West Virginia

The last game of the regular season is upon us. The mountaineers of West Virginia come to town today to take on our beloved Sooners. A spot in the conference championship game is already secured but eyes are on a bigger prize. I'm writing this without access to the internet which makes for a convenient excuse as to why I've done no research, but let's be honest I wouldn't have anyway. With that in mind, I think there is a chance the WVU QB is out with a finger. This may or may not be accurate, but before we get excited, the last time an unproven backup on an inferior opponent came to town, Iowa state happened. 

As I'm sure everyone knows by now, mayfield will not be a captain or a starter in this one as penance for his Man In the Mirror audition on the KU sidelines last week. I'm hopeful this is little more than a wrist slap and he's back in on the second series. But regardless, the boys need to keep it close. Bad things can happen, just ask Miami, the Sooners just need to keep winning and the playoff prize is in their hands. 

Offense

This unit has been a real treat to watch all season. Without mayfield starting they surely won't be as dynamic, but I think there is enough talent that they can still put up some points. I think they will lean more heavily on the run and as a result I'm going with Rod Anderson today. I think he has a big game, even after mayfield retakes the helm. 

Defense

We might as well accept that this defense sucks dick and can't stop a Hershey squirt. What a futile exercise this pick has become. Winning cures everything but this team has been an abomination to watch on defense. I'm going with Caleb Kelly for no decent reason whatsoever. 

Score

WVU can score, Dana holgerson teams always do. I don't know if their QB is playing or not but does it really matter? I think the sooners will show up today however and the offense will get rolling with mayfield back in. Sooners head into the conference championship with just one loss, 45-31. 

Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner

Sooners vs. Jayhawks

The Sooners do their best SEC impersonation this week when they simulate a late season bye week by playing a patsy. The Kansas Jayhawks are losers of 9 straight. It's hard to imagine a team that has raced faster back to the bottom after having made an appearance in a BCS bowl.

The Sooners need to stay healthy and "TCB". It would be a bonus if they could leave the outcome so little in doubt that as many players as possible get some "quality reps". The defensive backfield in particular needs to take this one quite seriously. Today could be the springboard towards galvanizing a very young secondary for the rest of the season.

OFFENSE

Is there a good way to describe being aggressively on cruise control? Whatever that is, is what the Sooners need to be today. They need to put the hammer down and be sharp. Motivation could be tough and they need to get on the board early. It'd be nice to see Baker get his arm loosened up by making some easy throws to some different targets. Maybe the offensive line can set the tone. Orlando Brown has spoken highly of the KU d-line in the past so I assume he'll be ready to play.

For my OPOG I'll go Rodney Anderson. Going into the season he would not have been in my top 7 list of difference makers on offense and he has been absolutely incredible. I'm real happy for this young man what with overcoming multiple years lost to injury. I think he'll run rough-shod over a discombobulated and overwhelmed Jayhawk defense.

DEFENSE

This D needs a break but that should not be confused with rest or complacency. It's actually the opposite. They need a break from looking like hammered dog shit and hanging on for dear life. They need to be crisp. They need to figure out what they have going forward and they, above all, need some confidence.

This is an opportunity to do all of that and more. As mentioned previously there are guys up front like Amani Bledsoe that they are still trying to work into the rotation. The secondary could see three freshmen starting. They need reps, reps and more reps. It's regrettable that, at some point, this team will need Jordan Thomas to step up and be ready. So if/when he gets a chance maybe he can have some success. The Ghost of Parnell Motley might want another chance.

The point is this could be chance to reset, regroup and lock it in for the rest of the season for this group. It's a big day for them.

For DPOG I'll go dartboard style and take Kenneth Mann. I hear his name every now and then. I'm not even sure if he'll play today. Sounds perfect.

THE SCORE

This just needs to be a business trip. TCB on offense, reset on defense. It would be a total waste to come out flat, uninterested and leave Lawrence less prepared for West Virginny next week.

I'll take the Sooners 56-10

KU

The Sooners travel up the road to Lawrence today to take on the Jayhawks. On paper this looks like a sizable mismatch. Hopefully the results on the field look the same. In the interest of covering all angles, this has major letdown written all over it. After two weeks of playing top 10 opponents, and preceding another 2 huge games in top 25 West Virginia and the conference championship, this doormat in the middle must look like a bye to the Sooners. While KU is certainly a massive mismatch in terms of talent (in the good way), sleepwalking against a conference opponent is never a good idea.

The sooners need to come in to this game looking at it as a task that simply needs to be done, don't over think it, and most of all don't get hurt. If things go the way OU wants, Mayfield and company will be sipping gatorades and wearing ill fitting OU baseball caps by halftime. In other words, TCB.

Offense

As Mitchy made mention of last week, the WR corps has, almost without exception, stepped up and dominated this season. That has to be a nightmare for defenses. What started out as take Mark Andrews away, has quickly become a matchup nightmare at almost every spot. The dart throw of a nightmare that picking a defensive player of the game has become, is beautiful opposite on the offensive side of the ball. I think today the Mayfield plays his usual game, the offense hums and the ground game comes in and salts away a nice tune-up win in preparation for the big finish of the season. With that in mind I'm going with Trey Sermon today. I've liked him all year, and though Rod Anderson has been an absolute man child of late, I'm probably out thinking myself and going with Sermon.

Defense

This is the broken record section of the "piece". It's really bad over here for the most part. For no particular reason I'm going with Kenneth Murray today. That is all.

Score

While this is certainly a trap and has all of the makings of a let down game, I think the Sooners are too talented in this one. I don't necessarily think this will be the ridiculous blowout that it projects to be. But, the Sooners get it done doing the yeoman's work today, 36-20. Stay the course, 1000 points of light etc.


Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner

Sooners versus Horned Frogs

Look no further than Sooners v. Horned Frogs if you wanted to make the case that college football doesn't need a playoff because the whole season is, itself, The Playoffs. For the record I think that argument is bullshit. The Sooners, in a massive win last week, eliminated the Cowboys, made most Oklahomans shit themselves and had me saying out loud that I was done with football (due to painfully numerous and long reviews). Now the Sooners and Horned Frogs play in another elimination game. This time it's in Norman. At night. Baker Damn Mayfield called out the fans this week. I have a feeling the fanbase is going to respond. This one could get rowdy.

The Horned Frogs come in with just one loss and, surprise surprise, I haven't watched them so I assume they are yet another well coached Gary Patterson squad that wins because they don't beat themselves. Patterson is one of those rare coaches that plays chess in a checkers world. Can they game plan the Sooners a la Iowa State and, if so, can the Sooners adapt?

OFFENSE

How about that Marquise Brown. Holy smokes. I don't usually like nicknames from on-air personalities but if you go for 260 yards in Bedlam, have a full mouth of gold teeth and you're from Hollywood, Florida, I'm good with the nickname Hollywood. It's always awesome to see someone so fast they make other players look like they're in slow motion.

Navin made a great point last week about how incredible the running back group has been by stepping up as a platoon and replacing Joe Mixon and Samaje. You can now say the same about the receivers. DeeDee, Mark Andrews, Brown, Bedet, Mykel Jones. Lethal.

To say it all goes with/through Baker though is such an understatement and a broken record though. He is a bona fide Sooner legend at this point. One of the all time greats by any metric.

For my OPOG I'm breaking me own rule and going with Baker. It's not my fault he's this good and I shall not punish him for it.

DEFENSE

I mean, I just don't know what to make of this situation. My head about popped off last week when Jordan Thomas cemented his place as one of the all time worst corners in OU history. It boggled my mind though when Parnell Motley was benched before Thomas for being ineffective. I mean, I get it if Motley was off. But how much worse could he have been than Thomas? Anyhow, they both wound up getting replaced by freshmen and it might happen again today.

I am impressed by Mike Stoops willingness to get out of his comfort zone and change personnel until he find pieces that a) give a shit and b) are effective. But Stoops is living in his own little playoff scenario wherein he's scheming for his coaching life. At OU anyway.

I don't care what happens as long as Kenny Hill Jr. gets knocked on his ass many times. This is a particular kind of asshole. He tried to patent his nickname, "Kenny Trill" for fucks sake.

For my DPOG I'll go Tre Brown. I think he's the freshmen CB who had two INT's wiped out by penalty last week. There is a very good chance he won't see the field today.

THE SCORE

I'm really thinking this is a low scoring (compared to last week) slugfest. TCU will score because they can fog a mirror and the Sooners offense will have to work it's ass off to get things rolling. Still, Sooner Nation wants this to be a legendary evening and the collective will wins out.

Sooners 34 Horned Frogs 28

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner

TCU

Welcome back loyal reader(s), if you thought last week was a butt clincher, prepare to strangle your butthole yet again this week. That O-State was an embarrassment to the concept of defense. Yet, our beloved Sooners prevailed, on the road, in a huge matchup. I can go and pick nits, but a W is still a W and we can move on.

By this point, we pretty well know what this team is, an offensive juggernaut that can and will score in bunches. It is also, sadly, a defensive pants smear that couldn't hold a spicy thai meal from restaurant directly home (sigh). But, in spite of the warts it's still a winning and still in the playoff picture at this point. Today a much tougher opponent come to town. Last week was a battle of strengths, and we simply out-OSU'd OSU. TCU boasts a top flight defense and the always crafty Gary Patterson patrols the sideline. He's the Bill Snyder of the post-Great War era, getting the most out of a marginal roster sprinkled with a few token stars.

Both teams are top 10, the Sooners are calling for mayhem, 2008-Texas Tech style, and need every ounce of energy from the fans and themselves. Suffice it to say OU needs their most complete effort of the season today to come out of this with a W.

Offense

Well, it was obvious from the beginning, Mayfield was the guy. He shattered records last week and absolutely controlled that game from an offensive standpoint. All in all, it was one of the greatest Sooners performances I've ever seen. That said, let us not forget Marquise Brown and the clinic he put on. I texted Mitchy at one point in the game positing he was the yin to Jordan Thomas' yang of putridity (not sure if that is a word).  Bottom line, he's hard. Today though, I'm going RB, and jumping hard on the Rod. Rod Anderson that is, he goes off big today.

Defense

Again, this is a joke. No matter who I pick they will likely suck. I'm damn sure not going secondary, aka where WR's go to get drafted. I will throw my dart in the general vicinity of Caleb Kelly today. I have no wit or insight as to why, it's truly random.

Score

The track meet that was Bedlam will likely feel like a distant memory against a very good TCU defense. I hope I'm wrong, but Mayfield will be contained I think. The saving grace may be that TCU also doesn't score enough. I'm nervous, but shading to optimism with a Sooner W, 23-19. Whew, hold on to your fucking hats.

Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner.

Bedlam

You couldn't ask for much more when the Sooners take on the Cowboys up in Stoolwater this afternoon. The winner remains in the hunt for the Big 12 championship game and the College Football Playoff. The loser is almost certainly out of the former and most definitely out of the latter.

This iteration features a Cowboys "wing and a prayer offense" against a defense that has a hard time not rewarding such gambles. And Baker Mayfield, a guy who you simply do not bet against. It's hard to imagine this one not living up to its name.

OFFENSE

The Sooners offense is now a fully formed juggernaut. Provided they can avoid stepping on their own dicks the Cowboys will find it difficult to keep the score low. I like the Sooners offensive line chances against the Cowboys front. I am saying that with little to no knowledge of the Cowboys front. Whoever they are they are not as good as the o-line.

In recent weeks the biggest developments have been the called runs for Baker and the emergence of Mykel Jones at wide receiver. There is speed, speed and more speed all over the field and when that needs a break you can go bruiser with Dimitri Flowers and Mark Andrews.

I would love to see longer ball control type drives of the sort the Sooners finished the Red Raiders off with last week. They went 65 or so yards  and it took 11 minutes and 18 plays or some nonsense. That is extreme. But some scoring drives that take four to seven minutes off the clock would be sublime. The Sooners M.O. is quick strike but with our D versus the Cowboys O, the Sooner offense could be the best defense today.

Obviously the OPOG has to be Baker but in the spirit of participatory medals I'll pick CeeDee Lamb today. That guy is a beast. He will be an all-time great before his days are done.

DEFENSE

The Sooners demonstrated the ability to adjust on the fly after a horrific start last week. So, that is promising. The changes were made up front and this week it appears that Neville Gallimore will be back in the lineup. This will be key.

Victory hinges on two things. First, get pressure on Mason Rudolph. He is, apparently, an NFL prospect but to my untrained eye the Cowboys have their version of Landry Jones. What I'm beating around the bush about here is that Rudolph will smear his britches and throw anyway if the Sooners can get to him before his receivers have time to run their routes. If this happens the second key is safety coverage over the top. Double team James Washington every play. Take your chances on everyone else.

Two picks from Rudolph and it's game over. Conversely, it spells doom for the Sooners if there's no pressure and characteristically poor coverage.

SPECIAL TEAMS

You have to make special mention of the fact that the Cowboys special teams are historically atrocious. This can't be overlooked. If it turns into a knife fight, the Sooners have the edge with the less harebrained kicker.

THE SCORE

The teams are so close statistically it's pretty bizarre. ESPN has the odds at 50-50. Two great offenses. It will be Bedlam for sure. As mentioned previously, I wouldn't bet against Baker Mayfield, especially in a situation where there are apparently no statistical differences between the two teams.

Sooners 45 Cowboys 38

Boomer to the motherfuckin' Sooner

Bedlam

Whoa mama, this is gonna be a tough one. The Sooners travel up the road tomorrow to take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys. The days of this being a big brother/little brother matchup are gone.  Granted OU holds a likely insurmountable edge in the all-time series, OSU has been consistently good for well over a decade now. The two teams are again highly ranked and again, both have plenty to play for.

The initial playoff rankings were released on Tuesday and they did an excellent job of serving as sports talk fodder and causing much angst and hand wringing. In reality, they mean absolutely nothing. The chances of these rankings being the same at the end of the season (when they do mean something) are as good as my chances of getting a nice bronzy tan next summer. Every team has it's fans (and sometimes coaches) complaining about where they are ranked and what they "deserve" etc about this time of year, I've been guilty of it plenty of times (this year included), but those complaints often have a way of working themselves out in the form of prompt losses. I didn't care for OU coaches and players coming out with that shit this week, if you win, it all sorts itself out. Which brings us to Bedlam, this and every game from here on out are must-wins if OU wants a shot at the playoff.

This week won't be easy. OSU comes in with a very high-powered offense that can score in bunches. If you've watched any OU football this year, that doesn't set up to be a great matchup against the Red Carpet. In my eyes, this game will come down to one position battle, the Sooner defensive line vs the OSU offensive line. If OU can generate consistent pressure without bringing the house, they have a great chance. If not, and the OU secondary is tested, it could be a long, frustrating day. OU will score, but that was never the question, how many times they can stop the pokes is.


Offense

How about the RB situation for the Sooners? I, and many others (I think), assumed this would be a weak point after the departures of Mixon and Perine. If anything it's looking like a major strength. To be fair, they are in a great position to succeed behind an outstanding offensive line and a QB that is a Heisman hopeful. But, nonetheless, they have really done the almost impossible job of being a committee where I'm happy to see any of them come in rather than the opposite. But back to that QB they play behind, he's been next to unstoppable lately. I think big rivalry games like this are what he lives for, I'm going with Baker Mayfield in this one. I think he has monster day and frustrates the Cowboy defense all afternoon.

Defense

In the "Credit Where Due" file, I'd like to submit Mike Stoops photo. I have complained a lot about his inability to make in-game, née in-season, adjustments. After a disastrous opening quarter of defensive football against Tech, the Sooners switched up their fronts and essentially dominated on defense the rest of the way. I have no idea (and even less faith) whether they can repeat that sort of adjustment, but it will be critical to the outcome of this game. As I alluded to earlier, getting pressure on Mason Rudolph and disrupting the run game up front is key. I will be as hopeful as possible and say DJ Ward has a big game on the edge and gets a sack in a key moment.

Score

My gut does not send out good vibes in this one. On the plus side, there is no way they can be looking past OSU. I choose to ignore the minus side. OU will need to play a very complete game, something they haven't done since Ohio State. Let's hope they get it together and crush the flying mullets. Sooners eke out a must-win 29-27.

Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner