The coaches poll is out and as expected, Oklahoma and Florida are numbers one and two. Also with Florida holding a 73 point advantage over Texas, it will take Texas being ahead of Florida in the Harris poll for a rematch to happen in the National Championship Game.

Here is your open thread to talk about the poll but please keep it civil.

Tip Time: 3:00

Location: BOK Center - Tulsa

TV: CBS College Sports Network

Radio: KRXO FM 107.7 - OKC, KTBZ AM 1430 - Tulsa

Mossis Madu's 114 yards and 3 touchdowns were a welcome surprise!

While the whiners whine and the complainers complain the Oklahoma Sooners are celebrating their unprecedented third consecutive Big 12 Championship and the 6^th in the last 9 seasons. In leading OU to a 62-21 rout of the 19^th ranked Missouri Tigers Sam Bradford became the first Big 12 quarterback to win multiple championships.

An injury to DeMarco Murray on the opening kickoff set up Mossis Madu as an unlikely hero for the night. Carrying Murray’s load Madu ran for an average of 7.6 yards per carry with 15 attempts for 114 yards and 3 touchdowns. His third score put Oklahoma over the 60 point barrier for the fifth consecutive game making OU the first to accomplish the feat in 89 years.

Joining Madu on the hero’s list are Juaquin Iglesias, the Sooner defense and Sam Bradford. Iglesias had 9 receptions for 126 yards and was on the receiving end of both of Bradford’s touchdown passes.

Missouri came into the game averaging 45 points per game which was good enough to rank them 4^th in the nation. Oklahoma’s defense forced Chase Daniel to turn the ball over three times (2 INTs, 1 Fumble) while sacking him three times. Missouri was held scoreless in the first quarter and then to just 21 points for the game.

Finally, Sam Bradford was exceptional once again. He completed almost nearly 70% of his passes for 383 yards and two scores capping what has been an exceptional Heisman campaign. Everything worked together for a magical night where the Sooners continue a three year run of being the best team in the conference and became the most prolific offense in the history of college football.

A Record Night!

·        Oklahoma became the first team in the history of the Big 12 Conference to win three consecutive conference titles.

·        Oklahoma won their sixth conference championship. No other team in the conference has more than two!

·        Oklahoma became the most prolific scoring offense in the history of college football.

·        Oklahoma became the first team to score 60 points or more in five consecutive games since 1919.

·        DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown became the first running back duo to rush for 1,000 yards each out of the same backfield in the history of the Big 12.

·        Sam Bradford became the first quarterback to win multiple Big 12 championships.

·        Sam Bradford’s 383 passing yards are the most ever in a Big 12 Championship Game.

Big Thanks To Rock M Nation For The Graphic!

Location: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City   

Kickoff Time: 7:00

Television: ABC

Total Average Offense Yards (Rank)

Missouri 509.42 (6^th), Oklahoma 556.67 (3^rd)

Average Points Scored (Rank)

Missouri 45 (4^th), Oklahoma 53.33 (1^st)

Average Yards Allowed (Rank)

Missouri 396.5 (91^st), Oklahoma 359.5 (66^th)

Average Points Allowed (Rank)

 Missouri 24.67 (58^th), Oklahoma 24.83 (60^th)

Another year another championship game for Oklahoma. The Sooners just need to play their game and they should be fine. Avoid breakdowns, force turnovers and let the offense do its thing. If that happens then Bob Stoops will walk away tonight with his 6^th Big 12 championship.

Official Machine Prediction: 42-35 Oklahoma – Boomer Sooner!!!

I know, I know! That is a close score but let me just say that I’ve called just about every game to be fairly close this season and most of them have resulted in blowouts. Why change now?

Doesn’t look like I’ll be on the game thread tonight as I’m gathered with some friends at a watch party. Talk it up though! Share all of your thoughts before, during and after the game here.

Sorry to get this up so late but here it is.

Bama just kicked a FG to give them a 10-7 lead.

CCMachine will have the Big 12 Thread up later.

Were Missouri is lacking in defense they are very strong on offense. The Tigers are just behind Oklahoma in scoring offense at 45 points per game and will be a serious threat to Oklahoma’s defense. Chase Daniel has two dangerous weapons in Jeremy Maclin and Chase Coffman and he knows how to use them. The Tigers are next to last in the conference when it comes to rushing attempts per game but have a solid 5.5 yard per carry average.

Oklahoma’s Pass Defense Against Missouri’s Pass Offense

This is where the Sooners appear to be at a disadvantage. Oklahoma is ranked 99^th in the country in pass defense and Chase Daniel has thrown for 3,880 yards and 34 touchdowns. OU will have their hands full because Daniel is also mobile which allows him to be dangerous when flushed from the pocket. The good news for Oklahoma is that their pass rush ranks 3^rd in the country with 39 sacks and we’ve seen more than once that Daniel is prone to make mistakes when he constantly has to run.    

Oklahoma’s Rush Defense Against Missouri’s Rush Offense

While Oklahoma is only 12 yards away from having dual 1,000 yard running backs Missouri running back Derrick Washington needs 37 yards to cross the 1,000 yard barrier. Washington has crossed the goal line 17 times this year and you can’t overlook Maclin as a threat either because he has rushed for 248 yards as well.

Oklahoma has allowed four backs to rush for over 100 yards against them but they do rank 18^th in the nation against the run. Travis Lewis has been a beast this year for the Sooners with 123 stops and he provides an almost sure tackle should a runner get past the defensive line. The good news here is that in their games against Oklahoma State and Texas the Tigers rushing attack was almost completely shut down.

Defensive Keys To Success Against The Tigers

 

• Stop the Run – As stated earlier the Tigers have a habit of seeing their rushing attack disappear. The Sooners defense thrives on making opponents one dimensional (see Texas Tech) and if they put the breaks on Washington, especially with just their defensive line, then that allows them to pin their ears back for Daniel.

• Make the Tackle – I always smirk a little when I put this in every week but it is so vital that we just can’t leave it out. Missouri is the third opponent in a row for the Sooners to have a legitimate homerun threat in their offensive lineup. Miss a tackle on Maclin and he’ll make you pay dearly. The same is true when it comes to Chase Daniel. Just getting to him isn’t enough they have to bring him down. Like we saw with Zac Robinson last week he can become very dangerous when scrambling.

 

• Account for Coffman – Maclin is going to draw a ton of attention from the Oklahoma secondary but tight end Chase Coffman will draw linebacker coverage. OU has the speed to keep up with him but the danger is in losing him on a play action or misdirection.

   

• Pressure And Contain Daniel – Oklahoma just keeps coming with their defensive ends. Jeremy Beal and Frank Alexander have been outstanding the last two weeks. They both have the power to bulrush a blocker and the speed to chase down a quarterback. Couple that with pressure up the middle from Gerald McCoy and the Sooners should be able to pressure Daniel to leave the pocket. From there they also have to prevent him from heading up field and turning what should have been a 10 yard loss into a 15 yard gain.   

2007 OU/Missouri

Bradford can put the finishing touches on a solid Heisman campaign!

Oklahoma leads the Big 12 and the nation is points scored per game with 53.3 while the Tigers are second in the conference when it comes to points allowed with 24.7. Oklahoma knocked the swagger off the Tigers last year in San Antonio partly to a dominating offensive performance. This year we find that the Sooners are even better on offense and the Tigers a little worse.

Oklahoma’s Pass Offense Against Missouri’s Pass Defense

Missouri faces the task of slowing down Oklahoma’s scoring machine by matching up against the Sooners with the nation’s 117^th ranked pass defense. OU will counter with the 3^rd ranked passing offense in the nation that produces 354.3 yards and almost 4 touchdowns per game.

Tigers defensive end Stryker Saluk leads the team in sacks with 8.5 but Oklahoma has only given up 11 sacks all season. When the defensive line fails to pressure the quarterback it turns disastrous for the secondary. Missouri is surrendering 277 yards and 2 touchdowns through the air in each game.

Oklahoma’s Rush Offense Against Missouri’s Rush Defense

The Sooners are 12 rushing yards away from history! While I’m confident that the 12 yards will come I’m not so sure about DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown’s average of 202.4 yards per game. OU has the nation’s 21^st ranked rushing attack but the Tigers bring a very respectable rush defense to the table that is ranked 24^th in the country. Allowing only 119.4 yards per game Missouri has only had one running back go for over 100 yards against them this season. Linebacker Sean Weatherspoon leads the Tigers in both tackles with 126 total and tackles for loss with 16. Oklahoma will most definitely need to account for him.

Offensive Keys To Victory Against Missouri

 

• Throw the Football – Without trying to sound arrogant, cocky or conceited Missouri shouldn’t be able to keep up with Oklahoma’s passing game. If they can’t cover Kansas how in the world are they going to cover Gresham, Iglesias, Johnson and Broyles? There are too many weapons at Bradford’s disposal and the Tigers have absolutely no track record for stopping anyone through the air this season.

 

• Pound the Ball – Use the dynamic duo of Brown and Murray to wear down the Tigers defense. We shouldn’t get frustrated if the run game isn’t working early and Oklahoma certainly shouldn’t move away from it as the game wears on. Because of the aforementioned success the Tigers have had against the run they are going to have some good plays against Oklahoma’s rushing attack but running the ball will keep the defense honest. As we’ve said just about every week of the season, "the better the run game is working the more success they’ll have through the air."

 

• Dominate Up Front – Oklahoma’s offensive line now features four All-Big 12 selections and they need to go out and prove their merit tonight by manhandling the Tigers defensive line. Keep the pressure off Bradford, let him work his magic and then pave the way for a 100-plus yard rushing night.

   

• Attack the Blitz! – The pattern this season has been when Missouri blitzes opponents get big gains. The Sooners must recognize the blitz and then take advantage of it. Continued success at this will make the Tigers want to do it less and then Bradford will be able to just sit back and pick the defense apart.

OU/Missouri 2002 

Let the revolution begin!

How about that! You thought you were sick of hearing Mack Brown’s whiney voice on all things ESPN try being a person who has to live in the same city as him. The mystery of the banner flown over Austin telling Mack to quit whining is quickly unraveling. At first the stunt was blamed on Oklahoma but then speculation came out that it was Texas Tech fans who actually live in the Austin area. Now the truth is out.

Ted DeReeder, president of Long Island-based National Sky Ads, says he brokered the deal that sent the plane flying over UT.

He says the people who hired him are UT fans, but says they specifically asked him not to identify them publicly. He says the entire flight cost about $2,200.

Well, this can only get more interesting from here on out. After having Texas fans gripe at us for a week now they can start griping at each other. I don’t know about you but I have a huge smile on my face because it looks like it isn't just OU fans and the conference coaches who are tired of his complaining about a system that he knew was in place. Let’s just sit back and watch this whole thing blow up!

Chris Brown only needs 12 yards to make history!

Bob Stoops said on Tuesday that he’d never seen the type of efficiency that the 2008 Oklahoma offense has. Quite frankly neither has anyone else. With 89 touchdowns on the season already the Sooners have already tied the NCAA record for touchdowns scored in a single season. Now OU only needs 17 points to set the record for points scored in a season. Sam Bradford and company currently sit 16 points behind the 2006 Hawaii team that set the current record with 656 points in 14 games.

Oklahoma also has a chance to match Tulsa’s streak of five consecutive games of scoring 60 or more points. The Sooners stand right now at four games and while it isn’t a priority to score 60 plus it certainly is a possibility. In addition, here are a few other marks that could be set Saturday night in Kansas City.

• Three-Peat – Oklahoma already owns five conference championships since the turn of the century and last year became the first team to win the Big 12 in back-to-back years. Now they have the opportunity to raise the bar higher. Oklahoma can win three in a row!

• Twice is Nice – This is the stat that is most amazing to me. When you consider all of the great quarterbacks that have come through the Big 12 not a single one of them has won multiple conference championships. Sam Bradford can become the first quarterback to accomplish that feat.

• Run Baby Run! – Sam Bradford has 4,080 passing yards and 46 touchdown passes (both school records) but Oklahoma is going to accomplish something on the ground that hasn’t been done in the Big 12 yet. Chris Brown needs just 12 more rushing yards to reach 1,000 for the season. DeMarco Murray has already reached that mark which will mark the first time the Big 12 has seen two 1,000 yard backs in a season.

The Oklahoma Sooners have given us plenty to cheer for this season and there very well could be plenty more to come. Regardless of how it will ultimately end we will look back on the offense and say that it was historic in more ways than one.

USC brought a physical brand of basketball to Lloyd Noble Arena Thursday night and almost bullied their way to a win. Oklahoma showed some concerns that they could be forced to make mistakes when a team bows up to them. I don’t want to call them a finesse team but the athleticism and physical play that the Trojans brought to the game almost threw Oklahoma off of theirs.  

USC’s plan was to hack Blake Griffin and try to muscle him around under the boards. It worked from the standpoint that Griffin only secured 6 rebounds (resulting in his first non double-double this season) but the big man still got his points, 25 of them.

Teams have tried several different things to slow Blake Griffin down this season but the Trojans took it to the extreme. Leonard Washington caused Griffin to take a short break at almost the mid point of the second half when he gave Griffin a shot to the groin. It almost worked as OU’s 11 point lead eventually dropped to just 1.

I think you could attribute more than Blake Griffin’s short absence to the USC comeback. First, give the Trojans credit for their resolve to fight back on the road by making things happen. Beyond that there is a short list of reasons that the Sooners could have lost this game.

• Under the Boards – Oklahoma lost the battle of the boards to USC by a slim margin, 25-28 but the more disturbing stat was the offensive boards. OU only grabbed five offensive rebounds. OU did have 11 second chance points but it could have been much more had they been stronger on the offensive glass.

• Second Half Shooting – Oklahoma’s shooting percentage dropped from 53.8% in the first half to 38.5% in the second half. Again, let’s give credit where it is due for the Trojans stiffening up on defense but part of the problem was 1-8 from beyond the arch in the second half. That tells me the Sooners had tired legs from the physical play.

• Defensive Breakdowns – USC’s shooting percentage jumped up from 43.3% in the first half to 60% in the second half including 4-4 from beyond the three point line. USC did a good job at creating their shots but they also had some easy looks as well.

• Missed Free Throws – In a close game you look at everything. Oklahoma left 8 points at the charity stripe tonight with an 18-26 performance. There weren’t any bigger than the ones by Cade Davis at the end of the game.

Now to be fair we should look at the other side because Oklahoma did after all win the game. That means that there were some things that they did do right in order to beat a very physical and athletic team.

• Points Off Turnovers – Oklahoma forced 14 USC turnovers which led to 16 Sooner points.

• Jump Shots – OU still has some work to do in this area but it was good enough to get by Thursday night. Austin Johnson was 7-12 from the floor including 3-7 from three point land. Only 22 of Oklahoma’s points cam in the paint and another 18 from the free throw line. That leaves 33 points resulting from spot up shooting.

• Bench Points – It wasn’t much but Oklahoma’s bench out scored USC’s 11-8. Remember in a close game we look at everything.

• Blake Griffin – He was the best player on the floor. What does it say about him when we are actually disappointed when he doesn’t log a double-double?