Texas A&M

My original title for this post was "Johnny Footbal...er Texas A&M", but Mitch beat me to the punch on that one, so-to-speak. This is always a bitter-sweet post for the season. It's the last until a long summer, football void. Yet, it's generally preceding the most important game of the year. Although this isn't a BCS bowl (NIU more than proved their worth by kinda hanging with an underwhelming FSU team for nearly 3 quarters), it's certainly the cream of "the rest" if you will. In fact, apart from the National Championship and last night's (in hindsight) less-than-competitive Fiesta Bowl, I don't think it's reach to say this is the most interesting matchup of this bowl season. That fact alone has me pumped for this one.

This is the end of an era of OU football. It's the last game for an icon, the hero to all who've ever done less with more, the master of hurrying under center then standing up and looking to the sideline to see what he should do, JC's favorite son, Lonnie Jones. Needless to say, my mention of this post, and the game it pertains to, being bitter-sweet certainly alluded to Lonnie regarding the "sweet" part of it. I'm not sad to see him go, not even a little. When he inevitably throws a terrible pick this evening, I'll get some small bit of satisfaction knowing it's the last game I'll have to endure it.

However, this might also be our last year of real contention for a bit. We stand to lose quite a bit in terms of personnel. Too much to even begin to highlight really. This doesn't even include the underclassman who may leave early. I know we probably have some pretty decent young guys who will step up next season, but I think there are going to be some rough times next year. I digress however, tonight is a huge challenge and I am not sure if I've had this much doubt going into a game in a long time.

We all know about Manziere (Can I say that this nickname is number one on my list of disappointments as it pertains to conference realignment? It's too perfect, we could even alternate in "The Bro" from time-to-time. Such a bummer), he's an absolute animal. Not to mention, if you were to have Japanese scientists design a cyborg QB tailor-made to shred every OU defense of the last decade it would be this guy. This alone is terrifying, but throw in an all-world offensive line (including a possible #1 overall NFL draft pick/4 year starting LT) facing a subpar and now depleted DL and things look very grim indeed.

Our best chance in this one is to hope that we can keep pace with their scoring, we get a couple of more turnovers than them, and that Mike Stoops is able to work some of his old magic (read: don't count on it). This is getting depressing, on to the picks!

Offense

Last game of the year and I haven't given this too much thought really. I've thought about the game, but not who I think will step up. There are several people who I'd like to see step up, in fact I hope they all do. I'd love to say Justin Brown in his last collegiate start, or Fuckin' Shitbag who may also be suiting up as a Sooner for the last time, but I'm not. I'm going to go with Damien Williams. I think tonight is his coming out party on the national stage. It's high time everyone else got a look at the guy we've known was hard all year. I like him to break off at least one long one and show that extra gear. It will be awfully fun if he does.

Defense

I have about as much confidence here as I have any other game this year, that is to say none. I really wish David King or one of the guys up front really put on a clinic tonight and keep the Manziere in check. Sadly, I don't see it. For no other reason than I'm going with my heart here, I'm picking Tony Motherfuckin' Jefferson. He's gotten to the point, I think, where he's so consistent that it's hard to notice how much he does. Tonight, I think we get a taste of how dominant he can be. I've got a bad feeling this is his last game as a Sooner. I think he knows it, and I think he steps up accordingly.

Score

As I said, I've got an awful feeling here, I really do. But, I also have faith and I think if we play as well as we're capable of that we can win. They're good, but they've got the same number of losses that we do. I think the offense does it's thing, and the defense does just barely enough. It's a close one, and it comes down to the fourth quarter. Sooners pull it out (tee hee) 31-30.

Now, for the last time this season, let's roll some motherfucking heads and show these rotten bastards that they're lucky to have left the Big 12.

Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner.

TCU

The last game of the 2012 regular season sets OU to face the Horned Frogs of TCU on the road in Texas. TCU the last new addition to the Big 12 the Sooners have yet to face as a conference foe. They aren't as good as a few years ago, but still play solid defense and are a tough win on the road. Not to mention, I'm sure they'd like nothing more than to beat the Sooners on the way out of their first in-conference season with us.

This game marks the last (non-bowl) game of the Lonnie Jones era. It's not much of a "grey" area as to where I stand on Lonnie. As Mitch mentioned last week, he'll leave as the winningest QB in OU history with nearly every passing record, yet it constantly feels as though he underachieves. However you stand on the issue, he's nearly done, and I'm not terribly upset. I am confident of one thing however, I will not be saying the words "I wish we had Landry back" next season.

In spite of my general distaste for his play, Lonnie has done pretty well the last couple of weeks. He made some big plays against WVU and managed the game well against the pokes. He'll need to be similarly protective of the ball today in order for us to win. The real question is whether or not he will be intimidated playing a school with "christian" in the name ("does god love them more than me?"...cries).

We all know that we are counting on texas to beat Kstate in order for a victory over TCU to mean a conference championship (don't give me that "co-champs" horseshit, they beat us, end of discussion). In other words, congratulations Kstate on winning the 2012 Big 12. What is more annoying is that Kent State has a real shot at getting a BCS game. This sucks. Hopefully we crush TCU, things go our way and we're playing for a bowl not sponsored by a weed-eater. (Update: I just read that Kent State lost last night, now we're looking at the less likely scenario that NIU jumps into the top 16, not impossible but more improbable than Kent State making that leap if they had won.)

Offense

Will I reverse my unwritten policy of never picking Lonnie as my player of the game? Will I throw him the ever-so-smallest of bones on his way out? I know my co-author knows the answer to those questions without reading any further (no I will not). I do however semi-contradict myself by picking WR's often. Today will be another example of that. I'm feeling a bit like going on a limb today. I'm going with Sterling Shepard. No real reason, we've got a ton of weapons on O. He's one of them, and I have a gut feeling he will do something awesome.

Defense

Not much to say here. I'm going with Tony Motherfuckin Jefferson. It's a guess. That is all.

Score

I just can't envision another 99-98 track meet today. They play better defense than that (I think) and I don't think they can score that regularly. Although, if anyone can make them look good on offense it's us. I think we do enough, win the game and watch the scoreboards the rest of the afternoon. Sooners beat the Horned Frogs 35-24.

Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner

Oklahoma State

Bedlam is back for it's 2012 incarnation, pitting the Sooners against inferiority complex saddled OSU. At one point this might have been the most lopsided "rivalry" in history. OSU had beaten OU something like 4 times since WW2 to around 2000. Recent years however, have shown much more parity. From the Rashaun Woods game that was a fluke to last year's assbeat in Stoolwater, the Sooners have had much fuller hands with the pokes than any Sooner fan would like. Speaking of last year's embarrassment, I'm hoping the team has a little payback on their mind. Lonnie was never more Lonnie than that game last season, it's his chance for atonement.

OSU comes in with a pretty solid defense which is out of character. Their offense is good as usual. They've lost three on the season and apart from losing to what seems to be a terrifically bad Texas squad, they've been pretty good. It will be a tough test and if we bring the same defense that we brought last week there are going to be a lot of unhappy people in Sooner nation after the game. I'm not going to spend time rehashing that game. While a lot of fun to watch, my coronaries and my sphincter aren't up for a repeat. Suffice it to say, the Sooner defense doesn't seem to be much better than last year, if at all. I'm hoping for a little ball control offense to limit OSU's possessions and maybe we can sneak it out that way.

Offense

I went for Justin Brown last week, hindsight shows that Stills would have been the guy. What a game by Fuckin' Shitbag. Mitch went for Damien Williams who had a really nice night also. I would be happy with either of those two repeating this week. But I'm going a little different route today. I'm going with the forgotten man, Trey Millard (can we agree that Millard is the overwhelming favorite to be a beast in the NFL leaving everyone wondering why we never gave him the fucking ball while at OU?). I'm not sure why he doesn't get the ball more, I guess because there are only so many touches to go around with all of our weapons. Nonetheless he's probably the most difficult matchup we have and he rarely gets touches. Just a hunch, but I think that Heupel remembers him in this one and he steps up big.

Defense

I should just start drawing a name out of hat, because I'm essentially doing that now. In light of the fact that he's a Senior and just that he's one of my favorite players on the team, I'm going with Casey Walker. I hope he crushes their QB at least once, and I'm hoping by the end that he's been in the backfield enough that they're looking for him in their huddle.

Score

I'm nervous. Our D couldn't be looking worse right now. They can score, and actually play solid D. That said, I like that this is a home game, the first in two years it should be noted. I'm sure Sooner fans are ready. I am hopeful that the players are still gargling to get the taste of last year out of their mouths. Nothing will wash it away better than a thorough drubbing. I think it will be close, but I think revenge + home crowd is enough that we get it done. Sooners take this one 38-28 in a tough one.


Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner

Notre Dame

Huge game today down in Norman, enormous actually. The famous Fighting Irish of Notre Dame travel to Oklahoma to take on our beloved Sooners. Notre Dame comes in with a terrific defense that has kept them undefeated, and currently in the top 5 in the country. More importantly, they're legitimate National Title contenders thanks to that unblemished record, and who they will have beaten if they run the table (read: us).

The Sooners, as we all know, played what now looks like the best team in the conference at a time when we hadn't quite come together. That one loss might keep this game from establishing a clear national title front runner (for us anyway) but it hasn't slowed the hype machine of this massive (and nearly unheard of) tilt between two non-conference teams both ranked in the top 10. Incidentally, that loss may also be the only thing keeping Berry Tramel from exhuming Bud Wilkinson's corpse, making love to it, and then writing another nostalgia piece about nothing relevant to today's football, and by "today's" I mean the kind with non-leather helmets and face-masks. (Aside: a game I've made for myself is to go to The Oklahoma Daily's website on my phone and try to guess, by the title, which of the OU articles are by Berry Tramel. It's remarkably easy. I'd say I have about a 96% success rate. The only ones that are tough are that "gray" zone of overlap when Jenni Carlson writes one of her bullshit off-the-field-pieces. Though if it's written about a player currently on the roster then you can almost always rule out Tramel.)

GameDay is in town, tickets are tough which might mean a raucous crowd (please, please, please), and there is even a movement to set up one of those "let's all organize the color of our t-shirts" deals that is so camera-friendly. Though I have my doubts that the even/odd section coloring will actually be pulled off with any real success, still I'm hopeful. In a semi-related story the odds are strongly in favor of the back of my jockey's becoming a "brown out" prior to kick-off. In short, I'm excited.

This is going to be an extremely tough one for us to win I think. If anyone hasn't been watching, our Q doesn't do well with pressure or elite defenses (speaking of brown outs). However, he's teased us the last 3 Saturdays. Also, he's been historically better at home where the pressure of a crowd isn't on him as well. What makes me nervous is Notre Dame has been damn good against the run this season. I think our ability up to now to run the ball, more than anything else, is why Lonnie has had this string of good games. If that gets taken away tonight (a very real possibility), it's going to be up to him to carry us (cash your tickets, brown out achieved). If there is a weak area of Notre Dame's defense, it's the secondary. Let's hope we can exploit it enough. The picks...!

Offense

Man oh man, what to do here. What I'd love to say is Damien Williams. I'd love to have confidence that he will break off some big gainers, and go for about 25 carries and 175 yards with some scores mixed in there. I just don't think it's going to happen. Honestly, I'm not sure anyone is going to have huge numbers today. I do think if someone does though, it's going to be in the passing game, for reasons I mentioned before (don't think you can jump straight to the picks section, reader(s), these are complete journalistic works with foreshadowing and other crap I vaguely remember from college). I'd love for Lonnie to air it out on some deep balls to Justin Brown, and I think we'll try it a couple of times. But, it's a big game against a big time defense. I think Lonnie reverts to his old ways some today (how I hope I'm wrong) and looks to a security blanket. Since Broyles went down last season, the closest thing to that is Kenny Fuckin' Shitbag Stills. I think Stills gets a lot of looks today and does enough with them to be my player of the game.

Defense

Our defense matching up against their offense is what makes me feel hopeful today. We may have a hard time moving the ball on them, no doubt. But I think they're going to struggle doing the same. Notre Dame is unbeaten but it's not been because they're putting up 50+ a game. OK, once they scored 50, against Navy. Anyway, our D has quietly been building steam, and has been pretty damn solid all year and particularly since we lost to K State. I like Tony Motherfuckin' Jefferson to have a huge day today. He's this year's MFer. He's a total badass. Plus, it just feels like the kind of day where Mike Stoops has some crazy wrinkle he'll break out and do some cool things with Tony. I don't know why, but I've got a good feeling about Tony today. Let's pencil him in.

Score

I've left little doubt that I think this is going to be low scoring. Though my normal inclination, when everyone in the world expects a defensive struggle, is to go the other way and pick high scoring, I just don't see it today. I think it's close all the way and I think the score is low. However, I think our defense will do just enough to keep us in it for a late score and victory. I like the Sooners at home, 14-10.

Crack the PBR's, wear your lucky underwear, whatever it takes. Let's roll some heads on these fancy gingers.

Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner.

texas

The Red River Game is on us again. This is going to be an epic showdown. There's no love lost between these two. You can throw out the records on this one. It's going to come down to who can protect the football. These two are going to leave everything on the field. It's going to be a street fight.

And so it goes with these types of games. I'll admit I've got a railroad spike between my legs for this one. I do hate texas. One of those pure hates where it's nearly impossible to imagine a scenario where I'd root for them to win. (You have to root for Texas or go down on Rosy O'Donnell with a nasty yeast infection fresh after a marathon. Me: how hot is it during the run?) Even if you take all of the rivalry out of the picture (impossible) this game is enormous in both the conference and national landscapes. Oddly though this is the first year in a while where the conference championship didn't rest on this game. Both teams come in with conference losses. Nonetheless if the Sooners can win it they still have most of (if not all of) their goals within reach.

Now that I've ran the importance of the game into the ground, let's look at the game itself. I have visions of 2001 in this one. A tight defensive (or maybe inept offensive) game where it comes down to the end. Also like 2001 this game features a QB wont to shit all over the field in the face of pressure. Unlike 2001, that QB is a Sooner. I have a terrible fear that the texas D-Line will (easily) coax Lonnie in to multiple turnovers. Let's hope I'm as off the mark with that prediction as I normally am.

I think our defense is improving and will be able to do a decent job with their offense. Javon Harris, in spite of his pick 6 last week,consistently misses tackles and is obviously out of position. He is the worst piece of an otherwise solid secondary. Frank Shannon gave us hope last week that the flailing cockney tackler-Tom Wort's days may be numbered. I don't hate Wort but he's been a pretty average (at best) player. Though coaches are saying Wort will start, my guess is his lease will be pretty short. Regardless I think Shannon will get significant meaningful minutes. Let's hope last week wasn't an aberration.

Offense

To his credit, Lonnie has played relatively well against texas. That said, this is his first go at them without Broyles. While he did play well last week, he's been historically hot and cold week-to-week. As I texted Mitch last week, I guess we're getting Mr. Hyde this week. Here's hoping I'm wrong. I'm not going to get too out of the box on this one. I'm going with Kenny Fuckin' Shitbag Stills. I like him for 2 (that's right 2!) scores today.

Defense

Oh how I want to pick Frank Shannon, everyone's newest darling. But I'm not ready to, ahem, crown his ass just yet. I'm going slightly off the beaten path here and going with Casey Walker. He had a big game in Dallas last season and I think today he gets back in the groove again.

Score

As I said, I think this is going to be a low scoring affair. I've really had a bad feeling all week but I awoke today with renewed enthusiasm (read: morning wood). I think our D keeps us in it and we do enough to eek this one out. Sooners win, 17-13.

Now let's go out and roll these rotten motherfuckers.

Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner!!

Texas Tech

Honestly, I don't where to begin this morning. I'm still thinking about the KState game, or more accurately, I've nearly quit thinking about this season as a result. I've had on my list to get something up about the KState game for two weeks. I just really haven't had the heart to do it. It's nothing about KState in particular that I especially hate, it's the type of loss that punches my stomach like Ali. I've thought of tons of things about my OU fandom in the last week, but suffice it to say this is the nadir of my tenure as a diehard Sooner football fan.

I don't want anyone getting the idea that I'm fair-weather, band-waggoner, front-runner or any other cheap-fan adjective. Those that know me know that isn't true, but if there are doubters just know that I spend time every morning of the year following the Kansas City Royals (and enjoy the hell out of it). So maybe it's expectations that are killing me here in Sooner land. I have none in baseball, but I certainly do in the college football landscape. That's part of what comes with winning a national championship in your second year, returning three more times, and resurrecting a storied program out of rubble. Those things, along with the 10 wins that Mitch mentioned, buy Stoops the longest leash available. But if you haven't noticed a trend of playing "entitled" football over the last 6 or 7 years, you haven't been watching the same team I have.

It's no secret what my thoughts on Lonnie are. How I long for the days of Sammy B. How I long for the days of nearly any quarterback of the Stoops era (honestly, I can't think of anyone I'd choose Lonnie over, that's sad given the likes of Paul Thompson and Nate Hybl) other than Lonnie. It's hard to disassociate Lonnie from Stoops. Losing is losing. Maybe whoever takes over next season at QB (or if we hit the lottery, this year) will be stellar and Bobby will again look like a premier coach. But for now, we're stuck with ineptitude and failure at the most critical position on the field. If our coaches can't get the other 21 guys ready to roll heads, then that's on Stoops. I'm tired of looking like we don't care. I'm tired of looking unprepared for teams. I fondly remember the days (nearly a decade ago!) when we came up biggest when the spotlight was brightest. Now, I just feel defeated, constantly waiting for the river of shit to come flowing from under the covers.

Fear not, I will persevere. I will continue to watch. I will continue to scream at the TV. I will continue to have genuine disbelief when even the most predictable calamities occur. This team is my team, and though disgust I may have, I will never quit watching, caring, or following them religiously. There is a game today. In spite of my previous rambling diatribe on the disappointment that this team embodies, I feel good. I'm pumped to watch the boys play. I'm pumped to see some football on this Saturday afternoon. I'm pumped to watch OU kick the bloody shit out of Tech down in Lubbock.


Offense

This gets harder to pick every week. I really agree with Mitch that Heupel just doesn't have any ability to game-plan or prepare his players.  Much of the blame, admittedly falls on Lonnie, but still. Every time I pick someone they seem to vanish that week, so I'm trying to decide who I should eliminate from the possibility of touching the football and making forward progress. I think I'm going to go with Damien Williams. Not that I want him to disappear, I just think all of this talk about how many carries he should get means we'll force feed him the ball all day. If success follows I've got no problem with this move. He's really been our only consistent weapon on offense to date. I think he breaks at least one long run and cracks 100 yards today.

Defense

The picks don't get any easier over here. I don't know what Tech does well, nor do I care. However, I'm sure that by 6:30 EST I'll know full well. Up to now the ballyhooed (by me, I admit) return of Mike Stoops has been, ahem, underwhelming. I still feel we'll improve with him calling the shots. Today I'm getting back to square one. I'm not going to over-think it, which really means I'm going to be predictable and go with the best player we've got on the field, Tony Motherfuckin' Jefferson.  I think Tony has a big day today. I'm not necessarily saying he forces a bunch of turnovers, but I think he'll be noticeably involved and light a couple of poor saps up.

Score

I'm not foreseeing a rout of any sort. I don't think we're good enough to blow anyone out. We are however, good enough to beat anyone we play. Doing so is a different matter entirely. For whatever ever reason we tend to struggle in Lubbock. That's a bad thing for this team. But, I'm optimistic we can get it done today. I think the Sooners do enough, and Lonnie is passable (get it?). OU wins 24-20. It's ugly, but at this point I'm not looking for style points.

Tip the PBR's. Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner.