Happy Saturday, Sooner fans. The mood about town this week has been one of extreme measured cautious optimism. It's borderline paranoia. Yes, the Sooners pitched a shutout, not easy to do. Yes, they put up 70 plus, also not easy to do. But there is some real PTSD from last year and for good reason.
Here's what we do know, though. The defense is better across the board. Their collective understanding of the defense seems to be better and they are definitely faster. The offense took care of business. Dillon Gabriel played great and Jackson Arnold has us looking forward. My favorite Arnold play was a swing pass that was so well placed it made the first move for the receiver, forward and away from the defender. It was a simple play, but it was cool to see the awareness.
Also, it cannot be overstated how often Arkansas State stepped on their own dicks. They fucked it up every time they needed a play or had a chance to make one. They are a bad team.
Thus, today marks a better test for the crimson and cream. I don't know shit about SMU but I'd bet my ass that they have a better quarterback and at least one skill player who can do damage. I hope their defense is better. SMU seems like they'd have some decent defensive lineman. That's pure speculation.
OFFENSE
As mentioned, I hope the SMU defense is decent. Dillon Gabriel can use all the work he can get to gel with the new receivers. I liked what I saw last week from Andrel Anthony and Jaquaize Pettaway. Those guys will need to step up if Drake Stoops can't go this week. Jayden Gibson and Gavin Freeman both looked great too.
Today look for more of the running back by committee and a little more quarterback run game. I think I'll go with Jaden Gibson for OPOG. He came in a couple years ago with high expectations and he's struggled a bit. Maybe getting off to a good start is a boost for him. He's easily the biggest receiver the Sooners have and, at 6'5", it would be baller for him if he could become a frequent target.
DEFENSE
Build, build, build. This group looked great last week. They did a good job of playing hard for 60 minutes. They looked fast and their tackling was pretty solid. They had a couple breakdowns that AS couldn't capitalize on and the Sooners didn't get a sack.
I definitely hope to see some more QB pressures and/or sacks. I'd like to think the Sooners played conservative but I'm not falling for that shit.
I'll go Danny Stutsman for my DPOG. Obviously he's good, but I like his ability to take ownership of this defense and being a true captain on the field. It'll be huge for this defense.
THE SCORE
I like the Sooners to beat the spread (currently -16.0). Even if the SMU offense can score a little bit and even if the Sooners don't score every time they touch the ball, the Sooners, at home, are three scores better than the Mustangs.
I like the Sooners 35-14.
Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner
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