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.

The Oklahoma Sooners versus the Auburn Tigers in the Allstate Sugar Bowl

The Sooners opened the 2016 campaign with an egregious loss to Houston. At the time, Sooner fans joked they wouldn't have to be emotionally invested the rest of the season. It turns out they were right.  Playoff hopes were already on life support. One more loss would seal the deal. Such is life in college football. Two weeks later and Ohio State came to Norman and throttled the Sooners. The door was truly closed and deservedly so.

The Sooners still controlled their own destiny to an extent. The Big 12 was wide open. The Sooners, having started 1-2, rattled off nine straight, finishing undefeated in the Big 12 and headed for a "New Year's Eve Six" bowl game. There were brief, deluded hopes by some that the Sooners might be able to back door their way into the playoffs but mercifully it did not come to pass. An historic offense has barely managed to overshadow a pretty rancid defense. For reference, Clemson has the lowest rated defense in the Playoffs at 15 in the country. The Sooners are at 87.

I've had a month to warm up to this ballgame. Can you be that excited about another essentially wasted season? 10 wins, a Big 12 Championship and on the outside looking in come playoff time? Am I spoiled rotten? Is it disappointment for the season or anxiety about getting pasted on national television?

I think it's the latter. After a month of bowl games the oft dismissed Big 12 has held its own. The SEC is showing it's top heavy. There is some conference pride riding on this. This is a big game now that the day has come. And, oh boy, I can feel it coming. I'm not excited about the inevitable SEC coronation should Bama win another championship and Auburn win a Big Six game while the Big 12 shows their best simply isn't good enough. Damn it the Sooners need this and Clemson needs to win next week.

OFFENSE

The Sooners have faced two defenses the same caliber as Auburn's. Ohio State and Houston. Auspicious as that sounds, I would argue that the Sooner offensive juggernaut had not been fully unleashed by week three. There were times early in the season where it seemed Lincoln Riley was still trying to figure out what he had and was trying to force the ball into the hands of who he rightfully believed was his biggest weapon, Samaje Perine. But Perine was not himself really until around Texas or so. The offensive line was in major flux due to injury and overall youth. Dede Westbrook had done very little.

The Sooners have now rounded into full beast mode. The Big Three of Baker Mayfield, Semaje Perine and Joe Mixon has turned into the Big Four with Secretary Dede Westbrook. Even the supporting cast has stepped up. Dimitri Flowers is a weapon in both the running and passing game. Geno Lewis, Joe Mixon and some combination of Nick Basquine/Jeffrey Mead/AD Miller can make it tough on defenses to help with Dede. Auburn have their hands full.

For my OPOG I'm going with Baker Mayfield. The Sooners success depends on his ability to stay on the field. He greases all the skids so to speak. He might not be the MVP of the game (I think that will be Joe Mixon) but it will take all his skill for the Sooners to score enough against this Auburn D to have a shot (read: overcome the Sooner defensive shortcomings).

DEFENSE

This defense has shown some steady improvement over the last month or so. Shutting down Baylor, OSU and West Virginia back-to-back-back is no joke. Still, it's the worst defense of the Bob Stoops era, right?

The good news for Sooner fans is that Auburn is the ideal matchup for this defense, if such a thing exists.

The Auburn passing attack is on a par with Kansas State. If the Sooner secondary can lock it down without having to blitz the Linebackers I think they're golden. I'm worried about getting gashed right down the middle of the field though.

I think the conventional wisdom would be to try to shut down the Auburn running attack and force them to pass. I'm no X's and O's guru but I would do the reverse. Neutralize the passing attack and key on the run. Make it strength versus strength and see how much pride the Sooners have.

I've picked Jordan Evans for my DPOG for about six straight games and I'm trying hard to talk myself out of it. But I won't. He's the best player on D. He'll be key in stopping both the run and the pass.

THE SCORE

I'm not real impressed with Auburn in general (Being the K-State of the SEC is not a favorable comparison) and the SEC's performance in bowls to this point doesn't leave me shaking in my boots. Their best win was against Arkansas. Their D gave up 30 to Alabama and while the Sooners are not Alabama by any stretch, I do believe if there is any comparison it's on offense and offensive game planning. I do think the Auburn D will have some success though.

Again, as ever this season, it's all about the Sooner defense. Can the Sooners keep a team that apparently doesn't make a lot of big plays from making big plays? Can they physically match up with the Auburn front line and running attack?

I don't expect a shootout in the Big 12 high scoring sense but I am keeping the Depends on standby and flexing my sphincter throughout the day in preparation for a close one. I imagine Auburn holds the Sooners to less than their scoring average and the Sooners give up what Auburn normally takes.

Sooners 31, Auburn 30

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner.

Oklahoma State

I'm afraid it's going to be a familiar refrain from me in this one, loyal reader(s). The season is setting up as a typical Stoops campaign. Some early losses, at least one that should have never happened, then riding an above average (but nowhere near elite) team to an empty conference title and a second-tier bowl appearance that no one will care about outside of (and possibly within) school circles. This will likely lead to some snarky and arrogant retorts by Stoops if/when questioned about the program falling off in the national picture. It's a broken record at this point (and yes I remember last seasons playoff appearance...where the Sooners were dismantled).

Oklahoma State comes to town in a tasty top 10 matchup. Sadly, it really means nothing beyond pride and viewership will likely be up due to a lack of anything else to watch today. Oklahoma State comes in on the tail-end of a nice season where they should probably be more in the playoff conversation than they are. Their QB will likely be a first or second round bust in the next 2 or 3 years, which means he's probably going to have a huge day against the Red Carpet.

I should backpedal a bit and say the Sooners did play a fine game in WVU two weeks ago. Though it should be noted that the Mountaineers did diarrhea all over themselves multiple times in that first half, basically gifting an insurmountable lead to OU. But in the interest of credit where due, OU did capitalize on the mistakes and came out with a nice win. Will The Sooner D show up today? Will the offense control the ball with the run-game in between bombs to the Secretary? Will Oklahoma State wear helmets shaped like actual cowboy hats and some kind of lights on their pants?

Offense

This is fun picking these. For all of the negativity I spew on the Sooners, they can score some points when the offensive line does their job. The skill players are all really great, and they are a nice complementary group with different strengths. I'd love to go Mixon or Perine, and I really think they'll both have very nice games. I also think Mayfield will do a nice job, but I'm going with The Secretary. Dede score 2 long touchdowns where he simply outruns everyone else on the field, goes over 150 yards receiving, and takes 3 mistake-free memos while covering the phones.

Defense

Still not going to do it. I just can't, and it annoys me when I do.

Score

It's a shootout...again. OSU will be ready and they are probably the more complete team simply based on our terrible defense. If this were in Stillwater I'd absolutely pick the pokes. But it's not, and I think being at home is enough. In a rare-for-this-season moment of optimism, I think OU wins this one 47-44.


Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner

Bedlam

Who's ready for some 10-2 and a Big 12 Title? Nobody, if you're fed up with 10-2 seasons, ornamental Big 12 Titles and falling just shy of being elite. On the other hand, 9-3 and Big 12 runners-up after a Bedlam loss does not have a nice ring to it at all. I'm kind of fiddle-farting around here (Technical Jargon) to say that this game is kind of a big deal.

The Sooners are coming off their most impressive win of the season against West Virginia. The Sooners eliminated the Mountaineers from Big 12 title contention and completely wiped them out of the national conversation. The Sooners took the fight to the Mountaineers early. The offense was firing on all cylinders and the defense delivered its best performance by far. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention a lapse in the second half where Lincoln Riley forgot he did not have the luxury of a defense capable of protecting a four touchdown lead and said defense forgot there were four quarters in a football game. Still, it was by far the best total performance for the Sooners thus far this season and it came at no better time.

Oklahoma State, meanwhile, comes in riding a seven game win streak against opponents as impressive as Mike Gundy's mullet. Mike Gundy, by the way, tucks his sweatshirt into his pleated pants lest you believe the mullet is some part of some overall hipster persona. Sorry Poke fans he's just not cool. He's a putz.

OFFENSE

What more can you say, really? The Sooners are a juggernaut at this point. Two Heisman candidates in Baker and the Secretary, Dede Westbrook. The best running back tandem in college football and an offensive line that's getting better by the week. Oklahoma State simply can't matchup across the field to bottle up the Sooners. The only hope for the Cowboys is to turn the ball over multiple times and that's not going to happen.

For my OPOG I'm going with Dede. I've enjoyed his coming out party on the national scene and it would be awesome if he could put a nice tidy bow on his surging Heisman campaign by lighting it up.

DEFENSE

Here's where I'm at mentally. I can now step outside of myself and not be blinded by crimson colored glasses. I can see that the Sooners offense is fun enough to watch and, ergo, vis a vis, live with the fact that the defense is just bad enough that whoever they play will also score points. The result of which is a fun contest to watch. But the offense is so good that I need not sweat the outcome. At this point they will not play an elite defense Saturday or in a bowl game so let's just roll with it.

As for the Cowboys, they are not as lethal on offense as in years past. Mason Rudolph is average. Poke wide receiver James Washington (who is elite) and the Sooners secondary will make him appear slightly above average (hopefully not All World). The OSU running attack is meh.

For my DPOG I'm going with Jordan Evans for maybe the fourth week in a row. Again, he is the sharpest in a drawer of dull knives.

THE SCORE

The bottom line is the Sooners D is marginally (and I mean the thinnest of margins) better than the Cowboys. The Sooners offense is better at every position including wide receiver. The Cowboys don't have enough on either side of the ball to overcome BD Mayfield, Dede, Joe Mixon and Semaje Perine. Plus, it's in Norman.

I like the Sooners here big.

Sooners 52, OSU 35

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner

WVU Mountaineers

OU avoided a trap game last Thursday in a classic, what-the-hell-happened? game that has bitten the Sooners in the past. A cupcake sandwiched between two good teams, on the road, and on a short week no less, but OU was able to find enough to beat a sorely overmatched ISU team. Now, it's on to Morgantown to take on a tough WVU club that has only lost one. 

This will be a tough road game to be sure, WVU can score, and if you have watched as much as 30 seconds of Sooner football this year, we don't care much for preventing that. I know, I know, They haven't played anybody... (inferior intelligence voice), and they haven't, that's true. I'd argue we haven't either besides Ohio State and maaaaaybe Houston and...so... This looks like it might be Texas Tech 2: The Red Carpet Returns. Let's suffice to say that between the Ruf Neks and that buckskin brawler, they'll need enough ammo to stage an Alamo reenactment. 

Offense

This is the fun part of the picks category. One where there are, you know, viable optionS. I like Mixon. I like Perine. I like Mayfield and of course I like The Secretary. I think all will play very respectable games that in any other context would be gimmes for this "award". But, I'm picking Perine in this one. I think that at some point ball control will play a factor (reader: knowing laugh/pitiful head shake) and that's our guy for hitting you in the mouth and picking up first downs. Give me Samaje!

Defense

Whew, I tried, I really did. But there just isn't anyone. It's a terrible D, and it's not just one or two weak spots or key players. It's a rotating cast of missed assignments, shitty tackling and general buffoonery. No one is exempt. So, I can't do it. I'd mention how badly we'll miss Charles Walker but he hasn't really played all year anyway. Best of luck to him.

Score

As much as people want to say this has national title implications, the chances of that are pretty absurd. It does however have conference title implications. And as sure as Stoops can't beat anyone on the national stage, he can win conference championships. Sooners take this one in another laugher (for the wrong reasons) 55-49.

Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner

West Virginia

Just as we all thought, Big 12 title hopes run through Morgantown this week as the Sooners take on West Virginia. The winner stays in control of their destiny and loser is relegated to a mid-tier bowl, at best.

Moral dilemma. I broached the subject last week but now it's real. The Sooners are overrated. I think we will end the season with three losses. I'm sorry, but as good as the offense is (and it is elite), an 81st ranked defense has no business being in the top 10 nationally, much less the playoffs. It does not compute. Fun aside, while I was looking at defensive team stats; The Sooners are ranked 81st nationally. Five SEC teams are ranked lower. That conference's reputation is staked on two or three teams a year at best.

So, would you rather that third loss come against West Virgina or Oklahoma State? On the plus side the Sooners would be properly rated, play in a second tier bowl and likely dominate someone. There will be no anxiety heading into the bowl game and the Sooners end the season on a high note. I would obviously rather lose to West Virginny on the road than the Cowboys at home.

Or the Sooners win out and someone (likely others- plural) lose and the Sooners backdoor their way into the playoffs. Yay playoffs. Boo probable ass whipping.

If you have any pride and competitive spirit you would want to win out and get in the playoffs, right? This team just has no business being there. I'm torn.

OFFENSE

The Sooners haven't faced a defense this tough (at least statistically) since Ohio State. The Mountaineers haven't faced an offense this potent since Oklahoma State. What gives?

The recent emergence of additional receiving options for Baker Mayfield gives the Sooners a big time edge. Obviously the Secretary Dede Westbrook is playing video game level football right now but eventually a competent defense is going to come along and have a safety help out over the top, right? It's easier said than done if you start having to think about Geno Lewis and/or Nick Basquine and/or Mark Andrews (what's happened to him?) and/or Joe Mixon.

The Sooners are rounding into form at the right time. Receivers are stepping up. The backfield is at full strength. Baker is being Baker. And the O-Line personnel seems settled and looking tough. I just don't see the Mountaineers shutting it down. I lose my boner a little bit when I think about the Mountaineers playing at home, at night, on national TV though.

For my OPOG I'm going Joe Mixon.

DEFENSE

West Virginia does not have the playmakers of years past. Still, they average 30 points a game. Care to guess how many the Sooners Red Carpet averages giving up? Against inferior competition over the last month they have started to look better. Can this newfound confidence hold a better team under its scoring average, on the road, on Saturday night? My butthole is puckered.

I'd like to also point out that any talk about key players coming back and helping out can be put to rest. Charles Walker and Matt Dimon are both done as Sooners. So they aren't walking through that door. We are what we are.

For my DPOG I'll go Jordan Evans. He's playing like a guy who sees his collegiate career winding down and wants to go out on a high note. He's been playing really well.


SCORE

Get ready for a nail biter. The Sooners will be held below their scoring average and West Virginia won't. Playmakers are the difference for the Sooners and the nation will get to behold Baker, Joe, Samje and Dede in all their glory.

Sooners 38, West Virginia 35

Boomer to the motherfuckin Sooner.

Baylor Bears

I'm only putting this up 10 minute prior to kickoff because I've not slept in 3 days creating the perfect "piece" and wanted to ensure no detail was overlooked in creating this masterpiece. OU avoided the upset last week in a classic "trap" game, now let's see if they can force at least 1 punt in this track meet against Baylor

Offense

After a week to think about his egregious miscue, I feel that Mixon comes back with a vengeance. I just learned that Perine is back as well which is huge as he is a monster. But today belongs to Mixon with 2 scores and 150+ all purpose yards.

Defense

I'm going with Steven Parker again, mostly because I'm feeling generous. Let's see what happens against a Baylor offense ripe to score 40+.

Score

Speaking of 40+, I think OU wins by virtue of having the home crowd in this one, 49-45. The spread is a ludicrous 17.5 in favor of the Sooners, making me wish I was in Vegas as I'd bet my house against that one.

Boomer to the Motherfuckin' Sooner