Reports: Baker Mayfield To Be Named Starting Quarterback (UPDATE: It’s Official)
Posted on: August 24, 2015
Both Ryan Aber of The Oklahoman and Eric Bailey tweeted almost simultaneously Monday afternoon that a source had revealed to them Baker Mayfield will be named the starting quarterback.
One would expect with word evidently starting to leak out, we could hear something more official from Bob Stoops as soon as today.
– UPDATE: OU makes it official. Also confirms, unsurprisingly, that Trevor Knight is the No. 2 quarterback.
It’s official.
@OU_CoachStoops names starting quarterback for Sept. 5 opener: http://t.co/qVazZbBoVy pic.twitter.com/dd6P4dnKtt
— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) August 24, 2015
364 Comments
John Shinn has verified & confirmed the initial reports.
Well I’m actually extremely happy that has announcement has been made so we can stop arguing about. I’m happy I get to see what he can and if the game is a blowout by the second quarter we can the #2 guy.
I guess I look at it different than all others. I think BM was picked because he was the best available option til LR gets his man on campus.
Well there ya have it baker farve
Seems all sources are confirming this. No huge surprise to many given Mayfield’s experience in a LR type system.
August 24, 2015
They all got the same email from the OU athletic department, lol
So that is how the AD released the info? News conference later today?
Just hope he reigns in the forced throws. Too many INTs and his ass won’t see the field again.
Just keep some of those throws under a little more control…don’t force too many and he will be fine.
heres to a new look at qb, and a guy who’s not afraid to run.
Ok now let’s go kick some ass
Hope Cody doesn’t transfer
Cant transfer this year
Why?
cause classes have started. Why would you transfer to a school knowing you will have to sit out next year. When there is a possibility you can still see the field this year
However if he stays and graduates. He could transfer and play right away.
I predicted he’ll be the next Drew Allen
Baseball will get his undivided attention.
He quit the baseball team to focus full time on football.
and baseball season has not started so there is that chance vs. transferring.
If he’s the backup, there is no reason for him to transfer. We haven’t heard anything about the #2 QB.
OK…so who’s the backup that OU fans will be yelling to see??
In the same breath that they’re dog cussing the OC. Lol!
Baker Mayfield after he heard the news
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTmUL1Rrwr8
His moves put him over the others.
that’s it, they were so even it came down to dance moves…..
your fast……
his fast what?
his post, I put the same thing up
sorry, just poking fun at the your vs. you’re battle
I stand corrected, thxs
just funnin’, no harm meant
don’t mind being corrected, thxs
nm
It will be interesting to see how short his leash is.
Good luck to Baker and the team. It’s good to know that we have 3 quality healthy QB’s. Great problem to have so let’s go kick some butt.
It’s certainly a problem we did NOT have last season.
Was FUJH the source?
Don’t fall for her charms Baker. She stuck her claws in Knight and he was never the same
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CNML9FGXAAEhrO8.jpg
was the beginning of the end for TK. He was never the same.
That’s Vicky Valencourt in disguise. Stay away from her…. she’s the devil.
Uh oh. Taylor Swift just tweeted “I Heart you Baker”
No……don’t worry, Kanye will get in between them.
She’s so hot. Oops did I say that out loud?
In a sleezy, would not touch that with a ten foot pole kind of way.
and cold.
I was hoping that TK would have gotten his chance in LR’s system, but regardless of who the QB is, as long as they get the ball where it needs to be (i.e., not in the defense’s hands) and help win games, I will be happy
I wouldn’t doubt that LR may even have a couple of alignments with both of them on the field at the same time.
I would think that would do a disservice to the rest of the weapons OU currently has available on offense to ‘waste’ a spot for another QB
For just one or two plays, nah.
My initial thoughts after Riley was hired is that Mayfield would be the starter. I backed off of that some recently with the arm injury and the reports of multiple interceptions, but I think Mayfield is probably the best “playmaker” of the three, and I can’t help but think the OU staff feels like we need a difference maker at QB to be successful. Mayfield is definitely that, good or bad. Hopefully he can learn to control the decision making, and he could be a good one.
He needs patience. He doesn’t need six on every play. We’re gonna run the ball and dink and dunk down the field.
yep…distribute the ball. I saw a clip on ESPN announcing it. He appeared to have some happy feet. Took off pretty quick. But, at least he can run some.
we are going to have to take the good with the bad bc he will take chances. That’s just who he is.
But, buy, but…this is a 3 horse race…all getting equal reps…it’s a true competition…
Yeah, right. Baker reportedly struggled up until last week and the last week’s body of work made up all that ground? Not hardly. I hate to say I told you so–well, no I don’t actually–but I told (some of) you so. The coaches knew after Spring who they were going to start, but short of a sodium pentathol injection, they’d never admit it. Why should they? It makes all of the QBs try harder and get better so that the starter ends up better, and with injury, the backup is better because of the perceived competition.
Yep. To your point: we need 2-3 QBS just in case. Look what having 2-3 capable QBS did for Ohio St.
If your assumptions are correct the only reason to share the snaps equally would be to force BM to get rid of a little of the gunslinger mentality and take better care of the football, a criterion at the top of Stoops list. Otherwise Riley would have given BM better than 50% of the snaps to advance him in Riley’s system to the stage playing totally instinctive instead of thinking. That cannot be accomplished watching Trevor and Cody take snaps. I think the decision was not made until at least midway through fall camp.
I wholeheartedly agree that it was to get Baker to stop trying to throw it into tight situations. I respect your opinion, but I still disagree that the decision was made after the Spring. I believe with their (Riley & Baker) familiarity and the high school and Tech offense that Mayfield played in, he’s been Riley’s guy for a while.
I also think Bob would have had major problems if he went with Trevor after last year, because we fans would have excoriated him if TK came out and stunk it up again. I don’t think he could make that gamble again. I say that considering the fact that the president of the University called Bob into the office for an all day meeting after the embarrassing collapse vs oSu and an embarrassingly bad season overall, I think changes were expected in many areas. I believe Baker is one of those changes…and I’m fully willing to bet after the display on the sidelines vs Baylor, Boren insisted on Mike being in the booth.
I could be wrong though. I’ve been wrong at least once before.
I’ll get behind this dude. All I will say is, he needs to rein it in; don’t try to play “hero ball” when it’s not needed. Get those playmakers the ball and save the John Wayne stuff for when the teams needs you to step up.
I have to say, there are always games where the QB has to win it for you. We’ve seen that from every MNC winning team in the last 20 years. Sometimes you need someone that is willing and able to put the team on his back and not doubt himself.
It sounds like, if nothing else, Baker Mayfield has the confidence. Now he just needs to find a balance between confidence and arrogance, and make sure not to cross that line too often. If he can do that…? Well we might just have a gamer at QB.
If this turns out to be true, good luck, Baker Mayfield. Go get number 8, man.
Very well put Nate. Thats exactly how Baker has to play it.
Not a surprise, hopefully he won’t be a turn over machine
Riley said in an interview after being hired that QB accuracy was very important to him. I don’t know how accurate Baker is but Knight has never been accurate in high school or college. Let’s see what Baker does with this before being too excited. I suspect we will see two QBs play with packages (like we saw with the Belldozer) for Trevor, possibly red zone and short yardage.
Baker is bigger than TK and runs pretty well. I can’t imagine TK going in for red zone duty over Baker
Accept the Sugar Bowl. But it’s a distant memory. But what a good one.
Trevor was not good in short yardage despite his athletic ability…Thomas was much better at zone read
I think the OU Athletic Department was waiting for my birthday today to send out the QB e-mail announcement .. you’re welcome 😉
happy shrink b’day
Happy BDay!
Pretty cool that OU will be starting John Wayn– I mean Baker Mayfield at QB. Having a quarterback under center with his swagger will be very entertaining. Now where did I put my time machine….
I will only believe it once TFB calls it. I only trust the news I get from you guys. Whoever it is I will be at the opener cheering them on. I will admit I was pulling for TK even though I cussed him a lot through the TV last year.
Good point
Very rarely do I ever read anything from any other OU news sites anymore. I trust these guys and more than once they have proved their integrity through their reporting.
Yeah, my plasma TV is just now forgiving me for my TK outbursts.
You’re right. It can’t be true. We heard just last week here that Mayfield was running a distant 3rd!
You beat me to it, Jack.
Suck up. You’re just trying to get a free subscription to TFB.
Every pay site has been reporting it for about an hour now. Have to believe it’s valid.
Hmmmmm, wonder if it was the same source? If so, I’ll take it with a grain of salt until there is some sort of confirmation. I have been had before by the media!!!!
Telegraph just arrived in Mayberry, let’s go Mayfield!
OK guys let me tell you why Baker Mayfield is the starter. He is the most accurate of the 3, which I mentioned in an earlier thread and got jumped on about how do I know he is the most accurate.
Well its quite easy. Trevor Knight his red-shirt freshman year, he only got sacked 4 times, which meant for the most part he had decent protection and only completed 59% of his passes. His sophomore year he was only sacked 7 times, and again was only able to complete 57% of his passes.
Mayfield as a true freshman got sacked 24 times, which means he had bad Oline play and threw the ball a lot more than Trevor did. He also played in an offense with no run threat, but was still able to complete 64% of his passes. So with better Oline play at OU and much better running backs, i’d like to think he completion % will even be higher.
You forgot the part about Mayfield did not have Josh as his OC at the time.
Landry Jones had Josh as his OC
Deja Vu
That’s right and LJ set records and was 3-1 in bowl games.
LJ can have the stats, but everyone would trade that for Heupel’s playing career at OU in a hearbeat.
It takes a team to win a title.
Totally agree, but it was painfully obvious we would never win a chip with LJ at the helm.
Which, IMO, was detrimental to LJ’s career. I think he could have fared much better under a different OC. I believe he’s made comments, since drafted by Pitt., about this very thing.
Landry Jones holds every passing record at OU, so I doubt that
It was detrimental in that JH’s O did not prepare him for the NFL, paraphrasing Landry.
One related snippet here:
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2014/06/23/Ray-Fittipaldo-s-Steelers-chat-transcript-6-23-14/stories/201406230159
not that it matters, but the point of the snippet, and just about every other knowledgable comment that I’ve seen, is that college quarterbacks everywhere have those issues. Even the Heisman winners throw to their primary receiver 85% of the time, and at best on ly read 1/2 the field or less. Any offense in which the qb plays shotgun, which is most of the high powered passing teams, is also a detriment for the pros. Nothing to do with who the OC is, everything to do with the differences between college and the pros.
Thumbs up!
Not saying much considering OU ran the option for about 100 years before Stoops got there.
But LJ did not really improve year to year as as expected. But then, he’s still struggling with some of the same issues he had at OU, so not be fair to lay that all on Josh.
Never thought LJ was much of a leader. I don’t know that it’s Josh’s fault he couldn’t ever get rid of those happy feet. Stared down receivers. Didn’t go through progressions. It sounds like coaching. But what if I guy just never gets it. Or can’t translate it to a game. Landry used to look snake bit. Have that Gomer Pile stare. Maybe JH just never could get through to him. It doesn’t appear the coaches at Pittsburgh have had much luck either. Yes, he still has his moments. Kids got a cannon. But he still lacks good pocket presence and makes horrible decisions. I wish him the best. But I would be shocked if he replaced Big Ben some day.
How many years before the JH haters go away. Geez.
Not a hater. great QB, GREAT QB Coach. Was not ready for OC and it showed. Gary Gibbs is a similar outcome. Outstanding OU LB, Great DC for OU, but was not ready/or HC material. Does not mean he was hated, just wrong for the position at the time.
I won’t attempt to address this point by point. I will say that BM played in a statistically QB friendly system and TK did not. Use your same analysis to compare spread offense QB’s to all other QB’s and I think you’ll find that the attempts, completion percentage, and sacks don’t necessarily reflect a QB’s skill level.
I have no dog in the race. From what I’ve seen, I like Mayfield’s attitude and charisma on the field. I’m excited to see the confidence. Mayfield is the starter because the coaches feel he gives us the best chance to win. None of us knew that before today.
And one year ago the thought was “Why would he transfer to OU? He’s never going to play!”.
Congrats to Mr. Mayfield. Hope he does eveything he needs to and the QB question is answered for a bit.
Well, I’m maybe a little surprised but neither happy or sad about the decision. I trust the coaches that watch these guys everyday, so let’s go score some points and win ball games.
JMHO but it was a tie and Riley wanted to give Baker the shot. From all my sources Trevor was given a great opportunity. I hope he gets to establish himself one way or another.
Not sure how anyone can be too surprised. Everyone spent much of last season and the entire off season assuming Mayfield would be our next QB. It was just in the past several weeks when we started to read reports from K’s sources that Baker was running behind both that we started to give the other 2 guys a chance. But in the he end, it was who we all thought it would be all along. Best of luck to Baker. And if the competition was as close as indicated, then we have 2 solid backups in case they are needed.
When Mayfield left Texas Tech to walk on at OU, I was pretty surprised. Knight was coming off the game of his life vs Bama, Bell hadn’t moved to TE yet, Kendall Thompson was still in Norman and looked to compete, and we had 2 young guns in Cody Thomas & Justice Hansen who would be part of the mix as well. The QB spot looked beyond crowded, with 5 scholarship players on the roster .. and yet here we are 2 years later. Crazy how much things can change!
Good observation.
Yep. The way things are unfolding its shaping up that there will be a box office movie hit in 2027 “The Baker Mayfield Story”
Rudy, Rudy…Baker, Baker…
And amazing how confident he was! And here he is, starting. Good for him because that really did take some guts regardless of how angry he was at the peacock coaching Texas Tech.
Congrats Baker! Just go out there an let ‘er rip…except make sure to throw the ball to the guy with the right color jersey on and OU will be just fine.
When does Stoops have his press conference today?
Who says he’s having one?
All right then; lets play football.
OK, so let me do a bit of speculation. That whole ‘shoulder fatigue’ thing just seemed a bit strange. I wonder if it was a convenient way to give the coaches an excuse to keep Mayfield out of practice while giving extra snaps to Knight and Thomas. Perhaps the coaches were fairly confident that Mayfield was the man but wanted to really give Knight and Thomas a more in depth evaluation without leading to a lot of questions the coaches didn’t want to answer.
Don’t think they needed to give extra reps seeing that Hansen left.
A number of snaps divided by two is larger than the same number divided by three.
They were cutting 7v7 summer drills because they didn’t have enough QBs.
So how many QBs did we have in camp?
3 plus two walkons
But during the summer it was just TK, BM, and CT. The walk one weren’t allowed to participate. Isn’t that correct?
Correct
yes. in 7 on 7, They were throwing in fall camp.
Who said we could use math on this site? Cause i can cipher like Jethro Bodine.
I think the shoulder was a legitimate concern, the only thing that was strange was calling it shoulder fatigue. It was more than that. I really think that up until the scrimmage last Thursday that they were still not 100%.
You’re probably right. But conspiracy theories can be fun.
1/10/14
Trotter: I think people are confused by your decision to go to OU because you have somebody like Trevor Knight who seems pretty entrenched after that Sugar Bowl, and they have four other quarterbacks on scholarship. Why would you go to OU when you’d have a
better chance of playing if you went somewhere else?
Mayfield: I know what they’re thinking. Trevor played phenomenal in the Sugar. He beat Alabama, which had arguably the top defense for five years in a row. Yeah, they can say that. But I’m not scared of competition at all. I like Trevor. He’s a nice guy. And I know Blake Bell
is a big dude and has some good ability. I watched from the sideline [as he] beat us. He played one of his best games against Texas Tech. But I mean, I’m not scared of that at all.
Well, what the kid wanted the kid got. I just hope it pays off for the Sooners. I have no dog in the race, I just want some production from the QB.
If I’m not mistaken, some people are thinking that TFB is reporting on his thread that BM is starting. I think they’re just reporting that EVERYONE IS REPORTING IT…that’s all.
Exactly. They haven’t posted any confirmation, just what others have “confirmed.”
I’m reading a lot of comments relating to accuracy: that data can be misleading. If we are dealing with percentages, we need to understand if a QB has better accuracy when throwing short, medium, or long routes. For that matter, how open are the receivers. The longer the route and the tighter the window will impact accuracy. To me, Jason White and Sammy B. are the most accurate passers in the Bob Stoops era.
My point, if the receivers are as good as advertised, in theory, Baker Mayfield is going to look really good. The tendency is to use that data to continue to, unfairly, evaluate TK, when in fact, TK accuracy might have improved with the emergence of the new WRs.
Indeed. We’ve been making that more nuanced discussion for a while. The overall completion percentages are still being used. If you look at Baker’s or Trevor’s game-by-game or situational completion percentages you’ll get additional information. They both (and Cody) have their tendencies and bad games. Just as Trevor could have increased his accuracy so could Baker have limited his tendency to try to fit balls into tight windows.
And I think a lot of people were finding, using, and fitting information into their pre-conceived notions of who they wanted (i.e., not Trevor).
The name on the back of the jersey shouldn’t matter, as long as Oklahoma is on the front.
True. All I can say is that Baker looked better in the limited action and that is why I supported him. Knight will be ready when/if OU needs him. Knight is only behind Cardale Jones as the second-best back up QB in the country. We have a wealth of riches not only with TK, but also with a 4-star QB who is a third-stringer.
I think you’re right. Coach said Knight was slightly more accurate down the stretch. But other intangibles also played a role in Baker being named the starter.
Did I miss a BS press release or something? Two reporters released simultaneous reports (99% chance of being the same source) and everyone is talking like it’s a done deal. It may be true but I think I’ll wait for something more official or authenticated before congratulations are in order.
Check the update.
Congratulations to Baker Mayfield 🙂 I love his confidence. I hope he guides and leads us to championships.
Suspicious minds
Was watching the Tennessee game and noticed they had a player named SUPERNAW. Had to look at it twice.
http://www.soonersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=210288285&DB_OEM_ID=31000
update added – it’s now official
Yep. And Tejas still sucks. Officially.
Phht, that’s just the official OU site. I’m not believing it till I hear straight from TFB.
ESPN said it. Must be true.
No
You still listening to and watching those biased against OU numnuts?
What else am I going to watch? I live in Round Rock Texas. I some time watch the Bonghorn Network. But they only show games we lose to those pukes. So….ESPN it is..
But is it Facebook official?
Not until Bobby picks up his phone and personally calls me.
BUT WHO’S #2????
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-YVt4gfquA
Knight 2nd with Thomas 3rd.
I know, see I was saying who’s number 2 and we were joking about BM and…….nevermind. 🙂
Hilarious!
photo finish? : )
“names starting quarterback for Sept. 5 opener” stay tuned for who will start the next game 🙂
Exactly what I was thinking. I believe the Akron game is still a bit of an audition, as I suspect TK will play as well. Imagine they’ll keep their offensive cards close to the vest against Akron, and we’ll see a bigger playbook and more offensive formations against Tennessee. Perhaps even a different QB?
Is it possible that with LR’s style of offense and knowledge we can come out gun’s-a-blazin’ without having to be less-vanilla throughout the season?
I think they’ll be a little conservative for Akron, work the offense into a rhythm. I expect them to run a good amount to start the season.
I could see that.
KJ1123 I really appreciate your comments and outlook. Very well informed and very direct and clear. Mean some is straight from a source but even your insight is on point!
Hey thanks BB, appreciate that.
So, just gonna throw this out there- do any of you think that perhaps this is why BM was held out of practice during fall camp, to rest the arm that would be so heavily relied upon during the course of an Air Raid season?
Kind of a stretch but ya never know…?
No. Because they were having to cut reps in the 7v7s because of it. It’s not like the wide receivers and backs didn’t need the reps.
What I took away from the whole we can win with any of them is the first one better not mess up. Just IMO of course!
Now that Baker is the man, when will the starting 22/2deep be released?
probably today after practice
Most likely today, I dont think there are any real “position battles” going on anymore, I think it’s set.
Teddy Lehman has said repeatedly that he’s heard that Devante Bond is the best defensive player in camp and its not even close (reminds me of Corey Nelson). Have you heard this?
I haven’t heard he was the best but I have heard that Devonte is going to be a force when rushing the passer. IMO he’s probably the main “underrated” guy on D.
who’d you hear was the best??
According to Mike Stoops Obo Okoronkwo
Really? He’s 2nd team by all accounts.
Yea but 2nd team with rotation means he will have a big part with the team and will see playing time. Mean let’s be honest being 2nd team D or RB, WR, TE on OU is a lot different than most teams. We rotate a lot of guys!
really? I missed that conversation.. I think I saw him say J. Thomas was having the best “camp” but he may have only been referencing the DBs
He said Obo is the most improved player on defense, and will be a huge part of the defense this year
ah yeah I remember that now
As long as MS doesn’t have Striker in coverage more than he has him attacking off the edge, I’ll be happy.
Mike said Obo was most improved, not the best
Look below he cleared up his comment!
Obo is getting alot of run, two different styles, I haven’t heard who is the better of the 2 though. Devonte is apparently very fast off the edge.
is Obo still at the strongside behind Tapper or did he move to the Striker role?
I believe he’s been playing more weakside, he’s been going up against Samia and St. John alot.
Striker role, pass rush demon
Do you know if 46, Gabriel Campbell is playing OLB, standing DE, or DE (5 tech) ?
Hes at DE not standing.
Dang..
Well, not that that’s over with…lets get this sh$% going!
Lets do this!!
Meh
Alright, now it’s just time to Get R Done!! BOOMER!!
Anyone else see SportsCenter tweet about TAMU QB was officially announced today?.. And they didn’t say anything about Mayfield or Kansas’ QB being announced.. Just TAMU. #SEC #SEC
William Widmer for ESPN
NFL50mWright Thompson
From The Mag: Beyond The Breach
A summer in search of saints, sinners and lost souls in the New Orleans that Katrina left behind.
SC Featured: Dear New Orleans
Hurricane Katrina: A New Orleans tribute
Hurricane Katrina: The March of the Saints
TOP HEADLINES
Veteran WR Wayne, Pats agree on 1-year deal
Kelly: ‘Troubling’ if QBs in shotgun OK to be hit
Mayfield gets nod at quarterback for Sooners
Gatlin points out mom’s heckler from podium
Report: Jackie Robinson West given over $300K
Bears’ Ratliff won’t appeal 3-game suspension
Joyner: Overvalued, undervalued fantasy RBs
it was on the front page in the headlines
Thanks for clearing that up bud. Not exactly what I meant but whatever.
you’re welcome, friend. no reason to get your feelings hurt. just wanted to show you they did mention it
But didn’t they say he was chosen over “Trevor Thomas”
Edit: they must have done their own edit.
Charlie Strong was announcing OU’s quarterback?
“… uh, I just call him Swoopes…”
No feelings hurt here. I just didn’t see the tweet like TAMU’s QB got. SportsCenter went out of their way to give Allen hype when they didn’t do the same for any other QB that was named today @SportsCenter: Texas A&M names sophomore Kyle Allen starting QB. Allen beat out freshman 5-star recruit Kyler Murray. http://t.co/gpJlb2QS01
On the other hand. I didn’t hear them mention the ATM QB on Espn but they did mention Baker and showed a clip. I think it’s ESPN 2 because ESPN is covering little league world series.
Probably not. I was just looking at the SportsCenter tweet. So my bad for the wrong info.
Of course. And there’s 8 SEC teams in the pre-season Top 25. The joke continues…
…and 2 more sitting at # 26 and 27. 10 of the top 27.
Good grief. Why didn’t they just rank all 14 and be done with it.
Theres like 6 tweets about mayfield in the current CFB twitter feed on ESPN.
But who is trending on Twitter? Its Baker Mayfield
They did announce it. I heard it 30 minutes ago. ESPN. Announced that the Texans had named Hoyer. Then announced Baker and showed a clip of him at Texas Tech.
I just didn’t see that. I was looking at Twitter so my apologies, thank you Scott
Well, then. Let’s get to work.
Wrong, wrong, wrong. He’s got big time athletes all over the field. He needs to turn it loose and get them the ball. Players like that will make a couple of bad plays but they’ll give you a bunch of good plays. That vanilla (play it safe crap) is what keeps other teams in it. Step on the gas!! It’s Boomer Sooner people!! Hang half a hundred then move on to the next!!
Not that I agree with turning it over a couple times but, your enthusiastic post made me smile. I like posters that are happy.
I see your point, but you sort of refute your own argument. Yes, he DOES have playmakers all over the field, so he doesn’t have to force the ball or try to do too much. Better an incompletion than an oskie. Get ’em on the next down. I’m excited to see what he can.
score with offense, WIN with Defense.
dang skippy…would love to see a dominant defense again
And I like it when we score with defense, too!
Awesome. I wasn’t expecting this today, but I’m all hyped up now. Boomer!
Congrats Baker, wish you the very best and hope your career at OU is storied! Feel for TK and CT as they must be crestfallen. Keep your chin up boys!
From Coach Riley’s arrival, there was new found discipline, work ethic, and excitement instilled in all 3 QBs. I think will will find great improvement in the 2nd and 3rd team guys when they come in, in the 4 quarter of games.
If they do. Lord I hope they do..
No worries, we have not seen the last of TK. I have a sneaking suspicion he will play an important role in OU’s success.
I wouldn’t be surprised if all 3 saw the field this year. Just move the chains and protect the ball.
I support any player who steps on the field for OUR team and I support the coaches.
I’m with ya!
I can’t wait to see the looks on the faces of the taco tech fans when Mayfield carves up their defense.
It will mean that not only can their old player not coach- he doesn’t know talent when it’s standing right in front of him. What a kick in the nadz that one is!
August 24, 2015
I week earlier than I anticipated.
If they already know who it is, they might as well announce it and just get him ready for game 1
To me the timing makes sense. Get the team ready for 2 weeks of practice with baker leading the offense and hopefully he’s the right guy to get us past Tennessee undefeated.
Reading a lot of saltiness in boards on the pick. Listen, like it or not, the guy earned it, putting aside the swag and flashiness, the dude walked onto not one but two Div 1 colleges and earned the starting role.You have to respect a guy with the drive and patience to hang in there. I can’t wait to see what he brings, I hope he OWNs Tech and everyone in his wake.
And it’s the same as calling our coaches fools to imply that they would start anyone but the man they believe to be the best. Why would any of them do that!? They wouldn’t. Come hell or high water he’s our starter now and anyone who’s a Sooner fan should support him because he’s now the Sooners starting quarterback and he has earned it in what Stoops called probably the “weirdest thing to ever happen to him.” It was legendary Chutzpah for Mayfield to even attempt it and he’s now the starting quarterback AT OKLAHOMA, the greatest college team in American history? WOW. Go Mayfield! Go Sooners!
Let’s get on board a BMW: BM=Wins.
I just heard it announced on ESPN. So it must be true. 🙂
Glad that is settled and the tiring speculation can end.
Waiting for the first kick off is more agonizing than standing in a long line.
Perspective is always welcome. Have a seat. Stay a while.
Howdy, Sam.
Only have a few minutes. Busy day today.
Always nice to see your nic, which I associate with sensibility.
Thanks, bruh.
Even as a kid speculation annoyed me. I traded baseball cards for the other guy’s bubble gum, never made since to me to pretend to be a manager of a pretend baseball team. At least the bubble gum had value.
More wisdom. There is hope for me yet. I’m afraid that I’m going to become so dependent on you that I’ll have to visit TFB to see what EasTex would do when I’m making decisions at work. Ha! LOL!
You have a good one, EasTex.
I shall and you do the same.
I’ll just wait in the corner.
http://media.giphy.com/media/u5eXlkXWkrITm/giphy.gif
“They were SUPPOSED to have tuna for dinner tonight.”
Are you ready? Sept 5th baby! Three good QBS…Mixon, Perine, Shep, Westbrook…and the D…
Not that the athletes on either side of the ball are that similar but if you watch the 2000 National Championship team (strong LB’s, unknown off line, relatively new system, good RB’s, taller receivers, etc.. Sound familiar?) at almost any game that season you will see that Heupel (sorry for bringing that name into this discussion) took many chances that paid off and a few that didn’t. Hell there were off balance throws into coverage, WR reverses in about every game, fake punts, and the list goes on and on. You can’t be tentative in this offense or it won’t work. Baker is by far the less timid QB of the bunch. Will there be times when we all go WTF was he doing throwing into that? Yes, but I think there will be more times when we are smiling and saying wow he completed that or man he has better wheels than we thought. All we can hope for is that the good outweighs the bad and our defense (who is a year older and under some new position coaches) has improved to the level that is to be expected at OU. If Baker shows that moxie and gets his playmakers the ball there won’t be much that should stop this offense. Also if the defense doesn’t hold back and has some swagger back then this my friends might be a season to remember and in a good way. Less than two weeks until we get to see for ourselves and 3 before we know what this team is made of. Hammer Down and Boomer Sooner.
Josh was a very cerebral QB. He changed plays at the line. He went through his reads beautifully. He didn’t have a great arm (as in very strong), but he was very accurate. His timing was perfect. He knew when to scramble and it usually worked.
The OL was superb. The receivers and the DL were largely no names, but they got the job done by committee and performed well.
The LBers were outstanding, and the 6 man secondary was the best I’ve ever seen on a college team.
When a big play was urgently needed, Josh or Torrance made the plays. When they didn’t, Roy or Rocky or Q made them.
Special teams were special. AA return man in Thatcher. Excellent PK. AA punter. Fake kicks that were successful.
Cutting edge offensive scheme and cutting edge strength and conditioning progarm. The 4th Q was Schmitty time!
And I think this team has some of those similarities with the OL, DB’s and QB still in question, of course. I think if the safety position works out then the DB’s will be greatly improved and I believe in Coach Bedenbaugh so I think that line will be just fine. Now we just need that cerebral assassin at QB. Let’s hope Riley has found that guy in BM.
I like the way you’re thinking here and concur! Just ready to go play and win! And congratulations to Baker. I’ll support him and may he be brilliant!
I agree but we had a QB that may have at time been a bit timid but he pretty much played the way you described but be wise his WTF throws “cost us games” or were WTF throws at bad moments everyone was begging for his backup before the midway point of the year. Just saying you better believe if mayfield has 2&3 int in a game the callers for TK and CT will be loud and numerous. OU fans more than any others love their backup QBs especially when they have never seen them play…..Keith Nichol anyone?!?!?
It has to be what have you done for me lately. Turnovers happen. Sam had 8 ints in 08. But he also had 50 TDs. I’ll settle for 40 and 12…
I hope Baker can do that. I think the guy brings a lot of confidence, and just fresh blood to the position, but I am nervous. I keep going back and realizing in 8 games he had 19TDs and 12 pics and 7 of those TDs came against SMU and Stephen F. Austin. I also keep picturing the ugly INTs he had in spring game this year. At Tech he was a freshman at that time though and I don’t think he had the weapons that he does now, so hopefully we will see a better Baker as Jr at OU!?!?!
http://cdn.meme.am/instances/62967275.jpg
Hey I knew that guy…he told me he wasn’t leaving that spot until oSu won a National Championship in football
Alright, I can dig it.
…
http://mediacdn.snorgcontent.com/media/catalog/product/p/i/piberational_thumbnail.gif
Not sure why I’m not more excited about the choice. Maybe just fatigue from the process, or maybe secretly hoping that if TK won, it would have to mean that he had shown dramatic improvement and we could look forward to a stellar year. I suspect in part it’s because of Mayfield’s history at another school. Not trying to reopen that can of worms, just saying it has probably influenced my outlook. At any rate, if the coaches have tabbed him as the guy who gives OU the best chance to win, I want him starting, and tearing it up. Can’t wait to see him in action!
I feel the same. I think we feel a sense of loyalty to TK for his hard work, his tough luck with injuries, and his stellar performance in the “game that shall not be mentioned.” But he’s not done – he’ll play. In the meantime, good luck to BM.
Well said. You captured my sentiments exactly.
I am a little curious if TK’s durability had anything to do with the final decision. I would think that the coaches had to at least consider that he’s missed significant time in both seasons he’s played in so far. For a team that probably feels a need to establish an identity pretty early on, the real possibility that you’ll be switching out your leader within a couple of weeks due to injury has to weigh a bit on your thinker.
You mean like the two cheap shots that knocked TK out of the KSt and Baylor games last year?
I seriously doubt that was a factor in their decision.
No doubt they were cheap shots. But the fact remains that he missed time because of it. All im getting at is that with the lack of identity that has been slowly creeping in, and culminated last season, if the race was as close as we’ve been told, is durability a factor they considered? If not, great. If so, great. Just curious.
Riley said it was a clean slate for everybody when he came in, irrespective of what any of them had or had not done before his arrival.
Everyone wants to win, the players and coaches more than anyone. I think it was an open competition and Mayfield came out on top.
We shall see shortly if the offense becomes a cohesive unit. I sincerely hope so.
As do I. I have no problems with who the coaches picked. We knew it was going to be one of the three. I dont doubt for a second that they arent putting the guy they think is best qualified out front. If Baker’s swag is what the unit needs, then I sincerely hope we are some swaggin’ machines on the field.
For those that haven’t read this yet…I believe this is the best indepth look into how our offense runs. It may take a few minutes to read but well worth it.
http://oklahoma.247sports.com/Board/86/Contents/19-things-you-need-to-know-about-Lincoln-Rileys-offense-38916120
That’s a very good article, excellent breakdown of the offense. Thanks for sharing.
I printed it out and will copy it so as to have copies available for the people who constantly want explanations, during the game, as to what’s going on.
Thanks for sharing. As expected, it mentioned some struggles with LR’s red zone offense, which is typical in spreads. I do not like relying too heavily on the zone read in short yardage situations, as it causes the back to slow down for a bit. I like to see the back heading downhill at speed, and for the O line to commit to drive blocking people off the ball. In the 4th and 1 against TCU, a straight belly dive instead of a read gets the first down. At any rate, this is going to be fun!
That was great! Now I know what to watch for.
If this is the first that you have seen of his stuff, he does a break-down of most every game.
Nice read.
Bookmarked!
Is the main page down? I can’t get to it.
NM it came up.
Well, okay then – good job Mr. Mayfield; lets win! And pleeeeeeease, TK and CT stay ready because one guy making it through every game is more likely than winning the giant lotto, but I’m not sure how much more likely.
With Landry, it was surprisingly very likely. How immobile he was, I was sure he would get crushed and be out for a game or two. Haven’t seen a quarterback have that type of durability in a career anywhere recently.
‘Ol Squirt sure could run. LOL
Squirt!!
I remember when ESPN did a report on OU’s summer camp, and a freshman receiver cut off his route to block, expecting an LJ scramble. Landry told him, on camera, “I’m not ever going to run it, dude.”
Hahaha classic!
Have you ever watched Landry Jones’ high school film? That dude ran it a lot, and looked pretty good doing it. I was really surprised at how immobile he had become at OU.
All three QBs have certain qualities that they excell at over the other two but the one thing that I like about Mayfield is hes the QB out of the three of them that I’d feel the best at having the ball on the last drive with the game on the line.
Why? Because Baker is the guy who really BELIEVES he’ll put it in the endzone. He’ll walk into the huddle and tell the other players “ok we’re about to score”.
I’m sure that confidence had a lot to do with him being named starter, as well.
That kid left behind scholarships at D 1 schools to walk on at Tech and was named the starter, then left to walk on to a school that was returning the Sugar Bowl MvP and the same year as he was and also knowing there was a good chance he could lose a year of eligibility. Earned the starting spot once again.
I’m pretty certain confidence is not an issue with him.
It reminds me of Trevor Knight after the Sugar Bowl saying confidence had a lot to do with his performance. Goes to show how important that is to have in a QB.
How do you know this? You haven’t watched him play a down in crimson and cream yet. Appreciate the optimism though.
I’ve seen how he’s navagated his career so far. Ive seen him with his teammates, Ive seen him in interviews, Ive seen him on the field in action and body language. This kid is brimming with confidence.
Do I know this? No,… But do I believe it? Completely.
Do that thang, Baker.
Eat it, Kliff Douchebury.
We would have also accepted ‘Queensbury.’
LOL! I can think of other, less acceptable names. 🙂
I heard that Dean Blevins is going to announce later tonight that there is an 89.658% chance that Mayfield will be named the starter sometime this week.
Anybody heard who #2 is going to be?
I read where its Trevor but Im not 100% sure on my source.
TK.
There is a note in the update that Trevor is #2.
This guy is Number Two.
Good info in the media availability.. Trevor is a team captain, Lampkin was at practice waiting to be medically cleared though..? & then this.. From Guerin Emig..
Name #Sooners fans had better become familiar with — Orlando Brown. Redshirt freshman on track to start at left tackle.
Okay we have a QB. What about the complete depth chart? Coach said Lampkin looked good today at practice and Orlando Brown was the star of camp.
Really, Lampkin already. Excellent!! (in my best Montgomery Burns voice).
Just wanted to shed some more light on this as an “ITK” guy. I know. It’s laughable. But I do have inside info. Take it for what it’s worth.
OU practices with two groups essentially. An “A” and a “B”. That’s it. Guys are constantly rotating with both groups. Now some guys mainly work with one or the other, and even a few guys exclusively with the “A’s”. The reason it may have been hard for people watching to know who is getting the most reps with the 1’s, is simply because practice doesn’t really work like that.
With 3 QB’s realistically competing for the job, they all 3 got similar reps with the “A” group. So obviously there are going to be slightly more reps for one or the other daily with that group. This is also true for WR, OL, RB’s, everyone.
So if you hear or heard “so and so is working with the 1’s”, it doesn’t mean much. Not like it used to be where there was a clear separation between groups. Now that camp is over, it will get slightly more focused. But not a whole lot.
Also, just wanted to point something out regarding Qb observations. There is one point that never seems to be made, and that is that none of us know the correct read/throw on any given play. So a great throw, but wrong read may look great in practice, but the coaching staff are still noting that as a negative play most likely. They are all similar in their throwing ability. It’s between the ears that makes all the difference.
I don’t really have anything to add on the QB play that I’ve seen. Only that I agree with what has been reported here.
Baker pulls it down too often and makes some questionable decisions because of his confidence.
Knight is probably the best running threat, although he stands in the pocket well.
Thomas has the most lively arm, but is inconsistent and the least athletic.
I think they really went with the #swag on this one. The players love Baker. They like the other two as well, but Baker brings the group a different edge.
Anyway, great site, great community. Looking forward to the season like the rest of you.
**Last tidbit. If you think this offense will look like a Tech offense, you’re wrong. No big splits. I think Riley knows he has two stud backs.
I think some plays that utilize the wide splits would be good as a wrinkle.
Welcome back. Where ya been. Good to see you. Thanks for the info
Oh I try to avoid offseason. Terrible time of year isn’t it?
oh man. you ain’t lying. lots of people thinking we suck at every single position and we need all new coaches and “my opinion is the only good one”
Ditto to BoomerSooner and welcome back. Great input. I’m sure the selection was a difficult one and as I’ve stated, that has to be a good thing. For the first time in years, we have quality guys backing up the starter. When is the last time you could say that? Appreciate the info.
good post, thank you and boomer!
August 24, 2015
Who’s starting at RT then?
Probably St John, backed by Samia.
IMO:
LT: Brown; Farniok
LG: Alvarez or Danley
OC: Darlington, Alvarez
RG: Nila, Dalton
RT: St John, Samia
Oh. Thanks. A lot of youth. Any concerns with the right guard Kasi? I watched film of last year and he was the weakest link when he got on the field.
I don’t have any concerns about Kasitati. He’s been solid. St. John would be the question mark to me.
We probably should be thanking Tennessee for Orlando….well maybe he can thank them in person in a few weeks.
Yep. Here’s to Brown delivering a load of pancakes.
All I’ll say is get ready to see an offense similar in philosophy to what OU was doing in 2008
This is what I have been thinking all along. 4,000 yards passing, and 2 thousand yard rushers.
I’ll allow it.
My thoughts on the QB situation are as follows:
When I heard that Baker Mayfield was transferring here after they had named a soph. the starting QB, I was pretty excited that we were landing a kid that not only wasn’t afraid of competition, but also that we were landing a kid who was willing to put in a lot of work in order to play for the Crimson and Cream. When I saw how big of a douche “Queensbury” (thanks rainydaze) was being to the kid, I wanted him to succeed that much more.
All three of these kids have worked their a$$es off this off season. After all of the praise that we heard the last few seasons about TK9, I’m going to look at the fact that Baker Mayfield is starting QB as a testament to how highly the coaches think of him and believe in him. I, for one, am excited to start a new era of optimism here at OU, and I think that Mayfield can really be a key to keeping the O rolling and confident in themselves. Congrats, Baker!
Love it. Let’s go 9/5 is coming. Akron has a few decent players. But looking for a 45-14 win.
Yup. And I think one of those t.d.’s for the Zips comes in garbage time.
[Chest bump]!
https://youtu.be/nC49uRsKmR8
August 24, 2015
I guess this is the Dline depth
DE: Tapper/ Roberts/DJ Ward
NT: Romar/Wade/Overton
DT: Dimon/Walker/Orso-Bacchus
DE: Striker/Bond/Obo
That’s good depth
I thought Obo has been backing Tapper…either way I figured by mid season Roberts would be pushing Tap
Too light, like Dimon. He’s back at OBLer, standup DE, I’ve heard.
I thought he had moved to SDE behind Tap…makes sense to move him back with Roberts here now to his more natural position
I don’t think Dimon would start at 3-technique, as his weight is too light. Orso is probably starting or they’ve moved Wade.
Another reason to pick Mayfield, all other things being equal or close, he has a swagger about him. OU has been a team without swagger for a few seasons now. I think Mayfield’s personality may be good for the guys, and might help to keep them loose.
Is it just me or does anybody else think that Mayfield won the starting job cause Stoops wanted to see his End zone Dance. BAKER’S GOT MOVES!
Let’s just all relax and get behind our new QB Mr.Mayfield.I think that Coach Riley really knows his Shihite and has worked more with OU’s three QB’s than JH ever thought of.I’m more excited as an OU fan than i have been in a couple of years!!Go Sooners!!!!!!!!
I was pulling for Trevor to win the job, but he didn’t. I fully support the decision and the player. Both Trevor and Baker seem somewhat injury prone. Both seem turnover prone. We may see Cody start by end of the year. Congratulations Baker and BOOMER!
@EricBaileyTW: Riley
on true freshmen WRs Dahu Green & AD Miller: “Those are 2 talented cats
right there. They can be pretty good down the line.
Stoops
raved about Austin Roberts. Like Que Overton, he brought up Roberts in an
impromptu way.
Perine = The Butcher
Mayfield = The Baker
??? = The Candlestick Maker (I guess candlesticks could be arms signaling a TD)
Siebert, maybe?
Candlesticks were sometimes made of bronze… there is a certain “stiff-arm” trophy for the most outstanding player.
How about Mr. Mixon, playing as a “slash” player, i.e., running back/ slot receiver/ wide receiver/punt returner/ kick returner, sets several NCAA single season records and wins OU’s 6th little bronze trophy?
Making him the candlestick maker. I know, it’s a stretch, but with 6 Heisman trophies, you could melt them all down and make one Hella big menorah. LOL
The tech game is gonna be fun..I hope Mayfield picks there D apart!
2015 OU Team Captains……
Offense: Trevor Knight, Nila Kasitati and Ty Darlington
Defense: Charles Tapper and Eric Striker
Is it odd for one of the captains to not be a starter? (TK)
Somewhat.
Austin Woods was the deep snapper and he was a captain.
https://twitter.com/JLMcCuistion/status/636004534725115904
There must be NCAA recruiting exemptions for situations like this.
My dog found a treasure in the back yard tonight: S-K-U-N-K.
Oh Lordy!
Did the hound dawg get sprayed?
Yes, she did. I don’t know if it was a direct hit but she smelled bad.
Keep the dog out of the house.
Break out the HPO4 and baking soda.
http://www.natural-dog-health-remedies.com/remove-skunk-smell.html
Too late. I called her in, not realizing she’d been sprayed. It does not smell pleasant.
My sympathies to you, your family and po’ol’ hound dawg.
My Beagle chased a skunk once, cornered it and got blasted for her efforts. Poor thing, she was so loving and she couldn’t understand why no one wanted to come near her.
LOL!
Dang pole cat!
I had gate guard duty one night at the USAF Academy. All kinds of nocturnal critters would come by. I saw a skunk crossing the road about fifteen feet away, I closed all the doors and windows, then reached out the door nearest it and hosed it with my DOW chemical mace weapon, slamming the door as soon as I did. That stinker was very upset and just sprayed all around wildly. When my relief showed up about 30 minutes later, he about gagged. LOL!
Did you come clean with the person who relieved you?
Of course not. 🙂
Ha!
What was even better, when someone came through the gate with their windows open or in a convertible their expressions were caption worthy.
I’m seeing a Master Card commercial in my head: priceless.
I couldn’t read all the time, needed something to break up the monotony every now and then. 🙂
Sure hope you and hound dawg can get the skunk funk out.
Have to catch up with you later, long busy day tomorrow.
This was a different smell tonight. It smelled like burning tires. When I went to the store to pick some ingredients to make the de-skunking concoction, one of the workers asked the other: “Do you smell something burning?”
I hadn’t thought that the scent had rubbed off on me. I had to confess.
That funk gets onto everything it comes into contact with.
Tomato juice bath. The smell will be instantly gone.
Had 3 beagles that made friends with a skunk one day. The tomato juice is like a magic potion.
Thanks, SoonerinLondon. I googled it and found this: peroxide, baking soda, and a teaspoon of Dawn.
I am so sorry! Dealt with this three times (plus one porcupine) with my setter. Tomato juice and peroxide are your friend. Over and over and over again
Thanks, Jed.
http://www.backcountrychronicles.com/wp-content/uploads/skunk-odor-remover.jpg
Is this a real product?
Yes, Atwoods sells it in Claremore- not sure about elsewhere
Tomato juice works..I ended up with a pink West Highland Terrier that smelled like pizza…but no skunk!
TK9 and CT Should transfer to somewhere else
It boils down to, this is where they want to be regardless. You cant just turn your tail and run when you don’t get your way. There is room for one center, should the other O linemen transfer? Non Sense, further more I bet we see TK at some point in several packages tailored around him,
No! No they should not! Has the last couple years taught you anything bought needing a reliable backup?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZF6GYJvCO5M
Must be hiding some tater tots back there.