Tulane

I hate to discuss old business at the beginning of this every week, but that was a damn good time last Saturday. At the risk of disparaging Bobby Stoops, that was the type of performance that hasn't been seen at OU in a decade. I can't remember the last time the Sooners played on a stage that big (and no, a nationally meaningless sugar bowl does not count) and kicked a team's teeth in. Aside from a solid drive, following a big kickoff return to open the second half, Ohio State did nearly nothing. Which leads us to the crux of the situation and I can't believe I'm even saying it but, the defense looked fucking good. Granted Ohio State hasn't done one thing to prove it's a good offense at this point and the Sooners may have exposed JT Barrett as what he is, a running back playing quarterback, even still that was damn fun. Let's also not overlook the OU offense. Offensive question marks aside, I don't think many would argue that Ohio State has a bad defense, in fact their front seven is one of the best in the country. Last Saturday, the only team that stopped OU on offense was OU. Bask in that glow for as long as you like.




....and we're back. Tulane rolls into Norman today for a tilt with the, now number 2 in the country, Oklahoma Sooners. Tulane resides in the heart of a rabid college football town, alas the town is rabid for LSU. While the Green Wave is never much more than a blip on the national spectrum, this is no run of the mill doormat. Should OU roll? Yes. Should this game be a formality? Yes. But, Tulane generally has a handful of NFL caliber players on the roster, and this is a prototypical let-down game. Am I worried? For the first time in years, I actually feel confident. Did I mention I'm excited for the Lincoln Riley era?

Tulane evidently runs some old school option type offense. I'm sure this is a jazzed up (New Orleans joke) version with some odd formations that get them in that game, but it boils down to disciplined assignment football. Ohio State game aside, this is not the type of offense that the Sooners under Mike Stoops have struggled with. The reason that option football has all but disappeared is because defenders have gotten so fast and athletic that teams who don't stay disciplined, or that miss assignments can recover. Fortunately for Sooner nation, the OU defense is both fast AND athletic. Basically, OU needs to get out of this one healthy and tuned up for conference play.

Offense

Cutting and pasting Baker Damn Mayfield here would be a short and accurate way of nailing this each week, but that would deprive you loyal reader(s) of me making an absurd and stupid pick each week (Trey Sermon last week not withstanding). I read earlier this week that coaches expected Mark Andrews to play this week, but predictably the Oklahoman neglected to revisit the subject as practices commenced. Why would anyone be interested in the health of the Sooners second best offensive weapon? (Regardless of his health, it seems like a good week to rest him in that I think this is winnable without him.) I went RB last week and I think (for now) Sermon has solidified himself as the first option. That said I think I'm going to go with CeeDee Lamb, he looks like the real deal and as fun as Badet is to watch, I think Lamb has the makings of a star WR.

Defense

Wow, what a show last Saturday, several guys looked the part not the least of which is Parnell Motley who really has the makings of being a stud. He was tested several times and answered. I don't however, envision Tulane passing a lot (though the may be forced to eventually if the score dictates it) so I'm going with Caleb Kelly. He's been somewhat quiet the first couple of weeks and with his speed I think he's going to make a bunch of tackles against the Green Wave's run-first offense

Score

I do think there might be some letdown after last week's emotional win. It has to be hard to get up for a second tier team after beating the number 2 team on the road. I do think the Sooners roll, however, just maybe not as dominating as could be. Sooners tighten up in this one, 49-21. This is getting fun again.

Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner

Oklahoma Sooner vs. Tulane Green Wave

We got us a football team. The boys looked sharp and composed in their thumping of the bygod Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus last week. The defense played bigly and you can't say enough about Baker Mayfield. Without a doubt he is the heart and soul of this team. I can't recall the last Sooners team that had this kind of attitude.

Now the Sooners find themselves at number two in the polls, receiving first place votes and in control of their own destiny. This is where Sooner teams should expect to be. The challenge will be in keeping the edge week to week and taking everyone's best shot. I feel good about it but it's easier said than done. Lincoln Riley and Co.'s work is really just beginning.

Up next, the Tulane Green Wave.

OFFENSE

The Sooners need three things to happen today on offense. First, bring the same TCB attitude to this game that they've had in the first two games. With Mayfield leading the way, coming out flat seems impossible. Dude bro probably plants a flag in his apartment after a bowel movement.

Second, continue to develop receiver options. This shouldn't be too hard either as Mark Andrews is out for today and that's a bummer. The silver lining is everyone else has to step up. Baker can't have too many options.

Third, stay healthy. It would be great to see a bunch of "2's and 3's" getting some early playing time. How validating was it when last week BD Mayfield got "dinged" and Kyler Murray had to fill in. Sure it was one play but in year's past it might well have been his first play as a Sooner let alone of the season. No bueno in that situation.

For my OPOG today I'm going with Trey Sermon. He gets his first start today and a chance to stake his claim as the feature back. Something tells me he's, "gonna go for it honey".

DEFENSE

I guess it's time to start believing in these guys. The athleticism of this unit is clearly a step above last year. They really need to stay healthy as depth is already becoming an issue in the secondary.

Steamroller homepiece RPP texted during the game last week that Parnell Motley should be the MFer for this year. Navin correctly pumped the brakes. This is a developing situation but it's encouraging that there is at least one candidate. One could also make a case for Ogbonnia as well. I was skeptical but he is playing real well.

Today I think I'll take the freshman Kenneth Murray as my DPOG. It seems like in this gimmicky run-oriented offense that he could really pile up the tackles.

THE GAME

The Sooners need to TCB on offense, don't "break contain" on defense and get out of this one healthy. An apparently one dimensional run offense is going to have a difficult time keeping up with the Sooners offense, to say the least. The Sooners cruise in this one. Mayfield sits the second half. The D looks sharp again.

Sooners 52, Tulane 10

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner.

Oklahoma Sooners versus Ohio State Buckeyes

In victory last week the Sooners managed to not only avoid calamity, as the Longhorns of Texas and Bears of Baylor could not, they looked damn good in what was a very businesslike and near flawless ass whoop of UTEP.

Regrettably, the UTEP Miners are not on the slate this week. It's The Ohio State Buckeyes and revenge is on the minds of the Sooners.

I am cautiously optimistic about the Sooners chances but I think it's certainly fair that the Sooners are more than touchdown underdogs (as of press time).

OFFENSE

The most interesting factoid I read this week was that more Sooners caught balls against UTEP (14) than did across all games last year. So.. I don't know if that means there is more depth or if it's a natural evolution of a Lincoln Riley/Baker Mayfield offense. The concept of spreading the ball around seems positive to me but it's more likely just scrubs getting to play more than usual in a route.

The second most interesting thing I noticed was the Sooners O-Line seemed to do a lot of pulling of the guards. I asked at the time if anyone could remember seeing us do that because I couldn't. Mark Schlegel, good dude and loyal reader, agreed. My father-in-law waived me away and said we do it all the time. It looked great.

I think the key here this week is in the five headed run game (Since they remembered Dimitri Flowers is also very good) being at least moderately effective. No matter the score and win or lose the Sooners will have balance in the play calling. They will run the ball a lot. If you do nothing else but check the box score tomorrow for yards per carry you'll be able to tell if the Sooners won or not. If it's below 2.5 yards per carry they lost.

In that vein I am going to go a little off script here and take Abdul Adams for my Offensive Player of the Game. It's foolish to take someone besides Mayfield but what's the fun in that? I also really want to pick Dimitri Flowers because of his versatility and the apparent willingness to, Gasp!, take advantage of it.

Other things I really liked last week before we move on. Abdul Adams, the liberal sprinkling of Dimitri Flowers, Mark Andrews now a wide receiver in a tight ends body. Lincoln Riley sitting Mayfield the whole second half.

DEFENSE

When I watched OSU get a little scare from Indiana last week I came away unimpressed with JT Barrett's passing ability. On the flip side, OSU continues to churn out high quality running backs.

In watching the new look Sooner D it appears the secondary should be a strength and the linebackers have some work to do.

It was Emmanuel Beal who looked a little lost to me. Kenneth Murray disappeared a little but give him a pass for it being his first collegiate game. I'm picking knits because overall the D was PlayStation level after the first UTEP drive.

The point is the defensive line and the linebackers (dba the 4-3) need to play huge for the Sooners to have a shot. The OSU run game cannot be allowed to turn Barrett into even a moderately effective passer. They also can't let short plays turn into long gains.

OSU just overpowered this group last year. We will learn a ton about them today. For my Defensive Player of the Game I'll go with Jordan Thomas. I like his game and desperately hope he gets one, maybe two picks.

THE GAME

I am clinging to the belief that there is greater depth across the board for the Sooners to stay fresh enough to keep up with the strength of the Buckeyes. If the Sooners can run the ball, control the clock and, in a perfect world, jump out to an early lead, JT Barrett might be pressed just enough to do something dumb.

The Sooner D doesn't have to be perfect but they need to keep the running game in check and get off the field on third down.

Barring an absolute whipping, nobody is going to get too bent out of shape with a loss. Or they shouldn't. That's the benefit of being a new coach. The Sooners can do this though. A smart, confident, total team concept can get this done.

Sooners 28, Buckeyes 21

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner

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.

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

UTEP

Welcome back loyal reader(s) for another fall football season with the Steamroller. For the first time in the history of this "publication" the Sooners will take the field on Saturday with a coach other than Bob Stoops leading them. It's a bittersweet thing for me personally. Stoops took over a floundering Sooner program that had languished under a parade of has-beens and never-would-be coaches culminating in the disaster that was John Blake. To say Stoops injected life into the program would be an overstatement of both life and injections. Stoops made Sooner football appointment television for not only people in Oklahoma circles, but across the nation. That national relevance was proven merited as they went undefeated in only his second season as head coach. Trick plays, going for broke, a high-wire offense and a defense that absolutely dominated. It was so fun to watch those teams. They were among the most talented, but the separation came from a young coach that did not give a fuck and was always several steps ahead of his contemporaries.

Top recruits in the country lined up to play for him, end of season award shows were littered with OU players and national championships were regular dates. Alas, after that magical run another title was not to be had. "Hey it's only been 5 years since they won it", slowly gave way to "It's been longer than it was after Switzer". In that interim, OU has been good but not great. While Stoops will never lose his place as one of the best to ever coach in Norman, Sooner football aims for greatness. I believe it was the right time for a change.

In steps a young buzzed about coach with a name that sounds like an ill-conceived late 70s sport hatch-back. While he certainly doesn't inherit the rubble that Stoops did nearly two decades ago, he does inherit a program in need of some energy and change. I'm fully aware that in two or three years I may be lamenting the move, that I may be longing for the days of a 10 win season and a conference title on a consistent basis, but for now I'm excited. I'm excited to see if OU can again play its best when the lights are brightest. I'm excited to see if they catch teams off guard with unexpected game-plans. I'm excited for a change. I just hope it's the right one.

Oh yeah, UTEP is playing in Norman this weekend. They have a team, presumably with helmets and everything. Of course in 2012 I thought the same thing and OU eeked out a short stainer 24-7. Which, is precisely the type of over-confidence and lack of preparation that I will hopefully not see. I couldn't know less about UTEP, I'm hopeful the 9 seconds I took to type this sentence is the sum total of time I spend wondering about them.

Offense

I'm not sure if you've heard or not, but OU lost some key weapons to the draft. Gone are the top rushers and receiver from last year. I'm sure there are some young bucks that are going to win over our hearts as fans, but Perine, Mixon and The Secretary will sorely be missed. With Ohio State looming, this is precisely the sort of game where their heir apparents need to make themselves known. In the meantime, I'm not sure how I can go with anyone other than .12 BAC himself. If anyone is going to lift up the young guys, it's Baker Mayfield playing behind what is likely the Big 12's best offensive line. I'm looking to see some Kyler Murray in the second half of this one.

Defense

If you read any of this blog last season (and hats off to you if you did), you probably became vaguely aware that I was disenchanted with the defensive play. It was summarily dogshit. If the guys want to do anything resembling a national title run, it will have to start with major improvement on the defensive side of things. I have to think Mike Stoops' leash got notably shorter now that big brother has gone off into the sunset. Maybe this will get him going and turn the defense around. There wasn't much to like last year, but Ogbonnia Okoronkwo was one who steadily improved throughout the season. I like him to have a very nice afternoon vs the Miners.

Score

I'm unusually optimistic in this one. I think there will be kinks to work out, but I think the Sooners come out fired up in this tune-up for Ohio State. UTEP will hang around for a bit, but OU pulls away at the end of the first half and wins it going away 59-10. Let's hope this is the beginning of a new era that proves as fruitful as the last new beginning did.

Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner.

The Oklahoma Sooners versus the Auburn Tigers in the Allstate Sugar Bowl

The Sooners opened the 2016 campaign with an egregious loss to Houston. At the time, Sooner fans joked they wouldn't have to be emotionally invested the rest of the season. It turns out they were right.  Playoff hopes were already on life support. One more loss would seal the deal. Such is life in college football. Two weeks later and Ohio State came to Norman and throttled the Sooners. The door was truly closed and deservedly so.

The Sooners still controlled their own destiny to an extent. The Big 12 was wide open. The Sooners, having started 1-2, rattled off nine straight, finishing undefeated in the Big 12 and headed for a "New Year's Eve Six" bowl game. There were brief, deluded hopes by some that the Sooners might be able to back door their way into the playoffs but mercifully it did not come to pass. An historic offense has barely managed to overshadow a pretty rancid defense. For reference, Clemson has the lowest rated defense in the Playoffs at 15 in the country. The Sooners are at 87.

I've had a month to warm up to this ballgame. Can you be that excited about another essentially wasted season? 10 wins, a Big 12 Championship and on the outside looking in come playoff time? Am I spoiled rotten? Is it disappointment for the season or anxiety about getting pasted on national television?

I think it's the latter. After a month of bowl games the oft dismissed Big 12 has held its own. The SEC is showing it's top heavy. There is some conference pride riding on this. This is a big game now that the day has come. And, oh boy, I can feel it coming. I'm not excited about the inevitable SEC coronation should Bama win another championship and Auburn win a Big Six game while the Big 12 shows their best simply isn't good enough. Damn it the Sooners need this and Clemson needs to win next week.

OFFENSE

The Sooners have faced two defenses the same caliber as Auburn's. Ohio State and Houston. Auspicious as that sounds, I would argue that the Sooner offensive juggernaut had not been fully unleashed by week three. There were times early in the season where it seemed Lincoln Riley was still trying to figure out what he had and was trying to force the ball into the hands of who he rightfully believed was his biggest weapon, Samaje Perine. But Perine was not himself really until around Texas or so. The offensive line was in major flux due to injury and overall youth. Dede Westbrook had done very little.

The Sooners have now rounded into full beast mode. The Big Three of Baker Mayfield, Semaje Perine and Joe Mixon has turned into the Big Four with Secretary Dede Westbrook. Even the supporting cast has stepped up. Dimitri Flowers is a weapon in both the running and passing game. Geno Lewis, Joe Mixon and some combination of Nick Basquine/Jeffrey Mead/AD Miller can make it tough on defenses to help with Dede. Auburn have their hands full.

For my OPOG I'm going with Baker Mayfield. The Sooners success depends on his ability to stay on the field. He greases all the skids so to speak. He might not be the MVP of the game (I think that will be Joe Mixon) but it will take all his skill for the Sooners to score enough against this Auburn D to have a shot (read: overcome the Sooner defensive shortcomings).

DEFENSE

This defense has shown some steady improvement over the last month or so. Shutting down Baylor, OSU and West Virginia back-to-back-back is no joke. Still, it's the worst defense of the Bob Stoops era, right?

The good news for Sooner fans is that Auburn is the ideal matchup for this defense, if such a thing exists.

The Auburn passing attack is on a par with Kansas State. If the Sooner secondary can lock it down without having to blitz the Linebackers I think they're golden. I'm worried about getting gashed right down the middle of the field though.

I think the conventional wisdom would be to try to shut down the Auburn running attack and force them to pass. I'm no X's and O's guru but I would do the reverse. Neutralize the passing attack and key on the run. Make it strength versus strength and see how much pride the Sooners have.

I've picked Jordan Evans for my DPOG for about six straight games and I'm trying hard to talk myself out of it. But I won't. He's the best player on D. He'll be key in stopping both the run and the pass.

THE SCORE

I'm not real impressed with Auburn in general (Being the K-State of the SEC is not a favorable comparison) and the SEC's performance in bowls to this point doesn't leave me shaking in my boots. Their best win was against Arkansas. Their D gave up 30 to Alabama and while the Sooners are not Alabama by any stretch, I do believe if there is any comparison it's on offense and offensive game planning. I do think the Auburn D will have some success though.

Again, as ever this season, it's all about the Sooner defense. Can the Sooners keep a team that apparently doesn't make a lot of big plays from making big plays? Can they physically match up with the Auburn front line and running attack?

I don't expect a shootout in the Big 12 high scoring sense but I am keeping the Depends on standby and flexing my sphincter throughout the day in preparation for a close one. I imagine Auburn holds the Sooners to less than their scoring average and the Sooners give up what Auburn normally takes.

Sooners 31, Auburn 30

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner.