Image from Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Baylor is fast and finesse. We aren’t. We’re tough and resilient. Baylor wants to make this a basketball game. We need to make this game a fight.
I’ve gotta believe that the QB run game will be there for us tonight; that is, if we are willing to use it. Nobody in the Big XII executes the power run game better than Oklahoma. As we’ve been doing all week in our previews of the Oklahoma vs. Baylor game we’re going to look at some Baylor vs. K. State film. Baylor could not stop the QB run game all day vs K-State.
In the image below you’ll see K. State doing just what we run down around the goal line or in short yardage. What I particularly like about how K-State ran this play is that they had the left tackle play an inside out technique on #2 of Baylor. It accounts for that backside edge player and allows the counter to develop. This is much like we do it as you see the fullback (bottom red arrow) leads up in the hole. You see great blocks on the other two arrows, and Sams goes in standing up. For the last two years Baylor has not had an answer for the QB power running game of Bell. My guess is they won’t have one Thursday night either:
You want more Qb run game? Look no further than the picture below. While K-State’s QB, Sams, is a much more dynamic runner than Bell, there’s no reason to believe that we won’t be able to do the same thing against Baylor running the football. That hole is plenty big enough but to add insult to injury the QBs got a blocker leading him up in there. After rewatching this game, there’s a lot of evidence to support the idea that, if Oklahoma is executing, the talent is there to run on Baylor and I’m not sure Baylor has the talent to respond.
In the image below we see Baylor playin’ that Oreo defense again. AKA, soft in the middle. This is just a wedge play that’s like a power QB sneak from the shotgun with the fullback leading. K-State’s o-line did a great job on this play getting movement in the middle. When the K-State QB, Sams, lands in the end zone, he’s four yards deep
We may see Oklahoma struggle early on to run the ball just because we’re often a little sloppier with our blocking early in the game and we haven’t played in a couple weeks. But if we’ll stick to the run game and be patient Baylor looks open for some gut punches. Baylor’s defense appears more active than they’ve been in the past and they’ve obviously got a lot of guys who have played a lot of snaps. But, I’m not convinced they’ve really upgraded their talent. I just hope we don’t panic at the first sign of adversity, abandon the run game and try to match Baylor throwing the ball around the yard. It’s a four quarter fight and we should be fine if we’ll stick to the plan.
I’m not much for predictions. I played enough football to know that, unless there are big mismatches, anything can happen. But Oklahoma can, and maybe even should, win this game. We might not be pretty like Apollo Creed but Rocky was the one standing in the end.
ADRIAN! BOOMER!
Oklahoma vs. Baylor Preview Part 3: Make it a Fight!
Posted on: November 7, 2013
9 Comments
Thanks JY. I’ve been looking for reasons to think OU can win the game, you have provided some hope, I hope the players execute to their capability.
Lets hope so Scott!
JY, I know you are high on Bedenbaugh, maybe you could do a story that explains why you think he has been a good hire for OU.
Funny you should mention that Scott because JY recently put together a post talking about exactly that. We just haven’t put it up yet. Great suggestion!
Bedenbaugh’s group was completely out-classed in the run game tonight. Though I thought the pass protection was solid.
I dont’ think it was being outclassed as much as it was us not checking to the side where we had a numbers advantage. When you’re outnumbered at the point of attack by two or three people, that’s not being out-classed, it’s basic math. I’ve been chirping for years that we must have a two play check when we get to the line on run plays. You need to run the play to the side that you have a numbers advantage. Continually under this offensive coordinator, we fail to recognize where we have a numbers advantage and go there. O line always takes the shots when things aren’t successful, but we just got flat outcoached from a scheme perspective.
1st quarter it always seemed like there was a key missed block. After that the issues were too many to handle in one comment. One of them is the one you mentioned JY.
They talked about a loaded box. But other than the FS jumping in against certain sets I didn’t see a lot of it. Just looked like OU’s linemen were getting whipped mano-y-mano.
Without having watched it again, what appeared to me happened is that Baylor was attacking the middle of our offense. They weren’t giving us time to allow those power plays to develop. Gotta give credit to the Baylor coaching staff for preparing their guys and dictating that. What we should have done is run more off-tackle as it would have been easier just to wall those guys off. We ran an off tackle play under center to the left at one point and it popped for about 12 or 13 yards, but we never went back to it. Had we stuck with it, it would have forced them to quit loading up in the middle and some of that other stuff would have opened up. Don’t get me wrong, we weren’t clean blocking a lot of things, but the coaches didn’t make the adjustments to allow us to take what they were giving us either. I plan on re-watching the game over the weekend and getting a good look at what went on. thanks for the feedback man!