Road Woe-rriors?

Oklahoma’s march towards the Big 12 South begins with a trip to College Station, followed by trips to Baylor and Oklahoma State.  3 out of 4 games on the road should be a cause for concern given the Sooners’ struggles on the road.  And don’t forget that A&M and Oklahoma State tend to play out of their minds when OU comes a’ callin’.

Last week, facing a pass defense that is ranked 112th in the nation, Landry Jones and Ryan Broyles combined to torch Colorado; they did what they had to do.  The Aggies pass defense is ranked 101st nationally, but seems to be improving rapidly according to reports.  They’ll look to generate a pass rush good enough to cover up for their flaws in the secondary.  The 12th Man will definitely be rocking the house for sure.

Keys to an OU Victory:

1.       When on defense, they need to get that pass rush going.  Injuries on the defensive line may make this seem easier said than done.  They may need to blitz early and often, and they may have to find a way to contain Tannehill.  Having played receiver for the past 3½ seasons, we know he can scramble to make plays if needed.  Also when you see 4 or 5 receiver sets, you might want to rethink about blitzing.

2.       Tackle, tackle, and tackle.  Missed tackles really hurt them against Mizzou and there is no room for those weak arm tackles, or looking for those big hits.  Wrap them up and put the guys on the ground.

3.       Don’t get too conservative on offense.  Oklahoma should run the ball more to avoid getting into predictable passing situations.  The Aggies will be playing a “3-4 defense” and will drop 8 defenders to cover the pass if necessary.

4.       Be cool.  Should the Aggies jump out to a big lead, OU shouldn’t look for the big plays right away.  It’s going to be a crazy, loud and hostile environment and they will need to keep cool.

5.       4th Quarter issues.  As if their troubles on the road weren’t enough, they’ve got the final period as well.  They cut it close against Utah State, Air Force, Cincy and Texas; but got bit against Mizzou and they can only expect to get tested against the Aggies.  I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

That being said, I am definitely looking forward not only to a good game, but a good weekend; a lot of good games lined up.  Enjoy your football weekend.

Beware the Ides of November!!

Hello November!!  The climax, the homestretch, of college football is upon us.  The time has come, to separate the contenders among the pretenders, the wheat from the chaff.  Time for the cream to rise to the top.  Without further ado, let us look at the conferences and divisions that may go down to the wire.

SEC-EAST: 

South Carolina and Florida seemed destined for a collision course; to decide who will represent the East in the SEC title game.  Florida boosted their chances for a 3^rd straight trip after overcoming Georgia.  The Gators will play at Vanderbilt, while South Carolina’s game against Arkansas seems to be the tougher of the two.  The Gamecocks play at home and that might just be the edge they need.  The SEC West could over should LSU beat Alabama.  At this point, it's Auburn's race to lose.

BIG 12 SOUTH:

In years past, whenever you heard that this division was up for grabs, your guess would be right if either Texas or Oklahoma were the teams in question (Texas A&M or Texas Tech might be the other teams in case of a 3-way tie).  This year, joining Oklahoma to complete the trio are Baylor and Oklahoma State.  That’s right, I said BAYLOR!!  A major step toward solving this logjam will take place this weekend when Baylor travels to Oklahoma State while Oklahoma travels to A&M.  Should Oklahoma beat the Aggies, they still have to travel to Waco and Stillwater.  This just keeps getting better by the minute.  Nebraska should be fine provided they win their remaining matches, as they hold the tie-breaker over Mizzou.

ACC-ATLANTIC:

Virginia Tech’s win over Georgia Tech gives them a leg up in the Coastal Division; as the winner has represented the Coastal Division ever since the addition of a title game.  The Atlantic Division was locked in a 3-way tie when North Carolina State beat Florida State last week, putting Maryland in the mix.  The Terps host both the Seminoles and Wolfpack at the end of the month; but have to get through Miami and Virginia first.

BIG TEN (Or 11, but hey, who’s counting?):

Michigan State and Ohio State do not play each other this year, which should favor the Spartans a little more than the Buckeyes.  Michigan State beat Wisconsin (who beat both Ohio State and Iowa) but lost to Iowa.  If my guess is correct, for the Spartans to get to a BCS bowl, they’ll need to win out and hope that Ohio State beats Iowa.

MOUNTAIN WEST:

This conference will play itself out this weekend when Utah hosts TCU.  Two undefeated teams, someone has to win right?  It doesn’t matter if it takes one overtime or nine, or if they play all through the night into Sunday.  What we do know is that there will be a winner.

PAC 10:

Until someone can find a way to clip the Ducks from flying away with the title, I won’t even get into this.

In parting, I would like to send my condolences to the Mississippi State family and to the family of Nick Bell, who lost his battle with cancer last Tuesday.  This is indeed a trying time for all involved and let us keep them in our prayers.  R.I.P Nick Bell, you’re in a better place and you will suffer no more.

Week 9 Roundup: Trick or Treat.

Just as I had predicted in my previous blog, both top ranked Auburn and Oregon would put an end to the insanity that prevailed over previous three weeks. It was even better that both outings resulted in almost similar high scoring affairs; quite a treat for everyone indeed. So let us proceed to hand out the goodies where due.

Auburn: What more can I say about Cam Newton that hasn’t already been said. It wasn’t enough that he’s running or passing for touchdowns, but had a great catch for a touchdown on a nice jump-ball fade in the corner of the end zone. The Tigers jumped out to an early lead and put any thought of a rally/upset to the sword. Verdict: Treat.

Oregon: Trailing 32-29, the Ducks piled up 24 unanswered points and not only flew away with the game but the #1 BCS ranking as well. LaMichael James and Darron Thomas put on a show to match the Hollywood setting. LA hadn’t seen such a dynamic duo since Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg in the early 90’s. Verdict: Treat.

Michigan State: The Spartans couldn’t rekindle the same spark that saw them overcome a 17 point deficit against Northwestern a week earlier. Plainly put, they bit off more corn than they could chew (Lol, I know; I had to put a corny joke in there somehow). Verdict: Trick.

Missouri: After putting on a complete and dominant performance in their win over the top ranked Sooners, the Tigers lost a very good shot at taking control of the North Division. Verdict: Trick.

Oklahoma: The Sooners were able shake off their loss with a much needed win over Colorado. They put the Buffs away early, since they only know too well what happens when you let the Buffs hang around for long. Verdict: Treat

Oklahoma State: Playing on the road without a suspended Justin Blackmon, it was Bo Bowling, Josh Cooper and Michael Harrison who stepped up and made plays in the passing game. The defense also made the win more impressive; forcing three turnovers including a “pick 6” to ice the game. Verdict: Treat.

Tulsa: In one of the biggest wins (if not the biggest of them all) in school history, the Golden Hurricane made big play after big play; Shawn Jackson’s 66 yard “pick 6”, Damaris Johnson 59 yard punt return for a score. None of these however, was bigger than James Flanders’ game clinching interception. The Golden Hurricane swept through the Golden Dome. Verdict: Treat.

Baylor: There was a joke that once went like this, “How do you beat the Baylor Bears?” The answer: “Just show up”. You can still show up, but you might get mauled. The Bears made big plays on offense and defense resulting in their first win in Austin since 1991; and they also ruined what was supposed to be Colt McCoy’s glorious homecoming. Verdict: Treat.

Texas: Many felt this team was primed for another title run following their appearance in the National Championship game. Granted, they lost a lot of players were lost to the draft, but it’s Texas; they don’t rebuild, they reload. The rich do cry after all. Verdict: Trick.

Nebraska: Finally, they were able to put on another impressive performance for a second consecutive week. This time, they went retro using a punishing ground game and dominant defense to bring Mizzou down from Cloud 9. Verdict: Treat.

Second helping of treats go to:

Roy Helu, Jr, Nebraska: 28 carries, 307 rushing yards, 3 TDs; sparking a win over Mizzou
Ryan Tannehill, Texas A&M: 449 passing yards, 4 TDs leading the Aggies to a win over Texas Tech, in his 1st start at QB.
Entire Baylor Bears team: Great team effort.
Entire Oklahoma State Cowboys team: Their last win in Manhattan came in 1988. This may not have been an impressive win, but it was a commendable team effort all around.
LaMichael James, Darron Thomas, Jeff Maehl; Oregon: 1, 2, 3 strikes!! You’re out of the ol’ ball game.......
Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma: Set a school single game receiving record; 208 yards on 9 receptions to go along with 3 touchdowns.


If I forgot to mention your squad, don’t take it personal. Just let me know, and I’ll be sure to send a shout out.

A little home cookin'.

While last Saturday - dubbed "Seismic Saturday" by pundits - saw the Oklahoma Sooners become the third straight top ranked team to be slain on the road, it might as well have been named "sore-eye Saturday" in this state; Oklahoma State fell to a resurgent Nebraska.


This weekend, the Sooners will be happy to be back in the confines of Norman.  What makes this match up with Colorado interesting goes back to the last time they played in Boulder, in 2007.  Cody Hawkins, then a freshman, rallied the Buffaloes from a 17 point deficit to a stunning 27-24 win over then #3 Oklahoma, courtesy of a last second field goal.  A show of hands please, if any of you remember the young OU fan crying in the stands right after that game.


While Cody Hawkins will start this game as well, I don’t foresee any surprises this time around.  OU should be able to win this contest and give that young kid something to smile about.  The storyline will, once again, be centred around OU’s 4t^th quarter woes.  So far, they have been outscored 77-30; including last week, despite taking 21-20 lead into the final period.  Injuries on the defensive side of the ball don’t help matters either and it remains to be seen whether the necessary adjustments will have been made with trips to Baylor, Texas A&M and Oklahoma State looming.


Another Big 12 game sees Oklahoma State, sans Justin Blackmon, travel to Kansas State.  By now, everyone knows of the incident that led to his 1 game suspension, so I'll spare you the details.  While his contribution will be greatly missed, the Cowboys might have to rely heavily on their running game while trying to stop a Daniel Thomas led rushing attack.


I will most definately be tuned in at 2:30 when the Nebraska-Mizzou kicks off.  Judging by last weekend’s games, I’m guessing that OU fans would love to see the Huskers beat Mizzou, while OSU fans would love to see Mizzou beat Nebraska.  Can’t we all just get along??  LOL.


In all honesty, I would love to see another show of hands if you thought:

1.      Baylor would have clinched a bowl berth before Texas.

2.      Baylor would headed into this match up with a better record than Texas.

All the eyes of Texas will once again be turned toward Austin to see how the ‘horns will bounce back following their loss to Iowa State.  And please, don’t let the final score, 28-21, mislead you into thinking it was a close game, because it wasn’t.


This weekend has been dubbed “Roadblock Saturday” with some key matchups headlining the event.  Both Auburn (#1 BCS) and Oregon (#1 AP & Coaches) travel to Ole Miss and USC respectively.  College Gameday will be in Los Angeles to follow the Quack Attack, while Auburn will have a two hour head start (check your local listings). 


With the events of the last 3 weeks in mind however, I’ll throw caution to the wind and predict that both Auburn and Oregon will win and put an end to this madness.  The two things I know, without a shadow of doubt, you can never predict; Oklahoma weather and what the Oregon Ducks will wear.


In parting, I would like to send my deepest sympathies to the Notre Dame family in wake of the tragic loss of Declan Sullivan, who was filming a practice session Wednesday, when the hydraulic lift he was stationed in was blown over by strong winds.  Let us keep his family in our prayers during this trying time. 
R.I.P Declan; you may be gone but you will never be forgotten.


Also, let us continue praying for the speedy recovery of Eric LeGrand; a Rutgers player who suffered a serious spinal-cord injury in a football game against Army on October 16.

Enjoy your football weekend and whatever tricks or treats may be in store.