Baby Steps: Cowboys Come Back to Beat Chippewas

  The weather was not favorable for the Oklahoma State Cowboys when they rolled into Central Michigan to face the Chippewas, the offense sputtered and coughed before hacking up the lead in the third quarter. and no OSU fan felt like Mason Rudolph was going to win the Heisman, or that the Cowboys even looked like a team that got snubbed from the AP Top 25 rankings. The Cowboys looked average at best. Thats was the only thing that most spectators back in Oklahoma could agree on. But luckily for the Cowboys, they have Central Arkansas this week, and there should be some massive improvement coming from the Pokes. At least, that's what fans should expect from Mike Gundy and his squad.

Cowboy quarterback, Mason Rudolph (2) passed for
266 yards and also scored on a 21-yard rushing play to
lift the Pokes to a 24-13 win last week.

  In his postgame press conference, Gundy told the media that his kids just didn't feel the urgency when they arrived at Kelly-Shorts Stadium, and that was apparent! Not until Central Michigan took a 13-10 lead in the third quarter, did OSU seem to "wake up"! That attitude is not going to fly when Big 12 teams come knocking on the door for the Pokes, but I don't think they will have any lackadaisical mindset when it does come time to play the big boys. The only issue I see is that maybe the coaching staff was too relaxed when it came to Central Michigan. You'd never guess that if you talked to Gundy, but when you're a 17-21 year old guy, it's easy to look ahead to more formidable opponents. When in high school, my team never worried about many opponents, we were the top dog. But when our rivals came into town or we were in a playoff game, we were locked in and ready. If OSU can get their players to realize that every game is important, just like my former coaches did, then you'll see Central Arkansas leave Boone-Pickens Stadium with their tails tucked and the bus warming up after halftime.
 Just something to think about, as Oklahoma State takes on the Central Arkansas Bears on Fox Sports Oklahoma at 7:30 ET on Saturday night, and hopes for their continued quest to breach the Top 25 to be fulfilled by the end of this month.

Baker's Men: OU's Mayfield Heated Up in Second Half vs. Akron

  When Akron was knocking on OU's door and only down 3-0 in the first quarter, murmurs arose from the Gaylord-Memorial Stadium, and they were right to do so. Oklahoma looked very unimpressive, and quarterback, Baker Mayfield, looked very shaky. But before anyone was hitting the "Upset Alert" button in Norman, the doors blew off the hinges and Akron was left wondering what the heck just happened! Sure, Akron got their field goal (right before halftime), but by then, the game was in control with the Sooners leading 17-3. OU then proceeded to run off 24 unanswered points to make the final score, 41-3.

OU quarterback, Baker Mayfield (6), escapes 2 Akron defenders.
Mayfield threw for a record-setting 388 yards last Saturday as OU
dominated the Zips, 41-3.

  Joe Mixon was the most impressive running back on the day, and he only had 27 rushing yards on 5 carries! Samaje Perine didn't fair much better, with only 33 yards on 11 carries, but the impressive part about Mixon was his 76-yard touchdown run and catch that electrified the crowd and sparked the OU offensive. It was a relatively simple play, and the Zips were way out of position with 4 players surrounding 1 OU wide receiver. About 95% of all able-bodied attendees at the game could have scored the touchdown Mixon scored, and thats the beauty of the Lincoln Riley offense. KISS. Keep It Simple, Stupid.
  After the game, Mixon didn't talk to the media, and that was not surprising. Other players definitely pointed out what a momentum booster the play was, and how it opened the flood gates for the Sooners. With so little running production against such a dilapidated Akron defense, how will the Sooners fair when they travel to Knoxville to play Tennessee?
  Tennessee is no joke on the defensive side of the ball, and don't let the 30 points Bowling Green scored on them in their season opener, fool you. Yes, the Volunteers allowed the Falcons throw for over 400 yards, but only allowed them to rush for 124. On the other side of the ball for Tennessee, they ran the ball for 400 yards and only threw for 205. I don't think Tennessee will run the ball 50 times against the Sooners like they did against Bowling Green last week, but if they decide to, they better have a more prolific passing attack, because OU's defense is no slouch, either!
  With all the SEC hype surrounding the college football world once again, many people think that OU is in for a rude awakening when they roll into Rocky Top land on Saturday. I think not. Tennessee may have one of the best defensive lines in the SEC, but if they can't stop the passing game against Bowling Green, I don't expect them to stop Baker Mayfield on the OU offensive very much, if at all. The only way OU loses, is if they continue to start off games with unnecessary penalties and turnovers. You can get away with sloppy play against sub-par teams, but not when you're facing an SEC team, and definitely not away from your home field. Just something to think about, as OU takes on Tennessee on ESPN at 6ET.

Oklahoma Football Gets A Makeover

  For too long, we have waited to see how Bob Stoops would handle the disappointing 2014-15 season that Oklahoma football went through. He fired wide receiver coach, Jay Norvell, and replaced offensive coordinator, Josh Heupel, with Eastern Carolina offensive mind, Lincoln Riley. Norvell and Huepel have both gone their respective ways; Jay going to arch-rival, Texas, and Huepel now assisting at Utah State. With all these new faces on the sideline for Stoops and the Sooners, there were already tons of questions that we, as fans, started looking forward to getting answered this season before we even got more big news a little over a week ago, from OU. Trevor Knight is not starting quarterback anymore and had been officially beaten out by walk-on Texas Tech transfer, Baker Mayfield.

OU has had a rude awakening last year, can
the Sooners turn it around in 2015-2016?

  New offensive system, new quarterback, and new position coaches. There's a trend here. Stoops has finally realized that if he doesn't want any 8-5 seasons again, he needs to start with a new approach. Starting with Lincoln Riley, he runs a very fast-paced air raid offensive and likes to put up big numbers in the passing game. This should be no surprise to anyone because he is a disciple of former Texas Tech (and now Washington State) head coach, Mike Leach, who is famous for incorporating the air-raid offense down in Lubbock. Nobody argued with the hire when it first came out, but the big question, was that if he was going to bring the air-raid system to Norman, how would he handle the vast stable of talented, young, running backs that would be at his disposal? In a press conference a few days ago, Bob Stoops stated that the running backs, especially Samaje Perine, would definitely not be ignored in there offensive game plan. If you recall, Perine rushed for over 425 yards in a single game last season against Kansas, and emerged as a key catalyst for the OU offense. He is an early candidate for the Heisman Trophy this upcoming season, and is a pre-season All-Big 12 running back. With all that being said, there is still the unproven "superstar" running back on the roster, Joe Mixon, that has yet to even be seen by the pubic eyes in an actual Oklahoma football game. 

  Yes, Mixon did get in trouble in the offseason, but there has yet to be any public apology or anything from the young man. Bob Stoops addressed that situation on WWLS The Sports Animal, a local sports radio station, and said that he has thought about letting the young man speak to the media about it. The idea is nothing new to Stoops, because defensive stud, Frank Shannon, who was suspended all of last season, already gave his press conference to clear the air and let the public know he had learned from his mistakes. Most people would agree that Mixon should do the same, but that's besides the point. The point, is that Mixon has been portrayed as this "better than Adrian Peterson" running back. If even a lick of that statement is true, then how will Riley split the carries between him and Perine? Lincoln has spoken about the matter, and hinted that running these backs from the shotgun could prove to be effective, especially if you already have the defense on their heels by completing some passes beforehand. He then went on to say that honestly, it doesn't matter what formation is out on the field because these backs are so talented. It's nice to see the run game not vanish in the new system, and no one really expected Riley to be stubborn enough in his philosophy to ignore the skills of these running backs, but will it translate effectively enough to win the Sooners more than 8 games?

  As you can tell by now, we don't know a lot about his Sooner football team at all. This has been an eerily similar situation that fans faced before the 1999-2000 championship season that OU had, and that maybe a good thing! Kirk Herbstreit, an ESPN college football "expert" came out and gave his 4 teams he thought would make it to this year's College Football Playoff (CFP), and had OU on his list. Most OU fans are screaming, "NOOOOOO!" at their computer screen right now, because every time Oklahoma has been expected to have a chance to win it all (including last year), they fall on their face, or get embarrassed when they get there. It has gotten so bad, that "Big Game Bob" is not even a thing anymore. Bob Stoops has lost that title in a lot of people's minds, but this year is different then all those other years, and I'll tell you why. No one else has picked OU to make it into the playoff except for Kirk. That maybe enough for the real superstitious fans to jump ship, but the vast majority are not that type of fan. Sure, Baker Mayfield may have the tendency to force the ball to covered receivers and get picked off more than a few times, but if the running backs are as good as we think they will be, that maybe enough to counter his mistakes. As for Mike Stoops and his defense, that is what hasn't been talked about enough. The defensive line looks good, having Shannon back helps the linebackers tremendously, and Zach Sanchez will have to emerge as a leader for the young defensive backfield that was shredded last year by opponents. The most important aspect that needs to improve, is the defensive backfield. If they can step it up and prevent teams from throwing all over the field, that will improve the team with such an impact, that in the end, Kirk maybe right. Personally, I have OU going 9-3. Baylor will be tough, TCU is no joke, and Oklahoma State maybe a trap game up in Stillwater. As for thier season opener, I don't see any surprises coming to Norman.

  Oklahoma takes on a very weak Akron team that might be lead by a Pittsburgh transfer at the quarterback position, on Saturday at 6PM CT. The game will not be televised, so make sure have tickets or the money to pay for the pay-per-view showing of the game. I expect the Sooners to not show a lot on the offensive side of the ball, due to the fact that their second game at Tennessee, will set the tone for their season. Just something to think about, as the mystery of Oklahoma football begins to unravel.  

Unranked Oklahoma State Still Contender in FBS

  As the days grow shorter and the nights grow longer, fall will soon be upon us. With fall, comes all the pumpkin spice lattes and thoughts of Halloween candy for the young kids, but most importantly, college football is back, baby! Tonight, in Michigan, the Oklahoma State Cowboys will kick off their 2015-2016 season, and look to showcase some sweet all-white helmets with a chrome Pistol Pete on them while thumping the Chippewas of Central Michigan. Many questions during the off season were directed towards the other state school, Oklahoma, but that doesn't mean OSU didn't have some questions they needed to address, as well.
  First off, their starting quarterback this season, Mason Rudolph, has only played 3 games under center for the Pokes, so how do we know he is ready for a full 12-game load? In his 3 starts, Rudolph hung in there down in Waco against Baylor, then the Christmas miracle in Norman definitely put his face on the map, and finally, he showed some good things in the Cowboys' win against Washington in their bowl game to end the season. I know that Central Michigan isn't even close to the caliber of opponent that Rudolph faced his previous 3 games, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. The Chippewas are not scrubs by any means, and being away from Stillwater for this game is sure to bring out the maroon and gold bleeding citizens of Michigan to fill up all 32,000 seats in Kelly/Shorts Stadium. This crowd will be fired up, very loud, and very rowdy. Rowdier than Boone Pickens? Nah. Besides the crowd, though, what do the Chippewas bring to the table?
  Central Michigan's starting quarterback, Cooper Rush, has had 2 nice seasons under his belt, and passed for over 2,500 yards and 20 TDs in his last 12 games. The good news for the Cowboys, though, is that he also threw 12 interception, so I'm sure OSU defensive coordinator, Glenn Spencer, has emphasized forcing Rush to make some mistakes like he has shown to be prone to do in the past. Other than that, we know Rush is not the type of QB to take off running. He has negative 77 yards on the ground, and that is mainly due to being sacked. With the big and highly touted defensive line at Spencer's disposal, players like defensive end, Emmanuel Ogbah, are sure to take down Mr. Rush a couple times tonight. So the Chippewas QB situation only beats OSU's on experience, and I'm sure most OSU fans could care less because of what they have seen out of Mason Rudolph so far. So what about the running game of Central Michigan? Do they have a back that can take some pressure off Cooper Rush? They answer is, maybe.

Oklahoma State exits the tunnel before kickoff in 2014. The Pokes will not be in
Stillwater for their opener for the second year in a row.

  Chippewas running back, Thomas Rawls, averaged 122 yards per game last year, and has been a decent running back for Central Michigan. He transferred from the University of Michigan and played his first season, and the most games in his career, wearing maroon and gold, last year. He played a total of 9 games and rushed for over 1,100 yards. When he was a Wolverine the last 3 seasons before that, he only played a total of 12 games and managed only to rush for about 400 yards. I'm guessing he was a little low on the Michigan depth chart and wanted more playing time, so he decided to go play for the Chippewas. The massive drop-off in overall talent from playing against Big 10 opponents to playing MAC opponents helped his stats, I'm sure, but that also means that OSU may have their way when it comes to containing Rawls. So if Central Michigan can't get their offense going against Oklahoma State, then it will have to rely on their defense to try and keep them in this football game tonight. Unfortunately for Chippewa fans, that doesn't look like a recipe for a win.
  Central Michigan defensive coordinator, Greg Colby, coached on the Illinois sideline last year, and is hoping to turn this Chippewa defense into a more formidable force. CMU ranked close to last in the FBS against the pass last year, and their run defense was even worse. So when Vegas tells everyone that OSU is a 24-point favorite, I can't dismiss that. The numbers seem to lean that way on paper, but tell that to Michigan in 2007 and tell that to Kansas State in 2013. Appalachian State beat Michigan on their own turf, and North Dakota State showed us how weak the Big 12 was when they beat KSU in Manhattan. Oh, and let's not forget OU and their loss against Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl in 2007, as well. The bottom line is that college football is a crazy game where anything is possible, and Oklahoma State fans are hoping the only thing that will be crazy tonight, is their huge lead that will be showing on the scoreboard. So with all these things being said, where should you, as an OSU fan, expect to see your Pokes when the dust settles on this 2015-16 season?
  With the new College Football  Playoff system in effect for the second year, 4 lucky teams will get the chance to duke it out for all the marbles and that creates controversy. More controversy, the better, for college football, but when is enough, enough? Brad Edwards, an ESPN college football analyst from Mississippi, gave out his 4 playoff teams on national television a couple days ago and had these 4 teams making it to the college football "Final Four": Ohio State (defending champion), Auburn (from SEC), USC (only second year off probation), and...Oklahoma State. No TCU, no Baylor, and not even the mention of the University of Oklahoma. But should OSU fans really be thinking this is the year they win the Big 12, go to the CFP (college football playoff), and compete for a national title?! I think not. OSU has the talent to go 11-1 this year, but that's looking at it in a very "glass half full" way. More realistically, Jim Traber, of WWLS The Sports Animal, a local sports radio station in Oklahoma, sees the Pokes going 9-3 and heading to a higher-end bowl game. So let's throw both those predictions out and say that I can't choose either of them as my prediction. I can see the Pokes going 8-4, but going 10-2 would give Mike Gundy his fourth double-digit win total in the last 6 years. Personally, I think that we will see Mason Rudolph blossom, the defense improve against the passing game, and that Oklahoma State will go 10-2. TCU and Baylor look to be the "bad guys" for the Pokes, but Texas may sneak in there if the Cowboys don't play well when they face them, and I know OSU fans never forget Bedlam. With a new QB under center for the Sooners, that last conference game in Stillwater could be one that OSU fans will want to forget. Just something to think about, as college football parades into our lives, once again, for the 2015-2016 season. OSU will kick off theirs at 6:00 PM CT tonight.

427 Reasons to Celebrate: Perine Breaks Record as OU Routs Kansas

Records are meant to be broken. The long-time saying has rang true throughout history because...well...history is constantly changing, and records do nothing but support the theory. For OU's running back, Samaje Perine, he didn't need any philosopher telling him anything other than a single three letter word on Saturday against Kansas. That word? RUN.
  The talented freshman running back that bulldozed his way through the Texas Tech defense two weeks ago, and proved why the Kansas Jayhawks are a basketball school and not a football school by running for an NCAA Division 1 record 427 yards in a 44-7 victory for the Sooners! The same week Samaje ran for 227 against Tech, up in Wisconsin, a stud running back with the name, Melvin Gordon, ran for 408 yards and broke the record that was held by former TCU running back, LaDainian Tomlinson for the last 15 years. So just for fun, Perine thought he'd outdo Gordon, and break the record for the second week in a row.

Sooner running back, Samaje Perine (32), broke the NCAA record for most
rushing yards in a single game with 427 of them that came against Kansas in
a 44-7 shellacking of the Kansas Jayhawks, in Norman. 

  With Perine proving to the entire nation that he's a major threat to any defense, the matchup in two weeks against the Oklahoma State Cowboys may get easier for the Sooners. The OU medical staff has issued that their season-opening starter, Trevor Knight, will miss his third week of practice during this week, and will most likely not play in the Bedlam Game on December 5th. Sure, he has another full week after this to recover, but with concussion-like symptoms and transient quadriplegia, the seriousness of the injury may keep him out for the remainder of the season. That means that freshman quarterback, Cody Thomas, will be at the helm again for OU, and with a woeful quarterback rating of  69.3 (a D-), the Sooners will look to rely on the powerful running of Perine. Thomas has only thrown 1 touchdown in 2 full games of playing time and has thrown 4 interceptions in that same span of time. With numbers like that, the OSU quarterback situation may have a weight lifted from them. In Stillwater, Mike Gundy is the talk of the town (as usual) because he pulled freshman phenom, Mason Rudolph's redshirt agains the Baylor Bears. Yes, OSU lost, but Rudolph racked up better numbers than Thomas has collected all season, in 1 game. To concern the crimson and creme faithful even more, Thomas has only played against Texas Tech and Kansas, while Rudolph played the same Baylor team that destroyed OU, 48-14. Plus, Baylor ranks 27th in overall defense when Kansas ranks 96th and Tech ranks 126th! So you just got done playing against two of the worst defenses in the Big 12, and can't throw for more yards than a true freshman did against Baylor? Most fans would worry about something like that, but when you can constantly run the ball for huge chunks of yards all game long, a passing attack isn't really necessary! So with 227 yards against Tech and a record-shattering 427 yards against Kansas, Perine proved that he is the go-to back for the Sooners for the rest of this season, and possibly for next season. The only reason that's not a fact and just a possibility is because OU has a (supposed) even better running back, Joe Mixon, who has been suspended all season.
  Most people sit back and agree with the statement that Mixon could possibly be better, but with OU coming out in the spring and saying all these things about how good certain players are, those "certain players" haven't been as great on the field as advertised by the Sooner coaching staff. Examples? Michiah Quick, a wide receiver who hasn't been targeted very often, due to lack of playing time, which is funny, because the coaches were very excited about the freshman. Safety, Steven Parker, is also a good example of a freshman that was given high praise but hasn't proven it on the field (in a game) yet. So with this being said, as of right now, Perine is the best running back on this team, and will continue to be given the ball in mass quantities until someone proves that they are better (if that's even possible). As far as getting Perine the ball against Oklahoma State on December 5th, the statement might be easier said, then done. The Cowboys defense is way better than Texas Tech's and Kansas' combined and that will force the Sooners to rely on the unproven arm of Cody Thomas for most of the game. This, in fact, could make this year's Bedlam game the most interesting match-up between these two schools in the sense that two freshman quarterbacks will most likely be competing against each other on opposing sidelines. It will be interesting to see if the Sooners big offensive line can create holes for Samaje so that the pressure to perform at a high level can be lifted from Thomas' shoulders. Just something to think about, as the Sooners host the Cowboys at 2:30 CT on Fox Sports 1 on December 5th.

A FREE MASON: Gundy Burns Rudolph's Redshirt in Pokes Loss

  As the Vegas betting booths were closing down, one person sat down at the bar and took another sip of his drink. He had put most of his money on the Baylor Bears to beat the Oklahoma State Cowboys in Waco by more than 32 points. Unfortunately for him, with only a little over 5 minutes in regulation, the Cowboys had the ball, and were only down by 2 scores, 28-42. The reason? Mike Gundy had burned the redshirt on the freshman phenom, Mason Rudolph, and the young man had looked poised all night long in the pouring Waco rain. It was first and 10 at the Baylor 41 yard line, and Rudolph was looking to cut the Baylor lead to 7, but the young gunslinger misread the defense and was intercepted by the Bear's Orion Stewart to pretty much end any hope any Cowboy had in a miracle upset. In the end, the final score was 28-49 in favor of the Bears, and the Pokes were now down to one last shot at becoming bowl eligible. The only two words in any Oklahoma State players, fans, or coaches minds was, "Beat OU".

Freshman qurterback for OSU, Mason Rudoph (10), had his redshirt burned
in order to try and preserve the Cowboys' hopes for a bowl birth. Rudolph
had one of the best debuts for an OSU freshman QB that came only 2nd to
former starter, Daxx Garman, earlier this season against Missouri State. Pokes
still lost to the Baylor Bears, 28-49, and are still 1 win short of being bowl eligible.

  Yes, the Cowboys must travel to Norman in two weeks to face the Sooners, but all hope may not be lost for fans of the orange and black. Trevor Knight, the starting OU quarterback, is still fighting off concussion-like symptoms and the transient quadriplegia he suffered two weeks ago is still bugging him. Backup QB for OU, Cody Thomas, has played decently, but the only part on his body that should be sore is his elbow, because he just keeps handing the ball off to the outstanding running back the Sooners have, Samaje Perine. Perine broke the NCAA record just a week after Wisconsin's running back, Melvin Gordon, broke it, and ran for 427 yards against the woeful Kansas Jayhawks. For Perine, that marks the third game of the season where he has rushed for over 220 yards. The only reason he hasn't put up those type of number more often is because his number of carries have been limited with the return of some of his other fellow running backs off of injury. So if OSU can stop the run game, the will be forcing Cody Thomas to throw the ball. Another good thing for the Pokes is that the Sooners top wide receiver might still be out with a groin injury. Oklahoma wideout, Sterling Shepard, was Trevor Knight's go-to guy all year long, and is one of the best receivers in the country. Without him, Thomas will have to rely on the other wide receivers, who haven't really been impressive or productive, to move the ball through the air. When passing the ball with Thomas, the young freshman quarterback has gone 13 of 33 for 172 yards, 1 touchdown, and 4 interceptions. For OSU, Mason Rudolph played much better than Thomas' last two starts combined! Further more, Rudolph was playing against much better competition, as well, because Thomas has only played against Texas Tech and Kansas. This will mark one of the more rare occasions where Oklahoma State will have the edge at quarterback when facing the Sooners. Even more unique, the Bedlam game could feature two true freshman quarterbacks on opposing teams for the first time in what will seem like forever for lifelong fans of either team. With OU having the injury issues it has, and OSU finally gaining some offensive firepower behind center, is it enough for OSU to pull the upset on December 5th? That question, indeed, cannot be easily answered.
  For the Cowboys, their defense must improve vastly against the run and remain attentive to the fact that OU might run the ball 9 times in a row and then try and trick the defense by running a play-action pass. With the young secondary that OSU has, it could be easier than anticipated to throw the ball, and the last thing the Pokes need is to just let the Sooner offense go crazy and run Oklahoma State out of the building. The worst fear for anyone who has orange running through their veins instead of red, is not being competitive at all in this contest and leaving without becoming bowl eligible. As stated in previous articles, it would be the first time in almost 10 years that OSU might end the season with less than 6 wins. That's just something to think about, as the Pokes prepare for a hard-faught, always chippy, rivalry game against the Sooners in two weeks. Kickoff time and TV channel have yet to be announced. 

All Day Samaje! : Sooners Running Back Runs Wild Against Texas Tech

  As the afternoon turned into evening last Saturday, down in Lubbock, Texas, the Oklahoma Sooners were putting the finishing touches upon a 42-30 game they had control of against the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Early on in the third quarter, the Sooners looked like they might be falling to the lesser Raiders when they were down 7-21, but then offensive coordinator, Josh Heupel, found his rythem through the running attack of Samaje Perine. Perine, who led Oklahoma to a victory against West Virginia with over 200 rushing yards, duplicated his effort, averaging 8.5 yards a carry for 213 total rushing yards to go along with 3 touchdowns. The Red Raiders defense had no answer, and with the OU defense picking it up in the second half, Texas Tech didn't have a prayer in coming back. What started to look like a huge win this season for Tech head coach, Cliff Kingsbury, ended up being a win for a Sooners team that needed one to get themselves back on track. 

  When OU took the field that afternoon, starting quarterback, Trevor Knight, was deemed unfit to perform, so back-up quarterback, Cody Thomas, took the offensive reigns for the Sooners. In the first half, OU was looking to pass the ball, and Thomas ended up throwing 3 interceptions before halftime! Once Oklahoma discovered that Perine looked more and more like a monster truck running over Tech defenders, Thomas threw the ball only a handful of time, and had no turnovers. OU needed that win very much, and with Kansas this Saturday, it looks like the Sooners might be in prime position for one of the better bowl games meant for teams that just missed the top 4 spots in the playoff. With 3 losses and TCU beating Kansas 34-30, OU is officially out of contention when it comes to winning the Big 12, and a 9-win season isn't exactly what the fans and coaches had hoped for this season.

Oklahoma running back, Samaje Perine (32), finds
space in the open field against Texas Tech on Saturday.
The Sooners beat the Red Raiders, 42-30.

  If 9 wins is unacceptable for fans, how would they feel about 8? or 7? The Jayhawks are coming off a game where they had a top 10 team on the ropes, and the way their quarterback is playing, it looks like Kansas maybe in prime position to at least make the game watchable. Trevor Knight is out again for the Sooners, so Cody Thomas will be looking to add another victory to his undefeated record (1-0), and Samaje Perine will hope to get the load of the carries. The only issue that presents itself to me, is the fact that the Kansas defense is not as porous as Texas Tech's, so the running game may not be as successful as the Sooners would need in order to move the ball with relative ease against this Jayhawk team. Thomas may have to be forced to throw the football, and with 3 picks thrown by him this past Saturday, the confidence in his decision making and accuracy is in question. If Thomas plays the remainder of this year for OU, 7 wins could be something not far-fetched for Oklahoma. No is expecting the Sooners to blow a home game against lowly Kansas, but a loss in Bedlam could be possible. Surely, if Thomas handily beats OSU (if he's called on to start again) then it's just very apparent to how big a problem the Cowboys might have up in Stillwater, but that's a topic for discussion down the line. 

  In all reality, the Sooners should whoop up on the Jayhawks and be able to coast into Bedlam. The Jayhawks have only won 1 conference game that was against a hapless Iowa State program, but you never know what can happen when your starting quarterback is sitting on the bench. Even still, Kansas is bad, and OSU is nowhere near being considered a formidable opponent, so OU might have 9 wins when the season is all over and done with. That's just something to think about as the Sooners host Kansas at 11:00 AM CT on FOX Sports 1. 

HOOKED 'EM: More Quarterback Issues Stifle Offensive Flow

OSU head coach, Mike Gundy, is the leading
candidate for the head coaching job down in
  Florida, according to the Las Vegas oddsmakers.

  No offense, no spirit, and no defense when it mattered. Those were the reasons why the Oklahoma State Cowboys lost to the Texas Longhorns on Saturday, 28-7. OSU has had offensive issues ever since the Iowa State game, and has never really recovered from their home loss against West Virginia. With Baylor on Saturday and then OU following that, the Cowboys are in some serious trouble of possibly missing out on making a bowl game for the first time since 2005. Yes, that was head coach, Mike Gundy's first year as head coach, and with Vegas putting Gundy atop their list of coaches that are most likely to take the recently opened Florida job, could this be it for Gundy? It might be fitting that he go out 5-7 like he did in 2005 just for the sake of people who like statistics, but if Gundy were to really leave, most people bet on Oklahoma State Athletic Director, Mike Holder, to call up former offensive coordinator and current West Virginia head coach, Dana Holgorson, to be Gundy's replacement. But has the football play of the Pokes gotten so bad that the biggest story line isn't even the fact OSU might have to burn freshman standout, Mason Rudolph's, redshirt, because Daxx Garman left Saturday's game with a slight concussion and some shoulder soreness? The unfortunate answer to that question, is yes, but could Rudolph possibly be the one light at the end of this darkening tunnel that the Cowboys seem to be heading down?
  When it comes to redshirting players, coaches will normally jump at any chance to if the kid is talented enough. According to Gundy, Rudolph has impressed him, but the offensive line just isn't good enough to protect a pocket passer, and frankly, the kid could use a year to study the offense more and get even better. The problem for the Pokes is that they already lost J.W. Walsh after the Florida State game, and with Garman supposedly not at 100%, the only other option other than Mason Rudolph is the walk-on freshman that probably never expected to get even a single snap in a live-action game in his career! So with that in mind, do you take the walk-on off the bench and pretty much surrender your season, or do you burn the redshirt on Mason Rudolph and try to become bowl eligible? For fans of OSU, the situation leaves them in a position where their disappointment is warranted, but they know if they would have had their intended starter in for all these games, instead of Garman, then they might be bowl eligible already. Mike Gundy has elevated this program for sure, but the facts are that he has doomed this team for the remainder of this season, and possibly another couple years after this, as well. With Wes Lunt, former quarterback for the Pokes, playing very well up in Illinois for the Illini now, and former offensive line coach, Kevin Wickline, gone and now at Texas, the two departures seem to be directly affecting the current Cowboys' season. Think about this: The offensive line is terrible and the back-up quarterback for this season would've been the third-string quarterback if Lunt would've stayed. In other words, Mike Gundy drove off the one player that could have kept this program heading in the right direction, and then lost his offensive line coach that has been helping him acquire some of the best talent for those positions, and the offensive coordinator for OSU has no clue how to get the ball into the most dangerous player on the field for the Cowboys' opponents!
  I'm sorry for all you OSU fans, but this team, is a debacle, and is a disgrace to the standards Mike Gundy has built this program up to. The situation could be so much better for OSU, but the bottom line is that you can't predict injuries, and losing J.W. cost the Pokes a decent 7 to 8-win season. That's just something to think about, as the Cowboys travel down to Waco to face the intimidating Bears of Baylor at 6:30 CT on FOX.

Thunder Week In Review: November 1st-November 9th

  When life sends you obstacles, the best thing you can do is work your hardest to get through them. That's exactly the motto the Oklahoma City Thunder have adopted this season, as the injury situation for the team has regressed from bad, to worse, to unbelievably terrible. On November 3rd, against Brooklyn, Andre Roberson suffered a sprained foot, and is day-to-day, according to the Thunder training staff, and hasn't played since then. Then, against Toronto the next day, Perry Jones, who was contributing in a major way for the Thunder, offensively, left the game with a knee injury, and hasn't returned yet, either. With a total 5 players out for the Thunder, the NBA granted a grievance for the organization to go out and get another player. Enter former Rockets backup point guard, Ish Smith. Smith has been with 7 other teams in his career, and the Thunder make it his 8th to be with. He has never averaged over 4 points a game in a season, and has averaged under 10 minutes of playing time for most of his career as well. Not exactly a superstar, but an able body that produced 7 points and 1 assist in the Thunder's 2nd win of the season, last night, against the Sacramento Kings, 101-93.

Thunder player, Perry Jones (#3) and Andre Roberson (right) are now
also on the injured players list that keeps growing for OKC this season.

  As for all the other games the Thunder played this week, the only thing to pair with the injuries in some of the games, losses came with it. OKC went 2-3 this week, but played close in a loss at home to Memphis, and could have easily gone 3-2. Fortunately, Oklahoma City has 3 winnable games in a row on their schedule, so a 4-game winning streak could be in affect when they host the Houston Rockets on November 16th. Another positive for OKC, is that Reggie Jackson and Serge Ibaka have come together and picked up the slack in the absence of so many of their teammates. But like all good things, this may cause Reggie Jackson to pull a James Harden, and ask the organization for a huge contract. Sorry Reggie, you're not James Harden, and never will be, but is losing Jackson going to hinder this team like the loss of Harden did back in 2012? Not even close. Jackson has been inconsistent in his career, even if he has been there for the team in some huge spots, and in order to pitch the idea that he should be given a major deal, you need to bring consistent production to the court. Furthermore, Jackson pushed and pushed to try and obtain a starting position for this season, only to be beaten out by Roberson, who is now injured (who isn't?). So Reggie, enjoy your starting role while it lasts, and if you really want that contract extension, carry this team to a winning record before KD's return in late December. It's just something to think about, as the injury-stricken Thunder continue to press onward through this grueling NBA season.

UnBEARable Loss: Sooners Get Mauled by Baylor

  11 AM kickoffs in Norman have become a trend this season for Sooner fans, and on Saturday, Gaylord Memorial Stadium was completely filled with crimson and creme maniacs that had the impression OU was going to get revenge for last year's 42-14 blowout loss in Waco, even with OU's top wide receiver, Sterling Shepard, out for the game after re-tweaking his groin in warm-ups. Boy, were they ever wrong about that! In the first quarter, it was all Oklahoma, and with a 14-3 lead over the Bears, everyone thought that it was the beginning to huge OU win. Just like all good things, though, it came to an end, and the sleeping bear was prodded with a stick one too many times, and awoke from hibernation. Baylor proceeded to rack up 45 unanswered points over the next 3 quarters, and with a little over half of the fourth quarter remaining, the Sooners starting quarterback, Trevor Knight, went down with an apparent left shoulder or neck injury. The Bears ended up routing the Sooners, 48-14. Not only did Baylor destroy OU's chances of getting to the football final four, but they may have destroyed the Sooner's opportunity for a Big 12 title.

Running back, Shock Linwood, (#32) and offensive tackle,
Spencer Drango, (#58) of the Baylor Bears
celebrate a touchdown against the Oklahoma 

  Amongst the mass chaos that took over Norman that afternoon, the stats were not necessary to convey the dominance Baylor displayed. Mike Stoops, the defensive coordinator, was furious when his cornerbacks were giving the Baylor wide receivers an 8-yard cushion on every play to start the third quarter, and when he screamed for them to scoot up, they didn't. Not because they couldn't hear him, but because they knew that if they did, getting beat deep was inevitable. That's when the realization that this team was not championship caliber came to light for many in the Sooner nation. As crazy as it is to see OU sitting in sixth place in the Big 12 behind Baylor, TCU, Kansas State, West Virginia, and even Texas, the Sooners are still in a relatively decent position. Am I crazy?
  The answer to that question is yes, but that has nothing to do with Oklahoma football. When it comes to the question, "Is OU still in a spot where winning the Big 12 is a possibility?" The immediate response, without thinking, is no, because how could 5 teams in front of OU choke like a bunch of losers? Well, let me paint you a very hypothetical picture then. Baylor will have to lose all the rest of their games, (OSU, Texas Tech, and Kansas State) which isn't the craziest thing that could happen, TCU would have to lose to Texas and Iowa State, which is unlikely because Iowa State has yet to win a Big 12 game, but that could be the reason they sneak up on the Frogs. As for Kansas State, they would have to lose to West Virginia and Kansas. Again, most likely, the Wildcats should beat Kansas, but the Jayhawks are coming off of their first Big 12 win this season over Iowa State, so maybe the momentum could carry them. To wrap it up, West Virginia would have to lose to Iowa State, and Texas would have to fall to OSU, and then both teams would have to win the remainder of their games. Still, OU would be tied with TCU and Kansas State for first place, and the Sooners did lose to both of those teams, so putting them ahead of the Frogs or Wildcats is very bold, but if the losses to bad teams (Kansas, Iowa State, and Texas) outweigh OU's losses (TCU, Baylor, Kansas State) then why not have them at the top spot? Plus, if these teams fold like they need to for OU to miraculously win the Big 12, then OU should be ranked higher in the nation's Top 25 poll than both K-State and TCU.
  Okay, so the liklihood of OU winning the Big 12 is the same odds you have of getting hit by a bus in your own living room, but it the bottom line is that it is still a very, very, very slight possibility. Other than that, what exactly do the Sooner have left to play for? The only answer to that question is that they are playing for a very prestigious bowl game against another team that will be left on the outside, looking in, when it comes to this year's college football playoff. Sure, it's a long ways down from being a top 4 team in the nation and being labeled as having "the best defense in the country" by week 3 of this season by ESPN analyst, Kirk Herbstreit, but at least 9-3 is a respectable record.  Still, OU has to travel to Lubbock this week, and no team coming off such a huge defeat ever wants to set foot in that environment, so we'll see how the Sooners can respond. In the Baylor game, body language was very negative when the Bears started their 45-0 run in the second quarter, so the moral of this team needs to be very high, heading into Saturday, because we all know the crazy things that have happened in Lubbock for the Sooners in the past. Until then, it's just another thing to think about as OU prepares for the Texas Tech Red Raiders at 2:30 CT on ESPN.

Cycl-OWNED: Oklahoma Dominates Iowa State in Ames

  Confidence is key. The saying is as old as time, and the Oklahoma Sooners sure got a boost in their confidence when they traveled up to Ames, Iowa and shellacked the Cyclones, 59-14. OU never trailed in this game, and back-up quarterback for the Sooners, Cody Thomas, got valuable minutes in the 4th quarter. Oklahoma had such great success on offense when it came to running the ball, and head coach, Bob Stoops, let Trevor Knight loose to run when he had opportunities, and that worked very well for OU because Knight ran for over 140 yards. Much criticism was placed on Stoops when it came to him openly admitting he didn't want Trevor running the ball because he didn't want him to get hurt, but the way Knight ran on Saturday morning, there seems to be no doubt that Stoops has given that way of thinking, up.

OU quarterback, Trevor Knight, celebrates a touchdown against Iowa State.
The Sooners beat the Cyclones 59-14.

  Early on in the game, wide receiver, Sterling Shepard, pulled his groin, and is currently day-to-day, but his services were not needed in this case. Second and third options, Duron Neal and Michiah Quick, came up big for Knight, and the offense just kept plugging along. On top of Knight's 146 rushing yards, running back, Alex Ross, ran for 144 yards himself, and OU's offensive total for rushing topped 500 yards! The Sooners' total yardage was over 750 and they definitely made a statement for being the best team in the Big12. Sure, Kansas State is the only undefeated team in the conference play, (only loss is to Auburn) and TCU beat OU, so they have to be ahead of them unless the Sooners can beat Baylor (since the Bears beat TCU). Oklahoma is actually sitting in 5th place though, due to the fact West Virginia beat Baylor (even though they lost to TCU as well) and that OU hasn't played the Bears yet. If Oklahoma can beat Baylor, then they would jump WVU (since they beat them earlier this season) and take over the 4th or 3rd spot in the Big 12. The Horned Frogs of TCU play K-State this week, and it will be one of the most highly-anticipated match ups this season for Big 12 fans. If the Frogs can beat the Wildcats, then OU maybe ranked second in the Big 12, and that could go a long way for the Sooners. To be honest, Oklahoma could still win the conference title and possibly earn a spot in the college football playoff if Kansas State was to lose to West Virginia, TCU, or Baylor. In my opinion, the Wildcats will not finish their season unscathed in the Big 12 and that bodes well if you're a fan of the Crimson and Creme.
  Looking ahead on Oklahoma's schedule, they host Baylor at 11 AM CT, in Norman, for their 5th 11 o'clock kickoff this season and their 4th in row at that time. Sooners are 3-1 in those games, and at home, their only loss has come at the hands of the Kansas State Wildcats, 31-30. Expect OU to prepare mightily for the Bears this week, and keep an eye out for quick defensive end, Eric Striker, to have his hands all over Baylor QB, Bryce Petty, for most of the game. Defensive Coordinator for the Sooners, Mike Stoops, has emphasized the importance of getting to Petty early and often on Saturday, so watch for number 19 blitzing off the edge a ton! Last time Baylor came to Norman, they only lost, 34-42, so expect this game to have a similar feel. It's just something to think about, as the Sooners look for another Big 12 win to improve their chances of competing for a national championship at 11 AM CT on Fox Sports 1.

Big Trouble in the Little Apple: K-State Romps Pokes in Manhattan

   Kansas State head coach, Bill Snyder, stared at the scoreboard following the Oklahoma State Cowboys opening drive that resulted in a touchdown, and the look upon his face depicted a man who was wondering if the tone was set for the entire game on that single drive. As the Pokes kicked off after the score, relief was the emotion that came over Coach Snyder as he watched one of his cornerbacks, Morgan Burns, return the kickoff 86 yards to answer right back. From then on, it was all Kansas State, all the time. The Wildcats rolled over the Pokes, 48-14, and were in control after the first 3 minutes and 12 seconds of the game.
   OSU quarterback, Daxx Garman, had another anemic performance that consisted of him throwing 2 interceptions, no touchdowns, and left his passing yard total under 200 yards...again. Speaking of repetition, once more, the Cowboy defense was on the field a bunch, and freshman corner, Ramon Richards, returned a pick for a touchdown in the final moments of the game to boost whatever moral OSU had remaining a that point. Other than that, the defense didn't play well at all, and gave up 421 total yards to the purple-touted destroyers from K-State.

Oklahoma State mascot, Pistol Pete, hides his face in shame
as the Kanas State Wildcats made a 59-yard field goal to
make the final score 48-14 in their favor. OSU is now 3-3
in the Big 12 after the loss in Manhattan.

  As Oklahoma State drops to 5-4, and their 3-game losing streak seems to grow as the weeks press on, a 6-6 season seems like the most likely scenario for the Pokes. The rebuilding year for the Cowboys was not supposed to look like this, and the fans know it. No one expected J.W. Walsh to play a hell of a game against Florida State in the season opener and then fall to an injury in the following week, and no one thought that Daxx Garman would have such trouble with throwing the ball to the incorrect team. In Daxx's defense, the guys he's throwing to are open, but they just aren't wearing any type of black or orange. For the OSU fans that are sick of the disgusting passing game, team speedster, Tyreke Hill, finally got the carries that Mike Gundy promised media members in the preseason, and was very productive. Hill ran the ball 18 times for 102 yards and was responsible for the offense's only touchdown.
  Moving ahead on Oklahoma State's schedule, the pressure gets turned up a couple notches as they host Texas after having a bye week this coming Saturday. Texas has been on the cusp of winning some big games, but they haven't been able to pull out a victory over any team in the Big 12 that is above .500 in the conference. They have beat Iowa State, Kansas, and Texas Tech. That's a coincidence, because OSU has conference victories over the same teams, and hasn't beaten anyone else but them, either! This game will pretty much decide who will take 6th place in the Big 12, and if OSU can beat the Longhorns, they will have some momentum heading into their showdown in Waco against the Baylor Bears. But momentum isn't everything, and the Pokes haven't been able to score the ball very well, so keeping up with a high-scoring team, like Baylor, could be a disaster. After Baylor, the Cowboys have to travel to Norman to face OU, and that will be no cake walk for them at all. Last time OSU went to Norman, it took overtime to decide who would win Bedlam, and the Sooners came out on top. I'm not saying to expect another overtime shootout with both teams scoring over 48 points, but I am saying that anything can happen in rivalry games. It's just too bad that OSU can't seem to find the end zone on offense, and when you can't move the ball, it's hard to beat teams that are far better than you.
  Wrapping it up, the Cowboys are having their first season with under 7 wins since 2005 when they went 4-7 and 1-7 within the Big 12. The season looks to be one to forget for the fans of the so-called, "Orange Power," and the future holds a lot of questions for this program. In the end, sure, OSU could pull off a miracle and win 3 straight games to go 8-4 overall, but that's fantasy. 7-5? You're probably dreaming. 6-6 is where it's gonna be at for the Pokes, and if 5-7 happens, you bet there will be some uproar in Stillwater. Just something to think about, as the Cowboys have an off week to prepare for Texas on November 15.

West-BROKEN: Westbrook Suffers Broken Hand in Thunder Loss

   In the harshest of environments, a bug, not just an ordinary bug, is hovering and then lands onto the leaf of a Red Bud tree in front of the Chesapeake Arena in Oklahoma City. The arena is infested with these pesky bugs. But what kind of bug is tormenting the residents of the Thunder's domain? The injury bug. It stung a member of the team, once more, and left in its wake, an injured Russell Westbrook. The superstar point guard was examined and evaluated in the locker room during last night's game agains the LA Clippers, and it was determined that he has suffered a fracture in his right hand early on in the first quarter. Team Trainers expect Westbrook to be back in 4-6 weeks, but the devastation of this injury could be the death sentence for the Thunder's playoff chances. Before any playoff games can be played or not played by the Thunder, they had a Clipper team to take care of without any all-star on the floor for them, and two all-stars who were healthy, that were trying to beat them.

Thunder guard, Russell Westbrook, left Thursday
night's game with a broken right hand. He will
miss approximately 4-6 weeks with the injury.

  The Clippers never led by more than 10 points, and once again, poor 3-point shooting let OKC hang around in this one. Without Russell or Kevin, Perry Jones led the team in scoring with 32 points, and Oklahoma City had a chance to tie the game at the buzzer, but Serge Ibaka's shot from long distance hit the back iron and the Thunder fell to the Clippers with the final score showing 93-90. Ibaka finished the game with 17 points and recorded 9 boards. As far as overall team play goes, the Thunder turned the ball over 22 times and shot below 30% from beyond the arc for the second game in a row. These first 30 games of the season become very critical for OKC because by the time Westbrook returns, the team will have played 20-25 games, and still won't have Durant back until after Christmas. The tall task of being playoff eligible without Kevin just got even harder without Westbrook being available, and it leaves the team with only 8 healthy players out of the 15 on the active roster. Head Coach for OKC, Scott Brooks, will show just what he is made out of, and will have to produce wins with players that other teams would't even start. If Brooks can get the team to 25 wins before Durant is back into the lineup, then the Coach of the Year Award should be mailed to him before the season has even concluded, and Brooks should be the coach for the Western All-Star Team in February. Realistically though, the Thunder could only win 12 games by December 26, and those games are against the Bucks, Jazz, Pistons, 76ers, Hornets, Timberwolves, Kings, and Celtics. Oklahoma City plays a few of those 8 teams, twice, so that should be to their advantage, but the thought of a 12-17 record is totally sickening for a team that had championship aspirations.
  Moving forward for OKC, they host Denver as their home opener on Saturday, and the crowd should be into it for the whole 48 minutes. Though the Thunder could be blown out of their own gym, the likelihood of that occurring has simmered down after the 2 road losses that Oklahoma City has tacked on have only come by an average of 10 points. Honestly, if Scott Brooks doesn't sit Westbrook at the beginning of the 4th quarter against Portland on Wednesday, and then Russell didn't get hurt last night, OKC could be 2-0 instead of 0-2 to start their season. But now, everything having to do with Westbrook (and Durant) will have to cease since neither of them will see the floor until November 28th. For now, it's time to focus on Sebastian Telfair, Andre Roberson, Perry Jones, Serge Ibaka, and Steven Adams. Those are your Thunder starters for Saturday's game, and will most likely (barring ANOTHER injury) be the starting lineup until late November or early December. I don't think any OKC fan could have predicted that lineup would be the one showcased in the home opener, and I think that could be the most truthful statement made by anyone, at this point.
  Looking ahead to tomorrow night's match-up against Denver, the local media shrugged off the Nuggets when the question was asked if the Thunder would beat them in their first game at home, three days ago, but now, the murmuring of home loss is overriding those predictions. The Thunder are undefeated in their home openers (3-0) within the Chesapeake Energy Arena (established in 2011) and look to improve that record to 4-0. That's just something to think about, as the Thunder take Halloween off in order to travel back home to OKC in preparation to play against the Denver Nuggets at 7CT on Saturday.

BLAZED: Thunder Lose Season Opener in Portland

   As the Oklahoma City Thunder took to the court for the first time in the 2014-2015 season, there was no Kevin Durant, no Anthony Morrow, no Jeremy Lamb, and no Reggie Jackson for head coach, Scott Brooks, to utilize during the Thunder's 106-89 defeat. Considering the outstanding play of Russell Westbrook, who ended the night with 38 points, it was OKC who led at the end of the first 3 quarter. But a speedster like Westbrook needs his breather too, eventually, and Brooks sat him at the start of the final quarter, and that's when things got hairy for Oklahoma City. The Thunder couldn't hit a basket to save their life, and once Russell was inserted back into the game, the Portland Trailblazers caught fire from behind the 3-point line, and OKC just couldn't catch up. The perimeter shooting for the Thunder had been a concern coming into Wednesday night's game due to the fact that the team shot so poorly during the preseason, and that showed very obviously as they went 2 for 18 The starting lineup, which consisted of Russell, Andre Roberson,  Perry Jones, Serge Ibaka, and Steven Adams, started the game very well, and Westbrook was unstoppable throughout most of the evening. OKC got some help though, because the Trailblazers shot very poorly from beyond the arc for most of the evening, and without the barrage of 3-pointers that fell on target in the waning moments of regulation, it was a pretty pedestrian showing for the team that won over 50 games last season. But it was opening night, and there are now 81 games left for OKC and Portland to play, so for Thunder fans already pushing the panic button...just stop it.

Russell Westbrook converses with an official in last night's
loss to the Portland Trailblazers. The Thunder guard finished
with an astounding 38 points in 44 minutes of play.

   Coming into this game, most NBA fans knew that Durant was going to be out until Christmas (possibly), and that Anthony Morrow's sprained MCL isn't going to be ready for another 2 months or so. Along with those injuries, 6th man candidate, Reggie Jackson, didn't even make the trip up to Portland due to his sprained ankle, and the back-up shooting guard, Jeremy Lamb, was also absent with a minor back injury that could allow him to play against the LA Clippers on Saturday. With all these injuries, the first 20 game of the season are crucial to OKC, and the expectations for them are very low. If the Thunder go 10-10 for the first 20 games, that will be a monumental accomplishment. With the performance last night though, it's easy to see that this team will go as far as Westbrook can take them. Most national media members picked the Thunder to go 14-6 through the first 20 games, but assumptions have sen made that they didn't know of Jackson or Lamb's absence. I'm sure their predictions will change as the season continues to unfold.

  As far as they game on Saturday is concerned, the Thunder are not favored at all, and respectively so. Without another offensive powerhouse next to Westbrook, the next man up to become the second leading scorer for this team is up for grabs. Lance Thomas, a late edition to the team, had a solid night off the bench and scored 14 points, but Serge Ibaka, the projected second leading scorer on the team, only finished with 10 points. Serge did also grab 8 boards and blocked 4 shots, but the final score indicates that those numbers just won't cut it, especially against the Clippers. Los Angeles has a very strong front court that Adams and the Thunder's other center, Kendrick Perkins, will have to deal with, and judging from the 27 points they gave up to Portland center, LaMarcus Aldridge, they will have their hands full. Just something to think about, as the Thunder take the today to travel to the City of Angels and look forward to playing the Clippers at 9:30 CT, on ESPN, tonight.

Home-SHAMING: Mountaineers Ruin OSU Homecoming

  Their pistols weren't loaded, their horse was dead, and the townspeople no longer had their backs. That's how homecoming felt for the alumni of Oklahoma State, as their Cowboys got romped by West Virginia, 34-10. The score doesn't indicate the actual closeness of the game because it was 20-10 with just over 10 minutes left in the regulation. Sadly, the Pokes couldn't muster a single scoring drive for the whole second half, and got embarrassed with a pick-6 and then another touchdown, just for good measure, was tacked on by the Mountaineer offense in the waning moments of the 4th quarter.

Defensive tackle, Ofa Hautau, #98
of the Oklahoma State Cowboys 
walks off the field after the game
against theWest Virginia Mountaineers.

  With all the offensive weapons at quarterback, Daxx Garman's, disposal, how did the OSU offense sputter, come to a halt, and then die? Enter into the room, Offensive Coordinator for the Cowboys, Mike Yurcich. Yurcich has been doing a piss-poor job of utilizing the speed of Tyreke Hill, (even though he did get several touches from the running back position against WVU) the arm of Garman, and the reliable hands of multiple receivers with massive talent. Could be a harsh accusation though, because the depleted offensive line of OSU is the main reason behind the running game being so stagnant, and when you can't run the ball, you're forced to pass, and defenses blitz you non-stop. Without a properly developed line, giving a stationary quarterback, like Garman, no time whatsoever to pass, you're forced into admitting that your offense is, well...terrible. So if the offensive side of the ball is so bad, does that mean the defense is good?
  When it comes to the Cowboy defense, they have played well enough to keep OSU in ballgames. Remember, it was 17-10 early on in the 3rd quarter, and West Virginia went almost a whole 15 minutes of game time without scoring. That should be ample time for an offense to get the opportunities it needs in order to give you the lead. So if the offense could produce points (which looks like is going to be a struggle the rest of the season, then you've got a winning combination. Unfortunately, the Cowboys have some dooming road games ahead of them that include Baylor, Kansas State, and Oklahoma. With West Virginia being their last home game, it's easy to say that the Cowboys could be finishing 5-7, but with Texas being a foreseeable win, despite the improved play they have shown, OSU should be at least bowl eligible at a disappointing 6-6. But looking ahead, is that really what could happen the Cowboy's season after looking so well in their first 5 games?
  Yes, the Pokes played well against teams they were supposed to beat, but what are the chances OSU pulls off some miraculous wins against these formidable foes they have left on their schedule? To be honest, the only wins that OSU could squeak out in amazing upset fashion look like they could come in Norman against OU because that's a rivalry game and players get pumped for those, or the trip to Manhattan to face K-State is a promising game. K-State is only thrown out there because Texas hung around with them (even though they got shut-out 23-0), and I believe the OSU offense can generate more points than Texas put on the board. If they can pull off those victories, expect the season to go from disappointing, to unexpected.
  Looking ahead to this week, K-State is on the menu for the Cowboys, and they haven't beat the Wildcats since 2012. Just something to think about, as the most disciplined team in the Big 12 hosts the Pokes, and the Little Apple will look to be poppin' when Mike Gundy and Co. roll into town. The kickoff is set for 7 PM CT and will be on ABC.

FROG PUNCHED

 
Domination. A drubbing. A dismantling. All are words used by the media so far this week to describe TCU's routing of Oklahoma State on Saturday. The Horned Frogs hosted the 5-1 Cowboys and proved that their performance against Oklahoma was no joke, and that they beat themselves against Baylor the previous week. This TCU team is legit, and they're putting up very impressive numbers as they continue on. OSU never stood a chance in the game on Saturday, and the 42-9 final score definitely depicts that. Daxx Garman, the highly-touted Arizon transfer, only managed to record  a 21.5 quarterback rating, (on a scale from 1-100) and the Cowboys streak of scoring 20+ points in a game was halted only 3 games before breaking the record set by USC. Disappointing, to say the least, was the fact that the offense never really showed up for the Pokes. With all the time the defense spent on the field due to the lack of offensive production, the Frogs effectively ran the Cowboys out of the gym, per say.

Cowboys defensive player, Tre Flowers, misses a tackle
on a TCU player. The Cowboys lost to the Horned Frogs 42-9

  Mike Gundy has some major questions to answer, and Justin Gent, a former OSU player, posted on his Facebook timeline that the reason OSU won't stay on the up and up is because, "There is no loyalty," and "People who want to get back at you, will.." These statements are very concerning, due to the fact that many coaches that have been through the program have left for jobs that are inside the same conference as the Cowboys. A perfect example of this is West Virginia head coach, Dana Holgorsen. Holgorsen was the offensive coordinator for OSU before Todd Monken, and even Monken left OSU for the Southern Mississippi head coaching vacancy. Now, Mike Yurcich, the former coach of a division two school, is on the hot seat. He has been ineffective in incorporating the speedster, Tyreke Hill, into the offense by lining him up in the slot more, and has tried to force a running game that is based behind one of the worst offensive lines in Oklahoma State history. Some sources have told the media that Gundy is calling some plays above Yurcich, and that the OSU offensive coordinator is nothing short of just a puppet being used by Gundy. If any of these accusations is true, and there is some bad blood between Oklahoma State Athletic Director, Mike Holder, and Gundy, then the OSU football program might be going exactly where Justin Gent predicts them to go: Down.
  The loss to TCU stings for the Poke faithful, but the stinging of it was more than wide receiver, Jhajuan Seals, and freshman corner, Juwan Offray, could handle, according to police reports. The pair of players were arrested at a Whataburger drive-thru at 4 AM for being intoxicated. Apparently, the loss to the Horned Frogs prompted some heavy drinking that was then accompanied by a drunken drive to get some burgers. Obviously, the two players will most likely be suspended for this week's game against West Virginia, and maybe even longer than that. OSU has had wide receiver incidents on their plate before that were a result of alcohol. Just ask anyone in Oklahoma, and they'll tell you the tale of Justin Blackmon. Sure, Seals may not be the caliber target that Blackmon was, but the leading receiver for OSU will definitely be missed on Saturday.
  With all these background stories going on, the focus of the program has been turned away from the game with the Mountaineers, and redirected towards internal issues that have come to light. It's very disappointing, but the game on Saturday will still happen, and Oklahoma State has to prove that they can bounce back from the worst loss they have suffered since 2008. Daxx Garman has to step up and throw more touchdowns than interceptions, and the defense has to stop the high-powered offense of the Mountaineers that is captained by quarterback, Clint Trickett. West Virginia is coming off a huge win agains the Baylor Bears, and they show no signs of slowing down. The bottom line for the Pokes is that they need to keep their penalty yardage down. Baylor racked up over 200 yards in penalties, and that will lose you ballgames more times than not. The Cowboys are averaging way under that, but they can't become undisciplined on the field (since they obviously can't off it) and let it dictate whether or not they win this game.
  Wrapping up, Oklahoma State is far from out of the Big 12 title race, but will have to beat West Virginia first. If they do that, then Kansas State and Baylor will mean even that much more to them.
Just something to think about as the Cowboys host the Mountaineers at 2:30 CT on ESPN on Saturday.

Hunni-Cut It To the Left

   On Saturday morning in Norman, most people were excited to see how the Oklahoma Sooners would respond after their piss-poor offensive output versus Texas last week, but ended up getting more than what they bargained for. Trevor Knight played the best game of the season (so far) and the offense was moving the ball effectively against the above-average Kansas State defense. The problem for the Sooners was that when they got into the redzone, they couldn't punch it in for touchdowns. Enter the Groza Award Finalist kicker, Michael Hunnicut. The young man has kicked his way atop the Sooners all-time leading scorer list, and coming into the game against the Wildcats, no one expected him to fold. Right before halftime, the Sooners, who were behind by 4, opted to kick a 32-yard field goal to cut the lead to 1. No one held their breath on the attempt and no one was worried when Hunnicut was that close to the uprights. After all, it's not like Bob Stoops was trotting out little Jimmy Stevens for the attempt. If your memory serves you right, you'll remember the 5 foot 8 inch little kicker that struggled in his Sooner career to hit short field goals, or any field goals, for that matter. So, Hunnicut kicked the ball, and the crowd automatically began to cheer (at least from the angle where I was sitting) as the ball sailed past the goal post. Then the PA announcer let the Sooner nation that had the terrible angles know that the kick had been missed. Murmurs began shortly after, but it was halftime and OU was only down by 4.

OU kicker, Michael Hunnicut, reacts after missing a 32-yard field goal
in the first half against the Kansas State Wildcats this past weekend.
The Sooners fell to K-State with a final score of 31-30.

   In the second half, the offenses traded punches, and with 10:35 left in the game, the Sooners scored a touchdown that fans would believe would have tied the game at 31. With an extra point pending, and Hunnicut being almost automatic on his PATs, no OU fan was concerned. But the extra point was blocked, and the score was 30-31 with more football to be played. The Wildcats went 3 and out in a hurry, and gave the ball back to Oklahoma with just under 10 minutes left. This was more than enough time for the Sooners to make something happen. The drive took almost 6 minutes for OU to get back into the redzone, but once they were there, they couldn't punch it in from the 1 yard line on 3rd and goal. Out came the field goal unit, and for the first time in awhile, the OU faithful were concerned about the outcome of the kick. Sure, it was a 19-yard chip shot that was shorter than any extra point Hunnicut ever kicked, but with the last PAT being blocked, the question mark was the offensive line. So the snap was called, ball was placed, and the kick...sailed so far to the left that it was almost like Hunnicut had never kicked a football in his life! Nevertheless, there was still just under 4 minutes for the Sooners to get another chance, but they would have to make the Wildcats go 3 and out again, and OU had only 1 timeout to work with. With 2:22 on the clock and Kansas State facing a third down and 3, it was Oklahoma's decision whether or not they wanted to win this game or not. As Kansas State quarterback, Jake Waters, took the snap, he dropped back, had all the time in the world, and completed a 6-yard pass to Curry Sexton for the first down. All Kansas State had to do was take a couple kneel downs, and the game would be over, and that's exactly what they did. OU ended up losing the game, 31-30, and left 7 points on the field.
  After the game, it was apparent that the Sooners' chances at being in this year's playoff was done. They would need some major upsets and meltdowns in order to climb their way back into the conversation. The dream of a national championship was, once again, foiled by OU hurting themselves in opportune situations. But the blame is not soley on Hunnicut for the loss. Earlier in the game, Knight threw a pick-6 that allowed the Kansas State lead to balloon to 14-7, and the defense proved that third down was going to be a consistent problem for OU. The bottom line: This is just not the year for Oklahoma football to win it all.
  The Sooners go to Ames, Iowa this weekend to play the Iowa State Cyclones, and that game should restore some confidence in OU, as the Cyclones are one of the worst teams in the Big 12. Sure, they hung in with Texas this week and lost on a last-second field goal, but Iowa State is no match for the Sooners. With Baylor, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech still on the schedule for OU, the losing, most likely, will not stop at 2. Just something to think about, as the Sooners look to take on Iowa State this weekend. No time has been set for kickoff as of yet.

SPEED KILLS: Tyreke Hill’s 4th Quarter Kickoff Return Smites Jayhawks

  “Speed Kills.” The motto started in Eugene with the Oregon Ducks, but was borrowed from them after the Oklahoma State Cowboys escaped with a win against the Kansas Jayhawks on Saturday.

  On a day where OSU looked sub-par at best, the Jayhawks took advantage of being at home (even though the crowd was at about 15,000) and of having a new interim coach at their helm.

OSU running back, Tyreke Hill, explodes down the field
as he returns a 99-yard kickoff for a touchdown to give the
Pokes a 27-20 lead in the final minutes of the 4th quarter.

  In the 1^st half, it was all OSU as they took a commanding 20-7 lead into the locker room, but the 2^nd half of the game didn’t go as the Pokes had planned. Daxx Garman became the inaccurate gunslinger that took too many chances, and Kansas’ new quarterback, Michael Cummings, played better than the initial starter for the Jayhawks, Montell Cozart, had ever played for Kansas. In fact, Cummings played so well, that he packed better stats than Garman did! As the OSU offense was halted several times in the 2^nd half, Kansas took full advantage, and tacked on a field goal and a touchdown, to narrow the Cowboy lead to 3, 20-17, early in the 4^th quarter. Then, after forcing another 3 and out, the Jayhawks had the ball on the Oklahoma State 18 yard line and were faced with a 4^th and inches. The Jayhawks had 2 options: They could go for it, and most likely take the lead with a touchdown, or they could kick a field goal and tie the game.

  Kansas opted for the field goal, and tied the game at 20. But the tie only last 13 seconds because…Speed kills. The Jayhawks had been kicking away from the Olympic track star turned football player, Tyreke Hill, for the whole game, but their kicker just couldn’t get the ball into the endzone 1 final time. Kansas paid the price for their mistake, and Hill returned the kickoff 99 yards for a score that gave the lead back to the Pokes, 27-20. But Kansas had a final chance to tie the game and send it into overtime with their quarterback, Michael Cummings. Unfortunately for the Jayhawks, he made his single mistake of the game with 53 seconds left, and OSU defensive stud, Josh Furman, picked off the first-time starter to seal the victory for the Cowboys.

  Initial analysis of this game is quite simple: Oklahoma State hasn’t played anyone good since the season started, and the true test comes this weekend when they face TCU. Further analysis would lead you to be impressed by the fact that the Cowboys haven’t lost a game in the Big 12 so far. The only reason that is impressive is because now it’s just them, Baylor, and Kansas State at the top of the conference. Kansas State could drop from that list if the Sooners of Oklahoma best them in Norman this weekend, so it really comes down to OSU and Baylor at the top of the Big 12 if the Pokes can beat the Horned Frogs of TCU. Honestly, TCU will come into this game with a chip on their shoulder from the 61-58 loss they suffered at the hands of Baylor this past weekend, so Oklahoma State maybe in for a beat down. But never count out OSU when it comes to facing big opponents. They beat Baylor off their high horse last year when nobody thought they would, and they haven’t lost to TCU since the Frogs joined the Big 12. Although those facts are true, the Cowboys are playing TCU in Fort Worth and won’t have their rowdy home crown behind them to spur them on. In fact, OSU plays very poorly away from home, even though they have won 5 straight road games over Big 12 opponents. Who were those opponents though? Kansas twice, Texas, Iowa State, and Texas Tech. Not very impressive. But that’s just something to think about as the Cowboys travel down to Aman G. Carter Stadium at 3 PM CT to face TCU.

BEVO-la Warning: Sooners Scrape by Longhorns

 Ebola was the talk of the town in Dallas before even a single Oklahoma player arrived in Texas this previous weekend, but it was overshadowed for 3 hours as the Sooners took part in the annual Red River Rivalry against the Texas Longhorns. Initial thoughts before kickoff was that Texas was terrible and OU needed to win big in order to restore some confidence after their bitter defeat in Fort Worth versus TCU two weeks ago. Well, if confidence was what the Sooners were looking for, they certainly didn’t get it. The OU offense was anemic and only amassed 28 total yards in the first half. Texas, on the other hand, had a staggering 229 yards of total offense at the half. This football season, in the FBS, teams that gain over 200 more yards than their opponent heading into halftime were 57-0. For the Sooners, that spelled disaster. Yet, at the half, the Sooners had a surprising 17-13 lead over Texas. Alex Ross, the freshman running back for OU, returned another momentum-swinging kickoff return to make it 7-3 in the Sooners favor, and then after a Michael Hunnicut field goal, Zack Sanchez, the corner who had been bashed all week for his weak performance against TCU, picked off Texas quarterback, Tyron Swoops, and returned it for a touchdown to give OU a 17-3 lead, early in the 2^nd quarter. So OU scored twice without its offense even touching the ball, and in the end, that was certainly the difference. For after Sanchez’s return, Swoops and the Longhorn offense marched down the field for a touchdown, and then got the ball back with ample time to tie the ballgame before halftime. But the Oklahoma defense stepped up and forced Charlie Strong, the first-year Texas head coach, to opt for a field goal as the half wound down. So, as stated previously, the Sooners held a 4-point lead over Texas, and their offense had only managed to put 3 points on the board.

OU quarterback, Trevor Knight, exits the field after OU's 31-26 win over
Texas. The Sooners went 1-11 on 3rd down in the game.

   If you were to say that Oklahoma fans were upset at the play-calling of OU offensive coordinator, Josh Heupel, that would be an understatement on your part. Sooners’ fans were livid with the poor decisions that Heupel was making. The Longhorn defense kept stuffing the runs up the middle, which forced Heupel’s hand, and caused him to turn into Mike Leach. One pass after the next either resulted in a poor throw by OU quarterback, Trevor Knight, or it slipped through the hands of the Oklahoma receivers. To make matters even worse, for the second week in a row, the OU offense was awful on 3^rd down, and went 1 for 11. 1 for 11. No, you didn’t read that wrong. That percentage of 3^rd down conversions comes to 9%, and was just the most disgusting thing ever, but the good thing, is that their 1 first down came on their final drive that pretty much iced the game. But the Sooners didn’t always look terrible on Saturday.

   In the second half, the Oklahoma offense made several big plays that lead to scores, and the Texas offensive prowess was put on hold, as the Longhorns seemed to regress to their predicted form, and started playing like OU’s offense was in the first half. After Oklahoma wide receiver, Sterling Shepard, was found wide-open in the endzone to make the OU lead, 24-13, the Sooners went on another long drive that was capped off by a Samaje Perine touchdown. For most OU fans, that gave them some comfort and contentment with a 31-13 lead, but it shouldn’t have.

  The Longhorns came back with a couple of long drives in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 31-20, and then marched again to make it 26-31 with just under 5 minutes remaining in regulation. Charlie Strong and the Longhorns decided to go for the 2-point conversion and try to cut the lead to 3, but it wasn’t meant to be, and the Sooners defense stuffed Swoops on a quarterback keeper that had been giving defensive coordinator for OU, Mike Stoops, massive headaches, all day. After that, the Sooners did what they do best, and ran the ball. Yes, on 3^rd and 10 with just under a minute to go, the Sooners ran it, and that didn’t help their percentage on 3^rd down, but it did keep the clock running. Texas, who used 2 timeouts early on due to miscommunication between Swoops and the offensive coordinator, really came back to bite them.

  In the end, Texas couldn’t get their Hail Mary prayer, answered, and the Sooners escaped the Red River Rivalry with a 31-26 victory over the Longhorns. In light of a win, it was pretty obvious that Oklahoma showed us why they just can’t be one of the 4 teams that will be headed to the playoffs this season. They lack an offensive identity due to the fact their offensive coordinator hasn’t quite grasped how to incorporate a running quarterback into their offense, and that has hurt their offensive success to the point where it maybe too easy to beat this Oklahoma team. Sure, the defense played as well as it could, considering they were out there longer than they ever expected, but they couldn’t stop the worst Texas offense anyone in Austin had ever seen, and that’s concerning. What happens when the Baylor game comes around in November? What about the gun slinging offense that OSU runs with Daxx Garman? These teams would have torn the OU defense to shreds because the Sooners were just so tired from being on the field for so long. But who’s at fault for that? The offense. They aren’t getting enough 3^rd down conversions to give their defense a rest, (at least, not this last week) and that really does factor into these poor performances by OU. As much as the bashing of this OU team feels proper, the fact is that the Sooners got a victory after being shocked at TCU the previous week, and they improved to 5-1 on the season. The Sooners take on Kansas State this week at 11 AM CT on ESPN, and expect the offense to hear the boos raining down on them if they don’t perform well, because K-State is looking awfully good. Just something to think about, as OU treks on to try and fight for the 4^th spot in this year’s playoffs.