Oklahoma Football Hot Links: Run defense fails late

What’s good?

I have been doing the “sports opinion” thing since 2014. I have obviously found a bigger platform in the past three years. Why do I do this weird self-brag to start this thing?

First, most of you don’t know who I am. So it makes these first two sentences very funny. Second, I don’t know if I have ever been more right on a prediction. I mean, I was a touchdown short on both teams (expecting a little more Baylor ball control) but from a “game flow” standpoint... I think I kinda nailed it.

Oklahoma isn’t good.

Let’s start there. Don’t let the backup-QB-led Kansas and crappy Cyclones confuse you. Oklahoma is not a top-30 team in the country. HOWEVER, Oklahoma is a decent football team. Middle of the road. Mediocre. Which, if I would’ve told you that they were going to climb that mountain following Texas, I think most would’ve taken it.

The Sooners, against a good opponent (we’ll call Baylor a good opponent), has to do one of two things to win:

Play almost perfect on offense

or

Create three to four game-altering plays on special teams or on defense

They did neither on Saturday, so they lost. That’s the demon of college football. Gabriel’s three interceptions are worse on the second watch. I don’t think the defense set an edge for the final three quarters. Aranda coached aggressive and Oklahoma never stood tall on fourth down. It sadly is just that simple.

Good news? I think that was the best team left on their schedule. West Virginia, Sander-less Oklahoma State and Texas Tech should be a clean sweep but at worst a 2-1 performance. Should.

I didn’t write five paragraphs burning the thing down because I don’t think you should either. Change where you bar is for the next three games (plus the postseason) because I don’t think its getting better from here even though wins are likely on the way.

OU Links

• While Oklahoma faces another loss and another week of speaking on corrections, what do we hear again? The same words from Venables. Discipline and physicality. Hoover talks about the returning mentality and if it will ever bear fruits this season.
• Billy Bowman — the man who seems to make it all work on the back end. I have a love affair with Key Lawerence’s play but we all recognize the straw that stirs this drink. We actually were hashing it out in the press box — Bowman might be one of the two best safeties in this conference. Bob Przyblo writes here on Bowman.
• OU MBB lost their season opener in tragic fashion. Porter Moser has some lessons to teach from this one. Bob talks about the opener here but watch these final few minutes.

• Losing a stunner isn’t the way Porter drew it up. Since landing in Norman nothing has been easy for Moser and Ryan talks about the fall out and game that got year two off to another rocky start.Three interceptions were thrown in the first half. The Sooners put their struggling defense in an early position to fail. What do we make of Saturday with Gabriel and the Oklahoma offense? Chapman fills us in.
• Teddy Lehman joined the Franchise on Monday morning. As this season has gone on, the truth that Lehman delivers gets louder and louder.
• The Roy Williams tribute was awesome. The shirt was hilarious. It was really cool to see him and his kids celebrated for all his great accomplishments. My only complaint? Why do they try to cram this into a two-minute media timeout? Seriously, do it pregame. Or halftime. Or hell, make Brent burn a first halftime timeout coming out of commercial. Whatever. Give these guys their moment and don’t make older people almost have to run.

• Josh McCuistion’s Monday Morning Idiot is always a fun one to poke through. Looking to learn what exactly what went wrong? Josh will talk you through it here.
• Shout out to Parker for this tweet, super fun and nice little storyline here. It came following Baylor’s final score of the game. They thought they had iced it. Oklahoma went on a 14 play drive to score a touchdown following this tweet.

• Eli talks about what Saturday was and how they can use it as a building block. I admit, three first half interceptions and a defense that can’t stop the run only losing by three is quite the accomplishment.
• ESPN Plus had a rough Saturday huh? I am sorry for all those forced to watch on TV. I however find this post very funny.

• You keeping up with college hoops? Worried that you didn’t pay enough attention so you might know exactly who is on the team and what is going on? Don’t worry, even someone like me who gets paid to know everything about this team will have the same problem. Look at this tweet for Eli.

• Sooner and Cowboys will have to wait for their kicktime. If they get bumped to ESPN+, I think they could be another 2pm game. If they get put on a traditional signal? My best guess is 11am.

• Joe Mixon had himself quite the Sunday. A lot of Sooner’s did. John Hoover recaps the alumni batter here.
• As expected, 2023 standout Colton Vasek flipped to Texas on Tuesday. It hurts, but it also appears Miguel Chavis is working quickly to find a replacement.

Anything Else Going On?

• LSU did some big boy things this weekend. What a fun call by Brian Kelley, huh? Hopefully you were sports mourning too much to watch this great ending. Nick Saban almost looks like he wants to speak to a manager.

• Dan Patrick reporting here that San Diego State is headed to the Pac 12. I know this does not change Oklahoma’s future plans but I do find realignment interesting. I would say, the little story here is that “Power 5” is growing in number. Four teams in the Big 12 (with Gonzaga looming) and 1 more in the Pac 12 making the jump up.. it’s not a reshuffle of teams. It is indeed, dare I say... becoming more inclusive?

Talk to you Friday, knuckleheads.