Open Post | Tuesday, November 11th

Post Game | Quick Thoughts
– Super K

A win is a win but man, Lincoln and co are really making life difficult for themselves.

***It’s hard to criticize an offensive genius like Lincoln but the departure from the run is just a head scratcher. Iowa State showed no signs of stopping the run early in the game. But Lincoln continues to put the ball in Jalen Hurts’ hands and let him freelance.

***Rhamondre Stephens comes in early and rips off a big run and then disappear. Pledger is no where to be seen and then in a pressure situation, he appears.

***Brooks is running for more than 10 yards a carry and you’re ahead. Instead of feeding him and putting your foot on Iowa State, breaking their spirit and taking time off the clock, you, again, let Jalen sit back there find nothing and then maybe take off running.

***Sometimes it looks like the Sooners are more interested in getting Hurts some stats than burying the other team.

***Just a note to remember that this OL is a rebuilt OL. Amazing that Bedenbaugh got 4 guys drafted last year and has rebuilt this thing so quickly.

***OU needs safeties in a bad way. There has to be guys that can push the current safeties. The missed tackles are mounting up and costing OU. Early in the season, the safeties struggled and the defense struggled. They found a groove in the middle of the season and the defense improved. Now, they’re struggling again.

***The unfortunate thing is OU’s corners aren’t playing the ball in the air. There are multiple times when they can attack the ball with their hands and instead they just throw their shoulder into the man to dislodge the ball. Talking about getting turnovers Is fine but if you’re not actually attempting to make a play on a ball that’s available to you, then it’s just talk.

***Generally OU just needs to continue to build talent and age on the back end. Both safeties are second year guys and Davis is a true freshman. We have to keep that in mind. I think the lack of depth and the ability to push these guys is showing. Grinch only had two safeties available to him in the spring.

***If OU isn’t making sure every DB they offer has INTS on their high school film, then I don’t know what they’re doing. Offer Kendall Dennis.

***Back to the offense, the amount that Lincoln is putting on Hurts just seems like a lot. Threw three potential INTs early on that Iowa State dropped.

***Outside of some painful busts, guys were in position on defense but, again, a lot of the sharpness in tackling that we saw early in the season just isn’t there.

***I see a defense that has average talent on the back end with below average depth. I see a defense that, when they’re locked in they show you some excellent play. But at other times, they struggle, badly. It’s a lot of inconsistency.

***The good news is that, you actually do see high points. It’s like watching a great high school football player who shows tremendous potential but then does something that leaves you shaking your head. The job is to get them to play at that high level all the time. That’s going to require continued development in the culture, depth for accountability, more experience on the back end, talent upgrades and they’ll need to reevaluate their positional development across the board.

***Credit for the win. Campbell is a great coach. He out coached Lincoln and he’s probably the only guy in the Big 12 that can do that.

More later…


Sooners Sunday Brunch
– Charlie S

For two weeks all we heard was that the Sooners were going to come out with their hair on fire and play inspired football in all three facets of the game following their loss to Kansas State.

Last night, for nearly three quarters, it appeared that things were going somewhat to script as the Sooners raced out to a 35-14 lead at the half and led the game 42-21 entering the last quarter.

Granted, Jalen Hurts tried his best to keep it close in the first half as he threw two ‘should have been’ pick six’s and CeeDee Lamb bailed him out on a deep throw into triple coverage which CeeDee turned into a touchdown.

However, the Sooners came out running the ball, with a running back, and it appeared that Riley and the offensive unit were finding their groove. The defense, in the first half, was not spectacular, but they held the potent Iowa State offense largely in check.

Yes, OU had missed opportunities to get a turnover, notably when Parnell Motley acted as though he just came out of a tub of butter as he couldn’t haul in a pass that looked like it was thrown to him. They also had a bunch of missed tackles, but again, they held Iowa State to 14 points. Not bad.

Enter the fourth quarter where we go Back to the Future.

Image result for back to the future gif

The fourth quarter brought it all back.

The PMSTSD reared it’s head defensively and the curious case of Riley once again abandoning the conventional call and refusing to run the ball, with his running backs, down Iowa State’s throats.

If one wishes to focus on defense, you have plenty of options. The secondary was terrible in coverage with multiple blown assignments and they may have been worse in tackling. There were also multiple occasions where OU defenders simply fell down. I had never seen that happen so many times in one game. Like, they just fell down…for no specific reason at various locations on the field. Bizarre.

Pat Fields has such a bad outing that he made DTY look like an All-American. Meanwhile, DTY had a night in which he will want to burn the film. That is how poor the safety play was. Bad angles, bad coverage, bad tackling. Bad.

The corners and Bookie were only marginally better but they were still not in any way, shape, or form….good. Missed tackles, falling down, busted coverages…you name it, they did it.

Want to talk about linebackers? Not much to say there as the RUSH position consistently gave up the edge and if you didn’t know the names of the ILBs going into the game, you wouldn’t know them coming out of the game as they were pretty much non-factors in regards to making notable plays. The things you noticed…was…you guessed it…when they missed tackles.

Offensively speaking…Kennedy Brooks had 15 carries for 132 yards which was 8.8 yards per carry and one 48 yard touchdown.

The problem there is…Jalen Hurts had 22 carries for 68 yards which was a 3.1 yard per carry average and Riley and Hurts seemingly forgot about Brooks for large portions of the game when OU had the opportunity to run the clock and gain yardage. The reluctance to feed the running backs affects the entire offense as defenses pay no attention to any play-action as they are quite certain that OU will not commit to the run game…no matter how much the situation calls for it.

As mentioned above, Hurts had a bad night throwing the ball. He is what he is and it feels like Riley is trying to prove he is something that he isn’t. We are nine games into the season, we all can see the pattern. If Hurts first option is not open, the OU offense turns into the Jalen Hurts tuck it and run show, or forcing a ball into a bad spot.

I am not bagging on Hurts. He is what he is. He is a great teammate and a good leader. He also resembles a wildcat QB which is not something Sooner fans are accustomed too.

This team very well may win out. They may win the Big 12 for a fifth consecutive season. But, right now, after the last two games, their defense is still susceptible and their offense is way too predictable.

This was a rebuilding year for the Sooners. We all knew that coming into the season as they had a new defense, a new QB, and four new starters on the offensive line.

Through the first seven games, there were signs that progress was being made. Particularly on the defensive side of the ball. The last two games indicate that there is a long, long way to go for this defense to be respectable.

The defense appears to have peaked against Texas where they had nine sacks and physically dominated an opponent which is arguably the most athletically talented team they will face all year, regardless of how they play. Since Texas…not so much as they have gone so long without a turnover (the two-point ‘interception’ last night does not register as a turnover) that I cannot recall the game where they got one.

The offense appears to have regressed as the season has gone along. Through the first four or five games, the common thought was that the Sooners knew they could run the ball and they were just working the passing/QB run game to get Hurts integrated into the offense…well, after nine games, that appears to be the offense and the running backs have become a complementary aspect instead of the focal point. Right now, the offense is a two man show for the most part in Jalen Hurts and CeeDee Lamb.

When I sat down to write this piece, I had every intention of focusing on the positives for you all. I really didn’t want to write a hit piece. but aside from CeeDee’s performance (spectacular), Kennedy Brooks making the most of his carries (well done), and Trejan Bridges being used in the slot in the red zone was great. That’s all I got there though.

For nearly three-quarters last night, the Sooners did what we thought they would do to Iowa State. Then, the fourth quarter happened.

The final three regular-season games for the Sooners are all very ‘Winable’. If they play as they did in the fourth quarter last night, they are all very ‘Lose-able’ as well.

Buckle up.


Recruiting | Quick-Hitters | Demas & Bradley
– Super K

***First, as you know, the Sooners hosted 2020 South Carolina DB commit, Dominick Hill (Orlando, FL).

I haven’t spoken to him just but I’ll be catching up with him Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday. So I should have something straight from him, later this week.

***As you know, 5-star freak athlete, Demond Demas was on campus this past weekend. And you also know that Demas has been committed to Texas A&M for quite some time.

This one is going to be tough to get some information on but I’m still working to see if we can speak with Demas sometime today. Here’s what I’ve got, so far…

– I was able to exchange some text messages with Demas on Friday night when he was in Norman.

– There wasn’t much to ask at that point other than to confirm he was in Norman, which he did. He also noted that he was being hosted by both Ceedee Lamb and Spencer Rattler. He said he had just spoken to Jalen Hurts, as well and added that Hurts was going to be hanging out with them over the weekend.

– The names that the Sooners are able to put Demas around are huge…it’s something the Aggies, at least right now, can’t really compete with. This brings me to the next points…

– Demas has been solid to TAMU for a while and has been one of their most vocal recruiters. But, I’m told that the Texas A&M coaches are worried about this one because it’s OU. One source said, “They (TAMU) know how to make their case against a school like Alabama, but how do you argue against Oklahoma?”

– Was told that what really concerns TAMU is that Demas did not inform them of the visit. Given how close Demas is to his position coach and coach Fisher, a notification would have been natural and it didn’t happen.

– Also, I was told that TAMU believes that very early on his recruitment, Demas actually was OU bound. This was even before he released a top five. I don’t know what derailed that.

– The issue is, of course, that Demas is on campus at TAMU all the time. Again, he’s very close to the TAMU staff. And, he has TAMU people all around him. OU isn’t just going to be working against TAMU’s staff. They’re going to have to recruit against people close to Demas. So, it’s a tough task. However…

– Riley has done this kind of thing before where he plays possum. They’ll act like they’re not really in it. They’ll play it very low key and push that word out to folks outside the program so as not to alert the other team to put their guard up. I’m not saying that is certainly what’s happening here but it would not surprise me. So, I’m not sure how much we are going to be able to rely on any OU side sourcing. We’re going to have to continue to fish on this one through our Houston sources and see if we can get something from Demas himself.

– I have been told that Demas is assuring the TAMU staff he is solid. But the fact that he has to tells you they are nervous…and they are.

– The Sooners have a lot to work against but as one source told me, if anyone can make Demas rethink things, it’s OU and Riley.

***2021 WR, Jerand Bradley (Plano, TX) was on campus for an unofficial visit this past weekend.

Bradley has come into focus for the Sooners as one of their 2021 wide receiver targets. He’s a big bodied wide receiver at nearly 6’5. I am told that coach Gundy was down to see Bradley during the bye week.

The Sooners haven’t offered him just yet but I was told that coach Riley sat with Bradley and spoke with him for an hour on the visit. He told Bradly that they are going to have an answer for him in the next few weeks.

It likes like Riley wants to assess the numbers in both 2020 and 2021. He told Bradley that he wants to see who they’re going to get in 2020 which tells me, Riley wants to get a sense of whether or not he feels like he has much of a chance to land Demas.

I think it’s also connected to 2021 WR, Latrell Neville. Neville, like Bradly is a bigger wide receiver. I’ll have a note on Neville but I’ll just say here that Neville is currently an OU lean but I’m not sure what the Sooners are going to do about that.

They’ve still got Mario Williams and Agiye Hall sitting out there. And, Cody Jackson is already in the boat. It might be a little earlier to be pushing for 2021 WR commits unless you really feel confident in a particular players ability and progress


Jaheim Bell | Update
– Super K

The Sooners have been in pursuit of jumbo ATH, Jaheim Bell (Valdosta, GA) and some of you were asking for an update on Bell.

I checked with him to find out when he plans on committing and how much contact he’s had with the Sooners lately.

Bell said he plans on announcing his decision during the early signing period. In terms of contact he said, “They’re hitting me up but it’s not how it was when I took my official”.

I imagine the Sooners expected Bell to jump in the boat earlier, especially after they assured him he still had a spot following his ACL tear.

Not sure if they have reassessed their numbers and decided to go in a different direction or not, but my guess is since he decided to wait, the Sooners are content to play the field a bit, themselves.


Sooners Presser | Baylor Week | Injury Update – Sermon & Mann Out For Season
– Charlie S

Injury Updates:

As K reported earlier, Trey Sermon is out for the season with a knee injury. Kenneth Mann is also out for the season with an injury. Riley said he is “Heartbroken for those two”.

All other injuries “Answer is I don’t know” Looks like things could be ok. but we will see.

At the end of the press conference Riley updated the status of Tight End Grant Calcaterra as well: “Still not planning on having Calcaterra back, Still in wait and see mode.”


Neville Gallimore: 

Gallimore on the last couple of weeks: When we don’t meet our standard it gets frustrating…getting the win was great, not the way we wanted it to happen.

On Standards: It was a lot of things…everyone collectively. We all have to be on the same page and trust the coaching. End of the day, that’s what practice is for.

On Defensive line the last 2 games: Not where it needed to be. A lot of things they could do better. It’s not enough to just get pressure, got to make the plays.

On DL having success early, but not lately: Biggest focus is about us, not the opposing OL. We are still trying to find ways to do that….have to keep trusting the process and what the coaches are telling us what to do.

On Confidence: It’s challenging. See it as a challenge. Little things we need to focus on.

On Baylor Atmosphere: Great program…it’s gonna be a tough environment, but nothing we aren’t used to. If everyone can do their jobs to the best of their abilities, it will take care of itself.

On Crowd leaving early Saturday: At the end of the day, you have to play ball no matter what the environment is. It’s about making plays on that field.

How much are they looking forward to Baylor: Always look forward to big-time games. It’s an opportunity for us to show up in a great environment. Good time to have that dog show up.

Jalen Hurts: 

Not a day goes by when us as people stop learning…great opportunity to show growth and learning. How we do in practice, how we prepare, play hard…carry it over to the game

Mood after game: Eager to get out there and practice and have another opportunity to get better. We have a standard, want to play to that standard. Back to work we go today,

On Baylor: Good defense, fast, well-coached.

On Rayden: He is an inspiration to me…meant the world to me to meet him. That whole meeting was great for me. I think everyone has been bullied at some point. But he has a friend in me.

Has he ever been to Waco: No sir. Never been there.

On the ‘Standard’ and living up to Baker and Kyler: The ability to do my job, and help the team win. Through all of this, the QB gets all the glory when it’s good, all the blame when it’s bad. All about playing to win.

Anything different in workouts the past couple weeks: There has to be an attention to detail…enthusiasm and eagerness. These opportunities are limited. We have to appreciate these moments.

How much time does he spend looking back: You have to acknowledge those lessons and learn from it. Look back on it. Everyone has to be able to look in the mirror and say ‘what have I done to help this team’.

Lincoln Riley:

On Baylor: Very experienced team. They constantly improve. Give COach Rhule and staff a lot of credit. On top of playing well, it’s how they have played in their close games…finishing games and whatnot. Will be a great challenge.

On Defense the last two games: Interesting question. We haven’t played as good. Came is spurts. Tackling hasn’t been good. Not creating turnovers. That one on the 2 point conversion was huge.

On playing four quarters: In the last 2 games we’ve gotten off to fast starts…not sure if we relax…we haven’t been able to maintain and build off those starts. When the adversity hits, we have to respond better. The season goes on…different challenges…you have to be ready to do it every play every game every week.

On interaction with Brayden: We became aware of it through social media…found out through some people that he and his family were big Sooner fans. Through the help of several people we were able to make it happen. Got to spend some time and they are really good people. Best part was winning the game and bringing him into the locker room. Brought awareness to an issue that is important.

On CeeDee: He is making a lot of explosive plays. No question. He stacks up well to the guys we have had.

On Simmons with CeeDee: He does a great job developing the guys. Demanding the best out of the guys. It helps them grow regardless of where they were ranked coming in.

On comparing Jalen to Baker and Kyler: It’s like a lot of things where we will be asked about it…but I put zero thought into that. Jalen doesn’t put any thought in it either. To do great things you have to have such focus and those things don’t matter.

On Jalens poor throws: One knew the coverage and didn’t see the defenders. and the other we missed on the coverage. That’s gonna happen with QBs from time to time. He’s done a really good job on that this year overall.

If he is seeing growth every game: There are ebbs and flows. Coaching is like you plug one leak and another spring. You don’t get to the point where you plug them all. You’re constantly trying to work on your weaknesses. As the season has gone on we have been challenged in different ways…at this point, we are doing some things better than we were….and the flip side is that there are points that are disappointing and we know we can play better. We have to fix those things…now.

On the defense: It will be defined at the end of the year. The things we did and how well we played early happened. The way we played the past two games happened. If it is what we think it is, it will show up at the end of the season.

Are young kids close: I think we have a couple kids who are right on the edge. guys are going to have opportunities. A lot of them are doing things that get you excited. It’s getting to the time where they will get their chance.

On DTY and Fields: I don’t think they are getting worn down…but we do want to create depth and competition still. Getting more guys ready to play has been a big focus. They have to practice and prepare well to get those chances.

On visiting Baylor: Hopefully, that trend continues with them not playing that well there (sarcastic) they have won them all, so that is all that matters. Playing on the road is always tough.

On Kennedy Brooks: It was important. He ran well. At the end, he was agonizingly close to popping even more big ones. It’s gonna be key. We hate losing Trey but we have a lot of confidence in Rhamondre and TJ.

On ‘SoonerSquad 17’: It was a group we were really excited about coming in. But it was all about what are these guys gonna do with it. It was a talented class…it was a very serious class. Those guys came in here to work. That allowed a lot of them to get off to great a=starts in their career.

On who does CeeDee remind him of: Not really anyone at OU. Good question. Has some similarities to Crabtree. CD is a little faster and Crabtree was a little stronger.

On Baylor defense: Have a lot of respect for the defensive staff there. They have done a great job. They have changed it up schematically and it’s done well for them. Depth chart is loaded with guys who have played a lot of meaningful snaps for them. big a challenge as we have faced all year.

On the crowd leaving: It’s our job to play to our level no matter what. I would never put that on our fans. Now, the flipside of that is we have one of the great fanbases and stadiums in America…does our team feel that…Hell yeah they do…when it’s not…hell yeah they do.

On Caleb Kelly: He’s doing well. Not just saying that because he is sitting in the back of the room. Still not planning on having Calcaterra back, Still in wait and see mode.


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