It's hate week, Sooner fans. The perennially overrated texas Longhorns come limping into the Cotton Bowl today after having been ranked the preseason number 1 team in college football, now unranked, and fresh off a loss to the Florida Gators last week in Gainesville. They are led by the poster child for being overrated, Arch Manning. The talking heads seem to think the Longhorns are going to lock it in and that every humiliating performace from Manning is the one that will light the fire to get him to turn the corner. Maybe they are who they are. Maybe they are coming to regret the deal with the devil they made to get Arch on campus. They are stuck. And today they are fucked.
The Sooners, on the other hand, are flying high. They also have a lot of motivation. Beyond the rivalry, they got smacked last year by the Horns and this Sooners defense must be licking its chops at the opportunity to rush this very average un-texas-like offensive line and the woefully average Arch.
And oh, by the way, it looks like John Mateer will be giving it a go, which in and of itself, will boost the spirits of Sooner Nation. I am very surprised he's going to give it a shot. I figured the Ole Miss game in two weeks would be a more reasonable target date. Alas, this apparent Alpha doesn't want to miss this one as he understands this is why you come to Oklahoma. This is big time college football.
OFFENSE
The obvious key is Mateer. Is he truly able to give something close to 100%? We've talked about the Sooners running game being key, and it is, but in this one, the odds of victory go up exponentially with Mateer. Mikey Hawkins isn't Him. With Hawkins, the Sooners are stressed to depend on the defense and special teams to hang on and, more likely, have to come up with special play to have any chance at victory. With a healthy Mateer, you have an offense that can play keep away or get up a score or two and then leverage big plays in other areas to provide some cushion.
This will be the best defense Mateer has faced, ate least since Michigan. He has to take care of the football. Hopefully the surgery has improved JM's touch.
The Tory Blaylock/Jaydn Ott combo doesn't have to be lethal, but they need to be respected and they need to be effective enough that the Sooners don't have to put Mateer in overly risky situations from a re-injury standpoint.
Mateer is my OPOG as long as he plays. Isaiah Sategna III is my backup. Anytime something wild happens on the field this year, it's this guy who's in the camera frame.
DEFENSE
We're running out of superlatives for this group. They are tops in the country in total defense. They will be motivated after having given up 35 last year against the Longhorns. And they are facing the homeless man's Jackson Arnold in Arch Manning. You think you've seen these guys fly to the football all year, just wait until you see them today.
Steve Sarkisian is a crafty little fucker, though, and I'm sure he'll have a scheme designed to take advantage of our speed and aggressiveness, likely in the form of quick strikes that get a texas WR in the open field against Courtland Guillory. That's what I would do anyhow. He's the closest thing to Gas Rag McGee (patent pending) that this defense has. I say that and believe that he'll be a stud in time. Offenses have to find someone to try to exploit, though.
They will also have to try to establish some run game and the Sooners, as per usual, will sell out to stop that. It's a simple game, really, where the Longhorns will be in serious trouble if the Sooners can get pressure with four rushers. They've been doing it all season.
I'm tempted to pick someone for my DPOG besides David Stone. If pressed to do so, I'd say R Mason Thomas, a guy who shows up big in big moments. However, I'm committed to Stone and his ability to disrupt right up the gut. He demands double teams and then is able to beat them. That's like having an extra rusher right there. Huge.
THE SCORE
OU is bringing it's most complete football team to Dallas since the early 2000's. Those games featured OU teams with a superior quarterback and a better defense. This team is both those things plus, as we saw last week, difference makers in special teams with Sategna and quality punting and kicking.
With Mateer being hopefully OK, Hawkins being a sub-optimal solution if not, and Arch Manning on the other side, the Sooners have what it takes to gut one out if need be. If OU can force punts at close to the rate they have all season and Sategna can flip the field position, the Sooners have a kicker and defense that can win a knife fight.
The fact the Longhorns are favored shows the extent of texas bias amongst pollsters and prognosticators. The Sooners should win this one.
Sooners 20, Longhorns 17
Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner
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