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.  

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.

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.

All Knight Long

   It was a no-contest in Norman on Saturday, as the Oklahoma Sooners blew out the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, 48-16. Coming into this game, no one really expected to learn much due to the fact that the Sooners were playing the significantly weaker, Bulldogs. Oklahoma starting quarterback, Trevor Knight, threw for 253 yards and ran or 17 more. Knight also threw 1 touchdown and 1 interception to make is overall quarterback rating, an astute 87.7 out of 100.

OU quarterback, Trevor Knight, attempts a pass against
Louisiana Tech last Saturday. Knight finished the evening
with 253 passing yards. 

  On the defensive side of the ball, OU held the Bulldogs to under 250 yards of total offense, and restricted the Tech offense to just a 33% 3^rd down conversion efficiency. Overall, this game was nothing short of a snooze-fest where the OU coach, Bob Stoops, kept in his starting quarterback for the entire game, and left all fans and media with the blatant fact that the Sooners were better than the Bulldogs. Oklahoma will remain in talks regarding the national playoff race, and their early unblemished record of 1-0 will be nothing too much to brag about as they head up to Tulsa this Saturday. To be honest, the Sooners will not be tested until the Tennessee Volunteers come into town in Week 3 of this season, so let it be known that the raging high of the 2013-14 Sugar Bowl will keep on rolling as the weeks go on.