The Football Brainiacs

Sooner faithful always expect to win. So, a lost always hurts. In talking to fans after the Rose Bowl loss there seems to be a bit more pain.

I’m sure there are other reasons but filtering through what people have said, I feel like the following are some of the reasons this one hurts a bit more:

1) There is a feeling that OU had to win a national championship with Baker Mayfield. There is a feeling that he was just too good and the Sooners may not have someone like him again.

2) I gather for some there is this unknown about coach Riley and how young he is…what things will look like as the Sooners move forward.

3) For some, Georgia seemed so beatable. At a certain point in that game, it really looked like Oklahoma was going to open up the biggest can of pure whoop ass anyone has seen. To see that path suddenly reverse course was tough.

4) Some are unsure of what Riley will do to ensure that the Sooners finally field a OU worthy defense. OU has a proud tradition of playing great defense but the last number of years Oklahoma’s defense simply hasn’t been a consistent strength.

5) For some, it felt like the Sooners had taken a step forward since the last playoff only to suddenly feel like maybe they hadn’t.

6) Bottom line for many seems to be that it’s so difficult to make it to the playoff that you feel cheated when you can’t capitalize on it and the Sooners just can’t seem to get over that hump. When will they get to try again?

Here is what I say to those, respectively.

1) Mayfield was fantastic. There is no denying that. But he’s Lincoln Riley’s first quarterback. I don’t know for certain what Murray is going to do but I know this. Lincoln Riley and the Mike Leach guys can coach the hell out of the quarterback position within their respective systems. That position simply isn’t going to be a problem for OU under Riley. Next year’s quarterback, Kyler Murray would be considered fast even for a defensive back. We’ve already seen glimpses of it. We’ve also already seen glimpses of his accuracy. Mayfield, unlike say, Landry Jones was behind a really good offensive line. When the line broke down or the run game wasn’t there, Mayfield alone couldn’t resolve that issue. We saw that in the second half of yesterday’s game.

The success of Lincoln’s offense is going to continue to come down to the development of the offensive line, which is very much moving in the right direction. The commitment to the run game. Riley put to rest any fears that once Bob was gone, he wouldn’t be. And the weapons around the quarterback…Kyler Murray is about to have more than Mayfield had. Oh and did I mention Murray runs a 4.4? You’re talking about a type of speed and elusiveness that is non-negotiable for defensive linemen and perhaps even linebackers. That’s the kind of speed that can truly mask a bad half from a offensive line.

2. I think that’s one of the things the Sooners should be most optimistic about. Riley is so young that this early success may only be the tip of the iceberg. He will likely be a better coach next year than he was this year or the year before. Riley is like a young future first round pick. As a freshman you see these flashes of how truly dominant he can be. There have been times this season, including portions of yesterday’s game where I see a young Pete Carroll. Carroll’s teams were truly frightening. And like Carroll, Riley is a player’s coach who is a fierce competitor. I still don’t think people truly appreciate how difficult it was for Riley to go to Columbus and put his foot on the Buckeyes’ throats. Coach Stoops played Meyer twice, and wasn’t able to walk away with a win.

3. They didn’t seem beatable because Georgia is a bad team. Georgia seemed beatable because Oklahoma’s offense was having their way with them. Again, those flashes of scary moments. Their ability to recruit on offense is only going to get better. Defensively…

4. That is an issue this offseason where I think everyone, myself included, is going to be waiting to see what Riley does. I am not offering a solution but I know if Oklahoma wants to be the best they have to have a defense that can carry them through lulls and be a weapon. Again, the Sooners need a defense that is a sword not perforated shield.

5. That game was much more competitive than the Clemson game a couple years ago. They are moving in the right direction on offense.

6. If the defensive problems are resolved, I think the Sooners are going to find themselves in the playoffs a lot. In fact, the expectation should be for the Sooners to be right back in it next year. They’ll play FAU, UCLA and Army out of conference. The Big 12, in general, will be down.

Sooner faithful always expect to win. So, a lost always hurts. In talking to fans after the Rose Bowl loss there seems to be a bit more pain.

I’m sure there are other reasons but filtering through what people have said, I feel like the following are some of the reasons this one hurts a bit more:

1) There is a feeling that OU had to win a national championship with Baker Mayfield. There is a feeling that he was just too good and the Sooners may not have someone like him again.

2) I gather for some there is this unknown about coach Riley and how young he is…what things will look like as the Sooners move forward.

3) For some, Georgia seemed so beatable. At a certain point in that game, it really looked like Oklahoma was going to open up the biggest can of pure whoop ass anyone has seen. To see that path suddenly reverse course was tough.

4) Some are unsure of what Riley will do to ensure that the Sooners finally field a OU worthy defense. OU has a proud tradition of playing great defense but the last number of years Oklahoma’s defense simply hasn’t been a consistent strength.

5) For some, it felt like the Sooners had taken a step forward since the last playoff only to suddenly feel like maybe they hadn’t.

6) Bottom line for many seems to be that it’s so difficult to make it to the playoff that you feel cheated when you can’t capitalize on it and the Sooners just can’t seem to get over that hump. When will they get to try again?

Here is what I say to those, respectively.

1) Mayfield was fantastic. There is no denying that. But he’s Lincoln Riley’s first quarterback. I don’t know for certain what Murray is going to do but I know this. Lincoln Riley and the Mike Leach guys can coach the hell out of the quarterback position within their respective systems. That position simply isn’t going to be a problem for OU under Riley. Next year’s quarterback, Kyler Murray would be considered fast even for a defensive back. We’ve already seen glimpses of it. We’ve also already seen glimpses of his accuracy. Mayfield, unlike say, Landry Jones was behind a really good offensive line. When the line broke down or the run game wasn’t there, Mayfield alone couldn’t resolve that issue. We saw that in the second half of yesterday’s game.

The success of Lincoln’s offense is going to continue to come down to the development of the offensive line, which is very much moving in the right direction. The commitment to the run game. Riley put to rest any fears that once Bob was gone, he wouldn’t be. And the weapons around the quarterback…Kyler Murray is about to have more than Mayfield had. Oh and did I mention Murray runs a 4.4? You’re talking about a type of speed and elusiveness that is non-negotiable for defensive linemen and perhaps even linebackers. That’s the kind of speed that can truly mask a bad half from a offensive line.

2. I think that’s one of the things the Sooners should be most optimistic about. Riley is so young that this early success may only be the tip of the iceberg. He will likely be a better coach next year than he was this year or the year before. Riley is like a young future first round pick. As a freshman you see these flashes of how truly dominant he can be. There have been times this season, including portions of yesterday’s game where I see a young Pete Carroll. Carroll’s teams were truly frightening. And like Carroll, Riley is a player’s coach who is a fierce competitor. I still don’t think people truly appreciate how difficult it was for Riley to go to Columbus and put his foot on the Buckeyes’ throats. Coach Stoops played Meyer twice, and wasn’t able to walk away with a win.

3. They didn’t seem beatable because Georgia is a bad team. Georgia seemed beatable because Oklahoma’s offense was having their way with them. Again, those flashes of scary moments. Their ability to recruit on offense is only going to get better. Defensively…

4. That is an issue this offseason where I think everyone, myself included, is going to be waiting to see what Riley does. I am not offering a solution but I know if Oklahoma wants to be the best they have to have a defense that can carry them through lulls and be a weapon. Again, the Sooners need a defense that is a sword not perforated shield.

5. That game was much more competitive than the Clemson game a couple years ago. They are moving in the right direction on offense.

6. If the defensive problems are resolved, I think the Sooners are going to find themselves in the playoffs a lot. In fact, the expectation should be for the Sooners to be right back in it next year. They’ll play FAU, UCLA and Army out of conference. The Big 12, in general, will be down.