Oklahoma Sooners vs. Missouri State

 Welcome, Sooner fans, to the 2020 dystopian hellscape of a football season. Death and disease be damned, the show goes on. The Sooners hope to offer a glint of joy to we weary fans.

Enough of my doom and gloom. 

What do the Sooners bring to the table this year? Well, Spencer Rattler at the quarterback position for one. He's much ballyhooed and already appearing on Heisman watch lists. It's not as far fetched as it sounds what with Lincoln Riley being a quarterback whisperer. Also, the Sooners have very little in the way of returning running backs so Rattler will almost certainly be forced to carry more of the load until that position gets settled. Trey Sermon transferred, Kennedy Brooks opted out of the season and Rahmondre Stevenson is suspended. CeeDee Lamb is also gone. 

What I'm saying here is there are opportunities for new faces to step up. This is especially so this season because there is no eligibility limit. This is a free season for everyone so lots of younger players should see the field.

All this makes for some compelling television. 

OFFENSE

I've already spent some time talking about Spencer Rattler but there are other playmakers to watch for today in Charleston Rambo and Trejan Fields at the wide receiver position. As previously mentioned, the running back position needs to get settled. 

The O-line features a true freshman starting at left tackle. I'm too lazy to look him up. Honestly, I didn't think there would be a season so I don't know any of these fucking guys. 

Missouri State figures to be a perfect opener to knock the rust off and get up to speed. I'm taking Spencer for my OPOG.

DEFENSE

We last saw these boys getting their asses spanked by LSU and they still might be still be having nightmares from that shit show. 

However, just as last year was worth watching to see what the Alex Grinch defense might look like, so is this year worth watching to see if a giant leap forward is forthcoming.

It should, not only because of experience and comfort, but also because of that eligibility rule. Expect to see a ton of young guys get some opportunities to elevate this defense. 

Sadly,I'm not sure I could name a starter on this side of the ball. I'm excited to learn their names along with everyone else. It is my understanding that there is some solid young talent in the secondary which would be much welcomed.

In the meantime I will take Jaden Davis as my DPOG because I recognize his name and I imagine he'll see some snaps today.

THE SCORE

I'm going to say Sooners 70, the Bears 7. This is going to be a weird season with a giant asterisk at the end. But, it's football and it's a reprieve so let's enjoy what small pleasures we can these days.

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner.

Oklahoma Sooner vs. Houston Cougars

Welcome to the 2019 college football season and another edition of the Steamroller. The season is full of hope and promise for the Sooners as Lincoln Riley's offense has become one of the most reliably high scoring and fun to watch in all of football. The season is also full of questions as Jalen Hurts makes his debut and, most importantly, the Sooners attempt to field a Top 100 defense under the guidance of Alex Grinch.

Today the Sooners take on the Houston Cougars led by Dana Holgerson. You won't believe this but the Cougars feature a high speed RPO offense. It will be a "tester" for Alex Grinch's new D.

THE OFFENSE

Jalen Hurts and the O-Line are the story here. The offensive line features four new faces which takes the group from the nations best to one of little to no experience. All four linemen who left were drafted in the first round of this year's NFL draft so my faith in Bill Bidenbaugh to develop players is strong. I'm thinking less than five penalties from this group today would be a good measure of success.

Jalen Hurts is the on-off-on again Man of the Hour from Alabama who now gets one last chance to put his skills on display. He came to the right place. He has an embarrassment of riches to work with at the skill positions and, of course, the games best quarterback whisperer in Riley. Riley will let Hurts run at will. The key for Hurts will be decision making. Can he make the right call pre-snap and will he progress through reads if given enough time by the O-Line?

The knocks I keep hearing on Hurts is that he doesn't throw a great deep ball and he checks down to easy throws too often. The latter doesn't make much sense to me as a shortcoming and I think will be especially moot in an offense where, oftentimes, there is a super easy pass to make. I'm interested to see about the deep ball though. To me, this seems like perhaps the "easiest" skill to develop for a quarterback. If it is a weakness then a marginal improvement would make a huge difference.

Hurts is doing and saying all the right things though so I think he'll thrive. He has been named a captain before he's taken an official snap which has to be unprecedented (too lazy to look) and speaks volumes about his effort since arriving in Norman.

Elsewhere on the offense, the Sooners feature the running duo of Trey Sermon and Kennedy Brooks. Their complimentary skill sets should ease the burdens of both Hurts and the O-Line. Brooks seems particularly capable of making a leap from last year and Sermon is as steady as they come.

The wide receivers will be deep and with that marginal at best segue I am picking CeeDee Lamb for my OPOG today. He's already considered one of the best at his position in the country and yet I don't believe we've seen his best work yet. He'll be the primary target and, up to now, he's been an amazing possession type receiver. Starting today I think we see him more in the open field. He wouldn't be returning punts if the only skill he had was catching the ball in traffic. He's going to light it up.

THE DEFENSE

I said last year that if the defense was going to suck so much why not go for broke and blitz all the time, from anywhere. It doesn't take a genius to realize it's harder to execute when you don't know what your opponent is up to. Lincoln Riley obviously knows this. But finally someone listened to me and the Sooners went and got Alex Grinch. His defense is predicated on a lot of pre-snap movement, designed to confuse and disguise, and speed. He gladly trades size for speed to blitz and to quickly gang up to rip the ball away. If you give up some big plays, so be it because that just means the offense gets the ball again. The worst case scenario, from Grinch's point of view, is letting your opponent play keep away from your offense. Agreed.

That said, we have no idea which Sooner, if any, will thrive in this scheme. The bar is incredibly low and the expectations very high. There are a couple of places to look first though.

Neville Gallimore has shown promise for what feels like five years now. He's trimmed down supposedly and this defense demands aggressiveness up front. Could this be his breakout year? Beside him will be Jalen Redmond who has drawn rave reviews as a physical menace. And there is Kenneth Murray who racks up tackles like my wife collects athleisure.

I'm going with Gallimore for my DPOG today and hoping to see someone, anyone, jump out on tape.

THE SCORE

The Sooners are favored by 23 which seems high to me. There's too much "new" with the O-Line, Hurts and the defense. Maybe these unknowns are an advantage. The Cougars will be a good test with a quality quarterback. But I think Hurts shows a steady hand and he gets lots of help. The defense won't ease all concerns and will put plenty on tape to learn from and improve upon.

Sooners 41 Cougars 31

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner

Alabama

The College Football Playoff commences today with our beloved Sooners facing the mighty Crimson Tide from Alabama in the second of two huge games. This marks the third time OU has been to the College Playoffs and the second consecutive year in it. Alas, the next win in this setting for the Sooners will be their first. Going into this game last year, I felt OU had a decent chance of winning. Sure Georgia was tough, but OU had proved their mettle, in spite of a bad defense, with a road win at Ohio State. This year the defense is worse--much worse--and with no real banner wins, my confidence level is near zero.

If you own a TV, or have a reasonable idea of what a TV is, you've probably heard that Alabama is good. As usual, they have a defense that is loaded with NFL prospects and first-round draft picks. They are huge and athletic and fast and mean and can actually fly in short, 15- 20-yard increments. One of their linebackers is in actuality a minotaur that lives on the blood unborn sheep and can bench press 3500 pounds. So yeah, they're imposing. What stands out however, is not the mythical half man/half bull they signed out of rural New Mexico, it's that they have an offense that can score. Not only can they score, they're actually really good at it. So good in fact that their starters hardly played at all in the 4th quarter this season. I present the Sooners first 13 games as exhibits A-M in my case for OU as worst defense of all time. This is not a good matchup.

Optimism? Fear not, I'm sure Mitch will be your divining rod for optimism in the Sahara of this game. I, however, will do my best. Saban has historically had trouble defending an offense like OU. Alabama generally does well against NFL-style offenses found in the SEC. Improvising quarterbacks, and speed based offenses that spread the field and attack are a Big 12 novelty, and not easy to defend. OU is very good at doing these things, and with a stout offensive line, they might actually be able to move the ball and put up some points, minotaur be damned. The other side of the ball? Well, I don't want to ruin the ending for you.

Offense

Last year, you may remember, OU came out very strong and looked all but unstoppable against a good Georgia defense. Then Lincoln Riley showed his youth and inexperience by getting cute and moving away from the bludgeoning run game that had been so effective in the first half. It's not likely that scenario plays out again, but in the event something is working well, let's hope the Sooners stick with it. I think Kyler Murray winning the Heisman was cool, but what Alabama didn't need was material for their bulletin board. With that in mind, I think the Tide is going to be frothing over the chance to crush Kyler. I think Trey Sermon is the Sooners answer. Make no mistake, Murray has to be great, maybe transcendent for OU to have a chance, but I think OU rides Sermon behind a good offensive line.

Defense

Alabama has, for once, a good offense, maybe even a great offense. The Sooners defense is unbelievably bad. I think I'll be surprised if Alabama punts before half time. Oh how I hope I'm wrong. I think the Sooners best chance is to make Alabama sustain drives, and hope for a few lucky bounces with turnovers, dropped passes etc. The fact that this is what I'm hoping will happen is really not good. I will pick Curtis Bolton today simply for the fact that he is often the most fired-up guy. Here's hoping he lays a few big hits and disrupts their offense a bit.

Score

One thing I like about the build-up to this game is that nobody, and I mean nobody, thinks the Sooners have a realistic chance of winning. That's a potent motivator, and I hope Riley and his staff are reminding the team of that often. OU will need to play not only its best game of the season, it will have to be damn near perfect in all phases (no gimme field goals allowed on special teams right before half time, please). I'm fired up to watch this game, and I'm hoping OU comes out and stuns everyone from the get-go, but I just can't do it, Alabama wins it 49-38.

Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner

Texas Tech

Welcome back to another week of the Steamroller. The Sooners go down to Lubbock for a tilt with Kliff Kingsbury and the Red Raiders. The Sooners D looked halfway decent last week. I'm not sure if this due to the new system paying dividends or a really putrid K State offense, but I'm inclined (read: negatively conditioned) to think the latter. Regardless, it was nice to see the defense get stops and keep the OU offense on the field. Let's remember, with the OU offense, the '85 Bears aren't needed, just something other than paper cutouts of football men. 

This week will certainly provide a tougher test. I read an article on Thursday talking about the 2016 matchup. At the time I was incredibly irritated (hope you were sitting down) by the horrid defense, but it was pretty amazing to watch the offensive exhibition by both teams. I'm grossly paraphrasing but, the article quoted Bob Stoops as telling Riley to keep his foot on the gas because, essentially, he had zero faith that the defense could stop Tech. I think that says a lot about his faith in brother,Mikey's D.

The Tech offense is going to be tough. It's going to score fast against the D and it's going to score more than any Sooner fan would like. Fortunately, I believe the OU offense will score a good bit too. The atmosphere will be intense; Tech is solid and a Saturday night home tilt against a top 10 team will bring out the crowd. There are a slew of huge games this Saturday, OU can't get caught scoreboard watching (as I will be doing), just beat Tech and keep the train rolling.

Offense

Another week, another surprise at RB. After writing off Trey Sermon last week, he came out and put both of his cleats squarely up the collective Wildcat ass. Which is tough because kicking with both feet is physically impossible, but humor me. I temper my excitement again because it was a dreadful K State team, but it looked like the running game may finally be rolling again after a long adjustment of missing Rod Anderson. Kyler Murray is so fun to watch too and CeeDee Lamb is breaking out as a dominant receiver. With all of those weapons, it makes zero sense that I'm picking Kennedy Brooks this week. He runs so hard, and I have visions of him catching a screen or short dump off and taking it all the way to the house.

Defense

I think the defense gets exposed again this week for the first time since that godawful texas game. My hope is that it isn't that bad again. The OU secondary hasn't been good, which does not bode well for this matchup. And while the lack of pressure sans blitz has been demoralizing, I think that's the difference today in that Amani Bledsoe come up with at least one huge sack/forced fumble that turns the momentum to OU for good.

Score

OU was -13.5 last I looked and the O/U is 78, so the pros agree that this will be high scoring. I like the offense to move the ball well and I think the defense does enough in a tough road test. I'm taking the over (barely) and OU to cover (barely), Sooners take it 48-31. 

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

TCU

Over the years the Sooners have lost to texas far more than I would like (read: more than once), but of all of the losses that one had the sweetest after taste, the Mike Stoops firing. I (halfway) joked to Mitch a few weeks ago that my phone had wear spots on the screen over the letters I use to type Fire Mike Stoops, now that dream has become a reality. I don't know how he maintained employment for this long, and as of almost two weeks ago, I no longer care. I do not think that the defense will magically be dominant now, but I will be happy if they do basic things like tackle and adjust to what offenses are doing during the game.

Now on to more pressing business. TCU started out this season ranked in the top 25 (I'm 60% sure of that, and 100% sure I don't really care either way) and played themselves impressively far out of it. Some bad losses and generally poor play is the fast track to doing that. However, as any Sooner fan knows, Gary Patterson has always been a thorn in the side of OU. I do carry some optimism though because most of the time they've beaten or at least made a close game of it, it's been 59-58 type of affair. Hopefully, those days are coming to a close (no pressure Ruffin McNeil, Sooner nation only demands a miracle).

Offense

That texas game was the most frustrating affair on offense of the season by a good stretch. Until that late barrage of points at the end, the vaunted Lincoln Riley's were largely held in check. Credit Tom Herman, he's done that repeatedly so far. But, in spite of the good plan by texas, Kyler Murray still had a tremendous game and I think he does it again today against TCU. It's a pretty thick limb I'm on going with the Heisman candidate for OPG. That's the kind of insight one comes to the Steamroller for.


Defense

While watching the game with Mitch and our friend Mark a couple of weeks ago, Mitch threw the term Gas Rag on Parnell Motley. It's been a couple of seasons since that award (?) has been used. But I think he's right, the Matt McCoy Memorial Gas Rag award goes to Parnell Motley. What a fall from grace after the Ohio State game last year where some other friends of ours were saying he should be MFer.... um no. Enough rambling diatribe on the shortcomings of Parnell Motley. I'm going with Amani Bledsoe today, Bledsoe is receiving his first official kiss of death from me.

Score

This is the biggest crapshoot of the season, I have no idea what to expect on the defensive side of the ball. I'm hopeful, but doubtful (naturally). Still, I think the Sooners keep their eye on the prize and with two weeks to prepare the Sooners do enough today to win it 44-31.


Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner

Iowa State

The Sooners travel to the bustling burg of Ames, IA, today to take on the Cyclones. If you were unaware that OU lost its only regular season game of last season against Iowa State, simply peek through your blinds, there is likely a bi-plane over your house dragging a banner behind it saying as much. In short, even in Louisiana I've been beaten over the head with this detail. It was a perfect storm of a bench QB being much better than even his own coaches thought, and a (marginal) defense being completely unprepared for him. This season, it sounds like (un)Kempt(beaver) may not even play due to injury. Regardless, I don't think the element of surprise will rear its ugly head again.

Last week was a win, but if there is such a thing, it was the worst kind of win. The kind where your Heisman hopeful (read: dominant) RB goes down for the year "with a knee." The "experts" and even Lincoln Riley seem to have downplayed this injury quite a bit. I was talking with Mitch earlier this week and we both agree that replacing Rod is no easy task. Yes, there are other weapons on the offense and even in the backfield, but he's clearly the best back on the team. That's not a loss that goes unnoticed. The question today is how much will Trey Sermon step up and can Kyler Murray take the next step as a passer to relieve some of the pressure off of the run game. Couple that with the first road test of the year and this is no key party in terms of guaranteed success.

Offense

So far the offense has (shockingly) not missed a beat from last year. It's a different style, and we can credit wunderkind Lincoln Riley for putting his guys in a position to succeed. The ball has been spread around nicely, presumably making it difficult for defenses to take away one particular weapon. As I mentioned before, injury has done those defenses a favor in taking away a big one. But I think Riley will adapt and I'm going to go with Trey Sermon today. I think he's heard the doubters and moreover, I think Riley wants an "I told you so" statement that the running game is still strong. This plays well for Sermon's confidence and for future opponents to know that even without Rod they'd better be ready for a run game. Sermon goes for 100+ and 2 (that's right, 2) TDs today.

Defense

If I were writing this same crap 15 years ago, defense would've been the fun part to pick. This season, albeit against 2 (so far) questionable opponents, the defense has looked...has looked...halfway decent? There, the kiss of death, so far I've dealt it to two players, now why not the whole unit? Today will present a tougher test I think, and the road factor always makes it tough, particularly if they have success early. One guy I've liked so far is Curtis Bolton. He beat out all-world recruit Caleb Kelly and has played well so far. Basically, I just guaranteed that he's out with severe food poisoning or he's spontaneously combusted.

Score

While the Sooners have given plenty of reason for optimism in the first two games, this is on the road against a pretty tough opponent. Iowa State has a good coach and these conference games are always a challenge. I think revenge is on the minds of the players for last season however, and I think Riley learned from last year that every opponent has to be taken very seriously. The Sooners withstand a close first half against a fired-up Cyclone team and pull away late to take this one, 41-24.

Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner

Snark, Innuendo, Uninformed Opinion; It's Steamroller Week 1 - Florida Atlantic

Welcome back to the 2018 edition of the Steamroller. I watched a lot of soccer and baseball during the football offseason. I didn't check out the Red-White Game, I avoid message boards out of principal and The Oklahoman's football preview centered around the uniform change from Nike to Jordan. So, I feel really well prepared for this season.

I do know it's year two  of the Lincoln Riley era, year one of the post-Baker Damn Mayfield era and, apparently, year six of the return of Mike Stoops. It's been a while since there was so much uncertainty entering the season. This uncertainty does not come with diminished expectations.

I'll deal with my anxiety from least to greatest and start with Lincoln Riley. If I have confidence in anyone being able to lose a Heisman Trophy quarterback and take any cast and turn it into a 40 point scoring unit it's Lincoln Riley and it's not as if the cupboard is bare. Rodney Anderson was the most pleasant surprise on offense last year and is coming into the season healthy. CeeDee Lamb and Marquise "Hollywood" Brown are monsters in complementary ways. Trey Sermon has a year of experience under his belt. Only Landry Jones could do less with more. 

Speaking of Landry, the bar for Kyler Murray is anything greater than Landry and better or equal to Baker Mayfield. That will win another Big 12 championship. We know he has the arm and the wheels. Does he shit his pants and take off running too often in the face of a half assed pass rush? Can he check down multiple receivers? Can he make quality decisions on a consistent basis? He's played before and he's done well. The earlier these questions get answered, the better. But again, while there is no greater pressure on a QB in the country there is help carrying the load and the more effectively said load is distributed, the better off the offense will be. Quick reminder: Lincoln Riley is calling plays.

Finally there's Mike Stoops, who, according to wikipedia, has one career highlight since 2012:

In 2012, after a disappointing return as defensive coordinator to the University of Oklahoma, Mike Stoops impregnated an exotic dancer at the popular local haunt "Sugers" in Norman, Oklahoma.

It's safe to say the return of Mike Stoops has been underwhelming. He's been relegated to the booth on game days because his temperament is ill-suited (in a bad way) for today's culture. The last few years his defense's scoring average has been more formulaic (Whatever OU scores +/- 1 defensive stop  = points given up) than of consistent quality. It has made for thrilling viewing in the same way a drunk fart can fall on a knifes edge.

I am convinced that Stoops was coaching for his job every game after Iowa State last year. There's no way to know if I was right or wrong (which is precisely the sort of thin limb I like to step out on) but he's still in charge of the D. It sounds like recruiting is on the uptick and the most ballyhooed freshman on the squad will be starting on his side of the ball for the second straight year.

What I'm telling you is there is no better time to be optimistic about this defense than right now. It won't take long to find out if they are worth a damn or not.

OFFENSE

The focus will be on Kyler Murray and my suspicion is that Riley will not hold back utilizing him in any conceivable way. He should be giddy at the thought of unleashing the wheels of Marquise Brown and the arm of a big league center fielder.

I think a lot of coaches would lean more heavily on Rodney Anderson or maybe try to keep Murray in the pocket but that's not how this offense operates. Having to account for Murray's speed is the key to the show. He's my choice for OPOG. I think he's going to have some alarmingly easy throws to make.

DEFENSE

I'd by lying if I said I wasn't a little worried about a Lane Kiffin offense seemingly comprised of degenerate castoffs and transfers going up against a Mike Stoops defense in game one. The good news is there is good experience at all levels. The cornerbacks are solid and settled.

Can anyone tackle? It'd be a lot cooler if they could.

I'm throwing a week 1 dart in true Steamroller fashion and taking Tre Norwood for my DPOG. It's sheer gut instinct. My wet dream would be for someone from the D-Line or linebacker group to prove themselves a force that must be accounted for on every play. I'm not too nervous for my bedsheets though.

THE SCORE

There will be some good, bad and ugly in this one. But the Sooners need to be sharp overall. The first four weeks of this season are the toughest I can remember any year.

I think the offense will be smooth enough to score enough and the D comes out hungry ready to show that they can make a leap.

Sooners 45, FAU 24

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner

Big 12 Championship

It is now the first weekend in December and all that stands between OU and the college football playoff is the Conference Championship game. I'll admit that although I was ready to move on from Bob Stoops (whose "salad days" were shrinking in the rearview), I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from Lincoln Riley and the new-look Sooners. I was certainly brim full of optimism, but also a dread feeling in the recesses of "careful-what-you-wish-for." Well, my complaints are minimal at this point, and almost all of them are still directed at a Stoops. Tomorrow provides another opportunity for the Sooners to keep it going with the conference title and a playoff berth at stake.

It's somewhat appropriate that TCU will be the opponent tomorrow as the color of my butthole will likely alternate between purple and white as the game dictates. In spite of the moderately dominant performance against this same squad but a few weeks ago, I do not rest easy in this one. Gary Patterson has proven time and again that he can game plan and that he does not walk into a gunfight with a knife. If you don't think that he and his staff haven't poured over the tape of the first meeting, you're insane. If you don't think he hasn't taken that tape and formulated a plan for each weakness that OU exploited, and a plan to attack the Sooner defense, then you sit in a diaper and smear mayonnaise on your nipples.

The bottom line in this one is that it's going to be an extremely tough matchup. It's never easy to beat the same team twice in one season, particularly when that team has a good coach, nothing to lose, and no pressure whatsoever. I just leaked in the back of my jockey's.

Offense

TCU has easily the best defense in the Big 12. They boast the best pass rusher in the conference (who missed the vast majority of the first meeting due to being a prig), and the have the best run defense by a good measure. I would love to jot down DimitRod Serdams, I just don't think any one of the four-headed monster will be the dominant force in this one. And yes, I think Mayfield will come to play but I think the WR corps will be the difference with guys breaking deep. The guy I think blows up in the passing game is CeeDee Lamb. He's been great, he continues that with a huge game.

Defense

While improving in terms of points allowed, this defense still looks like a tire fire, albeit one that has gone from blaze to smoldering. There simply isn't anyone who routinely stands out as great. The lack of consistency and great playmakers makes this really tough to pick. But my heart  is winning this week and I'm going with Steven Parker, I've always thought he was salty and I think he makes a huge play in this one.

Score

It's going to be a nut-buster. TCU is coming in with everything to prove against "big, bad" OU. Shit, they're a top 12 team so this isn't a cake walk regardless of the stakes, but with them playing the spoiler, they will come out hard and OU will face a very dangerous opponent. This has a lot of the makings of a letdown, but I'm hoping fresh-faced Lincoln Riley has them ready and Baker Mayfield continues his hit parade. Sooners win this in a white-knuckle ride, 31-30.

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.

Oklahoma Sooners versus Iowa State

It's football time in Oklahoma. Before we get to X's and O's let's address some distraction. It was reported yesterday that Sooners Offensive Coordinator Lincoln Riley had interviewed for the North Texas Mean Green head coaching position. I was gobsmacked. Why? Why in the middle of the season? What's going on inside the locker room at OU?

Seriously, why would Riley be remotely interested enough to even take the phone call? This is one of the worst jobs in college football. Lincoln Riley is a "hot name" and a "rising star" in the coaching ranks. There are no less than a half dozen open or presumably open jobs already which include names like South Carolina, Virginia Tech and Miami. Riley may or may not be a candidate for them this year but likely would for similarly statured vacancies next year. Whoever takes these jobs could well be leaving an opening that would be better than UNT. Justin Fuente, for example, will be leaving Memphis for the best opening available. The Memphis job is way better than UNT and Memphis is a shit job.

Second, isn't there some protocol or boy's club agreement that you don't interview in the middle of a season? Don't you have to get permission from the head coach? If yes and yes then what the hell is going on in the coaches room at OU? It seems like the situation would need to be pretty dire for Bob Stoops to say yeah, Lincoln, you should probably take ANY phone call IN THE MIDDLE OF YOUR FIRST SEASON (which, by the way, is going historically well). There are certainly no outward signs of a bad fit. There have been no rumblings though that's no surprise. Journos who wish to keep their press pass would be wise to keep their mouths shut around Norman.

I'm not sold on the idea of something being off because of the list of other names the article mentions. A&M's offensive coordinator. Either (or I suppose both) of TCU's offensive coordinators. It seems these coaching staffs would be at similar levels of disarray for these coaches to be taking calls also. Hard to believe that's the case.

It is possible Lincoln Riley could be incredibly stupid. Talking new jobs in the middle of season one of your new gig is poor form. Taking a look at the first thing that offers a little more money (relatively speaking) would mean he hasn't done much homework. Oklahoma coaches get at least a 100k raise every season. This would put Riley at the current UNT HC coaches salary level. He really should just know better.

It appears UNT is hoping to become the next Baylor and they are waiving a bunch of money around and someone is trying to make a story. There's a lot of smoke here though. Riley, for his part, has come out and denied that he is a candidate. That's no lie. He isn't a candidate for that job. He's a future candidate for a much better job and an offensive coordinator position at OU is a better career launch pad than the UNT HC gig (or it should be). Honestly, he's the kind of guy you'd put a "Head Coach in waiting" tag on if Stoops wanted to retire gracefully one of these days.

On to football.

The Sooners took care of bidny last week against a pathetic Kansas squad. The Sooners had a good intensity level and they avoided major injury. They need to do both those things this week but Iowa State will be a much better test before the backloaded gauntlet begins.

As Sooner fans are no doubt aware, Iowa State shutout Texas last week. Texas beat OU. Vis a vis Iowa State needs to be taken seriously.

OFFENSE

From what poison vile shall Iowa State drink? Stop the run or the pass? I think they load up on the run and the Sooners make them pay with rollouts and play action. Baker Mayfield will have a field day making easy throws to Joe Mixon, Dede Westbrook and Jarvis Baxter. What the hell, throw in some Sterling Shepard and Mark Andrews if you like. I'll take any of it. My pick for player of the game is Baker Mayfield. He gets to sit out the 4th quarter again.

DEFENSE

Interesting tidbit. Kansas State is the only team to run the OU, OSU, TCU and Baylor gauntlet. Scores: 0-55, 34-36, 45-52, 24-31. Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves here but there is reason for optimism.

Today, the boys need to stay disciplined and don't let their guards down. ISU plays hard all game long and you have to respect it. The cyclones are overmatched but if you go around patting you're own back the result is that ole' bullshit we all love so much.

I've been real pleased with Steven Parker of late so I'm picking him for my defensive player. The move to Safety has been great for him.He does something special today.

SCORE

Welp, I think this one will be mildly interesting but the Sooners, at home, will be too overwhelming. I like the boys 42-17 today.

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner.

Iowa State

The Sooners return home this week after doing yeoman's work in dismantling a KU team who can succinctly be described as chilled urine. OU did everything that was expected of them, and in light of recent times, let's not discount that. This week the Cyclones of Iowa State come in to town, fresh off a win against texas. Fortunately, I don't expect the whole "they beat them and we didn't" thing to be much of a factor.

Since embarrassing themselves on their biggest stage (so far), against their biggest rival, the Sooners have proceeded to put up 160+ points over the last 3 games. The offense looks as oiled as a twink in a steam-room, and the D has been steady. Granted, this wasn't against a murderers row of opponents, but KState has given both Baylor and TCU all they wanted this year and OU made them look like Rockford Peaches.

Iowa State comes into this one with a freshman QB poised to start. They do have talent at the skill positions, yet I don't expect a dismantling like we've seen in recent weeks. Let's not forget ISU played a good Iowa team very tough, and their 3-5 record belies their overall talent level. They have enough athleticism to give OU some problems on both sides of the ball. That said, I can't get past the frosh running the show for them, and I think the Sooner offense keeps rolling at home. Speaking of...(Segue, The Magazine!, is doing a feature piece on this last sentence next month, check your news-stands)

Offense

After hitting a home-run with a Sterling Shepard pick last week, I look to make 1 in a row, 2. To be fair, it would've been more of a challenge to pick a bust last week, but if anyone could accomplish that, it's me. This week I'm going to go with another receiver. The guy that is most likely to get a rub & tug from Mitch, Mark Andrews. Honestly, he's a mismatch for anyone with his size and speed. I hope that Lincoln Riley starts to utilize this more. I think today he goes for a touchdown and at least one other big play.

Defense

Last week would've been the one to go with Charles "Ass" Tapper. He had a monster game. With the freshman QB going for Iowa State, I like a D-Lineman to step up again and have a big game. I like Charles Walker to "bring it" today. I think he gets good push up the middle and has at least 1 sack.

Score

As I mentioned before, I just don't foresee a complete fisting (partial fisting? very weird) again this week. Iowa State has talent, this is the last "tune up" before the heart of the conference slate and the Sooners could be looking ahead accordingly. But, I don't think Iowa State has enough on the road to take this one. The Sooners struggle early but cruise late, 45-24.

Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner



PS: I'd be remiss not to mention the Kansas City Royals. I'm a lifelong fan, and a diehard through decades of the leanest of times. They completed an improbable (and looking just a few years back, seemingly impossible) run of dominance over the last couple of seasons with their first World Series title since Reagan started his second term. It's an odd feeling, and one made all the more satisfying because of the years of complete ineptitude on and off the field. It's probably the sweetest victory of my adult fandom, and one I won't soon forget. Now, back to your regularly schedule football bullshit...

The West Virginia Mountaineers

Sooner fans, it's been an exciting year up to now. An improbable road win against a solid SEC opponent, a TCB win against an also-ran, and a grind it out win in a trap-game against a high-scoring offense. Now the season gets serious as conference play begins. It's no patsy either as WVU comes in unbeaten and ranked 23.

In doing some "research" on a website called smokingmusket.com (a website I fully expected to 1. require my credit card info to access, and 2. melt my computer as soon as I entered) I learned that the mountaineers come into the game leading the country in points and turnovers....on defense. Sure, we always expect Holgerson's teams to score, but this one seems to understand tackling and coverage etc. Granted, they haven't exactly played the 2007 Patriots, but nonetheless this is new territory for this team.

Since joining the Big 12, WVU has yet to finish in the win column against OU. The comments I've read from the players leads me to believe they've circled this game for some time. It's their chance to beat a big time team as well as firmly establish themselves as a Big 12 title contender. It's also the first game of a murderous stretch for the Mountaineers (OU, OSU, Baylor, TCU). They've proven they can score, now paired with a solid defense this represents a very tough test for our Sooners.

Offense

With a week off to heal up bruises, tweaks and pulls I expect the full arsenal of weapons to be at Lincoln Riley's disposal. Mayfield has been nothing short of great in every game. He extends plays, takes his shots when they're there, and scrambles for postive gains when they aren't. He's also realized that it's acceptable to go through a progression and throw to any receiver who might be open. No small feat, and one we haven't really seen since Bradford. Now that I've spent this whole section verbally fluffing Baker Mayfield, I'm going in a different direction. This game will likely see plenty of scoring. This one will be won by the team that can grind it out late. After getting embarrassed by Perine last season, they'll be keying on him, that's why I like Joe Mixon to make his name a household one in this tilt. It's his coming out party tomorrow, 150+ total yards and a score.

Defense

This is becoming harder to pick. We've had solid play from several different guys in every game. One area where I feel comfortable avoiding a pick is the secondary. They were just scorched by Tulsa. Truly an awful showing. For this game we will need balance in both the run and pass phases of the game. I like Dominique Alexander to come strong in this one. He's been quietly solid and I think Saturday he makes some big plays and contains the high flying Mountaineers.

Score

This is a huge game, first one of the season in conference, two unbeaten teams, two ranked in the top 25. The winner stays the course for those preseason aspirations, the loser says the right things and quietly begins scoreboard watching. The Sooners have had two weeks to get ready for this game. It's in the right stadium, and they've still got that "nobody-believes-in-us" mentality accompanying a sub-top 20 preseason ranking. It'll be a very tough test, but the Sooners do enough and win it 31-27.


Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner. 

Oklahoma Sooners vs. Tennessee Volunteers

The Sooners couldn’t have hoped for a better start to the 2015 campaign. The offense, after a slow start, became unstoppable in the 3rd quarter. Baker Mayfield broke a record set by no less a personage than Sam Bradford. Joe Mixon looked worthy of the hype. Play calls were in early and decisive. There was a lot of play action and misdirection.

The defense yielded only 225 yards and forced a fumble. Hatari Byrd made an early entry for Hit of the Year when he stopped a scrambling Tra’Von Chapman in his tracks.

Austin Siebert is a weapon in the kicking game. He turned the field over on several occasions and he’s a good field goal kicker.  I can’t remember a kicker “putting out the vibe” like this guy.

There were positives in all phases of the game. I wear crimson blinders but there were no glaring weaknesses that are going to result in Week 2 coaching demotions a la the texas Longhorns. Yet, there are things that I’m sure showed up on game tape that the coaching staff can use for teaching points.

Now on to Rocky Top for a great early season test.  

OFFENSE

One of my favorite moments last week was a 3rd quarter 4th and 1 on the Zips 49 yard line. Lincoln Riley sent in some kind of jumbo package with Perine in the backfield. There was no hesitation on the call. Once the Sooners set at the line there was no looking over to the sideline. No timeout was called. Everyone in the stadium knew where the ball was going. Perine carried for 15. The Sooners went on to score three plays later on passes. It was consistent with the way the play calling went all night. It was easy and confident. There was no waiting around for the next play call to come in. There was occasionally some checking in to the sideline but the answer was ready when the question was asked. Nothing, a la the run game, was forced. It was nice to see.

The bubble may burst but I get the sense that the confidence of Riley and Mayfield is going to carry over to the rest of the offense and the stage of Neyland Stadium, in SEC country, in front of 105,000 is not going to be too big for these guys.

Plus, this quote from Bowling Green head coach Dino Babers makes me feel pretty good. "I promise you that someone's not going to sleep over there based off of their defense either."

I’d love to pick Mayfield to go bonkers again here. And it’s highly likely he will. He has a high comfort level with Jarvis Baxter so that would be a reasonable pick too. Needless to say, Berry Tramel put together a mid-week puff piece on Baxter’s Cinderella story. But I’m going with Joe Mixon. I imagine Tennessee is going to be quite aware of where he’s lined up and they will still have a tough time handling him. I think this will be Joe’s introduction to the country.

DEFENSE

This will be a big test for the Sooner D. Tennessee appears ready, willing and able to run rough shod over the Sooners. Can the defensive line help the linebackers out? Matt Dimon, Charles “Chaz” Walker and Matthew Romar need to play big. I feel good that your ‘Nique Alexanders, Jordan Evans, Frank Shannon’s and Devonte Bonds can clean up if the D-Line does its thing.

On that note, from the “Straight Outta LEFT FIELD” department I’m going to with Zack Sanchez. I just have that old tingly feeling that he’s going to do something big to alter the course of the game.

Akron was just too discombobulated on offense to know whether the Sooners made them that way or if they were just terrible. Probably a little of both. I'm not yet sold on their improvement over last year. I'll be happy with baby steps and another good showing this weekend.

THE SCORE

Tennessee wound up putting up a big number on Bowling Green but the Sooners D, questions and all, are better than anything the Vols have seen in practice or in week 1. That’s going to be the difference.

The Sooners offense is also going to prove superior and I have doubts that the Vols offense is built to come from behind.

I’m going Sooners 38, Tennessee 21

Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner

The 2015 Oklahoma Sooners Offensive Preview

Josh Heupel is gone.

The Heupel era was marked by painfully conservative play calling. It was like watching a fireworks celebration and looking forward to the big finale and then it never coming because, “a little bit of fireworks is better than too many fireworks at once”. Heupel routinely out-smarted himself by doing such forward thinking things as “don’t call a run play for three straight series to start a game with a sub-optimal passing QB on the road” and “Don’t start Semarje Perine until forced at knife point by my boss”. He also played as if any lead was safe thus putting a heavy burden on a below average, at best, defense. He was so bad I would not have been surprised if his play sheet was a Shoney’s children’s menu.

To put it a little more bluntly, I was considering giving up my season tickets if Josh Heupel wasn’t fired after last season. I have never been so underwhelmed by any coach of the Stoops era.

So, in with wunderkind 31 year old Lincoln Riley and the magic elixir to cure all that ails.

Everyone is asking, “Can Lincoln Riley adapt his ‘Air Raid’ offense to include the immense talents of Perine and Joe Mixon”? Look, I love the forward pass and I’ve never played or coached a down of tackle football on any organized level. But even I could figure out a way to take advantage of what is the glaring strength of the offensive side of this football team. And if I stubbornly ignored those strengths in favor of my philosophy then I never should have been hired in the first place and should be replaced forthwith in the second. What I am saying here is if you are seriously asking that question then you are a Grade A Fuckwit. Only Josh Heupel, a Grade A Fuckwit, would overthink this and “outsmart” the defense by not using the run game to his advantage and he’s back in Utah. No, I am not worried about Riley’s having a “run package” in this offense.

I am intrigued to see how much faster the offense operates over the Heupel years and what degree of autonomy the QB’s have to make reads and calls without having to consult the press box.

Baker Mayfield is going to be an improvement over Trevor Knight at Quarterback. This is not optimism. This is a low bar. Trevor Knight has played one brilliant game in his career and that was two years ago. Since, he’s been ineffective enough (14 TD - 12 INT) he got the Landry Jones Apologists all foamy-mouthed with their, “I told you so’s” and “careful what you wish for’s”.

In Mayfield the Sooners have some swagger, a guy who plays with the proverbial chip on his shoulder, and a guy who can keep the team fired up. He seems to have “it”. Nobody is asking him to score all the points and win by himself. In this offense there should be an easy (easier) play somewhere. He just needs to be smart enough to find it.

This is an offense playing in a league where it could average 50 points a game. There are playmakers everywhere. Semaje Perine, Sterling Shepard, Dede Westbrook, Joe Mixon.

Perine was a man among boys last year. He won’t be sneaking up on anyone this year but that didn’t seem to matter much last year either. Everyone and their dog knew where the ball was going and still teams had to tackle him. That’s where they ran into problems. Dude is beast mode after contact.

We didn’t get to see Mixon in the Red-White Game but fall practice reviews have done nothing but raise already lofty expectations. Someone compared him to Adrian Peterson for chrissakes. There is also a rumor floating around he might return punts which sounds hazardous (later debunked, as of this writing, by the release of the depth chart). But, if true, then he is clearly versatile. So, if we’re going to set lofty goals I’d be happy with a homeless man’s DeMarco Murray.

It seems ludicrous but Sheperd might actually be flying under the radar a little bit. With the rise of Perine, the expectations around Mixon and Sheperd's own injuries last year, people might be forgetting that Sheperd could be the love child of Mark Clayton and Ryan Broyles. Health permitting, he’s poised to thrive in this new offense. He’s important enough and injury prone enough that I cannot fathom why he’ll be the starting punt returner but, alas, I’m not the highest paid state employee either so such decisions are clearly above my pay grade.

Dede Westbrook was the fastest guy on the whole field during the Red-White game. Looking at this two ways, either the Sooners are collectively a slow football team or Westbrook is a burner. I am giddy about this young man’s future and cannot wait to see this guy catching slants in the middle of the football field.

Another player who caught my eye during the Red-White game was Mark Andrews. He’s a huge target who can get up the field in a hurry. He was able to catch balls in traffic by virtue of his size. I see many opportunities for him. The only downer is he was recruited as a TE, a position which doesn’t exist in Riley’s system. There’s a place for this guy though because of his speed. He starts off the season as Sterling Sheperd’s backup which is odd to me simply because of the differences in height between the two (5’10” vs. 6’5”).

Of course the line has to do its part to make this whole thing go. On paper, it looks decent though it seems devoid of established stars. There are three seniors in Josiah St. John, Ty Darlington and Nila Kasitati. Freshman Brick Shit House Orlando Brown starts off as the No. 1 Left Tackle. Brown goes 6’8” 340 making him the early favorite for my father in law to spend his time focusing on during pre-game stretch.

I really think this offense might average 45 to 55 points and be a hell of a lot of fun to watch. There’s enough here to not only offer a glimmer of hope but to get excited about watching even if you’re only a casual fan. These guys are going to have some fun.

Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner.