Film Study - Oklahoma vs. K-State (2nd Half)

This one might wind up being 5,000 words, but it's going to be one post. I've already cluttered up the front page enough today. So get yourself a sandwich and a soda pop, because it's time to settle in as we bring this thing to a close.

* 3rd Q, 13:29, 3rd & 8 for OU from their own 45. What started out looking like a good drive sputters out after a Landry incompletion, a short gain from Whaley, and suddenly OU is in third and long. As he's done so many times already, Jones locks onto to Stills and has another almost INT. Actually as I watch this couple times, I'm not sure if he's throwing to Stills of Shepard, but either way it's a terrible throw. If it's Shepard, the ball is at least two feet behind him. If it's Stills, it's at least two feet short of him. Sigh.

* Based on what I've see so far, that dime package from earlier in the year must have been a mirage. For what is most definitely not the first time in this game KSU lines up in a five wide set, and instead of bringing on an extra defensive back, Mike Stoops chooses to single up Wort on a slot receiver. AGAIN.

* Watching KSU's Hubert break tackle after tackle is beyond depressing when you think about watching this defense for the remainder of this season. The guy is listed at 5'7" 190 lbs and bounced off/ran through our guys like he was Trey Millard.

* Six minutes into the third quarter and I cannot tell you how many times I've already seen the OU defense frantically looking towards the sideline as if they have no clue what they are doing. That's a bad sign, right?

* 3rd Q, 8:46, 1st & 10 for OU from their 12. I said it Saturday night so excuse me for recycling material, but evidently this is what Sooner Magic has become this season. This replay call was so bad. Look, I get what the rule is and by definition alone I can understand how they came to their decision. I'm not going to get into the technicalities of the rule itself and whether or not it was the right call. I'll simply say if that same call had been made against us, I would have been beyond livid. So for me, if that's the case, I think more often than not that gives you your answer.

All that said, I still have no freaking clue what they were trying to accomplish on the play. Finch comes on the sweep and gives no impression that he's expecting the ball to go to him. Millard, also in the backfield with Jones, also appears to have no clue if he's supposed to be taking the handoff.

* If Heupel can watch this film and ever not have this offense in the hurry up, that and that alone is reason enough to fire him.

* Really nice catch here on the sidelines by Metoyer here, between two defenders, goes up to get a high throw from Jones (weird), then fights his way for a couple extra yards with a defender on his back.

* For the life of me, watching Whaley and Williams (even Clay here in a little while) run the ball I cannot possibly imagine what when through Heupel's head to go away from the run game.

* After fumbling earlier, here Bell takes it in on second down from the three yard line virtually untouched until he reaches the goal line. 13-10 OU

* Warrants mentioning, Landry was fantastic on that drive and the offense was in the hurry up the entire time until they got down close to the end zone.

* Another play where Colvin has absolutely perfect coverage, but the KSU receiver (Chris Harper) simply makes a fantastic catch. Some times you just have to give the other team credit. This is one of those times. Could not have been played more perfectly by either player. Credit to Klein as well for putting where only his guy could get it.

* 3rd Q, 3:33, 2nd & 10 for KSU from the OU 41. Okay, I have to point this out. I remember this play specifically and almost jumping up off my couch Saturday night in amazement. And it wasn't because I was impressed by it. OU is bascially in a 4-2-5, but one of those four is Nelson with his hand in the ground. So, in essence, it's another three man defensive line and they walk Tom Wort up as if he's going to blitz. Anyway, that aside what they do at the snap of the ball is stunning. At the snap, four of the five (including Wort) initially act as if they're coming after Klein. After their first couple steps however they all immediately drop into coverage leaving a lone Oklahoma defender to rush the quarterback. So, evidently, the design of this play was to rush ONE guy and drop ten others into coverage. And that one guy rushing the quarterback is defensive back Julian Wilson. One DB against five lineman and a tight end.

As little sense as that makes, what is equally as baffling is the fact that even in spite of doing this they still allow the KSU intended receiver to get behind the defense. Javon Harris actually makes a really good play on the ball to save it from being a decent gain for K-State. If you don't remember this play, I can assure you it looked as stupid as it does to read it here.

* Very next play on 3rd and 10, Klein again has all day to throw (mainly because OU only rushes three guys this time, which I guess is an improvement over one) and were it not for a dropped pass would have converted another third down. It's almost comical how loud the entire OU crowd collectively exhales their relief at that drop.

* 3rd Q, 1:31, 2nd & 4 for OU from their own 22. Here comes that horrible interception. Actually, you know what, horrible doesn't even do it justice. I'm going to call it vomit inducing because that sounds worse to me and it's what I felt like doing after watching it again.

Jones takes the snap and makes a play action fake to Whaley. Meanwhile Lane Johnson, who has been god awful thus far in this game, is now lined up at right tackle and is beaten much too easily on the inside. He manages to get just enough of a hand (barely) on the defender to get him off balance which causes him to basically lunge at Jones.

Evidently this lunge is enough to make Jones immediately panic, soil himself, take a step back, throw off balance, off his back foot, and sail a pass at least three feet over Stills' head right into the open and waiting arms of the KSU safety. Sweet jeezus, was that a horrible throw. Actually, to make it even worse, on the replay it looks as if Jones even sidearms his throw a little bit. Man, I didn't think it could get worse. I was wrong.

That one play should go on every 'What Not To Do As A Quarterback' video from now until the end of time. He literally did every single thing wrong that he possibly could have.

End of the third, OU clinging to a 13-10 lead but KSU is driving.

* Hubert is just embarrassing the OU defense on this drive, breaking tackles.

* Klein takes it in on second and goal from the five yard line. He hesitates, fakes like he's going to take the play up the middle, every OU defender who isn't already swallowed up by a KSU blocker gets sucked up into the wash, and Klein casually bounces it to the outside running it in untouched. Pathetic. 17-13 KSU

* The OU crowd responds with a "Block that kick!" chant on the PAT. And yes, that's just as pathetic as it sounds.

* I can't tell you how many times I heard during the post game Saturday night people say Justin Brown's holding penalty negated a 65-yard Damien Williams touchdown run. Are these people blind? Williams stepped out of bounds at least three or four times on that run. There is no way in hell, even without the penalty, that would have held up in a replay.

* 4th Q, 12:19, 3rd & 7 for OU from their own 38. Jones once again has a pocket to step up into, fails to do so, instead bouncing around, then actually bounces backwards (you know, away from those scary defensive linemen) while throwing to Brennan Clay coming on a crossing route. The pass sails well wide of Clay. His first instinct is so clearly to always fall away as opposed to step up, it's almost as if he's never been coached his entire life.

* I'm surprised that ref made it out of Norman alive after mistakenly announcing it was OU's ball on that believed to be botched punt return. Ever the helpful broadcasting crew, the FOX guys do virtually nothing to explain why after coming back from commercial KSU has the ball after Gus Johnson being all kinds of Gus Johnson screaming about what a big play it was for OU just minutes ago.

* 4th Q, 9:32, 3rd & 12 for KSU from their own 32. The first of several instances where the OU defense absolutely had to get a stop and failed to do so. Here, inexplicably, they just completely lose track of Tramaine Thompson who could not possibly be more wide open. Even Klein can make that throw. It looks like Gabe Lynn got totally lost on the play and just forgot about Thompson.

* The Oklahoma defense has made both John Hubert and Travis Tannahill look like All-American on multiple occasions.

* This Hubert touchdown run is just disgusting to watch. It's all about effort and I can count multiple guys on the OU defense who just quit on the play once it looks like he's wrapped up. I don't care what anyone says, there is no excuse for that kind of lack of effort.

My word, the replay, wow. They show it from behind on that overhead camera, perfect angle for this. Wort is literally standing in the massive hole, totally unblocked, just him and Hubert one-on-one. Hubert gives him a stutter step and Wort absolutely loses his jock, forced to reach, and whiffs on the tackle. Wonder how he's gonna grade out after that one?

Anyway, Hubert keeps his legs driving and muscles his way into the end zone. 24-13 KSU

* Wow, I did not realize at the time just how close Jones came to yet another turnover. He takes a sack at the 6:12 mark and actually fumbles the ball. He scrambles to get it back, but that obviously would have made a horrible night even worse.

* Another horrible throw from Jones and the reason why I thought this same one to Metoyer from earlier in the game was his fault. He totally leads him out of bounds with no chance to either (1) catch the ball or (2) come down in bounds.

* Hell of an effort by Shepard on his touchdown catch. He could have easily gone down at like the three yard line, but would not quit and leapt across the goal line.

* The two point conversion, lets talk about this for a minute. So did you all catch the fact that Lane Johnson is lined up on the slot, I mean before they waste that timeout of course (we'll get to that). So let me get this straight, of all times for Heupel to pull this razzle-dazzle crap he's going to pick this point in the game? Seriously?

The other part of this is obviously Oklahoma being forced to waste yet another timeout in this game. It clearly came from the sideline because the players snapped the ball and started the play as if nothing was wrong. So evidently Heupel, or somebody, saw something they didn't like and decided to call a timeout at the last second. Very clearly ignoring the fact that would only leave them with one more and thus only one more chance to stop the clock once KSU got the ball back, with four minutes remaining, and in a best case scenario OU needing a field goal to tie.

Two weeks to prepare for this game and this is the kind of effort we get and this is the kind of coaching we get. I mean when Gus Johnson and Charles Davis are calling out your coaching decisions, you've got problems. They wasted five of their six timeouts in this game and this one could have legitimately cost them the game. Admittedly, a game they had no business winning in the first place but still a game they could have pulled out their you know what.

* I can't even make up what the actual play winds up being. On the actual play, that winds up being knocked down, Jones is looking for true freshman Taylor McNamara coming across on a drag route who just so happens to be double covered in the end zone. It had zero chance of working even if it hadn't been knocked down. I guess Heupel was trying to be sneaky there going to the true freshman tight end.

* Jamarkus McFarland makes a play out of nowhere on first down for a loss of one. A Klein incompletion on second makes it 3rd & 11. The crowd is as loud as it's been all night here. So what does K-State do you ask? Why they line up a wide receiver on Tom Wort of course. Shallow drag route, over the middle, the same kind of route that has somehow vexed the Bob Stoops defense for lord only knows how many years, and naturally it works to perfection. Wort gets caught staring into the backfield, ignores the receiver as he crosses his face, and helplessly chases from behind as he's tackled a yard and a half past the first down line.

That first down is every bit as much on Mike Stoops as it is Tom Wort. Every freaking bit.

* From here on out, its basically academic. K-State does what they do, milks the rest of the clock (helps when OU only has one timeout!) as OU cannot get stops. Game. Over.