Red River Shootout - Reasons for OU fans to be confident

Ok, I know this one was much more fun for me to write so I can only hope it will be more fun for you (meaning OU fans of course) to read.  I think everybody kind of has their thing when it comes to how, as an OU fan, they approach a game.  I'm the kind of guy who can find a lot to worry about, especially when it's this particular game.  I don't have to tell you all it's just the kind of game where really anything can happen.  All that said, don't take my comments to mean I'm not confident in our Sooners because you would be sorely mistaken.  I firmly believe we have plenty of reasons to be confident.  So why don't we get into some of those reasons.

 Texas is REALLY young.  Now in a year or two, if they're able to actually develop some of this young talent unlike in years past, you may find this on the "reasons to be worried" list but for this game, the 'confidence' list is where it belongs.  Look, if you hear any former player (on either side) talk about this game you know when they say "there is nothing else like it" that it's not just lip service.  The feeling they get when they walk through that south end zone tunnel and down that ramp is something that is felt in only one spot on this big blue planet.  So obviously for all these freshman that Texas is playing it will be their first experience in this unrivaled atmosphere.  To think that and the experience advantage OU has doesn't play in our favor would either be sheer arrogance (from Texas?!?  Surely you jest!) or flat out denial.

Now don't take that to mean that freshmen haven't stepped up in this game in the past and made a name for themselves, but to expect something like that to happen would surely be wishful thinking.  So will the UT youngsters be able to maintain their composure and not get rattled by the crowd/atmosphere?  We sure hope not.

Good Landry.  He's got two sides, so if Bad Landry is on the "reasons to worry" it's only fair that Good Landry makes an appearance here.  He's not perfect, despite some who seem to hold him to that standard, but then again what QB really is?  OU doesn't need Good Landry to play the entire game, though that would certainly be quite nice.  We just need the Good Landry to out weigh the Bad.  Ideally, OU can get the running game going and don't have to depend on Landry to throw to win the game.  If this happens, I think we see plenty of Good Landry.

 Our walk-on sensation.  I'm pretty confident there is a decent portion of UT fans who would put this point on their reasons to be confident list, but if that were the case I'd be almost positive they've yet to really see Dominique Whaley play.  While you could argue their end result ceilings are not all that close, as of today he looks to be everything Texas fans believe they have in Malcolm Brown but without all the hype.  He runs HARD.  He has proven to have just ridiculous balance and is a beast to bring down.  Maybe not a true home run type threat, but more than capable of breaking off 25-30+ runs.  I just kind of have a sneaking suspicion that he has a big game Saturday. 

UT secondary is green.  Maybe not with Blake Gideon per se, but that's no advantage for them.  A liability?  Sure, but definitely not an asset against this OU offense.  Texas has two first year starters (both sophomores) at corner back and a true freshman as their nickel back.  And these guys are supposed to match up with Broyles, Stills, Miller, Franks, Reynolds, Jackson, etc.???  How could we not LOVE that match-up?!?  I know Texas fans love the true frosh, Quandre Diggs, but if they line him up over Broyles in the slot with no help because they're bringing the blitz every down, Broyles might break every receiving record the RRSO has ever known.  I don't expect Diaz to be this stupidgenerous, which means if they are forced to double Broyles then Stills and/or the 3rd WR and/or the TEs will be in single coverage.  Again, this is a win for OU.  I know he hasn't had the career many of us had hoped for him, but keep an eye on Dejuan Miller in this game.  He's a senior, obviously in his final RRSO, and a significant size mismatch for anybody UT can put out there at corner.  If they can get him matched up on Diggs, who is VERY generously listed at 5'10", it could be a big day for Dejuan.

The "Josh Heupel's been holding something back" theory.  This certainly isn't unique to OU if you've read any of what Texas fans expect Harsinwhite/Diaz to do, but at the same time it doesn't mean they're the only one with some tricks up their sleeve.  Obviously the OU coaches would never admit to this, but given how vanilla the play calling has been thus far I think we all really hope they've been holding something back.  Doesn't mean we will be calling all kinds of trick plays or anything, frankly we shouldn't need to, but maybe we see more of the Triangle (sorry Rich, it just won't die) or that Ninja/Oopty-oop formation.  Just don't be surprised if Heupel gets much, much more creative Saturday afternoon than we've seen so far.

The Florida State game.  Specifically the OU defense we saw in the FSU game.  If that was any indication of how well they are capable of playing in a big game, well they don't get any bigger than this one for the Sooners.  No disrespect to FSU and Tallahassee, but this game and this rivalry are on a whole other level.  So OU will have no issues getting up for this game and if they play as well as they did against the Seminoles (please sweet lil' eight pound baby jesus), oh, baby!

Rice, BYU, UCLA, & Iowa State.  For whatever good the Horns have done on either offense or defense, those teams are who they've done it against.  Enough said.

We're going streaking!  This rivalry is notorious for winning/losing streaks and we ended Texas' last year, which would put us at one win in a row.  So history has to be on our side to at least get to two and qualify as an actual streak right?  You don't mess with history.

 And of course, the most obvious of all reasons for OU fans to be confident this Saturday.  Because Texas sucks.

So there we go, plenty to be confident even with some of the things I left out.  So do share, what are you OU fans confident in heading into Saturday's showdown?  I know we're all VERY confident in the well known fact that . . .

TEXAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!