red/white game

[CatfishSooner]

What would y'all like to see out of the Sooners at the spring game?




I want to see Bradford throw some bombs to Gresham!

[KantoSooner]

some semblance of run blocking

[goingoneight]

Quentin Chaney follows up his Fiesta Bowl performance with signs he'll continue to be a big-play receiver.

[bringit]

a D that doesn't give up 40+ points and 300+ rushing

[CatfishSooner]

well I didn't get to go...so how was it????

[VA Sooner]

Good weather. Slow start by offense... a few miscues and interceptions. Dominique Franks looked exceptional. Bradford wiped off the rust and threw a good pass in the second half. Nichols didn't quite get his groove yet... Landry got a couple of series and just needs more time behind a good line. Justin Johnson is getting his feet wet... strong runner. Madu is looking good. Linebackers are an issue... Keenan is in the right place. Stevens is definitely the starting kicker, field goaler, extra point guy.

Overall, defense had a great first half, offense started revving up in the second half. I showed up with concern at the cornerbacks position but we've got two great ones now... Franks and Jackson. Will need more work at linebacker... Procter had a few good tackles. Matt Clapp is a machine. Need more work at receivers... Iglesias looked very good but covered too well by Franks. Beal looked fast off the line and got to the QBs quite a bit.

Heading back to Virginia in a good mood.

[badger]

Ah, a first time poster! Welcome to SF.com

Anyways, it was a great game for the defense. They all had their turns at int's it seemed (and a few others were so close to being INT'd that it was almost sad to see them dropped, even it meant bad news for the offense). As such, we're all left to wonder if the offense is bad, or the defense is bad (as in "good" bad, bad@$$ bad) ;)

[oupride]

Thanks for the post VASooner and welcome!

[Tulsa_Fireman]

Nichols didn't quite get his groove yet...

This is just a matter of time.

Watched the 2nd scrimmage and took a good, long look at Keith Nichol. His mechanics are tight. His release is smokin' quick. He keeps the ball high and his eyes downfield, but doesn't hesitate to use his mobility to make things happen both in resetting passing lanes and kickin' it outside. His arm is strong, and he has good feel for the high percentage stuff, making good decisions on velocity for the touch passes, but knowing when to put it on a rope. Quality footwork, great drive and pivot. Josh has to be emphasizing footwork with these guys, because everyone on the roster has a fantastic base with the exception of Landry Jones. He's all arm and loose as a goose in his delivery and checkdown.

In other words, this kid has the ingredients to be a damn good quarterback.

What mistakes I saw him make (which wasn't the Red/White game, you guys can hopefully fill in some blanks for me) were a combination of Favre-esque forcing balls and still a tinge of unfamiliarity with the system. Moreso the former, but I think he's still a lil' eager to go to the wheels after the second check, a problem a certain Heisman trophy winner had before they shattered his legs. But that's an advantage this kid brings. He's got a set of wheels. Patience will come with time.

As amazing as Sam was last year, I'm excited about Keith Nichol. God bless him and his contribution, but how Joey Halzle is gettin' reps above this kid I haven't figured out, unless it's the film room and age that's giving him an edge. If he can find some patience and lose the penchant for trying to thread needles in coverage (which he has the release and velocity to actually do on occasion), this young man will be flat out dangerous.

Even bordering on deadly.

[VA Sooner]

And now for my second post... and thanks for the warm welcome.

My brother and I flew into Oklahoma City to pick up my dad. My brother and I are graduates from OU and my father teaches there. We as a family had a tough year as Dad was diagnosed with liver cancer a year ago but I'm happy to say that he is doing very well.

Well... what could be a better thing than to start new traditions as we made our first pilgrimage to the Red and White game. It was Dad's first time to see the Sooners play in person and it was a heck of a lot more exciting when you have such a huge crowd of people all in their crimson and cream. Needless to say, Dad wants to go back on an annual basis and I can't think of a better way to celebrate life. Makes the trip back to OK all that much better.

Anyway... Nichols is indeed a great QB. He's fast on his fast and he'll be a great dual-threater. (I live in Richmond and am surrounding by Tech fans... all very friendly but a lot of ribbing after the last 2 Fiesta Bowls... then again... our QBs aren't killing dogs). I think Nichols would have a great shot at backup QB and eventually a starter if it weren't for Hazle's performance at the Texas Tech game last year. (That was a heart-breaker for me to see Sam sitting on the sidelines and our national title hopes go down the tubes).

Anyway... defense was sharp (and I'm not sure how much knowing the playbook a bit helps them but it did seem like the corners were in the right place a lot). Gresham will be a valuable tool... I was busy watching new receivers and didn't notice his delayed post and later running towards the goal with ball in hand. Just need some targets for the QBs and for the junior college LBs to get their feel for the speed of OU football.

I'm looking forward to the upcoming year... only Georgia looks like a contender to us (on paper).

[sooner59]

A lot of people are skeptical of the offense after the red/white game without Kelly, but I don't think there is much to worry about. Since I was more confident in our offense, I mainly watched the defense most of the game. They just have a different personality. I think there is more speed. I also think that Jackson is definitely going to be a force, and Franks is probably going to be the star of the secondary....unless Holmes reads this and decides to take action. Beal and Alexander were all over the place. I see them getting a lot of playing time. Procter played well. Travis Lewis seemed to be around the ball alot. The defensive line made our fully intact o-line look like a bunch of freshmen. That being said, I think our offense is fine. I think they will be one of the top offenses in the nation this season. I just think that our defense will be that much better. I hope that is the reason that our defense was that much better, anyway. Thats just what I thought anyway.