is no doubt this is the best healthy team the Sooners have faced but the Sooners confidence should be sky high. They are playing their best football of the year at the right time.

I think the Sooners hold the Tigers two scores below their scoring average and the Sooner offense proves too much over the course of the game.

I like the Sooners 38-24 in a game that's closer than this score would indicate. Let's do this.

Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner!

Bedlam

You couldn't ask for more in Stillwater today. The Sooners control their own destiny and, with a win, are in The Playoffs?! Should the Cowboys win they'll be pleading their case for the next two days for the playoffs. Even children understand this rivalry. My son and another kid playfully heckled each other at last night's Thunder game. For one day friends are enemies. Good times.

The best part about this game, besides what's at stake, is that each team has its full complement of players. Until Monday it seemed possible that the Sooners would be without Baker Mayfield, Semaje Perine and Joe Mixon. That's the equivalent of American Pharoah running without a leg or three. Mason Rudolph is evidently playing today for the Cowboys amidst rumors of a broken bone in his foot. By all accounts he's their "passer". 

Oklahoma is likely announcing a state of emergency but the weather, while miserable, doesn't look like it will be as bad as, say, TCU-Baylor from last night. 

OFFENSE

As mentioned, the big 3 are cleared to play. Had Baker not been cleared to play I would have rather seen Joe Mixon run Wildcat all night than Trevor Knight take the reigns. Holy smokes did he look awful last week. Being full strength portends nightmares for the Cowboys. They got exposed against Baylor. 

The Sooners will offer a steady does of the ground and pound while Mixon in (get it?) some play action deep routes to keep the Pokes honest. The Cowboys are going to see how well we can pick up a blitz. 

Today I'm leaning heavy on the guy who's gotten us here. Without Baker Mayfield who knows what our record would be. We certainly aren't in the playoff picture. We probably aren't getting mentioned outside of Oklahoma. He's got moxie, he understands what's at stake and there is no way this team lets up for one second today while he's able to play. 

DEFENSE

OSU has a quality offense. By now we've seen as much as we can to prepare for it. Unfortunately it's been everyone's B-team. However, the Sooners D has totally redeemed itself over the course of the season and this group is salty. There is nothing OSU has seen to prepare. Big advantage for the Sooners. 

The Cowboys are going to keep on trucking with their deep ball until we can stop it. We'll win some and lose some. Hopefully we can get our hands on some balls and turn them over a few times. That differential should be enough. 

My top three players on the D this year have been Steven Parker, Eric Motherfuckin Striker and Charles Walker. I'm picking my DPOG from those three and I'm choosing Steven Parker. He's been awesome and his help in the passing game is going to be huge. 

THE SCORE

This will be fun. One team is going to ruin the others dreams. You couldn't ask for more from two teams and fan bases that truly loathe one another. 

The Sooners are a team that's running downhill right now. This game is last jewel in their amazing November run. There is a revenge factor after last year. Bob Stoops had his worst game as coach. The Cowboys can't match what's about to come. 

Sooners 35 Cowboys 17

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner

Oklahoma State (aka Bedlam)

Stillwater, a tiny little butthole on the map of America. Known for a bar with the most delicious (and diarrhea inducing) cheese fries I've ever had, and a college football team built on one lunatic billionaires oil money. The Sooners travel a little ways down the road today and take on this football team with the highest of stakes at hand. OSU lost last week to Baylor, that takes a little of the glimmer off of this one in the national eye, but does nothing to diminish what OU has to play for. The Sooners magical run through November has us old guys reminiscing about Red October waaaaay back in 2000 (credit: Steve Mitchell). But the far away looks in our eyes will be quickly gouged out if the Sooners lay an egg today. In short, win and the Sooners are making the Big 12's first trip to the new college playoff with everything in front of them. Lose, and it's another second tier bowl game, dripping with the scraps of what might have been.

Offense

That game last Saturday was an absolute butthole destroyer. You couldn't have forced a single hydrogen atom out of my ass with a blow torch. It confirmed what no one ever had any doubts about, Trevor Knight is shit (read on, he won't be my OPG pick), and Samaje Perine is a man playing against boys. Basically, Baker Mayfield is the only hope OU has. Thankfully, at last check, he will play. The previous few sentences make it hard to not pick him as OPG. After all, the offense is a Chevy Corsica with corn syrup in the tank without him. I like Mayfield to account for 4 TD's today and cement himself as a top Heisman contender.

Defense

Oh boy, the defense. A game that should've been over at halftime forced my dramatic butthole sentence earlier after allowing a 3rd string TCU QB to get the Horned Frogs back in it. Granted, after the Pu Pu Platter that Knight served, they were on the field roughly 97% of the half, but still. OSU has never had trouble scoring, and they will definitely get theirs today. I think it all starts up front (like I always do), and I like Charles "Ass" Tapper to have another huge day. This guy went from possible UFA roster spot to mid round draft choice in the last 5 weeks. To summarize, he's been a terror. I like him for 2 sacks today and countless pressures

Score

This is for all of the marbles. After that texas game, who would have ever thought it possible? Not me, for one. Literally everything is still on the table, playoffs (playoffs?) or the whocares.com bowl. I'm feeling the former. OSU will score, the crowd will be apeshit, but the Mayfield and the defense will lead us to the promise land in a scorcher. Sooners take it 41-40. I've got two more pieces in me this season.

Boomer to the MOTHERFUCKIN Sooner

Oklahoma Sooners versus Baylor Bears

The Sooners have a big, big football game today as they head down to Waco, Texas to play the Baylor Bears. It's amazing how things change. Baylor has a shiny new football palace, they carry a number six ranking, they are the defending Big 12 co-champions and they operate the scariest offensive attack in college football. Oh, and they have also beaten the Sooners two straight times with the 2014 shellacking being particularly demoralizing. Sooners fans may never chase away the nightmare of watching Baylor throw quick outs repeatedly as they essentially laughed at the Sooner defense. It was one of the most embarrassing and frustrating situations I've ever seen unfold as a Sooner fan.

As my dad pointed out, this opener to a brutal stretch may also remind Sooner fans of a string of games way back in 1999. Instead of the Red October of Kansas State, Texas and Nebraska, the Sooners are looking at Baylor, TCU and Oklahoma State. Times change. And no big deal but if the Sooners win out they are in the college football playoff.

First things first, beat Baylor.

OFFENSE

The Sooner offense is rounding into form. Four straight games of 50 plus points. There's a nice balance of run and pass. Guys like Durron Neal and Mark Andrews are stressing defenses to cover more than Sterling Shepard. You can almost book 48 points out of these guys at this point.

I think they key with Baylor is going to be to continue with the hot starts and show them early that they have yet to see the likes of this offense outside of their own practices. I'm not necessarily worried about playing behind so much as they need to know what they're dealing with and their confidence needs to get shaken. Conversely, the earlier the Sooners can settle in and give Baker Mayfield some comfort in the pocket, the better off they will be.

To accomplish both of these things the Sooners will need to utilize all the skill on hand. In addition to Shepard and Semaje Perine they also need to get Joe Mixon extra touches. He seems to get 10-15 per game. He needs 15-20 today. And, as Nate pointed out last week, I have to tuck my boner into my waistband about Mark Andrews. Someone tell me why I shouldn't? The guy is a matchup nightmare. He's my dark horse super sleeper offensive pick of the week. Unleash the beast damnit.

DEFENSE

I mean what do you do against these guys? They average ∞ yards and it's pretty well split between the run and pass. Shock Linwood averages nearly eight yards per carry. Corey Coleman is on another level with 20 TD's and averaging 20 yards per catch.

It's a nightmare on paper and it will be a nightmare on the field. However, there are some glimmers of hope. Most notably the Sooners have the best defense in the Big 12. They hold teams at least two touchdowns below their average. With a freshman (albeit presumably wunderkind) quarterback this should hold true today. The Bears have seen nothing resembling the Sooner D so far this year.

Now, is the Sooner D vulnerable? For sure. But if the Sooners are firing on all cylinders then I think there's a real chance the Baylor offense gets rattled just a bit.

To rattle cages the Sooners have to pick a poison. I think the choice is take your chances covering Corey Coleman one on one with help over the top. If he goes for four scores and 200 yards so be it. If he's the only guy going off we win. Shut everything else down. Do not give any opportunities to run roughshod up the middle. Throw the kitchen sink at the young quarterback and give him blitzes from everywhere. The Bears have to get rattled.

In a game this yoooge I'm picking the big guy Eric Motherfuckin Striker. The defense is rounding into form a little bit and you could actually pick a few different guys here. The Charles's, Walker and Tapper, Dominique Alexander, Steven Parker. Hell, even either of the corners could turn the game with some picks.

THE SCORE

The biggest difference between these two teams are the defenses. If OU takes care of the ball on offense and the defense brings the kind of edge that, frankly, there is no excuse for not exhibiting after last year's de-pantsing, the Sooners win. The key word here is rattle. The atmosphere for this one will be electric. Everyone thinks the Baylor offense is unstoppable. The Sooners need to show they are also unstoppable on offense and they need to shake the confidence of the young quarterback and the Baylor faithful.

Bring your sniffing glue, your quaaludes and whatever else you need to get through it because it will fray the nerves but the Sooners will come through.

Sooners 45 - Bears 38

The real season starts... Now

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner

Baylor Bears

Whoa Doctor! This is a big one. As some of you may have heard, the Sooners travel down to the land of Branch Davidians for a massive tilt with implications to be felt from coast to coast. OK, really though, Baylor is good. They are unbeaten, they've (easily) beaten OU two times in a row (who'd have believed that 10 years ago?), and they lead the nation in scoring. Art Briles has certainly made the most of his Texas locale in luring top tier talent to Waco and maximizing that talent with an offensive system that racks up points on nearly everyone they play. The Sooners come in with a top ranked defense and an offense that has been doing a bit of scoring itself of late. Something has to give.

The national media has taken note as well. College Gameday is on hand, and Lee Corso will spread his beloved saliva all over the Baylor Campus as he clumsily pulls a stunt where he will either fire a (mercifully not loaded) shotgun or (hopefully) wrestle a live bear (...to his gruesome death). It's in primetime and ABC's top booth talent will be calling the game. Sooner nation is on high, to-do lists are wiped out early, chubby children in OU sweatpants eagerly shovel down fried chicken shapes drenched in ranch, all awaiting a drubbing of Baylor.  It's the biggest game for Sooner faithful in some time.

Baylor comes in starting a freshman Q. He put up prototypical Baylor numbers last week against KState. As I alluded to earlier, it's a system, and it works. Yes, they only put up 31, but this is more a result of windbreaker's minions plodding a ball control attack than a lack of Bear efficacy. But, what about that Sooner D? They've been very solid, but I fear it's opponent related as much as it is talent related. The front is solid, and it masks what I think is a shaky secondary. Baylor will absolutely score, and score often. Will Mayfield and Perine be able to do enough to match that pace? It looks to be a good one.

Offense

For all of the talk about Baylor and their high-flying offense, their D brings it as well. It will be a tough test for the offense. Mayfield is going to have to extend plays with his legs and do the same things that give our defense fits. But, that said, I think the run game is the key to winning this one. Their offense tends to score quickly, that means more time for their defense on the field. If OU can sustain drives, beat them up in the run game and wear them down, it might be enough to give them the edge in this one. I like Riley to lean heavily on Samaje Perine, and I like Perine to answer with a performance that will be talked about all week heading into TCU. Perine goes for 150+ and 2 scores. Boom.

Defense

Whew, this is where the rubber meets the proverbial road. OU absolutely has to get stops, particularly on 3rd down (hard hitting stuff here). I'm not sad that Seth Russell isn't playing in this one, too bad for the kid, but hey the Sooners need any edge they can get. The front has been excellent since the texas game. Their ability to get pressure and bottle up the run game will likely decide this game. The player I see stepping up in this one is Devante Bond. He's been a beast all season when healthy. I think he's flying all over the field tonight, coverage, penetration, and pressuring the Q. I think he's the difference maker and comes up with at least one sack off the edge.

Score

After losing to texas, this season felt hopeless. I all but bailed on the season, chalking it up to "same old Sooners" of the last several years. Since, OU has quietly done everything they needed to get back into the national conversation. Strangely, with Baylor, TCU and OSU coming up, they are still in the driver's seat for the conference (albeit with a steep road ahead) and if they can navigate their way through it unscathed, well...I just can't. None of what they've done matters if they take a dump tonight. They don't and the run starts today. Sooners win this one 38-35.

Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner.

Oklahoma Sooners versus Iowa State

It's football time in Oklahoma. Before we get to X's and O's let's address some distraction. It was reported yesterday that Sooners Offensive Coordinator Lincoln Riley had interviewed for the North Texas Mean Green head coaching position. I was gobsmacked. Why? Why in the middle of the season? What's going on inside the locker room at OU?

Seriously, why would Riley be remotely interested enough to even take the phone call? This is one of the worst jobs in college football. Lincoln Riley is a "hot name" and a "rising star" in the coaching ranks. There are no less than a half dozen open or presumably open jobs already which include names like South Carolina, Virginia Tech and Miami. Riley may or may not be a candidate for them this year but likely would for similarly statured vacancies next year. Whoever takes these jobs could well be leaving an opening that would be better than UNT. Justin Fuente, for example, will be leaving Memphis for the best opening available. The Memphis job is way better than UNT and Memphis is a shit job.

Second, isn't there some protocol or boy's club agreement that you don't interview in the middle of a season? Don't you have to get permission from the head coach? If yes and yes then what the hell is going on in the coaches room at OU? It seems like the situation would need to be pretty dire for Bob Stoops to say yeah, Lincoln, you should probably take ANY phone call IN THE MIDDLE OF YOUR FIRST SEASON (which, by the way, is going historically well). There are certainly no outward signs of a bad fit. There have been no rumblings though that's no surprise. Journos who wish to keep their press pass would be wise to keep their mouths shut around Norman.

I'm not sold on the idea of something being off because of the list of other names the article mentions. A&M's offensive coordinator. Either (or I suppose both) of TCU's offensive coordinators. It seems these coaching staffs would be at similar levels of disarray for these coaches to be taking calls also. Hard to believe that's the case.

It is possible Lincoln Riley could be incredibly stupid. Talking new jobs in the middle of season one of your new gig is poor form. Taking a look at the first thing that offers a little more money (relatively speaking) would mean he hasn't done much homework. Oklahoma coaches get at least a 100k raise every season. This would put Riley at the current UNT HC coaches salary level. He really should just know better.

It appears UNT is hoping to become the next Baylor and they are waiving a bunch of money around and someone is trying to make a story. There's a lot of smoke here though. Riley, for his part, has come out and denied that he is a candidate. That's no lie. He isn't a candidate for that job. He's a future candidate for a much better job and an offensive coordinator position at OU is a better career launch pad than the UNT HC gig (or it should be). Honestly, he's the kind of guy you'd put a "Head Coach in waiting" tag on if Stoops wanted to retire gracefully one of these days.

On to football.

The Sooners took care of bidny last week against a pathetic Kansas squad. The Sooners had a good intensity level and they avoided major injury. They need to do both those things this week but Iowa State will be a much better test before the backloaded gauntlet begins.

As Sooner fans are no doubt aware, Iowa State shutout Texas last week. Texas beat OU. Vis a vis Iowa State needs to be taken seriously.

OFFENSE

From what poison vile shall Iowa State drink? Stop the run or the pass? I think they load up on the run and the Sooners make them pay with rollouts and play action. Baker Mayfield will have a field day making easy throws to Joe Mixon, Dede Westbrook and Jarvis Baxter. What the hell, throw in some Sterling Shepard and Mark Andrews if you like. I'll take any of it. My pick for player of the game is Baker Mayfield. He gets to sit out the 4th quarter again.

DEFENSE

Interesting tidbit. Kansas State is the only team to run the OU, OSU, TCU and Baylor gauntlet. Scores: 0-55, 34-36, 45-52, 24-31. Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves here but there is reason for optimism.

Today, the boys need to stay disciplined and don't let their guards down. ISU plays hard all game long and you have to respect it. The cyclones are overmatched but if you go around patting you're own back the result is that ole' bullshit we all love so much.

I've been real pleased with Steven Parker of late so I'm picking him for my defensive player. The move to Safety has been great for him.He does something special today.

SCORE

Welp, I think this one will be mildly interesting but the Sooners, at home, will be too overwhelming. I like the boys 42-17 today.

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner.

Iowa State

The Sooners return home this week after doing yeoman's work in dismantling a KU team who can succinctly be described as chilled urine. OU did everything that was expected of them, and in light of recent times, let's not discount that. This week the Cyclones of Iowa State come in to town, fresh off a win against texas. Fortunately, I don't expect the whole "they beat them and we didn't" thing to be much of a factor.

Since embarrassing themselves on their biggest stage (so far), against their biggest rival, the Sooners have proceeded to put up 160+ points over the last 3 games. The offense looks as oiled as a twink in a steam-room, and the D has been steady. Granted, this wasn't against a murderers row of opponents, but KState has given both Baylor and TCU all they wanted this year and OU made them look like Rockford Peaches.

Iowa State comes into this one with a freshman QB poised to start. They do have talent at the skill positions, yet I don't expect a dismantling like we've seen in recent weeks. Let's not forget ISU played a good Iowa team very tough, and their 3-5 record belies their overall talent level. They have enough athleticism to give OU some problems on both sides of the ball. That said, I can't get past the frosh running the show for them, and I think the Sooner offense keeps rolling at home. Speaking of...(Segue, The Magazine!, is doing a feature piece on this last sentence next month, check your news-stands)

Offense

After hitting a home-run with a Sterling Shepard pick last week, I look to make 1 in a row, 2. To be fair, it would've been more of a challenge to pick a bust last week, but if anyone could accomplish that, it's me. This week I'm going to go with another receiver. The guy that is most likely to get a rub & tug from Mitch, Mark Andrews. Honestly, he's a mismatch for anyone with his size and speed. I hope that Lincoln Riley starts to utilize this more. I think today he goes for a touchdown and at least one other big play.

Defense

Last week would've been the one to go with Charles "Ass" Tapper. He had a monster game. With the freshman QB going for Iowa State, I like a D-Lineman to step up again and have a big game. I like Charles Walker to "bring it" today. I think he gets good push up the middle and has at least 1 sack.

Score

As I mentioned before, I just don't foresee a complete fisting (partial fisting? very weird) again this week. Iowa State has talent, this is the last "tune up" before the heart of the conference slate and the Sooners could be looking ahead accordingly. But, I don't think Iowa State has enough on the road to take this one. The Sooners struggle early but cruise late, 45-24.

Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner



PS: I'd be remiss not to mention the Kansas City Royals. I'm a lifelong fan, and a diehard through decades of the leanest of times. They completed an improbable (and looking just a few years back, seemingly impossible) run of dominance over the last couple of seasons with their first World Series title since Reagan started his second term. It's an odd feeling, and one made all the more satisfying because of the years of complete ineptitude on and off the field. It's probably the sweetest victory of my adult fandom, and one I won't soon forget. Now, back to your regularly schedule football bullshit...

Kansas

Well, one week after a scathing tear down of the man Bob Stoops, the Sooners went out and proved me wrong winning on the road in Manhattan against normally feisty KState team. I still stand by my comments until things start changing, but no matter what, I always enjoy the Sooners winning and playing good ball.

(side note, apologies for the lack of fresh drivel last week, had some things going on and was preoccupied with my beloved Royals making the World Series for the second time in as many years. Never say never, but I don't intend on missing any more of these)

This week brings us to KU. A team yet to tally a mark on the win side of the ledger. Unlike in some cases, this really isn't misleading. They're bad. The Crimson and Cream should bury their proverbial swords to the hilt, and come away smiling in this one. Lets hope the demons of texas and the tremendous let down there, don't rear their ugly heads.

Offense

Samaje Perine took on KU last year at home, and made Melvin Gordon's reign as single game rushing king, the shortest ever. I suspect KU will try very hard to avoid this happening again. Frankly, it's unlikely to due to the fact that OU has more than one dimension these days. I think today it's all about that other dimension, specifically Sterling Shepard. I think he gets open early and often and hauls in 3 scores on the field, and as many co-eds to his dorm room tonight (boy-yoy-yoy-yoing)

Defense

It seems the defense came to play last as well. Beating a solid Texas Tech squad, or at least containing them as best they could. I think more of the same this week against a more or less helpless Jayhawk club. I like Dominique Alexander again this week. I think he racks up tackles into the teens, and forces a TO. Big day for the talented 'backer with a unisex name.

Score

Sooners roll up to the lovely state of Kansas for the second time in three weeks and come home just as happy. This isn't a site seeing trip to see the house of mud (you see kids...), it's all business. Sooners roll again in the land of wheat, 57-3.

Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner.

Oklahoma Sooners vs. Kansas Jayhawks

We're gonna run around em. We're gonna run through em. We're gonna run around em and through em! We're gonna fight. We're gonna win. We're gonna Go! Fight! Win! Now let's get out there and kick some ass!

There is no worse football team on the planet than the Kansas Jayhawks. This is the scheduling Gods equivalent of that horseshit maneuver that the SEC pulls with their SW Lafayette games eight weeks into the season. This is a working bye week.

OFFENSE

The Sooners have found a rushing attack and it's glorious. Look for a lot of it today. As nice as it will be, Sterling Sheperd is going to have a field day. I bet he goes for 175 and two scores in about 3 Quarters of work.

DEFENSE

I'm becoming a yooge fan of Charles Walker. Look for him to wreak havoc today. Also, that new Nickleback Will Johnson is playing well. I like him to get an INT as a reward for his good efforts.

SCORE

There will probably be a terrible turnover that give KU an opportunity to score some points. The rest should be PlayStation cruise control.

Sooner 56 Jayhawks 7

Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner

Sorry for the brevity. It's Halloween and nobody cares about this game anyway.

Oklahoma Sooners vs. Texas Tech

Well it looks like the doom and gloom was a bit premature. The Sooners looked like they were launched out of a cannon last week and very little of their performance bore a resemblance to the product that was fielded against Texas. I cannot believe such a drastic change was possible. Now of course there's the woulda coulda shoulda's and why-for's wasn't this how they played against Texas. Texas is done. It's over. As the Tulsa World beat writer Guerin Emig said on Twitter during the game (I'm paraphrasing here) Sooner fans should be relieved the same team didn't show up against K-State, not confused or upset. 5-1 looks a hell of a lot better than 4-2 at this point.

Seriously though, the offense looked dynamic. It was fast getting to the line, the ball was going somewhere quickly and the K-State defense was continually on its heels. They had 30 first downs. This was the offense everyone was hoping for when Lincoln Riley came to town.

Defensively the Sooners held K-State to 110 yards. That's PlayStation Rookie level stuff. They tackled. They forced three turnovers.

Now the Sooners have some nice momentum going again, they're back at home and they've got some built in motivation with the Baker Mayfield - Texas Tech revenge factor. I'm back in baby and I just got a big whiff of some Red Raider ass beat.

OFFENSE

Obviously, more of same from last week here. Move your playmakers around, get the ball to them quickly in space and let them go to work. Baker Mayfield needs to stay calm. The Red Raiders give up yards in chunks so let's take them. The O-Line got a shake up and they looked good. They need to build on last week as well.

You know who I really want to pick? Mark Andrews. But it's not his time yet. Here in a few weeks we'll figure out good things happen the more he's on the football field. But for now, I'm going Joe Mixon. I just have that good old feeling today that he's going to do something awesome.

DEFENSE

Shutting anyone out is a big deal. The Sooner D made the K-State offense look Class B. The best thing to say, I guess, is they were ready willing and able to try new looks and personnel and it paid off. Getting Hatari Byrd off the football field to make way for Steven Parker full time worked. Someone named Will Johnson stepped in at the Nickel and looked pretty darn good.

What's coming this week is a different class of quarterback, however. It was dumb for Klifford Kingsbury to not give Baker Mayfield a scholarship but Patrick Mahomes is pretty solid. He, like Mayfield, seems to have "it".

I wish I could figure these guys out. They are trash one week, treasure the next. No one seems to epitomize this more than Zack Sanchez. Last week he was great. I hope he is this week also so I'm picking him. Don't sleep on Charles Walker though. It seems like that guy has been stepping up of late which, if true, is huge.

THE SCORE

The Red Raiders are easy to hate. They have a super inflated sense of self worth based on a history of mediocrity and tortilla tossing. Klifford K Kingsbury is an A-hole. The Sooners are going to be pumped. The home crowd is going to jacked up. It's going to be a fun game.

The Sooners pull it out going away 49-28.

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner

Kansas State (brace yourself, this isn't a feel good "piece")

Call me a bad fan, call me fairweather, call me doughy ginger, I don't give a shit what you call me. I'm tired of this same routine every season. I'm officially calling for Stoops ouster. It's the same story every year, the same lines about competing for conference championships, the historical win/loss record, hell he's the winningest coach in school history. But there is no accountability, no one questioning his status. We haven't been a realistic national title contender since 2009. If you follow recruiting, and I really don't to be fair, it seems like the guys we sign have it narrowed down to Kentucky, Central Florida and OU, not  even on the big programs radar. I'm tired of it. OU isn't in the business of competing for championships with the word "conference" in front of it. For the record, it's now been more years since our most recent national title, than it was before Stoops delivered us to the promised land in 2000.

It's maddening, and I'm sure a plethora of assistants will be fired after this season, if not sooner. There has been a very consistent lack of fundamentals for years now. If this is just anecdotal bullshit in your eyes, I submit this quote from Bob Stoops after embarrassing themselves in the Cotton Bowl last week: "You can put it all on me, but I don't play." What kind of coach says that, out loud, to the media? That is just absurd, and really demonstrates his line of thinking and attitude toward the team.

The Sooners travel up to Manhattan, KS this weekend to take on Bill Snyder's Wildcats. Speaking of coaching, that is someone who might do more with less than anyone else. I'm not wishing for KState's program, but I'd be delighted to have a coach who got the most out of his players like Snyder does. KState is fresh off a near upset of Top 5 TCU. We all know what the Sooners are coming off of. I don't expect the offensive line issues to be solved this week, so I expect another dose of Baker Mayfield running for his life from the moment the ball is snapped. Hopefully, he can revert to getting out of the pocket more as opposed to last week when he seemed content to let it collapse on him. Hell, maybe he's just tired of running. This has the makings of another Sooner loss. Going on the road and playing a disciplined, fundamentally sound team, and bringing neither of those traits with them. Should be interesting.

Offense

I went with Baker Mayfield last week and that certainly didn't pan out. He did as well as could be expected I guess, given the "protection" he had. My hope is that the Sooners try to slow down the 7 yard dashes of the Wildcat front by throwing a few screens and maybe some well timed draw plays. With that in mind, I am going with Joe Mixon. No, he never plays. No, there isn't a good reason for this that I know of. But, if I'm going to unleash my kiss of death on anyone, I prefer someone who will be on the bench most of the game.

Defense

This feels a bit like last season where I just threw darts at the defensive roster. No one really played well last week, and that crap they called "tackling" was just reheated post-mexican food shit. I'm not sure who informed everyone on the defense that they were Ronnie Lott and wrapping up was ancillary in light of their menacing hitting prowess, but they were full of shit. Again, fundamentals, basic pee-wee league type shit that has clearly not been taught. Anyway, with the fact that I'm obligated to pick someone, I will pick Jordan Evans. Because...might as well.

Score

OU probably will end up losing this game for the plethora of reasons I mentioned above. However, we are the ranked team, and we do only have one loss (however awful it might be). We can occasionally do some things well. I think the Sooners will do enough of them to sneak out of the Little Apple with a W. Sooners take it in an ass-clencher, 31-30.

Apologies for the overriding negative vibe in this post. It's telling that I still feel this way, writing this with a week to chill. It's been building for a few season, and I've just had enough. Still, I root on and hope for the best.

Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner. 

Oklahoma Sooners vs. Kansas State Wildcats

The Sooner Bandwagon as of 4:00PM CST on October 10th, 2015

Well it didn't take long for Sooner championship hopes to squirt hot diarrhea down its trouser legs.

Good Lord did the Sooners get exposed. Defensively, I guess there are some who learned to tackle in some alternate universe where throwing a head at a thigh pad is an effective method. The unit also collectively decided to ignore such fundamentals as, "Play to the Whistle". Texas passed 12 times and still couldn't stop the run, much less key on it.

Offensively, the Bill Dorn, "Ole' Bullshit" pass protection technique did little to hinder a Texas pass rush that sometimes consisted of three linemen. Berry Tramel spent all week defending the Sooner O-Line but, c'mon, they were abysmal. I was stunned to learn that Josiah St. John, the absolute worst of the bunch, is a senior. I also can't figure out if the coaches unwillingness to sub linemen out is due to policy or because the 2nd and/or 3rd string is even worse. Probably the latter.

Schematically, it doesn't appear any Texas tape was watched. The Sooners had a game plan by God and they were going to run it. Until this week, the Texas rush defense had more gaping holes than a Hanoi brothel. The Sooners averaged 1.8 yards per rush.

So now there is all this crap on tape and nobody does more with less than this week's foe, Ol Oversized Windbreaker himself. I  can imagine Bill watching OU-Texas game tape, sitting in front of the hearth with his turtleneck and his all white walking shoes kicked up on the davenport, faithful Sharon brings him a slice of Turtle Pie, his eyes moisten and the television reflects off those cold eyes of his. A faint smile crosses his lips. Buzz-cut Wildcat Nation smells blood.

I'm not excited about it.

OFFENSE

Everything needs to get better and it starts up front obviously. But Baker Mayfield needs to rebound from his worst performance as well. He made bad situations worse by not getting rid of the ball. In zone read situations he made some bad calls. If his receivers can get two hands on the football they need to catch it.

I feel I'm on a two week cycle here but I'm picking Mayfield again. Picking a running back is a joke because the running game is never going to be that important. K-State is going to blitz early and often and Mayfield's going to have to find some space fast and get rid of the ball faster. This is literally the only chance.

DEFENSE

Is it 2014 again where I feel like picking a defensive player is like deciding where I want to get punched? These guys are so annoying. The tackling "display" last week was just embarrassing. I seriously doubt it is something that is practiced. I can't imagine what "technique" is taught that results in such terrible results. I also have zero faith that any noticeable changes will be made. Oh there might be some different faces on the field. It's the players faults after all (sarcasm) but nothing that says, "we've watched tape and we stink at stopping the run up the middle we should get ready for that by finding a safety who tackles reliably and moving him a couple steps closer to the line (or something - grasping at straws here)".

In any case I suppose I'll pick Dominique Alexander. He seems to be the best tackler we have and they'll run all day. Being the best tackler on this team is like a screen door being the best boat in your Navy though.

SCORE

Yes I'm down in the dumps and no longer a believer. One week ruined it. Maybe we can get it back but we're not playing Kansas or Iowa State. These are the only teams left on the schedule who are incapable of scoring 40 on us and I'm shaken at the lack of improvement of the O-Line and our inability to stop the run. That's really everything right there.

I'm counting on a miracle. Punter/Kicker/Freshman wunderkind Austin Siebert wins this one for us today after the Sooners pick off a pass and force a fumble on special teams.

I'll go OU 31, K-State 28.

Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner

Oklahoma Sooners vs. Texas Longhorns

It's Texas week. 'Nuff said.

The Sooners, fresh off a gutty home win against West Virginny, head down south to Dallas and the Cotton Bowl to face a Texas team that, frankly, seems on the brink of imploding. How sweet it would be for the Sooners to deliver the boot that knocks the Horns over the cliff.

All signs point towards a thorough beat down. These are two teams on different trajectories. The Sooners on offense might not be a juggernaut but they are relentless and have yet to peak. Defensively, I am starting to believe. Texas doesn't play very well on either side of the ball and their defense seems to be getting worse the deeper they get into Big 12 competition. The Sooners have cracked the top 10 and might be deserving. The Horns, well, they might be top 10 in Texas.

However, this game being a rivalry anything can happen. The Sooners could just as likely give the ball up five times and crap down their trouser legs for four hours. Texas could make solid decisions and control the action. Charlie Strong's job may not be in jeopardy but a win against his biggest rival could wipe out the sting of a few bad losses. Texas's wunderkind QB Jerrod Heard also leads the team in rushing. Any long time reader of this space (and if you've watched a quarter of Oklahoma football over the past decade) can tell you that this does not bode well. This game is all about players stepping out of the shadows into the spotlight and right now there's nothing but shadows in Austin. Adding insult to injury, even Bevo is so critically ill he can't make the trip.

This year is different. Oklahoma teams of the recent past have had a noticeable lack of leadership on the field. Occasionally a single play can mind fuck them so hard the whole team unravels. That isn't the mentality with this group. If you can make the case that Texas has nothing to lose and that makes them dangerous I think you could also say that the Sooners have everything to gain. For the first time in years it feels like they actually understand this and are prepared to embrace it. This is a business trip for them.

OFFENSE

The offensive line concerns me. I have that nagging feeling that someday it's going to cost them. Not in this game but down the road. If they could only improve marginally there's no telling how far this team can go. You can't survive a season of Baker Mayfield running for his life as soon as the ball is snapped. And you can't take control of a game against the big boys with the running game in its current condition. To hell with making holes, the O-Line has allow either Mayfield or a running back to have time to make a choice.

The Texas D-line is trash so naturally you can expect them to get some push. I don't know if you  counter this with quick passes, straight rollouts or what. I do know I'd ditch the QB run on the 3rd and longs. It's too predictable. And I'd definitely try to get Mark Andrews involved in the passing game. All that guy does is make big plays.

In fact, here's who you need on the field as often as possible (in addition to Mayfield, obviously). Joe Mixon, Sterling Sheperd, Mark Andrews, Semarje Perine. Two of those four need to be on the field at all times. A total absence of any of them for prolonged periods is asinine and over thinking. You can get them rest without being cute. This is college athletics after all where athleticism rules and these guys are too young to get tired.

For my OPOG I'd love to go Mark Andrews. Someone unexpected always steps up and as I mentioned he just makes big plays. But I'm going with Semarje Perine. A big game from him would be a bit unexpected just because he hasn't been able to get into a rhythm so far this year. It's a bit foolish on my part though because for some reason I still expect Lincoln Riley to give a mouse fart about the running game and I don't think he does. But what the hell. Perine could bust out in the passing game as well.

DEFENSE

I'm starting to believe. If you take away some dumbfounding penalties last week, I'd have to say the D played about as well as you can hope against a quality spread offense. There were some breakdowns to be sure but this team seems to understand that a football game is a long slog and one play here or one drive there need not dictate the rest of the day.

I couldn't have been more surprised by Jordan Thomas's play, particularly early on. Evidently he is not interested in being 2015's Gas Rag McGee award winner. It's great to see. Mikey Stoops also threw a curveball when he said Devante Bond and Eric Striker wouldn't be playing much together. It seemed like they were on the field plenty together last week. Again, with the best athletes on the field mantra.

Speaking of Striker, good Lord did he come to play. How wonderful would it be to see him just make Jerrod Heard's life miserable?

In light of this desire and this being a big game I have to go with Eric MF Striker for my DPOG. He's forcing a fumble just watch.

THE SCORE

The Sooners understand the situation. They have a certain something they've lacked in year's past. It could be as simple as maturity or awareness. It could be something more. It's a little too early to tell. But, whatever it is will outweigh the nothing to lose mentality the Horns will be bringing and this one will go as predicted.

The Sooners will be steady eddy on offense and the D will play solid and without the boners from last week. This one is predictable in the most delightful way.

Sooners 35, Horns 14

Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner

Texas

As you may or may not have heard, the Sooners play their arch rival tomorrow the texas longhorns. If you own a TV, radio or have left your home in the last 4 weeks, it's also likely you know that texas hasn't been very good this year. There is apparently quite a lot of conflict within the team. It seems the upper classmen don't like the lower classmen and vice versa. I could give a shit.

texas is talented, though they have (according to Mel Kiper types) a dearth of nfl prospects with not one player expected to be drafted next spring. That said, they come in with 2 losses (OSU and Cal) that very easily could have been wins had their special teams not turned the inside of their unis burnt orange. The Sooners should win this game, they are better in all phases. However, anyone who has watched this series over the years knows, anything can happen.  The blowouts only seem to happen when they are unexpected (I took 2.3 seconds to think about that last statement). With nothing else to play for, this is the season for Ut.

Those that know me personally know I only like burnt orange in one capacity, my nether regions. They also know I expect the worst nearly every week. I am nervous about this. After TCU publicly fisted them last weekend, the masses expect a repeat. I don't see a demolition, I think this will be tough.

Offense

Man, Baker Mayfield is making it awfully hard for me to not pick him every week. He's been stellar nearly every game. Mixon has been spectacular, but seems to have angered someone as he routinely sees about 4 snaps a game. Perine has been relegated to the football equivalent of a closer. I just have to go with Mayfield this week. He's been great and I think he continues to extend plays this Saturday and carries the Sooners again. 300+ yards and he accounts for 4 scores.

Defense

Big stage for the defense against a mobile quarterback. This one will be up to the front 4 to contain the Q and apply pressure. I've been all over the place with my picks on D and so far I don't think I've even come close yet. That changes Saturday. Eric Motherfuckin Striker takes the field for his last taste of Bevo (not beaver, presumably he'll taste more of that down the road). He was an absolute menace last week and I think he carries it over. 3 sacks, tackles by the shitload and a turnover.

Score

The spread I saw most recently was OU by 17.  I don't quite think the Sooners cover. I think it is a somewhat ugly game, but the Sooners do enough to make the sphincter relax by 1:30 or so. For my man RP I think the Sooners put up 40, texas 27.

Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner

Oklahoma Sooners vs. West Virginia Mountaineers

If you were a season ticket holder for Good Ol Alma Mater how much would you donate if your non-conference home slate consisted of the following: Georgia Southern, Liberty and Maryland? How confident would you be after hammering these wet bags of turd and heading out on the road for the first time all season against a capable conference foe?

I'll tell you I wouldn't blown my nose with my tickets for those scrimmages and I'd be puckered up like a snare drum if I was West Virginia. Honestly, I didn't know Liberty had a football team. So the Mountaineers have a top 15 offense and defense. Cue the slowest, most sarcastic slow clap I can muster. 

I'm not, by any stretch, implying the Sooners have nothing to fear here. They know how big this one is. They've asked the fans to candy stripe the stadium and they're pulling out the alternate uniforms because they A) need to protect the house (something that didn't happen last year) so they can B) start/stay in the Big 12 championship chase and C) make a strong early season impression on voters/computer against a currently ranked, undefeated team. The Sooner faithful should be in full throat in spite of yet another 11am kickoff.

OFFENSE

This is the key to the whole ballgame. It's going to become a broken record if it isn't already but the Sooner offense is truly the best defense. If the Sooners can get rolling early and pop a defense that's been untested it may provide enough cushion to win the day.

This is true. Georgia Southern got routed by West Virginny 44-0 and attempted 13 passes. This is the best offense they've faced. If the Sooners game plan isn't to hit the Mountaineer defense early, keep them on the field and wear them down then I know nothing. I expect a lot of hands on hips from the Mountaineers. 

The other key for the Sooners is to hang on to the ball. They should have buried Tulsa two weeks ago but turnovers cost them about 31 points. West Virginia is opportunistic and experienced. If the Mountaineers get some breaks off turnovers and capitalize then all bets are off. If the Sooners shove it down their throat and bring a gun to a gun fight they'll win. It's such a simple game really.

The scary thing is the Sooners haven't fired on all cylinders yet. They've gotten off to slow starts, the run game has struggled at times and they've had fumble-itis. They will hit their stride this week. They have 9 receivers for Baker Mayfield to choose from. They have a dynamic backfield (although I can't fathom why David Brooks got so many early carries over Joe Mixon against Tulsa).  I really want to pick Semarje Perine for my OPOG but I can't do it. I'm going Baker Mayfield. He's on fire. His ability to keep plays alive and distribute the ball is awesome. What he did against Tulsa was video game stuff. I'll keep the Semarje card in my back pocket and take ol' Baker. Not sure if he can hit 86% completion for 6 million yards again but I'll be thrilled with less gaudy numbers and the same dearth of INT's.

DEFENSE

I'm a little nervous when the absence of Jordan Thomas is the excuse for giving up ∞ yards to Tulsa. It's also mildly jarring to read that Devante Bond and Eric MF Striker aren't going to be on the field much together going forward. I get it, but how frustrating is it to get picked apart because there is zero pressure from up front? Why not take a couple chances with your best players on the field together? You get scored on anyway. You have to disrupt the rhythm of either the QB or the receivers. I like Striker and Bonds versus a QB than Jordan Thomas et al against everyone else. Especially at home.

Someday, some defensive coordinator in the Big 12 is going to quit trying the same thing over and over and will change things up drastically, shut down some big time offenses and become a well-paid head coach in the SEC. He'll probably come from TCU.

Anyway, I'm skeered of the Mountaineer offense and particularly Wendell Smallwood at running back. My worst nightmare is a 3rd and medium scenario and this guy just shoving it down our throats.

For DPOG I'm making a pick based on sheer force of will. I desperately want someone on the D-Line to get to the quarterback if the Sooners are going to stubbornly refuse to send someone from the edge.

::closes eyes, points fingers at depth chart::

I'm going Charles "Chaz" Walker because I like his name. Note: I am not in defensive indifference mode yet. That won't happen until after Texas Tech I hope. I just want someone on the D-Line to step up and I have no idea who that will be at this point.

THE SCORE

If the Sooners can pick up where they've been leaving off and hang on to the ball we're golden. If the defense can hold the Mountaineers even one touchdown below their season average the Sooners win.

I think the D will do a little better than that and the Mountaineer D just isn't ready for this test yet.

Sooners 49, West Virginny 35

Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner

The West Virginia Mountaineers

Sooner fans, it's been an exciting year up to now. An improbable road win against a solid SEC opponent, a TCB win against an also-ran, and a grind it out win in a trap-game against a high-scoring offense. Now the season gets serious as conference play begins. It's no patsy either as WVU comes in unbeaten and ranked 23.

In doing some "research" on a website called smokingmusket.com (a website I fully expected to 1. require my credit card info to access, and 2. melt my computer as soon as I entered) I learned that the mountaineers come into the game leading the country in points and turnovers....on defense. Sure, we always expect Holgerson's teams to score, but this one seems to understand tackling and coverage etc. Granted, they haven't exactly played the 2007 Patriots, but nonetheless this is new territory for this team.

Since joining the Big 12, WVU has yet to finish in the win column against OU. The comments I've read from the players leads me to believe they've circled this game for some time. It's their chance to beat a big time team as well as firmly establish themselves as a Big 12 title contender. It's also the first game of a murderous stretch for the Mountaineers (OU, OSU, Baylor, TCU). They've proven they can score, now paired with a solid defense this represents a very tough test for our Sooners.

Offense

With a week off to heal up bruises, tweaks and pulls I expect the full arsenal of weapons to be at Lincoln Riley's disposal. Mayfield has been nothing short of great in every game. He extends plays, takes his shots when they're there, and scrambles for postive gains when they aren't. He's also realized that it's acceptable to go through a progression and throw to any receiver who might be open. No small feat, and one we haven't really seen since Bradford. Now that I've spent this whole section verbally fluffing Baker Mayfield, I'm going in a different direction. This game will likely see plenty of scoring. This one will be won by the team that can grind it out late. After getting embarrassed by Perine last season, they'll be keying on him, that's why I like Joe Mixon to make his name a household one in this tilt. It's his coming out party tomorrow, 150+ total yards and a score.

Defense

This is becoming harder to pick. We've had solid play from several different guys in every game. One area where I feel comfortable avoiding a pick is the secondary. They were just scorched by Tulsa. Truly an awful showing. For this game we will need balance in both the run and pass phases of the game. I like Dominique Alexander to come strong in this one. He's been quietly solid and I think Saturday he makes some big plays and contains the high flying Mountaineers.

Score

This is a huge game, first one of the season in conference, two unbeaten teams, two ranked in the top 25. The winner stays the course for those preseason aspirations, the loser says the right things and quietly begins scoreboard watching. The Sooners have had two weeks to get ready for this game. It's in the right stadium, and they've still got that "nobody-believes-in-us" mentality accompanying a sub-top 20 preseason ranking. It'll be a very tough test, but the Sooners do enough and win it 31-27.


Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner. 

Livin' On Tulsa Time

Great song, better post title. The Sooners come into this test fresh off of a great (however improbable) win that took me back to the early Stoops era where wins were pulled out with regularity. It was the opposite of a gut punch and was so much fun to watch. Let's hope it doesn't breed complacency and rather pushes the boys on a roll that lasts all season.

There was much hand wringing about Mayfield and his lack of production last week until the 4th quarter/OT. Maybe I'm crazy but I thought he did a fine job through the game. It was basically, hike, run for your life each down. Couple that with several drops and he wasn't exactly set up for success.

Tulsa has been scoring points in buckets this season. Admittedly their competition hasn't been the best, but it still takes talent to score. I think our D will be tested and this has all of the makings of a trap game. Let's hope the Sooners stay focused and do what everyone expects today.

Offense

So far, the Air Raid attack has been on high and as a result the ground game hasn't exactly dropped jaws. I think the coaching staff uses this game as an attempt tune up the balance and get the ground game going. Samaje busts out today and gets his first hundo of the season and finds the end zone at least once.

Defense

There has been a clear cut best player on the defense this season so far, and it's someone who's not been mentioned much on this blog apart from the mention of his cameo on Hill Street Blues. That guy is Devante Bond.  Bond was all over the field last week and I think he will be again. The man has been an absolute beast.

Score

I think Tulsa will score a lot on OU today, they run the fast pace aerial attack that generally gives the defense fits. Pair that with the trap game set up (coming off a huge win/going into a bye/seemingly lesser opponent) and this will be tougher than anyone thinks. As I mentioned, Tulsa scores, they also give up a lot of points. OU wins this one and heads into the off week 3-0. Sooners take it 44-34.

Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner. 

Oklahoma Sooner vs. Tulsa Golden Hurricane

Sooner fans may still be basking in the afterglow of last week's miracle but the boys on the field need to get right back to work.

First, may I share a few words on last week's environment? Knoxville is one of the coolest college towns I've ever been to. The people were amazing. The bar scene was spectacular. The tailgates were crazy in that they are shoved into every nook and cranny (technical term) from inside parking garages to yacht decks on the Tennessee River. And make no mistake. They were yachts. It was also the loudest venue I've ever been to in my life and it wasn't even close. I could not more highly recommend spending time on a college football weekend in Knoxville.

Bob Stoops called the win perhaps the favorite of his tenure. It was pretty awesome and I will never forget the sight of 100,000 Volunteer fans getting their hearts collectively ripped out. That's exactly what you could sense happening on that long drive in the 4th quarter that tied the game.

Now we move on to Tulsa. I thought for sure this would be a great homecoming game to work on some things going into a bye. Then I spoke with an historically pessimistic tailgating buddy who informs that Tulsa has a 5-Star QB who transferred in with new head coach and former Baylor Offensive Coordinator Philip Montgomery. Turns out it's true and so this may prove to be a nice test for the defense and the secondary in particular.

OFFENSE

Baker Mayfield was obviously great last week. However, his ability to scramble highlighted the fact the O-Line needs to pull up their big boy pants and start putting some helmets on someone. No more of this "ole' bullshit". Can you imagine how many times Landry Jones would have been sacked last week?

The Sooners also need to get in a rhythm early. A slow start against Akron is OK in game 1. A slow start against Tennessee is OK in a hostile road environment against a pretty decent defense. A slow start against Tulsa has me making that sucking in noise through my teeth and worrying we've got a bad habit on our hands that's going to bite us in the ass sometime sooner than later.

There are some good options to get the rhythm going. You could run Mayfield, Perine or Mixon. You could try to strike deep with Shepard. Or you could pull a Heupel and do none of these (using your best players being too obvious).

I'm a big "ride the hot hand" guy so I'm taking Sterling Shepard this week. He was yoooj, just yoooooj last week and, as a veteran, he can get things going early.

DEFENSE

This unit is clearly improved but I'm still not convinced they are the real deal. I can't believe it but today will show a lot. Tulsa has what appears to be a balanced and potent offense. Baylor Light may be an insult to both Baylor and Tulsa but if it winds up being the case then the Sooner D is only going to grow from the experience.

Again, in the vein of riding the hot hand I'm going to take Devante Bond. He's been in beast mode for two weeks now. He's kept Frank Shannon off the field. I like him to continue today. Hopefully he can get some good pressure on this QB and the Sooners can turn them over a couple times.

THE SCORE

Tulsa gives up a ton of points. They score a ton. I feel like this one's going to start off as a shootout before the talent gap takes over. The Sooners do get going early on offense, the D shows signs of future struggles against potent offenses before showing flashes of potential.

Sooners 56, Tulsa 28

Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner

Tennessee Volunteers

One week after reading my post, laughing hysterically, shitting on it and making Akron eat it, the Sooners travel to Tennessee for an SEC tilt in front of the most fans to ever witness (you may or may not have heard) an OU game. I may have overestimated the Zips chances, but can you blame after recent seasons? The Vols should be a much tougher test. The road environment, the big crowd, the fact that Stoops hasn't always had the troops completely ready in the situations in recent past all should give pause to the faithful.

The Sooners had a difficult time beating these guys last season in Norman. This is largely the same young Vols team this season, only with another year to gain experience. Quarterback Joshua Dobbs gave the Sooners fits last year as is the fashion with any QB who can run and prolong plays. He's back as are talented running backs Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara who both proved very tough last season. There is no shortage of weapons on the Vols offense and the Sooner D will be tested early and often.

The good news is the Sooners are not the same team as last year. The offense looked balanced and almost as if they had tried throwing passes during practice at some point. This is an upgrade. That said, there was a slow start against Akron. Let's give them the benefit of the doubt and chalk that up to week 1 kinks. But, you know how it sucks when another team comes to Norman and comes out on fire? It would be pretty awesome to do the same to Tennessee tomorrow and find out what it sounds like to hear a mouse peeing on Cotton in front of 104k+.

Offense

One week after Baker Mayfield gave the Sooner State a collective boner that became the first object on earth photographed by the Mars rover, one would be tempted to go with him as their OPG. I would love to regret not picking him again next week, but I refuse to. Bowling Green threw for 433 against the Vols last week. I think Mayfield builds off of last week and has another nice outing with 300 plus yards and 2 TDs.

Defense

I didn't see the game last week so I have little to go on in terms of who I thought looked solid. Tennessee is multi-dimensional on offense and it will require a full team approach to slow them down. I think Charles "Ass" Tapper has a nice game as he gets to the Q at least once and keeps the two-headed RB contained with multiple tackles in the run game.

Score

This will be a tough game for OU. They have everything to prove and this game could be a big step in shedding some of the road demons that have plagued them. Not to mention it would be a nice confidence builder for the rest of the season. Tennessee will get some points and the crowd will carry them to an extent. That said, I think the Sooners play enough defense and the offense rolls up some points, Sooners win it in a nice road statement, 33-20.

Big game this week, let's stomp some Vol nuts.


Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner.

Oklahoma Sooners vs. Tennessee Volunteers

The Sooners couldn’t have hoped for a better start to the 2015 campaign. The offense, after a slow start, became unstoppable in the 3rd quarter. Baker Mayfield broke a record set by no less a personage than Sam Bradford. Joe Mixon looked worthy of the hype. Play calls were in early and decisive. There was a lot of play action and misdirection.

The defense yielded only 225 yards and forced a fumble. Hatari Byrd made an early entry for Hit of the Year when he stopped a scrambling Tra’Von Chapman in his tracks.

Austin Siebert is a weapon in the kicking game. He turned the field over on several occasions and he’s a good field goal kicker.  I can’t remember a kicker “putting out the vibe” like this guy.

There were positives in all phases of the game. I wear crimson blinders but there were no glaring weaknesses that are going to result in Week 2 coaching demotions a la the texas Longhorns. Yet, there are things that I’m sure showed up on game tape that the coaching staff can use for teaching points.

Now on to Rocky Top for a great early season test.  

OFFENSE

One of my favorite moments last week was a 3rd quarter 4th and 1 on the Zips 49 yard line. Lincoln Riley sent in some kind of jumbo package with Perine in the backfield. There was no hesitation on the call. Once the Sooners set at the line there was no looking over to the sideline. No timeout was called. Everyone in the stadium knew where the ball was going. Perine carried for 15. The Sooners went on to score three plays later on passes. It was consistent with the way the play calling went all night. It was easy and confident. There was no waiting around for the next play call to come in. There was occasionally some checking in to the sideline but the answer was ready when the question was asked. Nothing, a la the run game, was forced. It was nice to see.

The bubble may burst but I get the sense that the confidence of Riley and Mayfield is going to carry over to the rest of the offense and the stage of Neyland Stadium, in SEC country, in front of 105,000 is not going to be too big for these guys.

Plus, this quote from Bowling Green head coach Dino Babers makes me feel pretty good. "I promise you that someone's not going to sleep over there based off of their defense either."

I’d love to pick Mayfield to go bonkers again here. And it’s highly likely he will. He has a high comfort level with Jarvis Baxter so that would be a reasonable pick too. Needless to say, Berry Tramel put together a mid-week puff piece on Baxter’s Cinderella story. But I’m going with Joe Mixon. I imagine Tennessee is going to be quite aware of where he’s lined up and they will still have a tough time handling him. I think this will be Joe’s introduction to the country.

DEFENSE

This will be a big test for the Sooner D. Tennessee appears ready, willing and able to run rough shod over the Sooners. Can the defensive line help the linebackers out? Matt Dimon, Charles “Chaz” Walker and Matthew Romar need to play big. I feel good that your ‘Nique Alexanders, Jordan Evans, Frank Shannon’s and Devonte Bonds can clean up if the D-Line does its thing.

On that note, from the “Straight Outta LEFT FIELD” department I’m going to with Zack Sanchez. I just have that old tingly feeling that he’s going to do something big to alter the course of the game.

Akron was just too discombobulated on offense to know whether the Sooners made them that way or if they were just terrible. Probably a little of both. I'm not yet sold on their improvement over last year. I'll be happy with baby steps and another good showing this weekend.

THE SCORE

Tennessee wound up putting up a big number on Bowling Green but the Sooners D, questions and all, are better than anything the Vols have seen in practice or in week 1. That’s going to be the difference.

The Sooners offense is also going to prove superior and I have doubts that the Vols offense is built to come from behind.

I’m going Sooners 38, Tennessee 21

Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner

Oklahoma Sooners vs. Akron Zips

Praise His name the season is finally here. I couldn't handle another puff piece about how Toby used to help his sister raise the family horse and how that work ethic and team first attitude caught Coach Stoops's eye while he was driving his kids to school one day and led to Toby landing an invitation to try and walk-on at the University of Oklahoma.

There are lots of intriguing storylines to pay attention to here for the Sooners in Week 1. Lincoln Riley debuts his Better, Faster, More Offense. Mike Stoops gets to heap his verbal abuse from the safe distance of the press box. Bob Stoops gets a chance to redeem himself and show that he can make in-game decisions worthy of his $5 million dollar salary. Joe Mixon makes his much anticipated debut. Can the Defense hold a wet fart? Can the Sooners go a season (or a game) without calling a timeout on a kickoff or on the backside of a TV timeout?

The Akron Zips are terrible which makes for a nice opportunity for the Sooners to get accustomed to game tempo and let some newcomers settle in to some big time college football. The Zips for their part get an ass-beat, a fat game check and, presumably, some sympathy beej's when they get back to Ohio. So good for them (sarcastically slow clapping).

OFFENSE

It's pretty obvious the Sooners need to lube the ol' offense and get some good reps in at this new pace ASAP. I'm expecting jitters and glitches at the outset. Baker Mayfield gets his first start, there's a new left tackle, it's a new playbook. But if the Sooners can get into the groove as the game goes on and avoid an overabundance of penalties that's a nice day. Scoring is not going to be an issue. Stepping on their own shoe strings may be.

There's many ways to go in choosing an offensive player of the game here. Does Baker Mayfield go crazy? Does Sterling Shepered and Dede Westbrook gain 100+ yards each? Can Semarje pick up where he left off last year? Does Mixon get everyone's forgiveness for being a lady beater? I'm going with Baker Mayfield. I don't think his numbers will be gaudy but I think he'll justify his being named the starter. This alone will put this offense ahead of any point in time last year.

DEFENSE

Mike Stoops is on notice. He's been relegated to the press box and he's lucky he didn't get canned last year. His unit needs to step up in a great way and I'm not seeing anything on paper that leads me to believe it's drastically improved. People like Steven Parker, Ahmad Thomas, Jordan Thomas (aka The Secondary) all have to make the leap. You get no coffee if your name isn't Eric Motherfuckin Striker,  Charles Tapper, Zack Sanchez or Dominique Alexander, basically. Coffee is for closers.

Per tradition and in light of the previous paragraph I'm going Eric Motherfuckin Striker here. We don't know who's starting for the Zips but one of their options "is not a running threat". That bodes well not only for the entire defensive unit but for Mr. Striker as well.

THE SCORE

The over-under for this one is 57.5. I'd load up on the over if I was a sinner and gambled. I like the Sooners big here, just huge. I'm going to say 52-14.

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner.

The Akron Zips

The 2015 season kicks off for the Oklahoma Sooners football team tomorrow. And if you read our previews, this season comes with much optimism, if not angst. While there are questions to be answered on both sides of the ball, many are looking forward to heading down to Norman tomorrow to watch the boys plant some shiny cleats in the collective ass cracks of the lowly Zips from the MAC. Questions be damned, this will be a cakewalk. Or will it really? While the budget-friendly sneaker from the 80s (turns out they still make these FYI - research!) may not strike fear in your heart, this a dangerous team to look past.

The days of OU having enough talent to sleepwalk past a team like this ended about eight years ago, if you think otherwise, you've been pulling a Rip Van Winkle since then. Akron has a talented defense that ranked very highly nationally last season and they return the bulk of their starters. Cody Grice is a load that plays NT and turns around and becomes their short yardage battering ram in goal line scenarios (12 TDs last season). That type of athleticism can be found at nearly every position where Terry Bowden (yes, that Terry Bowden) has brought in many former 3 and 4 star recruits that left bigger programs for various reasons.

The Zips biggest questions lie on offense where they struggled last season. That said, they return eight starters on that side of the football. While Bowden hasn't named his starter, his two leading candidates are a two-year starter in Kyle Pohl, your more traditional pocket passer and Tra'von Chapman, a former 4 star recruit at Pitt who is the running hybrid style Q that gives Mike Stoops et al fits. Bowden is waiting to name the starter until "tee time," a smart bit of gamesmanship no doubt designed to give OU two very different styles to think about. Bowden has coached on this stage before, he will absolutely have his guys ready. If you think Oklahoma hasn't been the focus of every off-season workout and fall camp scrimmage, you're sorely mistaken.

In short, this is a trap game. A no name school from a second tier conference coming in to play the big bad owners of seven national championships. OU, at last look, is favored by 31.5. If I knew a bookie, I'd absolutely take Akron and the points. I almost regret looking these guys up. I think OU absolutely should win this game, and likely will, but I'm certainly far more worried than I was yesterday.

Offense

First game of the year is always a tricky one. I think I picked Trevor Knight last year. Then he went the way of Lonnie Jones where I vowed to never make that mistake again. It's tough picking a guy based on last season, but Samaje Perine seems as safe a bet as one could want. As Mitch detailed in the Offense Preview, he's an animal that almost no one could even contain. While that would be the smart pick, I'm going to be "clever" and go in a different direction. I think Sterling Shepard returns to the field healthy for the first time in nearly a year, and goes off. I think Mayfield leans on his best receiving weapon in his first start and hits him for a pair of scores. Shepard will be the forgotten man no more after Saturday night.

Defense

Whew, at the end of last season, picking the defensive player of the game was throwing darts...with no dartboard. I'm cautiously optimistic that this unit will come together this season. If it does, it will start with the best player out there, Eric Motherfuckin' Striker. He was quieted a bit last season, likely because he was one of the few guys offenses had to game plan for. I think whomever Bowden starts in the backfield, gets acquainted with Striker early and often. 1 sack and 1 forced fumble for Striker on Saturday. Boom.

Score

As I said, I don't feel like the Sooners will cover 31.5. I think the offense will struggle early as new pieces try to assimilate and Akron comes harder than they expected. I'm hopeful that Lincoln Riley can do what Heupel never could, make adjustments. I think he will, and the Sooners will get it done in an early wake up call that might actually be a good thing. Sooners win 27-10. I'm pumped for a new season and ready to see the Crimson and Cream sprint out on the field (though I won't actually be able to do this, thanks PPV) and roll some heads. Welcome back reader(s).


Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner.

The 2015 Sooners Awards and Predictions

Unlike most years, I'm not going to do a final record prediction. I want the same thing everyone else wants, and I just can't see a way to put it out there seriously. I think OU will absolutely improve upon last season, that's as much as I'm willing to predict so it leaves a pretty wide swath to cover.

I will, however, put out the awards/predictions/superlatives that I enjoy (if only me).

Oldest Looking Sooner: Devante Bond

This is a new award, one born strictly out of the fact that I happened across this photo while doing my exhaustive research on the defense. If you told me this guy was once cast as "Tough Guy #2" on an episode of Hill Street Blues, I would absolutely believe you. 

TC Bread Award: Jordan Smallwood

This award needs no explanation. I sifted through the roster and found Daimler, Christian who brought us such classics as the LeBaron and Cordoba. Also in the running was punter-cum-pornstar Jack Steed. Yet no one could unseat the incumbent. Poor Jordan Smallwood.

Most Likely to Disappoint: Baker Mayfield

This is no knock on Mayfield per se, but you know the old line about the backup being the most popular player on a team. I think Mayfield fell victim to that as Trevor Knight shat his crimson pants brown last year. I do think he will be a massive upgrade (tough not to be) but I don't think he's Bradford part 2 and, for many, that will be a disappointment.

Matt McCoy Memorial Gas Rag: Jordan Thomas

I opined last season that I hope no one earned this award, Thomas did so, and as such he goes into the season currently working to lose it. Thomas was not good last season. He was the whipping boy on an otherwise subpar secondary.

Old Steady: Samaje Perine

OK, now to the real awards and the only two that really matter (editors note: none of them really matter). Samaje reprises the Old Steady award for the first time since Travis Lewis. He's one of the best running backs in the country, but he's not just a home run threat. He's a battering ram that can be counted on to get 3 to 4 yards every time he touches the ball. Hence, Old Steady.

Motherfucker: Eric Striker

Perhaps it's an indication of a drop in talent, perhaps it's that we've been lucky enough to have two elite talents emerge early and become dominant mainstays on the defense, whatever the reason Eric Motherfuckin' Striker follows Tony Motherfuckin' Jefferson as the second two-time Motherfucker winner since the inception way back in 2000. Striker is an absolute menace, always playing at a speed faster than anyone around him and disrupting offenses in some way nearly every down. Eric Motherfuckin' Striker.

Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner

The 2015 Oklahoma Sooners Defensive Preview

The 2015 season is nigh upon us and the defense will very likely be what determines if the Sooners can make a run to the playoff, or idle by as also-rans yet again.

When examining the Sooners roster on defense, it's hard not to notice that they are pretty young as a whole. There are only 4 seniors in the two deep, 2 of them start, while no freshman are starting, that unit doesn't scream seasoned vet. There are absolutely some talented guys there, including guys like Dominique Alexander who, though not a senior, has more experience as a junior than most older guys. It's not all doom and gloom, but there needs to be a significant improvement over last season when the Sooner D singlehandedly bought the local Tums salesman's pool.

The defensive backfield was abysmal. These weren't lapses either, though I guess the entire months of September, October, and November are a lapse relative to the age of the Sun. Zack Sanchez looked like he might be the real deal, and as it stands now, is easily our best guy back there. Steven Parker looked very promising as a true frosh last season, he stands to start at NB. Jordan Thomas was truly awful, and completely unprepared to play last season. Let's hope a year of reflection on last season has motivated him to be more prepared to run, tackle, etc this year. I think Hatari "2000" Byrd and Ahmad Thomas showed promise as well. If we squint just right, this could be the most improved group on the team. They damn sure need to be.

The LB spot is pretty solid, I think. Jordan Evans beat out Frank Shannon for one of the starting spots. Both are salty, and I suspect Big Frank will get plenty of reps. It won't shock me a bit to see him starting at some point, but don't sleep on Jordan Evans either. Dominique Alexander is also extremely solid. A tackles machine, he seems to be in the right place on most downs. The entire unit desperately needs to improve in the passing game, however.

Defensive Line has some question marks as well. The DE spots are locked down hard by Eric Motherfuckin Striker and Charles "Ass" Tapper. Both can get to the QB and fly around the field, but the depth behind them is firmly in the "question mark" category. Speaking of, the middle of the line could be trouble. Dimon, Romar, and Wade comprise the most known commodities. Though the Big 12 is pretty pass-happy these days, getting a push from these guys will be crucial in minimizing our DB's exposure. This is starting to feel like a lot of "ifs."

Last season, the defense finished 114 in the nation vs the pass. Some changes have been made, moving full-time to the 4-2-5, or at least as a base package could help. I also read that last season they had two different coaches for the secondary, one for the safeties and one for the corners!? One player said that this season communication has been so much better now that they're all in the same meetings together. Why not have the QB and receivers meet separately and then just figure it out on gameday? (I can't confidently say that didn't happen last year as well.) I'm not even a reasonable facsimile of a pee-wee football coach, but this seems like a pretty damn obvious way to set things up.

There is a lot that has to go right for this defense to push the Sooners to the playoff. Pretty much every unit has to improve...a lot. They aren't going to be the '85 Bears, but maybe they can do enough to get wins. I hope Mitch is right about that 45-55 point per game average. Not only would it be fun, it might be the only way to win.


Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner.