Defensive line

[Tear Down This Wall]

Adrian Taylor and Frank Alexander are nowhere close to being able to play. It was awful to see both limping around out there Saturday night.

Would it be that much worse if we took the redshirts off some of the freshman linemen and put them in the remainder of the games? Even if just to split time with Taylor and Alexander?

[ThinMan]

Don't know that there is a freshman lineman that we have a redshirt left on. The major studs we've recruited are still in high school, and Daniel Noble is already in the rotation.

Our problem is definitely the tackle spot where we have an injured Senior, three sophomores, and a freshman in the rotation. We are as young as we can get right now and that's probably part of the problem.

[OU_Sooners75]

I want to know what happened to all these studs we recruited. McFarland, McGee, Alexander, Chaisson (not even on the roster), King.

Not to mention a couple MLBs Austin Box still disappoints. Wort, Ill forgive because he is a freshman, even though he should know what he is doing by now.

[OU Engineer]

Chaisson went back to Las Vegas I think...

And yea this was a glaring hole in our defense that somehow needs to be shored up before Kendall Hunter or Taylor Martinez get a crack at them...

[NormanPride]

Chaisson had mental problems I think.
Noble was hurt.
McGee is a converted DE and still getting bigger.
King is good but not great.
Alexander was hurt.
Taylor was hurt.
RJ is a bust IMO.
McFarland is good but not great.
Walker is hurt.
Ronnell is hurt.
Grissom (True Frosh that is redshirting) is hurt.
Peterson (true frosh that is redshirting) is obviously not ready or they would have played him.

Beal was fine and played well for what it's worth.

[goingoneight]

On fire in one game, completely nonexistent in the next. It's inconsistency where we can least afford it. If the 11th rushing offense in the BIG 12 can gash us like that, we're in trouble.
Missouri did an excellent job exposing us Saturday as much as it pains to say it. They're nobody's National Champion, but they had the recipe for success there. Stop us from jumping out to OUr big early leads and make us beat you with Xs, Os and STs in the fourth quarter. We clearly cannot do that still.

Hats off to Mizzou. They played a great game, kept it clean and won it by just straight up beat us in every important category. They embarassed OUr defensive line, countered OUr over-pursuits and won the turnover battle.

The talk a few weeks ago was that it would be a shame if OU and Nebraska didn't meet in the BIG 12 CCG. I slightly disagree now... I think it will be a shame if we don't get OUr shat together and get a rematch outside of Columbia. I think there's a lot we could have cleaned up to have possibly won that game. I'm sure Mizzou fans feel like had they cleaned up their own act, they'd have destroyed us. Quite the turn of the tables when compared to 2007. Good luck to Mizzou from here on out. Hopefully we clean OUr act up and can win the South. I don't know if I can stomach OSU or Baylor winning it. Who would have ever thought they'd be in contention for it mid-season?

[soonerboy_odanorth]

Copying my post from the "Venables scheme" thread as it is pertinent here:

Nothing wrong with the Stoops/Venables/Rodriguez scheme.

This year it is the Johnnies and Joes, not X's and O's.

Poor Adrien just does not have any push upfield anymore. He didn't get moved around much, but my heart was breaking for him watching him hobble all around the field Saturday. And he just couldn't penetrate. If I were Venables, I would shut him down until oSu week. See if a few more weeks will let him heal enough to be more of a factor.

Jamarkus is teetering on bust (compared to "stars" ranking) in that he could go either way, IMO. He needs to decide now and in this next off-season whether he wants to be "OK", "good", or "great". With the DT class we are signing, and the way Noble has played, unless he turns it on he will be seeing lots of pine. And McGee still needs another solid year of good weight gain to be effective. After the first half I started watching that interior and both McFarland and McGee were getting blown out of their gaps. Not backwards, but side-to-side. They were routinely ending up 1 to 2 gaps down the line from where they should have been. Not having a space eater like Walker for this game really killed us.

As we are talking about the middle, one other thing is we need a thumper with some weight at MLB or SLB if we run into this team again (hoping for it in a Big XII championship).

I nominate R. Lewis. His presence was missed both on defense and, obviously given the results of the first kickoff, special teams. But as for defending that jet sweep it is simple assignment football. You tell Lewis his responsibility is that motion RB. He steps towards the line on a fake or handoff and you hit him every single time. That leaves that SLB open to draws and misdirection, but if your MLB and WLB and a NG are all sound in their gap responsibilities it isn't that much of a problem.

[cvsooner]

Chaisson also had legal problems.

[OU_Sooners75]

Chaisson also had legal problems.


He had legal problems before he came to OU. We knew about that and tried to help him out.

I thought he was here in Spring and start of fall training camp, but didnt know he was gone.

[Tear Down This Wall]

So, if Adrian can't get up field anymore, why not stick in that 320 pound kid from Irving, Damon Williams. Or, the other DT from Dallas, Eric Humphrey.

I'm not saying start the kids. I'm saying put them in there to give Taylor more rest.

At DE, I'm beginning to agree on R.J. Washington. This kid has had plenty of opportunity to show up. What is the problem?

We've got the other two DFW freshmen DEs as well, Chuka Ndulue and Jarrett Brown. Just listening to Bob Barry have to pronounce the name Chuka Ndulue would be worth it. That's something we'll miss next year.

[soonerboy_odanorth]

So, if Adrian can't get up field anymore, why not stick in that 320 pound kid from Irving, Damon Williams. Or, the other DT from Dallas, Eric Humphrey.

I'm not saying start the kids. I'm saying put them in there to give Taylor more rest.

At DE, I'm beginning to agree on R.J. Washington. This kid has had plenty of opportunity to show up. What is the problem?

We've got the other two DFW freshmen DEs as well, Chuka Ndulue and Jarrett Brown. Just listening to Bob Barry have to pronounce the name Chuka Ndulue would be worth it. That's something we'll miss next year.

If the 320 is muscle weight, sure... Guessing that's a no, though.

I hear there's a former senior OL for the Sooners that weighs about 340 that isn't doing anything. No, you cannot teach a kid to be a DT in a week. But, you can throw him in situationally and say this is your area. Park your fat butt there, no one moves you out of it. That would go a long way to helping screw up those jet sweeps. And if said kid can generat just a couple yards of penetration, s*** get good-n-blow'd up.