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

Florida Atlantic

We're back again loyal reader(s) for another year of the oft ignored/seldom read Steamroller. I am not sure how long we've been doing these posts but I'm thinking it has to be getting close, if not surpassing, ten years. Not a lot has changed save the forgettable and undoubtedly maligned audio/visual season. I could fairly easily go back and look up exactly how long it's been but that type of superficial research would break precedent of this half-assed site. Instead we'll press onward, facts and accuracy be damned. Welcome back. 

Last seasoned ended in unceremonious if not typical sooner fashion, with copious scoring and a steadfast refusal to attempt anything resembling defense. Several key players are gone from that very good sooner team none more notable than Baker Mayfield. When a player is drafted first overall, it's generally safe to say his replacement will represent a decline in production. For the first time in a few seasons QB is a question mark, however it's not a question of whom, but of how big that decline will be. Much of the luster has worn off of Kyler Murray since his freshman year at texas A&M. In part due to an underwhelming first year there, but also simply because time tends to create doubt, warranted or not. He looked good in tiny appearances last season, but teams gameplanning for him specifically represents a completely different obstacle. It will be interesting to see how he does. 

Offense

The aforementioned QB change aside, plenty has changed on the offense otherwise. Most notably the loss of key components on the offensive line. As any analyst worthy of an ESPN Under Armor high-school all-star game will tell you, this is where games are won and lost. Mayfield was great, make no mistake, but great protection and running game certainly help. Speaking of running game, last year's committee at RB slowly evolved into the Rodney Anderson show (who's inexplicable abandoning against Georgia cost OU the game in my opinion, but I digress), and what a show it was. That said the Sooners still possess great depth here. I'm a sucker for Trey Sermon who's a beast and it speaks to Anderson that he's gotten almost no hype going in to the season. WR looks well stocked and Calcaterra appears to be a capable replacement at TE. In this one however, I have to go with Anderson. Ball control will be essential against a fast paced, capable offense like FAU, and feeding Rod (really need a solid nickname here, The Rod?) will be a must. I think he goes for 150 on the ground and scores twice.  

Defense

As optimistic as I am with the offense, the defense is equally discouraging. I'm not sure where to find optimism, though I'm sure Mitchy can, yin/yang etc. Has anyone had a wider swing of adoration to loathing than Mike Stoops? I have ran the gamut with him and I've come to the conclusion that he's probably a great coach, coaching in the wrong era and unable to adapt. This could be a week one problem against a Lane Kiffin team that might as well be in the Big 12 with their style of play. Oh yeah, I'm supposed to pick a player here. I will go with Caleb Kelly. My main reasons are he has shown promise in the past, was a physically gifted recruit, and I'm 75% sure he's still on the team. 

Score

I think, as most do based on what I've read, that this will be a shootout. If OU comes to play defense in this one, let's just say it will be a welcome break of character. The last line I saw had OU -21, I would take FAU in that one, and I might now that Mississippi has sports books and I'm passing through there this weekend. I didn't see an over/under but barring something absurd I'll take the over. I do like the Sooners at home, and I think they do enough to win this in an angst provoking win. Sooners take it 47-33. It feels good to be back and it feels good to again say:

Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner 

Georgia

Holy smokes, this is a big one. If you would have talked to me a few weeks ago, specifically right after the Big 12 championship, I would have been pretty confident for this one. But as time has passed, my confidence level has gone down notably and Georgia increasingly looks like a really tough draw. Don't get me wrong, I'd prefer to play them over Clemson or Alabama, but their defense is really, really good. Historically, it seems (to me anyway) that when a high powered offense meets a dominant defense, the defense typically has the edge. I certainly hope that doesn't hold true tomorrow afternoon.

Georgia relies on defense and ball control offense. This certainly matches up well for them as it has a two-fold effect of stopping the OU offense and keeping them off of the field with a very strong running attack. What they don't necessarily excel at is the passing game. This is probably a best case scenario for the leaky OU secondary. With any luck, Mike Stoops will have a solid plan to contain the Bulldog backfield. Otherwise, it could be a long afternoon for the Sooners.

Offense

Much hand wringing and angst has been happening over Mayfield and his illness. Rightfully so, as he goes so do the Sooners playoff hopes. Basically, it's the same story as it has been all year, Mayfield will need to carry the team in this one. With that in mind, it seems obvious he should be player of the game pick. True to form however, I am going to outsmart myself yet again with a "savvy" pick. It goes without saying that everyone is going to have to play lights out for OU to have a shot. I'm going to say Mark Andrews is the key to them winning. I think he has to have a big game softening up the secondary and opening up the run game with some big plays underneath.

Defense

If OU has a chance, it will be because the stop the run and make the Georgia freshman QB beat them. The D Line will have be stout and the LB's will be the key to them winning this one. I like Emmanuel  Beal to have a big game bottling up the Georgia Chubby. I think he makes a shitload of tackles and forces at least one turnover in a key performance.

Score

I'm shitting bricks on this one. OU has won all year by scoring early and often. I just don't see that happening against a stout Georgia defense. For the first time all year, the Sooners will need long methodical drives and they will have to play a ball control offense where points are at a premium. Though the Sooner D has been pretty terrible all season, I think Georgia's offensive style is a decent matchup for them. I think Mayfield does enough, and the defense does too in a butt clincher. OU 24, Georgia 20. Let's beat these guys.

Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner

CFP - The Rose Bowl

Happy New Year loyal readers and welcome to the College Football Playoff. You're either Biff Tannen or looking through the rosiest of rose-colored glasses if you thought, prior to the season and as recently as November, that OU would be here. I myself have learned, gladly, not to bet against Baker Mayfield.

The Sooners take on the Georgia Bulldogs in the Rose Bowl. It's the first meeting between these two teams. The Sooners feature the Heisman Trophy winner, an historically great offense and a defense that plays well enough to win. The Bulldogs feature a dynamic running game and a "vaunted SEC defense". 

I'm feeling really good about this game.

OFFENSE

The other day I watched a 2017 season recap show. Granted, it's nothing but highlights. Holy smokes there are weapons all over the place for this team. Tell me how a defense is going to shut down Rod Anderson, Dmitri Flowers, Mark Andrews, CeeDee Lamb, Hollywood Brown and then keep Baker Mayfield contained while also dealing with the best offensive line in football.

Talking heads say that someone needs to shadow Mayfield every play. That's fine and dandy but teams have been "containing" him all year. He can run but it isn't always his first choice. He'll kill you with the pass. If you keep that LB in place to shadow him, he'll throw to the running back instead. Or vice versa. It's a real pick your poison situation.

I think the Sooners are going to spend a fair amount of time trying to beat the Dogs at their own game. That is, running right at them and then working that play action. It will be devastating. It will be beautiful.

Obvious OPOG is Baker. There's no mincing around at this point. The Sooners live and die with him.

DEFENSE

All my hopes and dreams rely on the idea that this D 1) plays to the level of its competition 2) gets jacked in big games 3) has made plays when it absolutely had to all season. They've also listened for the last month about how average they are so they'll have a massive chip on their shoulder. That's always a good situation for them.

Another positive is Georgia doesn't have a running quarterback. All the talk is about the two headed running monster of Nick Chubb and Sonny Michel. If you give Mikey Stoops one thing to focus on he's pretty good at shutting it down. And by the way, their numbers aren't all that much greater than Rod Anderson and Trey Sermon combined. Good numbers, yes, but not gaudy.

For my DPOG I'm going with Obo. I really want to go Caleb Kelly here too but I'll stick with this pick. Obo wants to be the leader. Let him lead.

THE GAME

This one could easily go either way. Could the Georgia D shut the offense down and then could the Georgia offense wear tracks down the Sooner D's backs? Or, will it prove true that the Georgia D has yet to see anything like what's about to hit them and the Sooner D can bow up when it matters most? We've seen both over the years.

It's the latter, friends. It's a new era. The offense is going to put up points. They are going to battle. They are going to make key plays. The Sooner D will step up.

The Sooners win 35-24.

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner.

The Big 12 Championship

The Sooners have played their way into the Big 12 championship yet again and have a chance to start putting a pretty bow on a season for the ages. To recap,  Bob Stoops resigned and the Lincoln Riley era began. Baker Mayfield returns to "finish what he started". Then, in spite of losing their top wide receiver and top two running backs from a year ago, Baker manages to run an offense that's arguably improved over last year. Aaand, he's running away with the Heisman Trophy.

Following the inexpicable Iowa State loss, the offense has rolled on and the D has done enough to not ruin hopes and dreams. They've run the Big 12 gauntlet. Everything is out if front of them.

I am, dare I say, optimistic. It's all out there for the taking. A win and they're in the playoff. Standing in the way is a pesky Gary Patterson TCU squad. He will be pulling out all the stops.

OFFENSE

At this point there are no surprises. The presumptive Heisman trophy winner, the best O-line in college football and play makers all around. The Sooners need to take care of the football and not take sacks to win this one. TCU has to play otherworldly and still the Sooners will score points.

Round 1 of this matchup was the Rodney Anderson show. He dominated rushing and receiving. This may have been born more out of necessity than game plan as TCU has a salty pass defense. It's going to take a more complete collective effort from the wide receivers to build up enough scores to get comfy. Distributions to a variety of wide receivers and a bruising run game should soften things up nicely.

Baker is OPOG 1A (and spoiler: he will be for every remaining game) but for 1B I'll go Marquise Brown. Just a gut feeling. Visions of him catching the ball in stride in open space get me fired up.

DEFENSE

The oft maligned defense has managed to do just enough over the course of the season to win but, to their credit, they've battled, made plays when they absolutely had to, and made more adjustments both in game and in season than I can ever recall.

The good and frustrating thing about this D is they tend to play with an edge in big games. So they should be good to go. Why they can't do it all the time is beyond me but I'm moving on from it. All I care about is good effort and good tackling.

Much like the last time these teams met I'm not scared of Kenny Hill. He is average at best. This offense is a pretty good matchup for this defense. I'm sure there will be some frustration with awful tackling including some missed chances in the backfield and a run or two up the middle that go for big yards. It's just what you get with these guys. All you can ask is to keep it to a minimum.

I don't think there's a individual you can pick in this group. It'd be a stretch to say that's a good thing because the collective is untrustworthy. If forced I'll take Caleb Kelly. He has the potential to make an impact blitzing Hill, stopping the run or defending the pass.

SCORE

I'm feeling pretty good about this one. I ain't skeered of the TCU offense. I think the Sooner D will step up but they are going to take some big shots from the Frogs. Again, TCU has nothing to lose and will relish playing the spoiler role. The Sooners offense is going to do what it do. I'd like to see the Sooners keep the hammer down. No points are too many. No lead is safe. Hopefully they don't have to play from behind.

The D really just needs to be it's average best. If TCU punts more than five or six times I think that's enough cushion for the Sooners to build up a solid lead. Then it's on to the next round.

I'll take the Sooners 42-28

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.

West Virginia

The last game of the regular season is upon us. The mountaineers of West Virginia come to town today to take on our beloved Sooners. A spot in the conference championship game is already secured but eyes are on a bigger prize. I'm writing this without access to the internet which makes for a convenient excuse as to why I've done no research, but let's be honest I wouldn't have anyway. With that in mind, I think there is a chance the WVU QB is out with a finger. This may or may not be accurate, but before we get excited, the last time an unproven backup on an inferior opponent came to town, Iowa state happened. 

As I'm sure everyone knows by now, mayfield will not be a captain or a starter in this one as penance for his Man In the Mirror audition on the KU sidelines last week. I'm hopeful this is little more than a wrist slap and he's back in on the second series. But regardless, the boys need to keep it close. Bad things can happen, just ask Miami, the Sooners just need to keep winning and the playoff prize is in their hands. 

Offense

This unit has been a real treat to watch all season. Without mayfield starting they surely won't be as dynamic, but I think there is enough talent that they can still put up some points. I think they will lean more heavily on the run and as a result I'm going with Rod Anderson today. I think he has a big game, even after mayfield retakes the helm. 

Defense

We might as well accept that this defense sucks dick and can't stop a Hershey squirt. What a futile exercise this pick has become. Winning cures everything but this team has been an abomination to watch on defense. I'm going with Caleb Kelly for no decent reason whatsoever. 

Score

WVU can score, Dana holgerson teams always do. I don't know if their QB is playing or not but does it really matter? I think the sooners will show up today however and the offense will get rolling with mayfield back in. Sooners head into the conference championship with just one loss, 45-31. 

Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner