Bradford Showed Pinpoint Accuracy In The No Huddle

It really was a tale of two halves Saturday night in Norman. Oklahoma was never threatened but the performance before the thunderstorm was a lot different than the one after. Maybe it was the sloppy wet field or the hour-and-a-half rain delay or perhaps it was the 50-0 lead at halftime when the storms came. Regardless, Oklahoma tied a Sooner record by scoring seven touchdowns on seven consecutive first half possessions but then the first-team offense only mustered two first downs in three second half possessions before giving way to the backups. The second and third unit guys finished off the Mocs 57-2.   

Personally, I don’t put any stock into the second half performance just because of the circumstances surrounding it. How many teams do you know that could keep their focus through a 90-minute halftime when up by 50? It was obvious they had checked out and frankly, I don’t blame them. They were as close to perfect in the first half as a team can get. The team speed Oklahoma has is ridiculous both on offense and defense. They literally have homerun threats at every skill position on offense and Bradford did a masterful job at spreading the wealth. The defensive line was unstoppable all night. The linebackers were very quick getting to the ball and the defensive backs were in position to make plays on every down.  

Report Card

Quarterbacks: I was shocked to see Joey Halzle come in for Bradford before the end of the first half and then even more shocked to see Bradford come out to start the second half. On the night Bradford completed 77.3% of his passes (17-22) for 183 yards and 2 scores with no picks. He was patient and poised in the pocket and looked every bit like a seasoned veteran.

 

In relief of Bradford Joey Halzle was good. Not spectacular but good. He wasn’t as decisive as Bradford and threw a pick which was Oklahoma’s only turnover on the night. He did complete 87.5% of his passes (14-16) for 122 yards and a 36 yard strike to Juaquin Iglesias.

Grade: A-

 

Offensive Line: Sam Bradford had all the time in the world to throw a pass. Not only was he never sacked he really wasn’t even threatened. Sooner running backs rushed for 182 yards thanks to the holes opened by the line. UT-Chattanooga did register one sack when Oklahoma was playing the backups. Freshmen Stephen Good and Ben Habern were among the reserves to see playing time.  

Grade: A-  

 

Running Backs: Chris Brown and DeMarco Murray scored three and two touchdowns respectively with Murray getting the edge in rushing yards (124 to 63). Murray averaged 8.3 yards per carry and Brown 4.5.

 

The only other back to receive a significant amount of playing time was Mossis Madu who carried the ball 9 times for 37 yards.

Grade: A+

 

Tight Ends/Receivers: Manny Johnson and Juaquin Iglesias have star potential and Quentin Chaney showed that he can be a valuable asset. Johnson caught 9 passes for 120 yards and a score and Iglesias added a touchdown and 73 yards on just four receptions.

 

Jermaine Gresham did have three receptions for 26 yards but was also guilty of dropping two balls that would have been touchdowns. In fact, dropped passes were the only criticism I can draw from the first team offense.

Grade: A-

 

Defensive Line: Auston English recorded 2.5 sacks and the Sooners had a total of 5 sacks on the night. The combination of English, Gerald McCoy, Alan Davis, Jeremy Beal, DeMarcus Granger, Corey Bennett and Frank Alexander recorded a total of 24 tackles.

Grade: A+

 

Linebackers: UT-Chattanooga averaged less than a half a yard per rush and managed just 16 total rushing yards for the game. Ryan Reynolds and Travis Lewis both tied Auston English for a team high six tackles and Keenan Clayton added 1.5 sacks to his four tackles.

Grade: A+

 

Secondary: Dominique Franks is somewhere just this side of Super Man when it comes to his ability to leap and break up passes. UT-Chattanooga quarterbacks only completed 3 of 17 pass attempts. Part of that was due to pressure put on them by the defensive line and linebackers and the rest of it had to do with the blanket coverage by the OU secondary.

Grade: A+

 

Special Teams: A missed extra point and a botched snap over the head of the punter that led to a safety were the two biggest miscues of the night. Mike Knall averaged 34.8 yards per punt and had four of his five punts downed inside the Mocs 20.

Grade: C

I’m trying to keep in mind the level of competition that OU faced in this game and the reality that Cincinnati will provide us with a much truer test this coming Saturday. However, and impressive performance is what it is and Oklahoma delivered one on Saturday night.