Oklahoma Sooners vs. texas

Fellas, it's a pretty narrow path to a championship. For OU, you have to be undefeated heading into Dallas. Check. Their non-conference slate was borderline clinic. Box scores have been gaudy. Second, you have to beat texas, and third you have to handle your business the rest of the way. 

Texas, for their part, has also followed the same formula. They have handled their business and now we have what everyone wants; OU and the Longhorns undefeated for the first time since 2011. The winner is on the inside rail for the Big 12 championship. For OU, the path looks really favorable if they can escape the Cotton Bowl with a win. 

It's all in front of us now. Let's get it. This could be an all-timer. 

OFFENSE

Dillon Gabriel is for real. Let's have a little mea culpa here and admit that. He's a game manager. While he might miss something big or easy every now then, he's not killing you with dumb plays. He keeps the offense in good down and distance with his feet, too. 

The wide receivers are rounding in to form. Andrel Anthony leads the way and Nic Anderson really looks good to me. Jaden Gibson is a big target who can make catches in traffic. All these guys bring something to the table to keep the Longhorns honest on defense. 

The big question marks will be how well the Sooners can run the ball and how quickly can Dillon Gabriel get settled in. The Longhorn defensive line is going to be much bigger and better than any the Sooners have faced.

I'm going with DG as my OPOG. It's his first Red River Shootout and he's liable to be a little high strung. If he's some semblance of his typical self, the Sooners should be in business.

DEFENSE

As mentioned, the depth here compared to last year is just night and day, but the biggest difference I see is physicality. There are some dogs (dawgs?) out there looking to feast and they are going to be flying and cracking pads in this one. 

The D-line has to occupy the Longhorn line. I'm looking for guys like Adepoju Adebawore to apply some pressure on the edges. From there, it's discipline. This has been a very opportunistic group to this point. Hopefully they can force Quin Ewers into some mistakes while keeping him contained. 

The other obvious point of emphasis is stopping the texas run game. Texas can always run the ball. The Sooners have been pretty solid in this phase, but are we who we think we are? Thus far, the Sooners have been able to get off the field. Their bread and butter has been third and fourth downs. 

Mentally, I get the sense the Sooners are ready in this one. Danny Stutsman is the lynchpin of the D and he's my DPOG today.

THE SCORE

This really could be an all timer. I think this one's going to be fast and physical. I think the country is going to watch this one and see that the SEC is getting a couple teams that can hang. 

I think the Sooners are looking to have long, keep away type drives. The defense is going to absolutely fly around. 

My only fear is the Sooners are a little less tested than the Horns. However, in a rivalry game, in Dallas, this is neutralized. The Sooners are going to be ready and they'll respond when they get hit in the mouth. 

The Sooners win and beat the (narrowing) spread. 

OU 31, Texas 24 

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner. Texas fucking sucks

Oklahoma Sooners vs. Arkansas State

 YESSS

That's the sound I made when I saw that Natey had a draft put together to start the 2023 campaign. That's right, Sooner fans, we're back!

The buzz hasn't been this low surrounding a Sooners football team in quite some time. But we're not quitters and neither are they.

Let's get "fucking hyped" as the youth say. Lots to look forward to today. Let's dispense with the pleasantries. This is a warm-up game. The Sooners will win 56-3 behind a workmanlike effort from the defense and a false chub game from Dillon Gabriel.

What do we have to look forward to for the season, though?

MAJOR DEFENSIVE IMPROVEMENT

I know. I get it. When you are ranked 122nd in total defense there is nowhere to go but up. But the Sooners have massively upgraded the talent. This dude Dasan McCullough from Indiana is legit. They got Trace Ford, Jacob Lacey and Jonah Laulu are going to beef up the front. Peyton Bowen is the real deal at Safety. 

Then you have reliable returning players like Danny Stutsman, Jaren Kanek (who may not play much) and Billy Bowman

I'm telling you, that defense is on the way up.

DEPTH AT QUARTERBACK

If Dillon Gabriel goes down or is, God forbid, woefully ineffective, Jackson Arnold is a massive upgrade over Davis Beville. 

Anyhow, that's all I know for now.

OFFENSE

Let's go Dillon Gabriel. The rest is up for grabs.

DEFENSE

I know I just jumped on some Dasan McCullough tip but he's not even getting the start. That goes to a guy named Justin Harrington.

If he's good enough to start and be a captain, he's my game 1 DPOG.

THE SCORE

It's a workmanlike effort that no one will let themselves get too excited about. 

Sooners 56, whatever Arkansas State is called, 3.

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner

LETS GO!

Oklahoma Sooners versus Texas Tech Red Raiders

 Hello Sooners fans and welcome to a rainy Saturday in Oklahoma. The Sooners, fresh off a curious Bedlam win, find themselves bowl eligible and looking to finish the regular season on a high note today in Lubbock Texas against the Red Raiders of Texas Tech.

Against the Cowboys the Sooners played a first quarter on both sides of the ball that looked like quality football. From there, the offense was anemic while putting on a clinic on how not to manage the clock. The Sooners played hurry up and punt while the defense, to their credit, played like what you might hope and expect a Brent Venables football team to play like. 

Today the Sooners need to clean up a lot on offense and continue to build on defense.

OFFENSE

This offense is 8 for 33 on third down over the last two games. Everyone has been responsible. Jeff Lebby, Dillon Gabriel, WR's dropping passes, penalties, you name it. But you have to start with Jeff Lebby today. He has to be able to adjust and someone has to help him manage the clock and timeouts. 

From there, Dillon Gabriel needs to chill the fuck out. In the first quarter last week he looked in rhythm. He was light on his feet and he had confidence. You can sense his tension and see it on the field in the last three quarters when he fires laser beams on short routes or takes dumb sacks.

He needs to relax, give his playmakers a chance and run every now and then. Jalil Farooq and Marvin Mims need to step up. They have about 10 drops between them in the last month. When they get a chance at a catchable ball, they need to step up. 

I'm taking Dillon Gabriel today who has to be pleased with some of what he saw on film. Build on it. 

DEFENSE

I did not see last week coming. One could argue that this is not the Oklahoma State offense of years past and you would be right. But the Sooners have been letting mediocre offenses embarass them all season. It was a huge boost to be able to turn the ball over, hassle Spencer Sanders and hang on for the victory. 

Notably, the line looked better. Isaiah Coe, Jaylen Redmond and Jeffrey Johnson have been getting some pressure. Ethan Downs and Jonah Laulu have been visible. Laulu, in particular, shows some promise. 

CJ Coldon has arrived on the scene at DB. He seems to have taken over for a much maligned and often abused Jaden Davis. Billy Bowman has been solid since he came back. 

Look. None of these guys are all Big 12. But over the last month they've played well enough to keep the Sooners in the game. 

Tonight they need to keep it up because Lubbock is always a tough place for the Sooners to play and the odds of DG not shitting himself are slim.

For shits and grins I'll take my man Laulu for DPOG. Fuck it.

THE SCORE

I get the sense that the wide receivers of the Sooners are going to put it together today. And I think Jeff Lebby learned something from tape before he strapped on a feedbag at his Thanksgiving dinner. These two developments are key for the Sooners as they have to score probably 38 points to make sure they win. 

It's a tall order. Still, you know me, I'm taking the Sooners here 38-31.

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner.

Oklahoma Sooners vs. Kansas State Wildcats

Hello Sooner fans. Our boys find themselves 3-0 after an inspired win at Nebraska. I mentioned last week that the axing of Scott Frost was the dead cat bounce of a 20 year free fall and I was not wrong. The Huskers were outmanned in every facet of the game.

That said, there is still a certain cache with the Cornhusker brand and delivering a thoroughly dominant performance against them, at home, in a primetime tv time slot was a big deal for Brent Venables and the Sooners. Gus Johnson and Joel Klatt called the game and could not stop talking about how this Sooners team looks and feels different. 

Today the Kansas State Wildcats roll into Norman, offering the Sooners another opportunity to take a step forward and to show the college football world they are, in fact, different than Sooners teams of recent memory. KState always give the Sooners a hard time, a fact not lost on oddsmakers who have installed the Sooners as 13.5 point favorites. It's suckers bet to take KState. Past is not prologue for these Sooners.

OFFENSE

The Sooners racked up 35 first half points on the shamefully slow Husker defense last week in Lincoln and it should have been worse. Dillon Gabriel was not crisp on several passes including most of his tries deep middle. He missed an easy throw that would have gone for six on a deep middle pass and the Sooners subsequently had to try for a field goal which also missed. We Sooner fans are spoiled with high level quarterback play but that also means we know what it looks like and Gabriel is not at that level currently. Now, to his credit, he's above 65% completion and, crucially, has zero turnovers. The question is, what can his ceiling be? Remember, he missed most of last season and he's played all of three games. You have to think that he's going to start settling in, slowing down a little and hitting more of those deep targets. Seeing if he can develop under Jeff Lebby is the most interesting thing to watch for me on this side of the ball from this point forward. If things progress as I hope that and Gabriel takes control of the offense then watch out. 

Gabriel is my OPOG today because I want to see him clean it up today and really take the reins of the offense. A welcoming home crowd should provide that opportunity.

Key to Gabriel's success will be Eric Gray. The Sooners clearly are hell bent on establishing the run and Gray has been fantastic. The Wildcats will sell out to try and force the Sooners to throw. I expect lots of play action with Gray getting the ball often on short passes and screens. 

DEFENSE

Deuce Vaughn is the Alpha and Omega of the Wildcats offense. The Sooners, in their turn, will gameplan around slowing and/or stopping him. This will be the first real test of the Sooners defense. I've seen nothing yet to indicate the Sooners aren't up to the challenge.

If the Sooners can win the line of scrimmage as they have every game thus far, Nebraska transfer Adrian Martinez will be running for his life.

The Sooners have been holy terrors defensively and it hasn't been just one person. Reggie Grimes, Billy Bowman, Danny Stutsman, Ethan Downs and Jaren Kanek have all stood out to me over the course of three games. You love to see it. 

Now, I said past is not prologue but you can count on the Wildcats being physical. That's just what they are. The Sooners, though, are now in a position to not only match it, but if they can somehow be demonstratively more physical than the Wildcats, watch out. It's an indicator the Sooners are not to be easily dismissed in conversations for national title contenders. That's not crimson colored glasses, either. We're talking about having an established identity that, if the Sooners had it over the last five seasons, could have resulted in one if not more titles. Seriously.

For my DPOG today I'm going with Deshaun White. He got ejected for targeting last week which opened the door for extended playing time for Kanek. Kanek already looks like a beast and if he's hot on the heels of White then hopefully that inspires White to step up his game. 

SCORE

I don't think this will be a particularly high scoring game but I definitely see the Sooners winning comfortably by three scores. I don't think the Wildcat offense will be dynamic enough to damage the Sooners if the Sooners can maintain the focus and physicality they've shown so far this year and I think the Sooners offense has a chance to really settle in and start hitting their stride with the game being in Norman. 

I like the Sooners 42-17.

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner