Oklahoma Sooner vs. Tulsa Golden Hurricane

 Greetings, Sooner fans. Our boys are 2-0 after a "little close for comfort" but spread beating win over SMU last week. SMU proved to be a worthy foe and it was nice test for the crimson and cream. This week, it's a "road game" for the Sooners as they travel up I-44 to face Tulsa. This is a road game in name only as the Sooner following in Tulsa is quite large and I'm sure many in OKC are happy to make a short little trip for this one. 

Tulsa is led by for Sooner coach Kevin Wilson and he, by all accounts, inherits a Tulsa football team whose cupboard is as bare as a Venezuelan super market. Wilson also led one of the least potent offenses of the Bob Stoops era. This one should be a blowout.

OFFENSE

Frankly, I'm a bit flummoxed by Jeff Lebby's offensive philosophy. He LOVES to run the ball and will do so, apparently, until someone wiggles the wires plugged into the back of his neck. Hey, I love running the football. It's a nice flex to be able to do it at will. But it also exists to open up the passing game. In Jeff Lebby's world this often means play action with a check down to some short slant.

Now, what I'm confused about is if this is Jeff Lebby's world view or is it what peak Dillon Gabriel looks like? It is flabbergasting how few shots down the field the Sooners try. I'm inclined to blame Dillon Gabriel but then you think back to last year and how the Sooners used Gavin Freeman. Every time he was on the field they ran a jet sweep with him and rarely, if ever, deviated from it or used it to set up something else. 

Last week, the Sooners brought in Jackson Arnold on 3rd or 4th and short. Every single time they ran Jackson Arnold. Fine, but why not use it to do something different? It never happened. It's predictable and that makes me think this is all Jeff Lebby.

Anyway, today I'd like to see some kind of evolution beyond running 19 times in a row and/or taking some shots off of play action. It would be blissful to see Dillon Gabriel go through some progression and take some chances. 

Or, here's my pet theory, continue to use Jackson Arnold but keep him in as the "hot hand" and let him run the offense for a series at a time. Maybe he'll keep Gabriel on the sidelines without straight benching him.

My OPOG today is Gavin Sawchuk. He hasn't had much of a chance to get on the field much since he's been working his way back from injury but I think today he gets some touches and makes the most of it. 

DEFENSE

These guys are playing well enough to get the job done. 11 total points through two games is stingy. Anything under 24 should be enough to win any game. This week they need to continue to find their playmakers and quit being their own worst nightmares.

SMU's best drives last week relied on the Sooners committing dumb penalties, including a sideline infraction in the middle of the damn play. You never see that and it's unconscionable. They have to clean it up today.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention how excited I am for the future of this defense. They are markedly improved across the board from last year. And they are very young. The linebackers are looking great.

Keep in mind last week that the Sooners were without Dasan McCullough (So) and they lost their starting CB Gentry Williams on the first drive. They might Penalties aside, they didn't miss a beat.

Today my DPOG is Kip Lewis. He's one of those young linebackers that is looking really good. He's super fast and had 9 tackles last week, second only to Danny Stutsman who had 17 fucking tackles. He's a machine.

SCORE

OU is a 28 point favorite and that seems about right. I don't have confidence the Sooners will cover. See above my doubts about Jeff Lebby's football intellect. He seems like he's happy to run the ball so long as the Sooners have the lead. I hope I'm wrong. I hate that kind of football. No amount of points can ever be enough if you're a Sooner fan. We just don't trust the D enough yet.

The Sooners will win comfortably, however, something like 42-17.

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner

Tulsa

 Welcome back loyal reader(s). For the second year in a row, the Sooners started off looking like a juggernaut and followed that up by falling back to earth in disappointing fashion. So far, the Sooners have managed to stave off a bad loss, but let's be real, SMU is not a great football team. The sort of effort OU displayed last week would have them destroyed versus a better opponent. I've minced words somewhat and tried to look at the situation through the most optimistic lens I could conjure up, but the reality is Dylan Gabriel sucks. His arm is shit and he has zero ability to go through a progression. If his first option isn't there he either forces the throw anyway or tries to run. This seems like it would make a defensive game plan exceedingly easy to come up with. It's a matter of time of before Jackson Arnold takes the starting role, I only worry that it will take a couple of losses before this happens. And on that note, I truly hate the Arnold "belldozer" look that OU ran seeminly 25 times without any success last week. What a joke.

Defensively it wasn't much better. The front four has zero ability to get any pressure on the QB. Mind you this is coming against a presumably mediocre SMU offensive line. Even with the blitz they seldom "got home". Give any FBS QB unlimited time to throw and he is going to pick you apart. Fact. The middle of the defense appears to be the strongest unit with Stutsman and Kanek both looking very solid. The DBs are difficult to assess due to the aforementioned complete lack of pressure. No one can expect them to cover for 30 seconds on every snap, it just isn't possible. Suffice to say that the warts that popped up against Arkansas State became more evident last week and will only continue to do so unless major corrections are made. My fear is that the talent isn't there to make those corrections.

Offense

On the positive side of things, the skill positions appear to be pretty solid on offense. Aside from Gabriel, the WRs and RBs all seems to have capable players and plenty of depth. The TE position would be the one spot where it seems they might be a little understaffed. Stogner is solid but certainly hasn't shown to be a difference maker at this point. One of the most pleasant surprises has been Tawee Walker. The fact that he is getting reps over big time recruits says a lot. That he is clearly out playing those guys says even more. With that in mind I'm going with him to be my OPG. He is not razzle dazzle by any means, but he is solid in all facets of the offense and always seems to get positive yards when given the ball.

Defense

So far this has been the Danny Stutsman show. Dude is a menace out there. He is so high energy and always seems to be around the ball. On a medicore unit with few (if any) stars he is a definite bright spot. Until proven otherwise, he is my DPG.

Score

Tulsa does not appear to be a good football team. They got completely dismantled by #8 Washington last week. There is the in-state rivalry aspect, but let's be real that is one-sided in the sense that the Sooners don't give a shit about Tulsa. The line is -28 for OU. I expect this game to be frustrating in all of the worst ways of underperforming. Tulsa will likely play their best game of the season and OU will oblige. But Tulsa is just too undertalented to make this a close game. Sooners win 41-17. 

Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner

SMU

 What can I say about that win last week? It was pure domination from start to finish. Arkansas State is clearly not a good football team at all. Going in, the average person would have expected a rout. With that in mind, the win really means nothing. But, how many games like this has OU played in the last decade-plus and it's been an absolute nail biter? How many games did they go in as massive favorites against an overmatched team and then needed a late stop or score to barely pull out a win? Damn near every time it seems to me. I can't remember the last time an OU football team was that dominant. It was what was expected and it was still damn fun.  Also, Jackson Arnold looks like the real deal. His arm looks to be very solid and the best one on the team in my opinion, not that this is saying a ton. 

However, I did see some things that were troubling. Dylan Gabriel still has a weak arm, anything he throws more than 20 yards looks like a punt. His accuracy is, um, questionable. He is serviceable, but if/when we get to a game where we need him to carry us, I don't particularly like our chances. The defense played well, much better than they did at times last year. But ASU shot themselves in the foot multiple times with missed receivers and so many drops. They probably left at least 10-17 points out there. No, this isn't a ton, but good teams aren't going to make these mistakes and get the D off the field. Finally, there are a couple of injuries to mention. Most notably Drake Stoops left with a shoulder separation which could be a day-to-day situation or an out-multiple-weeks situation. I read he could've returned if the game wasn't a blowout, which is obviously encouraging, but it is still something to keep an eye on. Oh and Davis Beville did something to one of his extra long pipe-cleaner legs.

SMU looks to be a much tougher test and one that should show us a lot more about what this Sooners team really is. They have a very talented offense and a smart young coach that knows how to game plan. It will be a tough test for the OU D to be sure. I am nervous, but that is pretty much every game. But truthfully I have no real idea of what to expect from OU on either side of the ball. They looked capable, but against what? This will be an interesting game for sure.

Offense

Gabriel looked solid last week in spite of his arm talent issues. He hit the right guys in situations and more or less hit open guys. I will take this result every week. The RBs looked very good, and only stand to improve when Gavin Sawchuck is healthy. At this point it appears to be a committee back there and no one really stood out as weak. I'm still on the Javonte Barnes train and he did get the most carries. I really nailed my Jalil Farooq pick. I think he was the only skill player to not touch the ball and only had two targets. I know my shit. This week I am going with another WR Jaquaize Pettaway. He was a highly touted recruit and he had a massive week 1. This will change as teams look for him, but I still think he continues to emerge as our top target and has a big week.

Defense

All around this was a very good effort last week. There seemed to be a lot of guys rotating through at all three levels and (admittedly against a very poor team) they pretty much maintained the same level of play. There were a few dumb penalties that need to be cleaned up but I liked the aggression that they stemmed from. This week I'm going to go with all-world recruit Peyton Bowen. He made some nice plays last week as he was eased into the scheme. I think he only continues to get better as the season progresses and I think he makes a big play this week.

Score

The season long shutout is coming to an end I'm afraid. SMU moves the ball well and they have talent at the skill positions. My hope is that our defensive front can control their O-line and apply pressure while shutting down the run game. If they can stand back all day and pick us apart it will be bad times indeed. The spread is OU -16 currently. I don't think OU quite covers against a good offensive team. But our beloved Sooners do enough to get the W 37-24. Let's keep this rolling.

Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner

SMU Mustangs vs. Oklahoma Sooners

 Happy Saturday, Sooner fans. The mood about town this week has been one of extreme measured cautious optimism. It's borderline paranoia. Yes, the Sooners pitched a shutout, not easy to do. Yes, they put up 70 plus, also not easy to do. But there is some real PTSD from last year and for good reason.

Here's what we do know, though. The defense is better across the board. Their collective understanding of the defense seems to be better and they are definitely faster. The offense took care of business. Dillon Gabriel played great and Jackson Arnold has us looking forward. My favorite Arnold play was a swing pass that was so well placed it made the first move for the receiver, forward and away from the defender. It was a simple play, but it was cool to see the awareness.

Also, it cannot be overstated how often Arkansas State stepped on their own dicks. They fucked it up every time they needed a play or had a chance to make one. They are a bad team.

Thus, today marks a better test for the crimson and cream. I don't know shit about SMU but I'd bet my ass that they have a better quarterback and at least one skill player who can do damage. I hope their defense is better. SMU seems like they'd have some decent defensive lineman. That's pure speculation.

OFFENSE

As mentioned, I hope the SMU defense is decent. Dillon Gabriel can use all the work he can get to gel with the new receivers. I liked what I saw last week from Andrel Anthony and Jaquaize Pettaway. Those guys will need to step up if Drake Stoops can't go this week. Jayden Gibson and Gavin Freeman both looked great too. 

Today look for more of the running back by committee and a little more quarterback run game. I think I'll go with Jaden Gibson for OPOG. He came in a couple years ago with high expectations and he's struggled a bit. Maybe getting off to a good start is a boost for him. He's easily the biggest receiver the Sooners have and, at 6'5", it would be baller for him if he could become a frequent target. 

DEFENSE

Build, build, build. This group looked great last week. They did a good job of playing hard for 60 minutes. They looked fast and their tackling was pretty solid. They had a couple breakdowns that AS couldn't capitalize on and the Sooners didn't get a sack.

I definitely hope to see some more QB pressures and/or sacks. I'd like to think the Sooners played conservative but I'm not falling for that shit. 

I'll go Danny Stutsman for my DPOG. Obviously he's good, but I like his ability to take ownership of this defense and being a true captain on the field. It'll be huge for this defense.

THE SCORE

I like the Sooners to beat the spread (currently -16.0). Even if the SMU offense can score a little bit and even if the Sooners don't score every time they touch the ball, the Sooners, at home, are three scores better than the Mustangs.

I like the Sooners 35-14.

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner

Oklahoma Sooners vs. Arkansas State

 YESSS

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

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

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

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

MAJOR DEFENSIVE IMPROVEMENT

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

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

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

DEPTH AT QUARTERBACK

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

Anyhow, that's all I know for now.

OFFENSE

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

DEFENSE

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

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

THE SCORE

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

Sooners 56, whatever Arkansas State is called, 3.

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner

LETS GO!

Arkansas State

 At last, after another long offseason, we are on the precipice of another Sooners football campaign. I needn't remind anyone that last year was, by OU (and most others) standards, a shitshow. The first losing season since my collegiate years and the pre-Bob Stoops era. Dark times indeed. Brent Venables, formerly exiled Defensive Coordinator and returned savior come home to make good, looked far more like the coach that fans chased out of Norman so many years ago. The defense he was supposed to come in and revitalize was garbage, and certainly not appreciably better/different than the loose diarrhea we've been spewing out for the last, oh, decade or so. But this year he has his own recruits, and if the national pundits are to be believed, a great class of them. 

The secondary was trash last year, the defensive front--also trash, the linebackers were actually serviceable and return the likes of one Danny Stutsman who led the Big 12 in tackles last year. Several transfers up front promise to tighten up the pass rush and run D, which should in turn help the sieve of a secondary that boasts all-world recruit Peyton Bowen. Brent will have to have them tuned up on this side of the ball if he wants to cool off his lightly warmed coaching seat. 

On the offensive side of the ball, our Sooners return Dylan Gabriel, aka the least accurate passer in football. Behind him of course is all-world recruit Jackson Arnold. Gabriel is one of those players where, if you look purely at his numbers without ever watching a game, looks pretty solid. But the reality is that he misses more open (I'm talking no one within 10 yards of them open) than any Sooners QB in recent memory. It is maddening. Clearly they were much better last year with him than without, but that speaks more to the absolute absence of any sort of talent behind him. Now there is, presumably, someone good backing him up so it will be all the more frustrating if/when he does this shit again. On a different note, I think my biggest surprise on offense is that Javantae Barnes is third and Gavin Sawchuck fourth, on the depth chart behind Marcus Major and Tawee Walker. The two former clearly outplayed the two latter last year, so this was a surprise to me. This will be interesting to see how it plays out. 

It's a new season and there will be a lot of new faces on both sides of the ball. As always, my biggest concern is defense and play up front on both sides. I'm skeptical, but brimming with dawn-of-season optimism that Venables has them ready. Let's do this.

Offense

Now that Marvin Mims has gone on, the WR corps will be a different bunch. Losing someone that good is always tough. The aforementioned question marks at RB have me skeptical of picking one of those guys simply because I don't know who is going to get the reps there. And even though it is likely that Gabriel ends up putting up the numbers I'm going to start the season off with Jalil Farooq. I think he steps up and his trust from Gabriel lets him lead the offense.

Defense

There are so many question marks over here that it is really difficult to pick. The secondary has some new faces, and some returning ones that I hope have improved (looking at you Woodi Washington). But, unlike on offense, I'm not going to overthink it here. I'm going with Danny Stutsman. I think he comes out with his hair on fire and lights some guys up with a big day, including a sack.

Score

As of this morning when I'm finishing this up, the line is OU minus 36. I think that is generous given the defensive struggles and question marks on both sides of the ball. Arkansas State (coached by Butch Jones?!...who knew?) was only 3-9 last season. A weak program coming off a bad season? Sounds like a lock for cover city. But I'm scarred from last years general ineptitude and think OU has some early struggles. Sooners win, but fail to cover 38-14.

Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner

Oklahoma Sooners vs. Florida State Seminoles in the Cheez It Bowl

More like Cheez Dick Bowl amiright?

The Sooners are putting a bow on another campaign, Brent Venables first as head coach, and it's a bit of a mercy kill. Frankly, it's more than they deserve. A 6-6 campaign is underwhelming by any definition. 

Enough of the pessimism though. At least the Sooners play a big name opponent in a warm weather clime. The Seminoles are 9-3, ranked 13 (too high) and are on their way up. They'll be excited to play. The Sooners are dealing with the now all too regular sight of players opting out for the NFL or entering the portal.

Most notably, the Sooners will be without the service of Eric Gray. As such, the Sooners are 9.5 'dogs as of this writing. What the pundits don't recall is that the Sooners rise to the occasion in meaningless bowl games.

Let's do this.

OFFENSE

The opt out of wunderkind Eric Gray makes for a nice opportunity for guys like Javontae Barnes and Gavin Sawchuk. One must hope that the dropoff from Gray to Barnes as a feature back is much less than Dillon Gabriel to Davis Beville.

Gabriel, Jalil Farooq and Marvin Mims are all available. Apparently the likes of Wanya Morris and a couple other O-lineman are gone.

What I'm driving at is that Dillon Gabriel is going to have to carry it. Scary as hell but doable. 

I'm going with Marvin Mims for OPOG as he's due and that means Gabriel has come to play.

DEFENSE

This is going to sound stupid but I think recent successes on the recruiting trail are going to give this group a boost going into the offseason. Also, they've been playing well enough to win for the last month or so of the season. And, they absolutely won the game against OSU. 

Now, I have no idea what FSU brings to the table on offense. Their QB's numbers seem comparable to DG's. The caliber of opponent is almost certainly worse than what OU faced all season. They beat LSU and Florida, OK, and lost to Clemson, NC State and Wake Forest. Unimpressive. Most. Unimpressive.

For my DPOG I'll go Ethan Downs. Why not? 

THE SCORE

Well, if you've made it this far you know I have no idea what the fuck to expect. Of course I think the Sooners win. 

They'll put up 42 with a slightly modified gameplan that accounts for the loss of Eric Gray but includes the full compliment of outside talent. 

The D picks up where it has left off after having played well the last month of the season.

I'm going 42-31 in a pretty fun game to watch.

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner