Open Post | Wednesday, Oct. 14th
Posted on: October 14, 2015
Image via 247 Sports
– Daelin Hayes: Yesterday coach Demetric Warren of Varsity Preps tweeted out the following regarding 2016 star LB and recent USC decommit, Daelin Hayes (Ann Arbor, MI).
*Breaking*
Recently Decommitted 4 Star OLB Daelin Hayes will take an Official Visit to #Oklahoma on Nov. 21 for the #TCU Game. #OUDNA— Demetric D. Warren (@DemetricDWarren) October 13, 2015
I spoke to a source regarding Hayes, and was told he is currently very high on Notre Dame. My source did say, however, that this scheduled trip to Oklahoma isn’t just Hayes wanting to enjoy himself. It appears he is still fairly open and is looking for the right fit. Again, right now the betting favorite is Notre Dame but OU will have a chance to open his eyes. Having said that, the source also added if the Sooners drop another game or two between now and then Hayes will likely cancel his visit.
Hayes has also scheduled visits to LSU and Texas A&M per coach Warren. – (Super K)
– Chris Daniels: Brandon had a brief exchange with 2016 DT Chris Daniels’ (Euless, TX) father yesterday, who told him they expect to visit Norman, “for the TCU game unless he can come sooner…no pun intended.”
Daniels and his family had a great visit to Norman this past summer and are very high on coach Diron Reynolds. OU fans should keep a close eye on Daniels’ recruitment, as I’m told he and Texas A&M (once thought to be his favorite) have essentially parted ways. In fact, Daniels was expected to be at the TAMU vs. Alabama game this weekend but I’m told that now will not happen. This would seem to put Oklahoma and Michigan in the driver’s seat at the moment. – (Brandon & Super K)
– Team Note | Safeties: Was talking to a couple sources regarding the general vibe of the team and how they are reacting to the loss this past weekend, and came across and interesting bit of information. Based on practice reps, it appears that Hatari Byrd may have lost is starting position. As I mentioned in my breakdown this past Saturday, Byrd over-pursued on occasions putting him in a position to be out-leveraged.
It sounds like the defensive change won’t be significant, though, as Ahmad Thomas and Steven Parker will remain the starting safeties in the base defense. The only difference will be in OU’s nickel package where Parker will stay at safety, instead of moving over to nickelback, and Will Johnson will move in to play the nickel spot. This really isn’t a huge change seeing as Johnson was being groomed as the nickel back since he got here.
It’s impossible to know at this point if this change will be permanent, but I personally believe the only way Oklahoma has a chance of slowing down teams like Baylor and/or TCU is by putting more cover guys on the field. They have to be able to match four legitimate cover players with four wide receivers. And they have to keep Thomas, and to a lesser degree Byrd, from being put in man-to-man cover situations (however, in my estimation Thomas is a much bigger liability in man-coverage than Byrd). With Thomas, Parker, Johnson & Zack Sanchez on the field, OU should have four actual cover DBs on the field.
I want to add, though, having reviewed the film Byrd certainly wasn’t the only person on that defense that probably deserved to be replaced…at least temporarily. – (Super K)
– Team Notes | Team Attitude: I also wanted to get a sense of what the team vibe was like after the loss to Texas this past weekend and how their preparation for Kansas State was coming along.
One positive thing I heard was that Zack Sanchez apparently came unglued after the game. I was told he gave an impassioned speech to the team. The essence of what he said was apparently that they (the Sooners) better not lose another game. I was told that some of the players were absolutely beside themselves after the loss. The coaches are continuing to stay positive and have really tried to tell the players to understand that the loss had a lot to do with Oklahoma shooting themselves in the foot and not being the team they can be. So it sounds like the focus this week has been about giving 100% effort and attention to detail.
We’ll see if that shows up on the field this weekend against a tough and disciplined Kansas State team. The Sooners have plenty of games that will allow them to get back in the play-off mix but they’re going to need to start with a win this weekend. – (Super K)
284 Comments
I appreciate Sanchez giving an impassioned speech. I’d like to see that passion poured into his tackling.
Knew that was coming 😉
Haha I think he has done better this year. He just can’t be matched up with the bigger WRs . That’s where he has the problem. In fact I would put Jordan on the bigger WRs.
I don’t think Esco can cover bigger WR’s. /sar
This is the kind of comment that pisses me off. Why do you think you’re entitled to rip someone’s performance. Making a general statement is one thing. A tongue-in-cheek comment is another. I bet you’re always at your best.
The last time I looked Sanchez was wearing a Sooners’ jersey. For that, and that reason alone, he deserves our support.
Don’t take cheap shots. That was really cheap and low of you.
Easy Sam. I support Sanchez but you can also be critical of his tackling abilities or lack there of. Those are football basics and if he does this over and over, Sanchez leaves himself open to this criticism.
Boom, the way you just said it is the way it should always be presented. A fact is a fact: Sanchez tackling needs improvement.
We should be glad that he was passionate in the locker room. That’s the news we’ve all been waiting for. We wanted to know if this team cares. We got that news and all he can do is focus on negatives.
I’ve been down before. People laughed at me. That’s a bad place to be and I didn’t like it. I’ve never liked it when people do that to other people.
Help someone improve. Don’t tell them they are awful.
Never did I say Sanchez is horrible but I questioned his tackling or effort in tackling. I like the fact that he went off on the team. However, if you are a player listening, you have to ask yourself, did he (Sanchez) play outstanding to command that stage. IMO, I don’t think he did. That said, his rant could possible fall on deaf ears.
I’ve been down too but the bottom line is there is only one person who can bring you up and that is the one staring back at you in the mirror.
Appears to me that Sanchez is trying to be a leader for the team. A leader does not necessarily mean they have to be the best player. I love his passion (this team needs a lot more of it).
Just like every player Sanchez has his strengths and weaknesses. I think he has more pros than cons and does give good effort most plays. Tackling could be more physical, but nobody was criticizing him when he iced the Tennessee game. I’m glad he plays for us and proud he showed leadership and passion after the loss Saturday. Angry and disappointed fans on this site can’t possibly feel a fraction as bad as our coaches and players do about losing.
I recall the Sugar Bowl when Alabama tried to pick on him.
Well, the next play was an interception!! He also played hurt a lot last year.
His effort is ahead of what it was last year. He blitzed a couple times last weekend and I clearly remember 2 maybe 3 “last man” tackles last weekend that were clean. Just giving credit where it’s due.
The fact is the dude just hasn’t got the mass to keep up with the physical receivers, but he’s shown that his upside is more than anyone else on the team right now. We can continue to be critical of his flaws but there is no need to dog his every stance like folks on here do every single time he says something. It’s almost like some folks want him to whimper away in the corner.
I love the sharks/ wolves or whatever you want to call it. At least there is a fire to try and improve. Dude is passionate, just like Mayfield and I love that….
/Rant over
I agree for the most part. Sanchez has really improved his tackling this year. Although there was one play where he really gave a poor effort against Texas that irked me quite a bit. That being said, I will disagree *to an extent* that just because he has a Sooner jersey on he deserves our support. If a player is giving it his all and not acting a fool on the field then yes they deserve fan support even if they’re getting beat. If they are playing flat and not putting the effort in, well, when parents pay $500 to take their whole family to a game (not saying that that guy is a dad, just speaking in generics) they have a right to be pissed when the team plays like s**t.
Nothing wrong with Barry’s comment. The tackling was garbage Saturday, Sanchez’s included. Truth hurts. I hadn’t seen tackling that bad since Texas’ 2011 team.
BTW, 1st amendment gives him that right. And he’s a fan/supporter, so that also gives him the right the express his displeasure. Support sometimes comes via harsh truths. Don’t be so sensitive to that fact.
The 1st A, comes with responsibility. What he says has to have responsibility, it didn’t rise to that standard. Sanchez is what he is. He is not a physical tackler, he is a ball hawk. He will be where the ball is. He is also a leader, that was the context of the comments that K made in the OP. Backhanded complements are neither genuine nor truthful. Doesn’t fit the 1st A responsibility. It was a cheap shot, disingenuine, and basically somewhat rude.
1st Amendment?!?!?! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Do you know why Daniels and a&m parted ways?
There needs to be a commitment to doing the small things like tackling and taking proper angles. Although, i agree that Byrd is not the only that could have been replaced, i am glad to see some chances after such a debacle. The angles he consistently took were bad and placed him in a position even when unblock to be out leveraged. I will continue to say that your safeties have to be greater tacklers or ball hawks and our have proven to be neither. This move proves that the coaching staff refuses to accept poor play and will make changes. I honestly hope that if we see any additional poor play that additional moves are made.
I agree. Many times Byrd took banana angles which put him out of the play. Tuff to watch over and over. Sanchez is another story. He talks all this talk but he’s the worst tackler on the team. I don’t mind if he wrapped up and got pushed around but he just dives at their knees. I would really like to see Parker stay at S when going to the nickle package. At this time, Cooks needs to find players.
I agree and alot of the time if you go back and watch the film (as painful as it is) on the big 81 yard run and many of the QB keeps by Heard, Byrd over pursued from the outside and allowed the ball to get the edge when he was supposed to be an alley player and forcing the ball to the middle where he had help. His tackling was extremely suspected as well (especially on the the 1st TD run/pass)
We see the same thing but the positive is he may sit for a while but all of these issues can be resolved. Cooks will correct these mistakes and find the right person who will do what is required by the coaches.
I have always thought that Byrd was playing a position he was not suited for, in my opinion he would make a great LB’er. When he does make the tackle it is usually violent, he has some speed and cover abilities. JMO
I would like to see OU attempt to do more situation substitions when possible. I believe this would provide experience to more players and allow them to gain confidence by pitting them in situation where they can excel. Byrd for example should have been spun down into the box so he could more aggressively attack the run game. Had he been closer to the line ofscrimmage, he may have taken slightly better angles because he seemed to underestimate the speed of UT’s skill players relative to his speed.
Agree, He seems to have problems tackling in the open field and as you say his angles are off. By putting him in the box he could use his speed going downhill and laterally. If he gets to the ball carrier, he is very violent. And, he is not without coverage ability which gives you a LB that can cover the middle or drop off into coverage.
Parker at safety!!!! I like this.
Hayes & Juarez both visiting for TCU.. I know we aren’t a favorite for either but that can’t be a bad thing either…
And Caleb Kelly!
That game is shaping up to be huge, for a variety of reasons.
I assumed he was coming for that game but couldn’t remember for sure.. Those guys should have a great time together that weekend…
I like the team update. As I posted yesterday, maybe the best thing that can come from this loss is the players stepping up and being better individually. As you alluded to, many of them on both sides for the ball were outplayed regularly. We have good enough players that they should be winning their one on one matchups. Hopefully this will get them fired up.
Care to explain the difference in the base safety position vs the nickle position?
Base defense there is no extra db (nickel back) on the field. Just 2 corners and 2 safeties. In the nickel package, there is an extra cb/db on the field. So you’d have Parker and Thomas as safeties. JT and Sanchez as outside cbs and now Will Johnson as your inside cb/nickel back.
Love that idea. This was the role they envisioned when they signed Parker right? Also, great to hear about the team attitude particularly Sanchez’s. Some of his comments on twitter after the game made me think he didn’t feel like the team had anything to answer for.
I get the 5 dbs vs 4, but I want to understand is how Parker’s role will change going from the nickle back to the standard safety. It seems painfully obvious to me that we need more cover guys back there and Thomas and Byrd just aren’t cover guys.
I think you kind of answered your own question.
I’m still not sure how Parker’s role changes. Maybe I’m over complicating it.
He just stays at safety the whole time instead of moving over to nickel back.
I’m probably not the best guy to answer this, but I don’t think Parker’s role changes much, he’ll be doing the same kinds of things, it just allows us to get better coverage out of that position with Byrd not being there, and the hope is that Johnson can play the nickel better than Byrd was playing safety.
Hey K do you expect to see some of our freshman DBs to play or are we redshirting them?
Based on spring game, I thought this was going to be the line up coming into the season.
I figured it as much as well.
I didn’t know how but before the season started I wanted parker at safety. In order to do so, they needed someone to step up freshmen/juco transfer.
Parker seems to fit the safety mold more than any player on the roster.
This will probably help: http://www.footballstudyhall.com/2014/8/22/6052637/college-football-nickel-backs-lamarcus-joyner
The Nickel has different coverage responsibilities than the Safety. And there can be different coverage responsibilities for the Nickel himself.
Excellent read. Can you forward to Mike Stoops please?
I like the idea of Parker being on the field at all times.
I think this year we take as many LBs that we can get , its such a great LB class. I do have a little info on Juarez , UCLA is a slight favorite right now but what my sources also said he is VERY open to leaving the west coast. I would say its a UCLA and OU battle
That’s big time! OU hasn’t done great against UCLA in recruiting battles though. I guess they did take DeBerry from them though.
All OU needs to do is win and we will have our shot with many top players
Any word on maybe a couple offensive line recruits?
Very little going on w/ OL recruiting. Been that way for, IMO, an arguably disturbing amount of time.
Last game should’ve opened a lot of recruits eyes. Hope there is some activity in the coming months.
Jordan is there any new news on Frison, last I heard he was in the “dog house”.
On Monday, Bob said nothing new on that front..
Still there.
I keep seeing him on the roster. I know he was suspended, (I realize discipline needs to be upheld) I would love to see how he would do in the rotation maybe at RT. Would love to see how several of the young guys are coming along, Samia, Dalton, Daimler etc.
Concerned that we have only 1 ol committed. OU nedds to put a full court press on T. Moore, K. Diesch, and J. Valentin.
Just for drill on next year.
Brown, Dalton, Alvarez, Danley, Samia
Frison, Ford, Wren, Paul, Evans,
Daimler, Hartsook, Nolan, Hearne, Mittermeier
Just tried to get 3 different line-ups.
Bored while waiting on “Happy Hour”
Can hardly wait till Saturday to see what happens at Kansas State.
I think Frison will be in the starting lineup. He’s basically the most athletic and physical out of the whole bunch. I can see Samia being bumped down to RG and Frison at RT.
If he is off for the year, I am hoping he has the attitude to “better” himself. Maybe a year in the weight room bulking up a bit. He and Samia, need to add maybe a pound or two.
I agree, I think those two could make a pretty solid tandem. They have a target weight that they have to meet each week, I’m hoping Schmitty bumps their target weight up at least 5 lbs. That should put Samia around 295. I did hear that Frison is up around 300 now and has been working out alot.
Being on suspension can be a lot like a team that has lost a game that they shouldn’t have. You can make the most of it by, getting up off your butt, learn from your mistakes, make the most out of the time until you are on the field again.
and you think he’ll be in the starting lineup this weekend? or did you mean next year? I’d love to see him!
Is he practicing? Any word on how he looks?
Not practicing. Just hearing he’s “around” but that’s the extent.
So no chance of playing this year, if he hasn’t even been practicing.
Its not looking like it. We’re almost to the halfway point, I would think if they were going to get him in, they would of done it by now.
Did he already use a redshirt?
Yeah last year.
Sucky
since you’re an info guy, the only reason I’ve read was academic related issues……………true/false?……something else?……thxs
I really can’t say, I can say that I haven’t seen the exact reason out there yet and it looks like Bob is insistent on not speaking on it at all.
My understanding is that sometimes the “reason” is out of his control. Somehow institutional rules broken, that places a player into suspension that has nothing to do with “football” team rules, but may fall into the university’s rules of academics or conduct. He might not even have any say so in that type of infraction.
good point, thxs
thxs
It must not be academic, as Coach Stoops specifically mentioned Obo as having academic issues that will limit his participation on last nights show with Toby.
That’s kind of surprising since I have always heard Coach B is a relentless worker.
I see his tweets all the time. Lots of recruits RT them. I think hes out there and I think hes working, here again winning cures a lot of evils.
I think recruiting goes hand in hand with the performance of the line. I dont know how interested I would be in a coach if they had a line that was giving up a ton of sacks and not very good overall. So if I were B, I would focus mainly on fixing the line issues first.
I’m with you Jordan. Our hiring of Coach B was highly regarded as a home run. I’ve always been excited about him being on staff. I thought he would really give us a solid recruiting advantage. He inherited a good young OLine and they were really good last year. On paper, he’s signed a lot of 3-4 star guys in the past 2 years. Time for some of them to start showing up. Maybe for this year KJ is right. Need to produce on the field to get more guys to commit. He’s currently trying to play with 4 guys he didn’t recruit (Ty, Nila, Derek, Josiah) and they’re not producing.
Curious, the last two years, we signed 12 OLs. Plus one who didn’t qualify. I’m also including Frison, because I believe he’s not done here, but that’s just a guess. If you are a HS recruit, and you look at those numbers, you might be scared to get into a numbers crunch situation. I expect we don’t sign 6 again like the last couple of years, but I’d be willing to bet we end up with at least 2 or 3 decent OL signees in this class.
Demetric Warren just updated his crystal ball on 247 with Chris Daniels to OU.
How many stars is Daniels?
And yes, I realize stars don’t mean everything, just curious.
High 4 star
However many stars it takes to show he is a stud.
How many stars on his recruiting service page or the number of stars his opponents see?
This should make EasTex very happy.
lol First thing I thought of.
I approve this message.
Please tell me his crystal ball Is made by Swarovski.
Warren and Hamm
Dang.
Thanks for smashing my dream.
You are quite welcome friend. That’s what you get for showing up late!
“The Sooners have allowed 16 sacks this season, a vast difference from last year when OU led the nation with fewest sacks allowed (nine). This year’s 16 ranks 117th out of 127 schools.” I would post that in the Oline meeting room, slip it into their lockers, add to their game plan for the week. Because that’s about all the motivation I would need to prepare like crazy and come out aggressive
2 points on that. 1) Yes, they’ve dipped in production but 2) the offensive system has changed drastically and caused some of that.
You mean the change to the offensive system that is supposed to get the ball out of the QB’s hands in a hurry? Let’s call a duck a duck. The OLine is not very good. Sugar coating that does more harm than good. They’ll come around but they are not good right now.
The OLine is not very good, but Baker has held on to the ball too long on multiple occasions though.
True
Baker has acknowledged this himself, he said this exactly in the post game presser. Said he would be working on getting his checkdowns quicker to help the line. Said he neede to improve in this area.
I don’t think my opinion is harming anything related to the team 🙂 As I said in point 1, yes the OLine isn’t as good as it was last year. Everyone knows that. I have no problem with posting that in the locker room and letting the OLine chew on it a bit. I’m just adding that when you pass the ball more, you’re likely to have more sacks. I thought this was interesting though, we’re on track to only pass the ball 26 more times this year that we did last year!!! That’s quite a shocker. If you think about how run based we were compared to our new “air raid” offense this season.
Baker is holding on the to ball too long. He also doesn’t tend to throw the ball away to save the play.
That is what put’s into perspective what Baker has been able to do and why I hesitate to throw any part of the loss on him. Put last year’s OL in there and we’re talking a whole ‘nother level of ass-whoop’n
Here’s my problem and has been for a long time, Stoops doesn’t play backups to get them prepared. That being said, it’s hard to replace five seniors. Three of which are in the NFL. Two of which are starting left tackles as rookies.
you have identified one of the long standing problems at OU…..lack of playing time for the reserves. they can’t get experience or get better standing on the sidelines next to Bob…….
Not to pile on, but with all these other LB’s giving us a look, is it possible kelly is slipping to michigan?
3 straight shutouts has got to have defensive recruits giving them a hard look.
Michigan has long been OU’s primary competitor for Kelly and continues to be.
I know, thats why i asked. Just wondering if they have gained ground/overtaken us
Well, as you’d imagine these things tend to be a bit fluid. The presumption is OU still leads.
Ok good, thanks for the info.
I think others are giving us a look because of kelly
In a very simple way, that’s all football is, 100% effort and attention to detail. If you do that with quality athletes, you’ll beat teams like Texas everytime.
Was kinda hoping to see some notes about the OL. Like OU found eligibility for Trent Williams and Lane Johnson along with Davin Joseph and Gabe Ikard
Phil and Duke depth
that would be a decent OL
I must be getting old, I loved watching the the guys you mentioned, but I remember the guys in the mid 70’s as being the “dominant” OL guys. Mike “USS” Vaughn from Ada. I think he was about 6-5 280, A huge OL at the time. Was very physical, had a lot of mean, opened big holes in the DL for the wishbone.
OU has had their fair share of great OL play that’s why most OU fans can’t believe how bad they are playing right now
I agree, but I do remember the “rebuilding” years. I realize that it takes more time for young linemen to “gel”, but it seems to me better planning by the staff could offset his by planning better, not to graduate a senior line every year.
Still feeling the effects of the prior establishment(Patton and Kittles) IMO
Yes, and unlike the position the Center is put in now, they didn’t have to shotgun snap and could fire off the ball in attack mode.
ET, I know Ty is not the best center we have ever had, but, Is the fact he is playing hurt exasperating the situation?
I don’t know, but then I don’t know how badly he is hurt.
Ty is a very good Center, not the best OU has had, but he wasn’t placed on the Rimington and OUtland trophy watch list pre-season for no reason.
BTW If it makes you feel better, Hamm is one of the better recruit prognosticators at 84% even if he is an Aggie.
I have nothing against Byrd personally, but I’m glad this change is being made. I’m no secondary expert, but it seams to me that Byrd really isn’t bringing anything positive to the defense. I was hoping after last season he would have improved, but I really don’t see it. Get Johnson some PT, and I also hope they start working the true freshmen, especially Haughton, in some as well. We need to play a lot of guys against KU and ISU, since I expect most of the other games to be pretty close. Gotta build up that depth, and have guys that can plan when needed. I’d argue PJ needs some playing time as well, though I thought J. Thomas played pretty well against Texas, and Sanchez isn’t likely to come out of any close game.
I think he can be quite good against the run. However, against the pass he’s a bit stiff, COD lacks a bit. And his touch football tackle against Johnson was not exemplary.
The problem is, we just don’t face many offenses where he can be effective against the run. I think we need safeties that can cover, and you scheme them into positions to stop the run effectively.
Today is the 14th, not the 10th. As always, I appreciate the hard work you guys put in.
But if it’s the 10th, we haven’t lost to texas yet, and there is still a chance to win. Just sayin’.
I knew this had all been just a bad nightmare
I realize that might have sounded sarcastic, but it certainly was not intended so. I really do appreciate the work you guys put in!
I guess you’re not a history buff then 😉
I dont understand either
#DrunkHistory
Exactly, if so many still have bellyaches from Saturday I strongly encourage them to see a doctor, either a shrink or a proctologist.
ROTFLOL!
Ok i get it some still acting like its the 10th
Hahaha what I was saying was not that deep. The OP was originally mistitled, “Open Post | Wednesday, Oct 10th.” I was just pointing out the typo, not trying to make a statement about fan’s perspectives.
Well, pooh!
I thought you were being profound.
Oh well…
http://cdn.list25.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/failgif7.gif
That can not feel good.
It stung, but the after taste was excellent. 🙂
Hilarious — another reason women and artillery don’t go together!
Super K – care to elaborate on who else, other than Byrd, who you think should be replaced based on Saturday’s defensive performance. Sanchez coming unglued is funny, maybe he could channel some of his aggression towards tackling
Do we have any updates on Devante Bond? If he was in the game for us against Texas he would’ve stayed disciplined.Actually surprised you didn’t say anything on him.
I read somewhere this morning that the will to play is there, but he just may not be able to go physically. They were going to try and have him practice today and see if he could go. But I have seen nothing other than that.
Didn’t practice yesterday, gonna try to give it a go today. If he can’t go today however, I’d have to think it’s pretty unlikely we see him out there again on Saturday.
Jordan any word why they didn’t use Obo at that other LB spot?
Have heard he may be having some issues in the classroom that are keeping him off the field.
While its good to hear that the players are pissed, Sanchez should spend more time working on tackling than his motivational speech skills.
Rewatched the Sugar Bowl game the other day. Sanchez had a really good game and he was playing right corner. Maybe he needs to go back there.
ain’t it the truth !!!
Lets hope Will Johnson can hold up. He will be put on an island with lots of green grass, no sideline to help, against some speed demon WRs. Should give him a legitimate shot.
Also another Mike Stoops recruit.
They play cover 1 so he will have help over the top
LOL…dude just got Super K O’d….
Sanchez:
http://img.pandawhale.com/118814-joker-a-little-fight-in-you-I-7TuF.gif
I put this in the thread about the pulse of sooner nation.. But for the sake of it not getting lost, I’ll post here too.. An interesting addition to that discussion…
https://twitter.com/kbohls/status/654329191194755072
Personally, I don’t think Sumlin is an elite college coach. Is he a good coach? Sure he is, but his record at A&M is not that impressive, especially considering the talent he’s recruited. With that said, If Stoops ever left I wouldn’t want Sumlin on the short list, but that’s just me.
I think he would kill it at OU. He’s done well at ATM. If ATM was still in the Big 12, they would be doing really well. It’s just a tuff climb to get over LSU & Bama when you only have 1 natty from over 60 years ago.
they wouldn’t be doing any better than they are in the SEC. They’d be middle of the pack again.
ATM wouldn’t be doing any better in the BIG XII now then they did when they were here.
I think ATM would bitch slap LSU.
I don’t disagree, however, like Bohls states, i think OU is a better program with an easier league to play in.. I think that would make a big difference record wise. I think it’s interesting cuz i haven’t considered Sumlin because he’s gotten A&M to a high level in recruiting especially within the state of Texas..
I hope I’m not being sentimental, but (hypothetically) if Bob were to leave, I would want Riley to stay, bring Monty back for DC and bring Kevin Wilson in as HC. He did well here at Oklahoma, and at Indiana he was in a a place that is not easy to recruit to.
That is the kind of stuff that scares me about Bob leaving. That we’d end up with Kevin freakin’ Wilson as our HC. No thanks.
He fit here before, very well as OC, so well that he was an instant hit on everyone’s HC list. He hasn’t been so successful at Indy, but, who has. I don’t see any reason he wouldn’t do well here again.
He fit as an OC b/c he had Bradford, Murray, Gresham, some great offensive linemen, and some good WR’s. Just about anybody could have coordinated that offense. But even if you give credit to Wilson for it, succeeding as an OC and as a HC are two different things. Monty hasn’t proven anything other than that he could recruit well.
Wilson’s lines were soft, could not pick up a first down on third and one.
Agreed. Who else does he recruit against in Indiana? Nortre Dame? Don’t make me laugh. How many Indiana players does ND have on their roster? Indiana St.?
interesting game sat with bama at tam………bama is vulnerable and this may be tams chance to clear that hurdle, not that I want to see that
Why would you not want to see Bama lose?
well, could be I like bama more than tam…….also, would like to see bama/lsu game be a secw showdown game……just a cfb fan
YOu can hate both of them equally. It’s OK.
I would be okay with Sumlin, but only if we had a really good defensive coordinator that mostly ran the defense on his own.
Would not want him either. For me it’s Gary Patterson. Dude would win an NC at OU IMO. With the facilities and tradition and support at OU he’d field a NASTY defense. And he now understands the need to have a potent offense. Understands recruiting this area as well.
Gary Patterson, the man who grew up playing 8 man football. I have always thought he was the best coach in the country. He does more with less than anyone.
Patterson is a really good coach, I like him. The guy at K-St. does a pretty good job with what he has.
I agree on Snyder, but I think his ability to coach is overrated. Not that he isn’t a great coach, but moreso that his ability to recruit and find great players that fit what K-State is trying to do is underrated. Every year K-State is assumed to have a bunch of scraps and ends up with some great players. It isn’t ALL just Snyder’s coaching – they have good players that the recruiting services don’t regard very highly.
Judging by the list of names that have coached under Snyder I would say his best coaching skill is recognizing coaching talent when he sees it and getting out of their way.
I wish we had Sumlin back. The special teams have never been the same since he left.
“I spoke to a source regarding Hayes, and was told he is currently very high on Notre Dame. My source did say, however, that this scheduled trip to Oklahoma isn’t just Hayes wanting to enjoy himself. It appears he is still fairly open and is looking for the right fit. Again, right now the betting favorite is Notre Dame but OU will have a chance to open his eyes. Having said that, the source also added if the Sooners drop another game or two between now and then Hayes will likely cancel his visit.”
Notre Dame also has a loss. If they “drop another game or two” will he cancel Notre Dame?
Yeah, but they beat the crap out of texsa. To a recruit, OUr team needs to show more than ND to get the same consideration.
They’ve been recruiting him for a long time and it’s close to home.
Why not UM or MSU?
Any way some of the coaches be replaced?
How do you beat Baylor? Copy and paste Michigan State’s strategy. I like the changes…now it’s about figuring out how to make those scheme’s in the game. I don’t care if Mike has to get his a$$ on the field to communicate this.
Related, I also like Marcus Green as a replacement if J.Thomas was ever to goes down.
Michigan State beat Baylor by recovering a desperate onside kick and blocking Baylor’s game winning field goal. They won by getting lucky.
They managed to stop Baylor’s offense late in the game, but then again, we’ve managed over the last couple of years to stop Baylor completely for parts of games.
Baylor only had one possession the entire 4th quarter and they scored easily.
Luck? To get to that position, MSU scored 3TDs in the 4th Q and held Baylor scoreless.. That’s saying something. How about hustling and playing till the last second?
That’s not what happened at all. Baylor had one possession on offense in the 4th due to the onside kick recovery and long drives MSU put together. On that one possession, Baylor went right down the field. They were flagged for an offensive facemask going to to score at the 2 yd line and MSU held them on three downs forcing the game winning FG kick which MSU blocked and returned back across mid-field. Baylor also had an 84 yd INT pick six called back on a penalty. MSU got lucky. MSU got dominated and blown out in that game but luck allowed them to hang around. Briles statement below is exactly what happened but he didn’t mention the onside kick recovery.
“You hate to ‘if’ it, but if you don’t hit the upright, if you don’t get a field goal blocked, if you don’t have an offensive facemask, if you don’t get a penalty on an interception return, then I think we feel a lot different right now,” Briles said.
You’re probably right. I looked at the box score and summarized that MSU came back.
Still looking for Tech tickets
Whaley has them
You picky about where you sit? I think you told me earlier you were.
Very.
It’s hard for me to imagine Zack Sanchez as offering any type of credible leadership to this team. He’s often come across as a “me first” type of player. I hope I’m wrong!
From all of the conversations you’ve had with him, or just because you wanted to make an assumption from the various, random clips you’ve seen on TV? I’m intrigued.
Don’t worry, you’re wrong.
Whenever JT got suspsended the first time, he showed up to practice hungover and convinced the coaches that he was sick. When Sanchez heard that, he set the record straight and made sure JT was held accountable. Sanchez is definitely a team guy
The second suspension was a different issue?
I won’t say you are wrong. I will say you are not remotely right.
I have heard that last year Sanchez was not a leader in any way. BUT this year he has really stepped up. I was told that one practice Quick had several drops and it was Sanchez that grabbed him after practice and said lets catch 100 balls before we leave and get this out of the system.
Guys can change and it seems that Sanchez has.
So are we going to continue to play without defensive ends and thereby damage our ability to recruit any?
Tend to agree. No defensive ends means an end to defense.
And we don’t have a single D linemen committed currently.
https://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1813452
That is a link to Mookie Blaylock’s son who is a WR…fyi
I would like to see Sanchez wrap someone up and quit titty bumping them…..that goes for all the defense!
He did make one excellent wrap up tackle last week, Just needs to do it consistently.
I was hoping to read Kahlil Haughton’s name
You would think that they would play some of these freshmen and let them get some more playing time. If you are going to play them in some of these early games then you might as well play them in all the games and let them get some experience. Just don’t burn their redshirt for just a game or two. That kills me that they do that.
bb playoffs………what a bizarre game rangers/jays…….
With regards to the stRanger fans here, I am glad they are out. Now the local sports will only be clogged and saturated with the Mavericks and Stars.
Oh…and go ‘Stros!
if you missed it, catch the highlights……..that came very close to becoming a hockey brawl……….disappointed to the extent that a texas team final would be more interesting to me……your astros coming up, good luck
Hunh.
Didn’t see them, I kept switching over to see if they had finished yet and who was ahead, then switched back to my gun shows. I’ll switch to the ‘Stros after “Gun Stories” is over.
Wow, the Sanchez haters are in full force once again. And it’s all commentary about tackling. Good logic. Our LB and safeties didn’t tackle a damn thing this weekend and you guys want to attack the buck-70 soaking wet corner who is arguably the most indispensable player on that defense? What did he do so inexcusably wrong in this loss? There are probably 20 more players and multiple coaches who are in front of him in the blame line for last week and you still have something to say. God forbid that kid gets hurt or you’ll really see how bad it could be for this defense.
Bravo to him for trying to light a fire. Someone needs to. I’d argue Striker doesn’t give a crap unless it’s an SEC game as much as I would bash Sanchez for doing what he did. Where did Strikers passion go after tenn? I’d say his attitude has been noticeably different against Bama and twice against tenn than in any other game he’s played. Note, I’m not bashing striker just making a point.
Some of you people amaze me.
God I can’t wait until you loss seeking trolls go back to your caves. Took 5 games for most of you to show up.
At least Stevie D has the sack to come on here in good times and consistently bash. Most of you on here are names we haven’t seen all year.
Went to the RRR, saw everything first hand and decided to take a break from the ensuing onrush of whatever(s)… Prob a good thing.
Anyway, after digesting it all- I still say:
I’m still a huge OU fan
This team and staff are still growing
We knew we wouldn’t win them all.
BOOMER!!!
Sat 3 rows off of the texsa cheerleaders on the sidelines and they took the sting out, a tiny bit 😉
RBear, I’m glad you’re back. How’s it going?
Doing well, thanks- I knew I’d be back- just didn’t want to subject myself to what I’m guessing happened around here 😉
Looking forward to purple kansas!
How are you doing?
I’m good. Family is good. I didn’t come here following the game, all weekend. Checked in Monday and quickly checked out.
Since then, I’ve been trying to speak above the noise. No good. Some are intent on burning it down while inside they are inside the house.
No room for the Fair-Weather fans here- scram.
I wish.
Click on that little minus button to the right
HA!
It’s visually pleasing until you refresh.
Yeah, glaring flaw
I must be missing something. I don’t get it. Please advise.
He’s talking about the collapse button next to the flag button.
I’m slow. Steady but slow.
Steady being the key word
Got it.
Good to see your avatar.
It really is a spectacular setting there, wish you could have experienced it with a different outcome.
Lots of gloom and negativity on display since then, including today’s latest thread. I didn’t read it and haven’t read anything he has written(other than daily news) in four years.
EasTex, more sensibility, has arrived.
Just chillin’ and waiting for Friday night and Saturday afternoon. 🙂
Who is Marshall playing this week? What’s the atmosphere been like since Friday?
Homecoming week, they have Greenville High. A team that is struggling, but has a stud 220lb RB that is their only real weapon. Coach has the team on alert, not to get cocky about last week and distracted by the Homecoming hoopla.
Good advice.
You think RBear would like to see that 4th and 1 run?
/i have watched it a dozen times
Yes he would. You should share it, most definitely. What a burst and the presence to shut it down and not score, stay inbound.
That’s all the encouragement I need. BTW, the coach said the same thing you did about how unselfish he was to go down in bounds even though he probably could have scored, he didn’t want to risk a strip.
Okay, here is the scene. Marshall High(in all red) is leading their ancient and hated rival 28-25, 90 seconds left, Marshall has 4th and inches at their own 47 and Longview has no timeouts left. The winner is in the driver’s seat for the district championship. The RB #5, Cameron Haller(5’10″200) has carried the team from their own 6 to this point.
https://youtu.be/IztUDoHrcAw?t=2h53m
“Ding! Dong! The witch is dead.”
Classic.
Yes. That was the first thing I noticed. He put the team before his personal accomplish. That’s the kind of person I want on my team.
He’s a junior but you can see how his team mates respond to him, he’s the lead dog.
The QB was the ET player of the week, 11-15-0 322yds 2TDs.
With three dropped passes, for sure touchdowns, correct?
Two dropped that most likely would have gone the distance, one he threw away and another was batted on a close play. Kid is cool as the other side of the pillow, this rivalry game was when he first became the starter as a freshman. He has seen it all.
Here is his video highlights from the Longview game, the first play of the game starts the reel.
http://www.maxpreps.com/athlete/justin-hart/3DPTM_TuEeKZ5AAmVebBJg/videos.htm?videoid=70f298be-849b-4304-a844-f89f39a928dd
The QB has a quick release.
He is also very accurate. With his size and being not very fleet footed if he plays ball after high school it will have to be small school.
Classy move
What still amazes me is his burst when he turns it up field, he is a blur when he shoots between 4 defenders.
My bud and me are intent on returning until we see the desired outcome! Great atmosphere and it WILL HAPPEN again!
EDIT- BTW, Tulsa State Fair corn dogs are 316% better than those texsa imposters 😉
So much fun.
Hope y’all were there to see the bands come marching in from outside the stadium.
Yes, captured a little of the OU band unfurling the State flag from up close- very awesome. We stayed in our seats during halftime and took all of that in as well.
I have always enjoyed going, but haven’t been in a number of years. Don’t like crowds too much anymore and I not only like to sit down during the game, I like to recline.
I will agree on the crowd business but I have the feeling that it would have been much more tolerable if…
It isn’t the crowd, it is me. My hands wouldn’t hold up what with all the heads I would be slapping.
Or ______’s you’d like to be grabbing?
There is much visual stimuli, I can’t deny.
DANG!
They must be awesome, sorry I didn’t go the one year I lived there in the 80’s.
I’ve been determined to go back too. Unfortunately, went 2013 & 2015 now.
They both sucked as games, but this year I was excactly on the 50, 13 rows up on OU sideline. Long story short, I was in the middle of about 30 female coeds, it wasn’t only the game that made me want to cry.
Pheromones make my eyes leak, too. 🙂
Do you think our boys come out fired up on Saturday? KJ posted there will be some changes in personnel.
I trust KJ
Yepper. He’s one of the good guys.
I do and as always I expect the Sooners to win.
I like the addition of Will Johnson to NB, he looked good in the spring game.
Will wears #12, correct?
Yes.
http://www.soonersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=209874544&DB_OEM_ID=31000
This is what many of us have asked for to play a corner at the nickel spot. So hopefully this looks like what we imagined. If it does then I think that may be an indictment on mike not thinking of this solution previously. And it may have more to do with trust in guys.
Byrd’s performance probably has a great deal to do with the change.
With KSt looming, I have to wonder if we won’t see more base defense and less nickel, but starting the week after we will probably see the nickel most every week for the remainder of the season.
I think Byrd will see the field again probably another message being sent. Seemed to work for michiah. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a 2-3-6 vs tech
I was up top and saw everything from a nice perch. This was not the outcome I wanted either and after a few days just trying to digest everything that went wrong. This was a big punch in the gut but one I can live with. We all knew coming in we had issues but they exposed it a lot and now teams will start trying to duplicate the same thing. Mike better start changing things up or it will be a long season for our boys. Have to take it one game at a time.
To me, LR needs to get his act together more than MS.
I agree to a point. I thought he did a good job of adjusting in the 3rd qtr with the short passes and up tempo we had going. After we had stopped them and started getting the momentum back then we reverted back to the same ol’ crap again. I wished he would of done be sweeps off tackle and let the big boys run in space than up the middle. You could see they were giving us the outside on a lot of things.
Holding teams to 24 will win most games, but not when you score 17.
EasTex, I always enjoy your post. However, I don’t completely agree with you on this. Yes, normally 24 points is a good day for the D in the Big 12 but UT scored only 7 verses TCU and 13 offensive points against OSU. Also, with less than 4 minutes in the game and down a touchdown and two TO’s left, we couldn’t get a stop vs. UT. The 2-4-5 scheme really angered me….it didn’t make sense to me.
Lincoln Riley does have to start proving himself. I wonder if the Cale Gundy to inside receiver coach was a mistake? I wonder if Boulware will be around next year? I wonder if Kish will be around next year? I wonder if Bob will make any changes at all, mainly due to all the changes he has made last 3 years?
Thing is, the 2-4-5 actually worked most of the time it was employed. Take away that one fluke 80 yard run, the OU and Texsa RBs had the same 4 yards per carry average. Texsa just had more running plays and getting ahead early took all the pressure off of their offense. Ross doesn’t fumble and OU gets points, it is an entirely different ball game.
The poor tackling exacerbated the problem and of course the ref not calling holding on the Texsa TE when he put Jordan Evans in a choke hold on the 80yard run.
I have my own life and family that consumes my time, I leave the coaching decisions to the people who get paid to consume their time with what is going on. I love the Sooners and want them to win every time, it is exciting and entertaining and provides me with deep satisfaction. The Sooners don’t owe me anything other than their best effort and all I owe them is my support and loyalty.
And this is why I enjoy your post! Thanks for the info and analysis. Still think OU should have been able to keep UT under 17 points.
And I still think OU should have been able to score much more than that on a Texsa defense that had been bleeding yards and points. But, hey…it’s football and you never know when that blind squirrel is going to find an acorn.
Yeah, maybe so. Kind of like that guy who has all the new-fangled tools in his shed but only knows how to use a few of them.
nothing wrong with enjoying beauty…..better than watching the oline
I was trying to pose w/ the upside down horns sign but they were pretty wise to it so this is a “transition” shot.
Nice pic but it wouldn’t be with them, sorry. Hope you enjoyed your trip even though it wasn’t what we wanted. I’m going again next year also.
This was pre-game and I truly thought I was taunting them 🙁
Hopefully the patchouli oil scent was too strong. 🙂
We use the same hair dye I see. 🙂
Wait a minute… you’re not Charles Bronson!
I morph
bb playoffs………astros had their chance in houston and let it get away, now it’s over…….will pull for kc
Yep. Good season for a team that every one thought was too young to compete.
South Park had a great spoof of yelp, with a catchy closing song. LOL!