Michigan Wolverines vs. Oklahoma Sooners

Welcome to a gorgeous college football Saturday in Norman, Oklahoma. The Sooners (1-0, 0-0) find themselves in a big time early test against a big name Michigan Wolverine squad. The Sooners are fresh off a record setting debut from John Mateer last week against the Illinois State Redbirds. 

This one is not make or break for the season or for Brent Venables. However, a win today would be a big statement and an even bigger confidence boost for the Sooners.

OFFENSE

John Mateer is a gamer. The Sooners have a QB. That's sweet relief. However, there are some questions from last week heading into this one. One, freshman phenom offensive lineman Michael Fasusi did not play last week. Will he be available today? If so will he play and can he be a difference maker? The running game, while likely vanilla, was not exactly stellar. It needs to be better to win today.

Second question. Wither Jaydn Ott? He had 1 carry last week in garbage time and went for -3 yards. Rumor has it he was "dinged up". If so, why play him at all? Is he better now and will he get some more carries today.

That said, freshman running back Tory Blaylock was dynamic with the opportunities he got last week. That guy is going to be good. Hopefully he gets some opportunities today as well.

Third question. Will we see some planned runs for Mateer? He didn't have many last week and Brent Venables admitted after the game that the gameplan across the board was very vanilla.

For my OPOG I'm going with Blaylock although it makes intuitive sense to go with Mateer. His command of the offense will ultimately be the difference maker today. 

DEFENSE

The Sooner D put up some pretty gaudy numbers last week against Illinois State, giving up roughly 150 total yards. They did get gashed in the run game early though.

Obiviously today they have to stop the run. I also expect them to try to confuse the hell out of freshman wunderkind Bryce Underwood. 

The secondary will be key and I expect them to get a couple of turnovers against the young fella.

I am, however, taking David Stone for my DPOG. I think he'll be a disrupter on the d-line and really create opportunities for the secondary to capitalize on Underwood being forced to make throws and quicker decisions.

SCORE

I think this one will be fairly low scoring. The Sooners will have a hard time getting chunk plays against the Wolverines and Michigan will also struggle due to the Sooner D dictating the action.

I like the Sooners 24-17

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner

Michigan

 Week 2 finds us coming off a nice solid season opening win and preparing to face a very good, and storied program in Michigan. Weirdly enough, this is only the second time ever these teams have met. Considering OU has the most all time wins and Michigan is tied for fifth, I find that pretty remarkable. 

I wasn’t able to watch last week but reading the recaps, watching the highlights and checking the box score, it appears the offense mostly leaned on Mateer. He set a school record for passing yards in a debut (beating Baker) and generally commanded the game. If there are things to worry about it was the pick he threw and it didn’t appear the running game got fully untracked. I’ll lean into optimism and say that was just the team and o-line getting their feet under them. 

Defensively, the Sooners did exactly what you would hope against an opponent of that caliber. They limited them to almost no offense to speak of, and apart from the series following the Mateer Int which started deep in OU territory, they never really threatened to score. And even there, they held them to a FG. All in all, glad tidings but none of it really means shit. We’ve seen this kind of early season dominance only to have it followed up with some really poor defense. 

This week Michigan comes to town sporting the number 1 QB recruit in the country in Bryce Underwood. Dude is a manchild at 6-4 230 and looked the part in his college debut last week. Michigan will be a true early test and will give the Sooners all they can handle on both sides of the ball. Let’s hope the D can get enough stops to keep us in it and Mateerbuckle can put up some points. 

Offense

I got cute last week and went Jaydn Ott. True to form he was coming off an injury I was unaware of and was very limited. Even truer to form he got 1 carry for -3 yards. I’m just that good. This week, I’m not farting around. I’m saying it is Mateer with a huge game, coming through in the clutch multiple times. He puts up big passing numbers, does some nice damage scrambling and keeps plays alive. 

Defense

As I mentioned, OU will have its work cut out on defense with underwood being an excellent passer and runner as well. He’s big and very accurate in the passing game, and he’s got wheels. Should be a fun guy to try and stop. Michigan gave up quite a few pressures last week against a lesser opponent, so I’m going to go with a guy up front in hopes he can get in the backfield, get a couple of sacks and more importantly make underwood rush some throws that hopefully result in turnovers. I like R. Mason Thomas to be that guy this week. 

Score

This is a big one. College gameday is in town, it’s prime time, all eyes will be on this one. It’s an opportunity to make a statement early in the season. OU comes into this game as 5.5 point favorites (as of when I’m writing this crap), I love that people have that belief but I also think it’s just the home field advantage. I think this game is going to be really close. I think Michigan will score on us. We have to be able to run the ball on them otherwise they’ll just tee-off on the pass. I think we do and I think mateer leads a late drive to put OU ahead. We don’t cover, but we get a tough win against a good team. Sooners win it 38-35. Let’s get this. 

Boomer to the Motherfuckin Sooner 

Oklahoma Sooners vs. Illinois State

 Welcome to the 2025 edition of Sooner football! Hope runs high. Dreams inevitably shatter. But not today. Today, the new look Sooners take on the Redbirds of Illinois State. It's the debut of the new look Ben Arbuckle offense led by John Mateer.

The Sooner defense will have to overcome some big losses in Danny Stutsman and Billy Bowman. But expectations have folks believing this defense could take a step forward.

There's nowhere to go but up from last year, so let's get right to it.

OFFENSE

The Sooners trotted out a historically bad offense last year led by the hapless Seth Littrel. This year, the Sooners have what they hope is their next version of their quarterback whisperer in Ben Arbuckle and, they hope, the second coming of Baker Mayfield.

Expectations be damned, if they can just even be competent and healthy the Sooners could win at least two more games than they did last year.

Mateer is not expected to carry the whole load. Jaydn Ott is a highly touted transfer running back. The Sooners go deep at running back with Javontae Barnes, Taylor Tatum and Xavier Robinson. 

The offensive line is also healthy so far, with some big time freshman potentially ready to step in and step up right away.

For game 1, we have to go Mateer for OPOG. He knows the offense and showing some poise and command today will be big time setting the stage for next week's real opener, Michigan.

DEFENSE

The Sooners are stacked up front with Jaden Jackson and R. Mason Thomas. Kip Lewis is ready to lead the linebackers and the Bowen brothers, Eli and Payten, head up the secondary.

I expect some hungry looking players on this side of the ball and they should be feeding off the heady vibes the offense is putting out.

I'm going to go Kendall Dolby for my DPOG as my "Out of left field" pick of the day.

THE SCORE

The Sooners are fired up in this one and the offense gets rolling early. Illinois State gets their check and hits the road.

SOONERS 63, Redbirds 7

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner

Illinois State

 Welcome back faithful reader(s). We are once again at that wonderful time of year where Sooners football is here and we can still be (falsely) filled with hope. This season brings a lot of changes on both sides of the ball, most notably the coming of transfer QB John Mateer and his OC from Washington state where the two did great things last season. If you watched any of the Sooners last season then you know QB was mostly a wasteland. Hopefully this will be a massive upgrade, anything would be an upgrade over that wet dog shit we called an offense last year. A lot of questions remain on the OL (never a good thing), but if young guys can step up, the offense might be, dare I say, a strength. The skill positions have some newcomers mixed in with some solid holdovers. WR should be a strength, but Deion burks has to stay healthy I think to really anchor that group. RB sees the addition of Jaydn Ott to join Javontae Barns and company in the backfield. Maybe most interesting is the move of Jared Kanak from LB to TE where he looks to be the top guy at this point (says a lot about the lack of recruiting at that spot). He’s a beast but it’s a big change, his blocking will likely determine how much success he can have. 

Defensively, the loss of Stutsman to the draft leaves a large hole on the LB groups and an even larger hole in my puff pieces, and the biggest hole of all in my heart (well 2 out of 3, I didn't love him that much). I’ll be forced to devote some thought to my DPGs again (not my strong suit). Dline should be a strength with R Mason Thomas anchoring that group; and the return of David Stone after being in the transfer portal for about 45 minutes is big as well. The DBs will have quite a few changes but Peyton Bowen was an all-world recruit at S and he has shown flashes to this point, our Sooners really need him to step up and fill Billy Bowman's neckerchief. CB is a question mark with mostly unproven guys there. I'm hoping that the strengths at the other levels will hide this area a bit.

The schedule is pretty brutal as usual, with an added bonus of Michigan as a non-conference game. Apart from a few early season games, every week will be a test. In short, it’s a real butt-fister of a schedule. Illinois state is up first, let’s get our feet wet, iron out some kinks and tune up for Michigan week 2. 

Offense

All eyes will (rightfully) be on Mateer and the offense in general. I’m hoping they can come out a little vanilla and maybe set the cruise control early. With that in mind I don’t think Mateer "blows up" this week, I like Jaydn Ott to come in and have a nice game running and catching the ball out of the backfield. He’s my OPG. 

Defense

I’m weirdly optimistic that the defense might be respectable. They’ve actually improved under Venables and there are a few returning guys that are studs. The Dline looks tough and really all levels have playmakers. But for today I’m going with Kip Lewis. That dude is awesome and his athleticism is crazy. 

Score

I really don’t know much of anything about Illinois state. I suspect they have some solid athletes on their roster and no doubt they’re playing with nothing to lose. But top to bottom OU is just more talented. Of course, this doesn’t always mean in a win but I think the Sooners come out and TCB in this one, 44-10. It's good to be back.

Boomer to the Motherfuckin’ Sooner 

Oklahoma Sooners vs. Navy Midshipmen

 Well folks happy Friday. I hope you holidays have been fantastic thus far. It's time for the underwhelming conclusion to the 2024 edition of the Oklahoma Sooners football season. The Sooners take on the Midshipmen of Navy in the US Armed Forces Bowl in tropical Fort Worth, Texas.

The Sooners will be without Jackson Arnold and virtually every wide receiver. Quarterbacking will be Michael Hawkins, who probably won't be the starter next year. Joe Jon Finley will be calling plays, and he won't be in that role next year, either.

Danny Stutsman and Billy Bowman are also out of this one for the defense. The Sooners are short handed all the way around and this one doesn't even offer much hope for seeing what the future might look like for the Sooners. 

Excited yet?

OFFENSE

New Offensive Coordinator Ben Arbuckle is on campus and is apparently involved in the game planning of this game. Kevin Johns or whoever the hell stepped in to help after Seth Littrel's dismissal. So, maybe he's got a handful of plays that Mikey Hawkins is comfortable running. 

I don't know why Arbuckle wouldn't step in and start calling plays. That's what Littrel did last year in the bowl.

Alas, not knowing anyone else who might play, I'll take Hawkins for my OPOG. He's liable to be running for his life all game. Whatever.

DEFENSE

No Stutsman, no Bowman. There are some portal losses here as well, though not nearly as detrimental as on the offense.

If there is something to look forward to in this game, it might be seeing some familiar faces in bigger roles today.

I like Kip Lewis for my DPOG. He's probably the heir apparent to Stutsman.

THE SCORE

I don't know what Navy brings to the table, aside from their coach is from Oklahoma. That said, they probably do some ball control. The OU defense probably holds them to something like 24. The Sooner offense shows flashes of creativity, but probably steps on their own ding ding with turnovers. You know, the story of the season. We are who we think we are.

Sooners 27, Navy 24.

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner.

Oklahoma Sooners vs. LSU Tigers

Hello Sooner fans. The Sooners got new life breathed into their season and their program last with after a humongous home win against Alabama. The Sooners dominated both lines of scrimmage and they played a style of football suited to their current skill set. 

It's just enough to give a fanbase a heavy dose of optimism and overconfidence heading into a regular season finale on the road in Baton Rouge. The Sooners would match the overall record of LSU with a win. "A lot of people" were saying that OU would be the LSU of the SEC and here we are.

OFFENSE

The Sooners played to their strength consistently for the first time all season last week. They ran the ball early and often and played keep away. I was in the restroom, but I could swear I heard on the radio broadcast that Jackson Arnold lined up under center.

The Sooners need more of this set. You put two running backs in an offset I formation or a twin back set and you can run about 9 plays off that in short down yardage.

Apparently, Javonta Barnes could be back, and rumor has it Andrel Anthony might be ready to return. I'll take whatever we can get. 

The Sooners will meet with success if they follow last weeks game plan. Control the ball. Establish the run. Pass to keep the D honest. 

I'll take Xavier Robinson for my Hot Hands Offensive Player of the Week.

DEFENSE

I'm super happy these guys got to celebrate a big victory this year. They've played their asses off and they showed the country they can hang in this conference.

I'm excited to see what they bring today. There's nothing to lose. 

Do we go Kip Lewis or R. Mason Thomas? Danny Stutsman or one of the Bowen brothers? There are a lot good players on this side of the ball.

I'll go Kip Lewis. All he does is score touchdowns.

THE SCORE

You guys, I'm lulled into this false sense of confidence. I think this team is still working hard and eager to end this season on a high note. 

I think they're ready to play tonight and they show up big. 

I like the Sooners 24-21

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner

LSU

 Coming off of the biggest win of the season, our Sooners travel down to Death Valley in Baton Rouge. LSU is having a down year by their standards and so what I would normally chalk up as loss right away, I feel we have a chance. However, it has a lot of strong letdown potential after last week. In addition, that stadium is a rough place to play for anyone and I think it might be OU's first ever trip there. As a former New Orleanian, I heard so much about how great LSU is, was and always will be. I got copious amounts of shit about the Sooners and thus I would like nothing more than for our Sooners to go and repeat last week's ass beating. Let's see if we can do it.

Offense

The offense has really improved after the dismissal of Seth Littrell. While not great, we seem to have figured out that playing to our strengths is a decent plan. Jackson Arnold might not ever be a great QB. He has the arm but hasn't been consistent at all. However, once we decided that letting him run was a good idea, he's been very good in that capacity. He's a big dude and he's fast and the offense has been so much better with him being an active runner. The secondary benefit is that it keeps the other team's offense off of the field. Our D has been very solid, but they can't pitch a shutout every game, so minimizing the opponents opportunities to score is huge. In spite of this rambling nonsense, I do have a OPG to pick and I'm going with Xavier Robinson. This dude has really emerged and the offense has taken off with him as a feature guy.  I like him again tonight.

Defense

What a game last week. The D was unbelievable. My buddy said he thought we single handedly knocked Jalen Milroe out of the first round of the draft. That's probably not true, but we definitely locked his ass down. LSU has plenty of talent on O, but I think we can contain them. And of course Danny Stutsman, who else? Man, I'm gonna miss that guy.

Score

LSU is favored by 6. I think that is probably reasonable given the home game and crowd advantage they will have. But I like our Sooners to come in and score the upset. Sooners win 27-21.

Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner