The Sooners overcame a costly loss at Kansas State and caught more than a couple of lucky breaks to earn their way back into the College Football Playoff. Their reward is a four seed and a matchup with LSU and Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow. It's the College Football Playoff at the Peach Bowl.
Nobody believes the Sooners have a shot against what might be the most lethal offense in SEC history. The Sooners are the biggest underdog in CFP history, breaking a record they set last year against Alabama.
The Sooners have also done themselves no favors as country music legend and defensive stalwart Ronnie Perkins got himself suspended along with Rhamondre Stevenson and freshman WR Trejan Bridges. Rumor is they got caught snorting booger sugar which is much less pedestrian than stealing coats. They've really outdone themselves this time.
Also, starting safety Delarrin Turner-Yell broke his damn collar bone so he's out. So, to recap, the Sooners are down a starting DB and their best pass rusher against Joe Burrow who looks pretty unstoppable.
Should they even play the game?
OFFENSE
The 21st century style triple option the Sooners have adopted this season has been brutally effective as a ball control, time consuming steamroller. It is the best friend of the Sooner D and it could potentially frustrate LSU on both sides of the ball.
But speaking of frustrating, the story all season has been turnovers. It's all well and good to have long, extended drives but if they end with turnovers what's the fucking point? It's almost a lock the Sooners will give the ball up once but you never know.
If I may beat a dead horse, the offense starts and ends with Jalen Hurts but Kennedy Brooks picks up yards in chunks and Stevenson was a luxury as a third option. TJ Pledger and/or Jeremiah Hall will probably pick up some of Stevenson's reps but I've got a feeling Lincoln Riley has something up his sleeve to unleash Brayden Willis.
Anyone who's watched a game with me this year is probably rolling their eyes because every time Willis is on the field I comment on it and spin a yarn about how he's built and used like a TE but listed as a FB. But he's a solid player who makes for a really good possession receiver.
At the end of the day, though, we know the drill. In your biggest games you get the ball in the hands of your best players. Those players are, in order, CeeDee Lamb, Jalen Hurts and Kennedy Brooks. If CeeDee and Kennedy have more touches combined than Jalen then the universe is in good alignment. If things start getting Jalen heavy it's probably not going well.
I'm picking CeeDee for my OPOG. Best player, biggest game.
DEFENSE
Joe Burrow is a freak. To me, he looks like a bigger, faster Baker Mayfield. He absolutely deserved the Heisman. However, can we briefly talk about how the SEC as a whole may be a smidge overrated? I mean, half the league can't fall out of the top 25 (nee top 15) or the ESPN satellites would fall back to earth. Is it possible that maybe, just maybe the Sooner D could offer a different look that no one else in the SEC is offering?
And if that's possible and if the Sooners could have some success against the vaunted LSU offense, could the Tigers maybe start pushing just a bit? Anything could happen. I just can't help but think that nobody benefits more than the Sooner D from all the hype about how awesome this LSU offense is.
That said, how do the Sooners do it? They have to keep Burrow bottled up a la the way they played Baylor. They need to somehow make Burrow get rid of the ball before he wants to or otherwise get him off his rhythm.
Kenneth Michael Murray has to keep Burrow bottled up. Neville Gallimore and Bookie can keep him on his toes. But someone else is going to need to step up big time. Parnell Motley perchance?
For my DPOG I'm going Kenneth Michael Murray. He's the heart and soul of this unit.
THE SCORE
Lost in all the LSU hype is that OU's offense is still OU's offense. They are capable of going score for score with anyone in the country. And for years, Sooner fans have been asking for just a decent defense. Now they are not only decent but one that, at times, is even better. They are peaking at the right time.
So don't believe the hype. The Sooners belong. Both teams have everything to prove but OU has nothing to lose and that makes them very dangerous. They are playing with house money. If LSU puckers up just a bit and the Sooners play their most complete game, I think the Sooners absolutely can do this.
And they will.
Sooners 34 Tigers 31
Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner
Showing posts with label Neville Gallimore. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Neville Gallimore. Show all posts
Saturday, December 28, 2019
Saturday, November 16, 2019
Oklahoma Sooners versus Baylor Bears
The only thing that matters from last week is the Sooners won. But.. the defense was horse shit. The tackling was vintage 2018. The Sooners, collectively, are big time in the hole when it comes to turnover margin (12-6).
And yet, with a win against undefeated Baylor, the Sooners are in position to retake the lead in the Big 12 and keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
OFFENSE
The last few weeks have felt a little bizarre. At times the Sooners fall in love with one area of the offense. They still score 40+. Plenty of points to allow a marginal defense to make things comfortable for you. Alas.
The Sooners have to protect the ball better. As noted, in a reasonable universe the Sooners should always be on the plus-side of turnover margin. This is not a reasonable universe. The Sooners simply have to win this phase of the game today. That means Jalen Hurts his best version of himself. He's my OPOG.
DEFENSE
Past needs to be past today, not prologue. These fellas need to put on their big boy pants and straighten their shit out. This is not an amazing Baylor offense. The Sooners need to start with better tackling. Do that and only that.
Then, maybe, they can get lucky. Intercept a ball that bounces off someone's hands. I've seen that five times this week across the NFL and college. What can't this happen for us? Why?
Anyhow, let's go Neville Gallimore today. My favorite player in a big one.
THE SCORE
I don't see how the Sooners don't get 38 if Hurts takes care of the ball. All the ball control in the world from Baylor can't prevent it.
I like the Sooners 38-35. Still no turnovers (sad face).
Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner
And yet, with a win against undefeated Baylor, the Sooners are in position to retake the lead in the Big 12 and keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
OFFENSE
The last few weeks have felt a little bizarre. At times the Sooners fall in love with one area of the offense. They still score 40+. Plenty of points to allow a marginal defense to make things comfortable for you. Alas.
The Sooners have to protect the ball better. As noted, in a reasonable universe the Sooners should always be on the plus-side of turnover margin. This is not a reasonable universe. The Sooners simply have to win this phase of the game today. That means Jalen Hurts his best version of himself. He's my OPOG.
DEFENSE
Past needs to be past today, not prologue. These fellas need to put on their big boy pants and straighten their shit out. This is not an amazing Baylor offense. The Sooners need to start with better tackling. Do that and only that.
Then, maybe, they can get lucky. Intercept a ball that bounces off someone's hands. I've seen that five times this week across the NFL and college. What can't this happen for us? Why?
Anyhow, let's go Neville Gallimore today. My favorite player in a big one.
THE SCORE
I don't see how the Sooners don't get 38 if Hurts takes care of the ball. All the ball control in the world from Baylor can't prevent it.
I like the Sooners 38-35. Still no turnovers (sad face).
Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner
Saturday, October 5, 2019
Oklahoma vs. Kansas
Sorry for the stinkfest 3000 last weekend, fans and loyal readers. In all the hundreds of posts here I've never lost my work until last week. Trust me, I nailed it. My best work and all for naught. I now try to make it up to you.
The Sooners (4-0, 1-0) head to Lawrence to take on the (checks notes) hapless Kansas Jayhawks. Les Miles is back and I'm glad for him and his inability to correctly size a hat.
OFFENSE
Here's something I came up with last week but it got lost in the ether. How lethal would it be if the Sooners ran some old school triple option with Jalen Hurts, Trey Sermon, Kennedy Brooks and even some Jeremiah Hall mixed in? Deadly. You won't see it this week for sure, and possible not at all, but the idea of unleashing it against Texas has me giddy.
First things first and this week it's more of same because Kansas is a turd. I'm picking Jalen because he's playing out of his gourd. Any one is poised for a breakout in a given week and you could throw darts (in a great way) with picking an OPOG but it starts with him.
On that note, this feels like a Trey Sermon bust out. So mark that down.
DEFENSE
We've found Gasrag McGee and his name is Patrick Fields. Alex Grinch said in the preseason that there was a lack of competition at Safety and that Fields and Delarrin Turner-Yell had locked down the spots. In a crimson colored universe this was taken by me to mean they were so clearly ahead that the position was in good hands. Fast forward and Grinch has recruited 5 star wide receiver Trejan Bridges to move over to safety to try and shore up what is proving to be the weak link on D.
Fields sticks out on tape like a sore thumb in this revamped defense. Every time look up he's somewhere trailing the play and taking a bad angle. The good news is that he's the only one who I notice consistently.
Please don't confuse this rant with displeasure for the defense overall. It is night and day so far from the previous three plus years.
Today depends on stopping the run game. Last year the Pookah Williams ran for 250 yards. It's stops today with my DPOG Neville Gallimore wreaking havoc up front. Gallimore has been awesome so far this season.
THE SCORE
This one lacks a lot of intrigue. I'm not buying the Les Miles knows how to shock the Sooners narrative. The spread is 32 and that seems low.
Sooners 63 Jayhawks 14
Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner
The Sooners (4-0, 1-0) head to Lawrence to take on the (checks notes) hapless Kansas Jayhawks. Les Miles is back and I'm glad for him and his inability to correctly size a hat.
OFFENSE
Here's something I came up with last week but it got lost in the ether. How lethal would it be if the Sooners ran some old school triple option with Jalen Hurts, Trey Sermon, Kennedy Brooks and even some Jeremiah Hall mixed in? Deadly. You won't see it this week for sure, and possible not at all, but the idea of unleashing it against Texas has me giddy.
First things first and this week it's more of same because Kansas is a turd. I'm picking Jalen because he's playing out of his gourd. Any one is poised for a breakout in a given week and you could throw darts (in a great way) with picking an OPOG but it starts with him.
On that note, this feels like a Trey Sermon bust out. So mark that down.
DEFENSE
We've found Gasrag McGee and his name is Patrick Fields. Alex Grinch said in the preseason that there was a lack of competition at Safety and that Fields and Delarrin Turner-Yell had locked down the spots. In a crimson colored universe this was taken by me to mean they were so clearly ahead that the position was in good hands. Fast forward and Grinch has recruited 5 star wide receiver Trejan Bridges to move over to safety to try and shore up what is proving to be the weak link on D.
Fields sticks out on tape like a sore thumb in this revamped defense. Every time look up he's somewhere trailing the play and taking a bad angle. The good news is that he's the only one who I notice consistently.
Please don't confuse this rant with displeasure for the defense overall. It is night and day so far from the previous three plus years.
Today depends on stopping the run game. Last year the Pookah Williams ran for 250 yards. It's stops today with my DPOG Neville Gallimore wreaking havoc up front. Gallimore has been awesome so far this season.
THE SCORE
This one lacks a lot of intrigue. I'm not buying the Les Miles knows how to shock the Sooners narrative. The spread is 32 and that seems low.
Sooners 63 Jayhawks 14
Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner
Sunday, September 1, 2019
Oklahoma Sooner vs. Houston Cougars
Welcome to the 2019 college football season and another edition of the Steamroller. The season is full of hope and promise for the Sooners as Lincoln Riley's offense has become one of the most reliably high scoring and fun to watch in all of football. The season is also full of questions as Jalen Hurts makes his debut and, most importantly, the Sooners attempt to field a Top 100 defense under the guidance of Alex Grinch.
Today the Sooners take on the Houston Cougars led by Dana Holgerson. You won't believe this but the Cougars feature a high speed RPO offense. It will be a "tester" for Alex Grinch's new D.
THE OFFENSE
Jalen Hurts and the O-Line are the story here. The offensive line features four new faces which takes the group from the nations best to one of little to no experience. All four linemen who left were drafted in the first round of this year's NFL draft so my faith in Bill Bidenbaugh to develop players is strong. I'm thinking less than five penalties from this group today would be a good measure of success.
Jalen Hurts is the on-off-on again Man of the Hour from Alabama who now gets one last chance to put his skills on display. He came to the right place. He has an embarrassment of riches to work with at the skill positions and, of course, the games best quarterback whisperer in Riley. Riley will let Hurts run at will. The key for Hurts will be decision making. Can he make the right call pre-snap and will he progress through reads if given enough time by the O-Line?
The knocks I keep hearing on Hurts is that he doesn't throw a great deep ball and he checks down to easy throws too often. The latter doesn't make much sense to me as a shortcoming and I think will be especially moot in an offense where, oftentimes, there is a super easy pass to make. I'm interested to see about the deep ball though. To me, this seems like perhaps the "easiest" skill to develop for a quarterback. If it is a weakness then a marginal improvement would make a huge difference.
Hurts is doing and saying all the right things though so I think he'll thrive. He has been named a captain before he's taken an official snap which has to be unprecedented (too lazy to look) and speaks volumes about his effort since arriving in Norman.
Elsewhere on the offense, the Sooners feature the running duo of Trey Sermon and Kennedy Brooks. Their complimentary skill sets should ease the burdens of both Hurts and the O-Line. Brooks seems particularly capable of making a leap from last year and Sermon is as steady as they come.
The wide receivers will be deep and with that marginal at best segue I am picking CeeDee Lamb for my OPOG today. He's already considered one of the best at his position in the country and yet I don't believe we've seen his best work yet. He'll be the primary target and, up to now, he's been an amazing possession type receiver. Starting today I think we see him more in the open field. He wouldn't be returning punts if the only skill he had was catching the ball in traffic. He's going to light it up.
THE DEFENSE
I said last year that if the defense was going to suck so much why not go for broke and blitz all the time, from anywhere. It doesn't take a genius to realize it's harder to execute when you don't know what your opponent is up to. Lincoln Riley obviously knows this. But finally someone listened to me and the Sooners went and got Alex Grinch. His defense is predicated on a lot of pre-snap movement, designed to confuse and disguise, and speed. He gladly trades size for speed to blitz and to quickly gang up to rip the ball away. If you give up some big plays, so be it because that just means the offense gets the ball again. The worst case scenario, from Grinch's point of view, is letting your opponent play keep away from your offense. Agreed.
That said, we have no idea which Sooner, if any, will thrive in this scheme. The bar is incredibly low and the expectations very high. There are a couple of places to look first though.
Neville Gallimore has shown promise for what feels like five years now. He's trimmed down supposedly and this defense demands aggressiveness up front. Could this be his breakout year? Beside him will be Jalen Redmond who has drawn rave reviews as a physical menace. And there is Kenneth Murray who racks up tackles like my wife collects athleisure.
I'm going with Gallimore for my DPOG today and hoping to see someone, anyone, jump out on tape.
THE SCORE
The Sooners are favored by 23 which seems high to me. There's too much "new" with the O-Line, Hurts and the defense. Maybe these unknowns are an advantage. The Cougars will be a good test with a quality quarterback. But I think Hurts shows a steady hand and he gets lots of help. The defense won't ease all concerns and will put plenty on tape to learn from and improve upon.
Sooners 41 Cougars 31
Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner
Today the Sooners take on the Houston Cougars led by Dana Holgerson. You won't believe this but the Cougars feature a high speed RPO offense. It will be a "tester" for Alex Grinch's new D.
THE OFFENSE
Jalen Hurts and the O-Line are the story here. The offensive line features four new faces which takes the group from the nations best to one of little to no experience. All four linemen who left were drafted in the first round of this year's NFL draft so my faith in Bill Bidenbaugh to develop players is strong. I'm thinking less than five penalties from this group today would be a good measure of success.
Jalen Hurts is the on-off-on again Man of the Hour from Alabama who now gets one last chance to put his skills on display. He came to the right place. He has an embarrassment of riches to work with at the skill positions and, of course, the games best quarterback whisperer in Riley. Riley will let Hurts run at will. The key for Hurts will be decision making. Can he make the right call pre-snap and will he progress through reads if given enough time by the O-Line?
The knocks I keep hearing on Hurts is that he doesn't throw a great deep ball and he checks down to easy throws too often. The latter doesn't make much sense to me as a shortcoming and I think will be especially moot in an offense where, oftentimes, there is a super easy pass to make. I'm interested to see about the deep ball though. To me, this seems like perhaps the "easiest" skill to develop for a quarterback. If it is a weakness then a marginal improvement would make a huge difference.
Hurts is doing and saying all the right things though so I think he'll thrive. He has been named a captain before he's taken an official snap which has to be unprecedented (too lazy to look) and speaks volumes about his effort since arriving in Norman.
Elsewhere on the offense, the Sooners feature the running duo of Trey Sermon and Kennedy Brooks. Their complimentary skill sets should ease the burdens of both Hurts and the O-Line. Brooks seems particularly capable of making a leap from last year and Sermon is as steady as they come.
The wide receivers will be deep and with that marginal at best segue I am picking CeeDee Lamb for my OPOG today. He's already considered one of the best at his position in the country and yet I don't believe we've seen his best work yet. He'll be the primary target and, up to now, he's been an amazing possession type receiver. Starting today I think we see him more in the open field. He wouldn't be returning punts if the only skill he had was catching the ball in traffic. He's going to light it up.
THE DEFENSE
I said last year that if the defense was going to suck so much why not go for broke and blitz all the time, from anywhere. It doesn't take a genius to realize it's harder to execute when you don't know what your opponent is up to. Lincoln Riley obviously knows this. But finally someone listened to me and the Sooners went and got Alex Grinch. His defense is predicated on a lot of pre-snap movement, designed to confuse and disguise, and speed. He gladly trades size for speed to blitz and to quickly gang up to rip the ball away. If you give up some big plays, so be it because that just means the offense gets the ball again. The worst case scenario, from Grinch's point of view, is letting your opponent play keep away from your offense. Agreed.
That said, we have no idea which Sooner, if any, will thrive in this scheme. The bar is incredibly low and the expectations very high. There are a couple of places to look first though.
Neville Gallimore has shown promise for what feels like five years now. He's trimmed down supposedly and this defense demands aggressiveness up front. Could this be his breakout year? Beside him will be Jalen Redmond who has drawn rave reviews as a physical menace. And there is Kenneth Murray who racks up tackles like my wife collects athleisure.
I'm going with Gallimore for my DPOG today and hoping to see someone, anyone, jump out on tape.
THE SCORE
The Sooners are favored by 23 which seems high to me. There's too much "new" with the O-Line, Hurts and the defense. Maybe these unknowns are an advantage. The Cougars will be a good test with a quality quarterback. But I think Hurts shows a steady hand and he gets lots of help. The defense won't ease all concerns and will put plenty on tape to learn from and improve upon.
Sooners 41 Cougars 31
Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner
Saturday, September 9, 2017
Ohio State
As debuts go, you'd be hard pressed to find one better than Lincoln Riley's debut as head coach of our beloved Oklahoma Sooner football team. Most key starters on offense were sipping chilled drinks and planning their celebratory evening from the bench after half time, not bad at all. Riley's squad met the ridiculous expectations of only one outcome would be viewed as a success, a drubbing. Of course the caveat is they were playing an obscenely overmatched UTEP squad. Still, we've endured some games over the years that everyone expected to turn out that way and they didn't, so let's not undersell meeting those ridiculous expectations. That said, it wasn't much of a measuring stick but as it turns out a rather sturdy measuring stick happens to be up next.
Last year's Ohio State game was a methodical assbeat. A steady, consistent, thorough jamming of the proverbial bone up the ass. OU had a cupboard full of weapons and none of it mattered. The offense was contained and the defense was the brand-x paper towel on an 80s Bounty commercial. Last week UTEP opened the game with an easy march down the field for a TD, sparking disgust and a Goodfellas level profane tirade from me. But, credit where due, they didn't give up a point or even a reasonable drive, really, after that. This will be the fulcrum of this game. I don't think Baker and co. will put up an easy 56 again, but I'll be surprised if they don't score enough to win...provided the defense plays well. A huge provision to be sure. On to the picks!
Offense
It's no secret that Baker Mayfield is the key to this whole thing. I suppose that is true of the QB on any team, ever. But, for this team, it's especially true. There is no second fiddle really at this point. Mark Andrews raised his hand last week, but suffice it so say if BD isn't great tonight, the Sooners don't stand a chance. Which (finally) leads us to my point, that someone else is going to have to be great tonight too. Mayfield can't do it all against a team of this caliber on the road. I guess that makes my pick more of a hope rather than a prediction, but someone at RB needs to play well. I'm going with Trey Sermon. He wasn't even the best RB last week, but I'm "high" on his "upside". I think he establishes himself as the main RB tonight, and goes Old Steady on the Buckeyes when OU needs him most.
Defense
I'm not sure who I took away from last game as a real standout. Several guys looked really good, surprisingly enough. I'm a big fan of Steven Parker and I also really like Neville Gallimore (great name). Honestly, all of the defense is going to have to play much better than anything we've seen the last few seasons. Ohio State starts a true freshman at RB who only set the school record for rush yards in an opener, go ahead and marinate on that for a minute. JT Barrett is precisely the type of QB that has given OU fits since I was in school there (read: forever ago). Someone is going to have to be great today, and I think that person is Kenneth Murray. The true frosh looked very solid last week and OU has almost always spit-out great college LBs. I think he blows up today and has a very good game, even forcing a fumble.
Score
Whew, I don't feel remotely good about this game. Lincoln Riley gives me some naive optimism that OU will surprise everyone with a win on the road. But, after my disgust squashed the tradition of always picking an OU win last year, I'm trying to be more realistic. I think (hope) the game will be tight, it sucks gearing up for a huge game only to have it be decided (for the opposition) by half-time. OU will want to save face from the beating last season, and will be appropriately fired up for this one. I think Riley will take some chances and go for broke in this one, he doesn't have anything to lose really. But, all of that won't be enough and I see the Sooners losing this one 38-28 to a better Ohio State team. Of course, being wrong would be oh so sweet.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner.
Last year's Ohio State game was a methodical assbeat. A steady, consistent, thorough jamming of the proverbial bone up the ass. OU had a cupboard full of weapons and none of it mattered. The offense was contained and the defense was the brand-x paper towel on an 80s Bounty commercial. Last week UTEP opened the game with an easy march down the field for a TD, sparking disgust and a Goodfellas level profane tirade from me. But, credit where due, they didn't give up a point or even a reasonable drive, really, after that. This will be the fulcrum of this game. I don't think Baker and co. will put up an easy 56 again, but I'll be surprised if they don't score enough to win...provided the defense plays well. A huge provision to be sure. On to the picks!
Offense
It's no secret that Baker Mayfield is the key to this whole thing. I suppose that is true of the QB on any team, ever. But, for this team, it's especially true. There is no second fiddle really at this point. Mark Andrews raised his hand last week, but suffice it so say if BD isn't great tonight, the Sooners don't stand a chance. Which (finally) leads us to my point, that someone else is going to have to be great tonight too. Mayfield can't do it all against a team of this caliber on the road. I guess that makes my pick more of a hope rather than a prediction, but someone at RB needs to play well. I'm going with Trey Sermon. He wasn't even the best RB last week, but I'm "high" on his "upside". I think he establishes himself as the main RB tonight, and goes Old Steady on the Buckeyes when OU needs him most.
Defense
I'm not sure who I took away from last game as a real standout. Several guys looked really good, surprisingly enough. I'm a big fan of Steven Parker and I also really like Neville Gallimore (great name). Honestly, all of the defense is going to have to play much better than anything we've seen the last few seasons. Ohio State starts a true freshman at RB who only set the school record for rush yards in an opener, go ahead and marinate on that for a minute. JT Barrett is precisely the type of QB that has given OU fits since I was in school there (read: forever ago). Someone is going to have to be great today, and I think that person is Kenneth Murray. The true frosh looked very solid last week and OU has almost always spit-out great college LBs. I think he blows up today and has a very good game, even forcing a fumble.
Score
Whew, I don't feel remotely good about this game. Lincoln Riley gives me some naive optimism that OU will surprise everyone with a win on the road. But, after my disgust squashed the tradition of always picking an OU win last year, I'm trying to be more realistic. I think (hope) the game will be tight, it sucks gearing up for a huge game only to have it be decided (for the opposition) by half-time. OU will want to save face from the beating last season, and will be appropriately fired up for this one. I think Riley will take some chances and go for broke in this one, he doesn't have anything to lose really. But, all of that won't be enough and I see the Sooners losing this one 38-28 to a better Ohio State team. Of course, being wrong would be oh so sweet.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner.
Saturday, September 2, 2017
Oklahoma Sooner vs. UTEP Miners
Hello Steamroller fans! It's football time in Oklahoma and I'm glad you're here because this sports blog writer promises this will be the least informed, crimson colored season yet.
That's right folks I read tea leaves not Athlon. I attempt to parse tidbits from Oklahoman puff pieces. I'm excited for the season though because much like a music festival with a lineup of unfamiliar names, this Sooners team has lots of surprises in store and most of them should turn out well.
To wit: Lincoln Riley, The RB Situation, who replaces Secretary Dede Westbrook, is a 4-3 defense going to be less sieve-like, is true freshman Kenneth Murray a baby-eater for a new generation?
For the record I am excited for the Lincoln Riley era. Bobby Stoops earned the opportunity to stay as long as he wanted and if he truly did go out on his terms then good for him. Thank you Coach Stoops for turning around a program (and really a university) and putting Oklahoma football back in the conversation, making visors kind of cool for minute and showing me a new way to clap. Lincoln Riley is going to be a great football coach though. If nothing else he'll recruit well (80% of the job) and his team will score 50 points a game.
OFFENSE
We do know that Baker Damn Mayfield is back and he has, at minimum, the best offensive line in the Big 12. That's 8-10 wins right there. Mayfield also has Mark "I Catch Touchdowns" Andrews which is super.
It looks like, at least for a few weeks, it will be a quartet of running backs behind him led by Rodney Anderson. I'm sorry but it's not the star power I have become accustomed to. But in a Lincoln Riley offense I would imagine there will be schemes to take advantage of the strengths of each. That could be cool but after Abdul Adams I'm like those construction workers in Major League, "Who are these fuckin guys"? Maybe Dimitri Flowers gets some love too. I'd be "down".
The same lack of recognition goes for the wide receivers after Andrews and Jeffrey Meade. But there are High Hopes for true freshman CeeDee Lamb. If he plays half as great as his name he could be a star.
Today I look for the line to give BD Mayfield enough to time to start finding some receivers he can trust and it would be foolish in my mind to pick anyone besides Baker for Offensive Player of the Game.
DEFENSE
If you trust the Oklahoman (and I don't) this defense is the Ogbonnia Okoronkwo show. He looked great at times last year but I'm afraid he's just the best quote and most accessible player to those lazy writers. There are plenty of other good players who could make or break this unit.
Neville Gallimore, for instance, could have a breakout year along with Caleb Kelly. Steven Parker and Jordan Thomas are great already and the emergence of Parnell Motley at the other corner back spot is the key thing to watch for all season. Two legit corners changes the whole dynamic.
"They" also seem to be raving about middle linebacker Kenneth Murray. Every time I hear the name I want to think of a country musician named Kenneth Michael Murray but I don't know if such a thing exists. I'm not sure if it's a lack of depth or if he's the next great one but I'm hoping for the latter obvs (trying to connect with Millenials).
I am cautiously optimistic that this group will be vastly improved (not greatly!) but I'm going to sit back with my arms crossed, second guess everything and reserve judgment until I feel these guys can be trusted to contain a wet fart.
In the grand tradition of throwing darts on this side of the field I am going to go horse racing style and pick Neville Gallimore for Defensive Player of the Game because I like his name.
THE GAME
I know nothing about UTEP except where it exists on a map (roughly) and I don't care to learn more until I watch the game. The Sooners will come out jacked to get a win under Lincoln Riley's belt. There's no looking ahead to next week either. I expect the boys to look sharp.
Sooners 56, UTEP 20
Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner
That's right folks I read tea leaves not Athlon. I attempt to parse tidbits from Oklahoman puff pieces. I'm excited for the season though because much like a music festival with a lineup of unfamiliar names, this Sooners team has lots of surprises in store and most of them should turn out well.
To wit: Lincoln Riley, The RB Situation, who replaces Secretary Dede Westbrook, is a 4-3 defense going to be less sieve-like, is true freshman Kenneth Murray a baby-eater for a new generation?
For the record I am excited for the Lincoln Riley era. Bobby Stoops earned the opportunity to stay as long as he wanted and if he truly did go out on his terms then good for him. Thank you Coach Stoops for turning around a program (and really a university) and putting Oklahoma football back in the conversation, making visors kind of cool for minute and showing me a new way to clap. Lincoln Riley is going to be a great football coach though. If nothing else he'll recruit well (80% of the job) and his team will score 50 points a game.
OFFENSE
We do know that Baker Damn Mayfield is back and he has, at minimum, the best offensive line in the Big 12. That's 8-10 wins right there. Mayfield also has Mark "I Catch Touchdowns" Andrews which is super.
It looks like, at least for a few weeks, it will be a quartet of running backs behind him led by Rodney Anderson. I'm sorry but it's not the star power I have become accustomed to. But in a Lincoln Riley offense I would imagine there will be schemes to take advantage of the strengths of each. That could be cool but after Abdul Adams I'm like those construction workers in Major League, "Who are these fuckin guys"? Maybe Dimitri Flowers gets some love too. I'd be "down".
The same lack of recognition goes for the wide receivers after Andrews and Jeffrey Meade. But there are High Hopes for true freshman CeeDee Lamb. If he plays half as great as his name he could be a star.
Today I look for the line to give BD Mayfield enough to time to start finding some receivers he can trust and it would be foolish in my mind to pick anyone besides Baker for Offensive Player of the Game.
DEFENSE
If you trust the Oklahoman (and I don't) this defense is the Ogbonnia Okoronkwo show. He looked great at times last year but I'm afraid he's just the best quote and most accessible player to those lazy writers. There are plenty of other good players who could make or break this unit.
Neville Gallimore, for instance, could have a breakout year along with Caleb Kelly. Steven Parker and Jordan Thomas are great already and the emergence of Parnell Motley at the other corner back spot is the key thing to watch for all season. Two legit corners changes the whole dynamic.
"They" also seem to be raving about middle linebacker Kenneth Murray. Every time I hear the name I want to think of a country musician named Kenneth Michael Murray but I don't know if such a thing exists. I'm not sure if it's a lack of depth or if he's the next great one but I'm hoping for the latter obvs (trying to connect with Millenials).
I am cautiously optimistic that this group will be vastly improved (not greatly!) but I'm going to sit back with my arms crossed, second guess everything and reserve judgment until I feel these guys can be trusted to contain a wet fart.
In the grand tradition of throwing darts on this side of the field I am going to go horse racing style and pick Neville Gallimore for Defensive Player of the Game because I like his name.
THE GAME
I know nothing about UTEP except where it exists on a map (roughly) and I don't care to learn more until I watch the game. The Sooners will come out jacked to get a win under Lincoln Riley's belt. There's no looking ahead to next week either. I expect the boys to look sharp.
Sooners 56, UTEP 20
Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner
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