Things For Texas Just Got Worse

[CK Sooner]

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=20081006_298_Univ100716

By Staff Reports
10/6/2008 6:08 PM

University of Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops said key players who suffered recent injuries have been cleared by trainers to play Saturday against Texas.
Center Jon Cooper (knee) and defensive tackle Gerald McCoy (toe) were injured against Baylor on Saturday. Defensive tackle DeMarcus Granger suffered a knee injury against Washington and hasn't played since.

Stoops said all have been cleared to play in the top-ranked Sooners' game against fifth-ranked Texas at 11 a.m. Saturday in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. He made the announcement after practice tonight.

[Widescreen]

Good news. I hope Granger has been keeping up on his conditioning.

[CK Sooner]

Good news. I hope Granger has been keeping up on his conditioning.

Me too.

Hopefully Stoops had him on a bike 24/7

[Flagstaffsooner]

Oh the humanity. texass is gonna get killed.

[Widescreen]

I'd be surprised if Granger plays a ton. Being pounded on by 300lb lineman can't be good for a foot tendon. Of course I was also predicting he wouldn't play again this year so my guessing ability ain't that great. :)

[adoniijahsooner]

What about Alexander?

[goingoneight]

I'm not so sold on some blowout victory like every keeps predicting. I also said despite the crowd's prediction that Texass was going to be just fine this year and likely top 5 coming into the game. Seriously... people thinking FAU had a chance? I might give you Colorado had a small chance, but come on.

These two teams look good at QB with "nice" receivers around them and still untested in a true knock-down, drag-out, which much like last year, is exactly how I predict this year's RRS pans out. Last time we all assumed we'd be fine with a few bumps and bruises in a big game, we got slaughtered by WVU. If I had a gun to my head, I'd pick OU... honestly, but I'm not going to bet the farm a vastly improved Texass team just lays down. Colt McCoy appears to be playing even better than Bradford right now.

Does Murray come out of whatever kind of sophomore slump he's in? Chris Brown's been good, but not anything you'd say is better than DM so far, KO returns are mediocre, coverage is a cardiac arrest waiting to happen in a big game, OUr field goal kicker may be 100%, but that's only because he's hit 1/1 on the year. He's also missed a few PATs, and you never know when that will bite you in the ***. These two teams look very evenly matched in a lot of ways, I just don't see us overly dominant... yet.

Now if we come out and jump on them like we have every game so far this year offensively, I like OUr chances for said dominant victory. However, do we know how this team would respond to, say a two TD deficit in the 4th? Not any more than we know how well Texass would respond to said situation.

OU OL vs UT DL = in terms of sheer talent and depth, OU has the edge... but the line hasn't laid their yearly turd yet... have we broken that trend?

In the RRS, you never really know.

OU DBs vs UT WRs = once again... seems like OU's favored here, but I can see a typical breakdown happening, and Colt McCoy is more than good enough to pick up on it.

UT LB vs OU TEs and RBs = Will certainly be interesting to watch. If CB and DM both get in the century club like they did against UC, we'll tear UT apart. OTOH, what if UT stonewalls them? Given recent performance, either could happen. You have to call this a push... with Gresham being the guy who really makes me more confident in this matchup.

OU DL vs UT OL = Spread offenses have a way with making great D-Lines into nothing more than four beat bodies with the quick flick of a wrist. We proved last year we could get to Colt McCoy and make some tackles for loss, but no one was coming off injury last year, either... well, Texas was... so that could turn the tables.

OU WRs vs UT DBs... I'll admit, this looks hard for any secondary to keep up with, but they've done it before... 2006 comes to mind. Give OU the big edge here, so long as the ball gets there. Slingin' Sammy says "count on it."

Chances of a solid offensive performance overall is pretty high for OU, possible for UT. But again, you can out-gain someone and lose to them if you put the ball on the turf. See: RRS 2006. We've been good so far, but again... every team has a turnover-laced performance every now and then. All it takes is one sometimes... there was only one last year and it had a lot to do with us winning in regulation IMO.

Looks good for OU on paper, but so did Boise State, Colorado, Iowa State and WVU. We'll just see if this team continues to play with the bur under their saddle they appear to have played with thus far.

[CK Sooner]

What about Alexander?

No word yet.

But I will let you guys in on a little secret, if Alexander doesnt play Rj's redshirt will be pulled.

[CaliBornSoonerBred]

Granger for 50% of the game will be a huge game changer. If he's in for obvious running plays, he will be a huge difference maker. He anchors and fills gaps better than any one and opens up plays for the ends and the blitzing secondary. Having him back changes everything with the texass run game, including mccoy.

[Collier11]

No word yet.

But I will let you guys in on a little secret, if Alexander doesnt play Rj's redshirt will be pulled.

Im guessing that he has been tearing it up in practice?

[adoniijahsooner]

No word yet.

But I will let you guys in on a little secret, if Alexander doesnt play Rj's redshirt will be pulled.

Is this inside information, or a wild guess?

[CK Sooner]

Im guessing that he has been tearing it up in practice?

Yessir

[JLEW1818]

I think Stoops will take it quarter by quarter before he pulls the redshirt from Washington ?

[Collier11]

Yessir

ive been hoping he could play this year

[JLEW1818]

hopefully we don't need him, right?

[CK Sooner]

hopefully we don't need him, right?

Shouldn't, but if we are losing by a little it might be worth it.

[Collier11]

hopefully we don't need him, right?

If he is one of the best 3 or 4 DE's we have, why wouldnt you want him on the field? We still have up to 8 games this year

[JLEW1818]

If we are still kicking *** without him?

[CK Sooner]

If we are still kicking *** without him?

If we are beating them he won't be in, unless they decide to start him.

I think Alexander will play though.

[AlbqSooner]

With Colt McCoy being the leading rusher for the whorns I look for Reynolds to take his head off a time or two. In the past, that has been enough to greatly lessen the effectiveness of Colt.

[CK Sooner]

Is this inside information, or a wild guess?

Inside

[StoopTroup]

I'd be surprised if Granger plays a ton. Being pounded on by 300lb lineman can't be good for a foot tendon. Of course I was also predicting he wouldn't play again this year so my guessing ability ain't that great. :)

He just needs to make sure those phat a$$ bevo linemen of theirs don't roll over on him like a beached whale and he'll be OK. :D

[StoopTroup]

With Colt McCoy being the leading rusher for the whorns I look for Reynolds to take his head off a time or two. In the past, that has been enough to greatly lessen the effectiveness of Colt.

Mack has Colt all ready to go. :D

A friend of mine snuck a camera into one of their practices.

http://www.firlestud.com/3shetlandponies/sirgalahad.jpg

[OUthunder]

Me too.

Hopefully Stoops had him on a bike 24/7

With a Ho-Ho in hand.

[KantoSooner]

He's always looked more like a 'Little Debby's' kind of man to me....

[JLEW1818]

hahahaha

[TMcGee86]

I was actually hoping we would pull RJ's redshirt for this game. I kept thinking we would see him in games, then I got the feeling maybe we are saving him for Texas, which would be freaking sweet. Give them no tape to watch and no time to prepare for him.

I also wouldn't mind if we went crazy and pulled Calhoun's redshirt. I haven't heard anything about him in practice but since DM seems to be lacking the burst he had last year, if Calhoun is really as good as he was touted coming in, OU/TX would be a pretty sweet coming out party.

[sooner518]

I also wouldn't mind if we went crazy and pulled Calhoun's redshirt. I haven't heard anything about him in practice but since DM seems to be lacking the burst he had last year, if Calhoun is really as good as he was touted coming in, OU/TX would be a pretty sweet coming out party.

Seems pretty unlikely to me to burn both JJohnson and Calhoun's redshirts this year. But what do I know?

[ousooners182]

Yeah RJ would be great..but as far as calhoun...eehh id rather save the redshirt..i mean yeah were missing a "burst" at the rb position..but calhoun doesn't necessarily have a burst..i mean hes got great speed for his size and strength..but i think most ppl would say madu has more of a "burst"..and with highly underrated cb..and demarco and madu..i cant see it happening..

but hell
if he gives us a better chance to win the game. Then put him in!

[TMcGee86]

Yeah, I highly doubt it as well. I just think it would be sweet to bust out a secret weapon.

I'm actually still hoping that DM was just holding back for this game.

[ousooners182]

Yeah I know me to..praying for something like that 65 yarder last year