Man. I thought we had that last year. Twice.
I let myself believe that it was going to happen. That we were going to finally win Bob’s second National Championship after reaching the College Football Playoff. All the way up through halftime of the Orange Bowl.
I thought we had it. And it just slowly slipped away.
And then three months later, the Sooner basketball team reaches the Final Four. And we were playing a team we torched earlier in the year. Surely this was it. The first National Title for the Men’s basketball team. And then, well you know what happened.
Don’t get me wrong. Oklahoma athletics are second to none as a program. This past spring the softball team, men’s gymnastics and women’s gymnastics all won National Titles. And all those teams have multiple National Titles in the past three years.
Heck even men’s tennis won an indoor title a few years back.
All is right with OU athletics. But in a way that makes it a little more painful that the football team just can’t quite get it done.
Could this be the year? I wish I could say for certain that it is. But there are just too many questions for me.
I hear several people saying that our offense is going to be lights out and that we need to worry about the defense. To me, it’s the exact opposite.
Boy I bet Joe Castiglione didn’t see Houston being this tough an opener when they agreed to the game
Boy I bet Joe Castiglione didn’t see Houston being this tough an opener when they agreed to the game
In this day and age of spread open Big 12 offenses, defenses are all about damage control. Try to force field goals, or at least make the offense work hard for the touchdown. Hopefully throw in a few three and outs. No defense is a shut out defense anymore. Get off the field any way you can and give the ball back to your offense. You have to try and outscore people.
And that’s where we might have some issues, starting with the offensive line. While there very well might be more overall talent on the O-Line this year than last, the experience isn’t there yet. They have not worked together as a unit under game conditions.
It can take several games for an offensive line to start working together like they need to at a high level. And this year they don’t have the luxury of a a few cream puffs to start the season.
We have a Heisman quality QB and maybe the best backfield in college football. But can the line protect them?
Then you have the wide outs. There is plenty of talent there. But I think people are under estimating the hole that Sterling Shepard has left. He was the constant. He was a superstar. One of the best to ever play at Oklahoma. You can’t just replace him.
You have to hope several players step up. Westbrook was solid last year. He has to step up more though. And Mead, Miller and Smallwood need to be consistent contributors.
Andrews should be strong at tight end and there needs to be touches for Mixon coming out of the backfield.
Like I said, they have to hit the ground running right out of the gate. Actually, more like sprinting. Houston and Ohio St. within the first three weeks. Big 12 title contender TCU right after that and then straight to the Texas State Fair.
It’ll make your head spin. But first things first. Boy I bet Joe Castiglione didn’t see Houston being this tough an opener when they agreed to the game. In fact he has said as much.
This game scares the hell out of me. Coming off a 13-1 season and a Peach Bowl victory over Florida St., the Cougars have what I think will be the best QB we see all season in Greg Ward Jr. And the whole team has speed to burn. They will spread us out and try and work the whole field.
They will come into the game playing the disrespect card and want to prove to the world they are for real. And the fact that Houston is a top contender to join the Big 12 will add even more incentive for them.
Anyone else remember what happened the last two times we went down to Texas to play a season opener against a mid-major? UTEP hung with us way too long and, well, I try to forget about BYU. OU had better be ready for a fight. Because they are going to get it.
So the Worry Meter opens the 2016 season at 95%. No time to look to ahead to Ohio St. The quest for number 8 starts this Saturday. With all that being being said…BOOMER!!!
— Dave
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