K State

 The Sooners kick off this evening for their first conference game of the year. Last week was a most pleasing dismantling of a very bad Nebraska team. I was predictably nervous thinking that the coaching shake up would inspire the huskers, but after a first drive TD the Sooners starting playing what I think is referred to as “defense”. I’m vaguely remembering this concept. But whatever it is, it’s fun and I hope it continues. It’s amazing how just competent tackling and being in position makes an enormous difference. Seems so simple, but OU hasn’t done it in years. I hope it continues against a KState club that has been a thorn in the Sooners side the last few years. 

Offense

On paper, Dylan Gabriel’s season looks very good up to now. He has solid numbers, doesn’t turn the ball over and the Sooners are 3-0 in strong fashion. But to the eye, dude looks terribly inaccurate. He misses so many open receivers and the deep ball he was lauded for previously is, um, inconsistent. It’s all fine against bad teams, but the Sooners will lose against good competition if that continues. As such, I’m going to stay away from the passing game with today’s OPG and go with Marcus Major. Eric Gray had a huge game last week and this week I think Major steps up and has a great game. 

Defense

When OU hired Brent Venables the hope was that he could turn the D around. So far he has made good on that. As I mentioned before the competition hasn’t been great, but in recent years bad teams had huge games against OU consistently. Today I’m going with Reggie Grimes. Dude has been a beast and I think he gets another sack today. 

Score 

The Sooners are 13.5 point favorites today. Two TDs is a healthy margin, especially in conference play. But, it’s in Norman and I think OU heads to cover city. Sooners win 34-17. 

Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner 

Oklahoma Sooners vs. Kansas State Wildcats

Hello Sooner fans. Our boys find themselves 3-0 after an inspired win at Nebraska. I mentioned last week that the axing of Scott Frost was the dead cat bounce of a 20 year free fall and I was not wrong. The Huskers were outmanned in every facet of the game.

That said, there is still a certain cache with the Cornhusker brand and delivering a thoroughly dominant performance against them, at home, in a primetime tv time slot was a big deal for Brent Venables and the Sooners. Gus Johnson and Joel Klatt called the game and could not stop talking about how this Sooners team looks and feels different. 

Today the Kansas State Wildcats roll into Norman, offering the Sooners another opportunity to take a step forward and to show the college football world they are, in fact, different than Sooners teams of recent memory. KState always give the Sooners a hard time, a fact not lost on oddsmakers who have installed the Sooners as 13.5 point favorites. It's suckers bet to take KState. Past is not prologue for these Sooners.

OFFENSE

The Sooners racked up 35 first half points on the shamefully slow Husker defense last week in Lincoln and it should have been worse. Dillon Gabriel was not crisp on several passes including most of his tries deep middle. He missed an easy throw that would have gone for six on a deep middle pass and the Sooners subsequently had to try for a field goal which also missed. We Sooner fans are spoiled with high level quarterback play but that also means we know what it looks like and Gabriel is not at that level currently. Now, to his credit, he's above 65% completion and, crucially, has zero turnovers. The question is, what can his ceiling be? Remember, he missed most of last season and he's played all of three games. You have to think that he's going to start settling in, slowing down a little and hitting more of those deep targets. Seeing if he can develop under Jeff Lebby is the most interesting thing to watch for me on this side of the ball from this point forward. If things progress as I hope that and Gabriel takes control of the offense then watch out. 

Gabriel is my OPOG today because I want to see him clean it up today and really take the reins of the offense. A welcoming home crowd should provide that opportunity.

Key to Gabriel's success will be Eric Gray. The Sooners clearly are hell bent on establishing the run and Gray has been fantastic. The Wildcats will sell out to try and force the Sooners to throw. I expect lots of play action with Gray getting the ball often on short passes and screens. 

DEFENSE

Deuce Vaughn is the Alpha and Omega of the Wildcats offense. The Sooners, in their turn, will gameplan around slowing and/or stopping him. This will be the first real test of the Sooners defense. I've seen nothing yet to indicate the Sooners aren't up to the challenge.

If the Sooners can win the line of scrimmage as they have every game thus far, Nebraska transfer Adrian Martinez will be running for his life.

The Sooners have been holy terrors defensively and it hasn't been just one person. Reggie Grimes, Billy Bowman, Danny Stutsman, Ethan Downs and Jaren Kanek have all stood out to me over the course of three games. You love to see it. 

Now, I said past is not prologue but you can count on the Wildcats being physical. That's just what they are. The Sooners, though, are now in a position to not only match it, but if they can somehow be demonstratively more physical than the Wildcats, watch out. It's an indicator the Sooners are not to be easily dismissed in conversations for national title contenders. That's not crimson colored glasses, either. We're talking about having an established identity that, if the Sooners had it over the last five seasons, could have resulted in one if not more titles. Seriously.

For my DPOG today I'm going with Deshaun White. He got ejected for targeting last week which opened the door for extended playing time for Kanek. Kanek already looks like a beast and if he's hot on the heels of White then hopefully that inspires White to step up his game. 

SCORE

I don't think this will be a particularly high scoring game but I definitely see the Sooners winning comfortably by three scores. I don't think the Wildcat offense will be dynamic enough to damage the Sooners if the Sooners can maintain the focus and physicality they've shown so far this year and I think the Sooners offense has a chance to really settle in and start hitting their stride with the game being in Norman. 

I like the Sooners 42-17.

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner

Oklahoma Sooners vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers

Hi OH Sooner fans. It's another glorious football Saturday. Shit's getting real for the Sooners this week as they hit the road and take on a big name in the Nebraska Cornhuskers. I almost spit out my teeth when I read the news that the Huskers gave up 642 yards in a loss last week to Georgia goddang Southern. Not GeorgiaTech or plain ol' Georgia. Georgia Southern. That, my friends,  is a turd that cannot be polished and Scott Frost is now unemployed. 

Are the Sooners walking into a trap? Can the Huskers possibly re-compose in one weeks time and by sheer will  and the good Lord's blessing play well enough to beat a game Oklahoma football team?

No.

OFFENSE

The Sooners offense is still a work in progress. It would be a massive understatement to call most of their first half last week uninspired. I would love to blame the listless and spoiled home crowd for it.  One could even make the excuse that they might have been looking ahead to the Huskers. Fact is they're still looking for an identity. 

I think they want to be a punishing running team and they've been leading that effort with Eric Gray. Gray is good, averaging almost seven yards per carry, but Marcus Major is the way. Major is dorking people out of their shoes  and running through people if needs be. I think he's going to get more action today as he should. 

Dillon Gabriel has been great. I must admit I'm not blown away by anything he does so far but the fact that he's completing 70 percent of his passes and has zero turnovers is as good as you could hope for from him. Imagine when he has complete comfort in the offense. Methinks primetime tv against a big name team could do wonders for Gabriel's confidence if he can maintain his progress. Hopefully the Husker D is as shitty this week as last.

I'm going with Marcus Major this week for my OPOG. He earned more PT last week and he's too good to keep off the field. His success will make life too easy for DG and Marvin Mims et al. 

DEFENSE

I love the enthusiasm coming from these guys. They have been the backbone of the squad so far and that's exactly as it should be. They need to be steady today as the Huskers will no doubt be inspired by the coaching change. 

The simple key for the Sooners is getting off the field. They have to win the majority of third downs so they can stay fresh and drain the hearts of the Huskers.

I'll take Billy Bowman for my DPOG today. He has been in on a lot of tackles thus far. He's all over the field. It looks like he's got his sea legs under him and his confidence is growing game by game. Make the leap today, my guy. 

THE SCORE

I grew up with a couple of sisters whose family are die hard Huskers. I will never forget the shit they gave me in the 90's when it appeared OU football was in danger of being forever irrelevant. My how the tables have turned. Nebraska is sad. Scott Frost is the dead bounce after a 20 year free fall.

The Sooners show the world this today and they win big. 

Sooners 34 Huskers 13

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner 

Nebraska

This week our beloved Sooners travel to Lincoln to rekindle what was once one of the great rivalries in all of college football. Conference realignment and the ever-changing college football landscape ended that era and as it stands, it's doubtful that anyone playing in today's game has any first-hand memory of that time. Nevertheless, the fans certainly do and it will be a raucous atmosphere today in Huskerland. No doubt you have seen that Scott Frost, one-time wunderkind QB of the very same Huskers, was fired after successfully driving his alma mater program firmly into the ground. Nebraska has probably never been worse in my lifetime as they are right now. Where have you gone Frank Solich? That said, I have some trepidation regarding today's game. First, OU did not look particularly good offensively last week against Kent State. They narrowly held a halftime lead after not being able to score during the first half until the final minutes. They erupted in a dominant third quarter, and then went back to napping to close out the game. I'm confident that it will take more than one quarter of scoring to beat an energized Nebraska program on the road, which brings me to my second fear. 

Nothing ignites a team like a coaching change; particularly a team that has talented players and has been underachieving. In essence, they are now playing with nothing to lose. They have a new, interim coach, they'll get the rah rah "show them what you're capable of" type speech, the fans will be amped to have regained something akin to hope, and as it stands their season is already in the toilet so what's the worst that can happen? In short, it's going to be a tough place to win today. There are reasons for optimism however. Unlike the last few seasons, the OU defense appears to be capable of making a stop or two on occasion this season. It's way too early to say they are an asset. But, who else thinks that the Kent State game, if played last year, would've been close in the first half, and then traded TDs the rest of the way to win on a failed onside kick attempt with 50 seconds left? There are reasons for optimism on both sides of the ball, today is almost an ideal next step to getting ready for conference play. Let's hope they can seize the opportunity and put together four quarters of good football on both sides of the ball.

Offense

I rarely get anything remotely right with these half-assed predictions. It's not uncommon that I pick a player who isn't even dressing. So when I say I got Marvin Mims right last week, I will likely sprain my elbow patting my own back. Let's see if I can make it two in a row. This week, I'm going to go with Braden Willis. I think the opener was a taste of what Lebby plans to do with his 27-year-old TE this year. That is to say, get him involved early and often and particularly in the red zone. I like Willis to catch 6-8 balls today and get at least one score. 

Defense

The defense, as I mentioned, seems to be improved. So much so, that there are actually a few options that could plausibly be considered for a defensive MVP of the game. But, unlike offense, I'm not going to go out on a limb here. I'm taking Danny Stutsman. This guy has been everywhere the first two games, and I only think this is going to continue as he gets more and more comfortable in the defense. Nevermind that he seems like he'd be the guy that eats the goldfish at Old Tex in Johnny B. Goode, "Texas sushi, Boy!" (serious deep cut there, if you have any idea what I'm talking about you should be equal parts proud and ashamed), if he makes plays, I'm in. 

Score 

OU is favored by 11 in this one. I think that is generous for the Sooners. As I mentioned, this will be a tough game on the road against a team with nothing to lose. Charles Thompson has faced the Sooners before so he knows what to expect. I think this game is won or lost in the fourth quarter and is tight the whole way. I think the Sooners TCB however, and this game is a 24-20 dogfight. Sooners win.

Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner

Oklahoma Sooners vs. Kent State Golden Flashes

 Greetings, Sooner fans, on this absolutely beautiful Saturday in Oklahpma. It's week two for our 1-0 Sooners. The Sooners looked pretty sharp in game one of the Brent Venables era. Most notably, the defense was gang tackling. Dillon Gabriel was efficient in his first start. Today they welcome the 0-1 Kent State Golden Knights. The Sooners find themselves a 33 point favorite which seems pretty aggressive but, were I a betting man, would be tempted to take. 

Today I want to see the Sooners build off last week and stay healthy before hitting the road next week for a big one against Nebraska in Lincoln. 

OFFENSE

I didn't get to watch most of the UTEP game and had to settle for listening on the radio. It seems to me, though, that the Jeff Lebby offense was fast as advertised. They move the ball around pretty well and were able to get key weapons like Marvin Mims and Eric Gray involved early and often. Brayden Willis was a nice surprise for me also. He's a big target who moves well and he has the added advantage of being able to be positioned anywhere to exploit mismatches. Maybe he's making the leap.

Today the Sooners need to continue to establish their identity and then identify some home run hitters. Eric Gray looked great and Marcus Major looked powerful. I mentioned Willis and Mims but it'd be nice to get a few more players involved just to see what the offense has at its disposal. 

Today I'll take a chance on Theo Wease for my OPOG. I am thinking he's just getting back to a comfort level on the field after missing last year and he should be due to make a leap of his own. Maybe he busts one open today.

DEFENSE

The Sooners played A LOT of players on this side of the ball last week and I love it. Ted Roof and co. are trying to find out what they have and who's a gamer. I want to see more of the same today. I love the idea of having real depth on that side of the ball for the first time in a long time. Today's the perfect opportunity to continue to establish it. 

I'm going to ride the hot hand (or at least my impression of it) and go with Reggie Grimes for my DPOG. He seemed to be living in the backfield last week and should just build off that this week.

THE SCORE

The theme for today is build and Kent State is the perfect opponent for it. This one should be an intense cake walk. The Sooners continue to establish that toughness on D, find playmakers on offense and keep the injury sheet clean going into next week.

I like the Sooners bigly, 42-10.

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner. 

Kent State

 Hello Sooners fans, on the heels of an encouraging start to the Brent Venables era, the Sooners welcome a Kent State squad that I know absolutely nothing about outside of their record (0-1). Last week, it was incredibly refreshing to see competent tackling and consistently making “routine” plays on defense. There were still coverage breakdowns and receivers being left wide open, but the signs of improvement were strong and plentiful. It’s said the hunger is the best sauce and loosely applying that to the Sooner defense I think it’s safe to say the fans were hungry. 

Offensively, the start was about as flawless as it gets. Then they sputtered a bit after getting lured into thinking every play should be a home run. I was impressed that they were able to reset, lean on the run game and then consistently move the ball. DG was solid if not spectacular. There were some missed throws and a bit of indecision at times, but overall he looked good. The foundation appears to be there, let’s hope they can “clean up” some things from last week and get tuned up for the meat of the schedule. 

Offense

There were several guys that could plausibly have been named OPG and I think Mitch nailed the Eric Gray pick. Gray was good between the tackles but also looked very good catching passes out of the backfield. Today I like Marvin Mims to have a big day and to haul in some of those long balls that didn’t quite connect last week. I think he totals over 100 yards and a TD today. 

Defense

I was extremely pleased with the gang tackling last week. It’s clear that swarming to the ball has been a point of emphasis and the basic ability to not let a minimal gain turn into a disaster 3rd down conversion was incredibly refreshing. I also very much enjoyed the ability to pressure without selling out to the blitz. With that in mind I’m going to pick who I thought was DPG last week in Quentin Grimes. I think he gets another sack today. 

Score

Without knowing anything about Kent State, I’m encouraged enough from last week to think the Sooners beat that ass today. The Crimson and Cream clean it up and tune it up, 52-10. 

Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner 

Oklahoma Sooners vs. UTEP Miners

Hello Sooner fans! Let's freaking go Champ U '22. It's been a long tumultuous offseason to say the least. The QB Whisperer fled for greener pastures and Caleb Williams plus half the squad followed him. And yet, I couldn't be more excited for a season of Sooner football because I have no idea what sort of product we will see on the field. And through the miracle of crimson colored glasses I have even managed to set high expectations. 

We will obviously see a fast paced offense that is predicated on gassing defenses and keeping them on their heels. Sounds awesome. Hopefully, the Ted Roof/Brent Venables defense will be ferocious. Also sounds great. Across the board, we can expect to be stronger. By all accounts ex-strength coach Bennie Wylie had no business being in the weight room. Jerry Schmidt is back. The vibe is palpably different.

OFFENSE

The Dillon Gabriel era begins today and that's a downgrade from Caleb Williams there's just no way to sugarcoat it. However, people seem to really like him and he was named the starter pretty much the day he arrived on campus. So, in the new Jeff Lebby led offense maybe he doesn't need to be a wunderkind. Especially today he just needs to find his sea legs.

Gabriel (Gabe) does have Marvin Mims returning along with Theo Wease, Jalil Farooq and some up and coming freshmen. Eric Gray and Marcus Major will get lots of opportunities in the backfield. 

Today I think Eric Gray is the OPOG getting opportunities to make moves out in the flat as a receiver. It'll be quick easy passes for DG.

DEFENSE

Word on the street is that this defense is going to attack from everywhere all the time. No gimmicks just straight gas. I imagine the LB's are going to carry a massive load so I like Danny Stutsman for my DPOG. Just gonna go with my one of my personal favorites from last year. 

Coaches do seem to be excited about Ethan Downs at DE and I'm not gonna be put out if the defensive line does some damage. 

Success for me today looks like a relatively clean game from a penalty perspective and less than three total busts. Seems possible.

THE SCORE

The way Brent Venables has come in and changed the attitutde of this team to its very core means I would not be surprised if the Sooners come out and just play brilliant, inspired football. At least for this game. It won't be flawless but it will be fast and hopefully intense.

Fans walk away with boners and the Miners leave butthurt.

Sooners 56, Miners 10

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner!

UTEP

 What an offseason it has been. The Sooners Football Program begins this season with a new coach for the second time since 2017. When Bob Stoops retired, I think his main goal was to turn the program over to a coach that he thought could lead the program for the next two decades or more. To turn it over to someone that would become the next legendary Sooners coach after Wilkinson, Switzer and himself (sorry John Blake). And then we all know what happened. But, my guess is that he has to be pretty happy with (and likely had a hand in) his long-time friend and assistant being the man that is in the spot now. As much of a dick punch Riley leaving felt like at the time (and it is still pretty shitty the way he did it), there are reasons for optimism. Lebby has led better offenses the last few seasons than OU had and Alex Grinch will be difficult to replace in the way that it's difficult to replace a roll of toilet paper. In short, I don't think it's a reach whatsoever that OU could conceivably get considerably better on both sides of the ball immediately. Talent will be the initial question mark and of course there will be growing pains with guys playing in a new system and learning a new playbook. That last part, however, might be somewhat mitigated by the fact that transfer QB Dillon Gabriel played in Lebby's system before (to the tune of 3600+ yards, 29 TDs and a 156.9 QB rating as a freshman). On defense, there is almost nothing but room for improvement. It's telling to 1) hear former Sooners in the NFL openly disparage Grinch for how bad he was and 2) see how much success guys have in the NFL after not doing a ton at OU. 

There were so many frustrating things about the team last year, but nothing irritated me more than their ability to play to the level of an opponent. Seldom did OU dominate and put teams away. Every game felt like it came down to the last possession. That's all wonderful when you're playing a tough road conference game or a top 10 matchup. But when you're playing conference doormats and teams like Tulane (that went 2-10 last year including 0-6 on the road) to a 40-35 (they gave up 35 points!) barn burner win, that is pathetic. Let's hope the new era starts with a dominant ass beat, backups in the third quarter, smiles and backslaps on the bench--of a 3rd tier team. As it should be. 

Offense

While most of the flashy recruits are gone, there is still a lot of talent on this side of the ball. The guys we know like Mims, Marcus Major, and company can play. I would say RB is a bit of an unknown as Major and Gray were solid in the past but both have talent and I think Gray catches a ton of passes out of the backfield in this offense and both of them have a great year. WR looks very good again, the offensive line has some new faces but looks promising and TE is in the capable hands of Braden Willis who has been with OU since 2003 seemingly. But, as predictable as it might be, I'm going with the new face at QB and Dillon Gabriel today. I think he absolutely light up UTEP and we get some garbage reps for the other QB transfer Davis Beville. I like DG for 300+ yards, 4 TDs and no turnovers.

Defense

There are some things to like about the defense in spite of the fact that they were pretty mediocre last year and lost several key players to the draft. Most of that stems from the hope that there is someone competent coaching them for a change. I like Key Lawrence and Woodi Washington in the secondary, and hopefully Jaden Davis can recapture whatever he had that made him look so promising as a freshman. The DL has several good (if no real stars as of yet) guys rotating in and out that they should be strong through four quarters. The LBs are strong with Ugwoegbu and Stutsman and DaShaun White. Today I like DaShaun White for DPG. He earned the famed Cheetah position in Venables' defense. I think he makes a ton of tackles and forces at least one turnover.

Score

I know almost nothing about UTEP. I do remember them coming to Norman many years ago and OU barely winning against Mike Price's bunch. This UTEP squad is already 0-1 (losing in their opener to the Flying Seth Littrell's of North Texas 31-13), and I predict the Venables era starts with a bang. OU dominates 45-6. 

Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner