OU vs. West Virginia – What I’ll Be Watching
Posted on: October 1, 2015
Image via Andrew Weber/USA TODAY
* Pace: This could easily apply to teams considering the similarities with respect to what both are looking to accomplish offensively, but in this instance I’m referring more to the WVU offense vs. the OU defense. I’m not going to sit here and lie in saying I’ve watched every minute of the Mountaineers games thus far — although to be fair given their non-conference schedule how much could there really have been to glean? — but between what I did see last week against Maryland and just being casually familiar with what Dana Holgorsen runs, I feel confident in saying WVU will look to snap the ball quickly in an attempt to try and exploit an, at times, tired and/or out of position Oklahoma defense.
An Oklahoma defense, mind you, whose confidence has to be at least somewhat shaken coming off a very disappointing performance against an admittedly very potent Tulsa offense. The key here will be getting lined up properly and, perhaps more importantly, being assignment sound. The last thing you want to do against this WVU offense is give them easy opportunities for big and/or scoring plays.
* Baker Improv: To his credit, Baker Mayfield has made a number of spectacular plays behind an OU offensive line that has yet to perform to the level many a fan has become accustomed to in years past. However, coming into the season one of the primary concerns regarding Mayfield was his tendency to take chances with the ball on these exact type of plays.
To date, pretty much every improvisation Mayfield has pulled off so far has worked out in his favor. But you probably don’t need to be a mathematician to realize at some point the odds would suggest things evening out a bit. So what you’re clearly hoping for is that this coming Saturday is not that day.
If you’ve spent any time learning about the West Virginia defense coming in to Norman, you’re already well aware the primary strength lies in their talented and experienced secondary. This is a unit more than capable of baiting an opposing quarterback into bad throws. And they are NOT afraid to bring five, six, or seven guys while leaving their DBs on an island. This is a defense built around being aggressive and their able to do so in large part because of how good their secondary has been.
Admittedly the stats are somewhat skewed because of the competition they have faced so far, but this is a WVU defense currently No. 1 nationally in scoring defense, comfortably in the Top 20 in passing defense, and right there among the teams that has allowed the fewest third down conversions.
* Run Game Early: Again this could really apply to either team so let me also be specific here as well. I’m referring to both OU getting their run game going early AND limiting WVU’s when the Sooners defense is on the field.
I suspect you, much like I, have heard ad nauseum at this point how ‘Holgorsen doesn’t run your traditional “Air Raid” type of system.’ If it wasn’t this week, it was the umpteen freaking times he/his system were used as a comp for Lincoln Riley wants to do since his arrival in Norman.
Now don’t get me wrong, WVU is capable of throwing it all over the field if necessary. But a lot of what they are looking to do is built off being able to run the ball. Much like with any balanced offense, if you’re able to run the ball early it only further opens things up for you as the game continues to progress.
Which is exactly — well that and WVU’s secondary — why OU needs to look to establish their run game early rather than throwing first to set up the run as we’ve seen necessary in their previous three games. Samaje Perine, Joe Mixon, Daniel Brooks, hell even Alex Ross. I don’t care who it is. I just want to see someone/s early in the game not having to elude two or three defenders before they even get back to the line of scrimmage. Is that really too much to ask?
One other thing to keep an eye on here is West Virginia QB Skyler Howard, who isn’t necessarily an elite athlete per se but is someone capable of making plays with his legs. It’s still early, but he has the third most carries on the team so far (only one carry behind RB Rushel Shell for second on the team). Holgorsen spoke this week about the value of having a QB athletic enough to make plays when things break down, so this is an aspect of his offense some fans may not have been expecting based on years past.
Couple more quick hitters:
* WRs Not Named Shepard: There were certainly some encouraging signs coming out of the Tulsa game, but it was Tulsa. In this new offensive system there is no shortage of options at Mayfield’s disposal, but outside of one game we’ve still yet to see anyone other than Sterling Shepard emerge as a consistent threat. As we’ve already discussed at length, the WVU secondary presents a considerable challenge. So if they are able to at least limit Shepard, it will be absolutely critical to this offense that someone else step up.
* OU Secondary: We kind of touched on this above, but coming off that Tulsa game I’m not sure how anyone could feel 100% confident in this Oklahoma defensive backfield right now. Yes they get Jordan Thomas back — assuming something doesn’t change between now and kickoff which, sadly, at this point we can’t rule out — and, yes, thankfully there is no Kevin White to deal with this year. But Shelton Gibson, though a very different type of receiver as compared to White, appears to be quite talented in his own right. And running the type of system that he does, Holgorsen isn’t likely to be hurting when it comes to options at wideout.
* Wrinkles: In reality it’s probably just the one game and nightmares I can only assume Mike Stoops still probably has about Tavon Austin lining up at RB, but I just have this feeling Holgorsen always has a trick or two up his sleeve for this game. Something you hear the OU coaches about in the postgame oh-so reassuringly telling us something to the effect of ‘they did some things we hadn’t seen on tape’ or ‘we weren’t really ready for that.’ Again, it’s probably just that one game to this ‘thing’ is likely more so just in my head but it might be something to keep in the back of your mind Saturday.
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What will you be watching for Saturday afternoon?
116 Comments
You just had to mention Tavon Austin, didn’t you Jordan… there goes all the confidence I had been feeling about this game! 😉
Ya, but we still won that game. And the one after that. And the one after that…
It was a Pyrrhic victory at best. But yeah we’ve gotten the best of WV since they joined the big 12 and I haven’t actually lost any confidence; still, the mention of Tavon should be enough to make a Sooner’s skin crawl right up there with Sproles and Rodgers.
I hate that this is an 11 A.M. kick off. I wish it was atleast a 2:30 game so maybe the crowd would be more rowdy. The stadium will be striped but everyone will be sleepy and tired from fighting through the traffic to get to the game. So I don’t know that the home field advantage is that great….and obviously as showcased last year, that mystique OU had at home is gone. I think this will be a good test of character of the team and how OU is going to handle AirRaid type attacks in future outings….if they do as well as they did against Tulsa….we will be in for a long day.
Ideally, this should be a night game … at least a 6pm kickoff. I will be tired once all the screwdrivers, Bloody Marys, and mimosas wear off while I’m in the stands. BUT, I shall prevail and continue to wail til the end for the good guys.
with them running a 3-3-5 and how our O-lineman have had a tendency to head to the second level early through the first few games, might WVU’s scheme actually work in the favor of our running game? Less confusion about who to block at the first level so they get to the second level and get it blocked quicker?
Improvement everywhere is what I want to see. The O line needs to work together and communicate better. The corners and safeties need the D line to contain the running game so they can minimize one on one situations.
So, I take it OU must do some things we haven’t shown we can do thus far…..get separation with our receivers not named Shepherd, cover well in the secondary, put pressure on the opposing QB. Seems like a tall order for this team. Reading over this about the only bright spot I see is…well, so far WVa hasn’t played anyone yet.
Thats a positive attitude wow we are going to kick there a@#$ all the way back to the mountains
Do you agree those things haven’t happened yet, must happen to defeat a good team? I’m not implying they won’t happen, but we have yet to see them happen. I’m hoping by 3:00 we will have seen our team put it together and put a major beat down on a good team.
Bill i think we have been very vanilla to this point is all holding back
i expect to see all your concerns addressed or i sure hope so
BOOMER
So do I partner. Appreciate your input.
I think Mark Andrews might need to have a huge game. He wont have a DB on him and should be able to exploit the man to man WVU runs. A LB on him, in a heavy blitz scheme, shouldn’t work.
Mixon taking snaps with Perine in the backfield. BOOK IT
Yes. Either Duron or Sterling as the Z. Then you have a Buck Sweep.
I want.
WVU will probably load the box and have a full arsenal of blitz packages to see if Baker Mayfield can beat them. I think it comes down to our O Line & RB protection handling their aggressive defense to give Baker time to get it out to what should be man-to-man coverage on all of our wideouts. Would it make sense for us to go mainly to 4 & 5 wides and wear out their talented, but not deep secondary? I think we have a close game first half, but in second half we wear them down in both passing and running game and pull away. Something like 45-31 OU. Of course, CFB games are highly unpredictable so most anything can happen. But that is my best guess.
What I’m Looking At…
(disclaimer: I watched WVU-Maryland yesterday, and I utterly ignored their tape against Ga. Southern and Liberty for obvious reasons. Maryland’s most effective offense was a run first offense using Daxx Garman as a pseudo-run threat who protects the ball. They figured this out late in 3Q. Also keep in mind that this was a very personal game for WVU. Maryland was entirely too cocky after their 2013 win, and WVU came to this game like it was a high stakes conference game.)
Have a Plan of Attack:
The WVU defense was gashed repeatedly on the ground by a Terps offense that was utterly incompetent throwing the ball. Mind you, their QB was about as athletic running as peak Landry Jones, and threw with all the efficiency of peak Garrett Gilbert. WVU defenders too often looked to me like they were trying to hit instead of tackle, and that was a big problem for them last year. Spread to power concepts could be lethally effective against a WVU D that runs fast and light. WVU will have to leave a spy on Mayfield if they want to keep their secondary from disintegrating in the 2nd half. That means our developing OL will have 5 guys in to defend 3 DL and 2 LB’s. Mind you, the 3-3-5 means that WVU can mix up their spy and their blitz concepts, but there’s no one on the WVU defense who just strikes fear in my heart as a pass rusher.
The place I saw WVU most vulnerable to the pass was over the middle…right where Mark Andrews and Joe Mixon can make a living. This will be especially true if we have early success running the ball. Safeties will start creeping up in support, and the rest of the story writes itself.
While the initial instinct is going to be putting Mixon and Perine in the backfield together a lot, that helps WVU more than it helps OU. That allows them to bring more players into the box and add even more confusing blitz options to attack a green OU offensive line that still hasn’t come together yet. It needs to happen, but it needs to happen in ways that allow Mixon’s athleticism and versatility force WVU into more predictable situations. That means having Mixon run actual routes downfield and using zone read to force WVU defenders up the field.
I Have a Plan…Attack:
Ian Boyd wrote a great piece explaining the value of the 8-3 defense against spread teams. If you can google, you can find it. For those who aren’t familiar, the 8-3 refers to the design of the defense from the secondary to the front instead of from the front to the secondary (i.e., 4-3, 3-4, 5-2, etc). 8 stand up players who can move around to different roles and shift the weak point of the defense to manageable places. Watching OU this year, it seems like we’ve implemented this concept. The problem is that we’re playing defense….well, defensively. We’re on our heels instead of our toes, and we’re letting the offense dictate terms to us. The whole point of the 8-3 concept is to allow more creativity and more aggression. Our stress points are obvious from the snap more often than not. Granted, Jordan Thomas’s little rules violation didn’t help, but Tulsa picked on EVERYONE.
Additionally, the WVU front wore down significantly in the 2nd half against Maryland. The Terps started getting pressure and sacks with 4 and 5 man rushes. We need to be on the attack early and often. If, like me, you read the Berry Tramel piece about OU not putting Bond and Striker on the field at the same time, then you’re probably hoping that was misinformation. Because putting those two on the field at the same time gives us an element of unpredictability that we desperately need. Running nickel coverage hasn’t provided any benefit to OU against 4 wide sets. We end up leaving Hatari Byrd as the single high safety, and teams just attack us with the fade to keep help from arriving. Tulsa abused us with that repeatedly.
So, let’s chance our athletic LB’s covering RB’s out of the backfield and trust that we can mix up our point of attack to keep WVU guessing. We’ll need to have a base defense with these personnel that allow us to set up quickly, and guys need to be hustling back to the line to get in position.
I’ll simply say thanks for putting this together. I don’t know if you had a chance to look at some screen shots I posted Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. I’ve attached it below. This is the very thing that I would do.
Our front four or three have got to be able to apply some type of pressure.
Most excellent post.
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I’m looking for West Virginia to sell out on Perine not having a repeat of his game against them last year. That leaves Joe Mixon and Daniel Brooks outside of the focus of their defense; I can see the run being established early and often with those two while eight of the eleven West Virginia defenders are still trying to find samaje on the field haha.
I’ll be watching the secondary and OU turnover margin. The 2 biggest keys to a B12 title and possible Playoff berth IMO
I’d love to see someone from TFB really break down how we’ve looked the best in the running game. To me, we’ve had some good runs from the shotgun, but most have been when Flowers is in there, and we’re in the pistol look. A lot is made of getting Mixon out in space, but I don’t think Perine gets that same love from fans. While Perine isn’t going to shift and juke a ton, he is awesome at not getting tackled in the open field just because guys know their best chance is to get his legs tangled and he is agile enough to step around them. Also wondering if this could be the game that we do some diamond looks with Flowers, Mixon, and Perine in the backfield.
Perine has a gift for reading his blocks. That and I hear he spends a lot of time reviewing O Line blocking scheme. Hard work = gift.
What i’ll be watching?
….for OUr record to be 4-0 by 3 pm….don’t care how we do it.
Wonder what SD will be watching for?
1.) improved run-blocking & pass protection by the OU O-line ; 2.) turnover margin in favor of OU rather than the 0-3 deficit against Tulsa ; 2.) more aggressive DB play ; 4.) OU receivers –other than Shepard–actually catch the ball and move the chains / score td’s to take the pressure off SS; 5.) a determination by this OU team to win—no matter the situation deep in the 5th Q…………
Kick Rocks!!
Negative references is all you do. However, you chose not to mention receivers catching the ball, not named Shepard, like the Tulsa game…………………………………
I really think this has been addressed by the Coaching staff, don’t worry about the big defensive play after the turn over, just get the turn over first.
Wait. Andrews has 2 TDs, Baxter 1, Westbrook 1 and Neal just short of the goal line.
You had to do it, didn’t you? You owe all of us.
My bad I will do 10 hail marys
20, please.
I just wanted to see the kick rocks is all
Happy to oblige.
We’ll do it by scoring more points than they do. It’s our only option if we want to win.
whats the latest you’ve heard KJ? Team locked in and focused? O-line looking good???
It was a rough start early in the week. Lots of mistakes but that could just be a little rust from the long weekend. Ty and Nila have been practicing (as reported) St. John has been limited but looks to be ready to go Sat. Farniok is still getting reps at guard, looks like Coach B is going to really try to make that work.
ah dang! The problem with youth I guess but I think the line is overall trending up so far this season.
Reps as starter at Guard? Or more as a backup
Backup rotation, Alvarez is back at guard
I like Farniok in there, Nilla is a great guy, but he gets pushed back way too much. Same with Ty.
That’s what I’m saying…who cares about all the speculation. Half of it is pointing out the obvious and the other half is guessing.
good news guys: The prediction analysts, all 4 of them, picked OU to win Saturday.
I’ll be keeping an eye on the secondary for OU. Improvement for the Oline.
Ground game success would be huge to limit WV’s offensive touches.
It won’t be an easy game. Go Sooner!
Best defense he’s coached in 20 years, fastest player he’s ever had at receiver, hmm, I’ll be concerned to see how effectively both our offense and our secondary face what look like big challenges.
I’ll be looking to see if Riley goes right after WVU’s strength and uses the pass game to open up the run game rather than the reverse.
I’ll be looking to see whether they put extra focus on Sterling, and whether the others can step up big time.
Based upon Bob’s not very energetic sounding comment that they were looking for ways to get Alex Ross involved, I’ll be looking to see if he makes it into the backfield at all this game.
I’m expecting Mike to be pretty aggressive, but we’ll see…
Offensive line. Big Uglies. Road graders. Pass blockers. O-line. That’s it, IMHO. We will go as far as they will take us this year. We have the skill position athletes to play with anyone in the country and a defense capable, I said capable, of keeping us in games. Baker is a wizard and has come up with some great plays, but he can’t keep running like that all year. Our ground pounders need to get established. If the O-line gels, we have a good shot of going unbeaten. If not, we are probably a 3-4 loss team.
Agree here. I think we will have to be able to run the ball when they are selling out to stop the pass. Then they will have to commit players to stopping the run and it will open up the pass. It’s all up to the O-line to make that happen
There’s been a lot of talk about what WVU can do on defense. There’s been very little talk about how their defense can be exposed.
I’ve gone back to Dusty’s video. I’d like to offer these notes:
1. Number 76 made the wrong read. He should have blocked the DE, allowing the C to pick up the blitzing LB coming up the middle, fortifying the pocket. Let the OLB go: he either picks up the RB or continue his rush to the QB. If he does, the RB is open in the flat.
2. There are multiple routes Maryland’s WRs could have run. None are more important than the WR at the top of the screen. His route is the most important. There are a couple of color keys I want to point out: (a) red is the primary route for the WRs and orange is the alternate route. (b) blue is the primary responsibility for the DBs and green is a switch/hand off.
3. The WR at the top of the screen has the most important route. And because WVU is coming all-out, he has to start this route immediately because it is the route that will influence the DBs. If there is a switch by the DBs, the middle WR can turn up field.
4. The WR to the inside, closest to the OT, should have run a drag. He’s instantly open. I’m not sure how much is there but it’s positive yardage and potentially a first down.
5. I’ve identified 5 possible options for the QB. All of them are possible.
We are giving WVU’s defense too much credit. Maryland receivers ran straight to WVU’s DBs like a moth to a flame.
Once again, if I’m seeing this, I know LR is seeing this.
Are the MD WRs really that bad or just running bad routes or the QB that horrible? I can see us abusing that middle with Mixon or Andrews . Heck even running stop routes all day.
I’m not making this up. This is what I see. Am I wrong?
If I see it, LR has to see it.
Two points to addres on what Jordan wrote.
Pace: I cant help but think that we’ve worked extensively during the bye week on getting back into the correct D scheme faster. It was painfully obvious during the Tulsa game that that was a big problem. Tulsa was snapping the ball and our D just wasnt set. Hopefully they’ve addressed that issue.
Also as mentioned WV,s defense will probably be blitzing heavily and coming with lots of DLine pressure early to try to rattle Mayfield. Its time to break out shuttle passes and QB draws up the middle. I think both can be effective.
Finally, I agree that WVUs middle should be their week spot. Andrews should be a major target this week.
I’ll be watching from the field level, on the press box side about 45 yard line. It’s going to be hard ‘seeing’ the whole field from that angle. With that in mind, here’s what I’ll be watching for … most of it’s Defensive:
1) Mike getting overly cautious with his DBs and playing them 5 – 10 yards off the ball. It seems if this starts to happen, WVU will have a field day with our secondary.
2) Defensive wrinkles – Blitzes and stunts mostly, but also alignments and any odd/unusual fronts that Mike throws at WVU will show me how much Mike is really trying to get into the head of the WVU DC and QB … even how much freedom he believes he has.
3) Overall aggressiveness of the OU Defense – this can correlate to team confidence (if they’re flying to the ball and creating chaos) or it can correlate to team trepidation (if they’re back on their heels). This more than anything will give me a feel for how the game will go.
4) OU Offensive backfield success – whether it be throwing or scrambling, running or screens, TFLs, big plays, busted plays, etc.
5) WRs achieving separation from the secondary – It COULD be a long day if our receivers are constantly covered no matter the alignment. I’m hoping Mayfield’s scrambling success will create gaps for him to find open receivers.
While the obvious ‘affectors’ of penalties, turnovers, and special teams can really turn a game, the above five are my main concerns throughout the course of the game.
This! Why do our WR’s have such issues with separation? I want to see somebody step up, I look for Andrews to be that guy. He is a match up nightmare. Oklahoma could always go big at WR?
Lack of speed and poor route-running ability … those are basically it. I guess if the route is not to an open spot then that’ll keep the receiver covered too. It’s interesting though that you see in the pros time and time again where the QB throws to a covered receiver but he makes the catch anyway. Maybe we just don’t have another Shep to make those kind of catches?? I too like Andrews, but it seems he needs to be a better blocker … with our perceived issues on the line, his use will be limited until he gets better.
I think this is a misguided post. What do you want? Baxter, Westbrook, Andrews and Neal simply need to be targeted. All but Neal has scored this year. Not an issue.
Neal has made some big time catches for first downs, especially on 3rd.
I think your response is misguided. You need to reread … I am not dis’ing our receivers but I am responding to mysterio. No reason to nit pick. I’ll be at game today, section 6 (not 7 as previously thought), cheering on EVERY player and coach we have ……
lucky
or foolish … for spending so dang much.
Please stop the run. Please don’t go 3 and out (OU). Please cover WRs. Please do a better job stopping pass rushers (OU) than a screen door does stopping water (without the wonder of Flex Seal!). If these wishes are granted, OU should be just fine.
Stopping the run comes first, this has always been the number one goal for all top DC’s. Baylor and TCU also look to run first, this is not lost on Riley.
Most are predicting a huge dose of Perine.
Shouldn’t you be on your knees and grovelling? tears streaming down your face? slice your hand with a sharp knife letting the blood drip in a bowl while … well, … you get the picture.
I’m watching our d line to see how they play the run. I was never a fan of them grabbing their man and holding him to allow the lb’s a clean shot. Texas drew a penalty for this and Big 12 refs alerted to watch for this.
On offense how Riley uses Perine and Andrews. On defense how Mike uses the d-end’s and safety. I want Walker used more at the 3 tech. He creates havoc in the backfield more than any dtackle on the roster.
I wanna see Press Coverage every dangum play!! and by Press I mean I want the DB lined up in the freaking neutral zone!!! – typical OU fan who doesn’t read Super K’s excellent breakdowns on secondary play
Press coverage? Here ya go:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itETgMTpTag
I do and I recall Super K showing that press coverage is NOT the answer.
lol right, I do too! I was being sarcastic…
In all honesty, the more I think about it, what I will be watching is the scoreboard. OU’s point total will continue to rise while the Sooners frustrate WVU on both offense and defense and we come out as a clear top 10 team.
I like your thinking. Let’s make it happen.
yeah! Lets get it! Big Game Bob comes back!
Myself i think we have been holding back bigtime vanilla time to let it rip
BOOMER
It’s tough to argue with a big …. FAT ….. W !!!!
I wish I shared the confidence that so many on this site have, but I see this game as a tossup. Inconsistent O line and secondary play make me very nervous, as does our turnover ratio compared to WVUs. If Sooners can establish the run and make them pay for blitzing it should be enough for a W. If BM is scambling for his life again and they force a couple of picks, not so good.
I remember how I kept hearing how Kevin White was supposed to tear up OU last year and how he was “NFL bound”. He was good. But not that good.
I remember how I kept hearing last year how loud and “hostile” the environment was going to be in Morgantown, like the hillbillys were out for blood or something. It was loud, but apparently not loud or hostile enough.
I remember how OU beat WVU and shut up the hillbillys last year. I see no reason to think that WVU will turn that around and beat Oklahoma, as long as our team executes properly. One way to shut down the WVU offense is to keep them off the field. Hopefully, our offense will be able to get the run going early enough to set the course of the game. I’ll be there. 🙂
I agree with you, buuuuuuut….. Kevin White did tear us up last year. sooooo yaaaa…
A good run game, like lots of money, solves lots of problems.
Good on ya! Wish I was going to be there, too. Enjoy, and be loud.
Kevin White had 10 catches for 173 yard a one TD. I would say that if I was a WVU WR I come into this came based on that and last week with confidence. Not saying OU will lose but I am not going into this game feeling like it is anything other than a war that will be decided in the 4th quarter. Just like it was last year.
IMO they are not what they were on offense last year, but I think their Def. is better. We are better in some areas but weaker in others. It should be a great game. Really hope the crowd brings the energy to help our boys out.
agreed on them–defense (perhaps) better than last yr, but they have’t played anyone yet, and O n/as good probably. I do think that we are better across the board–O, D, and special teams
Make some noise!
I gotta say I’m reminded of the Taco Tech buildup from a couple of years ago when they were leading the conference, unstoppable offense and were playing some defense. Oh….and OU scorched them. I don’t expect to see much different from Mike and the D…WVU is going to score some points…but the Riley will have his hotrod Lincoln running on all cylinders with a strong run game, again, to go with Baker continuing to hit receivers and make plays.
2 observations about this post:
WVU has not faced an offense like OU in talent, speed or toughness. In Riley I trust.
I’d be surprised if WV has played against a QB who could even run the Sooner scout team. The Maryland QB was just awful. Only one of his picks was under duress. This OU offense let’s you pick how you want to die.
And… I think Mr. Mixon needs to feed his inner monster this weekend, BOOMER!!!
Sooner!!
Yes! SOONER!!
said the same thing to my son at noon today. would like to see him have a coming out party, and he has played well so far.
What am I looking for……………………a W. I don’t care how.
Im going to say by scoring more points, but we shall see
Q: Who holds on PAT’s and FG’s? If it isn’t Knight, it should be.
After watching the OU / TU game again, TU would give WVU all they could want. Evans was extraordinary with accuracy.
It was invaluable as a primer- gotta give TU a lot of credit, they’re a good ball club. Can’t wait until they play osu in stoolwater in 2017.
I want to believe that, but honestly all I saw was the defense we saw the last 5 games of the season last year. I didn’t see anything but us getting burned whether press or off coverage, getting little to no pressure on QB, and not even getting lined up before they snapped the ball.
I hope you are right but either way it is not good for us this week.
This is true, I don’t see West Virginia giving us too much to handle. At some point our defense has got to force mistakes and capitalize by finishing the turnovers.
Baylor is the only team that presents a problem our defense can’t overcome. Tcu is close but not as well oiled right now IMO as Baylor.
Agree. Montgomery has coached up the Hurricane. Their offense is sweet.
This game is going to be completely different than last year. Our entire offense was built from the run game.We gashed them bad up and down the field. PA deep/screens. I don’t think we have that success.
This 3-3-5 defense is going to bring a lot of deception, blitzes, and speed. Even
though WVU lacks a pure pass rusher, the defensive system is setup instead to
confuse the offensive line and their protection schemes. This oline is going to
be tested greatly on their assignments, technique and communication. Oline
needs to improve in those areas because so far these miscues has plagued the
entire line every game this season.
HUNH could neutralize that.
To me as far as players go this game is all about OUr DB play and OL play. If we can control line of scrimmage at all we have a great shot. If DBs can cover at all we have really great shot.
A Big X factor that has been discussed some is our crowd. Our crowd needs to be rowdy. They need to realize that is not a team that is just going to go out and win games because Sooners is on the jersey. The crowd needs to disrupt what WVU wants to do and communicate on offense for 48 minutes. This will not make or break this game but it will make a difference with the game and THE RECRUITS!
I will look what kind of defense scheme we are running on the first series. If it is the Mike Stoops special suicide prevent defense, then I know Baker and Co will have to score 55 points to have a chance to win.
I think we need to use Striker and Bond at the same time until WV or anyone else shows that they can hurt us consistently.
His gameplan against Bama was perfect, I get that that was a pro style offense but still we loaded up to put them in 3rd and long all game and forced them to make deep throws to beat us. I wonder why it wouldn’t work vs a spread?
a W anyway they can get it so I can enjoy the cfb games the rest of the day, potentially some great games
O/U: 59.5
What say you?
I’ll go overs.
What’s the spread?
OU -7
How does that work? Never having gambled, I have never understood spreads except those that go on bread.
OU would have to win by more than 7 if you were to place money on them and win.
Thanx! I thought so but wasn’t sure.
The O/U is nearly 60. That means they expect a score of 34-26, correct?
maybe 59-1 😉
I think it’s safe to take the over. I think the winner will be in the 40s. Good chance the other is in the 30s
Looks like hardly anybody is picking the good guys in this game Saturday!! Trammel the turd picked WVU, all 3 guys on The ESPN page picked WVU! I like that!! Keep on doubting this team!! I believe with a little improvement, this team can be pretty dang good! Up to this point WVU has played nobody. 2 FCS and hapless Maryland. Let’s see what they can do against a pretty good offense. Let’s see if their secondary is as good as it’s hyped up to be. I believe in OUr sooners. Saturday can’t come soon enough
Trendy pick based solely on what has happened to OU at home in the recent past- lazy prognostication at best.
Every writer at SI and all the pundits at Fox Sports (including Jim Ross) picked OU to win.