Oklahoma Sooners vs. Florida State Seminoles in the Cheez It Bowl

More like Cheez Dick Bowl amiright?

The Sooners are putting a bow on another campaign, Brent Venables first as head coach, and it's a bit of a mercy kill. Frankly, it's more than they deserve. A 6-6 campaign is underwhelming by any definition. 

Enough of the pessimism though. At least the Sooners play a big name opponent in a warm weather clime. The Seminoles are 9-3, ranked 13 (too high) and are on their way up. They'll be excited to play. The Sooners are dealing with the now all too regular sight of players opting out for the NFL or entering the portal.

Most notably, the Sooners will be without the service of Eric Gray. As such, the Sooners are 9.5 'dogs as of this writing. What the pundits don't recall is that the Sooners rise to the occasion in meaningless bowl games.

Let's do this.

OFFENSE

The opt out of wunderkind Eric Gray makes for a nice opportunity for guys like Javontae Barnes and Gavin Sawchuk. One must hope that the dropoff from Gray to Barnes as a feature back is much less than Dillon Gabriel to Davis Beville.

Gabriel, Jalil Farooq and Marvin Mims are all available. Apparently the likes of Wanya Morris and a couple other O-lineman are gone.

What I'm driving at is that Dillon Gabriel is going to have to carry it. Scary as hell but doable. 

I'm going with Marvin Mims for OPOG as he's due and that means Gabriel has come to play.

DEFENSE

This is going to sound stupid but I think recent successes on the recruiting trail are going to give this group a boost going into the offseason. Also, they've been playing well enough to win for the last month or so of the season. And, they absolutely won the game against OSU. 

Now, I have no idea what FSU brings to the table on offense. Their QB's numbers seem comparable to DG's. The caliber of opponent is almost certainly worse than what OU faced all season. They beat LSU and Florida, OK, and lost to Clemson, NC State and Wake Forest. Unimpressive. Most. Unimpressive.

For my DPOG I'll go Ethan Downs. Why not? 

THE SCORE

Well, if you've made it this far you know I have no idea what the fuck to expect. Of course I think the Sooners win. 

They'll put up 42 with a slightly modified gameplan that accounts for the loss of Eric Gray but includes the full compliment of outside talent. 

The D picks up where it has left off after having played well the last month of the season.

I'm going 42-31 in a pretty fun game to watch.

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner

OU vs. FSU

ESPN has themed this week, "Road Test Week". I think it should be "Statement Week".

Nothing like an early road test to send you either hurtling towards greatness or potentially derailing title hopes. Really, this sentiment is apropos for either the Sooners or the Seminoles. Who is going to take charge of their own destiny?

I'm not that nervous. Your 2011 Oklahoma Sooners are a veteran bunch and that means the world in college football.The Seminole locker room is talking about a return to glory, the Sooner players are talking about games like this being the reason they chose the Oklahoma. The X on your back, the prize in front of you, etc.

I sure do wish the Sooners had played a game last week though. Sure the bye gives you plenty of time to prepare and get people healthy but it's too early in the season for a break. You could argue that the Sooners facing each other in practice is a better test than what the Seminoles had last week but there is nothing better than game experience.

That said, I have it on good authority that these Sooners are ready for this one. If there was a game this season besides Texas that the Sooners are looking forward to it's this one. Gameday, national television at night, and a chance to show the country why they are ranked number 1.

Honestly, I haven't seen a team in the first two weeks that really stepped up and set itself apart from any other. LSU seems pedestrian. Alabama, meh. Where's the playmakers?  They are on the Sooners, damnit, and they are about to serve notice.

OFFENSE

The fundamental truth is that your stars shine brightest on the biggest stage. Baylor's Robert Griffin III is the only player I've seen really perform out of this world and in the spotlight. That changes Saturday night. Ryan Broyles is going to grab control of the Heisman race. Book it. And here's a spoiler alert: Get ready for a season of, "Can a wide receiver win a Heisman in 2011?" articles. Look, if Broyles lights it up this early in the season and has a signature performance in week 3, it's his to lose.

Now, that's not to say that this game is about Heisman front running. That's a bunch of crap. But, the Seminoles are going to throw the kitchen sink at trying to contain Broyles and if they fail (and oh! they will fail) that means they can't shut anybody else down either. That means trouble for Florida State. I am keen on trouble and havoc for Florida State. If the Sooner offensive line can keep Lonnie clean, and Lonnie can keep from smearing his own britches, the Sooners are golden.

Obviously Broyles is my pick.

I can't move on to the Defense without saying also that it's going to be huge that Dominique Whaley not be a one-hit wonder. Yes he's a Cinderella story, he came from nowhere and all that. That shit sells papers (or e-readers or whatever the fuck else). The Sooners have to have a ground game. Against Tulsa, I thought Roy Finch was suspended. I think he's back this week with a vengeance. But the Sooners must be able to run the football. I think Whaley can be better than Allen Patrick and I hope I'm right.

DEFENSE

So I was at Wakarusa this Summer and as we drive in we gave this kid a lift to his campsite and come to find out that he goes to Florida State. We should have kicked him out of the car but we're good people and we put up with his nonsense about how EJ Manuel is like Michael Vick if he made babies with Vince Young and every other run-first pass-average QB of the last twenty years. Here's the thing though; EJ Manuel is a Junior. Christian Ponder is a pussy and woefully overrated. If Manuel were "all that" he would have started. Plain and simple. You think the best quarterback on a roster isn't starting at 95% of all major colleges? Crazy talk. If you think I'm wrong that's you getting caught up in recruiting blabber. Coaches typically like their jobs. They get fired more than they quit. Playing your best players helps coaches keep their jobs. When I was watching LSU-MSU the other night ESPN compared EJ and Lonnie. EJ, for his career, has 6 TD's and 10 INT's. Dreadful on any level.

That's the key difference in this ballgame. Of course the Sooners have to, "stay disciplined", and "don't break contain" and, "know gap responsibility". All that goes without saying.

I'm nervous about the secondary of all things. Versus Tulsa, that's where the breakdowns happened. They can be corrected, of course. But the Sooners need to be the aggressor here and they need to force Manuel into some mistakes which he is clearly wont to do.

The Linebackers need to keep it up also. Whilst my colleague Navin is still not sold on Lonnie, I still don't trust Tom Wort. I'm not convinced he's a gamer. Sorry.

The OU Defensive line was much better against Tulsa than I thought they would be. They could be a serious strength and a source of headache for Offensive Coordinators. Dear God, please let that be the case on Saturday night.

I'm going to play keep up this week with my defensive pick. Frank Alexander was a man possessed against Tulsa, so I'm going with him. Buddy, you better believe the Seminole offensive line has their work cut out for them.

Before we move on, I'd just like to mention that the rumor is that none other than Tony M.F. Jefferson will be wearing Soggy Box's #12 this week. Um, I like that. Would it stand to reason that in Week 1 it's pretty obvious that you let Box's new position minder (Wort) wear #12 and in week 2 you give the honor to your defense's bellweather? That's how I'm thinking this works. From here on out it will go to the person who "grades out" the best on film until Old Steady comes back. He gets it his first week back obviously and then it's back to who deserves it the most.

THE PICK

Someone please tell me what Florida State has done to earn the #5 ranking? Sure they ended the season last year on a positive note. But they played in the ACC which. let's be honest, is barely deserving of a BCS bid if such things were determined on a yearly basis. And yeah Jimbo Fisher appears to be a rare example of the "Head Coach in Waiting" shtick actually working out. And Bobby Bowden might have given the 'Noles an emotion boost by announcing he battled cancer in recent years stoically, alone and like a man. But c'mon. This is a perfect example of why there should be no rankings until week 5. Also, if you're going to base expectations on what happened last year then shouldn't it matter if the QB who took you there is now holding a clipboard in the NFL?

I just don't see it. The crowd will be hyped but this is a business trip for the Sooners. It's not total domination but it's close.

OU 34 - FSU 24

Tip them PBR Tallboys and Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner

Semirolled

Hey Navin see what I did there? I combined Seminoles and Rolled (as in, the Sooners Rolled over the Seminoles). We didn't even discuss this beforehand. Our title-writing is without peer.

I have to give you serious "props" for nailing two out of two Offensive POGs. I thought it was the best game of Lonnie's career. Hopefully this portends good things and not that Sooner Nation is in line for a season long roller coaster ride. "Stache - The Ride" doesn't sound fun even for a Tuesday night at Buddy's in KC.

Also, the O-Line was phenomenal. Lonnie had all day and they opened up some nice holes. It was an awesome showing by that whole group.

On Defense what can you say other than everything that the Sooners did poorly last week they did well this week. The tackling was solid (again), the seconday got their hands on a lot of balls and Navin is right, the Christian Ponder for Heisman campaign got derailed, "In a great way". It's still early but I think this defense could be something special. As a unit they seem to be smarter than team's past. They are in position, fundamentally sound and even the young guys seem to have a veteran presence. I'm definitely excited for the 2010 Sooner Defense.

As far as Ronnell Lewis as 2010 M.F.er we were spot on. We (rightly) rationalized that an M.F.er cannot be named on hype. This isn't a preseason Watch List. The award is based on known commodities and thus far, Quinton M.F. Carter is proving himself worthy. He's Steady Eddy in the Secondary.

Speaking of, my Quinton M.F. Carter t-shirt is finally being delivered today. Our long national nightmare is over.

I told you I was going to try to do better than last week's Photo Essay. Well, I shot some video because you were asking about the crowd. I was hoping to get some of the pregame crowd stuff but copious beers at the tailgate made us late to our seats.

This will probably get chosen for Sundance or something:

OU - FSU Gameplan/Strategy/Hope/Prayer

You'd be hard pressed to find a 1-0 team whose stock dropped more precipitously than the Sooners did this past week. A poor showing at home to the inferior Aggies of Utard State (a clever name courtesy of the father-in-law) and a Florida State asswhoopin' of Samford will do that.

So it's Week 2 and already Sooner Nation finds itself at a fork in the road. The Sooners can live up to the anti-hype or take it as the proverbial "warning shot across the bow" and get their shit together. I've spent all week talking myself out of the former and into the latter. I've been successful. I'm now convinced that this narrow loss was the perfect splash in the face of cold water that this Sooner team needs heading into their biggest non-conference game of the season. I'm convinced the defensive miscues of last week are correctable as opposed to brain farts to be endured all season.

FSU is also at a crossroads. Are they as good as everyone currently fellating them says? Or are they poised now for some come-uppance because OU is no Samford?

I guess what I'm saying is I have questions and, come Saturday evening, there will be some answers.

This will be a hell of a game if OU comes out playing like their hair is on fire and FSU does the same due to the fact they inexplicably believe in themselves like no other time since 2001. There is much talk of superior athleticism on the FSU sidelines.

In addition, two Stoops brothers will be facing off for the first time. I can't imagine how badly these two would love to beat each other. I can imagine that both defensive units are aware of the situation and frothing at the mouth to win for their respective coach.

I'm expecting a close game with some special teams fireworks.

On Offense
At the risk of getting into a rut (by alternating all season between DeMarco and Ryan Broyles) I'm going to say DeMarco Murray. He's clearly the bell cow and he's going to be pivotal in keeping Lonnie from smearing his britches all day. He looked like an elite runner last week. He had the glide. I've got a real good feeling he's going to take a kickoff to the house.

Tangentially, if DeMarco is healthy all season, where does he rank in OU history? I have a feeling his legacy will be somewhat diminished because of how smoothly he runs. He's not a freight-train like AD. He doesn't have the novelty of size or the pinball action of Q Griffin. But he's better than pretty much everyone else in the Stoops era wouldn't you say?


On Defense
I like Tom Wort here. I have quickly become a believer. The guy was all over the place against Utah State and he just looks like a mean motherfucker. I am perfectly content with him manning the middle. 

My question is does he speak with a British accent? I didn't know he spent a good portion of his childhood in England as this article says. If so, that's badass.

The important question for the Sooner defense is can they get pressure on the QB? Last week Jeremy Beal set up a tent in the backfield but coralling the QB was difficult. In spite of that we got three INT's. Can OU force FSU into more turnovers than FSU can get from Lonnie?

The Verdict
I really think this is going to be an awesome game. FSU has a brilliant special teams player in Greg Reid. OU has brilliant return men in Broyles and Murray. I think this could be the key. Also, will Lonnie look like a true Freshman or like a guy who's started a dozen games at this level? Will the line give him some time just in case he wants to go through a progression?

I think so and the defense will be eager to put in the past last week's transgressions. Also, Sooner Nation is going to be ready to cheer long and loud. 

I of course like the Sooners.

OU 35, FSU 17

PS- Is it a good sign when, in Week 2, there's a poll in the paper asking if you'd rather have your starting QB or a guy who isn't even on campus? Note: Berry Tramel is a dick so leave it to him to start asking inane questions.

PPS- In this article on August 25th I wrote:

Will some Mouth-Breathing Knuckle-Dragging Clod on the O-Line Quit the Team Come September 2nd?

I don't know what it is about O-Linemen but it seems like a right of Autumn that one of these jackoffs has had enough of windsprints and Oklahoma Drills and quits the team. I'm always one who says if they're not tough enough to handle it we don't need them anyways. Which is true. But just this once can these jackholes keep it together long enough to develop some chemistry before Cincinnatti? Pretty please?

I'll be damned if Guard Tavaris Jeffries didn't go and get his self arrested. He's not on the two-deep but he's trying to screw things up.