Praise His name the season is finally here. I couldn't handle another puff piece about how Toby used to help his sister raise the family horse and how that work ethic and team first attitude caught Coach Stoops's eye while he was driving his kids to school one day and led to Toby landing an invitation to try and walk-on at the University of Oklahoma.
There are lots of intriguing storylines to pay attention to here for the Sooners in Week 1. Lincoln Riley debuts his Better, Faster, More Offense. Mike Stoops gets to heap his verbal abuse from the safe distance of the press box. Bob Stoops gets a chance to redeem himself and show that he can make in-game decisions worthy of his $5 million dollar salary. Joe Mixon makes his much anticipated debut. Can the Defense hold a wet fart? Can the Sooners go a season (or a game) without calling a timeout on a kickoff or on the backside of a TV timeout?
The Akron Zips are terrible which makes for a nice opportunity for the Sooners to get accustomed to game tempo and let some newcomers settle in to some big time college football. The Zips for their part get an ass-beat, a fat game check and, presumably, some sympathy beej's when they get back to Ohio. So good for them (sarcastically slow clapping).
OFFENSE
It's pretty obvious the Sooners need to lube the ol' offense and get some good reps in at this new pace ASAP. I'm expecting jitters and glitches at the outset. Baker Mayfield gets his first start, there's a new left tackle, it's a new playbook. But if the Sooners can get into the groove as the game goes on and avoid an overabundance of penalties that's a nice day. Scoring is not going to be an issue. Stepping on their own shoe strings may be.
There's many ways to go in choosing an offensive player of the game here. Does Baker Mayfield go crazy? Does Sterling Shepered and Dede Westbrook gain 100+ yards each? Can Semarje pick up where he left off last year? Does Mixon get everyone's forgiveness for being a lady beater? I'm going with Baker Mayfield. I don't think his numbers will be gaudy but I think he'll justify his being named the starter. This alone will put this offense ahead of any point in time last year.
DEFENSE
Mike Stoops is on notice. He's been relegated to the press box and he's lucky he didn't get canned last year. His unit needs to step up in a great way and I'm not seeing anything on paper that leads me to believe it's drastically improved. People like Steven Parker, Ahmad Thomas, Jordan Thomas (aka The Secondary) all have to make the leap. You get no coffee if your name isn't Eric Motherfuckin Striker, Charles Tapper, Zack Sanchez or Dominique Alexander, basically. Coffee is for closers.
Per tradition and in light of the previous paragraph I'm going Eric Motherfuckin Striker here. We don't know who's starting for the Zips but one of their options "is not a running threat". That bodes well not only for the entire defensive unit but for Mr. Striker as well.
THE SCORE
The over-under for this one is 57.5. I'd load up on the over if I was a sinner and gambled. I like the Sooners big here, just huge. I'm going to say 52-14.
Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner.
Friday, September 4, 2015
The Akron Zips
The 2015 season kicks off for the Oklahoma Sooners football team tomorrow. And if you read our previews, this season comes with much optimism, if not angst. While there are questions to be answered on both sides of the ball, many are looking forward to heading down to Norman tomorrow to watch the boys plant some shiny cleats in the collective ass cracks of the lowly Zips from the MAC. Questions be damned, this will be a cakewalk. Or will it really? While the budget-friendly sneaker from the 80s (turns out they still make these FYI - research!) may not strike fear in your heart, this a dangerous team to look past.
The days of OU having enough talent to sleepwalk past a team like this ended about eight years ago, if you think otherwise, you've been pulling a Rip Van Winkle since then. Akron has a talented defense that ranked very highly nationally last season and they return the bulk of their starters. Cody Grice is a load that plays NT and turns around and becomes their short yardage battering ram in goal line scenarios (12 TDs last season). That type of athleticism can be found at nearly every position where Terry Bowden (yes, that Terry Bowden) has brought in many former 3 and 4 star recruits that left bigger programs for various reasons.
The Zips biggest questions lie on offense where they struggled last season. That said, they return eight starters on that side of the football. While Bowden hasn't named his starter, his two leading candidates are a two-year starter in Kyle Pohl, your more traditional pocket passer and Tra'von Chapman, a former 4 star recruit at Pitt who is the running hybrid style Q that gives Mike Stoops et al fits. Bowden is waiting to name the starter until "tee time," a smart bit of gamesmanship no doubt designed to give OU two very different styles to think about. Bowden has coached on this stage before, he will absolutely have his guys ready. If you think Oklahoma hasn't been the focus of every off-season workout and fall camp scrimmage, you're sorely mistaken.
In short, this is a trap game. A no name school from a second tier conference coming in to play the big bad owners of seven national championships. OU, at last look, is favored by 31.5. If I knew a bookie, I'd absolutely take Akron and the points. I almost regret looking these guys up. I think OU absolutely should win this game, and likely will, but I'm certainly far more worried than I was yesterday.
Offense
First game of the year is always a tricky one. I think I picked Trevor Knight last year. Then he went the way of Lonnie Jones where I vowed to never make that mistake again. It's tough picking a guy based on last season, but Samaje Perine seems as safe a bet as one could want. As Mitch detailed in the Offense Preview, he's an animal that almost no one could even contain. While that would be the smart pick, I'm going to be "clever" and go in a different direction. I think Sterling Shepard returns to the field healthy for the first time in nearly a year, and goes off. I think Mayfield leans on his best receiving weapon in his first start and hits him for a pair of scores. Shepard will be the forgotten man no more after Saturday night.
Defense
Whew, at the end of last season, picking the defensive player of the game was throwing darts...with no dartboard. I'm cautiously optimistic that this unit will come together this season. If it does, it will start with the best player out there, Eric Motherfuckin' Striker. He was quieted a bit last season, likely because he was one of the few guys offenses had to game plan for. I think whomever Bowden starts in the backfield, gets acquainted with Striker early and often. 1 sack and 1 forced fumble for Striker on Saturday. Boom.
Score
As I said, I don't feel like the Sooners will cover 31.5. I think the offense will struggle early as new pieces try to assimilate and Akron comes harder than they expected. I'm hopeful that Lincoln Riley can do what Heupel never could, make adjustments. I think he will, and the Sooners will get it done in an early wake up call that might actually be a good thing. Sooners win 27-10. I'm pumped for a new season and ready to see the Crimson and Cream sprint out on the field (though I won't actually be able to do this, thanks PPV) and roll some heads. Welcome back reader(s).
Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner.
The days of OU having enough talent to sleepwalk past a team like this ended about eight years ago, if you think otherwise, you've been pulling a Rip Van Winkle since then. Akron has a talented defense that ranked very highly nationally last season and they return the bulk of their starters. Cody Grice is a load that plays NT and turns around and becomes their short yardage battering ram in goal line scenarios (12 TDs last season). That type of athleticism can be found at nearly every position where Terry Bowden (yes, that Terry Bowden) has brought in many former 3 and 4 star recruits that left bigger programs for various reasons.
The Zips biggest questions lie on offense where they struggled last season. That said, they return eight starters on that side of the football. While Bowden hasn't named his starter, his two leading candidates are a two-year starter in Kyle Pohl, your more traditional pocket passer and Tra'von Chapman, a former 4 star recruit at Pitt who is the running hybrid style Q that gives Mike Stoops et al fits. Bowden is waiting to name the starter until "tee time," a smart bit of gamesmanship no doubt designed to give OU two very different styles to think about. Bowden has coached on this stage before, he will absolutely have his guys ready. If you think Oklahoma hasn't been the focus of every off-season workout and fall camp scrimmage, you're sorely mistaken.
In short, this is a trap game. A no name school from a second tier conference coming in to play the big bad owners of seven national championships. OU, at last look, is favored by 31.5. If I knew a bookie, I'd absolutely take Akron and the points. I almost regret looking these guys up. I think OU absolutely should win this game, and likely will, but I'm certainly far more worried than I was yesterday.
Offense
First game of the year is always a tricky one. I think I picked Trevor Knight last year. Then he went the way of Lonnie Jones where I vowed to never make that mistake again. It's tough picking a guy based on last season, but Samaje Perine seems as safe a bet as one could want. As Mitch detailed in the Offense Preview, he's an animal that almost no one could even contain. While that would be the smart pick, I'm going to be "clever" and go in a different direction. I think Sterling Shepard returns to the field healthy for the first time in nearly a year, and goes off. I think Mayfield leans on his best receiving weapon in his first start and hits him for a pair of scores. Shepard will be the forgotten man no more after Saturday night.
Defense
Whew, at the end of last season, picking the defensive player of the game was throwing darts...with no dartboard. I'm cautiously optimistic that this unit will come together this season. If it does, it will start with the best player out there, Eric Motherfuckin' Striker. He was quieted a bit last season, likely because he was one of the few guys offenses had to game plan for. I think whomever Bowden starts in the backfield, gets acquainted with Striker early and often. 1 sack and 1 forced fumble for Striker on Saturday. Boom.
Score
As I said, I don't feel like the Sooners will cover 31.5. I think the offense will struggle early as new pieces try to assimilate and Akron comes harder than they expected. I'm hopeful that Lincoln Riley can do what Heupel never could, make adjustments. I think he will, and the Sooners will get it done in an early wake up call that might actually be a good thing. Sooners win 27-10. I'm pumped for a new season and ready to see the Crimson and Cream sprint out on the field (though I won't actually be able to do this, thanks PPV) and roll some heads. Welcome back reader(s).
Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner.
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
The 2015 Sooners Awards and Predictions
Unlike most years, I'm not going to do a final record prediction. I want the same thing everyone else wants, and I just can't see a way to put it out there seriously. I think OU will absolutely improve upon last season, that's as much as I'm willing to predict so it leaves a pretty wide swath to cover.
I will, however, put out the awards/predictions/superlatives that I enjoy (if only me).
Oldest Looking Sooner: Devante Bond
This is a new award, one born strictly out of the fact that I happened across this photo while doing my exhaustive research on the defense. If you told me this guy was once cast as "Tough Guy #2" on an episode of Hill Street Blues, I would absolutely believe you.
TC Bread Award: Jordan Smallwood
This award needs no explanation. I sifted through the roster and found Daimler, Christian who brought us such classics as the LeBaron and Cordoba. Also in the running was punter-cum-pornstar Jack Steed. Yet no one could unseat the incumbent. Poor Jordan Smallwood.
Most Likely to Disappoint: Baker Mayfield
This is no knock on Mayfield per se, but you know the old line about the backup being the most popular player on a team. I think Mayfield fell victim to that as Trevor Knight shat his crimson pants brown last year. I do think he will be a massive upgrade (tough not to be) but I don't think he's Bradford part 2 and, for many, that will be a disappointment.
Matt McCoy Memorial Gas Rag: Jordan Thomas
I opined last season that I hope no one earned this award, Thomas did so, and as such he goes into the season currently working to lose it. Thomas was not good last season. He was the whipping boy on an otherwise subpar secondary.
Old Steady: Samaje Perine
OK, now to the real awards and the only two that really matter (editors note: none of them really matter). Samaje reprises the Old Steady award for the first time since Travis Lewis. He's one of the best running backs in the country, but he's not just a home run threat. He's a battering ram that can be counted on to get 3 to 4 yards every time he touches the ball. Hence, Old Steady.
Motherfucker: Eric Striker
Perhaps it's an indication of a drop in talent, perhaps it's that we've been lucky enough to have two elite talents emerge early and become dominant mainstays on the defense, whatever the reason Eric Motherfuckin' Striker follows Tony Motherfuckin' Jefferson as the second two-time Motherfucker winner since the inception way back in 2000. Striker is an absolute menace, always playing at a speed faster than anyone around him and disrupting offenses in some way nearly every down. Eric Motherfuckin' Striker.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner
The 2015 Oklahoma Sooners Defensive Preview
The 2015 season is nigh upon us and the defense will very likely be what determines if the Sooners can make a run to the playoff, or idle by as also-rans yet again.
When examining the Sooners roster on defense, it's hard not to notice that they are pretty young as a whole. There are only 4 seniors in the two deep, 2 of them start, while no freshman are starting, that unit doesn't scream seasoned vet. There are absolutely some talented guys there, including guys like Dominique Alexander who, though not a senior, has more experience as a junior than most older guys. It's not all doom and gloom, but there needs to be a significant improvement over last season when the Sooner D singlehandedly bought the local Tums salesman's pool.
The defensive backfield was abysmal. These weren't lapses either, though I guess the entire months of September, October, and November are a lapse relative to the age of the Sun. Zack Sanchez looked like he might be the real deal, and as it stands now, is easily our best guy back there. Steven Parker looked very promising as a true frosh last season, he stands to start at NB. Jordan Thomas was truly awful, and completely unprepared to play last season. Let's hope a year of reflection on last season has motivated him to be more prepared to run, tackle, etc this year. I think Hatari "2000" Byrd and Ahmad Thomas showed promise as well. If we squint just right, this could be the most improved group on the team. They damn sure need to be.
The LB spot is pretty solid, I think. Jordan Evans beat out Frank Shannon for one of the starting spots. Both are salty, and I suspect Big Frank will get plenty of reps. It won't shock me a bit to see him starting at some point, but don't sleep on Jordan Evans either. Dominique Alexander is also extremely solid. A tackles machine, he seems to be in the right place on most downs. The entire unit desperately needs to improve in the passing game, however.
Defensive Line has some question marks as well. The DE spots are locked down hard by Eric Motherfuckin Striker and Charles "Ass" Tapper. Both can get to the QB and fly around the field, but the depth behind them is firmly in the "question mark" category. Speaking of, the middle of the line could be trouble. Dimon, Romar, and Wade comprise the most known commodities. Though the Big 12 is pretty pass-happy these days, getting a push from these guys will be crucial in minimizing our DB's exposure. This is starting to feel like a lot of "ifs."
Last season, the defense finished 114 in the nation vs the pass. Some changes have been made, moving full-time to the 4-2-5, or at least as a base package could help. I also read that last season they had two different coaches for the secondary, one for the safeties and one for the corners!? One player said that this season communication has been so much better now that they're all in the same meetings together. Why not have the QB and receivers meet separately and then just figure it out on gameday? (I can't confidently say that didn't happen last year as well.) I'm not even a reasonable facsimile of a pee-wee football coach, but this seems like a pretty damn obvious way to set things up.
There is a lot that has to go right for this defense to push the Sooners to the playoff. Pretty much every unit has to improve...a lot. They aren't going to be the '85 Bears, but maybe they can do enough to get wins. I hope Mitch is right about that 45-55 point per game average. Not only would it be fun, it might be the only way to win.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner.
When examining the Sooners roster on defense, it's hard not to notice that they are pretty young as a whole. There are only 4 seniors in the two deep, 2 of them start, while no freshman are starting, that unit doesn't scream seasoned vet. There are absolutely some talented guys there, including guys like Dominique Alexander who, though not a senior, has more experience as a junior than most older guys. It's not all doom and gloom, but there needs to be a significant improvement over last season when the Sooner D singlehandedly bought the local Tums salesman's pool.
The defensive backfield was abysmal. These weren't lapses either, though I guess the entire months of September, October, and November are a lapse relative to the age of the Sun. Zack Sanchez looked like he might be the real deal, and as it stands now, is easily our best guy back there. Steven Parker looked very promising as a true frosh last season, he stands to start at NB. Jordan Thomas was truly awful, and completely unprepared to play last season. Let's hope a year of reflection on last season has motivated him to be more prepared to run, tackle, etc this year. I think Hatari "2000" Byrd and Ahmad Thomas showed promise as well. If we squint just right, this could be the most improved group on the team. They damn sure need to be.
The LB spot is pretty solid, I think. Jordan Evans beat out Frank Shannon for one of the starting spots. Both are salty, and I suspect Big Frank will get plenty of reps. It won't shock me a bit to see him starting at some point, but don't sleep on Jordan Evans either. Dominique Alexander is also extremely solid. A tackles machine, he seems to be in the right place on most downs. The entire unit desperately needs to improve in the passing game, however.
Defensive Line has some question marks as well. The DE spots are locked down hard by Eric Motherfuckin Striker and Charles "Ass" Tapper. Both can get to the QB and fly around the field, but the depth behind them is firmly in the "question mark" category. Speaking of, the middle of the line could be trouble. Dimon, Romar, and Wade comprise the most known commodities. Though the Big 12 is pretty pass-happy these days, getting a push from these guys will be crucial in minimizing our DB's exposure. This is starting to feel like a lot of "ifs."
Last season, the defense finished 114 in the nation vs the pass. Some changes have been made, moving full-time to the 4-2-5, or at least as a base package could help. I also read that last season they had two different coaches for the secondary, one for the safeties and one for the corners!? One player said that this season communication has been so much better now that they're all in the same meetings together. Why not have the QB and receivers meet separately and then just figure it out on gameday? (I can't confidently say that didn't happen last year as well.) I'm not even a reasonable facsimile of a pee-wee football coach, but this seems like a pretty damn obvious way to set things up.
There is a lot that has to go right for this defense to push the Sooners to the playoff. Pretty much every unit has to improve...a lot. They aren't going to be the '85 Bears, but maybe they can do enough to get wins. I hope Mitch is right about that 45-55 point per game average. Not only would it be fun, it might be the only way to win.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner.
The 2015 Oklahoma Sooners Offensive Preview
Josh Heupel is gone.
The Heupel era was marked by painfully conservative play calling. It was like watching a fireworks celebration and looking forward to the big finale and then it never coming because, “a little bit of fireworks is better than too many fireworks at once”. Heupel routinely out-smarted himself by doing such forward thinking things as “don’t call a run play for three straight series to start a game with a sub-optimal passing QB on the road” and “Don’t start Semarje Perine until forced at knife point by my boss”. He also played as if any lead was safe thus putting a heavy burden on a below average, at best, defense. He was so bad I would not have been surprised if his play sheet was a Shoney’s children’s menu.
To put it a little more bluntly, I was considering giving up my season tickets if Josh Heupel wasn’t fired after last season. I have never been so underwhelmed by any coach of the Stoops era.
So, in with wunderkind 31 year old Lincoln Riley and the magic elixir to cure all that ails.
I am intrigued to see how much faster the offense operates over the Heupel years and what degree of autonomy the QB’s have to make reads and calls without having to consult the press box.
Baker Mayfield is going to be an improvement over Trevor Knight at Quarterback. This is not optimism. This is a low bar. Trevor Knight has played one brilliant game in his career and that was two years ago. Since, he’s been ineffective enough (14 TD - 12 INT) he got the Landry Jones Apologists all foamy-mouthed with their, “I told you so’s” and “careful what you wish for’s”.
In Mayfield the Sooners have some swagger, a guy who plays with the proverbial chip on his shoulder, and a guy who can keep the team fired up. He seems to have “it”. Nobody is asking him to score all the points and win by himself. In this offense there should be an easy (easier) play somewhere. He just needs to be smart enough to find it.
This is an offense playing in a league where it could average 50 points a game. There are playmakers everywhere. Semaje Perine, Sterling Shepard, Dede Westbrook, Joe Mixon.
Perine was a man among boys last year. He won’t be sneaking up on anyone this year but that didn’t seem to matter much last year either. Everyone and their dog knew where the ball was going and still teams had to tackle him. That’s where they ran into problems. Dude is beast mode after contact.
We didn’t get to see Mixon in the Red-White Game but fall practice reviews have done nothing but raise already lofty expectations. Someone compared him to Adrian Peterson for chrissakes. There is also a rumor floating around he might return punts which sounds hazardous (later debunked, as of this writing, by the release of the depth chart). But, if true, then he is clearly versatile. So, if we’re going to set lofty goals I’d be happy with a homeless man’s DeMarco Murray.
It seems ludicrous but Sheperd might actually be flying under the radar a little bit. With the rise of Perine, the expectations around Mixon and Sheperd's own injuries last year, people might be forgetting that Sheperd could be the love child of Mark Clayton and Ryan Broyles. Health permitting, he’s poised to thrive in this new offense. He’s important enough and injury prone enough that I cannot fathom why he’ll be the starting punt returner but, alas, I’m not the highest paid state employee either so such decisions are clearly above my pay grade.
Dede Westbrook was the fastest guy on the whole field during the Red-White game. Looking at this two ways, either the Sooners are collectively a slow football team or Westbrook is a burner. I am giddy about this young man’s future and cannot wait to see this guy catching slants in the middle of the football field.
Another player who caught my eye during the Red-White game was Mark Andrews. He’s a huge target who can get up the field in a hurry. He was able to catch balls in traffic by virtue of his size. I see many opportunities for him. The only downer is he was recruited as a TE, a position which doesn’t exist in Riley’s system. There’s a place for this guy though because of his speed. He starts off the season as Sterling Sheperd’s backup which is odd to me simply because of the differences in height between the two (5’10” vs. 6’5”).
Of course the line has to do its part to make this whole thing go. On paper, it looks decent though it seems devoid of established stars. There are three seniors in Josiah St. John, Ty Darlington and Nila Kasitati. Freshman Brick Shit House Orlando Brown starts off as the No. 1 Left Tackle. Brown goes 6’8” 340 making him the early favorite for my father in law to spend his time focusing on during pre-game stretch.
I really think this offense might average 45 to 55 points and be a hell of a lot of fun to watch. There’s enough here to not only offer a glimmer of hope but to get excited about watching even if you’re only a casual fan. These guys are going to have some fun.
Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner.
Monday, December 29, 2014
Russell Athletic Bowl: Venables Returns (and no one cares)
Well Sooner fans, here we are at the closing act of another Sooner football campaign. This season was one of the more disappointing and underwhelming efforts I can remember. That OSU game might be the nadir of my sooner football fandom. I just hope the team can end on a high note. Maybe not as high as last seasons crushing-expectation-creating performance in the cotton bowl, but that seems unlikely in light of the bowl and opponent. Venables of course makes his return after being scape-goated for the poor defense a few years ago. Naturally the savior in Mike Stoops (who I fully admit I wanted as badly as everyone else at that point) hasn't realy changed much as far as results, and Clemson has the top defense by some metric. It will be interesting to see if they just stomp on the collective nuts of the sooner offense. I imagine that would be pretty sweet for ole Brent.
Offense
The Sooners expect back weapons (?) Trevor Knight and (!) Sterling Shepard. Though I heard Shepard is still nursing the hammy that must have been torn completely in two in the ISU game. This I think is good as the forward pass has been advanced calculus for the offense since that time. That said, the emergence of Samaje Perine as a man amongst pre-menarchal girls has proven to be quite a boon for an otherwise sad, unimaginative offense. This is why I'm going with Perine, I just don't think there is anyone else to pick. I think he makes little orange feces out of Clemson.
Defense
As I alluded to in the "intro", the defense sucks. Almost universally, in fact. In spite of that, I'm obliged to pick someone to be player of the game and I'm going to be just as creative as I was on offense. Eric Motherfuckin Striker went absolutely ape-shit the last time he played a bowl game. The fact that Clemson is playing its (far more stationary) back-up QB bodes well for the Sooners getting to the QB. Nobody does that better than MF Striker.
Score
I think the Sooners will have a tough time in this one, if for no other reason than they have a tough time with everyone that doesn't have Eastern, Technical, Dudes name, and State in their name. Clemson plays defense well, we don't play offense really at all. That said, I think OU has a little magic and paradoxically puts up decent points today. Sooners win 34-31.
Until next season,
Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner
Offense
The Sooners expect back weapons (?) Trevor Knight and (!) Sterling Shepard. Though I heard Shepard is still nursing the hammy that must have been torn completely in two in the ISU game. This I think is good as the forward pass has been advanced calculus for the offense since that time. That said, the emergence of Samaje Perine as a man amongst pre-menarchal girls has proven to be quite a boon for an otherwise sad, unimaginative offense. This is why I'm going with Perine, I just don't think there is anyone else to pick. I think he makes little orange feces out of Clemson.
Defense
As I alluded to in the "intro", the defense sucks. Almost universally, in fact. In spite of that, I'm obliged to pick someone to be player of the game and I'm going to be just as creative as I was on offense. Eric Motherfuckin Striker went absolutely ape-shit the last time he played a bowl game. The fact that Clemson is playing its (far more stationary) back-up QB bodes well for the Sooners getting to the QB. Nobody does that better than MF Striker.
Score
I think the Sooners will have a tough time in this one, if for no other reason than they have a tough time with everyone that doesn't have Eastern, Technical, Dudes name, and State in their name. Clemson plays defense well, we don't play offense really at all. That said, I think OU has a little magic and paradoxically puts up decent points today. Sooners win 34-31.
Until next season,
Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner
Sooners vs. Clemson - Russell Athletic Bowl
The first College Football Championship Game will be played Monday January 12th. Our beloved Sooners were picked by many to be playing in that game. High highs have given way to low lows and an unranked, four times beaten Sooner squad instead finds itself playing at 4PM on Monday December 29th in the Russell Athletic Bowl.
There are many reasons to be the grousing wah-wah Sooner fan about this season and this game. I will try to poke holes in my clouds of doom and let the sunshine pour through.
Let's start on offense where, for a second straight season, nobody has any idea what the offense will look like 17 weeks into the season. Year two of the Trevor Knight roller coaster was only marginally more fun than last year's version. Each was marked by inconsistency mixed with a dash of brilliance only to be cut short by injury then (hopefully) redeemed in the bowl game.
Meanwhile, the loss of Sterling Sheperd has taken away the threat of the forward pass. Not one player has stepped up in Sheperd's absence to give hope for the future of the wide receiving corp. Blake Bell has probably been the most consistent all year and this is his last game. In fairness Cody Thomas has been abysmal in Knight's absence.
You could argue that football in Oklahoma has been set back 30 years if not for the emergence of Samaje Perine. Good Lord what a beast. It took 10 weeks and an historic performance against Kansas to convince Josh Heupel and co. that he deserved 25 carries and the starting job but he did it. This dude is a fucking train and it's a fact that if Joe Mixon didn't beat a gal on his 18th birthday Perine is redshirting right now and is the guy you hear about tearing it up in practice leading up to the bowl game (a la Knight two years ago).
Defensively, the Sooners have been so average to below average that this matchup against Clemson has Sooner nation jealously lusting for the glory days of Brent Venables again. How times change. Three years ago he was paraded out of town and a return to the baby eating days of yore was a foregone conclusion with the triumphant return of Brother Mike. Now people are wondering how Bob is going to get rid of him without making future holidays awkward at Che' Stoops. The 2014 Sooners defense has gotten worse as the year has gone on. They have played better opponents for sure but first tier programs adjust, grow and round into championship form. This team is not first tier. Eric Stiker has been neutralized, the defensive line has been consistently below average to decent. The safeties have been the worst of the Bob Stoops era.
There have been some of the dumbest coaching calls you will ever see made by this staff this year which is saying something. Josh Heupel coaches the quarterbacks and they are the weak point of the offense. Brother Mike coaches the weak spot of the defense, the secondary. This season has been a disappointment of historic proportions because of coaching, period.
Who's ready for some football?
OFFENSE
Doom and gloom aside this marks the first time in months where the offense will have an opportunity to have its best eligible players on the field. If Trevor Knight can make good decisions and complete the occasional forward pass and if Sterling Sheperd is indeed back to full strength then maybe some holes can open up for Perine. Sooner Nation and all of America want to see this. Obviously I'm wrapping my arms around my chips and shoving my stack onto Perine's square.
It might take Heupel three series before Perine gets a touch but he's running downhill from there.
DEFENSE
My gut tells me that the aggressive, ears pinned back brand of defense that everyone thought would get trotted out against the Baylor's of the world makes a return today. Nothing to lose except a job, right? That said I'm going Eric Motherfuckin Striker here. There is literally no one behind him you could take and anyone else feels too much like a crapshoot.
SCORE
I think we get a bit of a slugfest today. The Sooners look better than people expect and the D brings the heat.
Sooners 27, Clemson 14
Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner
There are many reasons to be the grousing wah-wah Sooner fan about this season and this game. I will try to poke holes in my clouds of doom and let the sunshine pour through.
Let's start on offense where, for a second straight season, nobody has any idea what the offense will look like 17 weeks into the season. Year two of the Trevor Knight roller coaster was only marginally more fun than last year's version. Each was marked by inconsistency mixed with a dash of brilliance only to be cut short by injury then (hopefully) redeemed in the bowl game.
Meanwhile, the loss of Sterling Sheperd has taken away the threat of the forward pass. Not one player has stepped up in Sheperd's absence to give hope for the future of the wide receiving corp. Blake Bell has probably been the most consistent all year and this is his last game. In fairness Cody Thomas has been abysmal in Knight's absence.
You could argue that football in Oklahoma has been set back 30 years if not for the emergence of Samaje Perine. Good Lord what a beast. It took 10 weeks and an historic performance against Kansas to convince Josh Heupel and co. that he deserved 25 carries and the starting job but he did it. This dude is a fucking train and it's a fact that if Joe Mixon didn't beat a gal on his 18th birthday Perine is redshirting right now and is the guy you hear about tearing it up in practice leading up to the bowl game (a la Knight two years ago).
Defensively, the Sooners have been so average to below average that this matchup against Clemson has Sooner nation jealously lusting for the glory days of Brent Venables again. How times change. Three years ago he was paraded out of town and a return to the baby eating days of yore was a foregone conclusion with the triumphant return of Brother Mike. Now people are wondering how Bob is going to get rid of him without making future holidays awkward at Che' Stoops. The 2014 Sooners defense has gotten worse as the year has gone on. They have played better opponents for sure but first tier programs adjust, grow and round into championship form. This team is not first tier. Eric Stiker has been neutralized, the defensive line has been consistently below average to decent. The safeties have been the worst of the Bob Stoops era.
There have been some of the dumbest coaching calls you will ever see made by this staff this year which is saying something. Josh Heupel coaches the quarterbacks and they are the weak point of the offense. Brother Mike coaches the weak spot of the defense, the secondary. This season has been a disappointment of historic proportions because of coaching, period.
Who's ready for some football?
OFFENSE
Doom and gloom aside this marks the first time in months where the offense will have an opportunity to have its best eligible players on the field. If Trevor Knight can make good decisions and complete the occasional forward pass and if Sterling Sheperd is indeed back to full strength then maybe some holes can open up for Perine. Sooner Nation and all of America want to see this. Obviously I'm wrapping my arms around my chips and shoving my stack onto Perine's square.
It might take Heupel three series before Perine gets a touch but he's running downhill from there.
DEFENSE
My gut tells me that the aggressive, ears pinned back brand of defense that everyone thought would get trotted out against the Baylor's of the world makes a return today. Nothing to lose except a job, right? That said I'm going Eric Motherfuckin Striker here. There is literally no one behind him you could take and anyone else feels too much like a crapshoot.
SCORE
I think we get a bit of a slugfest today. The Sooners look better than people expect and the D brings the heat.
Sooners 27, Clemson 14
Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner
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