Texas Tech has a better record than Iowa State and Colorado. Iowa State beat Texas Tech, but lost to Colorado; who also lost to Texas Tech. All these three teams came to Norman and received the same treatment; a beatdown. No disrespect to any of them, but it's just what it was.
After watching this game, I'm sure everyone has the same question, "How come they never play like this on the road?". Granted, Mizzou and A&M aren't exactly easy places to play, but their defenses aren't exactly stellar either. If anything, OU has the ability to put points on the board.
However, what happens is that they beat themselves up, then the opponents finish the job for them. Make your pick: the predictable play-calling, slow starts, a blown coverage here or there, missed tackles. The list is endless. Still, just about everyone has had it with the "Jekyll and Hyde" act that has plagued the Sooners over the last 5 seasons. I'm sure the coaches have had enough, right? At least that's what they tell us.
What we learned on Saturday:
- There were hardly any "bubble screens" plays. OU coaches seem to have fallen blindly in love with this scheme, even when it proves to be ineffective due to its predictability. They went more vertical with their passes, and the run blocking was improved. Turns out there's actually more plays in the playbook, who'd have thunk it.
- Ryan Broyles is the second coming of Mark Clayton. Broyles has just about broken every school receiving record, except for career receiving yards. That should be settled in a couple of weeks.
- Ryan Broyles and Travis Lewis may have just played their last game in Norman. I think the lure of the NFL might prove too strong to resist.
Hopefully, this performance was a sign of good things ahead for the Sooners. We'll find out in a fortnight.
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