The only big assistant coach loss for OSU was DC Beckman. The offense is Gundy's baby. And he will be in full charge there. As for the bowl game with Oregon, Robinson wasn't the only one hurt. RB Kendall Hunter was hurt. And so was Dez Bryant. That's why OSU looked like a different offensive team in the second half of that game. Next season OSU loses just 7 starters on offense and defense combined. If Gundy can get a name DC to come in, they should continue to get better. I'm pretty sure that Georgia comes into Stillwater next year. A win there could set the tone for the rest of the season. I think everybody will find out next year how much OSU has closed the gap on OU and Texas. Remember, that game in Austin between OSU and Texas was decided by just 5 points. And OSU will be better next season. I'm not so sure about Texas. And with the cupcake schedule that Texas has in their first 5 games, we won't know exactly how good they'll be until they play OU. OSU is overdue for a big win. And I think they'll get it either against OU or Texas next year. Texas Tech is somewhat rebuilding. But Leach had a very good recruiting class by TT standards last year. So they may not fall as much as people think. But next year won't be their year. With what Baylor showed against Tech in the last game of the year, they showed me that they're going to be a player in the Big 12. Especially with Griffin at QB. Plus they were the youngest team in the Big 12 this year. Their only going to get better. As for Texas A&M, I really don't have a clue at this point. They were also a young team. It's just a matter of if Sherman can get his players to buy into his system. And they need to beef up on defense. If Sherman is the right coach, their probably still at least 2 years away from having a competetive team. OSU is the team I'm worried about. Gundy's recruiting is getting better. OU is still getting better players. But they only outnumber OSU 8 to 4 in four star commitements so far. I remember when that gap used to be much larger.
Signing these kids is one thing, keeping them in school is another thing. The Big 12 was able to keep a number of big time players this year. It made me sick to the USC coach speaking out against Sanchez like he did.
Stoops or Gundy would hve supported their players to the very end. Keeping your quarerback is very key, especially early in the season. That is where Texas, Baylor, OU, and OSU have an advantage. Yes OL is important but if you keep enough key play makers your line will usually continue to feed of their success and get better as the season goes along. Robinson can and will run and when he scrambles he is a threat .
I don't like to compare conferences so much because they all seem to have strengths and weaknesses. But if OSU knocks of Georgia that would be a nice way to get things rolling. Those kids have bought into Gundy and now that he is older than 40 he seems to be focused and brings a lot to the offensive side of the ball. OSU needs to fill those stands and their approach has been hard to explain (except that they have T. Boones money). I just hate to see seats go to waste for all of the wrong reasons. I think their policy is season tickets or nothing. I don't think they are in a position to be that "Picky) just because of Pickens money. OU has to do something about their kicking game and special teams althugh they looked better in the BCS game.
Stoops or Gundy would hve supported their players to the very end. Keeping your quarerback is very key, especially early in the season. That is where Texas, Baylor, OU, and OSU have an advantage. Yes OL is important but if you keep enough key play makers your line will usually continue to feed of their success and get better as the season goes along. Robinson can and will run and when he scrambles he is a threat .
I don't like to compare conferences so much because they all seem to have strengths and weaknesses. But if OSU knocks of Georgia that would be a nice way to get things rolling. Those kids have bought into Gundy and now that he is older than 40 he seems to be focused and brings a lot to the offensive side of the ball. OSU needs to fill those stands and their approach has been hard to explain (except that they have T. Boones money). I just hate to see seats go to waste for all of the wrong reasons. I think their policy is season tickets or nothing. I don't think they are in a position to be that "Picky) just because of Pickens money. OU has to do something about their kicking game and special teams althugh they looked better in the BCS game.
newsok.com has an article by Trammel - in addition to losing Beckman they have lost offseive assistants Trooper Tayler and Curtis Luper, director of football operations Jimmy Gonzalez (who was fired) and another offensive asst, Gunter Brewer, is interviewig for OC job at Minnesota. Pickens was once quoted as saying " I don't want to lose any coaches off the staff, unless it's either by Gundy's determination or they went to a head job". You would think Pickens would match salaries if that was the only obstacle. Makes you wonder why so many people have considered leaving or actually left in such a short period of time.
Russ...It's just my best guess that those offensive assistants moved on because they probably didn't have a whole lot of say of how the offense is run. Plus coaches are always looking for a step up job from what they are currently doing. It's just like when Larry Fedora moved on to coach for Southern Miss, and OSU still didn't miss a beat on offense. Rumor was that part of the reason Fedora left was because he clashed with Gundy on how the offense should be run. And he didn't play a big enough part. These offensive coaches leaving are no concern at all in my opinion. This is just a subject that somebody like a controversial writer like Trammell has an excuse to write about and ruffle a few feathers.. In the end it probably doesn't mean a whole lot. This happens at almost every school to some degree every year.. Whoever he gets to take these coaches places will for all practical purposes just be figureheads anyway in their jobs when it comes to playcalling etc.. Gunter Brewer knew this. That's probably the main reason for wanting to leave and play a bigger part in the offensive playcalling at another school. I think just the idea of OSU assistants like Fedora and Beckman moving on to head coaching jobs should give you an idea of the kind of quality coaches that Gundy is getting to come to OSU. We never used to see this happen before with the personnel at that school. I'm sure Gundy will get a name coach to come in and take over the defense. Pickens money will make sure of that.
I agree that OSU has made a huge advancement as far as their football program is concerned. Gundy does seem to have a vision and he proved to be a good play caller from the sidelines. Having played at his level and being an ex-QB he has a unique perspective that works for him. And I don't think it is a control issue for him. He seems to give the defensive coaches the freedom to handle that side of the ball. I don't know who spearheads the recruiting but it should not be hard to impress a high school kid with the new facilities. Nothing would give me more pleasure than to see OU, OSU, and Tulsa continue to gain more recognition and success. Unlike a lot of Oklahomans I pull for all of our teams even if on a given day I might pull for one more than the other. It's all good.
Russ...I can see why people who are maybe neutral fans would like to see all of their state teams do well...This may sound selfish, but I don't. Whenever I see an in-state team like OSU starting to do well, it means one thing. They are taking some of the recruits away from OU. And I'm a diehard Sooners fan. As a Sooners fan I know there is no way that the improvement of OSU helps OU's cause. A few years ago there was probably a good chance that OU could have gotten a Dez Bryant or a Kendall Hunter to come play for them. But with the improvements of OSU over the last 5 years dating back to the Miles era, OSU is getting some of the skill players and lineman that OU could have gotten. The same goes for Texas. I never wish that team well because they are OU's main recruiting rival. What good does it do OU if Texas should win a national championship? Just look at what has happend in the last 3 years since Texas won in 2005. Mack Brown has pretty much been able to get any player they want. And they've beaten OU in 3 out of the last 4 years. I think it's probably good for the conference overall if "everybody" wins a big OOC or bowl game. But it's not good for your own individual team if they aren't the ones winning those games. This is why I've never understood the SEC fans after a game when they all chant in unison after a big win S-E-C. Do they really want the other SEC teams to do well too? And if so, why? So the other teams can get some of their recruits? I'm not sure they even know the real reason why they do it. But if they say pride, this isn't a very good argument. I know one thing, I'm not going to be yelling "Big 12" after a win. I'm going to be yelling OU....That is if they ever win a bowl game again.
hno:GoSooners: I honestly believe, and I may be naive, that OSU still gets mostly leftovers that OU and Texas don't "need". I, like you, don't do the Big 12 thing and I think the SEC thing is a meager attempt at some kind of identity (probably a lack of security). When I say I like to see OSU and Tulsa succeed I mean that but not at OU's expense. I really don't think Tulsa has siphoned any key players away from OU. Sometimes we are our own worst enemy when we let players like Wes Welker get to places like TT. Another factor is that maybe some players are intimidated to go to OU because of the current talent pool. You have to have a lot of confidence to go to OU knowing that you will be hard pressed to get playing time much less to start. That is the kind of player I want at OU.
I sometime laugh about Pickens involvement in OSU athletics. I think of Jerry Jones and I think he can be just as much of an impediment as Jones.
It is the closest thing to owning a college team as is legally or morally possible. He may have the best intentions but they still have to kiss his ass, plain and simple. I was at the game when Notre Dame broke Wilkinsons winning streak and somehow I knew even then that that record would probably never be beaten. In this day and age it is hard to keep it going because of the NFL drafting under graduates. I am very encouraged by the fact that everyone stayed this year. There maybe something brewing down there. I ended the year thinking Texas was going to kick our ass next year and right now I feel really good about our chances in that game.
Just having improved special teams alone could make a huge difference. That broke our back in last years Texas game and others. Healthy middle line backers. As far as next year goes, if just a couple of recruits step up we might even be better than last years team. Although our OL was hyped pretty well they got a lot of stupid penalties and maybe more disciplined replacements might work just fine. It is not a quantum leap to see us in the big game again next year. In this day and age you can only take them one year at time.
I sometime laugh about Pickens involvement in OSU athletics. I think of Jerry Jones and I think he can be just as much of an impediment as Jones.
It is the closest thing to owning a college team as is legally or morally possible. He may have the best intentions but they still have to kiss his ass, plain and simple. I was at the game when Notre Dame broke Wilkinsons winning streak and somehow I knew even then that that record would probably never be beaten. In this day and age it is hard to keep it going because of the NFL drafting under graduates. I am very encouraged by the fact that everyone stayed this year. There maybe something brewing down there. I ended the year thinking Texas was going to kick our ass next year and right now I feel really good about our chances in that game.
Just having improved special teams alone could make a huge difference. That broke our back in last years Texas game and others. Healthy middle line backers. As far as next year goes, if just a couple of recruits step up we might even be better than last years team. Although our OL was hyped pretty well they got a lot of stupid penalties and maybe more disciplined replacements might work just fine. It is not a quantum leap to see us in the big game again next year. In this day and age you can only take them one year at time.
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Texas will be fine on D-line, Kindle moving to Def End, very capable guys in middle, Secondary much more seasoned. Offensive line will be as good as Mack has had in his 10 years, WR corp overall will be better than this year (downfield threat finally next year). Biggest ? is RB and chemistry. OU's offensive line is going to hurt them tremendously...you don't just replace 0-line. Watch out for Baylor and A&M (2nd yr qb's and coaches). They'll be better than Tech. Texas' scariest game, by far, Stillwater. Texas is changing run blocking schemes from zone to straight on. Should help tremendously. Remember the name Chris Waley.
I gotta admit we're guilty of doing the same thing down here in Austin after a bowl loss with a team that was supposed to do so much and have so much potential, but then pretty much fell on their face in their 2 biggest games of the year. Bradford staying is one of the worst business decisions in quite a long time. To come back and have to stand behind an o-line like the one he's gonna have to stand behind is suicide. Even if they're all 5 stars on the incoming o-line, it won't matter. To have to start out playing teams like BYU and @ Miami and Tulsa....those athletes are gonna make it hard on Sammy. He's not too fleet footed either, and that's why I think he's gonna really see his stock drop. Then he's gonna realize in the 2nd quarter of those games that he had 2 damned good WR's who are no longer hauling in his passes. He's in trouble. People saw what happened to him against the 2 best or most athletic defenses OU face last year (FL and TX), and he got pounded pretty good. And that was with a great O-line. I really think he'll have cost himself around 10 million bucks at the end of next season. But you can't blame a kid who loves playing the game. You better believe Stoops was happy those boys came back, because if not for them, I guarantee you after his monumental collapses these last 5 years, if OU were to go 5-6 next year, 'ole Bobby might've been wearing out his welcome. But now he'll likely go 7-4, at best. If you think it's better than that, feel free to elaborate on where you think your wins are coming from. Oklahoma isn't beating: Nebraska, Miami, Texas and Oklahoma State. They might beat Tulsa and Texas Tech. It could get a little rough for the Sooner Nation next year. It'll be interesting to see if the backers stick behind their man or not. 0-5 in the last 5 BCS bowl games doesnt go unnoticed.
robinr1: Nice try. I agree. There is a reason no one defected to the NFL from OU this year. It is the shits when two teams like Texas and OU are stuck in the Big 12 South. I think there are ten or more teams around the country that think they have a realistic chance at the National Championship. Everyone of them will have to play one game and time. But first and foremost they don't have to listen to people like us and people like us are not empowered like they are. The are in control of their destiny and all we can do is observe and comment. In the course of the last two weeks I have concluded: We are all homers:we should all pay moe attention to other teams without running them down: that everyone in these threads can learn from each other if we will quit criticising and start analyzing. You have to discount the fanatics and the obsessed and learn to extract useful info and use it accordingly.
Russ...For the most part OSU doesn't get OU's leftovers. Any player who is a 4 star recruit isn't considered a leftover. Believe me, those kinds of players are sought by many schools. Gundy pretty much owns the Houston recruiting area. This is a given. The only way he expands to other areas more is if they can continue to have seasons like this past year. But more importantly they have to beat some good teams. They have Georgia, Texas and OU on their schedule next year. One win over one of these programs would help a bunch. Two wins would be a BIG boost when it comes to Gundy selling his program to these highschool recruits. The team in the Big 12 who is well on their way up to national prominence again is Nebraska. They are having an even better recruiting class than OSU. Texas A&M is also doing well with commitments so far. As for OU, Stoops is getting pretty much what he needs in the areas that he's thin. But my concern for OU is they aren't getting those special players like an Adrien Peterson anymore. And they haven't been able to get any WR so far that is ranked in the top 30 nationally. This position really won't be a concern to me this next season with DeJaun Miller and Broyles being more than adequate replacements for Iglesias and Johnson. But after this next season when we no longer have Bradford and some of these other WR's, this could be a big problem. Another thing that concerns me is the recruiting class that Texas is getting over OU this year. So far OU has 9 four star commitements. But no 5 star recruits. Texas has 11 four star commitements and 3 five star commitements. This wouldn't concern me as much if it was 5 years ago when OU had a better coaching staff and literally owned Mack Brown between 2000 and 2004. But let's be honest, we can't say OU has a better coaching staff anymore. Especially on the defensive side of the ball. So now it's all about the players. This next season is pretty close between these teams. OU needs an offensive line. And Texas needs a defensive line whether their fans want to admit it or not. You don't replace players like Orakpo, Miller and Lewis overnight. I don't care how good the other players are perceived to be coming in. So it could be an interesting game next season. But McCoy is still their wildcard. He's a much more dangerous QB than Bradford is because of his scrambing abiltiy. If either team has an advantage, we should know more after each team has 5 games under their belts. Texas is always a concern an vice versa for them. But OU has a very tough schedule next year besides Texas. And this could cost them a BCS spot more than any win or loss over the Horns.
I guess my point about OSU is that for the most part I wouldn't trade players. I wouldn't trade QB, HB's, tight end, etc. OU is deeper and not all players make this highschool honor roll. I will never forget Wes Welker.
As a rule these guys that rank high school players are like the NCAA preseason pollsters. They hit some and they miss some. It is really about getting a player(s) who fits your system. Most important is to have a system. I don't think anyone is going to throw in the towel because they got out recruited. It is also about new key recruits and fitting just two or three of these in for some instant help. Conan, mentioned that USC has a good replacement for Sanchez. I can't even remember his name, I don't know how highly he was recruited, I don't remember his name being thrown around during the bowl game, and more importantly all that matters is that he may succeed. I always stress perception because perception is mainly for the fans. Coaches don't look at perception, they look for strengths and weaknesses. I would say that because PC has a solid system in tact that it is reasonable to expect someone can step in for Sanchez. I think that the single fact that so many high profile players decided to forego the NFL draft is enough to signal that everyone will be going after the brass ring this year. You and I are familiar with OU and I am not ashamed to say that I had no idea they could have handled T Tech the way they did. Part of the credit goes to the crowd who rose to the occassion in an unprecidented way. And then there is coaching. The only thing that worries me about OU's recruiting is Stoops "perception" outside of Oklahoma that he is not so good at the big games. It is hard to refute.
As a rule these guys that rank high school players are like the NCAA preseason pollsters. They hit some and they miss some. It is really about getting a player(s) who fits your system. Most important is to have a system. I don't think anyone is going to throw in the towel because they got out recruited. It is also about new key recruits and fitting just two or three of these in for some instant help. Conan, mentioned that USC has a good replacement for Sanchez. I can't even remember his name, I don't know how highly he was recruited, I don't remember his name being thrown around during the bowl game, and more importantly all that matters is that he may succeed. I always stress perception because perception is mainly for the fans. Coaches don't look at perception, they look for strengths and weaknesses. I would say that because PC has a solid system in tact that it is reasonable to expect someone can step in for Sanchez. I think that the single fact that so many high profile players decided to forego the NFL draft is enough to signal that everyone will be going after the brass ring this year. You and I are familiar with OU and I am not ashamed to say that I had no idea they could have handled T Tech the way they did. Part of the credit goes to the crowd who rose to the occassion in an unprecidented way. And then there is coaching. The only thing that worries me about OU's recruiting is Stoops "perception" outside of Oklahoma that he is not so good at the big games. It is hard to refute.
A few other thoughts about the Red River Shootout next season:
Like I stated above, if you no longer have the advantage in coaching, you need to have the players in this game. This is the biggest question for the Sooners here. It took Mack Daddy 5 years to figure things out against OU. He knew he had to make changes in his coaching staff, and the way they did things. But now the Shorthorns have won 3 out the last 4 games. And if it wasn't for an untimely fumble they very well could have won the game in 2007. I don't see things being a whole lot different here. Although I'm not real big on their OC Greg Davis, whenever Texas has gone into the second year of a new defensive coordinator, they've had their best teams. They won the 2005 national championship in Chizik's second year. And this will be Muschamp's second year. So I can see why the Longhorn fans are pretty excited about this upcoming season. Plus one other negative with OU is they were +24 in turnover margin this past season. Which is usually the kiss of death for a team the following season because those kinds of numbers are never duplicated two years in a row. If you look back at this past season, OU had a couple close calls where the turnover margin bailed them out. Kansas and OSU were good examples of games that could have took a bad turn if it hadn't been for the OU defense taking advantage of opposing teams mistakes. Plus OU played alot of their road games this season against teams who were rebuilding or on a down cycle. KSU, Texas A&M and Baylor all fell under this umbrella. And OU was lucky to escape OSU, the one team who wasn't in a down cycle. Next year will be much different. OU will have some very difficult road games both in and out of conference. I'm not saying the Sooners can't or won't beat Texas. I'm just saying that the Sooners have lost their "edge" in this game. The thing Texas needs to worry about is their easy schedule. Just because they go undefeated, it doesn't mean they'll make the BCS title game. Any team with an identical record to Texas will make it in over the Horns. Why Texas decided to go back to a cupcake schedule is beyond me. I think it was the single dumbest move that I've seen from a team considered one of the major powers in the country. If you don't want to play the BCS game, then don't blame teams like OU who make it in over you. It could very well happen again. Which would please me to no end.
Like I stated above, if you no longer have the advantage in coaching, you need to have the players in this game. This is the biggest question for the Sooners here. It took Mack Daddy 5 years to figure things out against OU. He knew he had to make changes in his coaching staff, and the way they did things. But now the Shorthorns have won 3 out the last 4 games. And if it wasn't for an untimely fumble they very well could have won the game in 2007. I don't see things being a whole lot different here. Although I'm not real big on their OC Greg Davis, whenever Texas has gone into the second year of a new defensive coordinator, they've had their best teams. They won the 2005 national championship in Chizik's second year. And this will be Muschamp's second year. So I can see why the Longhorn fans are pretty excited about this upcoming season. Plus one other negative with OU is they were +24 in turnover margin this past season. Which is usually the kiss of death for a team the following season because those kinds of numbers are never duplicated two years in a row. If you look back at this past season, OU had a couple close calls where the turnover margin bailed them out. Kansas and OSU were good examples of games that could have took a bad turn if it hadn't been for the OU defense taking advantage of opposing teams mistakes. Plus OU played alot of their road games this season against teams who were rebuilding or on a down cycle. KSU, Texas A&M and Baylor all fell under this umbrella. And OU was lucky to escape OSU, the one team who wasn't in a down cycle. Next year will be much different. OU will have some very difficult road games both in and out of conference. I'm not saying the Sooners can't or won't beat Texas. I'm just saying that the Sooners have lost their "edge" in this game. The thing Texas needs to worry about is their easy schedule. Just because they go undefeated, it doesn't mean they'll make the BCS title game. Any team with an identical record to Texas will make it in over the Horns. Why Texas decided to go back to a cupcake schedule is beyond me. I think it was the single dumbest move that I've seen from a team considered one of the major powers in the country. If you don't want to play the BCS game, then don't blame teams like OU who make it in over you. It could very well happen again. Which would please me to no end.
GoSooners: When you stop and think about OU and Texas and the differences between them you start with the coaches, then the players, and I guess then you look at the schedules. I am having a hard time wrapping myself around the fact that not only did no one elect to go the way of the draft, the asst coaches who were courted are staying too. I get this eerie feeling of a mission (not a Tebow type) is in the first stages down in Norman.
The only advantage I see as a coaching advantage is DC. I was not happy with the special teams play but they did great against Florida and supposedly we have a deep kicker coming our way. Special teams may have been the biggest difference in last years Texas game (along with losing Reynolds). Offensive coaching may go to advantage OU but Wilson's worst games were against Texas and Florida. I don't see Mack having an advantage over Bob but overall Texas has demonstrated a better ability to make adjustments during a game and to make second half turn arounds.
As far as players go it gets down to motivation. Texas thinks they got screwed and OU knows they screwed up. I have gone full circle on this one. I once thought that with McCoy coming back and OU losing their OL that Texas would maybe try to embarrass us if they could. I am sure they would love to. However, and I don't think this is a quantam leap, I think that the OU players and coaches now know what it takes and it will definitely mean getting past Texas. That will be classic "just win baby" type of game for both teams. I am not writing off Oklahoma and I am starting to think they may be much better than we think. As far as scheduling goes Texas will by 5-0 coming into the OU game with 5 cupcake games and probably less chance of injuries than OU who has to get bast BYU on a nuetral field, and Miami at Miami. Texas will nothave to waste their whole arsenal and OU may have to show their hand a little early. Texas has OSU at OSU, OU has OSU at home. Not a given for anybody. I can't see Texas losing more than 2 games and whoever wins the South wins the BIG 12. OU plays OSU after Texas does also. It is a very interesting scenario in which OSU seems to play a big role in. Wouldn't it be something if OSU won both those games. If they did they would be the surprise team of the year and it would be them looking to play in the BCS championship. Wow, how did I wind this thing up with that?
The only advantage I see as a coaching advantage is DC. I was not happy with the special teams play but they did great against Florida and supposedly we have a deep kicker coming our way. Special teams may have been the biggest difference in last years Texas game (along with losing Reynolds). Offensive coaching may go to advantage OU but Wilson's worst games were against Texas and Florida. I don't see Mack having an advantage over Bob but overall Texas has demonstrated a better ability to make adjustments during a game and to make second half turn arounds.
As far as players go it gets down to motivation. Texas thinks they got screwed and OU knows they screwed up. I have gone full circle on this one. I once thought that with McCoy coming back and OU losing their OL that Texas would maybe try to embarrass us if they could. I am sure they would love to. However, and I don't think this is a quantam leap, I think that the OU players and coaches now know what it takes and it will definitely mean getting past Texas. That will be classic "just win baby" type of game for both teams. I am not writing off Oklahoma and I am starting to think they may be much better than we think. As far as scheduling goes Texas will by 5-0 coming into the OU game with 5 cupcake games and probably less chance of injuries than OU who has to get bast BYU on a nuetral field, and Miami at Miami. Texas will nothave to waste their whole arsenal and OU may have to show their hand a little early. Texas has OSU at OSU, OU has OSU at home. Not a given for anybody. I can't see Texas losing more than 2 games and whoever wins the South wins the BIG 12. OU plays OSU after Texas does also. It is a very interesting scenario in which OSU seems to play a big role in. Wouldn't it be something if OSU won both those games. If they did they would be the surprise team of the year and it would be them looking to play in the BCS championship. Wow, how did I wind this thing up with that?
Russ...There probably isn't a whole lot of difference between the OU and Texas coaching staffs. But the thing that Mack Brown has learned over the past few years is what makes OU tick. It took him 5 years, but he finally got it figured out. So now that he knows Stoops coaching tendencies, the Red River Shootout mainly comes down to the players in these games. That's why I said OU has no edge anymore. But I do think that OC Wilson has met his match with Muschamp. This guy is a great coach and motivator. That's why Texas wants him there long term. And I believe he'll be taking the head coaching reins sooner rather than later. Now I do kind of agree with that one Longhorn fan (short for fanatic) who comes on here and says Texas will be better than sliced bread. And I think we all know who that fan is. But even he doesn't have a good explanation on why they have all of a sudden gone to a very cupcake OOC schedule. The one excuse I hear that doesn't fly at all with me is the extra risk of injury by playing a BCS conference team.. What it comes down to is Texas is making the gamble that they'll risk a slot in the BCS rather than risk injury. If this is the case, then I don't want to see Mack Brown getting on national television at halftime of a game involving OU, and doing his 5 minute infomercial whining and crying why his team belongs in the BCS title game again. I guarantee you that if Texas has a loss next season. And USC has the same record, USC will be the one going to the BCS title game, because they'll have the much tougher schedule. Bottom line is the Texas athletic department messed up by screwing with their schedule. I had much more respect for them when they had Ohio State, or even TCU on their non conference schedule. They may have lost one out of two of their games with the Buckeys. But the game they won helped them vault to the BCS National Championship. Good OOC games mean something. If you don't want to play them, go join the SEC. The Big 12 simply isn't a strong enough conference overall at the moment for them to have their own conference games carry a lot of weight. As Texas found out this year..
As for OU, I always have hope for them because Stoops, who even though he can't win the big ones anymore, still is a fundamentally good coach. As is Jim Tressel at Ohio State. But when you lose 5 BCS games in a row, you need to start shaking things up and doing something different. But Stoops is too stubborn to make changes...Sometimes I feel like OU's opponents know what their going to do before they know it. And I'm not really just talking about the offense. I think it's more about the defense. I've never really liked their schemes that don't require a lot of blitzing. OU's opponents have learned to work around it and makes adjustements. Florida and Texas both made halftime adjustments and came out in the second half firing on all cylinders against the Sooners. And DC Venables really didn't make the adjustments needed to stop them. I personally think he is the weak link on this team. And I've felt this way for the last few years. I also don't think he's as good of a defensive recruiter as Mike Stoops was. I was kind of hoping some team would hire him this year, just for an excuse to get him away for OU and shake things up... Just like I was hoping somebody would last year. But there could be a reason why he's not getting the jobs. Maybe these other teams see what I see. He really hasn't proved himself in big games going head to head with opposing teams bigtime offensive coordinators. He was hopelessly lost against Florida. That was pretty much the last straw for me. This has happened too many times for it just to be the players. Like I stated before, OU's outrageous turnover margin of +24 was the highest that I've seen from a division 1 team in many years. A team is usually due for a fall after this big of a number. And I think where OU is going to fall is more on offense. Bradford will probably have many more rushed passes and sacks this next year than he had last year. This ineveitably leads to mistakes and turnovers. I would like to see OU go to a more power running game. But the problem is they don't have a power running back. Demarco Murray and Madu aren't the big hit the line runners as a Chris Brown or Peterson were. So I think with the improvements of the teams around them, sans Texas Tech, that they won't have near the success as they had last season. Especially when they hit the road. I have hopes for OU next season. But they aren't as high of hopes as I had for them this year.
As for OU, I always have hope for them because Stoops, who even though he can't win the big ones anymore, still is a fundamentally good coach. As is Jim Tressel at Ohio State. But when you lose 5 BCS games in a row, you need to start shaking things up and doing something different. But Stoops is too stubborn to make changes...Sometimes I feel like OU's opponents know what their going to do before they know it. And I'm not really just talking about the offense. I think it's more about the defense. I've never really liked their schemes that don't require a lot of blitzing. OU's opponents have learned to work around it and makes adjustements. Florida and Texas both made halftime adjustments and came out in the second half firing on all cylinders against the Sooners. And DC Venables really didn't make the adjustments needed to stop them. I personally think he is the weak link on this team. And I've felt this way for the last few years. I also don't think he's as good of a defensive recruiter as Mike Stoops was. I was kind of hoping some team would hire him this year, just for an excuse to get him away for OU and shake things up... Just like I was hoping somebody would last year. But there could be a reason why he's not getting the jobs. Maybe these other teams see what I see. He really hasn't proved himself in big games going head to head with opposing teams bigtime offensive coordinators. He was hopelessly lost against Florida. That was pretty much the last straw for me. This has happened too many times for it just to be the players. Like I stated before, OU's outrageous turnover margin of +24 was the highest that I've seen from a division 1 team in many years. A team is usually due for a fall after this big of a number. And I think where OU is going to fall is more on offense. Bradford will probably have many more rushed passes and sacks this next year than he had last year. This ineveitably leads to mistakes and turnovers. I would like to see OU go to a more power running game. But the problem is they don't have a power running back. Demarco Murray and Madu aren't the big hit the line runners as a Chris Brown or Peterson were. So I think with the improvements of the teams around them, sans Texas Tech, that they won't have near the success as they had last season. Especially when they hit the road. I have hopes for OU next season. But they aren't as high of hopes as I had for them this year.
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Everyone I know feels the same way about Venables. He is still riding Stoops coat tails. He does not make the same kind of adjustments that other DC's seem to make. After we failed to score against Florida we called time out. On the next play Florida breaks it to mid field. Go figure.
I think the Texas DC will become easier to figure out as time goes on but I agree that blitzing is one thing OU does not do enough of. I have touched on Bradford's lack of mobility before and that restricts the offense and at least eliminates certain facits that the defense doesn't have to concentrate on. I cannot shake this feeling that something is brewing down in Norman. It is a combination of things that lead me to that conclusion. Bradford & company staying, Heuple staying, and just that fact that all the players there now have been through the kind of stuff that can motivate you in the right way. I still say a more disciplined offensive line that get fewer penalties will allow more and longer drives. It seems like those guys were in their own little zone from time to time and got too involved in being physically dominate at any expense. I really have never had this feeling about an OU team before. Stoops is stubborn but like last year he never held the offense back as I think he has in past years. I truly am not worried about the offense. The first Big 12 team to come up with a dominate defense will get all the marbles. During the regular season you have a limited time to prepare for your next game. OU made some pretty good adjustments for the Florida game with their special teams and I think if we can improve that area everything else might fall into place. What OU needs to do to make the leap is to get to the point where we can make defensive adjustments better and quicker, get better on kick coverage, and improve their kicking game. Those factors alone could turn the corner. We were in positions to win against Texas and Florida both. We really might be closer than most people want to admit.
I think the Texas DC will become easier to figure out as time goes on but I agree that blitzing is one thing OU does not do enough of. I have touched on Bradford's lack of mobility before and that restricts the offense and at least eliminates certain facits that the defense doesn't have to concentrate on. I cannot shake this feeling that something is brewing down in Norman. It is a combination of things that lead me to that conclusion. Bradford & company staying, Heuple staying, and just that fact that all the players there now have been through the kind of stuff that can motivate you in the right way. I still say a more disciplined offensive line that get fewer penalties will allow more and longer drives. It seems like those guys were in their own little zone from time to time and got too involved in being physically dominate at any expense. I really have never had this feeling about an OU team before. Stoops is stubborn but like last year he never held the offense back as I think he has in past years. I truly am not worried about the offense. The first Big 12 team to come up with a dominate defense will get all the marbles. During the regular season you have a limited time to prepare for your next game. OU made some pretty good adjustments for the Florida game with their special teams and I think if we can improve that area everything else might fall into place. What OU needs to do to make the leap is to get to the point where we can make defensive adjustments better and quicker, get better on kick coverage, and improve their kicking game. Those factors alone could turn the corner. We were in positions to win against Texas and Florida both. We really might be closer than most people want to admit.
GoSooners: I have never really gotten into the recruiting battles before. I guess I have always just figured that you get who you get and no sense crying over spilled milk. But I went on to ESPN and browsed thru a list they had for 2009 rercruiting prospects. I think the individual rankings are to say the least arbitrary. I did see something that I liked on some OU committments. They had committments for a DT, safety, OLB, and an ILB that were ranked pretty high. It looks like they are recruiting to needs and addressing the defense this time out. That is encouraging. If we can just improve the quality and depth at those positions alone we might see some immediate dividends. I think Venebles over complicates his schemes and is probably a better motivator than he is a teacher or a sideline coach. The deeper and better players we get on that side of the ball the better to help compensate in that department. Some wines get better with time and others turn to vinegar. Venebles barrell needs to be retested. It is getting dangerously close to vinegar in my opinion.
