SOONERGUYS Blog

The game and the audience last Saturday night can only be described as, well . . . overwhelming.

Going into the Sooners’ contest against the Red Raiders in Norman, OU had three objectives:

1) Flush Graham Harrell’s Heisman hopes.  Well, check on that one.

2) End Texas Tech’s national championship chances.  Yep. Check on that one too.

3) Score 65 points (yeah that was a goal).  Check.

All that happened. And in large part, it happened because this Sooner team was very inspired by a fan base that went nuts in Memorial Stadium on a cold November night, thanks to Coach Bob Stoops’ “call to arms” speech earlier in the week that the Sooner faithful really weren’t very loud.

Stoops certainly gets an A+ in motivation. And many fans didn’t even know they were being motivated at the time.

Now we’re in a three-way tie for the Big 12 South. Oklahoma must defeat Oklahoma State in hostile Stillwater on Saturday night (again on ABC-TV); but if that is accomplished then it will be up to the BCS gurus to figure out which of the three, Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech, will travel to ice-laden Kansas City and play Missouri for the Big 12 championship.

Should Oklahoma be ranked ahead of Texas, even though the Longhorns defeated the Sooners 45-35 just last October?  Well, yes. After all, those were the early primaries. Now we’re talking about the big one — the general election. And just like President-elect Barack Obama came on strong in the home stretch, the Sooners are the hottest team in college football. They destroyed No. 2 Texas Tech 65-21, for goodness sake. And Tech’s a pretty saucy team!

But before we count our chickens — it is Bedlam time. 

Despite a second half game plan that can only be described in one word — “unimaginative” — the Sooners eased by a pesky defensive squad of Horned Toads on Saturday, 35-10, and now sit perched atop all of the college football polls.

It was a remarkable week. No. 1 USC lost to its nemesis Oregon State. Alabama, looking like the 2000 Sooners coming out of practically no where, kicked Georgia, and Mississippi Nutt-whacked the Florida Gators on the road in Gainesville.  True anarchy in college football. It’s wonderful.

So, after all that, the Sooner fans got what Hunter said was the most boring OU game he had ever attended. He was yawning in the third quarter. Could be because he stayed over at friend’s house on Friday night — admitting (not under oath) he had stayed up until 6 a.m. on Saturday morning. Good thing this was a night game, otherwise I might have sat through this one alone.

The Sooners put this game away early — scoring 21 points and racking up 222 total yards in the first quarter.  The defense played stellar, despite a second half spent almost entirely backed up in Oklahoma territory. 

Then, when in the third quarter OC Kevin Wilson was calling Woody Hayes plays (18 inches and a cloud of dust) against the 10-man-in-the-box TCU defense we could only imagine he was thinking the offense needed to practice running plays, or just wanted punter Mike Knall to punt nine times (which he did).  That drew a smattering of boos from a crowd that was not content with the then 35-3 lead.  For the record, that was not me booing. I was yelling “goooooooooood job, Wilson!”  It just sounded like a boo.

All of this happened after wonderful WR Manny Johnson set a school record 206 yards receiving on 5 catches and Heisman winner-to-be Sam Bradford had thrown for most of his game high 411 yards.

Actually any time I thought about grumbling over this game,  some little voice kept reminding me of USC, Georgia and Florida. 

Like I was saying:  Good win!

— Mike

The thing that has impressed me about this Oklahoma football team is the thing which some have questioned following two BCS bowl losses:  toughness.

Oklahoma hammered a quality Cincinnati team last week; and dominated a young but physical Washington team on the road on Saturday.  And in each case the offensive and defensive lines have controlled their respective scrimmage lines and physically beaten their opponents.  They fight and scratch.  They push and shove.

These  Sooners are playing with the swagger of a Switzer team and the hardnosed meanness of a Wilkinson team.

OT Trent Williams is one of those brutes on the line being very physical.  Travis Lewis is one of the guys on defense doing the same.

Even RB Demarco Murray seems to be running with more aggressiveness this year.

“I’m trying to be more physical.  I’m not trying to make a lot of guys miss as much, but I’m trying to run guys over.  I’m wanting to improve my power skills,”  Murray said after the game Saturday.

This physical trait for the Sooners could serve them well when it is time to go on the road in the conference — and then, especially, in any bowl game they earn (something that has been a problem of late).

And it has been the plan.  This summer the Sooners wore t-shirts that said: “Built Road Tough.”

“Our whole mindset was, be dominant wherever we go,” said defensive tackle Gerald McCoy.

—-

Penalty yardage:  Oklahoma 110  Washington 8

Next time you find me complaining about Big 12 officials, just remind me of the Pac 10.  The officiating crew that worked the Washington game seemed quick to flag the Sooners and quick to call fumbles against the Sooners.  But then again after the Oregon fiasco two years ago, who was expecting anything else.

—–

If Ty Willingham’s first name became “embattled” after last year’s losing record, the 0-3 beginning to Washington’s 2008 season doesn’t serve well to erase that.  I don’t know if Willingham is a good coach or not. He was booted from Notre Dame prematurely, but as we’ve seen that team under Charlie Weis it is pretty evident Wilingham wasn’t the problem.

— Mike

I had never seen a football game where there were no huddles. Well, until Saturday.  The Sooners did not need any as they sliced and diced a Cincinnati Bearcat team that was hoping to gain some big time respectability when they arrived in Norman.  The Big East team left Saturday night beat up and broken — including losing their starting QB Dustin Grutza to a fractured fibula.

Sam Bradford’s 395-yard passing performance would be the talk of the day, except that such games are expected of him.  So, the talk of Campus Corner is about a local fellow who until today made the police news in the local paper more than the sports section — one Master Ryan Broyles.  Broyles sat out last year as punishment for taking gasoline from a service station without paying and missed last week’s game for undisclosed reasons.  But none of that kept the former Norman High star from playing like a college super star against a stingy Cincinnati secondary that lead the nation in interceptions last year.

Broyles set a school record 141 yards for a newcomer receiver. His day began on Oklahoma’s opening drive, grabbing a Bradford pass and streaking down the boundary for 31 yards. Then Bradford hit Broyles for 27 yards more for a touchdown.  He later made a leaping catch to complete a 43 yard pass play to ignite the Sooner offense.

Oklahoma’s defense had some busted coverages. But the front seven was stout.  Jeremy Beal and Travis Wilson were in on almost every play.  The Cincinnati spread offense managed only two earned touchdowns all day until the last two seconds of the game.  More serious for Oklahoma coaches is to figure out how kick off coverage collapsed on Saturday, alowing Cincinnati to return a kick for a TD.

My grades for the game: OU Offense: A-   Defense B-  Special Teams: D-

Next Up:  Washington.  I would have thought this game would be a snoozer until Wash U. came an extra point away from forcing overtime against BYU on Saturday, thanks in large part to a Pac-10 official’s decision to flag the UW QB for a TD celebration.  We are sure that conference officials will know who the conference visitors are next week in Seattle.  — Mike

Oklahoma offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson is an old Ohio guy himself, so he thinks he knows a thing or two about OU’s next opponent.  He coached against the Bearcats while offensive coordinator at Miami of Ohio for seven years, until 1998.

But this Cincinnati defense is not the team of former UC Coach Mark Dantonio.  Cincinnati, which rolled over Eastern Kentucky 40-7 on Thursday, is the team which lost to West Virginia 28-23 last year, playing better against the Mountaineers than Oklahoma did in the Fiesta Bowl.  They led the country with 26 interceptions a year ago. That should prove a good test for QB Sam Bradford, who lead the country in pass efficiency last year — mostly because of his carefulness in avoiding interceptions.

But if there is a weakness to UC’s defense it may be in the running game. West Virginia amassed 295 of their 435 total yards against Cincinnati last year on the ground.  Then again, Oklahoma’s defense gave up 349 yards to Pat White and friends in the Fiesta Bowl.  So, that may be no reflection of defenses at all.

The Oklahoma offense vs. Cincinnati defense may be a wash. Where Oklahoma should hope to capitalize is when the Sooner defense goes against UC’s offense.  Some Bearcat fans have been wary of their new quarterback Dustin Grutza (he complete 21 of 28 passes for 298 yards and three touchdowns against Eastern Kentucky), who stepped into the vacancy left by Ben Mauk, who was out suing people to gain another year of eligibility (a losing cause, apparently).  His inexperience could lead Brent Venables to call on Austin English and Jeremy Beal to put some heat on the new QB.

Cincinnati is not ranked. But they received enough votes to place them No. 31 in the AP Poll.

-Mike

OKLAHOMA  vs. TENNESSEE CHATTANOOGA

There isn’t much to take from Oklahoma’s 57-2 win over Tennessee Chattanooga, except to say there are a lot of loyal Oklahoma fans who stayed around after a 90-minute storm delay to watch some fairly lackluster football in the second half.

The first half was pretty much a perfect game for the Sooners. No turnovers. One penalty. 50 points. No points allowed. A+ all the way around.  The second half didn’t matter.  Even the new Boomer and Sooner ponies went back to the farm at half.

Each time I watched Demarco Murray (15-124 yds, 2 TDs) the more the name Billy Sims kept coming to mind.  And when that name did not, the name Reggie Bush did.  Sam Bradford f (17 of 22, 183 yds, 2 TDs) looked sharp.  Juaquin Iglesias (4-73, 1 TD) looked top notch.  The Mocs provided no test for the defense, so there was really no way of judging the performance of the defense, except to say they did everything asked of them.

I’m not about to rail on about how OU should be castigated for scheduling this Division I-AA weakling like some sports writers did (after the fact, mind you), but this game was little more than the scrimmage which fans were barred from attending during two-a-days.  Just against a much weaker opponent (than our second string).

INTRO VIDEO – The special video effects on OU’s intro video looked cool.  But the fellas running the sound board for the video system need to tweak that up.  The crowd noise drowned out the audio.

HYPE FOR ‘SC – Virginia is the same weak team today as it was on Friday night, before their shellacking by Southern Cal.  So, why are so many TV and radio pundits anointing the Trojans with any greater status today than they did last week because of their win over the Cavaliers?  They were supposed to win – and win big. They did, 52-7.

The Trojans are one of the top 5 teams in the country, no doubt. But their stock did not go up by defeating Virginia.  Could it be because ESPN/ABC has already begun hyping the September 13 showdown USC has against Ohio State? Nah, they wouldn’t be THAT callous, would they?  If so, it’s doubly ridiculous, because that game needs no hyping.

MISSOURI FRAUD — Chase Daniels is a heck of a QB, but the Missouri team does not deserve Top 10 status.  Allowing 42 points — even to No. 20 Illinois – disqualifies you for that.

A&M EMBARRASSMENT – How do the Aggies lose their first game of the season at home against Arkansas State?  Four turnovers certainly cost them a lot, but the talent difference between these two schools should be enough to assure some cushion. Instead, A&M lost to Arkansas  State 18-14. The Aggies gave up 415 total yards to Arkansas State.

Before Aggie fans fire bomb Mike Sherman’s house, they should remember Dennis Franchione left this program in shambles.  Sherman just inherited it.  Relax and expect a rough season – but the coaching staff Sherman has put together (ex-‘Bama assistant Joe Kines and Nolan Cromwell as coordinators) will bring this program around.  It will take some time, because A&M’s skilled players may not be suited for Sherman’s pro-style offense.

NEXT SATURDAY – Few good matchups in college football next week.  Average point spread is probably more than 20 among all games.  ESPN might as well show some Division II games, except all of them are playing Division I schools.   — Mike

Let’s not pretend. Oklahoma will win big against a Tennessee-Chattanooga team that went 2-9 last year in whatever conference they play.  The challenge to the Sooners this Saturday will be to fulfill the expectations of coaches and the fans that will join us at Owen Field.

We will try this season to give you some up-to-date thoughts in this space. But for the first game, let’s just say it will be nice to get the season underway. It will be nice to see whether new players (and old players) live up to the hype.  And it will be nice to see our friends in Section 11. 

News:  Coach Stoops said Mike Balogun will start at weakside linebacker. Who is this guy? He’s a 6-2 250 pound juco transfer that is 24 years old. He worked as construction worker for two years, then decided to return to school and ended up playing football in Scranton, Pennsylvania.  If Balogun’s “can do” attitude translates into great play on the field, he will be the Game Day feature on ESPN.

“A good tough guy,” said Coach Stoops. “He’s fun to coach every day. He has a maturity to him. Being older there’s very little playing around to him.  He has a serious attitude.  He knows this is important to him.  It isn’t just fun and games.” 

New rules:  Officials will re-wind the clock immediately at the end of a play.  No waiting for them to spot the ball before the play clock begins.  Should make for a quicker pace of game.  Maybe that’s why Oklahoma will unveil a no-huddle offense.

Question marks:  What kind of personality will this team have? Will it be the one that fell flat in Boulder last year?  Or the team that hammered Missouri in the Big 12 Championship? 

“From one year to another teams are different. You just want to see what kind of make up they have when it’s time to play,” Coach Stoops said.  “There were some games with turnovers and a lack of focus in the way we played.  We showed a lack of toughness to be able to hand some situations . . . . We stepped up in some, didn’t do our best in others.”

Returning:  Demarco Murray returns after off-season recovery from that knee cap injury sustained in Lubbock last year.  Coaches say he looks great.  His repetitions in practice have been limited, however, so all are curious to see how well he plays in a game.  Chris Brown will alternate playing time with him. 

“The two of them compliment each other in a great way,” Stoops said at his weekly press conference on Tuesday.  Man, I love this guy’s cliche consistency.

Norman kids:  Mosus Madu should get some touches Saturday. Of course with the available offensive weapons Oklahoma has there is sometimes a problem getting the ball to all of them.   Meanwhile, Norman’s Ryan Broyles will get playing time at wide out. He makes people miss him and is drawing some comparison by coaches to Mark Clayton.

“We’ll try to find a way to get him some carries,” Stoops said, appearing fresh and energetic in his first press conference of the season. “Then you’ll be mad Jermain (Gresham) didn’t get enough and then so and so. So we’re going to use them all.”

This week’s opponent:  Chattanooga-Tennessee is a running football and play action passing team.  Defensively they change this year to 4-3 defense, with zone coverages and zone blitzes.  Fairly conventional I-AA team. 

Let’s get the season underway.  In a great way!

— Mike

Near the end of last season we were all clamoring about how football polls should not come out until October — after the top teams have some season under their belts and the Appalachian State upsets occur.  After all, just because one team gets picked number 1 in August (which really means in May), doesn’t mean they should be playing for the national championship in January if they muddle through a boring and unimpressive series of wins in a weak conference (can you say Ohio State?).

But, now it is August. The greatest time of football season. Everyone is undefeated. Excitement is in the air. Hope springs enternal. 

Even Baylor is looking forward to the new season.

And so, it is with this universal optimism that we forget our complaints and all look forward to that first NCAA Division 1 football poll, established by those objective and fair minded (SARCASM WARNING HERE) sports information directors (we know coaches don’t really vote on this stuff) for USA Today and ESPN.  Below is the poll.

It is probably a good spot for Oklahoma to be perched on the edge of the top tier by sitting at number 4.  Why West Virginia is only at number 8, considering Pat White is returning, is beyond me.  Texas is probably over-rated. Kansas will get spanked in the non-conference by South Florida and Fresno State will be rising like a meteor after they beat Rutgers, Wisconsin and UCLA.  You heard it here first.

Georgia gets a conciliatory number 1 vote, because after all they haven’t been there in a long time. But we all know that if they played number 2 USC, they’d get beaten down like a red-headed step child.  Florida should probably be in the top 3, with Tim Tebow at the helm.  LSU should be in the second 10, because they are cheered on by swamp rats with no teeth. I know that may be too scientific an analysis for some, but it is what it is.

– Mike D.

USA Today Preseason Coaches Poll
Aug. 1, 20081. Georgia (22) 11-2 1,438
2. Southern California (14) 11-2 1,430
3. Ohio State (14) 11-2 1,392
4. Oklahoma (3) 11-3 1,329
5. Florida (5) 9-4 1,293
6. LSU (3) 12-2 1,163
7. Missouri 12-2 1,143
8. West Virginia 11-2 1,008
9. Clemson 9-4 999
10. Texas 10-3 979
11. Auburn 9-4 888
12. Wisconsin 9-4 747
13. Kansas 12-1 714
14. Texas Tech 9-4 644
15. Virginia Tech 11-3 568
16. Arizona State 10-3 560
17. Brigham Young 11-2 547
18. Tennessee 10-4 506
19. Illinois 9-4 422
20. Oregon 9-4 399
21. South Florida 9-4 350
22. Penn State 9-4 313
23. Wake Forest 9-4 203
24. Michigan 9-4 112
25. Fresno State 9-4 91

On his last day, Jack Mildren came on the radio and performed as a sports talk show host.

 The tenor of his voice gave a small clue as to the battle he was waging against a cancer that would take his life on Thursday night. But the words from his voice were every bit as sharp, witty and pertinent as they had been in the huddle on Owen Field 37 years ago, in business circles, or later at the state capitol.

On Thursday, Mildren died like he lived.

In the game.

With toughness and with class. With an “aaaw shucks” humility.

Mildren will always be known as the first wishbone quarterback at Oklahoma, beginning an era that introduced the most powerful and dominating rushing offense to exist in the history of college sports.  Fans have nicknamed him the “Godfather” of the wishbone option.

He was the first OU quarterback to appear in living color in my house.  The famous Game of the Century in 1971 between Oklahoma and Nebraska was the first Oklahoma telecast I saw after my parents purchased a color television. The image was a bit grainy, since you had to manually turn that TV antenna a certain way to pick up the KTUL broadcast.  Nevertheless, right there on that 19-inch RCA was No. 11 Jack Mildren running the option and throwing the football on the tartan turf of Owen Field. 

He carried the Sooners on his shoulders.

He had presence. He had command. And despite his legendary status since then, Jack Mildren had a connection with the common guy. You believed he was just a regular fellow.  His voice on the radio was the voice of reason.  He was what we call in my business, one of the “good guys.”

Jack Mildren may well be the best quarterback to ever play at Oklahoma.

There certainly has been no better person to put on the uniform.  

—-

“Don’t try to kid yourself. If you try to say, ‘It’s just another game.’ Oh, give me a break. Embrace what it is. It’s an opportunity. There’s nothing like it. And smile. You don’t have to have an all-serious look. We know you’re going to be serious. But there’s some fun to it because there’s so much excitement. Shoot, that’s why you go to a place like OU, to have that kind of experience. Big-time games against big-time opponents.” — Jack Mildren, on giving Sooner teams advice on OU-Texas week.

The Longhorns have had 10 players arrested for all sorts of criminal conduct this year, but that fact did not stop an assistant athletic director from trying to suppress the student newspaper’s reporting that backup QB John Chiles was a suspect in an Austin police investigation into an assault.  

Assistant AD John Bianco wrote threatening emails to the Daily Texan, claiming its reports of public statments made by the Austin Police Department were “untruthful”, and further stating the Texan’s relationship with the football program would be hurt.  Bianco said that when potential employers of the student newsmen would learn of the reporting it would “hurt you in the long run,” the newspaper editor reported.

Of course many Texas fans probably think the student paper is wrong for reporting any wrongdoing by its elite athletes.  And one can question whether reporting that someone who has not been arrested is a “suspect” is a good idea or not; but, the big bad athletic department trying to coerce student journalists from reporting a fact about something which is of great public interest is far worse. 

I imagine the folks in Austin are bit testy about their public image right now.  They have probably seen too many of those t-shirts floating around the rest of the conference showing the broken longhorns in handcuffs.  — Mike