Oklahoma Sooners versus Texas Longhorns

Good morning Sooner fans and welcome to the biggest day, so far, of the college football season. It's the Red River Rivalry and, thankfully, there is a lot on the line in this one. Let's dive right in.

The Sooners can remain undefeated this far into the season for the first time since 2011 and are looking to prove that the defense is worthy of some ballyhoo. A win places the Sooners firmly in the drivers seat.

This is must-win for the Longhorns. A loss might not cost them a shot at the Big 12 title but it eliminates them from any CFP consideration. A win and they are very much in the hunt and the national media will be more than happy to push that narrative. The prospect is nauseating.

OFFENSE

The Sooners have to negate the physicality of the Longhorn defense and take advantage of the apparent injuries in their secondary. I would normally think time would be well spent pounding the ball on the ground to negate blitzes and keep defenders honest. More likely the Sooners stick with what's been working and utilize some play action (RPO in the parlance of our times). If the secondary is the weakness and you have the likes of CeeDee Lamb and Charlston Rambo then, by all means, drop bombs early often.

In any case it depends on the offensive line. They are penalty prone, particularly Eric Swenson. This unit has to step up today. Play time is over. There are some dirty players on that Texas D and they cannot be allowed to push people around. The line has to set the tone and be able to match that physicality.

I believe in Jalen Hurts and he'll be cool as ice but he can't do it alone today. It will be interesting to see what his running game looks like today. I think it will be fairly limited. For my OPOG I'm going Rhamondre Stevenson even though I just talked about passing. He fits the mold of a "didn't see that coming" breakout which happens a lot in this game and he's a big play threat any time he touches the ball.

DEFENSE

Alex Grinch and his defense have to be licking their chops. Here they are, showing steady improvement this season, and now with an opportunity to make a legit statement. The Longhorns are more offensive than offensive juggernaut but Sam Ehlinger is a googly eyed media darling and the Sooners have been letting mediocre teams look good for years. The narrative can change today.

I anticipate an uptick in pre-snap movement from the D. I don't think Ehlinger can adapt and make quality reads. I also don't think he'll be able to get away from outside blitzes when they come. The key for the Sooners, surprise surprise, will be the front four. Texas will try to pound the ball and play keep away. This is the exact area that the Sooners have shown the most improvement this year. Texas would be dumb not to test it but even dumber not to have a Plan B.

You know I'd love to go with Neville Gallimore for my DPOG but I shall not. Instead, I'll go with Kenneth Michael Murray. As I sit here typing I am envisioning Alex Grinch finding new ways to use him. He can be a lethal X Factor if an offense doesn't know where he's going to be from play to play. Nobody besides Bookie Radley Hiles in this defense is able to do this like KMM and I'd rather see KMM do it than Bookie.

THE SCORE

I am very concerned about the Sooners offensive line and the physicality of the Longhorn D. The Sooner D has proven thus far that they can force some punts and get the offense back on the field. I like the Sooners getting out to an early lead. The key will be keeping the hammer down because Texas will not quit.

In the end I like the Sooners going away (can you believe it?) and sending a big statement to talking heads. OU has an opportunity, as mentioned, to be undefeated deeper into the season than they have been since 2011. I like the odds of a Heisman front-runner against a depleted defense and revamped Sooner D with everything to prove.

Sooners 34, Longhorns 17

Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner!

Kansas

Fresh off of a country ass-beat of Texas Tech, the Sooners travel to Lawrence today for a tilt with the lowly Jayhawks. Les Miles has been brought in to right a Kansas ship that apart from a couple of seasons roughly a decade ago, has never been right. So far, the results have not been terribly encouraging. Granted, this was a monumental task from the beginning, but Calzone-Kid Mangino did it, so it is possible.

At one point, Miles was the hottest coach in the land. Taking a previously bad OSU team in to national relevance and beating the Sooners a couple of times when they had no business doing so. But his star has fallen as LSU fell out of love with his 3 yards and a cloud of dust brand of offense that just never got it done down in Baton Rouge. The Sooners roll in today hoping to stomp KU in a tune-up for their biggest game of the regular season next Saturday. Lets hope they aren't looking ahead as much as I am.

Offense

I keep trying to be smart and pick someone other than Jalen Hurts, but lets be honest, he's basically an automatic each week. CeeDee Lamb would've been a good choice last saturday as he blew up as well. I keep trying to pick a running back, and maybe it's not a good sign that so far they've made me a liar. But Hurts generally leads in rushing as well. In short, he's a beast. But, where is the fun in picking the obvious? And moreover, when has getting it wrong ever stopped me? I am going to go with Charleston Rambo today. The young buck has really been a nice complement to Lamb on the WR side of things, and is starting to really break out. I like him today for 2 scores and at least one really completion.

Defense

I cast some doubt, or at least had a measured amount of skepticism regarding the defense last week. And while they didn't pitch a shutout, they actually played well against a Tech team that historically has their way with us offensively. I don't think these guys will ever strike fear in the hearts of a halfway decent offense, but just getting several three and outs a game is huge and, frankly, enough. The Sooners will need to stop the KU run attack. Last season in Norman (cursory research alert!), Pooka Williams rushed for 252 yards on 15 carries. That is fucking atrocious. OU will have to get that "cleaned up" lest one of my eyes be half full of blood for the next month. I think Neville Gallimore is the man to get it done today. I think he clogs the middle and sets the tone for a solid day defensively for OU.

Score

This could be a bit of a trap game. I don't think KU has enough to pull of the upset, but I do think the Sooners might be peeking just a bit toward next weekend and the score will reflect that. KU hangs around a little bit early before OU pulls away. Sooners win it in Lawrence, 49-17.

Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner

Oklahoma vs. Kansas

Sorry for the stinkfest 3000 last weekend, fans and loyal readers. In all the hundreds of posts here I've never lost my work until last week. Trust me, I nailed it. My best work and all for naught. I now try to make it up to you.

The Sooners (4-0, 1-0) head to Lawrence to take on the (checks notes) hapless Kansas Jayhawks. Les Miles is back and I'm glad for him and his inability to correctly size a hat.

OFFENSE

Here's something I came up with last week but it got lost in the ether. How lethal would it be if the Sooners ran some old school triple option with Jalen Hurts, Trey Sermon, Kennedy Brooks and even some Jeremiah Hall mixed in? Deadly. You won't see it this week for sure, and possible not at all, but the idea of unleashing it against Texas has me giddy.

First things first and this week it's more of same because Kansas is a turd. I'm picking Jalen because he's playing out of his gourd. Any one is poised for a breakout in a given week and you could throw darts (in a great way) with picking an OPOG but it starts with him.

On that note, this feels like a Trey Sermon bust out. So mark that down.

DEFENSE

We've found Gasrag McGee and his name is Patrick Fields. Alex Grinch said in the preseason that there was a lack of competition at Safety and that Fields and Delarrin Turner-Yell had locked down the spots. In a crimson colored universe this was taken by me to mean they were so clearly ahead that the position was in good hands. Fast forward and Grinch has recruited 5 star wide receiver Trejan Bridges to move over to safety to try and shore up what is proving to be the weak link on D.

Fields sticks out on tape like a sore thumb in this revamped defense. Every time look up he's somewhere trailing the play and taking a bad angle. The good news is that he's the only one who I notice consistently.

Please don't confuse this rant with displeasure for the defense overall. It is night and day so far from the previous three plus years.

Today depends on stopping the run game. Last year the Pookah Williams ran for 250 yards. It's stops today with my DPOG Neville Gallimore wreaking havoc up front. Gallimore has been awesome so far this season.

THE SCORE

This one lacks a lot of intrigue. I'm not buying the Les Miles knows how to shock the Sooners narrative. The spread is 32 and that seems low.

Sooners 63 Jayhawks 14

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner

Texas Tech

The 2019 conference schedule pulls out of the station today with the Texas Tech Red Raiders coming to Norman. The Sooners had a semi-eventful last weekend, falling in the rankings for committing two egregious crimes: 1) not playing and 2) not being in the SEC. A younger more naive version of myself would have much angst, hand-wringing and expletive laced complaints over this. But there is much football to be played this season and our Sooners could easily stumble (maybe that defense hasn’t really improved much) and those SEC teams will beat each other up a bit too. Suffice to say, let’s just TCB and hope that things work out for the best. 

Offense

Lincoln Riley just knows how to design an offense. Unlike some in our Sooner past (looking squarely at you Heupel, oh and you too, Chuck Long) he designs things to give his current group the best chance to have success and he adapts. It’s quite a nice thing. Today’s game looks like another opportunity to put up asinine numbers against possibly the only program in college football less interested in defense than OU. Jalen Hurts has been nothing short of fantastic. And while I think at the end of the day it will be hard to argue against him for OPG, the sieve-like Tech run defense looks ripe for a Trey Sermon explosion. I like him for 150+ and 2 TDs. 

Defense

I read something this week, which may be inaccurate (and of course I didn’t bother checking), but it said that so far the Sooner defense is essentially the same as last year in terms of yards to this point. I’ve not watched as much as I’d like but it seems they have improved to me. Regardless, we should know more after this one as this game is generally a shootout. Anything better than that I would view as a win. For no good reason at all, I’m picking Brendan “bookie” Radley-Hiles in this one. He seems to fly around to the ball and general play with a lot of energy. 

Score

I like that the Sooners open the conference slate at home and that they don’t have to go to Lubbock this year. I think the offense does Riley things and I’m cautiously optimistic that two weeks of prep by Alex Grinch has gotten the defense a solid enough game plan to make this one comfortable at the end. Sooners win this one 48-27. 

 Boomer to Motherfuckin Sooner 

Oklahoma Sooners vs. UCLA Bruins

Hello hello. The Sooners are 2-0 and headed on the road for their first test away from Owen Field. The Sooners play at the Rose Bowl and it could be in front of a ton of Sooner faithful. Hopefully the Sooners are smelling blood and looking to dismantle the hapless Bruins. On the opposite side of that coin you have the Bruins with an opportunity to correct the trajectory of a lackluster Chip Kelly reclamation project.

OFFENSE
The Sooners are looking great as hoped for and expected. Jalen Hurts has been phenomenal and yet I heard from a handful of people who all shared the opinion they felt something was "off" with him. Hopefully these fine people are not sages or mystics. It's hard to find fault with an 85% completion percentage with 7 incompletions to go along with 6 touchdowns, third in the Big 12 in rushing and sporting a rather gaudy 252.3 QB Rating.

Today, the offensive line needs to rebound from a so-so performance last week that included way too many penalties, particularly to start the game. This offense can only stop itself so far this season. I'm also looking for Kennedy Brooks to go bananas today. He's my OPOG pick.

In other news, much is being made of Grant Calcaterra not getting very many balls thrown his way so far. Shut up it's gonna be okay.

DEFENSE
The Sooner D got off the turnover-less schneid by racking up three last week. Importantly, one of these was by Brendan Radley-Hiles who has now strung together two of his best, if not best best, games as Sooner. More of same please. I'm even taking him as my DPOG.

Today, you know UCLA is going to have some razzle-dazzle with "guru" Chip Kelly leading the Bruins. But the Bruins have been dogshit. Barring the Sooners being completely uninterested (reminder: no Sooner has earned this right yet, particularly on D) why wouldn't that continue today? I think the Sooners will make another nice statement on national television while continuing to identify players who can turn this beleaguered unit around.

THE SCORE
The Sooners have won 26 straight true road games (which is a nice way of saying everything except the neutral site games against Texas and in the Playoffs but who gives a shit about those?). Today is no different as the Sooners enjoy what is essentially a home game in front of tons of Sooner faithful in sunny Cali.

I like the Sooners big, 45-17, beating the spread handily.

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner

UCLA

Hello faithful reader(s), I really shit the bed last week in failing to get something up for the doormat game. It’s hard to get up for one of those, particularly when I’m unable to watch. This week should prove more of a test against a UCLA squad, albeit an underperforming one to this point. Chip Kelly seems to have whatever the turf equivalent is of the Midas touch ever since leaving Oregon. It’s possible he figures out the problem and once again produces top ranked programs, but let’s just hope he doesn’t take step one this weekend. And while the Bruins aren’t as formidable as they’ve been at times in the past, this first road test against a power 5 school, effectively starts the “meat” of the schedule. Let’s get going on the right foot. 

Offense 

I’m starting to believe Lincoln Riley may be an actual savant when it comes to designing an offense. So far, it’s been his most impressive start for me. He has essentially a completely new offensive line as well as a transfer qb that has been, er, inconsistent at best prior to coming to OU. Granted the skill positions were fairly stocked and so the cupboard wasn’t empty, but it’s still impressive. Now, the question remains if this level of play will continue against increasingly strong competition, Saturday is the first step. Hurts has been nothing short of great. But, I think UCLA’s speed on defense slows him down a bit. I like Trey Sermon in this one to have big day with over 100 yards on the ground and 2 TDs. 

Defense

The Sooners pitched a shutout in the first half last week. I know I know, it was a JV team. But how much of a reach is it to imagine that game the last two years and picture yourself screaming that “it’s fucking South Dakota?!?” as they score a 3rd first half touchdown and “hang around”. By no means am I declaring the defense fixed, but it’s been a damn sight better this year than it has been in a while. UCLA will score, ole chipper knows how to create mismatches and score. But I think OU continues it’s steady start. I like Delarrin Turner-Yell to fly around and make some big plays and force one turnover today for my dpg. 

Score

I think the Sooners start fast and UCLA stays in it with some second half scoring, but alas it isn’t enough for the Bruins, the Sooners leave the pacific time zone unbeaten, 44-27. 

Boomer to the Motherfuckin’ Sooner 

OU versus South Dakota

Well the season got off to a rollicking start with the Sooners thoroughly dismantling Houston. Jalen Hurts had 508 yards of offense himself and the defense looked mostly like a defense. Today the Sooners have a perfect practice game with FCS South Dakota. The Sooners have an opportunity on offense to get some game speed reps, the defense can continue its overhaul and hopefully a number of young guys get an opportunity to show what they can do.

OFFENSE
The name of the game today is to be injury free and take care of business so starters can be pulled as early as possible. There are plenty of young guys who can show what they have, including Spencer Rattler, supposed QB wunderkind in waiting.

For my OPOG I'll go Jalen Hurts. Not only did he play near flawlessly he seemed in awe of the offense he's been asked to lead. He's happy to be here and appears quite interested in maximizing his opportunity. Look for PlayStation numbers today again.

DEFENSE
The defense definitely looks different in a great way but there is plenty to improve upon. They made some dumb mistakes that kept Houston drives alive. They did not have a takeaway although they forced enough punts to keep Houston safely at bay. Most importantly, it seemed to me they lost their focus about midway through the 3rd quarter. They aren't good enough to do that. They haven't earned shit and you'd think there would be enough competition to not have to worry about it. They need to be sharp today regardless of score and competition.

For my DPOG I'm going to say  Ronnie Perkins. I'd really like to have him be MF'er.

THE SCORE
I think the Sooners play it ultra conservative mostly to give the kickers a chance to build some confidence but scoring will come early and often.

I'm thinking 60-13

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner!