The Football Brainiacs

Image via Associated Press (Sue Ogrocki)

This past weekend, and really for much of this season the Sooners have struggled to run the ball. So let’s talk about why.

The upperclassmen aren’t playing like it up front. The interior of the line was the area that everyone thought would give less question marks after four games.  Ty Darlington and Nila Kasitati, the two most seasoned, experienced guys are struggling.  It was known coming into the year that there would be need  for a new guard and two new tackles.  The constants were supposed to be these two guys inside. To be at a championship level, the sooners need them to play at an all conference level, and at this point, they’re just not.  Derek Farniok has been a nice discovery as a guard, and St. John has improved, but there’s just not the dominant seniors that they’ve been used to having around.

There’s just not a physical presence at fullback.  Trey Millard and Aaron Ripkowski are both NFL level guys. Watching the game Saturday, and then re-watching it again, Dimitri Flowers just isn’t a difference maker lead blocking that we’ve seen in the past.  When things do go well up front and you need that lead block on the edge, he’s just not the thumper that knocks people back.  Ripkowski was a beast lead blocking, and Millard wasn’t a slouch by any stretch.  Daryl Johnston and Tom Rathman were described as an extra guard in the backfield.  I think you could probably say the same thing for Ripkowski for the Sooners the past few years.  Millard gave you versatility that no one had.  Trying to replicate that, Flowers came on board.  To this point, it’s too much pretty and not enough gritty.  You hope that Flowers can grow into that, but at this point he’s just not the guy.

There’s not a physical edge presence at tight end. While I touched on Ripkowski at fullback, he lined up quite a bit at tight end as well.  The year before that, Millard also lined up there occasionally as well as Brannon Green.  Green was a very good end line blocker and it allowed you to line up Ripkowski or Millard as a wing and outflank people.  I’m as big a fan that you’ll see of using a tight end, because it widens out the defense another gap, and it simplifies the secondary somewhat.  At this point however, there are three tight ends listed on the roster, Mark Andrews, Connor Knight and Carson Meier.  Something I did happen to notice yesterday though was Sam Grant was wearing #85.  At 6’6″ 275, he gives you a jumbo tight end and probably a much more physical presence than any of these other guys.  I really believe that if you were to see Grant, who was originally recruited as a blocking tight end, it would really help the running game.  I’d guess the staff believes in his blocking ability or they likely wouldn’t have tried to turn him into a tackle.

Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon aren’t good blockers yet.  I know you probably heard the record skip there, but in the sets that both of these guys are on the field, one or the other is being asked to be a lead blocker for the other, and they’re just not good at it yet.  It’s probably the first time they’ve ever been asked to be a lead blocker in their lives, and watching their body language after a couple of runs out of the set, they’re frustrated.  They’re both team guys, but they’re not fullbacks.  While getting them both on the field at the same time makes you want to think of Reggie Bush and LenDale White, they’re just not on that level yet.

The tackle play so far has been spotty.  On the left side, Orlando Brown is going to be a star.  He’s got athleticism that belies his size, and he’s only going to get better.  You definitely can see the potential in him, and ultimately understand that Bedenbaugh is letting him grow into the position.  Dru Samia who is a true freshman has played well on the right side as well, but St. John has kind of moved into the starting role.  On one hand I can understand the logic in letting the tie go to seniority with St. John, but in my opinion Samia has played better.  I also understand that it would be difficult to get more juco guys to ever come if none ever play.  St. John has the elite athleticism, but Samia is a really good athlete in his own right.  At any rate, the tackle play is kind of a microcosm of the offensive line as a whole.  A lot of young talent who has to work out the kinks and kind of learn on the job, and older talent that isn’t getting it done to the level we’ve come to expect at Oklahoma.

So how exactly do the Sooners get to be a championship level o line in just five weeks?  Good question.  This week they just have to be good enough to beat Texas.  The week after that, just good enough to beat Kansas State.  The week after that…and so on and so on.  I know it sounds cliche, but they have to take it one game at a time.  More specifically they need to take it one practice at a time and focus on a couple of things.

Whatever they do, they have to focus on being physical and knocking people back.  Getting to your assignment isn’t enough.  Not even hitting people but STRIKING people and knocking them back.  Regardless of what they do, they have to be physical to a fault.

Secondly they need to know their job.  Someone along that O line whether it’s Darlington, Farniok, Nila or St. John as seniors have to step up and get everyone to get extra film work.  There’s a little bit of the old paralysis of analysis going on right now where guys are just a hair unsure at times and it’s causing hesitation.  Depending on how badly these guys want to be great, then it’ll show in getting their film work in and then getting extra film work. Getting the backs and tight ends in there too will be important.  Knowing exactly and I mean EXACTLY what you have to do can give you freedom to be more physical and meaner.  If all else fails go back to point one.

Finally great O line coaches know how to circle the wagons and create an us vs. the world mentality.  Don’t think for a minute they don’t realize how much talent is around them at the skill position spots, and Bedenbaugh isn’t in their ear every day about being the weak links.  Don’t be that guy was a rallying cry that we used to live by.  Whether it’s getting penalties, missing assignments, not finishing plays or just not being physical enough, just the refusal and the mindset of i’m not going to be “that guy” is important.  To this day if I hang my hat on anything its my refusal to let my teammates at work and my wife and mancub down.  Don’t be that guy.

Overall, I think that you have to have some perspective.  You have beat four good football teams.  While Tennessee and Akron are both 2-3, Akron lost a heartbreaker yesterday and should have lost to OU and Pittsburgh, which they did.  Tennessee should have beat Florida, who is now the cream of the crop in the SEC East, and they should have also beat Arkansas.  If OU doesn’t rip their heart out, they could easily be 5-0 at this point.  Tulsa is a very good football team who lost to a really good Houston team Saturday, and there wasn’t an honest Sooner fan out there who wasn’t concerned going into Saturdays game.  So the good news is that the Sooners are 4-0.  With Texas, K-State and Texas Tech coming up, followed up by KU and Iowa State, there are five very winnable games.  It’s very possible that OU is 9-0 going into the November 14th showdown with Baylor.

One thing that can be said for Lincoln Riley is that he does make adjustments.  Whether it’s in-game or from week to week, he does understand what his team does well.  That’s good, because he’s going to have to get creative to make the offense go.  Dru Samia has played well as a true freshman, and you do have solid depth with Farniok and Alvarez as well, so do you line one of those guys up outside and call it a double tackle or jumbo tight end etc?  Whether we see Sam Grant start getting some time, or Connor Knight, who I thought played pretty well at Tennessee get more time, adjustments are going to have to be made.  The good part is that the Sooners are 4-0, and they have five more weeks to figure it out.

As long as you can go 1-0 every week, who cares how you do it.