Sugar Bowl Post Game Thoughts
Posted on: January 3, 2014
Image from Soonersports.com
JY and I and many of you on here predicted Oklahoma would win yesterday (Prediction thread: https://thefootballbrainiacs.com/?p=2423). It didn’t seem rationale. It didn’t seem to make sense. The task would have been more than difficult with a healthy OU team. It should have been impossible with all the critical injuries and all the youth. But we picked them anyway.
After the game I asked myself why I believed OU would win. I wondered if it was just blind optimism or was there some rationale.
I think there we’re two main reasons. I’ve always believed Coach Stoops was an elite coach. But I believe there was a point in his career where he made some hires that weren’t commensurate with his stature as a coach. And despite those hires…and even when Oklahoma was “down” in the past few years…the man was still winning games! So there is always been this thought floating around in my head, “Everyone better hide when Coach Stoops gets the right hires in place”. Bottom line I believed in our staff. When coach Stoops made the changes he made last year, any doubt that anyone had about his commitment to getting back to championship level should have been dispelled.
The other reason is this team has the dog in them. They have great leadership and they are vicious. They aren’t afraid of anyone nor should they be. One of the happiest moments for me was when the other players were chewing out Julian Wilson. Not because I don’t like Julian but it reminded me of the early 2000s when our players had the dog in them. They had that Coach Mike Stoops in them. I don’t want flashy kids. I want Mike Tyson walking out with no robe, no socks and black trunks.
I’m sure we’ll be posting a lot of notes about this game but I’ll just add a couple quick bullet points:
– We’ve been saying the future is bright. Is there any doubt now?
– Eric Striker may be one of the best pass rushers I have ever seen. You can find guys with a sudden first step (though rarely like his) but they can’t turn the corner. His ability to turn the corner is just unfair. I’m seriously curious how people are supposed to pass block next year when we’ve got Striker, Tapper, Jordan Phillips, Devante Bond, etc. on the field? Seriously.
– Geneo Grissom played out of his mind.
– If people think we won because Alabama had a bad game. They’re crazy. If Oklahoma had been tackling, at the very least, as well as they were earlier in the season that game wouldn’t have been close. The tackling cost us a number of big plays. And keep in mind that Bama, on the flip side, tackled really well.
– Loved seeing that 4i DE long stick the A gap. Just how my coach buddy drew it up in the post I put up earlier in the week! It’s here if you didnt get to see it: https://thefootballbrainiacs.com/?p=2305
– Sanchez pick was huge. But the passes that were caught on him for the most part were contested. He was on the WRs hip.
– Some folks tried to make it out like our ability to get pressure had to do with weaknesses in Bama’s OL. Our ability to get pressure had to do with our explosive pass rushing ability (they better thank God Jordan Phillips wasn’t in there). Playing in the Big 12, our players know that they’ve got to get pressure on a 3 step drop. So when they were suddenly given an opportunity to feast on a QB waiting on deep routes to come open…well, it was too easy. Bama hadn’t given up many sacks all season. They gave up a lot last night.
– Bronson Irwin played great at RT
– Our sideline was the who’s who of NFL superstars.
– Oklahoma should compete for an NC next year.
– Oklahoma may have single-handedly helped the Big 12’s credibility going into the playoff era and ensured that, at least for the foreseeable future, the Big 12 title winner doesn’t get left out.
– Yost has been attending the pressers and has had a chance to speak with Trevor many times. And Yost has repeated many times on this site that there is something special about Trevor’s demeanor. He said Trevor would be great. Trevor was indeed great last night.
– Anyone remember this old note I put up about Dakota Austin back in November? https://thefootballbrainiacs.com/?p=1017 Did y’all notice who came in as back up corner? It was Dakota Austin. Kid has some of the best feet I’ve seen in a while.
– Saw guys like McNamara and Woods making critical plays. Moose got in the action as well! Still believe that guy was underutilized the whole time he was at OU.
– Jordan Wade looked better. Earlier in the season he couldn’t get off a block well enough to even get an arm on a guy. Now he’s getting that arm on the ball carrier but just barely missing. He’s taken a step forward. He’s just a tick away but he’ll get there. As JY said earlier tonight…”once Phillips comes back we may end up with one of the best NG tandems in the country”.
– There was tremendous growth all around in the bowl practices. Can’t wait to bring y’all news from spring practices.
– Like I said, I’m sure we’ll have plenty of notes about the game in the coming days but I wanted to get a few initial thoughts up. I’ll leave you with this post I wrote up after the Baylor game and published on our site back in November – it’s titled “Is this the Beginning of the End or a New Beginning for Coach Stoops?” I think you will all feel that what I wrote then is even more true now: https://thefootballbrainiacs.com/?p=923
Congrats to our team and all of Sooner Nation on a great win!
83 Comments
Awesome win! And an awesome job by Stoops and Co. But I’m left feeling a little uneasy after seeing a “rumor” that the Browns were going to go after Stoops and a “source” saying that Stoops is looking to leave for the NFL if the Browns do come knocking. Have you guys heard anything about this?
IMO Stoops isn’t going anywhere.
hope you are right, seems to be a lot of momentum right now.
Stoops is too smart to go to that dumpster fire known as the Cleveland Browns.
Had trouble going to sleep last night. Every time my wife moved I asked her if she wanted to talk about the game. Can’t say enough about how proud I am of Coach Stoops and staff, and especially the fine young men we have representing our university on the field. Thought Irwin and Savage played well under very big lights. Looking forward to JY’s film breakdown. Sanchez is a man, gives up the big play occasionally but his coverage was very good. Trevor had a fantastic game and Shepherd/Saunders were electric. In my humble opinion, this was Bob’s best year coaching (he should have been coach of the year). Off to work with a BIG smile on my face.
I did not sleep, thanks to my DVR I relived the memory a second time, will do it several more times!! What a game and a statement!!
I will be reliving this on ESPN3 tonight!
Excellent overview. Liked your observation on these guys having the “dog”. Reminds me somewhat of a spiritual saying that “only the hungry will eat”, whereas “it’s the famished that will devour”. Like I said pregame…who let the dogs out! Seriously, someone ought to do a highlight real to that old tune!
Great idea about a highlight reel with that tune:-)
I am so proud to be a Sooner right now! When Bama came out and bloodied our nose and the world thought the game was over and then our boys showed that “dog”. They took the punch, looked the big bad bully in the eye and punched back. The attitude of this team is different, tough, determined, they fight for eachother, a real team. Great point about some of the hires in the past. Can’t say enough about Coach Montgomery, Bedenbough, and Boulware. i wish Brennon could have got his 1k but the play he made on the screen on 3rd and 9 will go down in Sooner history! I could talk about this game for days! So proud of OUr boys! Boomer Sooner baby!
The thing with Clay (and Finch) is that it is not what he did with pure numbers but what he did for the team when it mattered. Starting from last years Bedlam game clinching run in OT then this year’s bedlam tightrope run late in the 4th Q to get that last 1st down, then in Bama’s game his blocking, catch & run in with 5 mins remaining deep on OU’s side…He had arguably the most significant plays on these games..when it mattered most, and that makes him special. He will do well in the NFL
For as critical as I’ve been of Heupel this year, I thought he did an outstanding job tonight. Not only play calling, but game planning and getting the team ready to play. He didn’t have such a great 3Q, but the rest of the game and preparation were great. I’m still not on the bandwagon yet, but I’ll give credit where credit is due. If he starts now he’ll have a month to prep for each conference game next year!
Agreed. Really, Heupel has been more handicapped with his play calling due to the inexperience and in-effectiveness of the passing game to this point. Trevor really stepped up and grew up before our eyes, allowing Josh to open up his entire playbook.
Boy, what a difference a quarterback makes.
32-44 from a QB sure does make it easier. I think earlier in the season it was more on Heupels shoulders though. I think he went too much into a shell from his fear of mistakes rather than trusting all 3 QBs a little more. Not saying he should have let them all go nuts, just feel he could’ve opened it up more.
Certainly not disagreeing with you there. Glad he finally put some trust in his young quarterback’s arm and decision making.
I did think he went a tad conservative in the 3rd. When it came down to it he went for it and let Knight and team do their thing.
Play of the night for me was Colvin chasing down that long pass in the 1st half. So many times you just chalk that up as 6 but Colvin wouldn’t have it. Then we held them to 3. I think that’s when Bama got on their heels.
He was a blur, showed some wheels out there!! Made some money!!!
^^This!!!! That’s a veteran move that will be used in the draft..no doubt. He closed on the Bama WR like a heat seeking missile all the way from the other side of the field
I was watching with 2 non-OU fan friends, and when he flashed into the screen they both yelled “WHO IS THAT?!” I said “A 1st round draft pick.”
I was watching Kiper’s draft ticker (Yeah, I know…. It’s Kiper) and he projected Colvin was the #9 prospective CB. Even before this game, I knew Mel was on crack. No-f’n way he is still around past the 2nd
Does anyone remember who it was that kept chasing down the WRs after long pass plays and making the saving tackle in the Cincinnati game some years back? That’s what it reminded me of, but I can’t for the life of me remember who that was, just that they saved that game for us three or so times.
That was Jonathan Nelson #3 who tracked down that Cincy receiver and forced the fumble.
thank you! Yeah, he was my hero that day.
No problem. I liked him, too. Was a really fast dude. Covered well, too.
That was awesome. And it he had come at the ball from underneath instead of over the top, we might have even had the ball! The dude had NO idea a missile was about to hit him!
SEC Speed…
At halftime last night a lot of people at my house were nervous….would we hold on…would we fold or get complacent….I looked at them and said, valid points but now we know we can beat them. We won the half. Nobody gave us a chance at that. Now we know we can win and Mike will pin the defensive ears back.The favorite moment for me was when the defensive players were fighting and yelling at each other on the sidelines. It sounds crazy but they had as you called it, the dog inside them. They were there for a fight. Great great game. Hopefully Mark May and Lou Holtz cried themselves to sleep on their SEC pillows.
Totally agree. Holtz and May didn’t need any help looking stupid.
Maybe they can call their idols Teebow and Manziel and………nevermind:-)
Well, the Sooners not only pulled the rug from under them, but the set stage as well.
“Hopefully Mark May and Lou Holtz cried themselves to sleep on their SEC pillows.” Yes indeed. They can call Teebow and Manziel and cry on their shoulders.
Brian Griese’s been a world class douche when it comes to analysing OU. The entire year he picked against them, and went so far as to call them a bad team prior to the Bedlam game.
And on PTI (Espn) before the game; Wilbon said that OU has no right being in this game. That it should be Bama vs. Ohio State.
Is Geneo’s eligibility up? or does he have one more year left! Seems like he flipped a switch in this game!
He’s back next year, just a fourth year junior. So he’ll be a senior next year. AND this d-line is going to be filthy!
What can you say? There were so many plays made by so many players. Trevor Knight was the most outstanding player. I will miss Jalen Saunders ALOT. What a player. Definitely got the dog in him. What a tough guy. My observations:
1. Big Game Bob and his staff were marvelous.
2. OU has the ingredients to be a contender next year.
3. Josh Heupel – Clearly his best game as O/C.
4. Mike Stoops had some stuff dialed up I had never seen.
5. The attitude of this team has changed so much and they hold each other accountable.
What needs to change? Me getting kicked out to the garage to watch the game because I was making too much noise. Someone please tell women its ok to yell at the TV!!
“6. They overcame 1st and THIRTY to score. I’ve never seen that happen.”
When it happened I thought of the 2009 K-State game. I saw that game live in Norman and always think about it when we have a crazy long down. Landry and co. overcame a 2nd and 42.
Here’s the highlights from that game. http://youtu.be/M0OOBm9A6Yk
Start watching at 4:17
Wow. Just wow.
I’ve also noticed Trevor’s demeanor and he’s definitely got ” IT ” ! He’s Tebowish (absolutely for lack of a better term) He always mentions the contributions of the other QB’s and the team. We took their best, shook it off, and kept comin’. I found myself saying ” Now Lets put the women and children to bed and go lookin for dinner !!” lol
Striker… STRIKER ! What he did cant honestly be disputed, ask Cyrus Kouandjiio !!
My favorite part of the the game (besides the win), is how genuinely excited people are about Sooner football again. I just heard Colin Cowherd say, “There’s no way they’re not top 5 next year. How can you not be excited about what they have going forward?” And people are not making excuses about this: OU out schemed, coached, executed, and will-ed Bama last night and everyone knows it. This win is a major dent in SEC perception and UT coaching search drama, and my bet is we’ll flip a major recruit or two from a rival school.
Brennan Clay made the play of the game for me, on that 3rd & 10 conversion on that screen pass late in the 4th. It will be hard to replace him, Saunders, Sheperd, Millard, & Nelson…but our D is gonna be so good next year they’ll call us “Tenacious D” (…lame joke). With Trevor, a nasty defense, and some good recruiting, how can we not be a program on the rise?
No one is making excuses…. Except ESPN…
Not true. You should have heard Papadakis on Fox with Matt Leinert. They both were adamant that Alabama “obviously” just didn’t want to be there. Two west coast buffoons.
Yeah, Leinert with his quality Ballroom dancing class really taught him a lot. He was such a great pro and all.
And I’ll start listening to Paqadakis when he quits inhaling helium before he speaks.
i have never seen a more useless/uninformative person than this “papa” guy!! He is pure worthless piece of crap!
And when he called an OU game this year, I would have lost a bet if you told me it WASN’T Fozzie the Bear.
Papadakis is an idiot and must not have watched the game. that is why 7 people on the planet watch fox sports.
Shepherd? Don’t scare me like that. Shep is a sophomore.
Those were great moments! Sanchez laying out – awesome.
One of my favorite moments: seeing Blake Bell be one of the FIRST to be there to congratulate Trevor after every big play. Can’t tell you the effect that has to have on the player and the team! Blake Bell will go down as one of the great team-first Sooners!
Shepard is a sophomore.
Welp…I’m embarrassed. JK guys.
No embarrassment! We’re just happy you were wrong!
Gabe Lynn, however, is a senior. He will be missed as well. He was one of the primary ones in Wilson’s face it seemed like when they had to call the time out b/c he was differing with his team on an alignment call.
Gabe Lynn appeared very slow in the entire game!! Alabama kids were running away from him and he was taking horrible angles all day!! But he had the pivotal interception though!!
“brennan clay made the play of the game…” Yessir, and Don’t forget the absolutely key 4th and 1 as well. Not to mention key protective blocks throughout. He’s a hero for sure, once again.
Eric Striker reminded me of, should I say it? LT – LT played at 6’3″ and 240. Eric still has room to grow but his ball instincts and edge make him a real force. Is that over the top?
I have another question. Of the graduating seniors, how many will get a shot at the next level? I’m asking because I’m not smart enough to know.
So many highlights in this one. Striker abusing kouandjo, Sanchez laying it out and swatting the deep ball, Saunders’ and Scooba’s ridiculous TDs, Gastellum’s pooch kick, Clay owning their line on 3rd down deep on our end to make the 1st down, ikard, Geno, savage and PL Lindley dominating the lines and so much more. I think this will be our longest highlight reel this year
Mike came up with defensive game plan that really seemed to disrupt McCarron. He mentioned that Mike showed them things they hadn’t seen before. It wasn’t just the pass rush. Many of the sacks and disruptions were coverage sacks. He was forced to wait in the pocket for a long time. McCarron’s more statuesque style played right into OU’s hands. Sacks don’t mean anything in regards to winning. However, OU’s pass rush and pass coverage disrupted McCarron. His receivers weren’t immediately open. As the game went on the clock in his head probably seemed to speed up. Four seconds probably seemed like 0.4 seconds.
Regarding Jordan Wade. He played all night, and played well. There were several times he pushed the Center straight back into McCarron’s face. There were a few times, however, when he got tired (see Henry’s last TD run). Like you said, Super K, next year, with the two Jordans, OU will be nasty at NG. We’ll be rotating D linemen like LSU was two years ago. Another year with Montgomery? Watch out.
Heupel called a wonderful game. He called long throws, not play after play that is a 5-yard pass. There was a really good mix of runs, passes, and pace. The one thing that stuck out to me was the types of plays he called that nullified the LBs as much as possible. They made some plays, but he made them run sideline to sideline. He attacked their safeties, and their backup CBs (see the pass interferences).
Brennan Clay didn’t get that many yards, but did you notice that when he ran the ball he ran with an attitude. He didn’t just get tackled. He made the Bama defenders tackle him by running like a bull.
The attitude last night was outstanding. It wasn’t only that they played like an underdog. What appeared to me to be more perspicuous was that they played as if they knew they may not be as talented overall, but that Bama wasn’t going to walk out of this fight clean. It’s as if they thought to themselves “(looking right at Bama) We may not win, but you’re going to the hospital with us.”
“(looking right at Bama) We may not win, but you’re going to the hospital with us.” This is the quote I am taking away from this game. Thanks
The announcers said last night that you couldn’t blitz to bring pressure, because a vet like McCarron has seen it all. Ha!
That was great, wasn’t it? Yeesh. AJ STILL hasn’t seen Striker coming on a blitz or Sanchez in coverage… unless he DVR’d the game.
Geneo Grissom really should of gotten some Defensive MVP or something; he was incredible. Everyone did good and did their part and I’m so proud of Trevor!
I agree wholeheartedly, although I think Striker should be in that discussion as well
This was the biggest win in the Bob Stoops era other than the 2000 MNC and maybe 2000 Nebraska. I would argue this takes the Nebraska game as we beat the premier team in college football on a neutral field. Huge win. Get ready for some dominoes to fall with recruiting. I am hearing some good things right now.
Finebaum said he had crow and coffee for breakfast. Also that he was an idiot and boomer sooner !
Paul Finebaum on ESPN just now: “There’s nothing really to say except, ‘I’m an idiot.'”
Quote of the year.
First time he’s been spot on with his assessment.
Was just thinking the exact same thing!
I know everyone has been praising Trevor, but that defense….that defense. When it was announced the Mike Stoops was coming back, I got goosebumps. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a menacing Mike Stoops defense put on the field. This season was special because it was done with “sub-par” talent. Boomer
There’s nothing “sub-par” about their talent IMO. They’re just young. That’s what I see.
7 sacks on a team that gave up 10 all year just boggles my mind. OU just kept coming, all night. That was fun to watch! Got the game DVRed, I think I am going to go watch it again. BOOMER!
What a game! If this doesn’t spring board our recruiting, nothing will. My only fear now is that our guys will play so well that they will bail early.
The resurgence in recruiting will allow that to be okay. Lots of talent coming in to play for OU.
If Bama people are blaming their o-line for being out of sorts, then they should pay attention to the fact OU had an entirely make-shift line of guards playing tackle and a newbie playing in his first game against arguably the best defensive line in college football.
Striker just got Alabama’s left tackle a HUGE cut in pay. Many thought (I can’t pronounce or spell his name) at Left Tackle would be a first round pick. After Striker blasted him multiple times, many feel he’ll now drop to the second or third round. Amazing.
i actually thought bama brought their a=game, pretty much across the board, in spite of what Saban and others say. Look at how many yards they got with the pass game, how ferocious their tackling was, how big, strong, and untacklable their backs and receivers were, good grief. We were just better everywhere we needed to be.
Ack! I am so pleased I can’t stop grinning.
I think I was most impressed with the offensive line play. It was amazing how confident Knight looked standing in the pocket making those throws. I mean, Savage?, first start against ‘Bama – Good to see him getting some love. http://www.mlive.com/sports/flint/index.ssf/2014/01/oklahomas_sugar_bowl_win_over.html
True. The Oline balled out last night, all night long.
“Sanchez pick was huge. But the passes that were caught on him for the most part were contested. He was on the WRs hip.”
Something I’ve noticed about Sanchez. People tend to pick on him and hit some passes on him early, which he is always contesting I would agree, but if you go to the well too many times against him, he will make you pay the price. He has consistently done that when getting picked on over the course of the season. Same thing with McArron last night. He threw at him one too many times and Sanchez showed him what that was gonna cost him, just like he has all year. Boy needs to do some curls though……
Bester with the best game of his career is an unsung hero no one is really mentioning that much. Led the team in receiving and had the huge catch on 3rd down late in the game
yeah, really great, and just as I had hoped in my pre-game comments. Huge third down, and don’t forget the first td that was so crucial to setting the tone.
Many great comments, but I disagree with those who say OU played like underdogs. Stoops explained it and I believe him–the fans and media disbelievers viewed them as underdogs, but I think the team actually expected to win, or at least felt they were good enough and talented enough to win. I loved the attitude that said, Bama has earned the right to be called the best team in the country, before the game, but (said as polite understatement:) “we’ve got some pretty good players, too.” That sounds to me like a winning attitude.
What a night to show what we’re made of!!!!! Now maybe some of these “SEC Type” recruits will start looking at OU. Sooner Magic is back!!!!
Late to the game here, but one thing that really stuck out for me was how Josh called the game. He set Bama up and played Rope a Dope in the second half, something I haven’t seen from him often. As has been mentioned in this thread OU worked the edge in the first half, moving the LB’s side to side and forcing the DB’s (who were playing at least 5 yards off) to run up and make the tackle. They had success there because TK was accurate and had rhythm, and our receivers are elusive. At halftime Herbstreit pointed this out, and mentioned how Alabama was going to focus on the edge now. Sure enough the LB’s started selling out wide and the DB’s came up and played tight. Then BAM.. Deep Routes and more importantly the use of the inside screens, something OU rarely runs… BRILLIANT! Alabama’s defense was kept guessing the entire game. And in the last drive this allowed OU to begin to run effectively. This game eclipsed the ND game, which I thought was Josh’s best preparation and game plan of the year before this.