Last Saturday the Sooners, predictably and thankfully, took care of bidness. At home (as usual) Lonnie looked all-world and the defense looked like it ate babies for breakfast. Of course they did. It was a home game.
Well today the big question is, "Can the Sooners put together a complete game on the road or will they look like assholes again?" On paper, this one presents a tremendous opportunity to do the former. A&M sucks but they are a more notable name than, say, Texas Tech, Baylor, K-State et al. A&M of course is the home of the 12th man even though that means less than ever. So, while A&M sucks, their cache' would make a victory look bigger than it is.
The worry is that A&M put in some guy named Tannehill last week, replacing the worst QB in the Big 12, Jerrod Johnson, and the Aggie offense showed signs of life. Of course the revived offense was playing a beleaguered Tech defense but still. Do they have newfound confidence? Will they play hard for Mike Sherman, the worst coaching hire in the last 5 years of the Big 12?
I'm scared shitless of early A&M offensive success combined with "Road Shaky" Lonnie. This is the worst case scenario. The best case scenario is seeing the Four-Headed Monster of DeMarco (now on a first name basis with Sooner Nation), Ryan Broyles, Kenny "Fuckin Shitbag" Stills and Roy Finch wreak havoc whilst the Sooner defense beats up on an unimaginative and stagnant Aggie offense.
I would love to favor the latter option and be able to say with no reservations that the Sooners will beat that ass today but I can't. The Sooners have shown that they are nothing less than shaky and completely untrustworthy away from Owen Field. So it goes.
On with the picks.
Offense
DeMarco is the leader of this team. He's the face of the franchise, the captain, Everybody's All American, etc. This Sooner team needs a statement win on the road, not for the national rankings so much as for their own psyche. DeMarco is the man who can put the team on his shoulders and deliver the goods. I can't even consider anyone else here.
Defense
Texas is the only game I've felt confident in my pick. Every other week it's like throwing darts. Navin nailed it last week when he said the Quinton M.F. Carter pick might be the worst of the M.F. era. But who should it have been? Nobody stands out on a weekly basis. We might need to come to grips with the fact that this Sooners defense could be the worst of the Bobby Stoops era. I need to go back and look to see when I predicted I would start calling for Brent Venables job. It happens every year about this time. Be on the lookout for inspired performances by the D from now through the Big 12 Championship. Then prepare yourself for the inevitable pant-shitting on national television that will define what ever bowl the Sooners land in. All that said I guess I'll pick Quinton M.F. Carter here. I mean, I haven't watched much tape of A&M but they seem to be more run-heavy than any other team in the conference. That means Q can help in the box and lay the lumber. Possibly. Hell I don't know. Quinton M.F. Carter is my defensive player of the game dammit.
The Score
I'm going to say the Sooners struggle to score points but they do halfway decent and A&M hits on some big plays early. I of course like the Sooners.
OU 28, A&M 14
Showing posts with label Quinton M.F. Carter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Quinton M.F. Carter. Show all posts
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
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:
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:
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Well, We're 1-0
My pregame analysis pretty much took a giant shit on itself. Our players of the game were pretty spot-on though. This game was weird.
On one hand, there were some things that were very encouraging. On Offense, DeMarco and Broyles were workhorses. The WR's as a unit were pretty solid. There were not a lot of drops (none that I can recall). Cameron Kenney seems more comfortable and DeJuan Miller caught a couple of key passes. There were no fumbles.
Unfortunately for the Offense, Lonnie was inconsistent at best and showed little, if any, improvement that I could tell. He seemed to lock in on receivers (only 5 players caught balls), was eager to move out of the pocket (read: happy feet), threw some awful balls and generally seemed out of sorts a lot of the time. This was just one game, of course, but the notion that we may have seen Lonnie's career ceiling already is disheartening. It's hard for me to watch the O-Line in person and I don't know a lot about that unit anyways (as far as nuances of the position) but I'm going to presume they were average/below average given that Lonnie was sacked 3 times and threw the ball away more times than that. Whether that's on the Line or Lonnie or WR's I don't know.
On defense there were also some positives if you can believe it. Jeremy Beal looked very good and was spending a great deal of time in the backfield. The LB's looked good as well. Ronnell came in for 3-4 situations and Tom Wort was all over the place. What a great name for a LB by the way, Tom Wort. Travis Lewis had a predictably quiet steady game. In the secondary Tony Jefferson caught my eye and Quinton M.F. Carter looked like the leader he should be.
However, virtually everyone in the secondary staked their claim to be the next "Gasrag McCoy", even Quinton and DeMontre Hurst (who they almost never threw to). At some point, somebody made an egregious error in coverage that cost the Sooners. At this point I'd say Jamelle Fleming or Jonathan Nelson are the leaders in the clubhouse though. What was odd but mildly encouraging was that on some of these mistakes, the defender was in good position, he just didn't turn to find the ball. It wasn't always a completely blown coverage.
For every positive there was a negative. Utah State played well, no doubt, but there is no reason in the world that game should have been close. Hopefully this performance got the attention of the right people. Even as close as this game wound up being, I still think this team can be really good. The mistakes seem fixable.
At the end of the day we're 1-0 and still in control of our own destiny. And, unlike teams of the past, this one on this day made plays when they had to and persevered. Yes, I am trying to be as positive as possible because now next week looks very, very scary.
Other Notes
On one hand, there were some things that were very encouraging. On Offense, DeMarco and Broyles were workhorses. The WR's as a unit were pretty solid. There were not a lot of drops (none that I can recall). Cameron Kenney seems more comfortable and DeJuan Miller caught a couple of key passes. There were no fumbles.
Unfortunately for the Offense, Lonnie was inconsistent at best and showed little, if any, improvement that I could tell. He seemed to lock in on receivers (only 5 players caught balls), was eager to move out of the pocket (read: happy feet), threw some awful balls and generally seemed out of sorts a lot of the time. This was just one game, of course, but the notion that we may have seen Lonnie's career ceiling already is disheartening. It's hard for me to watch the O-Line in person and I don't know a lot about that unit anyways (as far as nuances of the position) but I'm going to presume they were average/below average given that Lonnie was sacked 3 times and threw the ball away more times than that. Whether that's on the Line or Lonnie or WR's I don't know.
On defense there were also some positives if you can believe it. Jeremy Beal looked very good and was spending a great deal of time in the backfield. The LB's looked good as well. Ronnell came in for 3-4 situations and Tom Wort was all over the place. What a great name for a LB by the way, Tom Wort. Travis Lewis had a predictably quiet steady game. In the secondary Tony Jefferson caught my eye and Quinton M.F. Carter looked like the leader he should be.
However, virtually everyone in the secondary staked their claim to be the next "Gasrag McCoy", even Quinton and DeMontre Hurst (who they almost never threw to). At some point, somebody made an egregious error in coverage that cost the Sooners. At this point I'd say Jamelle Fleming or Jonathan Nelson are the leaders in the clubhouse though. What was odd but mildly encouraging was that on some of these mistakes, the defender was in good position, he just didn't turn to find the ball. It wasn't always a completely blown coverage.
For every positive there was a negative. Utah State played well, no doubt, but there is no reason in the world that game should have been close. Hopefully this performance got the attention of the right people. Even as close as this game wound up being, I still think this team can be really good. The mistakes seem fixable.
At the end of the day we're 1-0 and still in control of our own destiny. And, unlike teams of the past, this one on this day made plays when they had to and persevered. Yes, I am trying to be as positive as possible because now next week looks very, very scary.
Other Notes
- I can believe that OU would try to charge people to listen to games on the Internet. Such is the state of big time sports. I cannot believe anyone would be willing to pay. That's a crock. The good news is I believe every other game will be televised.
- I cannot say enough about DeMarco. 35 carries is a ton. He hit holes hard, hung on to the ball, showed some patience and had that breakaway speed in the open field. Very, very encouraging. Kudos to you on the call.
- Shouldn't Jamarkus McFarland be called "Booger" from now on? Sure, it's technically taken but anytime you have the chance to call someone Booger I feel it's my obligation as an American to do so.
- You know how football is such a copycat sport (Wildcat). Well, at Coach Camp this offseason I guess the big new thing was to run traditional running formations out of the shotgun. For instance, DeMarco lined up a lot behind Lonnie in the Shotgun. Or, there would be an off-balance I-Formation behind Lonnie in Shotgun. Utah State was doing this also. I can't remember seeing it before.
- This game had a terrible vibe. The crowd was shit.
Friday, September 3, 2010
OU - Utah State THE BREAKDOWN
Here's the way it should go; The Sooners embark on a new voyage towards another national title. The sun is shining, the air is crisp, grill smoke is wafting through campus and a lame duck opening opponent takes the pistol-whipping they are paid to take. 90,000 spoiled fans see the bloodbath they crave. Everyone totters home drunk and happy.
It had damn well better go this way.
Navin has done a fine job identifying the "strengths" of this Utah State team. I'm too lazy to confirm his research by doing my own and thus am unable to refute or add to his assertions. Which is fine and dandy anyways because whilst Navin tends to be more pragmatic I, on the other hand, wear "Crimson Colored Glasses" and think every game should be won handily, PlayStation style, like the game was set on Beginner. I'm too old to change who I am.
So if, as Navin suggests, the Utah State attack is predicated on running the football, then they are fucked. The calling card of a Brent Venables defense is stopping the run. This makes me giddy because there is nothing I enjoy more than watching the Line Backers get a dozen tackles per man. It will also force Utah State into long third downs at which point I'll enjoy watching the Sooner D-Linemen pin their ears back, forcing the Utah State QB to both shit his pants and throw ill-conceived passes into tight coverage. Hopefully this means several turnovers, maybe even a defensive touchdown. See above the note on bloodbaths.
So here's who I like in this one on both sides of the ball:
On Offense
I'm really feeling Ryan Broyles here. He's getting a lot of love nationally. A lot of pub, if you will. In week 1 he exceeds the hype. The reason being that Offensive Coordinator Kevin Wilson loves to get his QB's settled down and into the game by calling easy little passes. Broyles is going to be Lonnie's security blanket in this game and probably all season. This means short throws to Broyles in the open field where Lonnie gets in a rhythm and Broyles does what he does best; Running like his hair is on fire. I'm calling at least 150 yards and the Heisman Hype engine firing up on the first turn of the key.
On Defense
I've already mentioned how I envision the Linebacking corps amassing roughly 50 tackles as a unit. In spite of that, I cannot go with anyone other than Quinton M.F. Carter as my Defensive Player of the Game. We made a t-shirt for him for God's sake. I think an INT would be a bonus but I'm more excited to see some bone-crunching hits and maybe a sack or two from Quinton. Carter and Ronnell Lewis could be the biggest bonecrunching duo since Roy M.F. Williams and Brandon Everage. This is legitimately exciting.
The Score
This one isn't as close as the score would indicate.
OU 63, Utah State 6
It had damn well better go this way.
Navin has done a fine job identifying the "strengths" of this Utah State team. I'm too lazy to confirm his research by doing my own and thus am unable to refute or add to his assertions. Which is fine and dandy anyways because whilst Navin tends to be more pragmatic I, on the other hand, wear "Crimson Colored Glasses" and think every game should be won handily, PlayStation style, like the game was set on Beginner. I'm too old to change who I am.
So if, as Navin suggests, the Utah State attack is predicated on running the football, then they are fucked. The calling card of a Brent Venables defense is stopping the run. This makes me giddy because there is nothing I enjoy more than watching the Line Backers get a dozen tackles per man. It will also force Utah State into long third downs at which point I'll enjoy watching the Sooner D-Linemen pin their ears back, forcing the Utah State QB to both shit his pants and throw ill-conceived passes into tight coverage. Hopefully this means several turnovers, maybe even a defensive touchdown. See above the note on bloodbaths.
So here's who I like in this one on both sides of the ball:
On Offense
I'm really feeling Ryan Broyles here. He's getting a lot of love nationally. A lot of pub, if you will. In week 1 he exceeds the hype. The reason being that Offensive Coordinator Kevin Wilson loves to get his QB's settled down and into the game by calling easy little passes. Broyles is going to be Lonnie's security blanket in this game and probably all season. This means short throws to Broyles in the open field where Lonnie gets in a rhythm and Broyles does what he does best; Running like his hair is on fire. I'm calling at least 150 yards and the Heisman Hype engine firing up on the first turn of the key.
On Defense
I've already mentioned how I envision the Linebacking corps amassing roughly 50 tackles as a unit. In spite of that, I cannot go with anyone other than Quinton M.F. Carter as my Defensive Player of the Game. We made a t-shirt for him for God's sake. I think an INT would be a bonus but I'm more excited to see some bone-crunching hits and maybe a sack or two from Quinton. Carter and Ronnell Lewis could be the biggest bonecrunching duo since Roy M.F. Williams and Brandon Everage. This is legitimately exciting.
The Score
This one isn't as close as the score would indicate.
OU 63, Utah State 6
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