It's Only an Exhibition, It's Only an Exhibition

Painful losses in the Fiesta Bowl have me constantly mumbling this to myself. If we lose (again), it's only an exhibition. Will this Fiesta Bowl be the same tired tune? Will I find myself pissed off, drunk, sitting by myself in the dark watching the clock wind down?

The Sooners might just lose for the same reasons they always do in these games. They've already attained their primary goal, the Big 12 Championship. This game represents a reward for that accomplishment. It means little else save an opportunity for the young guys to get some extra practice snaps. Conversely, it's the biggest game in the history of Connecticut's football program. A victory against the vaunted Oklahoma Sooners would legitimize the program in the eyes of the college football. This scenario is the same as both Boise State and West Virginia.

Signs do point to the Sooners being uninterested in history repeating itself. Namely, Stoops and the Sooners have changed virtually every facet of the preparation for this game. They are staying at a different hotel and practicing at a different location. I believe in superstition so I'm fine, nee thrilled, by this news. It also says to me that there is an active interest in winning this football game. In years past Coach Stoops would have defiantly said that none of the preparations for this game were different than the first game of the season.

It also says to me that maybe ol' Stoops is lightening up a bit. If this is the case and he is relaxing a tad and maybe having some fun, it will rub off on the troops. Playing relaxed (different than indifferent) is a good thing.

The eyes of Sooner Nation will also be fixed on Josh Heupel. One, I think he'll be overly prepared. Two, I think he'll be eager to show off his offensive "philosophy". Three, this all results in unleashing a full arsenal of offensive weapons on the Huskies. I like the idea of this very much.

Another factor is that this is the final game for some key members of the Sooner Defense. Quinton MF Carter  and Jeremy Beal are playing their final games as Sooners. I had instinctively included Travis "Old Steady" Lewis as being in his final game but he's a Junior. I'm not sure he'll be back next year but I digress. In any event these guys are Captains and they'll want to go out with a "bang".

Finally, in another nod to changing the past, nobody on the Sooners has been busted for stealing coats, being academically ineligible or opted for some inexplicable surgery which would keep him out of the game. I would have lost money on this if betting on such things were an option.

Needless to say I'm feeling good about this one.

The Picks


Offense

I hate to sound like a broken record but it's DeMarco. It's his final game and that guy's been huge in the big games all season. I think he puts on a show and helps his draft status.

Defense

A tough call here. I've done zero homework on the UConn offense. I've heard they are not built to play from behind. This leads me to believe they have an aversion to the forward pass. So I'm leaning towards a linebacker. Now, it also seems like someone comes out of the woodwork for the Sooners in bowl games. Ronnell "The Hammer" Lewis was this man last year. And you know what? I'm picking him again. He's had a very up and down year and nothing would be more fitting than to leave the old whitey's of Sooner Nation dreaming of the beheadings the Hammer will administer in 2011.

The Score
OU 35, UConn 24

Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner

OU - Air Farce

Navin, I really like what you've done here. Might I say drunk writing is a strong suit. As much as I want to agree with everything you say I'll try to shake it up a bit for the benefit of our vast and ever expanding readership.

First let's tackle this Brave or Sooner business. Who gives a shit? This conversation, if it ever needed to take place, should have happened sometime during the Summer. Berry Tramel was too busy writing puff pieces about the glory days of Bud and Barry. I think he has so little access to the locker room that he has to write about stuff like this when there is actual football to discuss. All I know is today will probably be the loudest home of the Sooners yet. I'm indifferent because I'm usually sucking down beers in the parking lot whilst this is going down. But don't judge me. I'm a patriot.

I'm excited to see this razzle dazzle Triple-Option for the Teens (or whatever this decade winds up being called). The Sooners have spent time preparing for it in the offseason and this spells trouble for Air Force. Oh they'll make some play I'm sure but Brent Vanables always says that discipline is the key to beating the option. So far, the 2010 Sooner D has shown it can be quite disciplined. If they play disciplined today then watch out the rest of the season. This D will be for real and will certainly be conference-championship caliber (that's right, already looking ahead).

Offense

I like the Lonnie pick. I really do. But I'm going to go with a bit of a dark horse here in Kenny Stills. He took a big leap from the Utah State game to the FSU game and I see another step today. I sense that this guy can make people miss in the open field and that Lonnie can give him some opportunities today. The WR rotation seems to be set but if the law firm of Broyles, Kenney and Kenny can collectively have some confidence built up by next week that will be huge.

Defense

After reading over the last two weeks that the base package for the Sooners this season will be the Nickel and how this means less playing time for Ronnell Lewis in comes an Air Force team that will take the Sooners out of their base package for most of the game. So, I'm going out on a limb and presuming Ronnell will see more time today and so I'm picking him. Some big hits will keep the crowd bloodthirsty.


The Result

Sometime in the first three or four drives the Sooner D will look shaky and probably give up some points. But no worries as they settle down and depth and athleticism win the day. Lonnie has a fine day and that helps the ground attack also. The Sooners have no problems scoring. I like the Sooners here 35-14.

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 - 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

Your 2010 Sooner Football M.F.'er

Every year there's a player on the Sooner defense who is such a baby-eater that he must be addressed as (First Name) Motherfuckin' (Last Name). Identifying an M.F.'er has become tradition for Navin and I, a tradition which began with Roy Motherfuckin Williams and has included such luminaries as Tommie M.F. Harris and, most recently, Gerald M.F. McCoy. A tradition which now includes T-Shirts (Order yours here).

To be M.F.'er you must be well established in the Sooner program (No Freshmen). You must be ferocious. You must embody the spirit and tradition of Sooner Defense badassery. Your name cannot sound cheesedick with M.F. sandwiched betwixt your first and last name (See how Patrick M.F. O'Hara does not work?). Finally, being a "Can't miss" pro prospect is not required to earn the coveted title of M.F.'er though it makes the decision a little easier.

Based on this criteria there are only four candidates for the 2010 Sooner football season. Those candidates are Quinton Carter, Travis Lewis, Ronnell Lewis and Jeremy Beal. Let's look at them individually.

Jeremy Beal - He is well established and a beast at the DE spot. Opposing offenses will need to know where he is lined up on each play. However, he just isn't the kind of player I could discuss with Navin and have a conversation like this:

Me: Did you see Jeremy Beal out there today?
Navin: Oh goddamn! Jeremy Motherfuckin Beal!
Me and Navin, in unison and clanking beer steins: Jeremy Motherfuckin Beal!

Beal is a key to the defense but he's not the M.F.'er of this defense.

Ronnell Lewis - Ronnell Lewis will be an M.F.'er before his career is over. He is the next great Sooner Linebacker and he's cut from the same cloth as Torrance Marshall, Rocky Calmus and Curtis Lofton. Hell, he could be better than all of them.

But hype and promise are precisely why he can't be the 2010 M.F.'er. As Navin pointed out recently, you can't, "crown his ass" (invoking the voice of Dennis Green) when he's started one game in his career. This is a tough decision (and one that could be regretted) but Ronnell needs a season to marinate. This is my father-in-law's pick and if you took a poll of Sooner fans, he probably would be the leader in the clubhouse.

Travis Lewis - On paper he seems an obvious choice. He'll be a Captain. He's been in the system for a long time. He could lead the country in tackles. By all accounts he's a great teammate, human being and a sensitive lover.

But he's just not a sexy enough pick. He does everything well and none of it with flash. Perfect for any team but not M.F. material. You have to have swagger if we're going to make a T-Shirt with your name on it.

Quinton Carter - He is the headhunter of the 2010 Sooner Secondary. He's been in the system. He practices MMA in the offseason. Recently I had the opportunity to play golf with Sooner legend Joe Washington and I asked him who the badass of the Sooner D would be this year and he said Quinton Carter. Finally, Quinton Motherfuckin Carter sounds awesome. In short, the honor is his. The calling is great but the reward is T-Shirt immortality.

Enjoy these video's from M.F.'ers past:

Roy M.F. Williams


Tommie M.F. Harris


Gerald M.F. McCoy