Some Quick Thoughts On OU vs. Akron
Posted on: September 6, 2015
Image via zimbio.com
I was honestly hesitant to throw something like this together before really having a chance to dive into a re-watch, but if you’re anything like me you can wait to talk about the game from the night before with somebody. So hopefully some of you will find this helpful, even with the Captain Obvious nature with respect to some of my observations.
OFFENSE
* The elephant in the room is clearly the play of the offensive line. Even though we talked about the strength of this Akron team being the front seven going in, there’s really no sugarcoating the o-line’s struggles Saturday night.
It was inevitable Akron would wear down in the second half, so even when things opened up a little bit later in the game you still have to take it with a grain of salt.
And spoiler alert, it’s not likely these OL/run game issues get fixed next week in Knoxville with the Vols having one of the better front fours in CFB.
* It’s just one game against a suspect opponent AND the Joe Mixon hype train had long ago left the station, but he still did his part in attempting to live up to it on Saturday night.
And let me just address that long pass play for the TD. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve already seen trying to discount the play because it was a busted coverage (it was) which led to him being WIDE open (he was). But it’s the ‘big picture’ aspect of the play that’s much more important.
It’s all the possibilities at Lincoln Riley’s disposal when Mixon and Samaje Perine are on the field at the same time, as they were on this play. It’s what we’ve all been so anxious to see and while OU and Riley were clearly guarded in what they revealed Saturday night, even this brief glimpse was enough to excite.
So, yeah, it was a busted coverage, but it’s not about that. It’s about both those guys playing at the same time and creating opportunities for not only one other, but also those around them.
* I’m sure it was more than just the two guys I’m about to mention, but Dede Westbrook and Jarvis Baxter’s blocking efforts on the outside REALLY stood out.
* Baker Mayfield looked, for the most part, exactly like the guy OU needs him to be. He did have that one throw which was very fortunate not to have been picked off, but outside of that I thought he was very smart with the ball.
He also showed on multiple occasions that athleticism and mobility to extend plays when the pocket breaks down. Which, again going back to the play of OU’s offensive line, could continue to be not only important but much needed in the coming weeks.
* Was good to see Trevor Knight get in and be allowed to do something other than turn around and hand it off in mop up duty. So I hate to even bring up the negative, but that INT in the end zone was an obvious reminder as to why he’s no longer QB1.
* Just going to do some quick scatter shots on the WRs: Was encouraged how much Mayfield spread it around and clearly wasn’t just locked in on Sterling Shepard the whole time. Felt good to see Durron Neal making plays. Really didn’t understand Mark Andrews not seeing the field early, but he wound up making several plays to convert on third downs.
Based on what I saw from both OU and Tennessee on Saturday, if the Sooners are going to win in Knoxville it will be largely because of Mayfield and OU’s WRs. The Vols’ secondary looked super suspect against Bowling Green and eventually gave up 430+ yards.
DEFENSE
* I can’t really put much stock in what we saw from the OU defense given that calling Akron’s offense a work in progress would be extremely generous. Unsurprisingly, Mike Stoops said following the game they kept things very vanilla.
* Did see some flashes from Charles Walker, which was certainly encouraging. Would be significant for this defense if the light has finally come on from him, but not quite ready to go there yet. Also remember seeing some good things from the guy who has been the talk of fall camp in Devante Bond.
* I’m choosing to chalk up what felt like the lack of a pass rush to what Akron was looking to accomplish on offense. Hoping the Tennessee OL will be the cure for some of those ills next week.
* Hard to tell how much the secondary may or may not have improved considering how little Akron tried to go after them, but K pointed out on Twitter during the game that the corner at least appeared to be playing closer to the LOS. Was really kind of surprised Akron didn’t try to go after P.J. Mbanasor at the start of the game if for no other reason then he was a true freshman make his first career start.
SPECIAL TEAMS
* Austin Seibert looks like the real deal.
* Shepard being on punt return continues to be completely idiotic. No more so evidenced than during one particular return early(ish) in the game after which he was hit late out of bounds and subsequently flipped over the Akron bench. Every possible thing about continuing to put him back there is just so, so dumb.
* When you have one of the best KR guys in the country, yet you voluntarily put a second returner back there for some reason giving your opponent the option to kick it to someone who isn’t one of the best KR guys in the country. This, also, continues to make no sense to me.
—
Well, that’s all I’ve got. But I’m sure there are any number of things you saw that I didn’t touch on, so let yourself be heard in the comments below.
364 Comments
BOOMER!! I’m worried about our offensive line against Tennessee. Could get ugly if we don’t see some quick improvement. I think our defense can hold the Vols in check for the most part.
I’m anxious to read JY’s thoughts and breakdown on the offensive line.
Been waiting for your thoughts. Thank you.
Dru Samia should get the start on the right side.
Oline will get better as the season goes on. Need time to gel with the 1st team is set and to get those reps.
As for next week,Tennessee is too early of a road test. I have them losing in my season prediction.
Akron really attacked Zack Sanchez. They missed some opportunities too. Time to hit the film room and start improving for league play. Just make it out of Knoxville somehow with the W
I’m confused by the PR and KR also. Akrons QBs couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn so I’m still up in the air about the db’s I seen multiple receivers wide open they just couldn’t get the ball to them.
Truth
Penalties were a killer. I’m sure some was nerves but they were worse than we’ve seen in quite sometime. I’ve said before that Sanchez has his moments of getting caught. He was the only person to give up a huge play. ?? The play calling seemed to be good other than the run/pass ratio weren’t even. Perhaps that was because the line wasn’t blocking. Tennessee ran the ball well and I think this is going to be the deciding factor in next weeks game. I think our D will do fine next week against Tennessee and if we take care of the ball we will win.
I 100%, absolutely, unequivocally agree with the absurdity of having SS return punts. It’s stupefying.
I don’t understand why. Because he fumbled?
Because the risk of injury is just too great for a vital player in the offense – especially one who has already sustained an injury. There surely must be another player on the depth chart who can handle the job.
Broyles and Saunders weren’t vital players?
I didn’t like them returning punts either.
LOL!
In that case, I’m glad it’s the coaches who decide.
I think it’s too great a risk. Obviously you disagree. Whatever.
A player is at risk every time they step on the field. I’m sure if there was another non offensive or defensive starter who would step up, they would be on special teams. But remember it is still early there is a lot we are not privy to. There is a lot on offense, defense and special teams that are not settled, made evident by the substitution patterns and personnel groupings. I personally would like to see Brooks give it(KR/PR) a try, but he of course has got to make the case in practice.
I’d like to see Brooks as well, but I don’ t know about his hands. And yes, a player IS at risk everytime he steps on the field, so don’t exacerbate that risk is my position. Find a special teams player to play special teams.
I just want someone to please explain to me why Alex Ross can’t return punts. “Bueller? Bueller? Anyone???”
He needs space to get moving, doesn’t have that explosive first move it takes.
Have you ever seen him run? He has zero lateral ability. Does not have the abilities needed to return punts.
I’d prefer not too but if he is I’d like to see him protect himself better
He had some nice returns, it’s a shame they each had penalties.
My main point is this, a player is at risk of injury any time they step on the field. Shep’s injuries last year didn’t occur during returns, only when he was catching passes. He got injured in the Sugar Bowl after a catch when he got tackled.
Unless there are disposable players on the roster that can be trusted to secure the ball and/or make nice runs after, then there will always be a “vital” player returning punts.
Yes sir. But he took some big hits. Though one was late and the bench player seemed to use his shoulder to throw him too
Yeah, and the Akron coaches and players didn’t try to help they just made a hole so he could go flying into the bench.
Yeah glad that game is over. Seemed to be a few punks on their squad
Is Mixon not vital?
I watched most of the first half of the vols game and neither their DL or their entire defense impresses me. If the vols want to play 7 in the box to stop the run like the Zips did, I welcome the out come.
The Sooners didn’t play with any attitude or emotion last night. Would love to see them fired up and confident against the vols.
It will be a whole new level of energy in Knoxville. I think the Vols will indeed play 7 in the box. Stop Perine, take your chances with the QB and WRs. I hope it’ a chance we take advantage of.
I think they may pressure the QB from unexpected angles that don’t compromise the run game. They may feel they have the talent to press our #1 WRs (we hope), will be an interesting coaching battle. The good thing is our coaches and players have actual game film to work off of, which can’t be understated.
I think the OL play improved as the game went on.
Having only watched it once I can’t be certain, but I definitely think Samia is better at RT.
Absolutely
Oline play always seemingly improves through a game because d lines get tired, especially when a team doesn’t have depth. I’m hopeful they were truly getting better but I think they are easily our biggest problem to solve this year.
I was impressed with Doms play recognition and lateral speed last night. He looked really solid as did Matt Dimon
I agree on both players.
I think what appeared as a faster Dom was due to his mind being clearer on his assignments.
There is no way Matt is 260lbs., and even if that is a true weight his quickness and strength showed up last night.
Yep also thought JEvans looked a lot bigger
That is kind of my thoughts about Shep doing punt returns. He just doesn’t seem fired up about it.
Watched OU a 2nd time and the Tenn game once, but stopped and watched plays over. Tenn has problems with their DBs. The BG QB was wide open on zone reads, so it could be useful for a crucial 1st down or TD play. BG got in trouble on the Tenn all-out blitzes because they had 4 outside receivers ALL covered 1 on 1 and did NOT send one to the middle that Tenn vacated for the blitz.
We all saw the OU line play look sad, so hopefully that improves. It seemed to me that OU did not have very wide line splits – is that something being held back so Tenn won’t prepare for it?
I will wait to see what many of you more knowledgeable TFB posters say about the OU line play and JY when he posts his column.
Baxter may go down as one of the greatest late pick ups in history and Dede can flat ball. Other than a couple drops, I’m pretty happy with what I saw from the receivers as a group. So glad there isn’t just ONE guy to look for.
Kicking game….no problem.
Baker looked solid for his first outing as a Sooner. I expect him to get better and can see why he won the job. Mixon is a weapon anywhere on the field and I really think we will see him returning more punts once his nerves get settled.
Defensive front seems to be solid, wait and see on the secondary as they haven’t been tested yet.
O line……if you watched you already know. I do think they will improve quickly because of coaching.
esco………who is your suggestion for the pr?
might agree with the note on ross as kr……you want him with the return
Mixon or Westbrook are two that come to mind.
and if mixon is the one getting hit and flipping over benches?
i guess i’m missing the point on why shep is vital and they “idiotically” keep putting him back there. there are numerous guys on this team that are vital and we don’t wanna lose to injury. i believe its always been put your playmakers on special teams otherwise they aren’t very special. point being, all these guys are explosive playmakers but are vital to this offense and making plays and taking the focus off any one guy
I’ll give you a list: Shep is a different level of special. Without him, our offense was completely stagnant. Shep has had injuries. KR and PR’s have a history of getting hurt. We have lots of great options for return men that would not devastate the offense if injured.
i guess i just disagree. shep is special, and we’ve seen THE OFFENSE LAST YEAR without him. it was not very good. we have a plethora of weapons this year. i do not think its as big a deal as last yr. if we lose westbrook, mixon, sanchez, shep, et al i don’t think it’ll hurt as bad as last yr except for the fact that its one less guy for the d to have to worry about. i would rather have the best guy back there(the coaches chose him so apparently he’s the best) and risk injury than have someone not quite as good. if we go with mixon, we go with mixon. if we go with brooks, we go with brooks. but i’ll let the guys on the sidelines that get paid to do this make that choice
Agree with wanting to discuss the game on Sundays.
Need to find a way to better incorporate Samaje into the game plan. He has too much talent to not use him.
Loved the diversity in catches. Baxter a pleasant surprise. Westbrook and Mixon as advertised.
Sam contributes just by being on the field, forcing defenders to crowd the box. And I think they’ll find ways to get him his carries as well.
Baxter played great! Good hands, nice blocks – the kid is a STEAL.
JY. Did the o-line tighten up their splits as the game went on? It appeared early on the splits were wider and Akron attacked the gaps by some slanting. Thoughts?
Devil’s advocate on a few things.
1. No, the INT isn’t the reason Knight isn’t still the starting QB. From all accounts, Mayfield was getting picked off considerably more during Fall camp, and still one the job. Not to mention, I have no problems with the 2nd string QB “taking chances” in the 4th quarter of a blowout that he might not otherwise take. I didn’t see the play (left the game a little early), but that wouldn’t be why I’d say BM beat out TK.
2. If not Shepard returning punts, who? Mixon? Can’t really afford to lose him to injury either. I’m not sure what the answer is, and I have no problems with either of those guys being back there, but the argument against having Shep back there could certainly be made for Mixon as well.
Things I liked:
1. BM’s throwing accuracy and his ability to scramble around, in the pocket or just out of it, and still make plays with his arm. That might be very important this year if the Oline is going to struggle.
2. Westbrook appears to be the real deal.
3. I thought the D played pretty darn good, though it’s always tough to gauge against a weak opponent. But there weren’t a lot of missed tackles, or completely blown secondary assignments. I thought PJ played pretty darn good while he was in there.
Things I didn’t like:
1. Not giving up hope, but it sure seems like our young Oline guys take longer to come around than those at other schools. I don’t remember Bama struggling to break in new guys.
2. I really worried about fitting the run game into this system. It’s tough to do. Especially with a guy like Perine. What I don’t understand, is why on 3rd or 4th and short, we can’t get up under center, close the Oline splits, and run some power run game. Why does that have to be a non-option just b/c we run the spread?
3. Not sure the young WR’s are ready for the big time yet. Luckily we have Shep, Westbrook, and Baxter. And Neal, I suppose. They’ll get better as the year goes on, but hopefully we play the experienced guys more next week.
4. Penalties. smh. I don’t understand being that poor against such an out-manned opponent. No reason for the stupid ones. Gotta clean that mess up.
To your #1, it appeared to me that the DB made illegal contact with Green in the end zone, knocking him off his route. It looked like the pass would have been on the money had Green’s route not been altered.
That the other DB dropped off of his man and got behind Green was a good play on his part.
Thanks for the info. I’ll probably watch the 4th quarter at some point today, and will have a reference point.
To that point, TK handled the offense nicely for his first go with the new system. His using Andrews was superb.
He made some nice throws
I thought Knight looked at least as good as Mayfield did to start the game.
DB definitely impeded the route. Refs were pretty bad all night. Missed a PI on Akron a face mask on OU and I think the Akron WR caught that one on the sideline. And theyou let the game get too chippy
I don’t know where the officiating crew was from, but they sure had their first game foibles last night.
So did the announcers. They kept calling Baxter as KJ Young, and kept saying Seibert was the one kicking off.
Totally agree on EasTex point. Early contact was very evident; would also been nice for the young WR to battle for position a little harder, that will come with time.
It was good that Green got some experience last night, he will only get better. His “gator arms” on the pass from TK over the middle would have gone for good yards.
Lots of dropped balls from young players last night and I think they will all be better at receiving in the future.
Game 1 out of the way…next first….first away game with a very hostile crowd. They will be forced to grow up quick..
I’m glad we have a lot of guys who have started before. Most of the D started last year, or played a lot. They shouldn’t get rattled. Worry mostly about the Oline and the new receivers. I think BM will be okay. Just need to get him settled early.
i’m interested in practice this week. does bob like to pump in noise like some coaches do? what types of silent counts and whatnot will we incorporate, etc?
good stuff. i thought neal played well. we did pick up a 4th and short late and we were under center. i loved that one. notables that stuck out to me:
dimon
neal
mixon
mayfield
westbrook
baxter
pj
parker
byrd’s hit
Dimon was all over the place. Very active. Obo (I think) had a nice QB rush in the 2nd quarter maybe. Quick move and he was right at the QB’s legs when he thru it (quickly). I was very impressed with that.
Did DeBerry play any?
i will have to watch again to see obo. i had my tiny little computer screen to watch some bootleg, tape delayed, sketchy mess but it was free and i got my fix. not sure on deberry
According to the defenses participation report Deberry did not play.
http://www.soonersports.com/ViewContent.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=31000&CONTENT_ID=1404163
DeBerry did not play.
I also like what Walker did on the DL and what Andrews showed as a weapon on O.
Overton had some good plays and man does his size show up on the screen.
i’ll have to rewatch. hopefully on a bigger screen. but it’ll be hard seeing a replay out here
It was just posted on this thread, I watched it this morning.
oh yeah i’ll watch the internet version. i just wish i had a tv version. maybe full screen on computer will have to suffice
Now that I have watched the replay of OU’s first game that I listened to on the radio, I will now watch the replay of my high schools first home game that I listened to on the radio. At least with this replay I need only watch the first half, they were ahead 48-7 at the half.
oof. are they good? or no competition?
They are pretty good. This team that they beat 55-7 was an area finalist last year with 6 offensive starters and 5 defensive starters returning from that team. Our RB is averaging close to 20ypc, but because they have been blowing everybody out he only had 2 TDs, 126 yds on 6 carries this last Friday.
6/126 is that good? geez
He’s like Daniel Brooks, 5’8 180 and a 4.4 forty.
both sound like one of my, and everybody’s favorites,Q
Judge for your self. Like his HC said if he was 6’2 the parking lot would be full of recruiters.
*Edit-I keep telling it to go to 41 minutes and it jumps ahead, so just slide the play bar back to 41 for his TD run.
https://youtu.be/ArJKQ4-ZKT4?t=41m
wow! impressive. thanks
He just took the angles away from both safeties with his speed.
walker was a man. wow! Andrews too! I also thought Overton looked very good. impresssed with all 3 of these guys
Regarding #1, I agree it was not the INT, but what I saw from TK when he came in was several / to many passes high and behind his receivers. On one completion if the receiver had not made a great play by slowing up, reaching back and making the catch it would have been the same. Looked a lot like he did last season in many respects. That’s why I think BM is starting.
I don’t remember any high passes. The one to Dahu was money and was flat dropped or he might still be running. Near TD on his 2nd completion to Andrews as well if Andrews can avoid the ankle tackle. The throw to Bothun on the out route needs to be in front of him but those 2 haven’t worked together at all in camp outside of warmup throws. Still, that one is on TK. He also threw a touch behind Andrews over the middle but that was a super tight window and probably needed to be placed there in order to thread the needle. His throw to Mead where Mead got the PI was a perfect ball. On the INT, he needed to look off the outside DB but the throw was fine and Dahu can’t get pushed off the route that easy. If he fights through it, you have at worst a jump ball between a 6’4″ WR and a 5’10” DB. Both to blame for that one and I bet TK learns from that because his OC actually coached him up on it on the sidelines instead of yelling at him through a headset. Riley will do wonders for Mayfield and Knight because he teaches and reacts calmly instead of just being irate all the time.
Overall, I thought Knight looked pretty good. Ball placement needs to improve a little but nothing was egregious and he made some great throws as well. Fans can dog him all they want, but there aren’t many teams who have a better back up than OU and that could prove awfully useful this season with the oline we have.
The run game was ineffective because the Oline was getting beat. It isn’t the scheme. Remember Quentin Griffin in 2000?
Haven’t looked so it’s probably posted somewhere on the site already, but just in case.
https://youtu.be/Qk8lvn5vIas
I’m sure this was discussed last night, but how about that no call on the db that tackled Mixon 15 yards downfield before the ball had been thrown? How does that not get called?
Worst non call ever.
YEP! If that would have been against saxet or Baylor, I would need a new TV.
That was bizarre.
That was horrible. Inexcusable too
I honestly dont think the refs saw it, and just assumed they were tangled. And they cant call something they just plain missed. Still, inexcusable.
I thought Toby Rowland was going to stroke out after that no-call. Dude was hooooot and when I watched it last night on “The Blevins Show” it was as bad as TROW made it out to be. Guess we have to remember it’s the first game for the zebras as well.
Side Note: Mix is special. Just special.
thought the synopsis was ‘spot on’……that said, Tennessee by 2 td;s next Saturday on its home field…..
The Volunteers impressed you that much?
Quite the opposite with him.
no, the OU O-Line is THAT suspect….If Tennessee can control the LOS with its 4 man DL— the Vols should win………..
Their D struggled with Bowling Green
Remember who you’re talking to here. lol
True
so us vs bowling green, who ya got? sounds like we might squeak it out at the buzzer
If our defense isn’t better than BG, perhaps your anti-OU dream will come true. But that “great” Tenn defense couldn’t cover the BG receivers or stop their QB runs. A few favorable no-calls helped them too.
That negativity is not yet allowed. Let’s just wait see, shall we. Crow is awful tough this time of year.
Buzzards eat anything.
you must have been weaned on lemon juice and dunked in vinegar as a child
Just a word on that Zip front seven. That front four wasn’t chopped liver. Unless I am extremely confused three of the four were former 4 star type DTs who had transferred from some good FBS teams and the fourth was a 2 year starter. I’m going to go out on a limb here and suggest that the Vol front four isn’t going to be a huge step up in quality. Taller than the Zip font four, but no stronger.
And, the Vol defense gave up over 400 yards passing to the Falcons. Tennessee won the game with their ground game, not their passing game. Oh, and let me add one more thought. The BG punter cost them as many yards in field position as did OU’s penalties on Sheps punt returns. The Vols got some huge field position advantages they won’t get with Siebert’s punting.
I think OU is in for a huge up-hill battle to get the win. The OU OL has to make some serious improvement between now and next Saturday. Nerves and senseless penalties killed us in the first quarter.
Two of the DLinemen transferred from tOSU and one from Pitt.
you’re right. b/c of TN’s punt returns they started inside the BG 30 and got 3 TDs.
I was fortunate enough to be in the stands yesterday…what I took away was Baker was great at extending the play, the wide receivers are great blockers, o-line needs to gel but the athleticism is there, Charles walker could be a nightmare for offenses, Mark Andrews is gonna be awesome, and Orlando Brown is a sight to see – just a mammoth human being. Kinda felt, too, that maybe the o was being a little vanilla with things during the first half. I’m no expert, but it felt like maybe we knew we could turn it on when we wanted to. Again, I could be wrong about that but we went on a tear late in the second and during the third quarters and they kinda made it look easy. Couldn’t take away much from the d cause Akron really wasn’t testing them too much. Sterling looked to be hands down the best receiver on the field but the new guys did look pretty dang good.
I was curious as to the wide receiver splits, typically in the air raid i.e. Baylor the wide receivers line up outside the hash and numbers to open space we never did that.
As proven by tOSU last year. Staying on task for overall team development and improvement is the key in the new payoff era. Kind of like in pro sports and college basketball..peaking at the right time.
Just survive this week
Anyone catch that BOMB Hatari Byrd laid on the Akron QB? I love how he let em know about it after the play!
Good clean hit
I do NOT love how any player lets anyone know after they make a play. That’s what kills us in big games, no discipline. Get a penalty on some of those plays and it’s like a TO, the drive stays alive. If I was BS I’d rip him good for doing that. Just play the game, don’t try showing people up between plays, let the plays do the talking.
The good news is that none of the coaches ripped anyone last night. Ripping players isn’t necessary.
I get what you’re saying and I don’t want our guys getting a bunch of senseless, unsportsmanlike penalties either, but I think there’s a certain “line” that’s got to be “flirted” with”, within reason. The guys that make it to the NFL have that “edge and nastiness” to them, or else they just won’t survive. Now more stuff is allowed by NFL refs than college refs too, but you want guys to have a nasty, unrelenting, edge to them, and not just be flat and emotionless. I think that’s a small aspect of the game that Bobs not 100% corect on and a big reason why we have games where we come out flat. I thought Byrd flirted the line a tad but didn’t just stick his head out there and do something stupid. There’s a “smart” way to have that edginess. The best teams have that imo, and those early 2000’s teams def had it. This game is a “war” of mental attrition….and u have to have guys in the right frame of mind to fight the fight, or else they come out flat and get beat by the team who approaches the game with a better mindset that day.
I agree to disagree
my thoughts on the O of OU :
1) the best way to defend Mixon on a pass is to tackle him as soon as the ball is released if not before before – maybe catch him in the tunnel and put him in a straight jacket .
2) the best way to stop Perine is for our OLine to completely fall apart and put at least 12 guys on the on the line 🙂 – doesn’t always work but you have to try ..
3) the best way to stop Sterling Shepard is to tackle him out of bounds on your own sideline then mug him . Wait that didn’t actually work – Akron is going to have to work on they”e sideline mugging skills .:(
C) The best way to stop Baker Mayfield .. see all above
5) with all the young guys first game jitters out of the way .. we should be fine this week
.
6) If we keep improving thru the year we might actually make the play – off 🙂
&) If we don’t lose six or eight coaches from the rest of the football world raiding the OU brain trust all at once we ought to be really good for some time to come .
11) “The sky is the limit ” – Methuselah
Coaches protect players by not letting them return kickoffs, but they don’t treat punts the same way. It’s just not a consideration. They put the best guy in there. On kickoffs the other team is loaded with special teams crazies unimpeded running full tilt down the field. Punts are different. Regular guys are in there, they have to block first, and on top of that they can let the kick go by, or call a fair catch. Much much different. I have never heard of a coach “protecting” a great punt returner by not putting him in.
I suspect we have several elusive people who have the elusiveness and speed to return punts. However, the primary consideration is who can be relied upon to catch them consistently. That’s probably the reason why we’re seeing the choices the coaches have made.
Agree. You cannot be the best punt returner available, if you tend to leave the ball behind…:-)
I was at the game and on the sideline for the first half so here’s a couple things I noticed:
1.) Outside of the offensive line, the biggest problem were the linebackers. They weren’t really out of position but never really stood their ground on tackles. A lot of times they have up 2 or 3 yards after contact.
2.) WR’s were hungry and Simmons has really pieced the WR core back together.
3.) Not sure what to think of the PR game. Shep isn’t the answer though.
4.) PJ played well and never tried to do too much other than play his assignment. Weird to see Akron go after Thomas but not PJ.
5.) How did safeties get beat deep a couple times?
6.) Andrews was ready to get in the game early, coaches kept him out.
7.) Jarvis Baxter has a lot of hustle. I like.
8.) Mead runs so effortlessly and smooth. Sometimes it looks like he’s not even trying that hard.
9.) Loved seeing how many freshman got in the game. PJ, Anderson, Green, Miller, Haughton to name a few.
10.) Perine got a lot of respect from the defense and still had a decent game even with being swarmed.
Watching the game now:
1.) Slow starts are not affordable
2.) Stop Fox Sports announcers 2015.
2.a.) Not sure if a Stoops press conference or these announcers are more predictable with their words.
According to the announcers, KJ Young played great!
Don’t forget Seibert on those kickoffs too!
My brother and I just keep laughing at that too …
Alexander was fine wasn’t really dragged often.
I’m not saying everytime and it’s just the first but there were some times I’d like to see them stand up the runner. It’s just something I saw and heard discussed with some guys on the sideline.
Every LB gets dragged from time to time. You make it sound like good LB never got dragged. Alexander played really well Saturday.
I thought Neal looked great. I understand wanting to have Ross return every kick, but I have no problem with a 40 yard return as the alternative. Neal also looked great receiving and blocking. He seemed quick, always open, competitive going for the ball, and sure handed.
I like Neal, always have.
Glad to see him make some plays last night.
Like a lot of guys, he was supposed to have made a great effort to up his game for this season. If yesterday was an indication, he may have done so.
He and Shep can’t be picked on this year.
I like him back there with Ross in KR.
agree on both counts.
hey, did he lose 20 lbs? My cousin said he lost 20 lbs since last yr
I don’t think so. IIRC his weight on this year’s roster is about the same as last year.
I commented in the game thread that Neal looked like stud out there. He played with some intensity and made plays that weren’t easy to make.
I thought Shep looked good in the punt return game. He had two long returns called back, and he looked decisive and elusive, much different from the tentative approach last year.
agreed. I didn’t think we were very good at punt return last yr at all and I do think we looked better
Also, all white at uni’s next week?
All white, with the white helmet would be pretty sweet…
Really like this Jarvis Baxter guy. He’s another headline, as far as I’m concerned. Maybe we should save time and money and just field a team of walk-ons…:-) He really looked good.
Aka kj young ?
Mixon, a redshirt freshman who was suspended last season after punching a woman in the face at a restaurant, caught a 76-yard touchdown pass from Mayfield early in the third quarter. He caught three passes for 115 yards and ran five times for 27 yards.
not sure if this is ap or who but it is from espn’s site for the summary. i don’t understand why this has to be the way he’s described. does it matter in the grand scheme of things? does it make the writer and those that agree with him feel better about themselves because he’s out there doing it and they’re left to only watch or write about it? if i read this to my kids i would tell them he made a mistake, most of the world has moved on but people will always have their detractors who feel the need to bring others down to feel more important
Easy target and takes away from the win. OU isn’t a popular team in a popular conference, so there won’t be a lot of backlash from anyone.
I wouldn’t say OU isn’t popular. I see folks in California with OU gear and a lot have no ties to the school or state. Now if you mean not popular with ESPN, partners in the LHN, I agree.
The latter, yes.
The writer is just covering his butt. If he didn’t mention that incident, he’d get twenty letters from irate feminists pointing that out.
I suspect that when Mixon is put to rest, there will be some who will want his tombstone to say something about Pickleman’s.
I think it’s to be expected at first, since this is the first time he is in the news after the previous event. It was a big deal, but as long as the only news from him continues to come from the field, while it will still get occasional mention, it won’t be a regular tag line, for long.
why? because that’s who he is? no. he’s a heck of a talent who made a mistake. zero reason to rehash it. if someone is reading your article and they have to google it to see if “he’s that guy that punched that broad”, then so be it. to me, its just a cheap shot by someone who would never say that to his face. that’s one thing that kills me about the press and the internet for that matter. don’t say something that you wouldn’t feel comfortable saying in someone’s face and be prepared for the backlash that will come
I understand your point, but the first time you get your name in the paper after a story like that, it’s gonna be mentioned in some fashion. Let us hope that as time passes it is only mentioned in the context of a redemption story.
BTW I’m not defending the reporter or the way it was done, just saying it’s gonna happen.
oh i know you’re not. i just hate that they do that. you’re a professional and you don’t work for tmz, act like it is the way they should be
Is Jenni Carlson working for ESPiN? Is that her new gig?
hahaha. she might be. another thing along the lines of what i mean is what is the writers at home life like? ever struck anyone in anger? kick your dog?
or…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4nKJYV3UKs
Mindless. Simpletons. That’s all they know. They think like fish and write whatever comes to the edge of their mind. Beer. Labor Day is tomorrow. Burrito. Just like me.
Re O-line: Stoops indicated that Akron spent a lot of time in a formation that the OU guys hadn’t “spent enough time” working on. One would hope and assume that this will be less likely as they move forward.
Hopefully they spent that time Tenn formations.
Siebert definitely looks like the real deal. His punting was outstanding. The bad snap, nice job by Bothun getting it down, didn’t faze him. And he seems just as fluid no matter the distance. 35 yards, 41 yards…they looked like extra points.
The announcers called his 40-yard kick a “chip shot,” and he booted it through like it was nothing.
Forty yards is where most kickers start to push their range; Seibert made it look like a putt. The guy is legit.
The general incompetence of the announcers, who btw are by no means the worst, as far as identifying players–KJYoung?? Siebert kicking off?? (maybe hire a spotter, or look at the roster sheet, or as a last resort, try reading the names on the jerseys) and, random comments like “Stoops has blocked a lot of punts over the years” Really??? makes me wonder how much I miss when I’m watching other games with teams I’m not as familiar with.
That bugged the heck out of me. They didn’t get the Seibert thing until like the 4th quarter.
Yeah, it’s funny, but I think one of them got it right the first time, and then not after that for many times. I don’t think the two announcers listen to what each other says in the booth very often.
I don’t recall any injuries! (hope I’m not mistaken)
If we didn’t have ANY injuries, let alone any major ones, that right there gentlemen (and ladies) might be the biggest positive of them all.
Bolton got hurt, he hobbled off and they put ice on his knee. Hope it isn’t serious.
You are correct. I do remember hearing that one, though it was alluded to being precautionary. Hope so!
Stanvon Taylor played on a lot of ST in the first half, but did not play in the 2nd half. He committed no penalties, so may have been injured.
I was entertained, if not appalled, by the guy on the bench who appeared to try to take a shot at Shep as he went flying by over his head…:-)
I look at it like Shep had a chance to “tea bag” the guy and took it. 🙂
While the defense was “vanilla” and the opponent not much of an offensive threat I think this game is a positive for them in 1) other than Sanchez getting burned on the double move the defense was in good position most of the game.2) the defensive play calling seemed fluid- not a bunch of last minute switching around or people looking around like they needed a clue as to what to do 3) the twos and threes kept up the intensity- no garbage points allowed and no let down in effort. While none of those are indicators what this defense will be like later on down the schedule those are all positives to build on. With so many new players and coaches and MS in the booth it could have been a goat circus out there but it wasn’t.
“goat circus” lol
I don’t know, I think it might be an indicator for the reasons you mentioned. hope so at least
Qb: Mayfield had what looked like a solid, workman like day, and yet it was a record setter. Amazing how a 75 yard completion will help your stats. 🙂 I thought he looked really good, and was especially pleased with what looked to be good vision, mostly quick decisions, and, with the exception of the one near pick, good protection of the football.
During the game thread some noticed he didn’t see another player wide open but the one he did throw too was open also. I think the random points of attack this offense produces can be quite a lot for a Qb to take in on any given play. He seemed in command the whole time. I am not anti-TK but unlike TK, Mayfield looked more natural and fluid back there.
I agree and I think his experience in the system since high school makes a noticeable difference. Pretty clearly that was the deciding factor. I think he’s just seen more situations and knows where to look, what to expect based upon that. and that’s what we’re seeing so far.
Mayfield does seem to keep plays alive moving around. That can drive a defense crazy when everything works like they want for their rush or their coverage and a QB still makes a play.
Anytime the defense keeps the opposition out of the end zone for the entire game, good things are going on. Improvement needed, oh yeah. But it’s a good sign.
….. And that one FG was because of a fumbled punt return and not a drive.
well, yeah, but he did doink another one…
Defense: So far the post game comments were encouraging in the sense that they talked about the defense communicating well, and being assignment sound, both of which were huge issues last season.
amen!
How about Brooks on PRs instead of Shep or Mixon?
Establishing the pass should open up the run, where it seemed early against Akron the Sooners were trying to establish the run vs. a team that was expecting the run. Just my take, but I was also listening on the radio and not watching on TV. I was just happy to see OU weather the putrid first quarter on offense and start to get rhythm. A slow start vs. Tenn. needs to be avoided.
Glad to see BM manage the game well and get the ball to his playmakers and Siebert could break all the kicking records by the time he is through.
I thought Alex Ross looked good when he was in there as well. It was late and the other team was worn down, but it was also with a bunch of subs, and he ran well on all three of his carries.
he’s a very good RB. I expect he plays in the league
Seemed like some of the run plays were slow developing instead of just letting Perine get going downfield… Think the DL was more aggressive shooting into gaps, especially Walker and Dimon. Alexander, Evans, Shannon is a great rotation to have and Dom was all over the field last night
Gap penetration is a result of playing the four man line instead of the three man line. Normally a 4 man DL are defending the gaps and attempting to penetrate the OL. In a 3 man line the DL is normally responsible for defending two gaps and is therefore attempting to read and react instead of penetrate. From our 4 man DL alignment seeing us consistently penetrating the OL is a good indication how effective they are being with their assignments.
http://www.thephinsider.com/2014/3/7/5482102/football-101-defensive-line-gap-techniques
Running wide too much. Perine needs to be running downhill.
It’s so hard to make any judgements when the speed (and size) differential is clearly so great between the two teams. I think the main takeaways have to come from discipline, (not so good early on with all the penalties), assignments, and communication.
I’ve noticed that the team played so much looser and with way more Confidence ( swag ) since Baker Became QB. They just looked like they are having fun and he never got rattled or thrown off his game at all . really happy OU Football is back . BOOMER!!!
the new system doesn’t hurt either. more QB friendly
I think Mayfield definitely is a spark, along with Mixon. But I think Riley is just as much a part too.
Agreed. Putting players in a position to make plays. I thought Knight looked pretty sharp too and that the pick wasn’t all on him.
I agree…i think he looked sharper. I think the same with the receivers. To see that much productivity from one year to another is all on the coaches. That was encouraging
Will Bob do the press conference tomorrow since its labor day, or does he wait until tuesday?
Did Bob let Mixon talk to reporters after the game? I told a buddy I didn’t think he would.
He’s usually pretty careful about who gets to speak to the press. I would imagine he’d be extra cautious, and properly so, in this case.
I wouldn’t let him speak all season. Make him available at the start of next season. You know some of the press is going to ask him ridiculous questions.
Yeah. You have to ask, what is the upside to putting a player out there. Primarily gives the player some experience handling the media, and some, hopefully pleasant, extra exposure. Plenty of time in a year (or two) for that.
I know people/media outlets have been surprised by Stoops not having had Mixon out to the media, but hasn’t he always had a rule of not letting Freshman (even redshirt) in front of media??
I think we should also take a look at who the Oline was really up against last night regardless of what the name on their jersey says. Here’s who was really out there whipping our inexperienced Oline last night.
Jamal Marcus| R-JR: 4-star H.S. recruit had a Tennessee offer, signed with tOSU [transfer]
Se’von Pittman| JR: 4-star H.S. recruit had Tennessee offer, signed with tOSU [transfer]
Rodney Coe| R-Sr: 4-star H.S. recruit had Tennessee and OU offers, signed with Iowa. [transfer]
These were major recruits of P5 programs that were kicked off their teams. Picture get suddenly clearer? This Dline is certainly one of the better one’s we’ll face all year.
DC, thanks for digging up this information. I tried to point this out today. I recognized the names of Pittman and Marcus being from tOSU. There’s was another Pitt transfer.
I was watching OTL (Outside the Lines) the other day. They were talking about the Eastern Washington graduate transfer to Oregon. Guess who was the guest: you got it: Akron’s head coach, Bowden.
I guess that’s how he builds his team.
And @disqus_lCb9y202zE:disqus Marcus and Pittman (injured) rarely played at tOSU. Coe signed with Iowa State, not Iowa, and was kicked off for breaking team rules.
They may have been highly rated in high school, but rarely played. Tenn’s DLine is likely to be better.
but still that could have been b/c they were young. DL rarely play too much the first couple of years at schools like tOSU, etc.
Coe signed w/ Iowa. Went to Juco then ISU. Also, transfers happen for all kinds of reasons. The fact still remains these guys are MUCH better than what people would assume Akron would have on the DL. btw, the info was copy and pasted from another message board.
If the way the vols DL played on Saturday is any indication I am unimpressed.
very interesting. thx very much for the info. that makes me feel a ton better
Nice brother. And for all that we still scored 40!
On both sides of the ball the calls came in quick and hardly any audibles from sidelines. There was one play where I think they weren’t sure to go for it or not but still overall getting the calls in was a A+. The oline was ok. I hope to see improvement next week.
The blocking by the WR’s was great. The run by Mixon down the sidelines and Westbrook not letting his guy get past him was great to see. We are going to have great depth at our disposable at WR. I agree completely about why is Shep on returns. I agree that Brooks or even Quick should take that spot. Overall I thought they played well and improvements C(hopefully) will be made.
the only thing about the punts is brooks may be awesome but can he catch? there may be something they see in practice as to why he’s not out there. or mixon or westbrook or whomever else. shep may be the best we got. he’s vital to the offense, so are the other guys(sans brooks since we should be fine there). and quick. if he’s buried on the depth chart because of attitude and/or hands, i don’t think they’d trust him returning punts
Doesn’t matter how awesome the others may be, if Shep is the best punt returner, that’s who they want in there. Shep’s mom may be concerned about it being a dangerous spot, but I don’t think the coaches are.
yeah i agree. i’m just wondering who these guys want in there(those who don’t want shep) and why. and why someone like a mixon or westbrook or whomever isn’t almost or as valuable to the offense as shep
I thought that Quick would make a good PR, but apparently he’s in the dog house.
I think he would too. But hearing about drops and whatnot, which I don’t know if it’s true but yeah something has put a sour taste on his situation
I agree with Jordan. I still think it’s insane Sheps out there. We have a plethora of talented running backs. And other receivers who can probably handle it that aren’t as valuable as Shep. I think they need to work on getting his replacement ready. Heck, if they keep committing stupid block in the back etc..penalties, it doesn’t matter who’s back there.
I don’t want anybody hurt, no one does, but I just think we can handle it better this year. And we have talent on top of talent but I don’t know if any of em can hang onto punts and have the elusiveness he does or I would think they woulda won the job. That’s just kinda how I see it. And I’m definitely in the minority it sounds like
Yes on the Stirling comment and absolutely on the 2 KR theory. Hadn’t thought about that until just now, but I hope someone reads this and makes some changes for next week.
Haha. I’m sure the coaches were salivating to get to this thread.
Who is the ST coach now? Somebody send him a link! 🙂
…
https://twitter.com/Joe_MainMixon/status/640594604425891840
the look on the coach’s face in the background is priceless…
Anyone remember at what point in the game this play (in the pic) is from?
4:43 Third quarter
Thanks!
“So, yeah, it was a busted coverage, but it’s not about that. It’s about both those guys playing at the same time and creating opportunities for not only one other, but also those around them.”
Agree, exactly. This system is designed to create “busted coverages.”
You said that perfectly.
hey, BU’s done the same to us for last 2 yrs so we ought to know. hopefully, we can create busted coverages now and not bust against BU again
When Reggie Bush would run the wheel route, he was also open many times. The play is designed with misdirection in under to CONFUSE the D. Hence the play worked as designed.
Put Dede against Tenn’s CB Abernathy. It will be a long day for Abernathy. He’s not Dede’s speed.
And as for OU’ D, they need to be able to stop the run. If they do, win.
The matchup is good for us, in that Tenn is run first. I would a lot rather hear “if they stop the run, they win” than “if they stop the pass ….”
What was the injury to Westbrook after the TD? I never heard what happened.
I think it was a busted lip. He’s fine.
from a mayfield haymaker?
Thanks
I saw from one of his friends on Twitter thst he got a tooth busted out.
My thoughts on the game!!!! Was exactly what I said yesterday, I figured it would take us until mid way through the 2nd quarter to get things rolling and that’s about how long it took. Anyone expecting us too look amazing in game 1 was straight crazy, we did look better than OSU or did we, better than TCU or did we, better than Texas yea easily, but, in all fairness no team looks overly great in game 1. Yes we have things to fix but so do all teams. I think we ran basic plays in order to not show a lot before next week.
If you’re as good as you’re gonna be in week 1, you’re probably not that good
I have to admit I was getting any little ansy after the 1st qtr. I was ready for Trevor to come in. I’m glad the coaches stuck with Baker & he was able to shake off the problems in the 1st qtr. I think he needs to quit tackling his receivers after a TD. I dont want either of them getting hurt. Still a good game Riley kept it simple. Oline needs to step it up.
I no time was I thinking we needed to switch to TK.
Well, I take that back, after we got the big lead I wanted TK to get some reps. He looked about like he looked last year.
I was pleasantly surprised by Mayfield in that he didn’t seem to take too many risks with the ball. Hopefully, he keeps that mentality.
Ok but, in all fairness here, didn’t the WR fall down on the route he threw the pick on, mean I think TK actually looked pretty good, but I knew that INT would get him hell from people today. Couch coaches have to love them!
I wasn’t thinking about the pick. TK just isn’t that accurate. His passes are often a little short, too high, behind the receiver, etc. I’m not trashing the guy. It is just what it is. It was easy to see why Mayfield got the nod.
I agree that Mayfield was the right guy, just I don’t know that he looked that bad yesterday tbh. Mean just think he is a better QB in this O than he ever was under JH!!!
Yea, receiver got tangled, but there was a wide open dude in the flats (bothum I think) that ran a hook route. Could have tossed it over there, and dude would have probably scored. Plus, I agree with Sooner in London below, many of TK’s passes last night were behind the receiver. He has his moments, but overall, just not very pinpoint with the football.
Not Baker’s problem in the 1st Qt my friend. The O Line.
Even on the first few posessions, I thought Baker looked sharp and very accurate. He’s good at “mentally juggling” moving his feet around while simultaniously going through his progressions too….and that also seperates him imo. We just shot ourselves in the foot with penalties and missed blocks. We were getting behind the chains on 1st down. As a person, I LOVE Knight…..and he looked more accurate than he’s ever been in that little bit we got to see….but he has random throws get a away from him at the WORST times….and what makes it even worse is that he locks onto guys without awareness of DB’s in the area and they sneak into position on him, and then comes the errant throw right to them. I feel Bakers got “huepelesque” anticipation of where guys are gonna be and can throw people open.
Can someone enlighten me on why we are doing a zone read with Baker?
I don’t know for sure, but the Bowling Green QB (who must run an 8.5 forty) gashed that great Tenn defensed when he kept on the zone read.
Cuz its a great play, if ran correctly and used in the right times. It is a perfect play to slow down or offset the rush, kind of like a screen or draw. Plus, Baker can scoot a bit. I have no issues with running the play, and instead, think its a great weapon in our arsenal. But thats the thing, one of MANY weapons. Used when needed.
To keep the defense honest
Anyone/everyone that is going to the Tennessee game needs to wear Crimson or red. Tennessee is checkering the stadium orange/white so if you wear white you’ll blend in. We need our Sooner fans to stand out in the crowd!!
I attribute most of our issues with it being the first game and having to go vanilla with Tennessee next week. Coach B will fix the OL. About that I’m confident. Plus it’s true that a team experiences the most improvement between games 1 and 2. I’m not suggesting we’ll be gangbusters, but neither will we be doormats. UT has much to worry about.
i watched the TN game and I feel they have more to improve on between weeks one and two than it looks like we do. hope so at least
I saw the same thing. UT’s secondary can be burned. Assuming of course, we can block the front. Their QB can cause us some problems though. More worried about that.
We’ll turn Striker loose after we stuff their run game. Priorities brother.
For anyone that may be interested, here’s every snap that Tennessee had on offense from yesterday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwoYJzVU-7Q
Looks like they are running Auburn’s offense
That is a potent running attack. I don’t think Dobbs can beat us with his arm, so it’s gonna depend on how well we can stop that running attack.
Hopefully I’m not just overly optimistic, but I have confidence in our ability to stop the run.
If anyone is interested, HolaKyle actually made a highlight video again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=50&v=MyMj7bOKJYE
he lives!!!!
http://jarviscity.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/frankenstein-its-alive-scene.gif
Awesome! Thanks so much for posting. Kudos to HolaKyle. Glad to see he’s still among the living. (Third down conversions are a little scary. Only 4?)
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At 7:50 I laughed so hard watching this live. Devante Bond checking in late becomes perfect wideside containment.
Word on the street is that HolaKyle got a new job and has been balls to the wall, which has taken away from his OU editing time. Better than the rumor I’ve heard about him giving up on OU…and especially better than the rumor I heard that he was dead.
Not buying that word, he wussed out. He posted a video of some video game he was playing several days after the Baylor game. He quit posting OU games after the loss to the bears.
And that’s just fine. I just wanted to let others know that there was another side.
No problemo.
Probably because there were no highlights after that?
Not even Samaje’s record setting day?
Thanks! I missed the game. Glad to see the highlights! Good work!
The DB coach for Tennessee is the same one that was at Texas when we torched them several years back right?
and at OU
Jordan agree with much of what you said. However, Akron hardly passed the ball, so no way to really judge a lack of a pass rush on the part of OU. But Charles Walker made a couple of plays when Akron tried to pass. To me the only area of concern was the O-line. But Mayfield had enough time to pass the ball and it wasn’t just his feet.
Akron did a good job of wrapping up on their tackles. Watched some Perine highlights from last year he bounced off guys and was getting hit high, Akron, hit low and wrapped up, big difference! Plus 1st game suppose to be some issues!
They hardly passed it b/c they couldn’t complete many of them, and weren’t making first downs.
I think many are going to jump on Tennessee to beat ou and tell everyone how bad ou looked. I can only hope stoops gets to play the under dog role.
OU really didn’t look bad though. Mean we gave up 3 points in comparison Tenn gave up 30. Sure they scored more but, still. Mean where is the happy medium. I really thought a 41-10-48-10 victory would be a good start for us!
I don’t mean that I think we looked bad. Just out of tune.
The numbers that B.G. put up on Tennesse was jaw dropping. The QB hit pass after pass, absolutely no pressure from Tennessee’s front. The BG QB was 27/49 for 433 yards, 2 tds. Most of the time, you would think those were game winning numbers. I was not impressed.
With the spread offense, why don’t we just run the ball like Baylor does? I see them use this same run all game long, and they run the ball very effectively. This freakin inside run they do works every damn time because the receivers have the defense spread out.
We need run the ball a lot this way imo. This freakin inside run, I hate it but it works
http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1844039/813322671.gif
Hat on hat six players including the FB blocking. We tried to run with 5 O-linemen only.
Jordan, I don’t disagree with most of your points, but do feel you are a bit too bearish. I think during the first 4 possessions the young guys were nervous. A couple of possessions were stopped by penalties and a third by a miscue. Akron was playing to stop the run, namely Perine. Finally, Riley began to call plays to the sides, spreading the field. A couple of passes to Neal loosened us and the Akron defense. This was well before the Zips got tired.
Your comment about having Mixon and Perine in the backfield together is spot on. This was demonstrated on Perine’s TD run, a good old fashioned crossbuck where Mixon’s run to the left pulled the middle linebacker out of the running lane.
This isn’t a good receiving corps, it is a great one. I never felt Heupel used Neal properly. He can make plays and we’re going to see a lot more from him. Dede and Baxter are special players, Andrews is just what we need over the middle. Meade and the two freshmen looked very capable. Defenses can’t concentrate on Shepard anymore.
(I didn’t see Quick on the sideline, anyone know what happened with him?)
Stoops’s teams are usually slow to develop the running game. I can assure you they will work on it this week. I’m not worried given the talent we have at running back. I’m confident that we’ll get Mixon and Perine going.
On defense, I thought the basic scheme was for the front 4 to disrupt the blocking schemes allowing the linebackers to attack the runners. I’m not sure that we ever blitzed or even ran many stunts. It is disappointing that Sanchez let his man beat him. I doubt that we respected their passing game.
Totally agree, Shepard should not be returning punts. We have several athletes who could do it
First of all….it was flippin hot out there yesterday. Second…this team has a TON of special talent but they didnt gel yesterday on offense. Defense looked solid for the most part. By the 3rd quarter Akrons defense was physically done. It was really obvious. However the several 3 and outs at the begining is a major concern. The line didnt look good at all. They came around a bit right when Akron was waving the white flag. Interior of the line will be a concern next week. Tenn is not Akron the studs in the middle of the Tenn front 7 will make life tough in Knoxville. Got some work to do before Sat obviously. But im glad they got that first one out of the way. Good win!
https://vine.co/v/eTYVXjUFQ5B
It baffles me that folks are (passionately too) discounting the Mayfield-Mixon TD. Who cares if it was designed or not. Rolling out, then coming back throwing on the run to a receiver across the field in stride is not a simple one. These same people were complaining about simple passes passes being overthrown last season… You just can’t win
Helluva throw and catch. Those throw backs are not near as easy as they look.. especially when Baker had to avoid the rush first.
I agree. That and how decisive and confident he seemed with his throws. BTW, I noticed he’d also change the playcalls on a whim and get yards.
I agree it showed well on Mayfield. Mixon. That wasn’t any big deal. Catch and run. We’ll see much more from him. Wish that guy hadn’t of tackled him on that route. Probably scores on that one. He did have that one bad drop. But I don’t think he was quite ready for that bullet. Both of them are going to be fun to watch this year.
Asked this elsewhere but it was buried pretty far down in another thread and I’m not sure many saw it- asked if anyone heard what Bowden had to say, if anything, after the game?
Never did hear any from him, and I just googled it, and nothing came up..
That’s what I came up with as well, nada.
see my response to rbear for the link…
Dude, do I have to show you everything…:-) Here’s the link. Scroll down to the bottom… https://admin.xosn.com/pdf9/3784824.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=31000&DB_OEM_ID=31000
edit: just kidding about the first part, in case that wasn’t obvious…
Yes, apparently so… and thanks!!!
And there it is. Well thanks! Interesting comments.
Thanks!
What website is that on, for future reference? I even entered the basic address of that link you gave and nothing pops up. There’s nothing when you google “oklahoma vs Akron postgame quotes” either.
Well, now you’re asking me to divulge secrets…hmm:-)
http://www.soonersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=31000&ATCLID=210317788
scroll down, just under the big picture, look for the “postgame quotes” link right under the score. (just beneath “Oklahoma”)
Thanks man! So it’s in the normal spot. I have the app now and can’t find it on there still, so I just have to go to the site from my browser.
And thank you! I was thinking there just wasn’t going to be postgame quotes this year and gave up searching unil I saw this.
I’m just going to come out and say it. We beat TN by at least 21. There, I feel better.
I’m not greedy. We beat TN by at least 1.
It will be interesting to see “improvement”. The O Line was the least effective group of the team (special teams kinda sucked too, not the kicking, but the coverage was just too many mental errors). “Improvement” over the week should be the difference between loosing and winning. I don’t expect the game to really be close, but I think 21 points does sound about right to me.
As optimistic as I am, I’m not ready to declare something this bold lol
would be ecstatic with a 1 pointer
I’m with you.
snl…..here ya go………sooners trail entire game but put on desparation drive with time running out…….last play in reg, bobby sends young seibert out for a last shot 55 yarder and the kid bags it!!……dead silence and no air in neyland except for sooners storming the field in jubilation…….the espn announcers are worn out from the drama…”what a game we had tonite!!”
I’m good with that!
if not mistaken, you’re gonna be there…….envious, have a great time
Yep. I’ll be there. Looking forward to seeing Rocky Top and the checkerboard.
Vanilla. Yes the OLine got blew up at times. How many Freshman did we play again? It was bound to happen. Now they have something to relate to it later in the year. I was just like everybody else, but I did see improvement. That’s what matters. We saw improvement in areas we all knew would be areas of concern. We are 1-0, now on to Tennessee. Let’s kick some Vol a$$.
Coulda been worse. Coulda been like them bums south of the Red – talkin about no progress. Lol. I’m pretty optimistic myself.
biased, but, looks like our game and ducks/spartans are the big games next weekend……not much else goin on, imo……another chance to show on the nat’l stage
http://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/tennessee-football/sec-network-predicts-tennessee-2015-season/
SEPT. 12 — OKLAHOMA AT TENNESSEE
Predicted result: Win
McElroy: “Tennessee has enough experience and enthusiasm to protect the home field. Baker Mayfield, the new starting quarterback for Oklahoma, new offensive coordinator for Oklahoma, the continuity defensively for Tennessee is what gives them the ‘W.’”
Greer: “I disagree right there, and I might get some calls from Vols Nation, but the thing is, that Oklahoma is just stacked. Their receiver position is one of the deepest in the NCAA. They have a dark horse Heisman Trophy candidate in Samaje Perine, and they beat up the Volunteers last year. I think they come in and get the ‘W.’”
Host Maria Taylor broke the tie, agreeing with McElroy’s “home-field advantage” argument and awarded the Volunteers the win.
the tennessee guy picked us to win
Right before kickoff my brother and I were dogging Durron Neal and from the opening kick he balled out. It was good to see. Also Seibert is legit. Kid is a machine! I know it’s just one game but I’m excited about the next few years with him. I want to believe that him on double duty is a good way to keep him always loose and focused. He was precise and think of the extra scholarship(s) you get with him holding down both duties. Somebody thank his folks.
I basically said the Defense looked really good because they dominated a team they should dominate which is important. Offense looked good after the first quarter so if they just improve from where they left off then we will be good. It was HOT but I was hoping the crowd would get louder because the team is going to be playing in front of 104k
Jordan, you don’t disappoint. Week one and our coaches are already idiots! Gotta love it!
Re: Shepard returning punts and getting injured.
Memory may be failing me, but I attended every one of Joe Washington’s home games and I think he was the main punt returner in all of them.
Apologize in advance if I am wrong. Also, it seems that this issue is not as troubling this year with the number of WRs who appear capable.
Quick Thoughts were very informative and put things into perspective.
Has any OU returner other than Demarco Murray been hurt while returning punts?
His was covering an on sides kick.
I just think Sterling is valuable and fragile. I about had a heart attack when he flipped over on the sidelines.
Yikes, me too! When he disappeared over the bench I wondered if he was going to reappear. I get where you are coming from, and agree he appears a bit fragile. But, also, Little Joe was such a huge part if our offense, if he was injured it would have been devastating. So I just have to hope SS stays upright and away from the sidelines or someone else takes over.
This year I am the brainiacs devil’s advocate I totally disagree I think Shepherd should return punts the biggest problem with Oklahoma football right now is we continue to play not to lose
Trevor nights interception at the end of the game was completely ignorant Cody Thomas should be the backup…. the potential for this team is off the charts
If I have a problem with Shepherd return in punts this is it…..he consistently lines up where they kick the ball over his head and he has to go back to field the ball instead of judging the distance better and being under the ball when it comes down. Whose fault is that, his or the coach in charge of the return team? If it happened occasionally I could understand, but it’s not, it is consistently, which is a recipe for disaster.
Why does Our defensive line line up a yard from the LOS??
Take advantage of speed. We have some lighter guys up on the front with striker basically a DE and Dimon as a DT being lighter. But they are quick guys combined with Walker who runs like a 4.6/7. The yard off gives us momentum for the pass rush.
*edit: In theory. I am not Mike Stoops.
But in reality. You are. (lol?)
So the running backs can drag our LBs an extra yard.
Tired comment. Most plays a RB is coming square and LB is sifting through traffic and not hitting head on. One yard to bring a back down In non head on collision is completely normal. Backers did well sat.
They are far sighted?
Canadian influence.
Great report, Jordan! One noticeable omission though. We still have no idea where you stand on running Shepard at PR?
so we win yesterday, fairly impressively and texsa gets their butts handed to them and they still take a recruit away from us we’ve been on for months….makes no sense to me…
That’s how the cookie crumbles. Get up. Get going again.
NSD is in February. We’ll see.
Tells me he was going to Texas no matter what.
Makes perfect sense. The kid grew up an UT fan.
I’m sure there have been times when OU wasn’t very good (think the Blake years) and we took recruits from better programs b/c the kid grew up an OU fan. Just a part of recruiting.
Good for him. He got the offer he wanted and acted on it.
Parker will be just as good for us.
Our DB recruiting the last 2 years has been terrific. 4 of the 6 we signed played 2nd team Sat night as true freshmen. That’s pretty impressive.
I don’t really have a problem with Shep taking punts, but there’s always going to be a risk of injury. It was nice to see Mixon in there taking a couple, and at least it’s a step in the right direction.
I will say that Shep showed why he was back there a couple of times (both of which were erased with penalties).
The good thing is that it looks like Shep isn’t going to be the only offensive weapon we have in the passing game, so if by chance (knock on wood) he were to be injured returning punts, it wouldn’t be nearly as bad as when he went down last year.
I would rather see someone else back there though.
Shep did look good back there this time but I just hate putting a star back there. How many top WR or RB in the NFL take punts?? Is there an option of “less than 0?”
I mean we have so many more options that shep shouldn’t be back there unless they really unleash him and give him the opportunity to take them the distance.
Haven’t we always had a star player as the PR?
It’s much much easier in the NFL to have a return specialist. The biggest reason is the amount of money the stars are paid. You gotta protect your investment as much as you can
The last year I watched the NFL the Cowboys highest paid player, Deion Sanders, was their PR.
I will never agree with the “he’s too valuable” to return punts argument.
To many WR’s this year so if one goes down, it’s next man up. I like Shep too but I also see reliable hands who can do damage with his feet. Shep takes one back against Baylor to give us the momentum and I’m sure a lot of folks will say, boy, glad he’s back there.
I don’t want any of our players to get hurt…ever, but it is a fast, violent game. With Shep I am more concerned with the hits he takes as a WR and camera lenses in the end zone than anything.
Whoever the PR is I want them to secure the punt first, then either change get some good yardage or take it to the house.
It’s changed now. I agree with you. If you wanna win, do anything possible. Having your most dynamic player returning punts might win you a ballgame here and there. If he gets hurt he was meant to. If I’m a head coach I tell my owner and gm “don’t hamstring me, just replace him as best you can”. But nowadays they feel like they can have specialists(track stars with a little wiggle) and save their starters for their positions
Yeah, I get what you’re saying.
As for the NFL, that’s completely different than college (which I’m sure you know), there are tons of collegiate WRs on punt return duty. However, I still agree and would like to see someone else back there.
The reason people don’t want to see Shep back there is because of the risk of injury, and I think that is because he was all we really had offensively (in the passing game) last year. And it obviously hurt when we lost him last season. This year though, he isn’t going to be the only guy, and that certainly makes the risk a little less, well, risky.
I’m not sure I even want Mixon back there. Surely there’s someone on the team, maybe not even a starter, that has the speed and ability to field punts.
Oh well, unless/until something changes, we’ll just have to hold our breath when Shep or Mixon take a punt.
All this talk about who should or should not be the PR got me thinking about who I wish could have been the OU PR, Aaron Sims.
It was reported back in the Winter that he could not enroll at OU and be a preferred walk-on because of grades, and that he would enroll at Blinn Juco. I’ve scanned the Blinn roster and he isn’t listed.
Could he enroll at OU if he got his grades up after his freshman year if he didn’t accept a grant in aid?
He’s enrolled at Texas A&M.
Edit: actually he may not be enrolled there yet, I’m not sure. But that looks like where he is going.
I just found his new twitter account and saw he was there now.
Shocked, I tell you. I hereby denounce my role as President of the Aaron Sims fan club.
I believe he got a scholarship for Track and Field and not football.
I thought the D-line was encouraging. They were trying to penetrate gaps and not just sitting back conservatively, catching blocks. It was mostly run plays so we didn’t get to see a lot of pass rush, but when when they did pass, we got a lot of penetration (which we should against Akron) and we were actually scheming it. I even saw some stunts, which I don’t think we’ve had the balls to do in the past due to coaches fear of the play going the opposite direction of the action and causing a big run play.
Past yrs, we’ve focused on making sure everything’s covered up at all times too much, but you’re gonna have big runs busted on you throughout a season no matter how safe you play things. If you play o-lines the same way play after play they start getting comfortable and in a rhythm and also, o-coord’s are going to come up with ideas because they know EXACTLY what’s coming every time. IMO, you have to keep them guessing and if you’re attacking the line with variety, you make o-coord’s start 2nd guessing and make them hesitate to call certain things because they start getting worried they’re gonna call a play that gets stunted right into and blown up in the backfield.
Stunts and other bells and wistles are nice, but will they have the balls to call that stuff against the legit teams? That’s the question.
A few observations I saw. 1. Did anyone see Diron Reynolds during the sideline scuffle? Great form as he drove an Akron player out to the field. 2. Walker was very noticeable I hope the light really has come on. 3. Durron I thought played really well and showed good explosion. 4. I thought defense was solid all night other than a few plays. It makes me feel good to just players being where they should very consistently.
On Mayfield, in the Bob Stoops era we haven’t seen a QB that leads with this much emotion, except for Bomar. I don’t mind the quiet workmanlike attitude of stars like Samaje Perine, Landry Jones, and Sam Bradford at all, but it’s nice to see Mayfield and Mixon having so much fun out there.
I agree. One is not necessarily better than the other, but Mayfield and Mixon’s demeanor is fun and different. Not a bad thing to have when coming off a disappointing season.
It’s a good mix ain’t it?
Agreed. Like anyone who has been deprived of something they really enjoy, Mayfield and Mixon are finally back on the field doing what they enjoy. And it shows.
Agreed. Good comment. The “youngsters” like the exuberance. It seems to fuel them.
What’s scary, however, is a team that is nasty, breaks your will, and doesn’t say a word.
The best thing besides the play of Baker was ou did not give up big plays on D and did not allow a clearly weaker team to move the ball well. We did not play down to the level of this team like we have in the recent past.
I believe the running game was hamstrung by the vanilla game plan. Good we did not show tenn much.
http://youtu.be/jO-FCcFevX4
UT @ Bowling Green defensive play by play
Tenn’s front 6-7 are good. Their secondary aren’t.
Dede and Mark (Andrews) could have big games. Tenn’s secondary are smallish and slowish, especially the CBs.
Don’t correct the grammar. I’m purposeful, referring to a collection of individuals.
Just looking at that video UT’s run defense did not look great either. It looked like BG had 3 drives inside the 10 in the second half that produced only 3 or 6 points total. The last drive they had a botched handoff that UT recovered.
Hard to tell anything after one game but if OU’s defense is as improved as they looked Sat, and Mayfield makes good decisions OU should win. If we get the running game going like BG did at times we win big.
Just watched the first quarter offense to get a better idea of the o line issues. Will be interesting to get JY’s take but here’s one from someone who knows nothing.
It seemed like most of the mistakes were spread across multiple players each time. Meaning there wasn’t one guy getting consistently beat in his matchup……except St. John. He looked the worst of the bunch IMO.
Darlington is good when he gets in the right position but doesn’t have the strength when he’s not. He’s smart enough to get there most of the time, but it looked like on a few occasions he was leaning more towards helping the youth on left side and someone flew through on his right.
Mayfield made them look bad a few times by scrambling too fast. That was corrected quickly though.
It seems like for the most part the guy busting through was the Marcus kid who looked like a smart player.
All in all I don’t think it was as bad as I perceived when watching live. St. John looked like the one who may see more bench time IMO.
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