OU vs Tulsa: The review

In their first season opener at #1 since 2003, Oklahoma did what they had to do against an overmatched opponent, they dominated.  Not that Tulsa is a "run of the mill" kind of team, but the last time the Golden Hurricane visited Norman in 2009, they were on the receiving end of a 45-0 mauling.  Landry Jones was making his 2nd start in an unexpected, yet speedy acceleration to the reins after Sam Bradford's injury in the season opener a fortnight earlier.

Dominique Whaley was the toast of the town.

It took a while for Oklahoma to kind of settle into the groove, but I guess that's just the result of running a "no-huddle" offense.  It might be just me, but sometimes it seems like the players are on the same field, just not on the same page.  Everything settled down once the points started rolling in.


A major improvement of course was in the run-blocking.  Last season, Oklahoma started off well trying to establish the ground game, but kind of went away from it, favoring the aerial attack more.  That really hurt them in during their 2 losses to Missouri and Texas A&M.  Granted, Faurot Field and Kyle Field aren't exactly easy venues to play in, but Oklahoma's offense became a tad predictable.  That will need to change this season.  They'll need to run the ball a lot more efficiently especially on the road.  Translation?  Let's hope it doesn't come down to Landry Jones having to throw 62 passes just to give the team a chance to win.

I know Bob ain't looking forward to seeing
li'l brother Mark so soon.

The redzone issues are still prevalent, but not as much as last season, when Oklahoma settled for field goals when it seemed easier to score touchdowns.  The Sooners won some close games - that should have never been that close to begin with -, and lost games because they were unable to impose themselves in the redzone.  Considering how many offensive plays the team runs, you can understand why the redzone dominance is a big deal.


When it comes to defense, there's a few loose ends that will need to get tied.  It was great to see them shut down Tulsa's offense for majority of the game, but Hurricane QB GJ Kinney was still able to complete some deep passes.  Some of those went for long gains and one of those resulted in a touchdown.  Tulsa receivers were also able to get open and make catches without a crimson jersey in sight.  Seminoles' QB EJ Manuel is just as athletic if not more than his Tulsa counterpart, and that could pose problems for the secondary.


All in all, it was great start to the season.  The team being able to run 100+ snaps on offense without a single penalty is a huge plus and they'll need to carry that momentum with them against Florida State.  The team will put in some more work and you can expect them to be ready in a couple of weeks.