The Sooners overcame a costly loss at Kansas State and caught more than a couple of lucky breaks to earn their way back into the College Football Playoff. Their reward is a four seed and a matchup with LSU and Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow. It's the College Football Playoff at the Peach Bowl.
Nobody believes the Sooners have a shot against what might be the most lethal offense in SEC history. The Sooners are the biggest underdog in CFP history, breaking a record they set last year against Alabama.
The Sooners have also done themselves no favors as country music legend and defensive stalwart Ronnie Perkins got himself suspended along with Rhamondre Stevenson and freshman WR Trejan Bridges. Rumor is they got caught snorting booger sugar which is much less pedestrian than stealing coats. They've really outdone themselves this time.
Also, starting safety Delarrin Turner-Yell broke his damn collar bone so he's out. So, to recap, the Sooners are down a starting DB and their best pass rusher against Joe Burrow who looks pretty unstoppable.
Should they even play the game?
OFFENSE
The 21st century style triple option the Sooners have adopted this season has been brutally effective as a ball control, time consuming steamroller. It is the best friend of the Sooner D and it could potentially frustrate LSU on both sides of the ball.
But speaking of frustrating, the story all season has been turnovers. It's all well and good to have long, extended drives but if they end with turnovers what's the fucking point? It's almost a lock the Sooners will give the ball up once but you never know.
If I may beat a dead horse, the offense starts and ends with Jalen Hurts but Kennedy Brooks picks up yards in chunks and Stevenson was a luxury as a third option. TJ Pledger and/or Jeremiah Hall will probably pick up some of Stevenson's reps but I've got a feeling Lincoln Riley has something up his sleeve to unleash Brayden Willis.
Anyone who's watched a game with me this year is probably rolling their eyes because every time Willis is on the field I comment on it and spin a yarn about how he's built and used like a TE but listed as a FB. But he's a solid player who makes for a really good possession receiver.
At the end of the day, though, we know the drill. In your biggest games you get the ball in the hands of your best players. Those players are, in order, CeeDee Lamb, Jalen Hurts and Kennedy Brooks. If CeeDee and Kennedy have more touches combined than Jalen then the universe is in good alignment. If things start getting Jalen heavy it's probably not going well.
I'm picking CeeDee for my OPOG. Best player, biggest game.
DEFENSE
Joe Burrow is a freak. To me, he looks like a bigger, faster Baker Mayfield. He absolutely deserved the Heisman. However, can we briefly talk about how the SEC as a whole may be a smidge overrated? I mean, half the league can't fall out of the top 25 (nee top 15) or the ESPN satellites would fall back to earth. Is it possible that maybe, just maybe the Sooner D could offer a different look that no one else in the SEC is offering?
And if that's possible and if the Sooners could have some success against the vaunted LSU offense, could the Tigers maybe start pushing just a bit? Anything could happen. I just can't help but think that nobody benefits more than the Sooner D from all the hype about how awesome this LSU offense is.
That said, how do the Sooners do it? They have to keep Burrow bottled up a la the way they played Baylor. They need to somehow make Burrow get rid of the ball before he wants to or otherwise get him off his rhythm.
Kenneth Michael Murray has to keep Burrow bottled up. Neville Gallimore and Bookie can keep him on his toes. But someone else is going to need to step up big time. Parnell Motley perchance?
For my DPOG I'm going Kenneth Michael Murray. He's the heart and soul of this unit.
THE SCORE
Lost in all the LSU hype is that OU's offense is still OU's offense. They are capable of going score for score with anyone in the country. And for years, Sooner fans have been asking for just a decent defense. Now they are not only decent but one that, at times, is even better. They are peaking at the right time.
So don't believe the hype. The Sooners belong. Both teams have everything to prove but OU has nothing to lose and that makes them very dangerous. They are playing with house money. If LSU puckers up just a bit and the Sooners play their most complete game, I think the Sooners absolutely can do this.
And they will.
Sooners 34 Tigers 31
Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner
Saturday, December 28, 2019
LSU - College Football Playoff Semifinal
Once again, the Sooners eeked out a spot in the playoffs. And this year, every media member and all but the most delusional of fans has OU as the one thing that is not like the others in the final four of football. What that "thing" happens to be is an elite football team. Yes, the Sooners are a solid team, but most anyone would agree that there are probably a couple of teams that didn't even get in that are better top to bottom. That's the luxury of playing outside of the most competitive conference, even if it sets up a yearly punishing that just leads to a chorus of "I-told-you-sos" from the southeastern quadrant of the lower 48.
OU is once again a joke on defense. The secondary is laughably bad, lacking even one decent cover corner. The difference in this team and the past two years--is that the offense--while excellent, no longer feels as though nothing can stop it--other than itself. LSU employs an outstanding defense, with multiple DBs slated to be drafted in the first round, and with only one OU receiver in the caliber to truly test them, this feels like an advantage for LSU. Another notable difference from the past two years is that this is the first time they are facing a truly dynamic passing attack, with no less than the Heisman winning QB leading it. Can you feel my optimism?
Offense
If OU is to even make this remotely competitive, I think they have to shift gears. I'm looking at the second half of the first Baylor matchup as a template. Announcers there mistakenly gave the OU defense a lot of credit for shutting down the Bears. In reality, a missing CeeDee Lamb effectively forced the Sooners to simply grind out drives, simultaneously burning clock and more importantly keeping their atrocious defense of the field. Hurts can pass, but realistically he is a giant RB. I think Kennedy Brooks is the guy today, I think Hurts gets his, but I think CeeDee will be nullified and if this is to be at all interesting for the Sooners, Brooks will have to grind it out.
Defense
My skin versus a tanning bed may be the only bigger mismatch that comes to mind when comparing our D to their O. LSU is multifaceted, and have not only the Heisman-winning QB, but an elite set of WR's and line. It's questionable whether their RB will start due to hamstring injury, but will this really matter? OU has not been able to stop the pass all season, and is doing an astounding job of being bad in almost all phases of pass defense, copious PI calls to extend drives, an unbelievable amount of completely blown coverages, and loads of missed tackles that turn dump-offs into big gains or scores. Couple that with the suspension of country music legend Ronnie Perkins (one of the 3 respectable defenders the Sooners employ) and things look grim. I'm going with Canadian Bacon today; he's got to make an impact in the pass rush as well contain burrow. Basically, the pass rush needs to force bad throws that lead to turnover, and create sacks to end drives; help me Neville Gallimore, you're our only hope.
Score
Perhaps the only thing OU really has going for it is the "nobody gave us a chance" theory. They can play loose, take chances, and come out with absolutely no pressure on them. If they somehow can get an early lead; grab a little momentum; and take the LSU faithful out of it early, maybe the Tigers tighten up a bit force some things and we can make this interesting. A long shot? Um, of the most ridiculous proportions. But, I will keep the faith and say OU somehow rekindles some of that long lost Sooner Magic of the 80s, OU pulls it off 24-21.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner
OU is once again a joke on defense. The secondary is laughably bad, lacking even one decent cover corner. The difference in this team and the past two years--is that the offense--while excellent, no longer feels as though nothing can stop it--other than itself. LSU employs an outstanding defense, with multiple DBs slated to be drafted in the first round, and with only one OU receiver in the caliber to truly test them, this feels like an advantage for LSU. Another notable difference from the past two years is that this is the first time they are facing a truly dynamic passing attack, with no less than the Heisman winning QB leading it. Can you feel my optimism?
Offense
If OU is to even make this remotely competitive, I think they have to shift gears. I'm looking at the second half of the first Baylor matchup as a template. Announcers there mistakenly gave the OU defense a lot of credit for shutting down the Bears. In reality, a missing CeeDee Lamb effectively forced the Sooners to simply grind out drives, simultaneously burning clock and more importantly keeping their atrocious defense of the field. Hurts can pass, but realistically he is a giant RB. I think Kennedy Brooks is the guy today, I think Hurts gets his, but I think CeeDee will be nullified and if this is to be at all interesting for the Sooners, Brooks will have to grind it out.
Defense
My skin versus a tanning bed may be the only bigger mismatch that comes to mind when comparing our D to their O. LSU is multifaceted, and have not only the Heisman-winning QB, but an elite set of WR's and line. It's questionable whether their RB will start due to hamstring injury, but will this really matter? OU has not been able to stop the pass all season, and is doing an astounding job of being bad in almost all phases of pass defense, copious PI calls to extend drives, an unbelievable amount of completely blown coverages, and loads of missed tackles that turn dump-offs into big gains or scores. Couple that with the suspension of country music legend Ronnie Perkins (one of the 3 respectable defenders the Sooners employ) and things look grim. I'm going with Canadian Bacon today; he's got to make an impact in the pass rush as well contain burrow. Basically, the pass rush needs to force bad throws that lead to turnover, and create sacks to end drives; help me Neville Gallimore, you're our only hope.
Score
Perhaps the only thing OU really has going for it is the "nobody gave us a chance" theory. They can play loose, take chances, and come out with absolutely no pressure on them. If they somehow can get an early lead; grab a little momentum; and take the LSU faithful out of it early, maybe the Tigers tighten up a bit force some things and we can make this interesting. A long shot? Um, of the most ridiculous proportions. But, I will keep the faith and say OU somehow rekindles some of that long lost Sooner Magic of the 80s, OU pulls it off 24-21.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner
Saturday, December 7, 2019
Big 12 Championship
Everything went just right last night as Oregon did the big 12 a favor and knocked off Utah in the PAC 12 title game. I’ve been down on OU and perhaps a bit more than I should have been lately, but my biggest complaint is that they don’t take care of business when they control their own fate. And while they definitely need help from LSU today, they have everything in front of them if they can beat Baylor a second time, if they lose, none of it will matter.
The first Baylor tilt was insane, and OU needed an historic comeback to pull out a win in Waco. While the home crowd and the stakes meant Baylor gave their best shot, OU certainly helped things along with turnovers. The scale tilted in the complete opposite direction in the second half an OU cobbled together a win. But, in spite of the stat-sheet tale, let's not oversell the defense their. Baylor got nothing going simply for lack of ever having the ball. It's really the Sooners best strategy, keep the defense off the field all together. And in the interest of credit where do, OU pretty much did a 180 from their fast-break offense and turned into a grind it out running attach to do so. I think it's a sound strategy.
Offense
Much was made about the absence of CeeDee Lamb in the first game, much more than I thought necessary prior to kickoff. However, I was more wrong than I could have imagined, his absence was glaring. Hurts struggled to find receivers and basically turned into a hike, cursory look downfield, and scramble guy for the second half. CeeDee is back today, and while the offense goes through Hurts and the run game, I like CeeDee to punish Baylor in his second chance to get on the field against them. Lamb has a big one today.
Defense
I watched last week's game in sporadic fashion, but appeared the defense looked a little bit better, albeit against a somewhat depleted OSU squad. Make no mistake, the defense is still a soggy diaper, but hopefully they can do enough against a Baylor team that, save for turnovers, did pretty much what they wanted last time out. I'm basically a two-trick pony here and I'm not changing now, this week it's Canadian Bacon playing big in the middle. I'm even predicting a sack.
Score
Win, TCB, cross t's dot i's etc. etc., OU needs to go out play their best game of the year and win. Forget about style points, just get the W. Baylor didn't forget about the first meeting, they will be ready to redeem themselves after an epic collapse and prove they aren't pretenders. OU is feeling like the first matchup should've never been as close as it was. It will all shake out this morning. OU does enough, and starts watching the SEC championship with more than a little interest. Sooners take it 38-32.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner
The first Baylor tilt was insane, and OU needed an historic comeback to pull out a win in Waco. While the home crowd and the stakes meant Baylor gave their best shot, OU certainly helped things along with turnovers. The scale tilted in the complete opposite direction in the second half an OU cobbled together a win. But, in spite of the stat-sheet tale, let's not oversell the defense their. Baylor got nothing going simply for lack of ever having the ball. It's really the Sooners best strategy, keep the defense off the field all together. And in the interest of credit where do, OU pretty much did a 180 from their fast-break offense and turned into a grind it out running attach to do so. I think it's a sound strategy.
Offense
Much was made about the absence of CeeDee Lamb in the first game, much more than I thought necessary prior to kickoff. However, I was more wrong than I could have imagined, his absence was glaring. Hurts struggled to find receivers and basically turned into a hike, cursory look downfield, and scramble guy for the second half. CeeDee is back today, and while the offense goes through Hurts and the run game, I like CeeDee to punish Baylor in his second chance to get on the field against them. Lamb has a big one today.
Defense
I watched last week's game in sporadic fashion, but appeared the defense looked a little bit better, albeit against a somewhat depleted OSU squad. Make no mistake, the defense is still a soggy diaper, but hopefully they can do enough against a Baylor team that, save for turnovers, did pretty much what they wanted last time out. I'm basically a two-trick pony here and I'm not changing now, this week it's Canadian Bacon playing big in the middle. I'm even predicting a sack.
Score
Win, TCB, cross t's dot i's etc. etc., OU needs to go out play their best game of the year and win. Forget about style points, just get the W. Baylor didn't forget about the first meeting, they will be ready to redeem themselves after an epic collapse and prove they aren't pretenders. OU is feeling like the first matchup should've never been as close as it was. It will all shake out this morning. OU does enough, and starts watching the SEC championship with more than a little interest. Sooners take it 38-32.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner
Friday, December 6, 2019
Big 12 Championship
The Sooners put together arguably their most complete game of the 2019 campaign with a yeaoman-like performance in Stillwater last week. Jalen Hurts did not turn the ball over, the Sooners utilized a punishing running game that didn't exclusively feature Hurts and the defense played very well. I may likely regret saying this but could the Sooners be peaking at just the right time?
The right time, for now, is the Big 12 Championship and a rematch with the Baylor Bears. To recap that first matchup the Sooners played maybe their worst defensive half in the first half before stepping up and playing their best half in the second. Jalen Hurts turned the ball over three times. CeeDee Lamb didn't play. The Sooners imposed their will in all phases of the game in the second half while overcoming a 25-point deficit. They shouldn't have been there in the first place and would be wise to avoid it in this second meeting.
OFFENSE
The Sooners never really had any issues against the Bears en route to a 31-10 halftime deficit. They (nee' Jalen) just shit down the pants legs upon entering the red zone. Two turnovers resulted in 14 quick points for the Bears. That sort of thing really changes the algebra.
Now, as ever, the Sooners need to value the football. I like to pick on Jalen because of his Alabama piss excellence pedigree but he's simply not the qb that Baker or Kyler are. He was first flummoxed then sacked by a three man front. He runs when he should hand off, stays in the pocket when there's nothing but grass in front of him and dances around instead of gettting rid of the ball. He's maddening and yet maddeningly efficient.
I like the idea of both Kennedy Brooks and Rhamondre Stevenson in the backfield. I like this Brayden Willis, a brick shithouse FB, who looks and acts like O.J. Howard catching balls. Riley can keep it simple for Jalen and take some of the decision making out of his hands. Stevenson and Willis can both play like receivers and help get the ball out of Jalen's hands quickly. Jalen just needs to go for broke on deep balls and let CeeDee and Charlston Rambo make plays.
For my OPOG I'm going Kennedy Brooks. He glides and he's been getting the ball a bunch. He needs to keep getting fed.
DEFENSE
I've seen some pretty heady stats come out this week about this unit. They were last in the Big 12 last year in total defense and they are currently 1st. They are 3rd in defensive efficiency. The last five games they've given up 48, 41, 31, 24 and 16 points. That's trending in a positive direction.
The Sooners offense was really their best defense against the Bears in the first meeting. But when the Sooner D was on the field in the second half they shut down the QB run game that had absolutely gashed them in the first half. So they apparently have a pretty good blueprint to work off.
I'm riding the hot hand this week and going with hero-cum-goat-cum-hero Parnell Motley. No one makes more plays when the Sooners have to than him and played his best game last week. Keep it up my dude.
THE SCORE
OU dominates the Big 12 Championship. I think the Bears, though, have more fortitude than some past opponents. This one is closer than many of the past but the Sooners prevail behind offensive balance and a defense that is peaking (or their version of it).
Sooners 49 Bears 28
BONUS PREDICTION
The Sooners make their case for the playoff and get hosed in favor of Utah. College football is still a sport decided by voters and these voters have OU fatigue.
Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner
The right time, for now, is the Big 12 Championship and a rematch with the Baylor Bears. To recap that first matchup the Sooners played maybe their worst defensive half in the first half before stepping up and playing their best half in the second. Jalen Hurts turned the ball over three times. CeeDee Lamb didn't play. The Sooners imposed their will in all phases of the game in the second half while overcoming a 25-point deficit. They shouldn't have been there in the first place and would be wise to avoid it in this second meeting.
OFFENSE
The Sooners never really had any issues against the Bears en route to a 31-10 halftime deficit. They (nee' Jalen) just shit down the pants legs upon entering the red zone. Two turnovers resulted in 14 quick points for the Bears. That sort of thing really changes the algebra.
Now, as ever, the Sooners need to value the football. I like to pick on Jalen because of his Alabama piss excellence pedigree but he's simply not the qb that Baker or Kyler are. He was first flummoxed then sacked by a three man front. He runs when he should hand off, stays in the pocket when there's nothing but grass in front of him and dances around instead of gettting rid of the ball. He's maddening and yet maddeningly efficient.
I like the idea of both Kennedy Brooks and Rhamondre Stevenson in the backfield. I like this Brayden Willis, a brick shithouse FB, who looks and acts like O.J. Howard catching balls. Riley can keep it simple for Jalen and take some of the decision making out of his hands. Stevenson and Willis can both play like receivers and help get the ball out of Jalen's hands quickly. Jalen just needs to go for broke on deep balls and let CeeDee and Charlston Rambo make plays.
For my OPOG I'm going Kennedy Brooks. He glides and he's been getting the ball a bunch. He needs to keep getting fed.
DEFENSE
I've seen some pretty heady stats come out this week about this unit. They were last in the Big 12 last year in total defense and they are currently 1st. They are 3rd in defensive efficiency. The last five games they've given up 48, 41, 31, 24 and 16 points. That's trending in a positive direction.
The Sooners offense was really their best defense against the Bears in the first meeting. But when the Sooner D was on the field in the second half they shut down the QB run game that had absolutely gashed them in the first half. So they apparently have a pretty good blueprint to work off.
I'm riding the hot hand this week and going with hero-cum-goat-cum-hero Parnell Motley. No one makes more plays when the Sooners have to than him and played his best game last week. Keep it up my dude.
THE SCORE
OU dominates the Big 12 Championship. I think the Bears, though, have more fortitude than some past opponents. This one is closer than many of the past but the Sooners prevail behind offensive balance and a defense that is peaking (or their version of it).
Sooners 49 Bears 28
BONUS PREDICTION
The Sooners make their case for the playoff and get hosed in favor of Utah. College football is still a sport decided by voters and these voters have OU fatigue.
Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner
Saturday, November 30, 2019
Bedlam
Both Nate and Mark Schlegel have told me separately that, "This team just isn't that good". They are right. They manage to survive in a world of survive and advance but they do so by playing to the level of the competition and consistently being their own worst nightmare. Today it's Bedlam in Stoolwater, a place where season's go to get spoiled.
Will it happen today?
OFFENSE
Well, I've come to the conclusion that Jalen Hurts is the football version of Russell Westbrook. He's a ball hog. He manages to be both hero and goat mostly because he dominates the ball. You live (and win) with him but god damn can he frustrate.
I'm frankly over him. He's dragging the offense with an inability to share the ball. There are weapons three deep at every position. And yet they run this RPO which is more of a RRO which is more of a Jalen-O. I'm also tired of his "post-game workout I piss excellence" shtick. Quit fumbling the fucking football.
Today he needs to (in this order) hang on to the ball when he runs, make a read or two, get rid of the ball quickly and spread the love. He needs to have zero turnovers but he damn sure better not have more than one and that better be an interception.
In spite of my gripes I am picking Hurts to be my OPOG. It's begrudging but he really needs to have his shit together today.
DEFENSE
This group seems to be playing pretty well again. They've been handed some shit sandwich situations and mostly acquitted themselves well. My nightmare is that Chuba Hubbard runs for 275 yards on 25 carries or some shit and The Mullet calls the kind of pass game to give whoever their shit brick QB is the easiest time possible.
The Sooners have to get off the field and they need to be seriously aggressive on third down. If they can bottle up Hubbard on first and second down and get the Cowboys in third and long maybe they can get their QB to shit down his trouser legs a few times.
This group also has a penchant for making a big play when they have to. They will need to again today because, again, my faith in Jalen Hurts not doing something inexcusably bone-headed is shaken to the core.
For my DPOG I'm going Kenneth Michael Murray. He needs to play smart in his gap assignments and not overrun everything. If he can do that and he can get about 10-15 tackles I think that's a great sign for the Sooners.
THE SCORE
It's going to be close and it could be ugly. It might be like a couple of prize fighters just throwing haymakers at each other. I do not believe, like the Oklahoman, that this will be low scoring. I expect a lot of big plays for both teams.
I do like the Sooners though surprise surprise.
Sooners 38, Cowboys 35
Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner
Will it happen today?
OFFENSE
Well, I've come to the conclusion that Jalen Hurts is the football version of Russell Westbrook. He's a ball hog. He manages to be both hero and goat mostly because he dominates the ball. You live (and win) with him but god damn can he frustrate.
I'm frankly over him. He's dragging the offense with an inability to share the ball. There are weapons three deep at every position. And yet they run this RPO which is more of a RRO which is more of a Jalen-O. I'm also tired of his "post-game workout I piss excellence" shtick. Quit fumbling the fucking football.
Today he needs to (in this order) hang on to the ball when he runs, make a read or two, get rid of the ball quickly and spread the love. He needs to have zero turnovers but he damn sure better not have more than one and that better be an interception.
In spite of my gripes I am picking Hurts to be my OPOG. It's begrudging but he really needs to have his shit together today.
DEFENSE
This group seems to be playing pretty well again. They've been handed some shit sandwich situations and mostly acquitted themselves well. My nightmare is that Chuba Hubbard runs for 275 yards on 25 carries or some shit and The Mullet calls the kind of pass game to give whoever their shit brick QB is the easiest time possible.
The Sooners have to get off the field and they need to be seriously aggressive on third down. If they can bottle up Hubbard on first and second down and get the Cowboys in third and long maybe they can get their QB to shit down his trouser legs a few times.
This group also has a penchant for making a big play when they have to. They will need to again today because, again, my faith in Jalen Hurts not doing something inexcusably bone-headed is shaken to the core.
For my DPOG I'm going Kenneth Michael Murray. He needs to play smart in his gap assignments and not overrun everything. If he can do that and he can get about 10-15 tackles I think that's a great sign for the Sooners.
THE SCORE
It's going to be close and it could be ugly. It might be like a couple of prize fighters just throwing haymakers at each other. I do not believe, like the Oklahoman, that this will be low scoring. I expect a lot of big plays for both teams.
I do like the Sooners though surprise surprise.
Sooners 38, Cowboys 35
Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner
Oklahoma State
The Sooners continue to survive each week, and hope to maintain their winning ways today in the Bedlam rivalry game. The Sooners still have a slim chance at the playoff, but honestly as much I would love for them to get in, they really have no business getting there. Regardless, it won’t matter if they don’t TCB against the cowboys who will undoubtedly be fired up. They boast the nations leading rusher in Chuba Hubbard. Can the Sooners slow him down today? Most likely not, but hopefully they score enough to win.
Offense
I’m not beating around the bush, I like CeeDee today to have a huge game and present a matchup issue that the Pokes just don’t have an answer for. I like him for two TDs today.
Defense
I like Kenneth Murray to rack up a shitload of tackles stopping Hubbard. Hopefully this limp dick defense can do enough today.
Score
This will most likely be a track meet. But I like the Sooners to scrape enough together defensively to hang on. OU wins it 51-48.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner
Offense
I’m not beating around the bush, I like CeeDee today to have a huge game and present a matchup issue that the Pokes just don’t have an answer for. I like him for two TDs today.
Defense
I like Kenneth Murray to rack up a shitload of tackles stopping Hubbard. Hopefully this limp dick defense can do enough today.
Score
This will most likely be a track meet. But I like the Sooners to scrape enough together defensively to hang on. OU wins it 51-48.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner
Saturday, November 23, 2019
Oklahoma Sooners versus TCU Horned Frogs
The Sooners certainly are not boring. At our big football watch party last week we were unabashedly calling for the benching of Jalen Hurts in the first half. He had taken my game plan (don't make dumb choices, turn the ball over) and executed it horribly. The defense, for their part, looked like doo-doo. Then, the second half. It was clinical PlayStation execution.
The season is still alive and means something here on senior day in Norman.
OFFENSE
Hopefully Jalen remembers the offense is at its best when all options are involved. They were forced by the unfortunate CeeDee Lamb injury to learn this in the second half last week. Under no circumstances is it necessary for him to carry the ball 30 times. Spread the love. Get rid of the ball quickly and decisively. His running should be the first option maybe 10 times.
It is in this vein that someone besides Jalen should be OPOG. I'm going out on a limb here and picking Austin Stogner. I will also pour one out for the brief, semi-illustrious career of Grant Calcaterra.
DEFENSE
Let's be very clear that the Sooners offense was the best defense before we go sucking each others popscicles about the performance of the D in the second half last week.
Now, when they had to, they certainly played well. Let's keep it going this week. The proverbial turnover monkey is off the proverbial back so maybe they keep it going today. The key is a plus two turnover differential.
Who gets the first one? I'm going with my DPOG and Country Music Legend Ronnie Perkins.
THE SCORE
I feel like this one is not going to be clinical. TCU has a history of coming to Norman and making things difficult. They are the eager spoiler today. They take the loss but make it interesting.
I'm going Sooners 31, Horned Frogs 21
Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner
The season is still alive and means something here on senior day in Norman.
OFFENSE
Hopefully Jalen remembers the offense is at its best when all options are involved. They were forced by the unfortunate CeeDee Lamb injury to learn this in the second half last week. Under no circumstances is it necessary for him to carry the ball 30 times. Spread the love. Get rid of the ball quickly and decisively. His running should be the first option maybe 10 times.
It is in this vein that someone besides Jalen should be OPOG. I'm going out on a limb here and picking Austin Stogner. I will also pour one out for the brief, semi-illustrious career of Grant Calcaterra.
DEFENSE
Let's be very clear that the Sooners offense was the best defense before we go sucking each others popscicles about the performance of the D in the second half last week.
Now, when they had to, they certainly played well. Let's keep it going this week. The proverbial turnover monkey is off the proverbial back so maybe they keep it going today. The key is a plus two turnover differential.
Who gets the first one? I'm going with my DPOG and Country Music Legend Ronnie Perkins.
THE SCORE
I feel like this one is not going to be clinical. TCU has a history of coming to Norman and making things difficult. They are the eager spoiler today. They take the loss but make it interesting.
I'm going Sooners 31, Horned Frogs 21
Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner
TCU
What a finish last week. It was a roller coaster of emotions for me, specifically rage followed by disbelief. Nonetheless, they did what they couldn't do vs Kstate and I'll take that. Realistically, the Sooners likely are eliminated from the playoff at this point, but winning out is they only way they even remain in the conversation, so let's hope they can keep it going today vs TCU. It's a down year for the horned frogs, which I'm basing entirely on record. I've not seen as much as one second of Horned Frog football this year, and in keeping with my form, I know nothing about them whatsoever. Moreover, I'm not bothering to find out. On to the picks!
Offense
It was remarkable to see how different the offense was without CeeDee Lamb. Credit Baylor, they have a very solid defense that is bent on not allowing any homer plays. But also credit OU, after struggling in the first half (turnovers killed them), they adapted their game. In keeping with the baseball analogy, it was impressive to see them turn into a singles hitting team that methodically moved the ball down the field. It was also refreshing to see them keep their own defense on the sideline where they are unquestionably more effective. Today I'm outthinking myself again (and because I don't know if Lamb is playing, and I'm not bothering to find out) and going with Kennedy Brooks.
Defense
The final numbers against Baylor didn't look as horrid as they could have, mostly because Baylor had the ball for 46 seconds in the second half. The D did finally force turnovers (multiple!), which is the only reason they were able to come back. Make no mistake though, aside from that, they were garbage yet again. I'm going with Canadian Bacon, Neville Gallimore today.
Score
TCU comes in as 18 point dogs, I like the oddsmakers optimism but I, naturally, don't share it. Primarily, this is because the defense is ass. I think OU wins it, but 41-31. Keep it going.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner!
Saturday, November 16, 2019
Oklahoma Sooners versus Baylor Bears
The only thing that matters from last week is the Sooners won. But.. the defense was horse shit. The tackling was vintage 2018. The Sooners, collectively, are big time in the hole when it comes to turnover margin (12-6).
And yet, with a win against undefeated Baylor, the Sooners are in position to retake the lead in the Big 12 and keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
OFFENSE
The last few weeks have felt a little bizarre. At times the Sooners fall in love with one area of the offense. They still score 40+. Plenty of points to allow a marginal defense to make things comfortable for you. Alas.
The Sooners have to protect the ball better. As noted, in a reasonable universe the Sooners should always be on the plus-side of turnover margin. This is not a reasonable universe. The Sooners simply have to win this phase of the game today. That means Jalen Hurts his best version of himself. He's my OPOG.
DEFENSE
Past needs to be past today, not prologue. These fellas need to put on their big boy pants and straighten their shit out. This is not an amazing Baylor offense. The Sooners need to start with better tackling. Do that and only that.
Then, maybe, they can get lucky. Intercept a ball that bounces off someone's hands. I've seen that five times this week across the NFL and college. What can't this happen for us? Why?
Anyhow, let's go Neville Gallimore today. My favorite player in a big one.
THE SCORE
I don't see how the Sooners don't get 38 if Hurts takes care of the ball. All the ball control in the world from Baylor can't prevent it.
I like the Sooners 38-35. Still no turnovers (sad face).
Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner
And yet, with a win against undefeated Baylor, the Sooners are in position to retake the lead in the Big 12 and keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
OFFENSE
The last few weeks have felt a little bizarre. At times the Sooners fall in love with one area of the offense. They still score 40+. Plenty of points to allow a marginal defense to make things comfortable for you. Alas.
The Sooners have to protect the ball better. As noted, in a reasonable universe the Sooners should always be on the plus-side of turnover margin. This is not a reasonable universe. The Sooners simply have to win this phase of the game today. That means Jalen Hurts his best version of himself. He's my OPOG.
DEFENSE
Past needs to be past today, not prologue. These fellas need to put on their big boy pants and straighten their shit out. This is not an amazing Baylor offense. The Sooners need to start with better tackling. Do that and only that.
Then, maybe, they can get lucky. Intercept a ball that bounces off someone's hands. I've seen that five times this week across the NFL and college. What can't this happen for us? Why?
Anyhow, let's go Neville Gallimore today. My favorite player in a big one.
THE SCORE
I don't see how the Sooners don't get 38 if Hurts takes care of the ball. All the ball control in the world from Baylor can't prevent it.
I like the Sooners 38-35. Still no turnovers (sad face).
Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner
Baylor
In what is the biggest game of this college Saturday (if the gameday location is your metric at least) the Sooners travel south to Waco to take on the unbeaten Baylor Bears. The Bears have had their share of close calls and escapes to remain unbeaten, and surprisingly they’re winning with defense in the big 12. Three weeks ago, that combination of factors would have left me pretty confident that the sooners would escape Waco with a win. However, after two epically Stoopsian performances the last two weeks, my confidence has notably waned.
Offense
What was once an exercise in not picking Jalen Hurts, has shifted to an exercise in not picking CeeDee Lamb. The dude is just a stud. Great hands, great, route runner and a beast after the catch. So naturally I’m going to pick Hurts this week. I think the Baylor defense forces him to improvise with his legs quite a bit today, and he obliges with a huge performance on the ground as well as in the air.
Defense
The defense is clearly no better than last year. The end. I’m picking Kenneth Murray.
Score
Waco is going to be insane for this. This is their shot at seriously getting in the playoff conversation as an unbeaten. But the fool in my heart says the Sooners do enough today. Sooners 37 Bears 28.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner
Saturday, November 9, 2019
Oklahoma Sooners versus Iowa State
Well blurg derp derp double farts. The Sooners had it all out there in front of them. Now it's back to familiar territory where every game is must win and you'll also need some help. In any case it's on to Iowa State.
OFFENSE
Lincoln Riley can say that he's not concerned that Kansas State showed the world the blueprint for slowing down the Sooners and I'll give him the benefit of the doubt that he himself can adjust. But Iowa State boasts a defensive guru head coach who I'm sure was happy for the help.
I hate to have the coolest of takes here but the Sooners are going to need to run the ball better and more. Six rushes last week makes no sense. If there's ever a knock on the offense it would be that sometimes the balance gets away from him in difficult situations.
So, today the Sooners need to stick with their game plan whatever it may be and just be cognizant of what they need to do to get first downs. Maybe work some swing passes into the mix. Those are effectively runs and can get Kennedy Brooks out into some space.
Today I'll pick Brooks for my OPOG.
DEFENSE
I only got to see one half of the game last week. So I'm not entirely sure how things looked. The Iowa State offense is more or less the same level of dynamism. Today we'll learn if last week was an aberration or not. If it is, the playoff is still an option. If today is rough with no turnovers it's eek city.
I've been shitting on Pat Fields all season so today I'll try to reverse jinx him.
THE SCORE
I like the Sooners here 38-21. The defense buttons it up and the offense stays on the field.
Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner
OFFENSE
Lincoln Riley can say that he's not concerned that Kansas State showed the world the blueprint for slowing down the Sooners and I'll give him the benefit of the doubt that he himself can adjust. But Iowa State boasts a defensive guru head coach who I'm sure was happy for the help.
I hate to have the coolest of takes here but the Sooners are going to need to run the ball better and more. Six rushes last week makes no sense. If there's ever a knock on the offense it would be that sometimes the balance gets away from him in difficult situations.
So, today the Sooners need to stick with their game plan whatever it may be and just be cognizant of what they need to do to get first downs. Maybe work some swing passes into the mix. Those are effectively runs and can get Kennedy Brooks out into some space.
Today I'll pick Brooks for my OPOG.
DEFENSE
I only got to see one half of the game last week. So I'm not entirely sure how things looked. The Iowa State offense is more or less the same level of dynamism. Today we'll learn if last week was an aberration or not. If it is, the playoff is still an option. If today is rough with no turnovers it's eek city.
I've been shitting on Pat Fields all season so today I'll try to reverse jinx him.
THE SCORE
I like the Sooners here 38-21. The defense buttons it up and the offense stays on the field.
Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner
Iowa State
I am writing this in an even more half-hearted fashion than usual. That K-State game was nightmarishly similar to a stoopsian effort. Almost immediately after I praised the defense, they came out and looked like absolutely putrid wet shit. It was the most infuriating performance of the Riley era, at least for me. I had to shut it off. And frankly, most of the air has gone out of the season, at least for me. There is no chance they pass a one-loss LSU or Alabama, or any SEC team for that matter. Truthfully, I don't think they should either. It's very depressing. On the plus side, I no longer half to worry about ponying up big dollars for a championship game in my home city.
Offense
I am going with CeeDee Lamb today. I don't have the energy to get into a lot of why's, and really I haven't given it much thought. But, Lamb has easily been the most consistent player on this offense, and so I will go with him.
Defense
I'm tempted not to pick anyone, but I will concede that one horrific performance has not caused my spirits to plummet that far yet. I will pick Neville Gallimore, aka Canadian Bacon. Mostly because I like that nickname.
Score
I think the spread is something like 14.5 with OU has favorites. ISU is pesky, and this game would've given me more anxiety than KState did last week. But I think after a (season ruining) wake up call, the Sooners are ready coming off a bye. OU wins it, 41-25.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner
Offense
I am going with CeeDee Lamb today. I don't have the energy to get into a lot of why's, and really I haven't given it much thought. But, Lamb has easily been the most consistent player on this offense, and so I will go with him.
Defense
I'm tempted not to pick anyone, but I will concede that one horrific performance has not caused my spirits to plummet that far yet. I will pick Neville Gallimore, aka Canadian Bacon. Mostly because I like that nickname.
Score
I think the spread is something like 14.5 with OU has favorites. ISU is pesky, and this game would've given me more anxiety than KState did last week. But I think after a (season ruining) wake up call, the Sooners are ready coming off a bye. OU wins it, 41-25.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner
Saturday, October 26, 2019
K State
I just sat down to write this and the first thing I did was google who the head coach of K State is. Buckle up for a deep dive into the subtle nuances of Kansas State football. In said google search, I did see that K State is currently 4-2, so presumably they're not a total joke. If this club is anything like past years (full disclosure, they absolutely might not be) they'll slow it down, play defense and try win ugly. Before I feed you any more horseshit speculation, let's just wrap it up and move on.
Offense
Last week was a demolition of a WVU team that was hoping for an OU let down. The offense clicked to the tune of 52 points and Hurts eliminated some of the dumb things he did against texas that nearly cost the Sooners a W. I think that same efficiency is on display in the little apple and the offense rolls again. I like CeeDee Lamb to continue his quest to jump into the first round of the NFL draft with at least 2 TD's and over 125 yards receiving.
Defense
This Sooner defense is beginning to border on fun. I truly don't remember the last time they had a decent defense but I feel like it couldn't be any more recently than 2009 or 2010, if that recently. They aren't dominant, but it's amazing what doing little things like tackling will do for you. Turns out (hope you're sitting down) that if you simply make opponents sustain drives and work for yards, they occasionally punt. Today I'm going with a wild card, I like Ronnie Perkins to have a big game and force at least one turnover (which is the one thing the Sooners haven't done much of, they're due).
Score
I think this game will be tougher than it seems on paper. K State isn't ranked, they have no star players to speak of, but they're at home with nothing to lose and you don't win 4 of 6 at their level by not being somewhat decent. I think the Sooners struggle a little bit in this one, but win in it in an uglier-than-it-sounds 44-20 margin.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner
Offense
Last week was a demolition of a WVU team that was hoping for an OU let down. The offense clicked to the tune of 52 points and Hurts eliminated some of the dumb things he did against texas that nearly cost the Sooners a W. I think that same efficiency is on display in the little apple and the offense rolls again. I like CeeDee Lamb to continue his quest to jump into the first round of the NFL draft with at least 2 TD's and over 125 yards receiving.
Defense
This Sooner defense is beginning to border on fun. I truly don't remember the last time they had a decent defense but I feel like it couldn't be any more recently than 2009 or 2010, if that recently. They aren't dominant, but it's amazing what doing little things like tackling will do for you. Turns out (hope you're sitting down) that if you simply make opponents sustain drives and work for yards, they occasionally punt. Today I'm going with a wild card, I like Ronnie Perkins to have a big game and force at least one turnover (which is the one thing the Sooners haven't done much of, they're due).
Score
I think this game will be tougher than it seems on paper. K State isn't ranked, they have no star players to speak of, but they're at home with nothing to lose and you don't win 4 of 6 at their level by not being somewhat decent. I think the Sooners struggle a little bit in this one, but win in it in an uglier-than-it-sounds 44-20 margin.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner
Friday, October 25, 2019
Oklahoma Sooner versus Kansas State
The undefeated Sooners stroll into the Little Apple this Saturday to face a Wildcats team I know nothing about. It looks like they play a style of football hell bent on setting football back 25 years. I'm assuming they will look and act like a homeless version of Texas.
OFFENSE
If, in fact, this is a take 2 of a homeless man's Texas then the formula is pretty simple. Don't turn the ball over. If K-State's offense wants to hang on to the ball then the Sooners need to maximize their opportunities. Obviously this all depends on Jalen Hurts. Hurts boners against the Longhorns kept the game too close for comfort. K-State doesn't need to be led to believe they can hang.
I look for lots of running from the Sooners. There's been a lot of rumbling/grumbling about Trey Sermon's lack of carries but the simple fact is Kennedy Brooks is the best running back in the Sooners stable right now. The dude glides. Also, Hurts is more than eager to call his own number. Regrettably, what's left is table scraps.
Anywho, I'm going with Charlston Rambo this week because the Sooners will pass and K-State should probably try to make someone besides CeeDee Lamb beat them. We'll see how that goes.
DEFENSE
Supposedly K-State leans heavily on their running attack. This has country music super duo Kenneth Michael Murray and Ronnie Perkins licking their chops. The gang tackling continues this week with the same quality results.
Thus concludes my understanding of the K-State attack. They have a new coach and I have yet to watch them play.
For my DPOG I'll go with another wild card: Delarrin Turner-Yell. He's starting to fly all over the field. I think he helps the cause in a great way.
THE SCORE
Well, I think the Sooners keep from turning the ball over and the ball control offense that K-State hopes to deploy doesn't really work. In short, it's crimson-colored glasses all day, baby!
I like the Sooners 35-14
Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner!
OFFENSE
If, in fact, this is a take 2 of a homeless man's Texas then the formula is pretty simple. Don't turn the ball over. If K-State's offense wants to hang on to the ball then the Sooners need to maximize their opportunities. Obviously this all depends on Jalen Hurts. Hurts boners against the Longhorns kept the game too close for comfort. K-State doesn't need to be led to believe they can hang.
I look for lots of running from the Sooners. There's been a lot of rumbling/grumbling about Trey Sermon's lack of carries but the simple fact is Kennedy Brooks is the best running back in the Sooners stable right now. The dude glides. Also, Hurts is more than eager to call his own number. Regrettably, what's left is table scraps.
Anywho, I'm going with Charlston Rambo this week because the Sooners will pass and K-State should probably try to make someone besides CeeDee Lamb beat them. We'll see how that goes.
DEFENSE
Supposedly K-State leans heavily on their running attack. This has country music super duo Kenneth Michael Murray and Ronnie Perkins licking their chops. The gang tackling continues this week with the same quality results.
Thus concludes my understanding of the K-State attack. They have a new coach and I have yet to watch them play.
For my DPOG I'll go with another wild card: Delarrin Turner-Yell. He's starting to fly all over the field. I think he helps the cause in a great way.
THE SCORE
Well, I think the Sooners keep from turning the ball over and the ball control offense that K-State hopes to deploy doesn't really work. In short, it's crimson-colored glasses all day, baby!
I like the Sooners 35-14
Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner!
Saturday, October 19, 2019
Oklahoma Sooners versus West Virginny
Gooood morning, undefeated Sooner fans! Here's to hoping the Sooners, fresh off a signature victory down in Dallas, are less hungover than I am today. Today, West Virginia comes to Norman with arguably their worst squad since joining the Big 12. The Sooners are in the driver's seat and need to stay there. They can do so by staying engaged in this one. I know it's a lot to ask to match the intensity of a rivalry game week in and week out but that should be the goal.
OFFENSE
Crucial red zone takeaways marred what was otherwise another dominant performance by the offense against texas. The offensive line performed admirably. CeeDee Lamb made the case he is the best wide receiver in college football. Jalen Hurts showed resiliency after the two turnovers.
Today there is nothing to work out or get back on track. The hammer just needs to come down on the Mountaineers and there will be no answer, at least from their defense.
It's clinical at this point to assume Jalen or CeeDee will be offensive players of the game so it's not real fun to pick them. I guess I'll go with Kennedy Brooks today. I love his running style and he can pile on yards in a hurry.
On another note, I was checking the box score from last week and was surprised to see only five players caught balls for the Sooners. I bet that's the fewest this century but I'm way too lazy to check.
DEFENSE
The kudos, first trickling and now flooding in, are much deserved. This defense can win games and that is so massive and refreshing. Alex Grinch would very much like to create more turnovers but, **flicks on crimson colored glasses CSI Miami style**, that's what punts are.
However, if turnovers are the next evolution towards true saltiness then today presents an opportunity. Former Sooner QB Austin Kendall leads the Mountaineers and he's thrown seven INT's in five games and is sporting an abysmal 45.7 QBR (Jalen Hurts 95).
I think Alex Grinch keeps this group engaged today by keeping the aggressive play calling ratcheted up in an effort to start getting some of those turnovers.
Speaking of refreshing, how about being able to reliably pick a DPOG for the first time in years? Kenneth (dare I saw MF?) Murray is in full on beast mode. So, I've got to stretch the brain cells a smidge (not easy) and ID someone besides him.
I'll go Parnell Motley today in an effort to try to show some faith and support in homepiece. He's close to playing at a high level again. He could make a big step today.
THE SCORE
This one should be over by half time. I'm most interested in seeing what the attitude is like following a huge win and now being in the driver's seat. It's all out there in front of them. This is the time to shore everything up so that control is never taken away.
The Sooners win this one big, 56-14
Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner
OFFENSE
Crucial red zone takeaways marred what was otherwise another dominant performance by the offense against texas. The offensive line performed admirably. CeeDee Lamb made the case he is the best wide receiver in college football. Jalen Hurts showed resiliency after the two turnovers.
Today there is nothing to work out or get back on track. The hammer just needs to come down on the Mountaineers and there will be no answer, at least from their defense.
It's clinical at this point to assume Jalen or CeeDee will be offensive players of the game so it's not real fun to pick them. I guess I'll go with Kennedy Brooks today. I love his running style and he can pile on yards in a hurry.
On another note, I was checking the box score from last week and was surprised to see only five players caught balls for the Sooners. I bet that's the fewest this century but I'm way too lazy to check.
DEFENSE
The kudos, first trickling and now flooding in, are much deserved. This defense can win games and that is so massive and refreshing. Alex Grinch would very much like to create more turnovers but, **flicks on crimson colored glasses CSI Miami style**, that's what punts are.
However, if turnovers are the next evolution towards true saltiness then today presents an opportunity. Former Sooner QB Austin Kendall leads the Mountaineers and he's thrown seven INT's in five games and is sporting an abysmal 45.7 QBR (Jalen Hurts 95).
I think Alex Grinch keeps this group engaged today by keeping the aggressive play calling ratcheted up in an effort to start getting some of those turnovers.
Speaking of refreshing, how about being able to reliably pick a DPOG for the first time in years? Kenneth (dare I saw MF?) Murray is in full on beast mode. So, I've got to stretch the brain cells a smidge (not easy) and ID someone besides him.
I'll go Parnell Motley today in an effort to try to show some faith and support in homepiece. He's close to playing at a high level again. He could make a big step today.
THE SCORE
This one should be over by half time. I'm most interested in seeing what the attitude is like following a huge win and now being in the driver's seat. It's all out there in front of them. This is the time to shore everything up so that control is never taken away.
The Sooners win this one big, 56-14
Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner
Friday, October 18, 2019
West Virginia
What a game down in Dallas last week. The Sooners took care of business against a texas squad giving all they had. Some mistakes in the redzone by the Sooners masked what was, generally, a dominant performance. The defense, though they gave up some points and quick drives, mostly played well. They'll need to shore up some of the pass defense on the back end, and eliminate poor redone decision from Hurts to continue to improve and TCB again vs West Virginia.
In past years, this week's game would have made me pretty nervous. Coming off of a huge rivalry win with national title implications, I would have pegged the Sooners for a let down. While I still think this is likely, WVU is not nearly as good as they've been in recent season and it would take an utter meltdown for OU to lose this game. That said, the Mountaineers do have talent and I read today that Austin Kendall will be starting for them. After being, more or less, jerked around for a few seasons at OU, he finally ran out of patience when Hurts transferred in. He's a talented player and certainly wants to prove that not keeping him as the starter at OU was a mistake by Lincoln Riley. I expect a career performance from him.
Offense
CeeDee Lamb finally announced his presence on a national stage last week. And true to form, the first week I gave in and went with Hurts was arguably the first week he didn't run away with OPG. Lamb was a force, and even with texas' terrible tackling, he still ripped off some runs after catch that were very impressive. I expect WVU to spend a lot of time trying to take him away (best of luck). While I think Hurts will put up stupid numbers again, the ground game has never really gotten rolling from the RB position. OU has crazy run game numbers, but they are definitely amplified by Hurts ripping off huge gains with regularity. I think that changes this week, I like Kennedy Brooks to have a huge game and to break off at least one home run play for a TD.
Defense
At this point I think I'm ready to admit that the defense has certainly improved. By no means are they elite but, as I mentioned last week, they don't have to be. With simply an average to slightly above average defense, the Sooners should be all set with point they put up. I have to do a little back pat for last week, Mitch and I nailed the Kenneth Michael Murray pick, he was everywhere against UT. Another guy who was everywhere is my pick this week, I like a little slice of Canadian Bacon, Neville Gallimore to wreak havoc all Saturday long.
Score
Can the OU defense step up against a hungry team with nothing to lose? Can the offense eliminate redzone mistakes and pick up 7 down there? This week starts the conference games that require the most mental toughness; no big rivalries to get hyped for, no highly ranked opponents, just week after week of everyone's best shot. This is the first step in continuing the Sooner chase for another playoff, Sooners win (but don't cover...33.5!), 48-24.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner
In past years, this week's game would have made me pretty nervous. Coming off of a huge rivalry win with national title implications, I would have pegged the Sooners for a let down. While I still think this is likely, WVU is not nearly as good as they've been in recent season and it would take an utter meltdown for OU to lose this game. That said, the Mountaineers do have talent and I read today that Austin Kendall will be starting for them. After being, more or less, jerked around for a few seasons at OU, he finally ran out of patience when Hurts transferred in. He's a talented player and certainly wants to prove that not keeping him as the starter at OU was a mistake by Lincoln Riley. I expect a career performance from him.
Offense
CeeDee Lamb finally announced his presence on a national stage last week. And true to form, the first week I gave in and went with Hurts was arguably the first week he didn't run away with OPG. Lamb was a force, and even with texas' terrible tackling, he still ripped off some runs after catch that were very impressive. I expect WVU to spend a lot of time trying to take him away (best of luck). While I think Hurts will put up stupid numbers again, the ground game has never really gotten rolling from the RB position. OU has crazy run game numbers, but they are definitely amplified by Hurts ripping off huge gains with regularity. I think that changes this week, I like Kennedy Brooks to have a huge game and to break off at least one home run play for a TD.
Defense
At this point I think I'm ready to admit that the defense has certainly improved. By no means are they elite but, as I mentioned last week, they don't have to be. With simply an average to slightly above average defense, the Sooners should be all set with point they put up. I have to do a little back pat for last week, Mitch and I nailed the Kenneth Michael Murray pick, he was everywhere against UT. Another guy who was everywhere is my pick this week, I like a little slice of Canadian Bacon, Neville Gallimore to wreak havoc all Saturday long.
Score
Can the OU defense step up against a hungry team with nothing to lose? Can the offense eliminate redzone mistakes and pick up 7 down there? This week starts the conference games that require the most mental toughness; no big rivalries to get hyped for, no highly ranked opponents, just week after week of everyone's best shot. This is the first step in continuing the Sooner chase for another playoff, Sooners win (but don't cover...33.5!), 48-24.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner
Saturday, October 12, 2019
texas
The Sooners travel south for the annual rivalry tilt with texas today. Insert interesting: driving distance from each campus, split stadium fanbases, and corndog/fried item story here. Now, let’s get down to football. Last year, texas won this matchup by playing stout defense and ball control offense, i.e. the perfect game plan. And with the rusty screen door defense OU had, the latter was fairly simple. This season, OU has seemingly improved its defense and texas is missing some key parts of its secondary. This appears to bode well for the Sooners but as we all know, this game is fairly unpredictable.
What worries me most is the inexperience on the Sooner Offensive Line. It’s been easy to hide against lesser opponents that have athletically inferior defensive fronts. Texas is not that front. They’ll bring speed, size, power and athleticism and they’ll be creative in doing it. If the younger guys get crossed up it could be trouble. Nothing hides a weak secondary better than a pass rush.
Offense
This is clearly the toughest test for the offense up to now. In fact, it is likely the toughest they’ll face all season. I expect OU will put up points, but I also expect they’ll be stopped far more than they have so far. But, with Hurts ability to run, throw, and improvise I think OU will still score quite a bit. That’s why I’m not trying to get cute this week and overthink it. I like hurts today to extend plays, make some big throws and carry the offense.
Defense
We finally get to see what the defense is made of. The numbers look much better this year but against pretty weak competition. That said, in past years they couldn’t even limit weak competition, so there is reason for optimism. I like big Kenneth Murray in this one today. I think he gets after ehlinger on the blitz and limits him when ehlinger tries to scramble. These games are made for a big player stepping up right in the middle of things and it’s Kenneth Murray’s time.
Score
After splitting last year, with OU losing on this stage, both teams have “something to prove”. Texas is eager to get back atop the big 12 and to their national contender status. OU is looking to step on their biggest rival and conference challenger and maintain their place in the national title conversation. I’m nervous, this is going to be a tough one. The spread is 10.5 favoring OU, I’d take texas on that wager, but I think OU takes the game. Sooners play enough defense and get out of Dallas with an unblemished record, 37-34.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner
Oklahoma Sooners versus Texas Longhorns
Good morning Sooner fans and welcome to the biggest day, so far, of the college football season. It's the Red River Rivalry and, thankfully, there is a lot on the line in this one. Let's dive right in.
The Sooners can remain undefeated this far into the season for the first time since 2011 and are looking to prove that the defense is worthy of some ballyhoo. A win places the Sooners firmly in the drivers seat.
This is must-win for the Longhorns. A loss might not cost them a shot at the Big 12 title but it eliminates them from any CFP consideration. A win and they are very much in the hunt and the national media will be more than happy to push that narrative. The prospect is nauseating.
OFFENSE
The Sooners have to negate the physicality of the Longhorn defense and take advantage of the apparent injuries in their secondary. I would normally think time would be well spent pounding the ball on the ground to negate blitzes and keep defenders honest. More likely the Sooners stick with what's been working and utilize some play action (RPO in the parlance of our times). If the secondary is the weakness and you have the likes of CeeDee Lamb and Charlston Rambo then, by all means, drop bombs early often.
In any case it depends on the offensive line. They are penalty prone, particularly Eric Swenson. This unit has to step up today. Play time is over. There are some dirty players on that Texas D and they cannot be allowed to push people around. The line has to set the tone and be able to match that physicality.
I believe in Jalen Hurts and he'll be cool as ice but he can't do it alone today. It will be interesting to see what his running game looks like today. I think it will be fairly limited. For my OPOG I'm going Rhamondre Stevenson even though I just talked about passing. He fits the mold of a "didn't see that coming" breakout which happens a lot in this game and he's a big play threat any time he touches the ball.
DEFENSE
Alex Grinch and his defense have to be licking their chops. Here they are, showing steady improvement this season, and now with an opportunity to make a legit statement. The Longhorns are more offensive than offensive juggernaut but Sam Ehlinger is a googly eyed media darling and the Sooners have been letting mediocre teams look good for years. The narrative can change today.
I anticipate an uptick in pre-snap movement from the D. I don't think Ehlinger can adapt and make quality reads. I also don't think he'll be able to get away from outside blitzes when they come. The key for the Sooners, surprise surprise, will be the front four. Texas will try to pound the ball and play keep away. This is the exact area that the Sooners have shown the most improvement this year. Texas would be dumb not to test it but even dumber not to have a Plan B.
You know I'd love to go with Neville Gallimore for my DPOG but I shall not. Instead, I'll go with Kenneth Michael Murray. As I sit here typing I am envisioning Alex Grinch finding new ways to use him. He can be a lethal X Factor if an offense doesn't know where he's going to be from play to play. Nobody besides Bookie Radley Hiles in this defense is able to do this like KMM and I'd rather see KMM do it than Bookie.
THE SCORE
I am very concerned about the Sooners offensive line and the physicality of the Longhorn D. The Sooner D has proven thus far that they can force some punts and get the offense back on the field. I like the Sooners getting out to an early lead. The key will be keeping the hammer down because Texas will not quit.
In the end I like the Sooners going away (can you believe it?) and sending a big statement to talking heads. OU has an opportunity, as mentioned, to be undefeated deeper into the season than they have been since 2011. I like the odds of a Heisman front-runner against a depleted defense and revamped Sooner D with everything to prove.
Sooners 34, Longhorns 17
Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner!
The Sooners can remain undefeated this far into the season for the first time since 2011 and are looking to prove that the defense is worthy of some ballyhoo. A win places the Sooners firmly in the drivers seat.
This is must-win for the Longhorns. A loss might not cost them a shot at the Big 12 title but it eliminates them from any CFP consideration. A win and they are very much in the hunt and the national media will be more than happy to push that narrative. The prospect is nauseating.
OFFENSE
The Sooners have to negate the physicality of the Longhorn defense and take advantage of the apparent injuries in their secondary. I would normally think time would be well spent pounding the ball on the ground to negate blitzes and keep defenders honest. More likely the Sooners stick with what's been working and utilize some play action (RPO in the parlance of our times). If the secondary is the weakness and you have the likes of CeeDee Lamb and Charlston Rambo then, by all means, drop bombs early often.
In any case it depends on the offensive line. They are penalty prone, particularly Eric Swenson. This unit has to step up today. Play time is over. There are some dirty players on that Texas D and they cannot be allowed to push people around. The line has to set the tone and be able to match that physicality.
I believe in Jalen Hurts and he'll be cool as ice but he can't do it alone today. It will be interesting to see what his running game looks like today. I think it will be fairly limited. For my OPOG I'm going Rhamondre Stevenson even though I just talked about passing. He fits the mold of a "didn't see that coming" breakout which happens a lot in this game and he's a big play threat any time he touches the ball.
DEFENSE
Alex Grinch and his defense have to be licking their chops. Here they are, showing steady improvement this season, and now with an opportunity to make a legit statement. The Longhorns are more offensive than offensive juggernaut but Sam Ehlinger is a googly eyed media darling and the Sooners have been letting mediocre teams look good for years. The narrative can change today.
I anticipate an uptick in pre-snap movement from the D. I don't think Ehlinger can adapt and make quality reads. I also don't think he'll be able to get away from outside blitzes when they come. The key for the Sooners, surprise surprise, will be the front four. Texas will try to pound the ball and play keep away. This is the exact area that the Sooners have shown the most improvement this year. Texas would be dumb not to test it but even dumber not to have a Plan B.
You know I'd love to go with Neville Gallimore for my DPOG but I shall not. Instead, I'll go with Kenneth Michael Murray. As I sit here typing I am envisioning Alex Grinch finding new ways to use him. He can be a lethal X Factor if an offense doesn't know where he's going to be from play to play. Nobody besides Bookie Radley Hiles in this defense is able to do this like KMM and I'd rather see KMM do it than Bookie.
THE SCORE
I am very concerned about the Sooners offensive line and the physicality of the Longhorn D. The Sooner D has proven thus far that they can force some punts and get the offense back on the field. I like the Sooners getting out to an early lead. The key will be keeping the hammer down because Texas will not quit.
In the end I like the Sooners going away (can you believe it?) and sending a big statement to talking heads. OU has an opportunity, as mentioned, to be undefeated deeper into the season than they have been since 2011. I like the odds of a Heisman front-runner against a depleted defense and revamped Sooner D with everything to prove.
Sooners 34, Longhorns 17
Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner!
Saturday, October 5, 2019
Kansas
Fresh off of a country ass-beat of Texas Tech, the Sooners travel to Lawrence today for a tilt with the lowly Jayhawks. Les Miles has been brought in to right a Kansas ship that apart from a couple of seasons roughly a decade ago, has never been right. So far, the results have not been terribly encouraging. Granted, this was a monumental task from the beginning, but Calzone-Kid Mangino did it, so it is possible.
At one point, Miles was the hottest coach in the land. Taking a previously bad OSU team in to national relevance and beating the Sooners a couple of times when they had no business doing so. But his star has fallen as LSU fell out of love with his 3 yards and a cloud of dust brand of offense that just never got it done down in Baton Rouge. The Sooners roll in today hoping to stomp KU in a tune-up for their biggest game of the regular season next Saturday. Lets hope they aren't looking ahead as much as I am.
Offense
I keep trying to be smart and pick someone other than Jalen Hurts, but lets be honest, he's basically an automatic each week. CeeDee Lamb would've been a good choice last saturday as he blew up as well. I keep trying to pick a running back, and maybe it's not a good sign that so far they've made me a liar. But Hurts generally leads in rushing as well. In short, he's a beast. But, where is the fun in picking the obvious? And moreover, when has getting it wrong ever stopped me? I am going to go with Charleston Rambo today. The young buck has really been a nice complement to Lamb on the WR side of things, and is starting to really break out. I like him today for 2 scores and at least one really completion.
Defense
I cast some doubt, or at least had a measured amount of skepticism regarding the defense last week. And while they didn't pitch a shutout, they actually played well against a Tech team that historically has their way with us offensively. I don't think these guys will ever strike fear in the hearts of a halfway decent offense, but just getting several three and outs a game is huge and, frankly, enough. The Sooners will need to stop the KU run attack. Last season in Norman (cursory research alert!), Pooka Williams rushed for 252 yards on 15 carries. That is fucking atrocious. OU will have to get that "cleaned up" lest one of my eyes be half full of blood for the next month. I think Neville Gallimore is the man to get it done today. I think he clogs the middle and sets the tone for a solid day defensively for OU.
Score
This could be a bit of a trap game. I don't think KU has enough to pull of the upset, but I do think the Sooners might be peeking just a bit toward next weekend and the score will reflect that. KU hangs around a little bit early before OU pulls away. Sooners win it in Lawrence, 49-17.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner
At one point, Miles was the hottest coach in the land. Taking a previously bad OSU team in to national relevance and beating the Sooners a couple of times when they had no business doing so. But his star has fallen as LSU fell out of love with his 3 yards and a cloud of dust brand of offense that just never got it done down in Baton Rouge. The Sooners roll in today hoping to stomp KU in a tune-up for their biggest game of the regular season next Saturday. Lets hope they aren't looking ahead as much as I am.
Offense
I keep trying to be smart and pick someone other than Jalen Hurts, but lets be honest, he's basically an automatic each week. CeeDee Lamb would've been a good choice last saturday as he blew up as well. I keep trying to pick a running back, and maybe it's not a good sign that so far they've made me a liar. But Hurts generally leads in rushing as well. In short, he's a beast. But, where is the fun in picking the obvious? And moreover, when has getting it wrong ever stopped me? I am going to go with Charleston Rambo today. The young buck has really been a nice complement to Lamb on the WR side of things, and is starting to really break out. I like him today for 2 scores and at least one really completion.
Defense
I cast some doubt, or at least had a measured amount of skepticism regarding the defense last week. And while they didn't pitch a shutout, they actually played well against a Tech team that historically has their way with us offensively. I don't think these guys will ever strike fear in the hearts of a halfway decent offense, but just getting several three and outs a game is huge and, frankly, enough. The Sooners will need to stop the KU run attack. Last season in Norman (cursory research alert!), Pooka Williams rushed for 252 yards on 15 carries. That is fucking atrocious. OU will have to get that "cleaned up" lest one of my eyes be half full of blood for the next month. I think Neville Gallimore is the man to get it done today. I think he clogs the middle and sets the tone for a solid day defensively for OU.
Score
This could be a bit of a trap game. I don't think KU has enough to pull of the upset, but I do think the Sooners might be peeking just a bit toward next weekend and the score will reflect that. KU hangs around a little bit early before OU pulls away. Sooners win it in Lawrence, 49-17.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner
Oklahoma vs. Kansas
Sorry for the stinkfest 3000 last weekend, fans and loyal readers. In all the hundreds of posts here I've never lost my work until last week. Trust me, I nailed it. My best work and all for naught. I now try to make it up to you.
The Sooners (4-0, 1-0) head to Lawrence to take on the (checks notes) hapless Kansas Jayhawks. Les Miles is back and I'm glad for him and his inability to correctly size a hat.
OFFENSE
Here's something I came up with last week but it got lost in the ether. How lethal would it be if the Sooners ran some old school triple option with Jalen Hurts, Trey Sermon, Kennedy Brooks and even some Jeremiah Hall mixed in? Deadly. You won't see it this week for sure, and possible not at all, but the idea of unleashing it against Texas has me giddy.
First things first and this week it's more of same because Kansas is a turd. I'm picking Jalen because he's playing out of his gourd. Any one is poised for a breakout in a given week and you could throw darts (in a great way) with picking an OPOG but it starts with him.
On that note, this feels like a Trey Sermon bust out. So mark that down.
DEFENSE
We've found Gasrag McGee and his name is Patrick Fields. Alex Grinch said in the preseason that there was a lack of competition at Safety and that Fields and Delarrin Turner-Yell had locked down the spots. In a crimson colored universe this was taken by me to mean they were so clearly ahead that the position was in good hands. Fast forward and Grinch has recruited 5 star wide receiver Trejan Bridges to move over to safety to try and shore up what is proving to be the weak link on D.
Fields sticks out on tape like a sore thumb in this revamped defense. Every time look up he's somewhere trailing the play and taking a bad angle. The good news is that he's the only one who I notice consistently.
Please don't confuse this rant with displeasure for the defense overall. It is night and day so far from the previous three plus years.
Today depends on stopping the run game. Last year the Pookah Williams ran for 250 yards. It's stops today with my DPOG Neville Gallimore wreaking havoc up front. Gallimore has been awesome so far this season.
THE SCORE
This one lacks a lot of intrigue. I'm not buying the Les Miles knows how to shock the Sooners narrative. The spread is 32 and that seems low.
Sooners 63 Jayhawks 14
Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner
The Sooners (4-0, 1-0) head to Lawrence to take on the (checks notes) hapless Kansas Jayhawks. Les Miles is back and I'm glad for him and his inability to correctly size a hat.
OFFENSE
Here's something I came up with last week but it got lost in the ether. How lethal would it be if the Sooners ran some old school triple option with Jalen Hurts, Trey Sermon, Kennedy Brooks and even some Jeremiah Hall mixed in? Deadly. You won't see it this week for sure, and possible not at all, but the idea of unleashing it against Texas has me giddy.
First things first and this week it's more of same because Kansas is a turd. I'm picking Jalen because he's playing out of his gourd. Any one is poised for a breakout in a given week and you could throw darts (in a great way) with picking an OPOG but it starts with him.
On that note, this feels like a Trey Sermon bust out. So mark that down.
DEFENSE
We've found Gasrag McGee and his name is Patrick Fields. Alex Grinch said in the preseason that there was a lack of competition at Safety and that Fields and Delarrin Turner-Yell had locked down the spots. In a crimson colored universe this was taken by me to mean they were so clearly ahead that the position was in good hands. Fast forward and Grinch has recruited 5 star wide receiver Trejan Bridges to move over to safety to try and shore up what is proving to be the weak link on D.
Fields sticks out on tape like a sore thumb in this revamped defense. Every time look up he's somewhere trailing the play and taking a bad angle. The good news is that he's the only one who I notice consistently.
Please don't confuse this rant with displeasure for the defense overall. It is night and day so far from the previous three plus years.
Today depends on stopping the run game. Last year the Pookah Williams ran for 250 yards. It's stops today with my DPOG Neville Gallimore wreaking havoc up front. Gallimore has been awesome so far this season.
THE SCORE
This one lacks a lot of intrigue. I'm not buying the Les Miles knows how to shock the Sooners narrative. The spread is 32 and that seems low.
Sooners 63 Jayhawks 14
Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner
Saturday, September 28, 2019
Texas Tech
The 2019 conference schedule pulls out of the station today with the Texas Tech Red Raiders coming to Norman. The Sooners had a semi-eventful last weekend, falling in the rankings for committing two egregious crimes: 1) not playing and 2) not being in the SEC. A younger more naive version of myself would have much angst, hand-wringing and expletive laced complaints over this. But there is much football to be played this season and our Sooners could easily stumble (maybe that defense hasn’t really improved much) and those SEC teams will beat each other up a bit too. Suffice to say, let’s just TCB and hope that things work out for the best.
Offense
Lincoln Riley just knows how to design an offense. Unlike some in our Sooner past (looking squarely at you Heupel, oh and you too, Chuck Long) he designs things to give his current group the best chance to have success and he adapts. It’s quite a nice thing. Today’s game looks like another opportunity to put up asinine numbers against possibly the only program in college football less interested in defense than OU. Jalen Hurts has been nothing short of fantastic. And while I think at the end of the day it will be hard to argue against him for OPG, the sieve-like Tech run defense looks ripe for a Trey Sermon explosion. I like him for 150+ and 2 TDs.
Defense
I read something this week, which may be inaccurate (and of course I didn’t bother checking), but it said that so far the Sooner defense is essentially the same as last year in terms of yards to this point. I’ve not watched as much as I’d like but it seems they have improved to me. Regardless, we should know more after this one as this game is generally a shootout. Anything better than that I would view as a win. For no good reason at all, I’m picking Brendan “bookie” Radley-Hiles in this one. He seems to fly around to the ball and general play with a lot of energy.
Score
I like that the Sooners open the conference slate at home and that they don’t have to go to Lubbock this year. I think the offense does Riley things and I’m cautiously optimistic that two weeks of prep by Alex Grinch has gotten the defense a solid enough game plan to make this one comfortable at the end. Sooners win this one 48-27.
Boomer to Motherfuckin Sooner
Saturday, September 14, 2019
Oklahoma Sooners vs. UCLA Bruins
Hello hello. The Sooners are 2-0 and headed on the road for their first test away from Owen Field. The Sooners play at the Rose Bowl and it could be in front of a ton of Sooner faithful. Hopefully the Sooners are smelling blood and looking to dismantle the hapless Bruins. On the opposite side of that coin you have the Bruins with an opportunity to correct the trajectory of a lackluster Chip Kelly reclamation project.
OFFENSE
The Sooners are looking great as hoped for and expected. Jalen Hurts has been phenomenal and yet I heard from a handful of people who all shared the opinion they felt something was "off" with him. Hopefully these fine people are not sages or mystics. It's hard to find fault with an 85% completion percentage with 7 incompletions to go along with 6 touchdowns, third in the Big 12 in rushing and sporting a rather gaudy 252.3 QB Rating.
Today, the offensive line needs to rebound from a so-so performance last week that included way too many penalties, particularly to start the game. This offense can only stop itself so far this season. I'm also looking for Kennedy Brooks to go bananas today. He's my OPOG pick.
In other news, much is being made of Grant Calcaterra not getting very many balls thrown his way so far. Shut up it's gonna be okay.
DEFENSE
The Sooner D got off the turnover-less schneid by racking up three last week. Importantly, one of these was by Brendan Radley-Hiles who has now strung together two of his best, if not best best, games as Sooner. More of same please. I'm even taking him as my DPOG.
Today, you know UCLA is going to have some razzle-dazzle with "guru" Chip Kelly leading the Bruins. But the Bruins have been dogshit. Barring the Sooners being completely uninterested (reminder: no Sooner has earned this right yet, particularly on D) why wouldn't that continue today? I think the Sooners will make another nice statement on national television while continuing to identify players who can turn this beleaguered unit around.
THE SCORE
The Sooners have won 26 straight true road games (which is a nice way of saying everything except the neutral site games against Texas and in the Playoffs but who gives a shit about those?). Today is no different as the Sooners enjoy what is essentially a home game in front of tons of Sooner faithful in sunny Cali.
I like the Sooners big, 45-17, beating the spread handily.
Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner
OFFENSE
The Sooners are looking great as hoped for and expected. Jalen Hurts has been phenomenal and yet I heard from a handful of people who all shared the opinion they felt something was "off" with him. Hopefully these fine people are not sages or mystics. It's hard to find fault with an 85% completion percentage with 7 incompletions to go along with 6 touchdowns, third in the Big 12 in rushing and sporting a rather gaudy 252.3 QB Rating.
Today, the offensive line needs to rebound from a so-so performance last week that included way too many penalties, particularly to start the game. This offense can only stop itself so far this season. I'm also looking for Kennedy Brooks to go bananas today. He's my OPOG pick.
In other news, much is being made of Grant Calcaterra not getting very many balls thrown his way so far. Shut up it's gonna be okay.
DEFENSE
The Sooner D got off the turnover-less schneid by racking up three last week. Importantly, one of these was by Brendan Radley-Hiles who has now strung together two of his best, if not best best, games as Sooner. More of same please. I'm even taking him as my DPOG.
Today, you know UCLA is going to have some razzle-dazzle with "guru" Chip Kelly leading the Bruins. But the Bruins have been dogshit. Barring the Sooners being completely uninterested (reminder: no Sooner has earned this right yet, particularly on D) why wouldn't that continue today? I think the Sooners will make another nice statement on national television while continuing to identify players who can turn this beleaguered unit around.
THE SCORE
The Sooners have won 26 straight true road games (which is a nice way of saying everything except the neutral site games against Texas and in the Playoffs but who gives a shit about those?). Today is no different as the Sooners enjoy what is essentially a home game in front of tons of Sooner faithful in sunny Cali.
I like the Sooners big, 45-17, beating the spread handily.
Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner
Friday, September 13, 2019
UCLA
Hello faithful reader(s), I really shit the bed last week in failing to get something up for the doormat game. It’s hard to get up for one of those, particularly when I’m unable to watch. This week should prove more of a test against a UCLA squad, albeit an underperforming one to this point. Chip Kelly seems to have whatever the turf equivalent is of the Midas touch ever since leaving Oregon. It’s possible he figures out the problem and once again produces top ranked programs, but let’s just hope he doesn’t take step one this weekend. And while the Bruins aren’t as formidable as they’ve been at times in the past, this first road test against a power 5 school, effectively starts the “meat” of the schedule. Let’s get going on the right foot.
Offense
I’m starting to believe Lincoln Riley may be an actual savant when it comes to designing an offense. So far, it’s been his most impressive start for me. He has essentially a completely new offensive line as well as a transfer qb that has been, er, inconsistent at best prior to coming to OU. Granted the skill positions were fairly stocked and so the cupboard wasn’t empty, but it’s still impressive. Now, the question remains if this level of play will continue against increasingly strong competition, Saturday is the first step. Hurts has been nothing short of great. But, I think UCLA’s speed on defense slows him down a bit. I like Trey Sermon in this one to have big day with over 100 yards on the ground and 2 TDs.
Defense
The Sooners pitched a shutout in the first half last week. I know I know, it was a JV team. But how much of a reach is it to imagine that game the last two years and picture yourself screaming that “it’s fucking South Dakota?!?” as they score a 3rd first half touchdown and “hang around”. By no means am I declaring the defense fixed, but it’s been a damn sight better this year than it has been in a while. UCLA will score, ole chipper knows how to create mismatches and score. But I think OU continues it’s steady start. I like Delarrin Turner-Yell to fly around and make some big plays and force one turnover today for my dpg.
Score
I think the Sooners start fast and UCLA stays in it with some second half scoring, but alas it isn’t enough for the Bruins, the Sooners leave the pacific time zone unbeaten, 44-27.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin’ Sooner
Saturday, September 7, 2019
OU versus South Dakota
Well the season got off to a rollicking start with the Sooners thoroughly dismantling Houston. Jalen Hurts had 508 yards of offense himself and the defense looked mostly like a defense. Today the Sooners have a perfect practice game with FCS South Dakota. The Sooners have an opportunity on offense to get some game speed reps, the defense can continue its overhaul and hopefully a number of young guys get an opportunity to show what they can do.
OFFENSE
The name of the game today is to be injury free and take care of business so starters can be pulled as early as possible. There are plenty of young guys who can show what they have, including Spencer Rattler, supposed QB wunderkind in waiting.
For my OPOG I'll go Jalen Hurts. Not only did he play near flawlessly he seemed in awe of the offense he's been asked to lead. He's happy to be here and appears quite interested in maximizing his opportunity. Look for PlayStation numbers today again.
DEFENSE
The defense definitely looks different in a great way but there is plenty to improve upon. They made some dumb mistakes that kept Houston drives alive. They did not have a takeaway although they forced enough punts to keep Houston safely at bay. Most importantly, it seemed to me they lost their focus about midway through the 3rd quarter. They aren't good enough to do that. They haven't earned shit and you'd think there would be enough competition to not have to worry about it. They need to be sharp today regardless of score and competition.
For my DPOG I'm going to say Ronnie Perkins. I'd really like to have him be MF'er.
THE SCORE
I think the Sooners play it ultra conservative mostly to give the kickers a chance to build some confidence but scoring will come early and often.
I'm thinking 60-13
Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner!
OFFENSE
The name of the game today is to be injury free and take care of business so starters can be pulled as early as possible. There are plenty of young guys who can show what they have, including Spencer Rattler, supposed QB wunderkind in waiting.
For my OPOG I'll go Jalen Hurts. Not only did he play near flawlessly he seemed in awe of the offense he's been asked to lead. He's happy to be here and appears quite interested in maximizing his opportunity. Look for PlayStation numbers today again.
DEFENSE
The defense definitely looks different in a great way but there is plenty to improve upon. They made some dumb mistakes that kept Houston drives alive. They did not have a takeaway although they forced enough punts to keep Houston safely at bay. Most importantly, it seemed to me they lost their focus about midway through the 3rd quarter. They aren't good enough to do that. They haven't earned shit and you'd think there would be enough competition to not have to worry about it. They need to be sharp today regardless of score and competition.
For my DPOG I'm going to say Ronnie Perkins. I'd really like to have him be MF'er.
THE SCORE
I think the Sooners play it ultra conservative mostly to give the kickers a chance to build some confidence but scoring will come early and often.
I'm thinking 60-13
Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner!
Sunday, September 1, 2019
Houston
Welcome back loyal reader(s)! Another season of steamroller is upon us and I promise on my life that each week I will churn out decidedly below average content with minimal effort, zero insight, and absolutely no research, it's my commitment to you! It's telling that after completing this "piece" I will have written more articles about the Sooners 2019 football team than I've read. The Sooners start 2019 with a rematch of a game we'd all rather forget. But that was the Bob Stoops era where, as much as people hate to admit it, teams often weren't prepared for inferior opponents. However, since Lincoln Riley has taken over, these things are hopefully but a memory. I'm pretty optimistic that with Alex Grinch coming over from Ohio State, that the team might actually start fielding something resembling a defense. The offense loses most of the offensive line, something that I think could really cause the offense to struggle this year, especially early. Oh and I did mention there is a new QB under center? That may make an impact as well.
Offense
Jalen Hurts comes over from Alabama as, more or less, your typical SEC QB: athletic as a mofo, but struggles with the forward pass. If anyone can turn him into a productive, if not heisman winning, QB it has to be wunderkind Lincoln Riley. I think Riley will scheme so that Hurts is throwing lots of short, quick passes to guys in space and letting them do the work with their legs. This both takes the mental game out of it (somewhat) for Hurts and doubles to reduce the burden on the new O-line to protect for long periods. I like Hurts as my opg today for 250+ through the air, 50+ on the ground and accounting for 4 scores.
Defense
Can I name a player on the OU defense? Yes, yes I can (teaser). I think the OU defense will struggle today. Holgerson will have the Cougars running a wide-open up tempo offense as we all know. And while I'm optimistic about Grinch, I strongly doubt he's solved the Big 12 offenses already. What I hope is that OU can make enough plays to force Houston to punt, settle for field goals, and with any luck, turn it over a couple of times. I like Kenneth Murray to fly around and rack up 12+ tackles and have a big impact, particularly on some well designed blitzes.
Score
OU is favored big in this one, but I don't think it will be a runaway. Houston will put up some points for sure. But, I like the sooners to get out of this one with a W, if in a bit of a wobbly start. Sooners take it 37-28.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner
Offense
Jalen Hurts comes over from Alabama as, more or less, your typical SEC QB: athletic as a mofo, but struggles with the forward pass. If anyone can turn him into a productive, if not heisman winning, QB it has to be wunderkind Lincoln Riley. I think Riley will scheme so that Hurts is throwing lots of short, quick passes to guys in space and letting them do the work with their legs. This both takes the mental game out of it (somewhat) for Hurts and doubles to reduce the burden on the new O-line to protect for long periods. I like Hurts as my opg today for 250+ through the air, 50+ on the ground and accounting for 4 scores.
Defense
Can I name a player on the OU defense? Yes, yes I can (teaser). I think the OU defense will struggle today. Holgerson will have the Cougars running a wide-open up tempo offense as we all know. And while I'm optimistic about Grinch, I strongly doubt he's solved the Big 12 offenses already. What I hope is that OU can make enough plays to force Houston to punt, settle for field goals, and with any luck, turn it over a couple of times. I like Kenneth Murray to fly around and rack up 12+ tackles and have a big impact, particularly on some well designed blitzes.
Score
OU is favored big in this one, but I don't think it will be a runaway. Houston will put up some points for sure. But, I like the sooners to get out of this one with a W, if in a bit of a wobbly start. Sooners take it 37-28.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner
Oklahoma Sooner vs. Houston Cougars
Welcome to the 2019 college football season and another edition of the Steamroller. The season is full of hope and promise for the Sooners as Lincoln Riley's offense has become one of the most reliably high scoring and fun to watch in all of football. The season is also full of questions as Jalen Hurts makes his debut and, most importantly, the Sooners attempt to field a Top 100 defense under the guidance of Alex Grinch.
Today the Sooners take on the Houston Cougars led by Dana Holgerson. You won't believe this but the Cougars feature a high speed RPO offense. It will be a "tester" for Alex Grinch's new D.
THE OFFENSE
Jalen Hurts and the O-Line are the story here. The offensive line features four new faces which takes the group from the nations best to one of little to no experience. All four linemen who left were drafted in the first round of this year's NFL draft so my faith in Bill Bidenbaugh to develop players is strong. I'm thinking less than five penalties from this group today would be a good measure of success.
Jalen Hurts is the on-off-on again Man of the Hour from Alabama who now gets one last chance to put his skills on display. He came to the right place. He has an embarrassment of riches to work with at the skill positions and, of course, the games best quarterback whisperer in Riley. Riley will let Hurts run at will. The key for Hurts will be decision making. Can he make the right call pre-snap and will he progress through reads if given enough time by the O-Line?
The knocks I keep hearing on Hurts is that he doesn't throw a great deep ball and he checks down to easy throws too often. The latter doesn't make much sense to me as a shortcoming and I think will be especially moot in an offense where, oftentimes, there is a super easy pass to make. I'm interested to see about the deep ball though. To me, this seems like perhaps the "easiest" skill to develop for a quarterback. If it is a weakness then a marginal improvement would make a huge difference.
Hurts is doing and saying all the right things though so I think he'll thrive. He has been named a captain before he's taken an official snap which has to be unprecedented (too lazy to look) and speaks volumes about his effort since arriving in Norman.
Elsewhere on the offense, the Sooners feature the running duo of Trey Sermon and Kennedy Brooks. Their complimentary skill sets should ease the burdens of both Hurts and the O-Line. Brooks seems particularly capable of making a leap from last year and Sermon is as steady as they come.
The wide receivers will be deep and with that marginal at best segue I am picking CeeDee Lamb for my OPOG today. He's already considered one of the best at his position in the country and yet I don't believe we've seen his best work yet. He'll be the primary target and, up to now, he's been an amazing possession type receiver. Starting today I think we see him more in the open field. He wouldn't be returning punts if the only skill he had was catching the ball in traffic. He's going to light it up.
THE DEFENSE
I said last year that if the defense was going to suck so much why not go for broke and blitz all the time, from anywhere. It doesn't take a genius to realize it's harder to execute when you don't know what your opponent is up to. Lincoln Riley obviously knows this. But finally someone listened to me and the Sooners went and got Alex Grinch. His defense is predicated on a lot of pre-snap movement, designed to confuse and disguise, and speed. He gladly trades size for speed to blitz and to quickly gang up to rip the ball away. If you give up some big plays, so be it because that just means the offense gets the ball again. The worst case scenario, from Grinch's point of view, is letting your opponent play keep away from your offense. Agreed.
That said, we have no idea which Sooner, if any, will thrive in this scheme. The bar is incredibly low and the expectations very high. There are a couple of places to look first though.
Neville Gallimore has shown promise for what feels like five years now. He's trimmed down supposedly and this defense demands aggressiveness up front. Could this be his breakout year? Beside him will be Jalen Redmond who has drawn rave reviews as a physical menace. And there is Kenneth Murray who racks up tackles like my wife collects athleisure.
I'm going with Gallimore for my DPOG today and hoping to see someone, anyone, jump out on tape.
THE SCORE
The Sooners are favored by 23 which seems high to me. There's too much "new" with the O-Line, Hurts and the defense. Maybe these unknowns are an advantage. The Cougars will be a good test with a quality quarterback. But I think Hurts shows a steady hand and he gets lots of help. The defense won't ease all concerns and will put plenty on tape to learn from and improve upon.
Sooners 41 Cougars 31
Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner
Today the Sooners take on the Houston Cougars led by Dana Holgerson. You won't believe this but the Cougars feature a high speed RPO offense. It will be a "tester" for Alex Grinch's new D.
THE OFFENSE
Jalen Hurts and the O-Line are the story here. The offensive line features four new faces which takes the group from the nations best to one of little to no experience. All four linemen who left were drafted in the first round of this year's NFL draft so my faith in Bill Bidenbaugh to develop players is strong. I'm thinking less than five penalties from this group today would be a good measure of success.
Jalen Hurts is the on-off-on again Man of the Hour from Alabama who now gets one last chance to put his skills on display. He came to the right place. He has an embarrassment of riches to work with at the skill positions and, of course, the games best quarterback whisperer in Riley. Riley will let Hurts run at will. The key for Hurts will be decision making. Can he make the right call pre-snap and will he progress through reads if given enough time by the O-Line?
The knocks I keep hearing on Hurts is that he doesn't throw a great deep ball and he checks down to easy throws too often. The latter doesn't make much sense to me as a shortcoming and I think will be especially moot in an offense where, oftentimes, there is a super easy pass to make. I'm interested to see about the deep ball though. To me, this seems like perhaps the "easiest" skill to develop for a quarterback. If it is a weakness then a marginal improvement would make a huge difference.
Hurts is doing and saying all the right things though so I think he'll thrive. He has been named a captain before he's taken an official snap which has to be unprecedented (too lazy to look) and speaks volumes about his effort since arriving in Norman.
Elsewhere on the offense, the Sooners feature the running duo of Trey Sermon and Kennedy Brooks. Their complimentary skill sets should ease the burdens of both Hurts and the O-Line. Brooks seems particularly capable of making a leap from last year and Sermon is as steady as they come.
The wide receivers will be deep and with that marginal at best segue I am picking CeeDee Lamb for my OPOG today. He's already considered one of the best at his position in the country and yet I don't believe we've seen his best work yet. He'll be the primary target and, up to now, he's been an amazing possession type receiver. Starting today I think we see him more in the open field. He wouldn't be returning punts if the only skill he had was catching the ball in traffic. He's going to light it up.
THE DEFENSE
I said last year that if the defense was going to suck so much why not go for broke and blitz all the time, from anywhere. It doesn't take a genius to realize it's harder to execute when you don't know what your opponent is up to. Lincoln Riley obviously knows this. But finally someone listened to me and the Sooners went and got Alex Grinch. His defense is predicated on a lot of pre-snap movement, designed to confuse and disguise, and speed. He gladly trades size for speed to blitz and to quickly gang up to rip the ball away. If you give up some big plays, so be it because that just means the offense gets the ball again. The worst case scenario, from Grinch's point of view, is letting your opponent play keep away from your offense. Agreed.
That said, we have no idea which Sooner, if any, will thrive in this scheme. The bar is incredibly low and the expectations very high. There are a couple of places to look first though.
Neville Gallimore has shown promise for what feels like five years now. He's trimmed down supposedly and this defense demands aggressiveness up front. Could this be his breakout year? Beside him will be Jalen Redmond who has drawn rave reviews as a physical menace. And there is Kenneth Murray who racks up tackles like my wife collects athleisure.
I'm going with Gallimore for my DPOG today and hoping to see someone, anyone, jump out on tape.
THE SCORE
The Sooners are favored by 23 which seems high to me. There's too much "new" with the O-Line, Hurts and the defense. Maybe these unknowns are an advantage. The Cougars will be a good test with a quality quarterback. But I think Hurts shows a steady hand and he gets lots of help. The defense won't ease all concerns and will put plenty on tape to learn from and improve upon.
Sooners 41 Cougars 31
Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner
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