Sooners want to show that they are truly back
Everything went about as well as the Sooners could have hoped for in their 66-17 shellacking of the Tulsa Golden Hurricane last weekend.
The offense scored seemingly at will with three receivers gaining over 100 yards on the day. Gabriel threw for over 400 yards and 5 touchdowns to continue his torrid pace.
Even freshman Jackson Arnold got in on the act with a nifty 50-yard touchdown throw that was as pretty a pass as you will ever see.
The defense also continued to hold up their end of the bargain with a Danny Stutsman pick six in the first quarter. Any concerns after that performance would be the 2nd quarter defense that allowed Tulsa’s backup QB to drive the field twice with little to no resistance for 2 touchdowns.
However, adjustments were made, and Tulsa was effectively shut down after that.
There is also still concern with the run game. I realize that over four yards a carry is nothing to sneeze at, but with the competition OU has faced, you would really want that stat to be 5+ yards.
The hope is that they work hard on that this week as conference play is now upon us and the competition becomes much fiercer. The Sooners will head to Ohio to face Big 12 newcomers the Cincinnati Bearcats this Saturday in a rooster kickoff at 11:00am.
If SMU gave the Sooners just a small taste of the more talented teams to come this season, Cincinnati will be the heavy appetizer to begin the Big 12 gauntlet.
Although the Bearcats had to replace head coach Luke Fickell in the offseason, their team is littered with top shelf talent that is less than two years removed from a College Football Playoff appearance.
Their best player is preseason All American defensive tackle Dontay “The Godfather” Corleone. He and the entire defensive line would be considered the best D-Line in the Big 12 and one of the best in the country.
The Sooners will have trouble running the ball on Cincy. On the other side of the ball the Bearcats have the eighth best rushing offense in college football and a mobile quarterback that will test the OU defense with his legs.
Bearcats seek to impress in first Big 12 game
Out of the many things that have flummoxed the OU defense in recent years, the biggest in my opinion would be a mobile quarterback. The Sooners offense will need to depend on Gabriel’s arm in this contest more than ever. They need to keep him protected and let him continue his Heisman caliber play.
Cincinnati is coming off an overtime loss against Miami of Ohio last week, a game in which they were 14-point favorites. But if you look closely, the Bearcats out gained them by over 200 yards, but also shot themselves in the foot with 2 turnovers.
That was also a big rivalry game that goes back to 1888 and has been played almost every year since. They are a much better team than the one that lost that game and the first big road test for the Sooners this year.
This is a big game for both programs. The Sooners want to show the college football world that they are truly back.
Remember, OU was 3-0 at this time last year, and well…we all know what happened.
The Bearcats want to make a big impression with their first ever Big 12 game as one of the new kids in the conference.
Apparently the Big 12 conference is sending several videographers to the game to document the moment.
Don’t think for a minute they are not hoping for a Cincinnati victory over the big bad Sooners.
There is a lot on the line this weekend which is why the Worry Meter is at 85%.
Fun fact, going into the Tulsa game Dillion Gabriel was 0-2 against the Golden Hurricane from his UCF days. Coming into the Cincinnati game, he is 0-2 against the Bearcats. Let’s hope the “revenge” tour yields similar results Saturday.
With all that being said…. BOOMER!!!
— Dave
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