Oklahoma Sooners 2015 - an overview in the making (please jump in)

[russ1945]

The other side of the coin is that the OU backs could have made the OL look better than they actually were. Sure they were experienced but to say they are irreplaceable is an assumption only and you know what happens when you assume. Riley has never had a group of RB's at his disposal as he does now. The running game can set up the passing game. Shepard, if he stays healthy, is as good as any receiver in the country. This Hoover guy talks about 60 passes in a game and assumes Riley wants to run the Air Raid. I think Riley knows what to call and when to call it. I think the OL will continue to improve and that will be a huge factor. Their schedule could not be any more conducive to improving. They play La Tech, Tulsa, Tenn, and W Virginia. Then they get a week off before playing TCU, Texas, and Kansas St back to back. Then they get another week off before playing Iowa St, Baylor, Texas Tech, and Kansas. Then they get another week off before their final game against Okie St. Those off weeks are timely and give the players some extra time to prepare, make adjustments, and also add to their attack. On defense LB Frank Shannon returns after sitting out last season. DE Charles Tapper, LB Erik Styker, and DB Zack Sanchez return and they could play for just about anyone.

Here is a quick run down on OU's major conference foes they face this season:

Baylor - Briles's son takes over at OC, first year in that position. They lose QB Petty who threw 29 TD's and only 7 int's. Their 5 final games are at Kansas St, Oklahoma, at Okie St, at TCU, and Texas.

TCU - Return only 5 on defense and will be missing 6 of their 7 top tacklers from 2014. Their final 5 games are W. Viginia, at Okie St, Kansas, at OU, and Baylor.

Kansas St returns 6 on offense and 6 on defense. QB Jake Waters is gone as is 5 of their top 8 tacklers from 2014.

Oklahoma St - return 8 on offense and 8 on defense - they are coming off of a 7-6 season and that long punt return against OU was how they made it to a bowl, otherwise they would have gone 5-6 (their last win was in their bowl)

Texas - return 7 on offense and 5 on defense. They went 6-7 last season. They play at N Dame in their opener, Rice, Cal , Okie St, at TCU, Oklahoma (6 games in a row without a break)

West Virginia - return 6 on offense and 9 on defense. They lose QB Trickett - they play at Oklahoma, at Baylor, at TCU, and at Kansas St.

 

[GoSooners]

Every Big 12 contender except TCU has to play a tough trio of games in November or at the end the season. TCU gets a break with Kansas. OU has to play Baylor, TCU and OSU with 2 of those 3 games on the road. Baylor has it worst of all because they not only have to play a tough trio of games against OU, OSU and TCU, they have to bookend those games with KSU and Texas. I think they'll lose one and possibly even two of those games. OSU has the most favorable schedule. But I don't think they will have the defense or running game to win the conference... If OU loses to Tennessee early, I think they'll HAVE to beat TCU in Norman to have any chance to win the conference outright based on possible tiebreakers.. I can see some real funky stuff happening in the Big 12 this year because of all of those big November games. I can see the same kind of scenerio that happened in the SEC East last year. Georgia was the best team in that division beating East champion Mizzou 31-0. But they fucked up when they unexpectably lost that game to Florida. The same thing could happen in the Big 12. Something tells me that KSU, OSU or Texas are going to turn over the apple cart and upset one or two of these "contenders." Talk about a favorable schedule, KSU gets TCU, OU and Baylor in Manhattan. I betcha they don't lose all 3 of those games. Everybody is writing off KSU, but i think they could end up being a good ATS team because of their home schedule and having one of the best defenses and special teams units in the conference.

 

[russ1945]

GS: Even if OU lost to Tenn it might be just what they need to bring it up a notch in conference play. You do know that K St only signed one JC Player this year, the lowest total I can recall. This could be the one year they don't rise to the top. Losing Waters and Lockett hurts big time.

 

[GoSooners]

GS: Even if OU lost to Tenn it might be just what they need to bring it up a notch in conference play. You do know that K St only signed one JC Player this year, the lowest total I can recall. This could be the one year they don't rise to the top. Losing Waters and Lockett hurts big time.

Snyder has slowly been moving away from the JC route and gone to more red shirting and picking up a few transfers the last couple of years. KSU's schedule this year is kind of a two way street. They do get Baylor, OU and TCU at home. But the problem is most of their so-called winnable games are played on the road with only WV at home. Not really the right ingredients for a successful season. But i still think they upset one of the big 3 teams in Manhattan. That's a tough place to play. And Baylor has to go there in November, when the Cats will probably be starting to round into shape on offense. The two players they'll miss the most are Lockett and Sexton. I don't think they have an answer for those two in camp. It's a 3 way race at QB. But from what I'm hearing, JC transfer Banks has the most potential and is the most athletic of the bunch. But in the end it's going to be about which QB is smart enough to learn Snyder's somewhat complicated QB scheme. I'm thinking it's going to be around a 7-5 season for KSU with 8-4 being the ceiling.

 

[russ1945]

GS: In his magazine Steele ranks K State #52 in his 2015 recruiting rankings (he includes both frosh and juco's). He ranked Texas #12, Oklahoma #17, Okie St #29, Baylor #34, W Vir #35, Texas Tech #37, TCU #41, Iowa St #57, and Kansas #67.

 

[russ1945]

referencing Steele's magazine again here are a few projections that Steele made about Oklahoma:

#1 - most improved passing
#14 - most improved passing defense

He projects OU to be #6 in rushing defense, #7 in scoring offense, and #11 in total offense

 

[russ1945]

Some more from Steele’s preseason Magazine:

He has Oklahoma ranked as follows in these categories:
#1 – most Improved – passing
#14 – most improved – pass defense
#6 – projected to be #6 in rushing defense
#7 – projected to be #7 in scoring offense
#11 – projected to be #11 in total offense

In his ranking on individual units:
QB - #19
RB - #3
REC - #14
OL - #33
DL - #26
LB - #6
DB - #10
SPT – not in top 48

He has them as his #6 surprise team & #16 on his Power Poll

 

[GoSooners]

referencing Steele's magazine again here are a few projections that Steele made about Oklahoma:

#1 - most improved passing
#14 - most improved passing defense

He projects OU to be #6 in rushing defense, #7 in scoring offense, and #11 in total offense

Knight was a turnover machine LY, so i hope like hell they give Mayfield the first shot before even considering TK..

 

[BigdaddyQH]

This just shows you how worthless Steele is. QB #19? Who is he kidding? Total and utter stupidity. Here is a partial list of who is better. Clemson, N.C. State, Ga. Tech, Va. Tech, UNC, Ohio State, Michigan State, Penn State, Minnesota, Illinois, TCU, Baylor, Okie State, Western Kentucky, La. Tech, Oregon, Stanford, Cal, USC, Arizona, Arizona State, Tennessee, Mizzou, Auburn, LSU, Arkansas, and Miss. State. That addes up to 27 teams and I am sure I missed a few.

There are a lot more jokes in those predictions. #7 in scoring. Right. Maybe in the Big 12. I will guarantee you that OU will NOT be #1 in most improved passing offense or #11 in total offense. Where improvement will come is in the defensive side of the ball, where they gave up over 30 points in 7 of their 13 games last season. OU had better be a much improved group when it comes to pas defense or they are going to get blown out by TCU and Baylor again.

 

[russ1945]

This just shows you how worthless Steele is. QB #19? Who is he kidding? Total and utter stupidity. Here is a partial list of who is better. Clemson, N.C. State, Ga. Tech, Va. Tech, UNC, Ohio State, Michigan State, Penn State, Minnesota, Illinois, TCU, Baylor, Okie State, Western Kentucky, La. Tech, Oregon, Stanford, Cal, USC, Arizona, Arizona State, Tennessee, Mizzou, Auburn, LSU, Arkansas, and Miss. State. That addes up to 27 teams and I am sure I missed a few.

There are a lot more jokes in those predictions. #7 in scoring. Right. Maybe in the Big 12. I will guarantee you that OU will NOT be #1 in most improved passing offense or #11 in total offense. Where improvement will come is in the defensive side of the ball, where they gave up over 30 points in 7 of their 13 games last season. OU had better be a much improved group when it comes to pas defense or they are going to get blown out by TCU and Baylor again.

No you are the joke. Who are you kidding. Let's see your stats to back up your ramblings. Back all that up with stats and numbers instead of just rambling. Seriously when you think you know something nobody else does you better reconsider. It is ridiculous the way you put down Steele and you can't even tie his shoe laces. What a joke. Do you even have a Steele magazine? Oh that's right you don't need one lol. God forbid someone who spends 365 days a year accumulating facts and figues could know more than you. You said you missed a few, no shit lol. Your generalizations get old after a while. I posted Steele's rankings for OU simply to show that I am not the lone ranger when it comes to being optimistic about OU. You let your prejudices outweigh facts and figures and you ignore sources that know more than you. I would love to see you one on one with Steele on ESPN. That would be cruel and unusual punishment for a guy like you.

 

[RunLeeRun]

Get em Russ. Steele is extremely thorough. Here is a guy that watches every televised spring game. I watched only half of Nebraska's.

 

[GoSooners]

I do like the extra effort Steele made this year with the "teams coming off a bye week" indicator. Nice touch. It saves time having to thumb through pages to look for each teams opponent for that week. To me, Steele gets better every year with his info.

 

[russ1945]

I do like the extra effort Steele made this year with the "teams coming off a bye week" indicator. Nice touch. It saves time having to thumb through pages to look for each teams opponent for that week. To me, Steele gets better every year with his info.

Agreed and I trust his stats. His toughness of schedule predictions is helpful also. Have you gone onto his site and seen the article on % of win by underdogs. I did a deal like that a few years back and came up with similiar numbers. Especially eye opening for games with a line of -7 or less.

 

[russ1945]

[h=1]NFL Counterparts for College Football's Top 10 WRs[/h][h=4]By Brian Pedersen, Featured Columnist Aug 4, 2015[/h]

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[h=2]Sterling Shepard, Oklahoma[/h]

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports



Similar to: Emmanuel Sanders, Denver Broncos
After a very productive freshman year in 2012, it seemed like Sterling Shepard was certain to be Oklahoma's next great receiver and be its best pro wideout prospect since Mark Clayton. He's still in that boat, though because of injuries, Shepard's career hasn't progressed as expected.
Last season he had a career high 970 yards on 51 receptions, but he had only two catches over the final six games while recovering from a groin injury.
If he's healthy during his senior year, Shepard has a chance to make a big leap and benefit from the Sooners' switch to an Air Raid passing attack. It's similar to how Sanders' career at SMU took at turn as a senior in 2009 as the top target in coach June Jones' run-and-shoot attack.
Sanders is now one of the top slot receivers in the NFL, coming off a 2014 campaign when he had 101 receptions for 1,404 yards and nine touchdowns.

 

[russ1945]

Reference: Spring Game 2015

Defensive coordinator Mike Stoops, who typically can be found on the sidelines during contests, directed the defense from the press box on Saturday, while new offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley called plays from the field, a switch from OU’s typical arrangement.
“I can see more of the field being up in the press box,” Stoops said. “Being able to see the alignments, not just the position I coach, but all eleven players is key. You get a much greater sense of anticipating what’s going to happen before it happens. Formation recognition is such a big deal for coaches, and I just have to make sure we have the best eleven guys out there at all times.
“It lets you think more in between series,” Stoops continued. “Setting up, and getting more diversification with your formations with more time to think helps. My job is to just communicate to the coaches down on the field, and tell them what I see.”

 

[russ1945]

• OKLAHOMA SOONERS FOOTBALL

[h=2]2015 Oklahoma Sooners Football Preview | The Great Quarterback Derby[/h]By M. Hofeld  @CCMachine on Aug 4, 2015, 4:06p 5

David Manning-USA TODAY Sports​

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As painful as they may have been, changes were necessary for Oklahoma's offense following the 2015 season. While some deemed the parting of ways with offensive coordinators Josh Heupel and Jay Norvell as being the scapegoats while others felt the change was overdue. Regardless of the related emotions the change has come and the most critical position to be affected by it is the quarterback.

2014 Passing Stats​

Name	Yards	Completion %	TD	INT
Trevor Knight	2,300	53%	14	12
Cody Thomas	342	45.5%	2	4

Typically known as a position of strength for Oklahoma, the quarterback was anything but in 2014. The Sooner signal callers had a combined 51% accuracy rate with 16 touchdowns to 16 interceptions. Those are staggering numbers for a program that has produced two Heisman quarterbacks in the last decade and a half. Those are also numbers that cannot be duplicated in 2015 in OU wants back into the conference championship mix. Thus, the reason that there is an open competition for the starting job as camp begins this week.
On The Outside Looking In
Sophomore Cody Thomas was forced into action when Trevor Knight went down with a neck injury against Baylor. The then redshirt freshman started Oklahoma's final three games of the season, and while he guided the Sooners to a 2-1 record during that stretch it was clear that the coaching staff needed to run the ball more than throw it to have a shot at winning. Keep in mind that Thomas also inherited a depleted and injured receiving corps to work with as well.
Thomas has the best quarterback body of the three guys in the competition but Bob Stoops mentioned the fact that he was a step behind juniors Trevor Knight and Baker Mayfield during last month's Big 12 Media Days.

2015 Oklahoma Sooners Quarterbacks​

#​	Name​	Position​	HT​	WT​	Year​	Home​
4​ ​	Reece Clark	QB	6-4	205	Fr.	Cypress, Texas (Cypress Woods HS)
9​ ​	Trevor Knight	QB	6-1	206	RJr.	San Antonio, Texas (Reagan HS)
6​ ​	Baker Mayfield	QB	6-2	214	Jr.	Austin, Texas (Texas Tech)
12​	Connor McGinnis	QB	6-4	190	Fr.	Oklahoma City, Okla. (Heritage Hall HS)
14​	Cody Thomas	QB	6-4	211	RSo.	Colleyville, Texas (Heritage)

​

The Underdog

It's hard to believe that the same guy that destroyed Alabama's defense in the Sugar Bowl would be fighting to stay on the field just two seasons later but that's exactly the position that Knight finds himself in. Even before his injury Knight was struggling last season. In 10 starts he threw nine picks and some of them were disastrously returned for touchdowns at crucial moments of the game.
The upside here is that Knight's shortcomings are mostly mental mistakes rather than physical ones. Lincoln Riley's new offense that simplifies the relationship between the quarterbacks and receivers could be just the thing that the one-time hero needs to revive his career. Unfortunately he's up against a guy who has already thrived in this type of offense.
The Favorite

Texas Tech transfer Baker Mayfield is not just the fan favorite, he's also very much the favorite on the field to win the job. In 2013, he was the the Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year where he completed 64% of his passes for 2,315 yards, 12 touchdowns and 9 picks in just eight games.
Where Knight may be the most experienced quarterback in an Oklahoma uniform, Mayfield is the most experienced quarterback in the type of system that Lincoln Riley is bringing to Norman. That's a huge advantage for the guy who is already popular with his teammates as well as among the fans.
The Intangibles
Turnovers
Turnovers killed Oklahoma's offense in 2014 and Bob Stoops hates turnovers more than anything in the world. This quarterback race is going to be settled by the guy who turns the ball over the least...while still showing the ability to make plays. Because of this factor alone you still have to consider all three players as candidates for the position with the previously noted advantages and disadvantages in mind.
Receivers
Oklahoma's receiving corps was in sharp decline in 2014 and that fact became even more evident when Sterling Shepard went down. I'm a firm believer that receivers can either make a good quarterback look great or a great quarterback look below average. Don't downplay the role that a new crop of receivers is going to play in this race. As the quarterbacks develop a relationship where they trust and know what their guys can do downfield it will change the way they play the game.
The Projection
Don't let the fact that Stoops took Knight to Dallas for the Media Days fool you. For all practical purposes Knight is still QB1 at OU until an official announcement is made that says otherwise. Look for that announcement to come in about four weeks.

2015 Oklahoma Sooners Projected Quarterback Depth Chart​

QB1	Baker Mayfield	Junior
QB2	Trevor Knight	Junior
QB3	Cody Thomas	Sophomore

 

[russ1945]

[h=2]2015 Oklahoma Sooners Countdown To Kickoff | 32 Days![/h]By Caymen Bishop on Aug 4, 2015, 11:00a 3

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports​

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Samaje Perine has only started eight games in his college career and could already be considered a legend. That's what 427 yards in one game can do for a freshman running back. No. 32 was the only thing that kept Oklahoma's 2014 season interesting and entertaining for the second half of the season. His individual performances each week were generally phenomenal, even when his team came out with a loss. His 21 touchdowns and 1713 rushing yards were both good for top eight in the FBS in 2014, despite being 17th in rushing attempts.
Perine's numbers are likely to take a dip this season because of the air raid attack being installed, but his explosiveness will still be the main event in Oklahoma's offense. It's very uncommon for air raid attacks to have a top five running back in the country, so it should be interesting to see how beneficial it is for Lincoln Riley to call plays knowing that he has a star running back in the backfield.
Whatever role Perine is assigned to this season, he should step into it and make the best of it. Heck, just look at the impact he made last season when he was the third stringer to start the year. It's hard to imagine what kind of damage he could do if he started the whole season.

 

[russ1945]

Point in fact: in 2000 the Sooners were picked #19 in the preseason polls before finishing with their 7th national championship in school history.

 

[BigdaddyQH]

Point of fact. After getting their arses handed to them in the 2004 NC game by USC to the tune of 55-19, Oklahoma is 5-5 in Bowl Games, with wins coming against hapless UConn, a 7-6 Iowa team, and a 4 point win over a 5 loss Stanford team. They have also defeated a two loss Oregon tam back in 2005 by 3 points, and their only claim to fame, a big win over a two loss Alabama team. Losses include a 20 point crusher by West Virginia as an 8 point favorite, a 41-13 blow out by a 2 loss Texas A&M team, and last years 40-6 butt kicking by a 3 loss Clemson team as a 6 1/2 point favorite. DO go on with your discussion of OU post season play.

 

[GoSooners]

Point of fact. After getting their arses handed to them in the 2004 NC game by USC to the tune of 55-19, Oklahoma is 5-5 in Bowl Games, with wins coming against hapless UConn, a 7-6 Iowa team, and a 4 point win over a 5 loss Stanford team. They have also defeated a two loss Oregon tam back in 2005 by 3 points, and their only claim to fame, a big win over a two loss Alabama team. Losses include a 20 point crusher by West Virginia as an 8 point favorite, a 41-13 blow out by a 2 loss Texas A&M team, and last years 40-6 butt kicking by a 3 loss Clemson team as a 6 1/2 point favorite. DO go on with your discussion of OU post season play.

And how has USC done since defeating OU in that 2004 NC game? They've lost to Texas (your favorite team) been hit with sanctions, with their many coaches having left town in a hurry or been canned. In other words, they haven't done shit in 10 years. If you want to keep poking your nose in the OU and Big 12 threads, I can start a USC thread and rip you ass to shreds. So just shut the fuck up if you don't have anything positive to add to this forum...