Weekend Open Post | September 27th – 29th
Posted on: September 27, 2024
Quick Post-Game Thoughts
– Charlie S – Posted on: September 21, 2024
The Sooners take their first loss of the season as the Tennessee Volunteers get the victory in Norman by the score of 25-15.
Just some real quick thoughts…
***First…what a display from the Sooner defense. OU recorded 3 sacks and they forced and recovered 2 fumbles.
***Thought the defensive line played really well across the entire line. They limited a great Tennessee rushing attack which was one of the keys to the game.
***Over the course of any game, you are going to have a bust or bad coverage here or there, but OU did a tremendous job of limiting those mistakes on the night and they held a potent Tennessee close to 200 yards below their rushing average and 100 yards bel0w their passing average.
***Robert Spears Jennings had 12 tackles, 1 sack, and a forced fumble and Peyton Bowen has 7 tackles as those two led the Sooners.
***The defense absolutely did enough to give the Sooners the opportunity to win the game despite getting zero (perhaps less than zero) help from the offense. Really cannot say enough about them.
***I have nothing positive to say about the offense. Nothing.
***The defense gave them the ball twice, once inside the Tennessee 10 and both times on the very first offensive play, OU gave the ball right back to Tennessee. Littrell also lined up the QB 5 yards deep in the end zone and called in inside handoff with a porous offensive line that resulted in a safety.
***OU Defense only allowed 345 yards of offense against a team that was averaging 639 yards of offense. 156 rushing and 194 passing…all without any help from the offense. So 300 less yards.
***Seth Littrell designed, delivered, and implemented a completely inept offensive performance. I was all for the Littrell hire at the time, but after what we have seen through the first 4 weeks, I have no idea what he wants the identity of his offense to be.
***Jackson Arnold was terrible. The offensive line was bad. The running backs were non-existant. The wide receivers made no impact. The tight ends were noticed more for missing blocks than doing anything of note.
***Mike Hawkins got his first extended taste and good for him that he engineered a couple of scoring drives in the 4th quarter. He seized his opportunity and made the most of it. Thats the only encouraging thing that came out of tonight for me. He earned more time.
***Simply put, the offense, from the coaches to the players were not anywhere near the OU standard…this was closer to the Iowa standard.
***OU had 222 yards of offense and only 36 net yards rushing.
***I’ll have more at some point tomorrow for brunch, but sometimes it is better to let things simmer before speaking…or in this case, typing.
Sunday Brunch | Just A Spoon Full of Sugar…
– Charlie S – Posted on: September 22, 2024
Last night the Sooners opened the SEC era of the program with a 15-25 loss to the Tennessee Volunteers in front of a raucous home crowd and a national television audience.
Those who witnessed the game were treated to a statement game by the Sooners defense who went out and proved that the OU defense is for real and one of the better units in the country.
The Vols came into the game as a favorite and while the Sooners did not cover the spread, the defense did more than its fair share in the effort as they forced two big-time turnovers in crucial moments while limiting the Vols offense to half of their season average in rushing yards (151) and more than 100 yards under their season passing yard average (194).
The Sooners defense got a career game from Robert Spears Jennings who had 13 tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble as well as multiple plays where he forced the ball toward his teammates. Lewis Carter, Kip Lewis, and Peyton Bowen all stuck out on a defense that, despite getting ZERO help from its offense over the first 3 quarters, would not bow down or take the beating they were supposed to receive from the vaunted Tennessee offense.
The Vols had every advantage over the OU defense throughout the majority of the game as they had a massive edge in time of possession thanks to an inept OU offense. The time of possession advantage ended up being 36 minutes to 24 minutes in favor of the Vols, but OU had to work hard in the 4th quarter to make it look even that good. Still…Damonic Williams, DaJon Terry, Trace Ford, Ethan Downs, Kani Walker, Dez Malone, and crew would not relent and would not be broken.
Simply put, the Sooner’s defense knocked down the door on their entry to the SEC and if they play the rest of their SEC games anywhere close to how they played last night, they will give the Sooner program a chance to win each and every game in conference play.
What is more encouraging than what they put on the field last night is the fact that they can, and will, get even better as there were a couple of very easily fixable missteps made last night that can be cleaned up.
I honestly do not know when the last time was that I was so encouraged by an OU effort than I was by the defensive effort last night.
That my friends, was the sugar.
I’m going to keep this really quick on the offense because nobody in the community needs to be hit over the head with the nauseating offensive performance that we saw last night from Oklahoma.
What last night was offensively for OU was not a surprise, but more of a continuation of what we have seen over the previous three games. Going into the game, I honestly questioned whether OU would be able to score any offensive points every time K and I discussed the upcoming game. Through the first three quarters, my concerns were validated as the Sooners only put 3 points on the board while blowing golden opportunity after golden opportunity in the most excruciating fashion.
I could write the same piece this morning that I wrote following the 51-3 opening season win over Temple Here. In that Sunday Brunch, after game one, I took the offensive line and the wide receivers to task, and in following pieces I have talked about the ineptness of the running back room and the tight end room. Following the Houston game I voiced concern about the way Jackson Arnold was playing. So over the course of the first three games, the only thing consistent about the offense was the fact that they were bad…in virtually every area.
It is my job to find the ‘good’ in the ‘bad’ but after the first half of last night’s game, ‘good’ had left town, and bad was gaining squatters rights. Things got so bad offensively for the Sooners that last night, Seth Littrell made what will go down as the most consequential decisions of his tenure as the Oklahoma offensive Coordinator…for good or for bad.
After watching Jackson Arnold meltdown in real time before our eyes at quarterback for the Sooners, Seth Littrell made the decision to sit him down and put in Mike Hawkins on the last drive of the first half. Hawkins went on to show true grit, a real confidence in himself, the ability to be effective off platform and schedule and the fearlessness to improvise. I think it was interesting that suddenly Jaquaizie Pettaway became a factor once Hawkins came into the game. We will break down some film later this week, but Mike Hawkins made the offense look at least functional.
Mike Hawkins may or may not be ready for this opportunity going forward, but last night, he sure did bring a spark at the very least to the OU offense. We can talk about the situation and pressure/lack thereof for a QB to come into a 22-3 game but no matter how you look at it, OU needed a change and Hawkins was very clearly a positive change.
That move, to bench a young QB1 for an even younger QB in the 4th game of the season and the first game of the SEC era at OU will be a defining moment for Seth Littrell, one way or the other. The most likely end-game scenario here is that he will either find out that he has a rising true freshman quarterback, or he will be left with no quarterbacks. That’s a helluva spot to be in 4 games into his tenure as the offensive coordinator at OU.
Littrell’s decision also does something else. It puts every other Oklahoma offensive coach under the broiler as there simply are no more excuses. Littrell was forced to go with Hawkins in large part due to Arnolds inept play. If the leader of the offense can be held accountable for his poor play, literally every other player on the offensive side of the ball could (and should) be under intense scrutiny as this has not been solely a Jackson Arnold problem, it has been a problem at every single position on the offensive side of the ball. There are no excuses left to hide behind.
To be clear, prior to the first half last night, I did not believe OU had a Jackson Arnold problem. I still believe Jackson Arnold had a lack of support problem, and that’s on the coaching staff, all of them, but again, that’s another story for another day.
Are established running backs not producing? Try someone new.
Experienced offensive linemen playing like doo-doo? Try the young kids.
Older wide receivers not blocking and catching balls? You have a lot of young exciting receivers, get em in.
Tight ends not able to block? Sit their butts down and find someone who can.
The Sooner defense deserves better and it is up to the coaches and players on the offensive side of the ball to step up and be accountable. The OU offense does not have to be prolific at this point, they simply have to be adequate. That’s not asking for too much.
Hopefully, the insertion of Mike Hawkins will breathe some life into the offensive side of the ball in the coming games. Something had to change and while you are basically resetting the offense after game 4 of the season, Seth Littrell had nothing left to lose. Maybe he can find an identity for this offense under Hawkins, cause he sure as heck wasn’t able to find one under Jackson Arnold to this point…and after 4 games, the offense should at the very least have had an identity.
Revisiting Perspective
– Super K – Posted on: September 23, 2024
Before the season started, I mentioned that one of the benefits of playing in the SEC is you actually have a chance to redeem a loss.
I also talked about how the new playoff format means that for SEC members, one or even two losses doesn’t end their playoff chances.
Now, let me be clear. The Sooners have a lot of to do on the offensive side of the ball before they start thinking the playoffs are remotely in the cards.
Still, it’s worth remembering that this season and beyond, the sting of a loss (or even two) just doesn’t end the season the way it used to.
Whether other conferences like it or not, the SEC is viewed in a different light and you can lose to a Tennessee and then go beat an Alabama or an LSU and win your respect back. It used to be that if the Sooners lost to Texas, well, there was no number of wins they could over KSU or Iowa State that was going to give them national respect.
In fact, as bad as Auburn has been, it’ll still be seen as a better win than beating, say, Baylor or West Virginia.
Additionally, again, the SEC could very well put five teams in the playoffs every year. So, even two losses doesn’t end your season.
For all the changes with NIL and conference realignment and the playoffs, I actually find that overall, college football is more engaging and exciting precisely because a team can redeem itself if it gets better.
And the Sooners need to get a whole let better on one side of the ball. But dang, that defense looked good.
It’s Simple, Right? | Why They Make The Big Bucks
– Charlie S – Posted on: September 23, 2024
The Sooners suffered their first loss of the season on Saturday night as they fell to the Tennessee Volunteers by the score of 15-25.
Oklahoma, led by quarterback Jackson Arnold put on one of the most inept offensive performances over the course of the first half of the game we have ever seen in Norman, Oklahoma and he was benched in favor of Mike Hawkins.
Hawkins came in and made the offense appear to be at least functional in the 4th quarter as he led two scoring drives to make the score more respectable.
After the game, OU head coach Brent Venables made it clear that OU will be spending this week deciding which QB they will roll out there against Auburn next Saturday.
To the fan base and most folks who cover the team, there really is no decision to be made. Most folks believe Mike Hawkins has earned the opportunity to show what he can do as the starting quarterback at the University of Oklahoma.
Right now, I believe Mike Hawkins will be the starter on Saturday, but I do not think it is as easy of a decision as it appears to be and this is a decision that will impact Oklahoma not only for this season, but it has the potential to impact OU for years to come.
I am not going to sit here and tell you I think Jackson Arnold earned the right to be the Oklahoma starter on Saturday with his performance against Tennessee. He was terrible and Mike Hawkins came in and was not terrible.
However, I will say, that in Arnold’s defense, just one week prior, he fought, scratched, clawed, and willed his offense to victory over Tulane. Would Mike Hawkins have had to do the same to secure the victory over Tulane? We do not know, but we can look back and appreciate the game Arnold played on that Saturday while also acknowledging he made some mistakes against Tulane (the pick 6) which were not entirely his fault (see Taylor Tatum not picking up the blitz against Tulane).
In today’s NIL era of college football, the decision to start Mike Hawkins on Saturday against Auburn has the potential to have massive ramifications for players, coaches, and the program down the line. Jackson Arnold was not redshirted last year and he can thank Jeff Lebby for that bit of mismanagement. Arnold has played in all four games to this point this season. Should he play, at any point, in any of the next 8 games on OU’s schedule, he will not be able to redshirt this year. Do not be fooled, the Sooners, Jackson Arnold, teams around the country, and people around Arnold all know this situation.
I am not saying I know what the fallout would be between Arnold and the Sooners if Mike Hawkins starts and plays the entire game against Auburn. However, I do believe that if things go the Sooners way and they come away with any type of victory, no matter how Hawkins does in the big picture, Hawkins would most likely be in line to hold onto the starting spot heading into the bye week prior to the Red River Shootout.
So you would have two weeks between the Auburn game and kickoff of the Red River Shootout and two weeks is a lifetime in the NIL world to get a plan put together. So in short, chances are, if Mike Hawkins holds onto the starting spot, I would be shocked if the Arnold camp did not explore some options (through 3rd parties of course) at the very least in regard to his future in Norman. Again, I am not saying I know what Jackson Arnold would do, but I’m also not going to sit here and pretend that the likelihood of him being in Norman next year as a backup or a guy competing for a job would be anything more than slim to none.
The scary part is…OU will have to base this decision on its belief in whether a true freshman unquestionably has what it takes to be the face of the program and the guy to lead this offense for the next 3 seasons (including this year) while putting a guy you ran off the last guy for less than 10 months ago on the shelf and potentially out of town.
I can make a case for starting Jackson Arnold against Auburn and having him on a very short leash because it almost feels like if I don’t, I am signing off on Hawkins being the guy I am going to ride blindly into the night. Gone are the days of having the luxury of knowing it is difficult for guys to leave the program in search of more favorable opportunities. That’s not an easy call to make in a short window of time and I do not envy the guys who are faced with that decision…but that’s why they make the big bucks, right?
In essence, this decision, as easy as it may seem on the surface, does have some complicating factors that need to be considered at the very least. You could be looking at a decision that needs to be made in the next couple of days (if it has not been made already) that could decide the trajectory of the QB position in Norman for the next couple of years. It will have a direct impact on records, jobs, and a long-term narrative about Oklahoma as they try to find their footing in the SEC. Yes, the transfer portal can work both ways, but then again you open a new can of worms should you have to go that route. This is not as simple of a call as it appears to be. It may really boil down to: Do you think Mike Hawkins is the guy to lead this program for the next 3 seasons while having seen him only play a game and a half?
For me, I think I start Mike Hawkins on Saturday as this offense needs to find something before you are staring a losing record on the year in the face…but…I do not have to live and die with my decision as the coaches in Norman will have to.
My Two Cents
– JY – Posted on: September 23, 2024
Hey gang, I know how all of you long timers feel, and probably some of the new guys too. Although I struggle to understand this younger generation at times, a loss is a loss, and it stings no matter what. Living in Kansas City, I’m in the heart of Mizzou territory, along with the Jayhawks, K-State and Nebraska, being less than three hours from each campus. Heck I even cross paths with a ‘Nader Chicken (Iowa State fan) once in a while. Needless to say, they’re all quick to pile on whenever they get the chance. I’m thankful for Sundays for more than one reason, but mainly to craft my defense whenever the Sooners struggle. Right now it’s simple…Get us now, or you won’t be able to.
Sunshine pumper, eternal optimist, whatever you want to call it, I am that. However, after witnessing defensively what we saw Saturday night, we have an elite defense. I haven’t seen defense played like that in a looooooong time in Norman. Outside of three or four plays, the Sooners had em locked down. A prolific offense was for all intents and purposes completely shut down by the good guys. That gives me a lot of hope. Maybe not for this year, but for the future. With how the Sooners have been recruiting defensively, and how many guys play each Saturday, you have depth that’s playable everywhere. When Woodi gave up a couple of big plays, in comes Eli Bowen who played very well. Defensively I like where we are and where we are headed.
Offensively, we have some issues. I take that back, we have full blown problems. Injuries have mounted this year with by my count 6-8 starters out.
1*Jayden Gibson
2* Nic Anderson
3* Jalil Farooq
4* Andrel Anthony
5* Troy Everett
6* Jake Taylor
7* Geirean Hatchett
8* Branson Hickman (played saturday)
Starters are starters for a reason, and twos are two’s for a reason. If you asked me before the season started , I wouldn’t have guessed that Howland, Ozeata and Bates have played more than spot duty here and there. Cerebral issues are the biggest issue. While people will point to physicality being the biggest issue, I can’t argue that, but as a former offensive lineman, lack of physicality is a by-product of uncertainty. You’re already the slowest position group on the field at any given time. Any time you’re second guessing or uncertain, you look slower, softer, etc. Guys being hurt has really caused a problem getting needed reps in practice and making mistakes against live action in practice. Tarquin has stepped in and done a nice job, but left guard and center have really struggled. Left tackle and right guard haven’t been great, but at this point it’s the least of your worries.
Big picture you’ve got three weeks to get healed up up front and work out the kinks. You go to Auburn this week, you have a bye week (Thank God) and then you go to the Cotton Bowl against Texas. By then, I’d expect Jake Taylor to be back allowing Bedenbaugh to put him in at RT, Troy Everett at either Left Guard or Center. If Hickman isn’t healthy still, Everett can play center & Tarquin can play left tackle. Sexton bumps down to guard & at least you’ve got your five best at this point on the field. Maybe by then EPL is able to step up or Ozeata figures things out a bit.
There were times early on, where the Sooners were knocking people back off the ball. Early in the game I felt good about that part of it. Still you had bad snaps and penalties that put you behind the chains, and to this point, the Sooners haven’t shown the ability to overcome third and long. Most offenses can’t against good defenses. The biggest problem right now in my opinion plaguing the offensive line is that they are not playing assignment sound. Arnold not being able to trust them as a group has exacerbated his issues mentally.
With that, you could see Littrell, made adjustments & in this look he went max protect. They ran a two man route concept where Sharp & Roberts stayed in to block. Instead of throwing the deep out to Hester, if he puts some juice on it and hits the post to Burks, he puts a move on the safety and it’s lights out. It’s clear that the safety is moving over with Hester & the corner is sinking. Why he’d throw the deep out into double coverage is baffling. At bare minimum if you don’t feel good about the post to Burks, take off towards the emblem and get five or six, don’t turn the ball over. If you’re able to put a move on the guy at the top of the logo, the other two defenders have their backs turned.
On the first sack, Jake Roberts is motioning across the formation (this is called a zone slice) where Roberts just has to get something on the d-end and not necessarily be physically dominant. Tarquin releases the D-End and goes up to the linebacker like he’s supposed to. If Arnold makes the correct read and gives the ball to Barnes against the light box, Barnes probably runs all the way to Pauls Valley, or at least Purcell.
While the O line has gotten a bad rap, a lot of the issues besides the assignments, some of them have been due to stuff like this. I’m not a smart man Jennay, but that looks like a pretty good hole to me. Giving the ball when he should pull it, and throwing it when he should have given it. If the RPO system is going to be a core part of your offense, you have to have someone who can execute it. You don’t have to be a world beater, just make the plays you’re supposed to make.
On the safety play, if Hickman just takes a zone step right, you have a hat on a hat, and Barnes likely runs to Guthrie. (Again, be assignment sound) You have a light box, and when the defense plays into your hands, you have to pick it up. They make it easy here for Hickman stepping into his playside gap. Just take a zone step right, pick this guy up, and Barnes is off and running. Hell he’s probably in line for the Silver Bullet up at Frontier City.
The straw that broke the camel’s back for the night was the skip pass lateral. Again, just read the play. You’re 7 on 7 from a blocking standpoint. Give the ball. Franklin, like Barnes earlier is probably touring the original state capital.
I don’t say all of this to pile on to Jackson Arnold, but I do however believe that someone who can simply make the correct reads makes everyone look better. For many reasons, Hawkins, in my mind is QB1. He stepped in and was able to move the offense. His throws looked crisp and he gives you a chance to win. Doing what he did, lowering his shoulder, flipping over people…Offensive linemen will jump on a grenade for a guy like that. It puts more onus (as if they needed it) for the o line to get their shite together. Meanwhile, Jacquaize Pettaway suddenly looks like a stud because he’s getting the ball on time. Long story short, I personally don’t believe that this offense is as bad as it has looked. They’re either making the wrong read in the RPO game or missing assignments. Some how, some way, if they’re able to figure it out and execute it correctly, I think this offense can still be solid. There’s too much talent not to be. Just my 2 cents.
Thoughts on Hawkins and the Offense
– Super K – Posted on: September 24, 2024
***First, there was a lot wrong with the offense this past weekend. Plenty of blame to go around but like Brent alluded to, Arnold’s turnovers were beyond the pale.
***The question is whether Arnold should’ve been pulled for a couple series and then put right back in. The answer could have some serious implications.
***What I saw from Hawkins, I liked.
***His mobility seemed to slow the Tennessee rush down. If he can steal first downs and protect the OL or at least take some pressure off of them, that would be a win.
***But what impressed me the most was that he was at times reading the field well and acting decisively. Additionally, he was mostly accurate.
***Now, think about to last season when Arnold came in for a few series, he tended to look very very impressive, as well. So the question is going to be, what happens when the other team has prepared for you and you have to remain focused, down in and down out?
***We don’t know the answer but again, at least we got a chance to see Hawkins actually read a safety or a linebacker and throw a guy open. In other words, he wasn’t just running around waiting to see the whites of a WRs eyes. He showed IQ, decisiveness and the ability to get the ball where he wants it to go.
***Again, we’ll see how things play out these next couple games as Hawkins takes the reins. It’s another animal being the guy.
Accountability
– Super K – Posted on: September 25, 2024
I have to say, I was a little surprised by some of the content of yesterday’s presser.
I was surprised at how direct Brent was in his criticism of his offensive staff and specifically the play calling. Usually that stuff stays behind closed doors.
If he’s talking like that in public, I have to imagine it’s pretty intense behind the scenes. I can tell you that some of the parents of the offensive recruits are questioning the OU play caller, as well. No, I’m not implying anyone is going to decommit but Sooners are not used to being outside the top 20 in total offense, let alone the top 100.
Brent’s public demeanor makes me think, Seth and JJF better figure things out in a hurry. I mean, really fast.
I think we can all agree, the Sooners QB talent, OL talent, RB talent and WR talent despite injuries, is better than 119th ranked offense in the country – especially given the fact that until the Tennessee game, they hadn’t played a team with a pulse on defense. I suspect BV strongly agrees.
I’m sure his frustration is even more pronounced given how well his defense is playing. Btw I don’t want to hear any excuses in the future about OU not being able to play defense – no matter who is leading the program.
I’ve been thinking about what one should expect from the Sooners this weekend. Auburn is probably the easiest SEC game they have left on the schedule.
We need to give Hawkins some grace but the rest of the offense and the offensive staff needs to help him out. I think anything less than what Arkansas put up (24 points) would be quite a disappointment. But at this point, any steps in the right direction would be welcome.
Defensive Line Recruiting
– Charlie S – Posted on: September 26, 2024
The Sooners have lost a pair of ’25 defensive line commitments in the last two weeks.
***Former commit Floyd Boucard decided to open things up a week and a half ago, and to be honest, he never shut things down. I do not see the Sooners sticking around in that one and it feels like Boucard will likely land elsewhere.
***Last night it was announced that Ka’Mori Moore was leaving the class. Moore is a guy who was a very early commit and even at the time, he felt like bait for the Sooners in their pursuit of Williams Nwaneri in the ’25 cycle. As I mentioned yesterday, OU will not lose any sleep over this one.
***So the Sooners are left with one defensive tackle commit (Trent Wilson) and two EDGE commits (Alex Shieldnight and CJ Nickson).
***As far as defensive tackle recruiting goes, OU would really like to add at least one more target to the class.
***Right now, there is not much I can tell you about unfamiliar targets. Source does tell me that the Sooners have reached back out to former targets Kole Briehler (Stanford Commit) and Christian Evans (Virginia Tech commit). We will continue to monitor those guys.
***One new name to keep an eye on is Tavion Atkinson. Trinity Valley CC defensive lineman Tavion Atkinson (6’4 280) tells me that OU has been ramping up communication. I first spoke to Atkinson back on September 19th, and he was expecting an offer. OU has not extended an offer to this point, but he does tell me they talk with him often and are pitching a visit to him. We will keep an eye on him.
***Aside from that, I currently do not have any names yet, but I do expect some additional targets to emerge here, particularly over the next week or so with OU having a bye next week.
Know Your Opponent | Auburn – 2024
– Charlie S – Posted on: September 26, 2024
Head Coach – Hugh Freeze (2nd season at Auburn)
Offensive Coordinator – Derrick Nix (1st season at Auburn)
Defensive Coordinator – DJ Durkin (1st season at Auburn)
The Tigers are 2-2 on the year. They have wins over Alabama A&M and New Mexico with losses to Cal and Arkansas their last time out.
Hugh Freeze enters his second season on the Plains as the head coach of the Auburn Tigers. He has a new pair of running mates this year as Derrick Nix and DJ Durkin join him in year two as they replace Phillip Montgomery and Ron Roberts respectively following a 6-7 season in year one.
On offense…
Under Hugh Freeze, the Tigers like to go fast, much like Tennessee did last week. The Tigers have run up the score on two really bad football teams (Alabama A&M and New Mexico) but have found it difficult to put points on the board against two programs with at least a heartbeat (Cal and Arkansas) where they were limited to 14 points in each game. The offense ranks 27th in total offense (462 YPG) to this point of the year. Auburn averages 178 ypg on the ground and 284 ypg through the air. They are 131st in turnover margin and that has been the major issue as they have 14 total turnovers (8 int and 6 fumbles) while only taking the ball away from the opponent 4 times.
QB #1 Payton Thorne AND #15 Hank Brown
RB #27 Jarquez Hunter
TE #13 Rivaldo Fairweather
– Thorne is the vet and Brown in the kid and they both are on the struggle bus. Thorne played 35 snaps against Arkansas and Brown played 25.
– Thorne threw 1 pick against Arkansas and Brown threw 3. Thorne has 5 pickss on the year, Brown’s 3 against Arkansas were all he has thrown this year.
– Thorne is hitting on 57% of his passes with the 5 picks and he has been sacked 5 times. Brown is hitting 62% of his passes with the 3 picks and hasn’t been sacked yet.
– Auburn would like to be able to live on the running ability of the team as Jarquez Hunter is averaging 7.1 ypc and his back up, #0 Damari Alston is averaging 7.8 ypc.
– Fairweather is a solid target for the QBs, he has 10 catches for 107 yards and a TD on the year.
WR #8 Cam Coleman
WR #5 KeAndre Lambert-Smith
WR #14 Robert Lewis
– This is a talented group of receivers and Lambert-Smith leads the team with 12 catches for 338 yards (28.2 ypc) and 5 TDs. Thats a pretty sick average per catch.
– Coleman is a former 5 star who is sort of feeling his way around right now, but his talent is undeniable. He has 6 catches for 130 yards (21.7 ypc) and a TD
LT #79 Tyler Johnson
LG #52 Dillon Wade
OC #75 Connor Lew
RG #77 Jeremiah Wright
RT #72 Izavion Miller
– It’s a solid offensive line group that overall does an OK job in pass pro and they like to get out there and run block.
– The tackles are the weak link in pass protection, particularly Johnson at LT so look for the OU EDGE room to look to continue their hot play of late, especially in 2nd and 3rd and medium/long.
– Connor Lew is a really good center and he will look to open some lanes for the backs in the run game.
On defense…
Auburn brought in Durkin with the hopes of elevating their defensive performance. Durkin is known for aggressive defenses that are versatile and seek to put pressure on the quarterbacks from multiple looks. They are currently ranked 62nd in total defense while averaging giving up 339 yards per game. They have yet to recover a fumble and have 4 interceptions on the season. While they want to get aggressive, they have only recorded 8 sacks on the season, but 6 of those sacks have come from the defensive line, so they can be disruptive.
DE #15 Keldric Faulk
NT #97 Quientrail Jamison-Travis
DT #96 Philip Blidi
BUCK (EDGE) #35 Jalen McLeod
– Faulk is a problem. He is huge (6’6 290) and quick off the ball. He leads the Tigers with 3 sacks and he is 4th on the team in tackles with 15. Thats a lot of production for a true DE.
– McLeod is anothe good EDGE player on the other side of the formation. He has 19 tackles on the season to go along wiith 2 sacks of his own.
– Blidi (two time OU portal target) is a solid block eater and he and Jamison-Travis will challenge an already struggling OU run game by clogging up space in the middle.
WLB #9 Eugene Asante
MLB #12 Dorian Mausi Jr.
SLB #17 Robert Woodyard Jr.
– Mausi is the most active LB in what is a pretty average group by SEC standards. He has 20 tackles on the year and 1 sack. He is a solid LB who can also play in space.
– Woodyard will give way to a nickel back throughout the game, but I like his ability and he moves pretty well from what I have seen.
LCB #4 Kayin Lee
SS #21 Caleb Wooden
FS #1 Jerrin Thompson
RCB #0 Keionte Scott
– Thompson is a name that is familiar to you all as he spent the first 4 years of his career at Texas. He leads Auburn in tackles on the season with 22 and he has a sack to his credit to go along with one of the Tigers interceptions on the season.
– The Tigers lost the guy I consider to be their best DB last week as Champ Anthony went down with a leg injury. At this point, I would say Kayin Lee is their best remaining cover guy.
Overall thoughts…
– This is a game OU has to win. Period. That’s my first thought.
– The Tigers are scuffling offensively and while they are definitely a solid defensive team, in my opinion, they are not at the level of Tennessee or Texas who the Sooners will face in their next game. Make hay while the sun shines, right?
– However, with OU rolling out a new QB in what should be a more simplistic offense, the Tigers will seek to pressure young Mike Hawkins while taking away his first read as often as they can in order to provoke those young QB mistakes. Auburn has the personnel (big and fast up front and long on the back end) to find some succes, it will be up to OU and Hawkins to make the plays that are in front of them.
– It would be a really nice time for the Sooners to find some semblance of a running game.
– Defensively for OU, it is pretty straight forward. Take away the run game and make the QBs put the ball in the air. Thorne can run a little at the QB position, so they will have to account for him when Auburn runs with the numbers, but again, this is not a dynamic offense at this point and if OU plays sound fundamental football, they should be able to contain the tiger attack.
– The defensive backs and linebackers should have some takeaway opportunities and as always, it is critical to capitalize on them. I also think the OU EDGE’s and Interior DL will once again have an opportunity to have a big impact on the game as they are the best front that Auburn will have seen to this point.
– I’m thinking this will be a low scoring game and it may come down to which team can make their kicks.
