Oklahoma Sooners vs. Kansas Jayhawks

 Good morning, Sooner fans. Our 7-0 Sooners had themselves a good ole fashioned wake-up call last week against UCF at home, but they bowed up when it mattered and hopefully it was a good learning experience because this week it's a real trap game. The Sooners head up to Lawrence to face the Jayhawks, a team with a legit rushing attack and a desire to show the country they the program is trending in the positive.

OFFENSE

The Sooner offense is obviously good enough to win any game. Dillon Gabriel has taken a step up this year, to say the least. They have receivers who can do some damage. But, at some point, the Sooners need to figure out how to get the run game going from the jump. Last week DG took the reigns, and that's fine. But the running-back-by-committee is still clunky and weird. In defense of last week, Tawee Walker didn't play because of reasons and supposedly he's back today. Gavin Sawchuk looked good in the 2nd half. 

Last week I picked Walker and look what happened. Today I'm picking Sawchuk and hopefully I don't fuck up his day.

DEFENSE

Don't be surprised if Danny Stutsman gets 15 tackles today. The Jayhawks are going to try to rush the ball. They have a running back that averages 7+ yards per carry. Ridiculous. The Sooners need to shut that down double quick and avoid stupid penalties while doing it. 

If they can avoid stomping on their own dicks for a minute, the Jayhawks shouldn't score more than 17-24. If they let the Jayhawks stay on the field, it'll be hard to keep them under 30.

I think the D might have learned more from last week than the O. In that vein, I think they respond and put on a clinic. Stutsman is the MVP, but Kansas native Jaren Kanek, chief offender of boneheaded penalties last week, is my DPOG.

SCORE

This one scares me more than just about any other on the schedule for some reason. I was worried about Jalon Daniels at QB, but it doesn't look like he'll be playing. However, the Jayhawks will have a chip on their shoulder. The Sooners will get their best game. It's time for the Sooners to show they can match that level of energy and preparedness. History has shown that this is tough for OU. It doesn't have to be today. This one is an opportunity to take another step towards being a bona fide contender.

I like the Sooners to win but I'm not sure they'll cover the spread (-9). I like the Sooners 31-24.

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner

Kansas

 I don't know if I will ever learn. Every time I start to get the inkling that our Sooners team might actually be decent, they look like absolute trash against a mediocre-bad opponent. After the texas win I expected a let down might be possible, but I also thought the extra week would give the team both time to prepare and a little bit of a buffer to let the shine wear off of that huge win. Yet, they came out and played completely piss poor on both sides of the ball. Yes, the kicker was terrible and they proved meaningful later in the game (as it generally does), but the offense could not move the ball at all in the second half, and the defense reverted to it's old ways of making the other team's QB look incredible and absolutely melting down on third down all game. It's the most frustrating variety of football to watch as a fan. 

Today the Sooners travel to Lawrence KS. A place where the Sooners have historically had a lot of success. Much of that is simply because OU is often a much more talented team. However, this Jayhawks club is on a major upswing and actually is a quality opponent for the first time in a long time. They had a big letdown two weeks ago against a good OSU team that, frankly, KU should've beaten. If our Sooners play anything like they did last week against a fairly bad UCF team, this will be comfortable win for the Jayhawks.

Offense

While Nic Anderson proved me right last week, the real MVP to me was Gavin Sawchuck. He basically put the team on his back in the 4th quarter when the offense had done jack shit the entire second half. Why Marcus Major continues to start is beyond me. If anything, Major has been the 4th best back on the team in my opinion. But, it always goes back to Dylan Gabriel. A true leader wouldn't have been so bad when the team needed them. I don't know if I'll ever be a believer in him, he just does too many bad things at bad times and has too many long stretches of bad football. It  is going to cost them at some point this year, I just don't know when. For my OPG I will go with Sawchuck today. I think (hope) his performance last week opened some eyes in the coaches office and I think he gets a lot of work today and keeps the KU offense off the field. 

Defense

Last week was very much an OU defense of the last 20 years. If you're unsure, that was not a compliment. I'm going Stutsman again. Until proven otherwise, he's the man on this D.

Score

OU is favored by 7 here. In my mind this has major upset potential. It's the KU homecoming, they've had an extra week to prepare, this is their Super Bowl. OU looked bad last week, and probably should've lost that one. My hope is that it was a wake up call. But historically, those types of wake up calls have not been heard. Still, I will hold out hope. Sooners escape again, 34-30.

Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner.

UCF vs Oklahoma Sooners

 Our boys did it, didn't they? They made a statement with a win versus the Longhorns. They had a goal line stand and a heartbreaker winning drive. You love to see it. 

Now they're in the driver's seat with a favorable schedule. All they have to do is TCB. 

It starts today with UCF. 

OFFENSE

Check out our man Dillon Gabriel, now in the conversation for the Heisman. I saw it coming all along. 

Today the Sooners need to find a replacement for Andrel Anthony. I think it's Jaquaz Pettaway. 

I also see the Sooners piling up the rushing yards. Like, Tawee Walker might get 150. He's my OPOG. 

DEFENSE

Well these boys exceeded expectations. They got way more pressure on Quin Ewers than I thought and the aforementioned goal line stand was baller. 

These guys are for real and it's a glorious feeling. 

They're going to be amped up today, at home and I look for someone like Billy Bowman to have a huge coronation party. He's my DPOG. 

THE SCORE

I think the spread is 19.5 as I write this, and the Sooners cover at home easily. 

I like the Sooners bigly, 49-14. 

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner

UCF

Welcome back Sooners fans. What a fun time that Red River game was. It's always sweet to beat texas, but those years where they are highly ranked and "back", and we are underdogs and coming off a sweet loss, those are special. And then you add in the unbelievable last minute comeback to really stick a knife in their balls, well, that's a level all it's own. Sooner Magic made an appearance for the first time in I don't know how long and man was it wonderful. The off week afterward made it really nice to savor. But, with all of those glad tidings there is still a lot of football left in the season. And if OU football has drilled anything into my brain, it's that we have an amazing track record of taking a dump in our own picnic basket once or twice a year. This team feels a little different than the ones of years past, but I'm still extremely cautiously optimistic at this point.

UCF comes to town for a game that would feel like a trap normally. It still does in some ways, but I think the week off was well timed in that it allowed us all to savor texas without it distracting from the next game. The extra week was a "let's get back to business" reset in my mind. For those keeping score at home, what I think means less than zero. UCF is 3-3 and I couldn't know less about them. I do feel like these Florida schools at minimum have some really talented athletes and probably a few misfits that didn't latch on to a bigger school for whatever reason. My point being, they likely have some decent talent. The kind of school that could connect enough plays to hang around against any school. OU needs to shut them down with defense early, and just play their game on O. 

Offense

To the idea of giving credit where due, Gabriel's game winning drive was pretty incredible. 75 yards with no timeouts in less than a minute to win the biggest rivalry game of the year is pretty fucking awesome. I still have my quibbles with him, and I'm still confident his lesser traits will be a meaningful (in the bad way) factor in a big game, but he did it when he needed to against UT. So, naturally, I'm staying away from him this week. He's lost his top target in Andrel Anthony (wow, that one really hurts) but I'm going to say Jalil Farooq steps up and is my OPG for the game.

Defense

Let's not go trying to reinvent the proverbial wheel here. Stutsman for President.

Score

This feels a bit like it will be a high scoring affair. The spread is -19.5 for OU at the time I'm writing this crap. I think OU comes out slow, maybe even goes down a score, but rights the ship and pulls out a win 41-21.

Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner

Oklahoma Sooners vs. texas

Fellas, it's a pretty narrow path to a championship. For OU, you have to be undefeated heading into Dallas. Check. Their non-conference slate was borderline clinic. Box scores have been gaudy. Second, you have to beat texas, and third you have to handle your business the rest of the way. 

Texas, for their part, has also followed the same formula. They have handled their business and now we have what everyone wants; OU and the Longhorns undefeated for the first time since 2011. The winner is on the inside rail for the Big 12 championship. For OU, the path looks really favorable if they can escape the Cotton Bowl with a win. 

It's all in front of us now. Let's get it. This could be an all-timer. 

OFFENSE

Dillon Gabriel is for real. Let's have a little mea culpa here and admit that. He's a game manager. While he might miss something big or easy every now then, he's not killing you with dumb plays. He keeps the offense in good down and distance with his feet, too. 

The wide receivers are rounding in to form. Andrel Anthony leads the way and Nic Anderson really looks good to me. Jaden Gibson is a big target who can make catches in traffic. All these guys bring something to the table to keep the Longhorns honest on defense. 

The big question marks will be how well the Sooners can run the ball and how quickly can Dillon Gabriel get settled in. The Longhorn defensive line is going to be much bigger and better than any the Sooners have faced.

I'm going with DG as my OPOG. It's his first Red River Shootout and he's liable to be a little high strung. If he's some semblance of his typical self, the Sooners should be in business.

DEFENSE

As mentioned, the depth here compared to last year is just night and day, but the biggest difference I see is physicality. There are some dogs (dawgs?) out there looking to feast and they are going to be flying and cracking pads in this one. 

The D-line has to occupy the Longhorn line. I'm looking for guys like Adepoju Adebawore to apply some pressure on the edges. From there, it's discipline. This has been a very opportunistic group to this point. Hopefully they can force Quin Ewers into some mistakes while keeping him contained. 

The other obvious point of emphasis is stopping the texas run game. Texas can always run the ball. The Sooners have been pretty solid in this phase, but are we who we think we are? Thus far, the Sooners have been able to get off the field. Their bread and butter has been third and fourth downs. 

Mentally, I get the sense the Sooners are ready in this one. Danny Stutsman is the lynchpin of the D and he's my DPOG today.

THE SCORE

This really could be an all timer. I think this one's going to be fast and physical. I think the country is going to watch this one and see that the SEC is getting a couple teams that can hang. 

I think the Sooners are looking to have long, keep away type drives. The defense is going to absolutely fly around. 

My only fear is the Sooners are a little less tested than the Horns. However, in a rivalry game, in Dallas, this is neutralized. The Sooners are going to be ready and they'll respond when they get hit in the mouth. 

The Sooners win and beat the (narrowing) spread. 

OU 31, Texas 24 

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner. Texas fucking sucks

texas

 Whoa doctor it's a big one this week. Our Sooners enter this year's edition of the Red River Rivalry ranked #12 in the Nation. Standing 5-0 and playing seemingly good football on both sides of the ball. texas comes in also 5-0 and ranked a lofty #3 in the country. Both teams are 2-0 in the conference, both teams put up similar numbers in terms of total yards on offense and defense, with a slight edge in offense to OU and defense to texas. The biggest difference is OU has played a murderers row of ass-dribble teams and texas has mixed in wins over Alabama and a solid KU team (a thrashing last week of the latter). We all remember last year, an historically lopsided win for the Longhorns that was an absolute embarrassment. OU will have revenge on their minds and texas simply looks to prove they are the better team and no fluke.

To me there are two main factors that will determine the outcome in this one. First and foremost is the OU offensive line vs the texas defensive front. Their front is absolutely monstrous with all four regulars clocking in at over 300 lbs. They have controlled opponents with pressure and a shutdown of the run game. If the Sooners can't open running lanes or give DG time, it will be a long afternoon indeed. The second is the OU secondary. texas has big wide receivers and our DBs have looked, um, questionable at times. Again, this is coming against some bad QBs and week WRs. texas has neither of those things. A lot will be predicated on pressuring Ewers and containing him from scrambling for 3rd down conversions. But if OU is again leaving WRs completely alone on the field it will be rough.

Offense

The offense has taken turns looking dominant and mediocre the last two weeks. DG continues to do the same thing, which is put up a solid line and look like shit doing it. Nevertheless, I am staying away from the run game. First, I have no idea who is going to be the RB-du-jour this week and that defensive front tells me it's going to be tough going on the ground. As such, I'm going to go with Nic Anderson. Dude is emerging as a total stud. He's big, can make contested catches (something I think is going to be critical) and can get open with his speed and athleticism. I like him for some clutch catches and a TD today.

Defense

Come on now, I can't mess around here. Stutsman. He's emerging as an All-America candidate and Butkus (RIP by the way)  award candidate. I think he announces his presence on the national stage in a big way.

Score

Whew the experts and Vegas agree, this game belongs to texas. Frankly, given our opponents, I think it is reasonable. I think there is a real possibility that DG melts down in this one. But, I also know this is the last Big 12 meeting for these rivals. I know OU is coming off a nationally broadcast dick-slap against these guys last year. All of the motivation is there, and for once, the pressure is firmly on texas as the higher ranked opponent. The atmosphere is going to be insane. Venables has them fired up to 11. Sooners sneak it out 37-35.

Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner