Oklahoma Sooners vs. Mizzou

Good afternoon, Sooner fans. Welcome to another football Saturday where today our beloved and much maligned Oklahoma Sooners revive their history with the Missouri Tigers in Columbia. 

The Sooners are fresh off a decisive victory against the outclassed Black Bears of Maine. It was a game which was almost lose-lose for the Sooners in the sense that they should destroy a team like Maine, so it's ho-hum when it happens. Or, they could have struggled and that would have represented the new bottom for Oklahoma football. The best I can say about it is this team needed reps under Joe Jon Finley.

OFFENSE

The Sooners went for 500 yards total offense against the Black Bears with highlights being Javontae Barnes rushing for 200 yards and Jackson Arnold connecting with JJ Hester for the longest passing play for the Sooners since 1995. 

Bad news for the Sooners, however, as Javontae Barnes is out with an injury this week. That's how we roll. Also out for the Sooners are five offensive linemen. 

The good news is that Jalil Farooq and Deion Burks should be back. Taylor Tatum is still available and running back Sam Franklin looked pretty good last week as well. They should get ample opportunity today. 

I'll drink the Kool-Aid and ride the Jackson Arnold train as he continues to look more confident after being reinserted into the lineup. He should be able to take advantage of some opportunities to create plays.

DEFENSE

Apparently Mizzou has all kinds of issue of their own at quarterback. Their offense is not prolific and they appear to turnover prone. All of this means nothing of course in so far as the Sooners are concerned. They are more than capable of helping anyone out of a funk.

However, this defense still is not like Sooner defenses of the past. If the Sooner offense can keep them in the game, this unit should be buoyed and hold the Tigers to less than 24 points. 

I'll take Dasan McCollough for my DPOG today. No real rhyme or reason for it other than he seems to be healthy and gaining traction week to week.

THE SCORE

The Sooner offense should not be lulled into a false sense of confidence coming off their performance against the hapless Black Bears. However, they should feel more comfortable in the new offense and, with luck, the Sooners can manage to string together some success on the ground and manage to put up enough points to outscore Mizzou, provided the Sooner defense plays to their abilities. 

At this point, we know what the defense is capable of. If the Sooner offensive line is anything close to decent, I like the Sooners to put up 31.

I like the Sooners getting bowl eligible in a must win today. 

Sooners 31, Mizzou 21

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner.

Missouri

 After great public outcry, I am back this week after inexcusably not posting last week. This team does so many things poorly, and a lot of it falls on coaching. The offense is terrible and so often there are questionable game management strategies that arise. Anyway, suffice to say I was uninspired by the Maine team coming. In hindsight I was encouraged that, at minimum, we trounced a team that was ripe for a trouncing. Missouri comes in today and they have underwhelmed relative to pre-season expectations. Luther Burden is an animal (see what I did there? Looking at you over 60 crowd). I fully expect him to go apeshit on the Sooners defense. I don't really think the QB there is that great, but he's serviceable and given our crap offense he should have plenty of reps. Can we get enough stops, and more improbably, can we score enough points to hang in this one? I have my doubts. 

Offense

The offense finally put together some drives last week. Again, this was a terrible team they faced, but nevertheless they scored. I'm hopeful that this gets the running game we so desperately need on track. It will be critical to keep their offense off the field. With this I will go with Javontae Barnes today. I think he goes over 100 yards and a TD. 

Defense

As I mentioned, Burden is going to get some big plays. The key is can we limit them. I like Stutsman today for approximately one shitload of tackles. 

Score

I really hate Mizzou. I grew up in SW Missouri in the 80s and 90s, and I can tell you this die-hard fan base didn't exist (similar to a pro team in the state that is suddenly everone's heart and soul). People couldn't give two shits about Mizzou football then, so I find it absurd that their fans act like they're these born and bred Black and Gold religious fanatics. That said, Missouri is the better team, but I'm going with a spite score. OU pulls out some old Sooner Magic just to make these Tigers fans piss and moan a little bit. Sooners win 27-20.

Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner

Maine vs. Oklahoma Sooners

 Happy Saturday Sooner fans. We're at the point of the season and the Brent Venables era where what should be a bye week, essentially, for the Sooners is a possibly anxiety inducing game. Last week, the Sooners looked competent in the first half. They ran the ball well and had a great two minute drill. The offensive line couldn't compete in the second half and winning chances slipped away.

The Sooners, losers of 4 out of their last 5, need something cathartic to happen in this game. They are a 34 point favorite and find themselves in the odd position of feeling uncertain they can put up that many points total.

It's bad you guys.

OFFENSE

The Sooners looked better in the first half. They used motion, freed up Jackson Arnold to use his legs and complete some easy passes. They ran the ball really well. It was a damning indictment of Seth Littrell that Joe Jon Finley could make that much improvement in a week. 

Today the Sooners have to take another massive step forward to get their confidence up enough to compete with Missouri next week.

Javontae Barnes and Taylor Tatum have been a nice 1-2 punch. I see them getting into the action in a lot of ways. However, Jackson Arnold really needs to be the guy. Yes it's Maine. If he can have a field day, though, and build some confidence, maybe, just maybe there's something positive somewhere down the line.

Jackson Arnold is my OPOG

DEFENSE

The only way the Sooners beat the spread is if this unit score 2 touchdowns themselves, hold Maine to 0, and the offense "breaks" out. 

It could happen and should. 

I'll go Danny Stutsman in this one.

THE SCORE

Yeah I'm writing it in. The best case scenario for the Sooners is the offense looks crisp and strong. They execute and punish in the running game. They play 60 minutes and pour it on if they are actually able to.

The worst case is a crappy offense is still crappy no matter who they play. If they punt more than three times, the boo birds will be out.

I stupidly hold hope the offense looks the best they have since the middle of last season and they can have some confidence against Mizzou, which, really, should be a winnable game.

They don't call them crimson colored glasses for nothing..

Sooners 49, Maine 0

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner.

Ole Miss

 Wow, this Sooners team is not good. One week after getting destroyed by texas, the boys were lambasted by a SC team that is, um, above average. Michael Hawkins jr is not the answer. And in a desperate move, presumably to save his own job, Venables burned the redshirt on Jackson Arnold who wasn't much better. I frankly don't see a scenario where he keeps his job past this season. It would probably take winning out, and there is essentially a zero percent chance that happens. It's ugly. SEC play has not been kind to OU. Those close games that we eked out over the last few seasons just aren't close to happening against consistently better play. 

The Sooners travel to Oxford this fine Saturday to play an Ole Miss team that is ranked 18th. At the beginning of the season this looked like a winnable road game to me, but as it stands I think we get worked. Ole miss is -19 going in today and I would take that money. They score well and we do not. The OU defense is improved but not nearly to the level it would take to hang around in this one.

Offense

I truthfully like no one here. Not one player has stood out this season. Injuries have been a factor at WR, no question. But the OL is just dreadful and regardless of who is playing QB they are getting pasted. I will go with Taylor Tatum for no good reason today.

Defense

Gotta go Stutsman again. I have to think he's really regretting not going to the draft last year instead of hanging around for one more year with this shitheap of a team.

Score

Man, I really have zero confidence in OU. But I have to really hit rock bottom to pick them to lose. I think they find some motivation after getting throttled two straight weeks. OU finds a way 35-28. 

Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner 

Oklahoma Sooners vs Mississippi

Happy Saturday, Sooner fans. Is it still football season? Seth Littrel is out. It had to happen. Joe Jon Finley is in. If you think that's going to turn this ship around then, well.. I'm as optimistic as it gets but this is a train wreck.

Brent Venables is in real trouble, but OU may be in a worse spot. I think BV has a 40 million golden parachute if the they try to get rid of him. I think he gets 1 more season because of this. He shouldn't. This teams issues are so fundamental that the shit can only have run downhill. He's never been good at game management. You work your way back from there and you get an offensive coordinator and game plans that have no semblance of logic. Sooner football is an unmitigated disaster the like of which hasn't been on display since John Blake. It's impossible to overstate how damning that is.

OU is a 20 point underdog on the road this week at Ole Miss and Lane Kiffin is an asshole which means if he has a chance to score 110 points today he will. 

OFFENSE

I will consider it progress if the offense attempts to slow the game down and play keep away from the Ole Miss offense. A 3 and out should take two minutes off the clock, for instance. There should be zero hurry up, unless we can take advantage of 12 men on the field or something. That would require employing strategy which is not a forte. Sadly, I fear we are who we think we are.

I would also consider it a step forward if we commit to the run game as part of this slow the game strategy. We do it halfway decent the five times we try it. The Sooners, to have any chance to look competitive, have to commit to the run. They have to attack the Ole Miss defense and they have to take time off the clock keeping it running with simple throws inbounds.

My OPOG is Javontae Barnes.

DEFENSE

These poor guys. I'll go Gracen Halton today for shits and grins. Hopefully they are given a chance to win this game or keep it close. 

SCORE

Ole Miss might win this game 49-3. If Joe Jon does bring someting resembling competence to the table, maybe the Sooners could get 24? It's unbelievable how bad they are and to expect a huge turnaround is a fools errand.

I'm calling Sooners 10, Ole Miss 42

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner

South Carolina

 Good morning Sooners fan(s). Did you hear that sound? It was the click of the burner being turned on under Brent Venables coaching seat. OU fans do not have a lot of tolerance for losing. But getting your ass absolutely handed to you by your nemesis/rival on the biggest of stages is mortal lock for getting you fired. To his credit Venables has improved the defense in his time as head coach. But at the same, the defense was absolutely terrible when he took over so improvement is not such an amazing compliment. What Venables has also done is turn our offense into a complete shit show. For the first time since John Blake walked the sideline (almost 30 years ago!) we cannot move the ball or score. Nothing about the offense says "we're close". Consequently, OU are home dogs against an unranked South Carolina team that I fully expect to beat us. They've played much better teams than us very closely and, hate to break it to you Sooners, our home field advantage simply isn't that great. My personal opinion is that Venables gets fired after the season. Admittedly there is a long way to go, so there is some time to get back on the right track. But, this far into the season I see no signs of improvement and thus I see it as a matter of time. Optimism!

Offense

This is such a joke. Hawkins has been 10% "I see potential" and 90% this guy sucks. Which says a ton about Jackson "I'm entering the portal as soon as this season ends" Arnold. Yes, the offensive line is wet crepe paper, but even still there is zero individual playmaking exhibited under center. I'll just go with Taylor Tatum for no good reason.

Defense

While I let the moment get the best of me last week, I'm back to all Stutsman all the time today. 

Score

Truthfully, I don't really see OU winning this game. But I am not yet at the level of disgust where I will pick them to lose (though I'm pretty close). OU manages to play enough defense to win today, Sooners 20-17. 

Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner

South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Oklahoma Sooners

 Happy Saturday, Sooner fans. How we feeling this week? I'm non-plussed at best. Last week, we got torched on national tv by the Longhorns. We demonstrated we have zero offensive skills. Seth Littrel almost certainly is the problem, but everything is still so bad it's hard to tell.

Onwards and upwards, though, as a a game South Carolina comes to town. The Cocks gave Alabama all they wanted last week and they boast a terrific defensive line. This might not go well.

OFFENSE

I know adjusting is hard, and I never played a lick of football, but I would love to see this offense just build from the ground up. It starts with the running game. Get Michael Hawkins or whoever under center, put two running backs in the backfield and run some play action or misdirection of that. Go straight at the defense and learn to pound the ball. If you can't do that moderately well, you don't deserve to win anyway.

If you can figure that out, it opens up the passing. I have little faith it happens today. I'll Javontae Barnes for my OPOG.

DEFENSE

I just hope these guys don't give up and keep playing at a high level. It's a shame this defense is getting wasted by this offense. 

Today I'll go Danny Stutsman. The heart and soul needs to bounce back and show out.

THE SCORE

Apologies that my effort matches last weeks offense. Early starts and adulthood are a bear.

Sooner 24, Gamecocks 21 if we're very fortunate.

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner