I was pleasantly surprised by the performance against Iowa State. It showed that the team hasn’t given up on the season and is still competing.
As I said last week Iowa St. is not a bad team. They have fought and taken some good squads to the edge. They just haven’t been able to close the deal. But the Sooners jumped on them early and often and never let up.
It harkened back to the days of hanging half a hundred by halftime and having a hot dog on the sidelines. Three 100-yard rushers and Knight rushes for three touchdowns and passes for three touchdowns.
Yes, folks, the coaches turned Knight loose in the QB run game and the offense flowed like it should with a mobile QB.
Add to that an aggressive defense that came after the quarterback and you get one dominate performance. I just can’t help but think where was this all year. I know it was Iowa St., but still.
Hopefully the team is now back on track as the big bad Baylor Bears come to town Saturday for yet another 11 am kickoff.
I wish I could have confidence in the Sooners winning this game, I just don’t. Back several years ago there were a bunch of upstart Big XII teams that would ride onto Owen Field with a high national ranking. And they all thought the same thing. This is finally the year we are going to beat those Sooners! And they were all smacked down hard.
Remember 2002 Iowa State? Quarterback savoir Seneca Wallace was finally going to bring the Cyclones to the promised land and announce the arrival of Iowa St. football! Final score: OU 49 ISU 3.
And who could forget the very next year when Lester brought his pokes to town and said they were going to “Let ‘er rip!”. Final score: OU 52 OSU 9.
And remember 2008 when the Pirate Mike Leach rolled into Norman with his Red Raiders sporting a #2 ranking and thoughts of bringing a National Title to Lubbock? Final score: OU 65 TT 21.
(Petty) is like any other QB in that he does not like pressure. OU needs to go after Petty and make him uncomfortable
(Petty) is like any other QB in that he does not like pressure. OU needs to go after Petty and make him uncomfortable
Yes, those were the good old days. But not anymore. Gone are the does when OU was invincible in Norman, no matter what our record was.
Can’t say what it is specifically. Parity within the conference and college football as a whole can be partly to blame. Recruiting battles lost are also to blame. Stoops cleaned house on the coaching staff recently, so hopefully going forward that will help.
But we just aren’t getting the recruits we have in the past. I know 5-star recruits are not a guarantee of success, but they certainly help.
So we move forward with what we have and face the latest Big XII upstart. Like him or hate him, Art Briles has built a solid program in Waco. They have the highest ranked passing and rushing offense in the Big XII.
Their defense is nothing special, but they aren’t chopped liver.They will bring pressure often on Knight. They especially like to bring it on the early downs. Trevor will have to read and react. Big plays will be there for the taking. Can we take them?
On offense the Bears like the long ball. That is why QB Bryce Petty doesn’t have a stellar completion percentage. In fact Knight actually has a better completion percentage than Petty. This is mostly due to the fact that Baylor takes a lot if shots downfield. Several miss, but they also hit several for big gains.
However he is like any other QB in that he does not like pressure. OU needs to go after Petty and make him uncomfortable. That’s what West Virginia did and Petty folded. He will get his, but he needs to earn it. The defense needs to hold up on the back end to give OU’s pass rush time to get to the QB.
I know that’s a tall order for this secondary, but it’s what needs to happen.
On the offensive side of the ball it’s a good thing that some other receivers are stepping up for the Sooners, because from what I am hearing, Sterling was hurt a little more than Stoops let on.
I know that may be a surprise to some, but if you have followed Stoops at all over the years he has a history of down playing injuries. Last week after the game Stoops said something like Sterling was going to come back in the game, but they decided since the game was in hand they would hold him out as a precaution.
Translation for those that don’t know Stoops speak: “They have started surgery to re-attach the leg. Hope to have him ready for next spring.”
Anyway, it will make it that much harder on the offense if Sterling is out. And I don’t think Ford will be back either.
All this points to a worry meter in the red at 95%. Oh how I long for the days of another Sooner smack down of a ranked opponent in Norman. But now I will just settle for an ugly win. I hope we get one Saturday.
With all that being said…BOOMER!!! — Dave
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