how many here thought this was the year?

[OU_Sooners75]

I know some that go into each season blindly saying it's the year.

But who honestly thought this was the season that OU would make a serious run for #8?

I know I was always hoping. But knew it was very unlikely.

Though I love having Stoops as the HC, I think he just doesn't have the balls to do what it takes to win anymore.


When was the last time we tried to switch momentum by kicking an unexpected onside? By faking a FG or punt by actually calling for one?

When was the last time we saw a flea flicker or trick play? Those plays players love running because they are exciting and throw the defense off.

When was the last time he was willing to admit he was wrong and knows he needs to go a different direction with his coordinators?

I am not saying Mike needs to go, this defense is playing really well. Not perfect or completely back, but playing well. We just don't have the personnel in place just yet for a 3 front defense.

Coming into this year I was excited to see our new look on defense. To see us focus on running the ball. But also knew we still had a inept offensive coordinator. One that tends to think he is playing a video game and that even things that don't work will eventually work. And things that do work will just stop working.

Our offensive play caller has no creativity. He cannot game plan at all. And he calls the same game every week.

What made coaches like Switzer great when they were coordinators?

They actually tried things that they saw on film that should work. And a lot of times they worked. They actually break down the other team. They find their tendencies and plan to exploit them.

Josh on the other hand seems to just do what he wants and defense be damn!

It's time for a huddling offense. It's time to develop QBs that can actually look at a defense and audible themselves without lookin to the sidelines.

Josh needs to figure out that he is suppose to know what he is doing or to move on.

OU will not win another national championship with the current offensive coordinator. We have the talent. We just don't have the right coaches.

[kevpks]

I think OU made coaching changes one or two years too late. It will take another year or two to build up acceptable depth. Our best LBs and defensive linemen are seniors or freshmen. I would have been happy with 5-1 at this point in the year before the season. Texas is not the team I thought would beat us. I would have tough WVU, ND, or TCU were much more likely. Oh well. Beat KU! Bowl eligibility! I can taste that Buffalo Wild Wings trophy now!

I don't get the trick play thing either. Some of our best teams used them from 2000-2003.

[Widescreen]

No. I didn't think this was the year. I did entertain thoughts that our 2000 team struggled early (e.g. KU) but ended up getting on a roll that I didn't expect. But I think the talent deficit is too great at certain positions for us to compete at the highest levels.

[BlownGP]

Before game 1. I didn't know what to expect and my expectations were low. A lot of new starters on the team.

After the Monroe game. Well we look good. Defense and Offense.
Then after the WV game. We wont win in the big 12 scoring on 16 points. Not good

Then Bell comes in vs Tulsa and I was like we got this. Going to be a good year. Baylor, TCU, TT and maybe OSU are going to be tough games but the defense looks good.

Now after the Texas game. I think we just weren't prepared, I thought this team was different than OUs past. Where there expected to win big and they blow it, guess now.

Im not blaming everything on Bell but that pick 6 was HUGE. We don't have to offense (at least passing offense) to score points at will like last year. We got to play with a lead or make it a close game. I that INT really hurt bell and it went straight to his head.

Our defense did all that could do really, having no Nelson or Phillips hurt. When you cant get to the QB, the secondary is vulnerable and it showed. Of course they also were on the field a lot. They looked better in the 2nd half but it was too late.


I guess I didn't answer your question. I think every year is OU's year, but I would rather have Bell or whoever have a winning season and maybe a bowl game before going to a championship game and getting embarrassed.

[picasso]

Unless you're a Johnny Come Lately you know this team isn't where it needs to be to make a run.
That's what cracks me up when people call the local sports radio and rag on OU fans living in a bubble.
Really? I've lived to see 4 OU national titles. I have a fairly good and realistic view of a special type of team.

[fadada1]

i love where our defense is going - seriously. there is a completely different vibe and energy coming from that side of the ball. we're just a couple puzzle pieces away from having everything we need, and i think mike is willing to go get who/what we need.

offense is a bit more of a concern. we need a dominating force at TE. running game is there; passing game sucks.

[SoonerorLater]

I really didn't expect much out of this team going into the season. I think on one of the threads I picked them for a 7-5 year. I might have been a little pessimistic that day but 8-4 would have been about right. Seeing the defensive improvement early on I was encouraged but with the losses to injury we are now heading downhill. Texas just pushed us around yesterday. I don't know if the rest of the teams on our schedule have the personnel to to exploit our lack of physicality up front but when I see an ISU team man up with Texas better than us I am concerned.

We don't have an offense to make up deficits and we are evolving into a KSU type offense. I am not encouraged by what I am seeing.

[cherokeebrewer]

I don't think many of us thought this was the year. The ND game raised hope but that was all it did. This team had some traits, early on, similar to 2000 but that came crashing down yesterday and here we are back on Earth...

[olevetonahill]

Well I aint predictin an Undefeated season Any longer.

[tooslow]

And this is why I stayed away from the thread that asked to rank the top 10. Almost everyone had OU in their top 10. In the past, I got bombarded with hate mail from the sunshine pumpers when I dared to point out the fallacies on our undefeated Sooners. Well, they were undefeated at the time. ;) For this years team, I feel the defense is a little better than last years, but the offense is taken a much further step back. I think we could be a top 25 team before the year ends, but I wouldn't put us near the top 10. We honestly still haven't played any truly great teams this year. Notre Dame isn't all that and the texas O line consistently pushed our D line back off the ball. Enough so that they kept doing it all day since we couldn't stop it.

[Therealsouthsider]

....I only thought this was a year that a game like yesterday wouldn't happen. I thought the coaches had some things figured out. Once again OU has some nice pieces but not a complete team. You would think after 14 years a stable system or philosophy would be in place....the only one I see is flux

ss

[soonercastor]

4th and 1 playcall against OSU.

That was brilliant.

[Soonerus]

I knew this was not "the year"...

[BoulderSooner79]

I didn't get the impression that anyone that posts here thought that it would be "the year". That's why I was amazed with all the whining about such-in-such 1 loss SEC team being ranked ahead of us. Geez, we were breaking the top 10 with relatively mediocre performances. It's like no one was really watching the games - just drooling over the record.

[rock on sooner]

Unless you're a Johnny Come Lately you know this team isn't where it needs to be to make a run.
That's what cracks me up when people call the local sports radio and rag on OU fans living in a bubble.
Really? I've lived to see 4 OU national titles. I have a fairly good and realistic view of a special type of team.

I've been around for all seven national titles...vividly remember the
last six (I was only 5 in 1950) so, along with Picasso, I've got a fairly
realistic view of what type of team it takes...those in '56-'57 and the
teams of the mid 70's KNEW they were good/great and they knew
their opponents did, too. '85 and 2000 started out only good and
then got damn good. This current squad doesn't have the personality
of any of those squads, in part because of their coaches. Bud's teams
were self effacing (like Bud) then got on the field and cleaned everyone's
clocks. Switzer's teams of the 70's had brash, trash talking swagger....
telling defenses that we're coming your way and you can't stop us...'85
got there, too. 2000 just developed a mystery and carried it all the way
to FSU's thumping.

There is no one on this current squad coming close to that...M. Stoops'
defense is a year away and, IMHO, until the offense can become efficient
AND unpredictable, nothing will happen....

I thought early on that wins against ND and a thumping of UT could
bring the necessary confidence, but, I believe the team listened to all the
so called experts about how hurting UT would be and figured that this
year would be like the last two and played that way long enough to get
the Whorns' confidence up to the point they thought they could win....
and did.

[SoonerObsession]

I was surprised we did not have one new wrinkle on offense. We always have something new for Texas, but not this year. Unless you count deserting the option read after using it the whole year. I don't think it would have mattered. Texas was just better yesterday. Case McCoy threw the ball with great accuracy and Bell did not. Their receivers got open and ours didn't.

[BoomerSooner123]

I always think it is the year until it is not. I still somewhere think it. Can't help it. My motor may be out of gas but I'm still pushing the pedal.

[engineer24]

I never thought this was the year, because our QB play hasnt been good enough to sniff a title or much less a Big 12 championship.

However, I thought our defense would be elite and it turns out that it is not. They got absolutely dominated by Texas yesterday. Texas played conservative, they coulda put up another 20 points if they wanted.

I'd rate our defense as a B- (thought it was an A earlier in the season) and our offense as a D+ at best.

[NorthernIowaSooner]

I didn't think it was "the" year. A lot of question marks to begin the season on both sides of the ball. After the first few games I did think it would be a good year, with a possible Big XII championship.

This season could be very disappointing. It's clearly a development year at this point. I don't think we'll be playing for much significant hardware but it's still early. Baylor could lose a game or two. I don't see Texas beating Baylor and maybe lose another conference game.

The Big XII is bad all around so it could be a surprising season still. I'll say my glass is still half full but losing to Texas like that wasn't acceptable.

[bluedogok]

I never think any year is "the year", there are just too many things that just have to fall perfectly in place to win it even for an Alabama, they don't win it every year. There are way too many factors in play, injuries, calls, turnovers going your way and as we all well know teams losing at the right time.

[okiewaker]

Thought we'd be down this year but lookout next year. As season progressed,,, thought "whoa,,.this team might be the one". Then yesterday happened. (:

[bluedogok]

I guess my approach is more of a management of expectations but I also don't get as wound up as I used to many years ago. I guess the 90's desensitized me.

[aurorasooner]

I guess my approach is more of a management of expectations but I also don't get as wound up as I used to many years ago. I guess the 90's desensitized me. I hear you. 25 years ago, I would've been pizzed for a week when the Sooners came out and got skull-F$*&ed by the whorns like we did yesterday. Now, I'm just, oh well, another unexplainable embarrassment on TV. It's better than the Blake/Smellyberger/Gibbs years, but not even close to where I figured the program would be after our success in the early and middle part of the 1st decade of the millennium.
Oh well, no matter how this season turns out, the gravy-train will get another annual automatic minimum 50-100 grand raise at the end of the year for beating Notre Dame.

[BoulderSooner79]

There are still years I get hyped because I know the team has potential to be in the conversation if critical injuries don't take them out. '03 and '08 were years I couldn't wait to start knowing what we had returning. Also '11 to a slightly lesser degree, but that team was legit top5 before Whaley and Broyles went down. But certainly not this year.

[Since71ASooner4Life]

No. I didn't think this was the year. I did entertain thoughts that our 2000 team struggled early (e.g. KU) but ended up getting on a roll that I didn't expect. But I think the talent deficit is too great at certain positions for us to compete at the highest levels.


We used to have "elite" recruiting classes, but that hasn't been the case for a number of years. It's not the only determinant, but over time the averages do mean something

[8timechamps]

Preseason: I expected 2-3 losses this year. Expected Texas would probably be one of those.

After TCU: I expected 1 maybe 2 losses. Did NOT expect Texas to be one of them.

Now: I still expect 1 maybe 2 losses.

While it really sucked to lose to Texas, I still expect a better year than I first thought. Just didn't see the Longhorns coming. Oh well, we'll get 'em next year.

[Since71ASooner4Life]

i love where our defense is going - seriously. there is a completely different vibe and energy coming from that side of the ball. we're just a couple puzzle pieces away from having everything we need, and i think mike is willing to go get who/what we need.

offense is a bit more of a concern. we need a dominating force at TE. running game is there; passing game sucks.

my same thoughts on the defense. A ways to go yet, but I can feel the swagger creeping back into the picture

[Since71ASooner4Life]

Texas was just better yesterday. Case McCoy threw the ball with great accuracy and Bell did not. Their receivers got open and ours didn't.

McCoy missed a few wide open passes early, but after a bit of a shaky start he and receivers did exactly as you said. It happens and you have to give credit where due

[Curly Bill]

I never thought this was "the year," but I never expected to lose to a p*ss-poor Texas team in embarrassing fashion either.