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

Oklahoma Sooners vs. Kansas State Wildcats

 Happy college football Saturday, friends. The Sooners are taking on Kansas State in Manhattan and, oh boy, am I puckered up for it. The Sooners are 4-0 and have done quite literally just enough to win the last two weeks. Now they find themselves playing on the road for the first time against an always game Wildcat squad. In sports, the past is not always prologue but today we've got what look to be two fairly matched teams, especially on defense. It will come down to who is toughest. The Sooners have proven to be tough enough so far. Can they do it again today?

OFFENSE

Well, Spencer Rattler has taken much heat both in this space and from his own home fanbase. It turns out that maybe the offensive line is a little shitty. The Sooners inability to run the ball is costing them dearly. Today we need to find out if the offensive line can improve and if Lincoln Riley can draw something up to carve out some semblance of a run threat. I still cannot for the life of me understand why Kennedy Brooks is not getting more touches. My peanut sized football mind can't figure it out.

All this talk about the line and the run game and yet what the Sooners will especially need today are some big plays which have also been notably absent. Marvin Mims needs to bust out and apparently he has been moved back into more of a slot position. Jaden Haselwood has been good too. But where is the space and separation? Where are the easy throws. I am, again, much vexed.

For my OPOG I guess I'll go with Michael Woods II. He gets a lot of targets and seems to make the most of them. I can't believe I'm guessing on offense but here we are. 

DEFENSE

A quick look at Kansas State statistically would indicate that they like to run the ball a lot and might use multiple QB's. Once again, holding the opponent to 21 should be enough and would be beyond enough in recent years. 

The Sooners need more than that today. Again, no big plays. This Deuce Vaughn (RB, KState) needs to graduate because he's a major pain in the ass. If the Sooners can shut him down maybe they can get a pick or two on some obvious passing downs.

For my DPOG today I'm taking a page of Nate's playbook and going Delarrin Turner-Yell. He was all over the field last week and hopefully can wreak some havoc this week.

THE SCORE

Oh baby I'm nervous. I just don't see the offense busting out so the defense just needs to keep things close and count on Rattler et al to gut it out. Thankfully we have the nations best field goal kicker who is liable to get 4 scores today. That still may not be enough.

Sooners 27, Wildcats 21

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner.

Oklahoma Sooners Versus Kansas State

 

The Sooners are 1-0 and happy to be here frankly. As of this writing, it is unclear whether Kansas State will be able to field a team on account of Covid. Such is the world we live in. The Sooners say they’re ready though and I feel sorry for the Wildcats as the Sooners come off a bye week and a glorified scrimmage against Missouri State. The Sooners looked polished in that one and proved the cupboard is not bare.

Spencer Rattler looked like the real deal as he fired 50 yard lazer beams that looked effortless. Also, standing out was Seth McGowan who physically looks like a leaner Trey Sermon but who has tremendous vision for the hole and speed to get to it and through it quickly [Insert “That’s what she said” joke here].

Let’s pretend this game will happen and that we have any idea what’s going to happen, shall we?

OFFENSE

I think Sooner quarterbacks combined to throw passes to no less than 34 different receivers so I look for that to continue this week as they feel out who can be reliable and the next “big star”. Marcus Mims threw his hat in the ring last week by flipping the field on punt returns (which was nice to see) and by hauling in one of the longer TD passes from (snake strike sound) Rattler.

I want to see more of this Seth guy, though, because he has legit homerun ability. He’s my OPOG today.

DEFENSE

I wish I could say I got some feel for these guys, at all, against the Bears but truth be told this game was over midway through the first quarter and I was in the hot tub already dipping into the bubbly.

Alas, there was a guy, number 24, Brian Asamoah, who seemed to be flying to the ball. He seemed ready for the moment. I’ll ride that pony to my DPOG this week.

THE SCORE

I like the Sooners big here provided the game gets played. Look for Spencer Rattler domination and I’ll predict the D gets two turnovers.

Sooners 49, Kansas State 14

 

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner.

Oklahoma Sooner versus Kansas State

The undefeated Sooners stroll into the Little Apple this Saturday to face a Wildcats team I know nothing about. It looks like they play a style of football hell bent on setting football back 25 years. I'm assuming they will look and act like a homeless version of Texas.

OFFENSE

If, in fact, this is a take 2 of a homeless man's Texas then the formula is pretty simple. Don't turn the ball over. If K-State's offense wants to hang on to the ball then the Sooners need to maximize their opportunities. Obviously this all depends on Jalen Hurts. Hurts boners against the Longhorns kept the game too close for comfort. K-State doesn't need to be led to believe they can hang.

I look for lots of running from the Sooners. There's been a lot of rumbling/grumbling about Trey Sermon's lack of carries but the simple fact is Kennedy Brooks is the best running back in the Sooners stable right now. The dude glides. Also, Hurts is more than eager to call his own number. Regrettably, what's left is table scraps.

Anywho, I'm going with Charlston Rambo this week because the Sooners will pass and K-State should probably try to make someone besides CeeDee Lamb beat them. We'll see how that goes.

DEFENSE

Supposedly K-State leans heavily on their running attack. This has country music super duo Kenneth Michael Murray and Ronnie Perkins licking their chops. The gang tackling continues this week with the same quality results.

Thus concludes my understanding of the K-State attack. They have a new coach and I have yet to watch them play.

For my DPOG I'll go with another wild card: Delarrin Turner-Yell. He's starting to fly all over the field. I think he helps the cause in a great way.

THE SCORE

Well, I think the Sooners keep from turning the ball over and the ball control offense that K-State hopes to deploy doesn't really work. In short, it's crimson-colored glasses all day, baby!

I like the Sooners 35-14

Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner!

OU vs. KState

Last week the Sooners got just what the doctor ordered in a convincing win on the road against a Big 12 darling. I went back and watched the tape and really it should have been more lopsided. The Sooners dropped two of the easiest interceptions of all time and one TCU player accounted for over 200 yards of TCU's net yardage and most of that happened on special teams.

What I'm saying here is the Sooners got back to work, got back on track and have an opportunity to build some more momentum today as they take on the turtle-neck, wind-breaker poster child Bill Snyder and his Kansas State Wildcats.

Surprise surprise I haven't watched much of K-State but let me take a stab at it. They have a QB who is mediocre but can probably run himself or the option in a pinch. They probably have a decent wide receiver. They'll play ball control. Defensively they'll play hard. It's the same team they've had for 30 years minus the NFL prospects.

OFFENSE

Kyler Murray continues to put up gaudy numbers but his game is improving. He's checking down receivers routinely and distributing the ball better. Look for more of the same today. Lee Morris and Austin Meier are two guys he has started getting in on the action.

Kennedy Brooks has emerged as the 2018 version of Rod Anderson. He's averaging a ludicrous 10+ yards per carry. It's pretty incredible to think that if you hold him to half his average it means you are still probably going to get your ass kicked.

I guess I'll ride the hot hand today and go Kennedy Brooks for OPOG. Trey Sermon is dinged up so Kennedy will likely be the guy.

DEFENSE

The jury is still very much out on this group and like I said last week nobody would have been surprised by a very strong performance. Can they build on it today against a team that frankly should offer every opportunity to get dominated?

Keep an eye out for Nate's favorite statistic, punts. Can the Sooner D get the Wildcats off the field. Ball control will be the 'Cats best defense so the Sooner D will have to make some plays on 3rd down.

I think I'll go with my man Kenneth Michael Murray again today, mostly because I can't think of anyone better. But, hopefully some guys start to stand out.

THE SCORE

This is going to be another slaughter. KState doesn't have near the horsepower on either side of the ball to be competitive and on a glorious sunny afternoon at home in Norman the Sooners are going to fire on all cylinders.

Sooners 63, K-State 14

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner

K State

I didn't get to sit down and watch last week's game start to finish, but I did catch a good majority of it in bits and pieces. I'm most likely far from correct, but it looked to me like the defense did a little better. They're certainly far from elite, but with the offense the Sooners possess they don't have to be either. If they can just tackle and not give up 10 home runs every week, they should win. The blitzing looked to be far less frequent and certainly less predictable. In short, it seemed to be an improvement. But I temper my expectation as Mitch made a good point last week in that, we'll really know what's going on in a couple of weeks.

Speaking of tackling and not giving up home runs, the Wildcats of K State come to Norman this fine Saturday. Bill Snyder has carved out a legendary career based almost exclusively on fundamentals and not beating himself. Though his national relevance has certainly waned in correlation with his years of life, the Wildcats are still a sound team. Once a perennial thorn in OU's side, recent years have proven to be less of a test, but OU still needs to come strong today. With a tough road test against high-flying Tech next week, this could be a bit of a trap game. The Sooners still have everything they want in front of them, but not if they lose another game.

Offense

Another week and another significant injury. After losing Rod Anderson for the season earlier this year, RB was already a bit thin. Now Trey Sermon is likely out, though his injury seems to be of a mystery (at least to me) for the most part. The lack of a definite report from Lincoln Riley doesn't scream minor or that he'll be out there this week. Kennedy Brooks looked very good stepping in, but as with Anderson, it's impossible that loss isn't felt. In better news, it appears Hollywood Brown is good to go and that speed on the outside is huge. All of that is a lot of fluff in me getting to CeeDee Lamb as my player of the game. That guy is always making big plays, whether it's a long TD or a clutch 3rd down catch. I like more of it today against K State.

Defense

As I alluded to before, I have cautious optimism around this D now. It's classic addition by subtraction here. K State employs the dreaded running quarterback, long the checkpoint to the Sooners night of partying. texas' own Sam Ehrlinger looked like Jamelle Holieway circa '85, which was a lot of fun to watch for Sooners fans. Hopefully OU can play some disciplined defense today, stay in position, and not give up huge gains. I like Kenneth Murray today to make a bunch of tackles and force at least one turnover.

Score

This does feel a bit like one the Sooners could be looking ahead on. They got back on track against TCU last week, have a tough road test next week, and have nothing K State this week. Against a disciplined football team, that can be dangerous. But I think OU will have too much offense against them, despite them hanging around a little longer than the home faithful would care for. OU TCBs but just misses the cover and hits the over (OU -24.5, o/u 64.5) today 47-24.

Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner

Kansas State

Well, OU survived again last week. That's what it's come to at this point, isn't it? The glad tidings and hand jobs that followed the (increasingly improbable) road win at Ohio State have all be vanished. A home loss to a decidedly mediocre team and a sphincter testing rally against another decidedly mediocre rivalry team will do that. Nonetheless, a win is a win and today looks to be another challenge. Hopefully the Sooners will do their usual trick of coming out of the gates sprinting and get a sizable lead. Hopefully they will not forget that the game is 4 quarters instead of 2 again. K State is always a tough win, and they seem to win a game or two every season that they have no business winning. Playing solid fundamentals and putting players in position to make plays will do that, regardless of talent discrepancies. Snyder, no matter what your taste for him is, always has his guys ready and that's highly respectable. In short, this game is certainly not a gimme and a loss, while deflating, would not be incredibly shocking at this point.

Offense

Mark Andrews reestablished himself as a man amongst children last week and basically kept the ever-so-slim national title hopes alive single handedly. Mayfield continues to do his thing and nearly every game I find myself thankful he's a Sooner and not a foe when he scrambles around for 15 seconds and then cuts the opponents heart out with an unlikely first down scramble or long completion. With that said, K State generally does a decent job of making teams beat them with someone other than their marquee players. I think CeeDee Lamb steps up today and gets a lot of looks and, consequently, has a huge day as the Wildcats work hard to take away Andrews.

Defense

They looked a little better last week, but make no mistake, texas is pretty bad, and their QB is shit. I don't know much about K State at all, let alone how much experience they field at various skill positions, but I'm comfortable guessing their QB will have a career day today. It's been a rocky season up to now for LB Kenneth Murray, but Snyder's teams often go with the "5 yards and a cloud of dust" method so I think the youngster has a big day against a run heavy attack.

Score

This game has loss written all over it. Going to Manhattan is always a tough win, and as I mentioned earlier, the Wildcats are always prepared. I hope it's not another late-game meltdown, but it's certainly a possibility. For now, I'm going to remains as optimistic as I can and say the Sooners escape again, this time with a 24-21 victory.

Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner

Oklahoma Sooners vs. Kansas State Wildcats

The Sooner Bandwagon as of 4:00PM CST on October 10th, 2015

Well it didn't take long for Sooner championship hopes to squirt hot diarrhea down its trouser legs.

Good Lord did the Sooners get exposed. Defensively, I guess there are some who learned to tackle in some alternate universe where throwing a head at a thigh pad is an effective method. The unit also collectively decided to ignore such fundamentals as, "Play to the Whistle". Texas passed 12 times and still couldn't stop the run, much less key on it.

Offensively, the Bill Dorn, "Ole' Bullshit" pass protection technique did little to hinder a Texas pass rush that sometimes consisted of three linemen. Berry Tramel spent all week defending the Sooner O-Line but, c'mon, they were abysmal. I was stunned to learn that Josiah St. John, the absolute worst of the bunch, is a senior. I also can't figure out if the coaches unwillingness to sub linemen out is due to policy or because the 2nd and/or 3rd string is even worse. Probably the latter.

Schematically, it doesn't appear any Texas tape was watched. The Sooners had a game plan by God and they were going to run it. Until this week, the Texas rush defense had more gaping holes than a Hanoi brothel. The Sooners averaged 1.8 yards per rush.

So now there is all this crap on tape and nobody does more with less than this week's foe, Ol Oversized Windbreaker himself. I  can imagine Bill watching OU-Texas game tape, sitting in front of the hearth with his turtleneck and his all white walking shoes kicked up on the davenport, faithful Sharon brings him a slice of Turtle Pie, his eyes moisten and the television reflects off those cold eyes of his. A faint smile crosses his lips. Buzz-cut Wildcat Nation smells blood.

I'm not excited about it.

OFFENSE

Everything needs to get better and it starts up front obviously. But Baker Mayfield needs to rebound from his worst performance as well. He made bad situations worse by not getting rid of the ball. In zone read situations he made some bad calls. If his receivers can get two hands on the football they need to catch it.

I feel I'm on a two week cycle here but I'm picking Mayfield again. Picking a running back is a joke because the running game is never going to be that important. K-State is going to blitz early and often and Mayfield's going to have to find some space fast and get rid of the ball faster. This is literally the only chance.

DEFENSE

Is it 2014 again where I feel like picking a defensive player is like deciding where I want to get punched? These guys are so annoying. The tackling "display" last week was just embarrassing. I seriously doubt it is something that is practiced. I can't imagine what "technique" is taught that results in such terrible results. I also have zero faith that any noticeable changes will be made. Oh there might be some different faces on the field. It's the players faults after all (sarcasm) but nothing that says, "we've watched tape and we stink at stopping the run up the middle we should get ready for that by finding a safety who tackles reliably and moving him a couple steps closer to the line (or something - grasping at straws here)".

In any case I suppose I'll pick Dominique Alexander. He seems to be the best tackler we have and they'll run all day. Being the best tackler on this team is like a screen door being the best boat in your Navy though.

SCORE

Yes I'm down in the dumps and no longer a believer. One week ruined it. Maybe we can get it back but we're not playing Kansas or Iowa State. These are the only teams left on the schedule who are incapable of scoring 40 on us and I'm shaken at the lack of improvement of the O-Line and our inability to stop the run. That's really everything right there.

I'm counting on a miracle. Punter/Kicker/Freshman wunderkind Austin Siebert wins this one for us today after the Sooners pick off a pass and force a fumble on special teams.

I'll go OU 31, K-State 28.

Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner

Kansas State

Normally this is the time of year where my sphincter is clinched tight enough to snap a railroad tie, but with 2 marks on the loss side of the Sooners ledger, my anxiety is nearly nonexistent. Yes, I want to win badly, no I don't care if we're in the Beef O'Brady's bowl or the Meineke Car Care bowl. Regardless of a win or loss we'll be facing off sometime in the no-man's-land between Christmas and New Year's where most people could give a shit about who's playing in random bowl game x. Nonetheless, I would very much enjoy beating Kansas State on the road. Bill Snyder no doubt has a good gameplan for us. He's likely been connecting liver spots on his chest with a sharpie, diagraming plays on the creases of his paper-like antique skin. Going back to the brutal Big 12 championship loss in '03, he always seems to have a good recipe for us. Whether or not that means a win today will be seen, but with our hopes flapping on the noodle right arm of Trevor Adolphis Knight, things appear bleak. Not to mention we are upon yet another mystery suspension of two key players, which always helps.

Offense

Without Damien Williams, this narrows down our options at RB for once. Though, I'm confident if I picked an RB I'd manage to go with the wrong one. As such, I will be picking a WR today. "Fucking idiot", might be what just entered your head(s), and rightfully so. Knight has been pretty fucking terrible at passing all year. So why a WR? Because I've been nothing if not epically consistent at naming an MVP and having that player completely disappear for the week. So I'm trying to use my powers for good, not evil this week. I basically hit an upper deck home run with Sterling Shepard pick last week (DNP), so I'm riding that pony all the way again. I'm reasonably certain he's at least cleared to see the field, but am positive that I'm too lazy to fact check that at this point. So it's Sterling Shepard with fingers crossed he plays and does something meaningfully positive for the Sooners.

Defense

I'm not really sure what KState does offensively, or what they do well. But if I know The Ghosts of Montgomery Burns at all, I'd bet they run the ball early and often. So, I'm going LB today. I'm going in the way of the frosh, Dominique Alexander. He's honestly been pretty damn solid all year. The future looks bright for the chap and I think that he's going to be quite solid today against the purple nurples.

Score

I don't feel good about this game at all. These guys always play us tough, and the fact that it's on the road doesn't help anything at all. However, I'm hopeful some revenge will be on our minds. Not to mention we've had a little extra time to prepare for them. I like the Sooners today in a slugfest, 17-10. Let's get these rotten bitches.

Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner

K-State

We're 11 games into the schedule now and, as of this writing (3 hours to kick), there's no official word as to who the Oklahoma Sooners starting quarterback will be. The presumptive starter is Trevor Knight and why not? He was at the reigns as the ground game stampeded over the loins of Iowa State last week.

Regrettably, the Sooners cannot play Iowa State every week. The purple windbreaker and white mock turtleneck of the legendary Bill Snyder awaits and there's trouble ahead. The Sooners can run the ball well. Trevor Knight especially has struggled mixing the forward pass into the gameplan. The Wildcats are the best in the league at stopping the run.

I'm not sure our offense will be on the field much anyway. Anyone who's watched 2 quarters of the Sooners this year realizes their defense has a knack for keeping themselves on the field what with offsides penalties and being fairly terrible on 3rd down.

In short, I'm expecting the worst and hoping for the best.

OFFENSE

Based on what you've just read, let's just say the odds of this being Lacoltan Bester's breakout game are not good.

Obviously the Sooners need to go meat and potatoes here. Pound the ball and don't get cute for chrissakes. Just once this year I'd like to see them establish the power run game before it's too late and, God forbid, establish their identity early.

It's just unfortunate that K-State is best at stopping the run and their weakness appears to be covering the pass.

So, who to pick? For old times sake I'll go DD Williams (kiss of death). He's been coming on the last couple weeks. In other news will there be a Keith Ford sighting? Did you know that Nate and I both picked Sterling Shepherd last week and he didn't play due to concussion? We're pretty good prognosticators here.

DEFENSE

There's a lot to like here. This unit is coming on and against a team like K-State I expect some big hits and guys flying around.

Here are some bright spots from what's left of this unit after injury: Charles Ass Tapper, Geneo Grissom on occasion, All the Linebackers, Eric "Ted" Striker, Quinton Hayes, Zach Sanchez (sometimes).

From this unit today I'll go Dominique Alexander. He's been steady but he's due to have a key positive impact. I actually feel pretty good about this pick.

THE SCORE

On paper, this seems like a low scoring affair. But, I'm going to steal a page from Navin's playbook and say this will be a little higher scoring than people think.

I'll go OU 34 K-State 31

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner

OU - KState Post Mortem

I'll get to Texas Tech but first let me get out this post K-State ramble I had put together.

Since 2000, every opponent treats a game against the Sooners as if it's the biggest game in program history. And for 90% of opponents that is the case. Even if they've played the Sooners 50 times, if they win, it's the biggest victory in progam history.

Why in the fuck, then, do the Sooners never realize, much less match or exceed, an opponent's level of intensity/urgency? K-State was business like. They acted like they were 3-0 and 4-0 would be a big fucking deal. This game was a big deal.

I like to imagine this Disney movie scene where K-State had to ride down to Norman on a bus with no AC. Someone insulted someone's mother and it turned into a shitshow on that thing. Then Old Man Snyder wouldn't let the boys off the bus until they came together (take that how you like). The squad gels and proceeds to put on a clinic.

Can you imagine that happening with this OU team? No. Frickin. Way. Who is to blame? Is it the coaches? It's their job to get players ready, right? Or, should the players be responsible for understanding the gravity of the situation and it's their fault they aren't ready to play?

I think it's the coaches.

That said, Bobby Stoops can stay as long as he wants. 10 wins a year let's you do as you please. But there is a very serious issue with his team's sense of the moment. It's been a problem for years and it starts and ends with him.

OU played like they could coast until Texas or Notre Dame.

Then there's Landry doing obligatory Landry things. Some of his throws are the worst pieces of shit of all time. It's some of the most god-awful decision making you'll see at this level. It's textbook Pant Shitting. There's always one play where there is no pressure, he has time and he fires a laserbeam  that's literally into an opponent's numbers. It's so awful it's impossible to defend and it's so predictable I feel like I write it every week. Against K-State it cost dearly.

He's a system QB with an overmatched offensive coordinator. Shit rolls downhill. Nate will put a blunter point on it and say something to the effect of, "He's a fucking piece of shit".  Thank Jesus for Nate.

Other offensive miscues, of course, included the Belldozer fumble and the Lonnie fumble for touchdown. You just can't do that and win. The fact that Lonnie is still doing this crap though is real cause for concern.

You can't give the defense a free walk either. They had every opportunity to shut K-State down and get them off the field but they rarely did. They didn't force a single turnover. They couldn't get a stop when they had to. K-State converted a 3rd and 15 in the 4th quarter. K-State valued the football and OU could not get them off the field.

A couple other lines from my notepad:

• Roy Finch had 1 carry for 11 yards. This in and of itself did not cost the Sooners the football game. But for real, why doesn't he play?
• Tom Wort seemed overmatched.

I'd love to talk about what K-State did well. I don't give a shit though. They were handed at minimum 17 points. They deserved to win but fuckem all the same.

OU - KState Preview

Iconic Turtlenecks

This Saturday the season begins in earnest. It's Bob Vader v. Bill Kinobi. Give Bobby some truth serum and he wants this game as bad or worse than he wants texas or OSU. This bodes well as the Student is coming off two full weeks of preparation for the Master. Let's break it down.

DEFENSE

The Sooner defense is famous (in my mind) for shutting down Heisman hopefuls. Last year that reputation took a major hit when Robert Griffin III all but thanked "The Sharks" when he accepted his Heisman Trophy.

This week the boys have a chance to cleanse their sullied reputations. But they'll have to hustle. This Collin Klein (Or Kellen Klein or Collin Quinn as I'll inevitably start calling him by late Saturday) is built like a brick shithouse and he's starting to show up on Heisman short lists. He's no RGIII but he is the cornerstone of the K-State attack. For the first time in Steamroller history I had to check two sites (read: work overtime) to confirm a stat. This sumbuck rushed the ball 327 times last year (!) and scored 27 TD's on the ground.

He's also a soulless Ginger which makes him extra dangerous. ZING!

But fear not, for I do bring glad tidings this day. He doesn't value the football. Here's hoping an aggressive and opportunistic defense can capitalize on his carelessness. I've had visions this week of a defensive touchdown. Dear Jehovah let me be right!

I study lots of film so I believe the Linebackers are key to stopping this Klein attack. They must "mind their gaps" and "not break contain". So, my choice for Defensive Player of the Game (dba D-POG) must come from the duo of Tom Wort or Corey Nelson. I have more confidence in Tommy Wort not making me look like a bigger doofus than I already am so I pick him.

OFFENSE

Lonnie really loves playing K-State. He put up PlayStation numbers against the Wildcats last year. We don't need that to happen again to win (but I'll take it!). The offensive line simply needs to give him time to "look left" or "look right" (I think these are the two plays on his wristband play sheet) and get rid of the ball. Anything to get K-State defenders out of the box is what we're after.

Then the Sooners can hammer the run game. Again, the O-Line doesn't have to set the world on fire. We are learning all they have to do is give DD enough time to get to that 2nd level. Then it's "on". The K-State secondary is crap. Their defensive line is where it's at. It must be neutralized.

Some semblance of a balanced attack and this football game is over. Through two games (and especially against Florida A&M) the balance has been pleasantly awesome. Balance against K-State would mean something else entirely and would establish it as the Sooner offensive identity going forward. That would make me giddy as a schoolgirl.

For my Offensive Player of the Game (O-POG) I shall not disembark the DD Williams train until someone makes me. Another strong performance will have him moving up some Heisman watch lists in his own right. To paraphrase the incomparable Clark Griswold I couldn't be more surprised if I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet.

SCORE

I have good feelings about this football game. I am looking through crimson-colored glasses this week and I received a text from Nate saying he had bad feelings.

All is right in Sooner Nation.

In addition, the Sooners are coming off a bye, Bobby wants to take the old man behind the woodshed again and it's another night home game. Let's do this.

Sooners 38 Wildcats 21

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner. Crack them PBR tallboys!

OU vs. K-State

Last week was an abomination. Gabe Lynn got torched so bad that Brent Vanables had to use a fire blanket to pull the lad's scorched corpse off the field. The Sooners tackling was atrocious but it's hard to say it was worse than their ability to shed blocks. The offense lacked imagination until it was too late. 5 consecutive three and outs is impossible to imagine. But it happened. Then there was the oft-maligned kicking game.

Was it a lack of motivation or Texas Tech just playing a great game? Is OU a bad team? Injuries? I can't believe it was a motivation issue. With each passing week the ultimate prize is one week closer. Even a 19 year old should be able to grasp that pretty easily.

Let's face facts: The Sooners looked average against Mizzou. They looked great against an inferior texas team. They looked average against a woeful Kansas team. And they gave up 41 points at home to a Texas Tech team that barely lost to Kansas State and Texas A&M.

Next up for the Sooners? Kansas State and Texas A&M. Oh my geez.

This week is make or break.

The matchup with K-State was already looming large but now it sets the tone the rest of the way. Lose, and nothing that lies ahead is easy save an Iowa State home game. Win, and confidence is renewed going into next week with another big one against A&M.

One last gripe about last week. The game started late and the weather sucked but by the time the Sooners were going for an onsides kick there were about 20,000 people left in the stadium. OU fans are the worst. 65,000 "faithful" were happy to bail and the oft criticized student section was never full.

OFFENSE

I'm tempted to pick Roy Finch because he played so well last week and I have no idea if Dom Whaley will be back. On the other hand I seem to be on a run of jinxing whomever I pick. In that vein I'll go with James Hanna. That way if I'm wrong it'll be so right because anytime the Sooners remember you can attempt a forward pass to a Tight End good things usually happen. And if I'm wrong it'll be just like every other game and Broyles and Kenny Fuckin Shitbag can get theirs again.

DEFENSE

I'm just going to come out with it: Demontre Hurst. Last week he actually got picked on a little bit and the Red Raiders had some success. So I think K-State will try it since they saw it on film and I think Hurst bounces back.

Let me also just say how desperately this Defense needs to get its swagger back. After ball-hawking the first 5 weeks the Sooner D has forced exactly 0 turnovers the last two weeks.

THE SCORE

I'm more nervous about this game than any other all season (that's straight from the whodathunkit files). K-State is going to be quite interested in beating some Sooner ass and ripping their spirits apart. We'll see the true measure of this Sooner football team today.

I think they'll do just enough. Josh Heupel will be playing keep away from the K-State offense. The Defense has been humbled. The coaches know they share in the blame of last week. Bobby Stoops and Venables will want to beat their Bill "Mock Turtleneck" Snyder.

Their should be no lack of hunger for anyone on the Sooner sideline. I think this could be a vicious, physical game.

Sooners 31 - K-State 24

Tip them PBR's and Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner