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View Full Version : Starter leaving, their possible replacements, 2006



Tear Down This Wall
1/6/2006, 11:16 AM
Tailback - Kejuan Jones and Donta Hickson gone; Jacob Gutierrez and Allen Patrick step in to back-up AD. Jones has a great career, Hickson was decent coming in during blowouts. Patrick showed great speed and wiggle in 2005 when he played, and Gutierrez proved to be QII. We're as good or better here in 2006.

Fullback - J.D. Runnells gone; Dane Zaslaw or Matt Clapp take over. Maybe some fall off here. Depends on the pass game really. AD ran fine without Runnells in the game in 2004.

Tight end - Bubba Moses and Willie Roberts gone; Joe Jon Finley and Aaron Cummings step up. Moses was rarely a factor in the pass game and Roberts...why was he on scholarship again? I think this position gets better in 2006

Offensive line - Davin Joseph, Kelvin Chaisson, Chris Bush, and Chris Chester gone; George Robinson, Branndon Braxton, Sherrone Moore, Jon Cooper, and J.D. Quinn move in. Call me less than impressed with the OL in 2005. Bush and Chester were really never better than back-ups forced to start. Senior Chaisson was the biggest disappointment. The young crew can't do worse than the 2005 crew did. I think four of the five coming up had enough of a taste of playing in 2005 to make their spring and fall practices produce a tight line in 2006.

Defensive Tackle - Dusty Dvoracek and Remi Ayodele gone; DeMarcus Granger, Cory Bennett, and Brian Simmons in. Dvoracek will be tough to replace, Remi not so much. If DeMarcus Granger is as advertised, we do well here in 2006. Surely Bennet and Simmons can give us as much as Ayodele did (or didn't).

Linebacker - Clint Ingram gone; Ryan Reynolds or Demarrio Pleasant in. Pleasant looked geat when he filed in against UCLA. He led the team with 10 tackles that day, including two for losses and a sack. He and Reynolds will put up a good fight in the spring and fall. Either way, we'll be as good here in 2006 and in 2005. Curtis Lofton in the mix, perhaps? Or, does he continue to back up Latimer in the middle? You can throw in that Brent Venables is the best coach on the staff. He always has his guys ready to go - starters and back-ups. Thank you, Brent!

Cornerback - Chijioke Onyenegecha and Eric Bassey (and Jowahn Poteat) gone; Brian Jackson, Marcus Walker, D.J. Wolfe, and Reggie Smith in. With a healthy Walker, one corner spot is easily covered. Jackson and Smith supposedly have the ability to push Wolfe. Either way, Wolfe will be a better player having a full year at CB under his belt and having to fight to keep his job. Even if he loses out to Jackson or Smith, OU is deeper here than in 2005. I'd say the 2006 corner will be a better two-deep set than anything ever thrown together in 2005.

Overall - Hey, guys, we don't lose too much. With an average at best OL and secondary, we still managed an 8-4 record (with the referees handing one of those losses to us against a highly overrated Tech team).

We play Washington and Alabama-Birmingham at home next year, and Oregon on the road. While Washington is not a gimme, they're no 2005 UCLA either. The UAB game is one of those that will be challenging for a half or so. Oregon is the key. They couldn't beat us on neutral ground in the bowl game, and their QB Kellen Clemens is gone. Call me less than impressed with the pair of QBs they threw out in the bowl game. AD's Heisman run begins in earnest with this game.

sooneron
1/6/2006, 11:47 AM
You left out DE and Safety?
I think we're stronger at DE (no injuries, please!) We can only hope that we're stronger at safety.

Last year going in, everyone pretty much thought the barometer was going to be the ucla game. This year nothing should be taken for granted. The first game will be the barometer. We'll see how much fight and focus this team comes out with right away.
I don't care what they looked like in SD, Oregon is still pretty scary, esp, on the road.

Tear Down This Wall
1/6/2006, 11:53 AM
Agree with you about Oregon. I just think they lose some of their edge by not being able to take us down at a neutral site during a down year. I like Bomar, AD, and the young WRs against them next year.

Both of the Ducks starting corners were seniors and will be gone next year. Bomar and the WRs did pretty well against them in the bowl. Surely, they can do as well against the replacements.

NickZeppelin
1/6/2006, 11:56 AM
Offensive line - Davin Joseph, Kelvin Chaisson, Chris Bush, and Chris Chester gone; George Robinson, Branndon Braxton, Sherrone Moore, Jon Cooper, and J.D. Quinn move in. Call me less than impressed with the OL in 2005. Bush and Chester were really never better than back-ups forced to start. Senior Chaisson was the biggest disappointment. The young crew can't do worse than the 2005 crew did. I think four of the five coming up had enough of a taste of playing in 2005 to make their spring and fall practices produce a tight line in 2006.


I'm just not so sure about any of those guys right now. Our offensive like started playing better the last 2 or 3 games when Cooper got hurt. If the offensive line is down early in the year and not protecting or run blocking well then we may end up with a year much like this one.

Tear Down This Wall
1/6/2006, 12:00 PM
I don't think so, Nick. I think the early line problems for us this year can be traced to a couple of guys leaving in August who were supposed to either start or provide depth - Millington and the kid from NEO. They hadn't played before.

These guys coming back have been through the workouts, haven't quit, and have been on the field (except Sherrone Moore). Either way. I doubt any of them flip out the week before Game One the way the two flakes did last year.

NickZeppelin
1/6/2006, 12:03 PM
You never know about that. I doubt anyone though Akim was leaving a week before the game going into fall practice.

Still I'm scared about the 2 positions last year that were our weaknesses. Offensive line and defensive back. We lose veterans in both spots and were considered unexperienced at both spots this year yet we have less experience there next year.

MI Sooner
1/6/2006, 12:06 PM
Demarrio Pleasant didn't impress me this year. He tackled as well as Everage, which is even more problematic because Pleasant is an LB.

I agree the OL was disappointing in '05, but why are the backups from this year better than the disappointing starters from this year? Were they backups in '05 due to injury? Is continuity important enough to trump talent, meaning a unit that plays together in spring and fall might be better than a talented group cobbled together?

Who is coming in at safety? This seemed to be a weak point in 2005, and Smith is moving (which may be good).

I think we'll miss Runnells a lot in our I-formation sets, but our QB/WR spots should be much better. I assume Johnson and Igesias weren't getting many first team reps last year, so they may come on strong. Are there any (potential) studs waiting in the wings who were buried on the 2-deep last year?

Tear Down This Wall
1/6/2006, 12:15 PM
On the OL, we had seniors who had been here four or five years and couldn't block well. Consider, Akin Millington was going into the season starting over Chris Messner before he flipped out. All I'm saying is that the 2005 OL didn't set the bar very high and AD still ran for 1,000+ and we still went 8-4.

The kids and back-ups of 2005, I'm betting, will be hungrier than the seniors who stood around for three or four years watching other people play and win titles. Basically, I think the kids that played this year will have a better work ethic than the departing seniors who couldn't seen to block when the year began.

NickZeppelin
1/6/2006, 12:18 PM
The kids and back-ups of 2005, I'm betting, will be hungrier than the seniors who stood around for three or four years watching other people play and win titles. Basically, I think the kids that played this year will have a better work ethic than the departing seniors who couldn't seen to block when the year began.

How can you tell? How do you know if those guys just aren't good enough? There's a reason they weren't starting all of this year. We'll see if they are better next year. I hope they are but it's impossible to say if they are hungrier or not.

achiro
1/6/2006, 12:21 PM
Joe Jon Finley and Aaron Cummings step up.

I was very disappointed in Joe Jons hands this year overall. He did have some good plays but seemed like he had at least as many or more dropped passes(many at key times).

Just to be clear, I am a huge fan of a tight end that can block but more so can catch. It just seems to make a HUGE difference in an offense if they have that TE threat across the middle.

Tear Down This Wall
1/6/2006, 12:23 PM
Nick,

All I'm saying is it won't be difficult for them to be an improvement over what we had in 2005. The 2005 seniors, for whatever reason, didn't play like they had the fire in their bellies. I think guys like J.D. Quinn and Jon Cooper showed more than Messner, Bush, Chaisson, and Rayl.

jkm, the stolen pifwafwi
1/6/2006, 12:23 PM
QB = + hopefully
RB = - unless gundy miraculously teaches someone to pass block (doubt gute will be back)
WR = +
TE = - unless joe jon learns to block
OT = - there are a ton of factors that could change this, too numerous to call
OG/OC = ~ about the same

DE = + wilson was our asst of the year last year. incredible production in a bad situation
DT = ~ can someone step up to replace dusty?
LB = + if we revert to read and react / - if we continue with the attacking DL
CB = ~ hopefully better
S = + i'm going to go out on a limb and say these guy have it click in the spring

Tear Down This Wall
1/6/2006, 12:25 PM
Is there some sort of rumor about Gutierrez leaving?

jkm, the stolen pifwafwi
1/6/2006, 12:29 PM
Is there some sort of rumor about Gutierrez leaving?

its more based on his projected timeframe of recovery from his ACL. the rule for our torn ACLs has tended to be around 11 months to return to decent enough form to play...

FirstandGoal
1/6/2006, 12:31 PM
Is there some sort of rumor about Gutierrez leaving?


I think it has to do with his injury

mrowl
1/6/2006, 12:33 PM
We are stacked at WR, and maybe with some spring practice, Thompson will get better.

Mac94
1/6/2006, 12:34 PM
Who backs up Bomar? Rhett's a tough kid and can take a hit, but as seen in the A&M game when he got his leg hurt, one play can send a kid out.

mrowl
1/6/2006, 12:37 PM
Who backs up Bomar? Rhett's a tough kid and can take a hit, but as seen in the A&M game when he got his leg hurt, one play can send a kid out.

Juco QB Joey Halzle from Golden West CC in Cali

NormanPride
1/6/2006, 12:47 PM
Halzle will back up Bomar, and if his clippings are correct, he'll be good enough to not screw up a lot. ;)

I think our pass blocking will suffer tremendously. You can't underestimate how good KJ and JD were at slicing blitzers in half... Losing Bubba will hur our I running game. maybe we'll try some of USC's stuff with the 3 WR I formations... However, if AD picks up the blocking schemes, we could be pretty deadly with the formations we use. That would mean AD is not automatically a running down...

As for the defense, the more I read from Venables, the more I think we're going back to a nickle-based scheme next year. Especially after the Oregon game, he sounded like he wanted the corners out there to cover passing downs, but Chet was so good he felt secure in leaving the extra LB out there. Unless Pleasant or Reynolds step it up tremendously, that won't be the case. Maybe we return to our intercepting ways next year? That would help a lot with the young offense...

soonerlaw
1/6/2006, 12:49 PM
Does anyone know Birdine's status for next year?

jkm, the stolen pifwafwi
1/6/2006, 12:52 PM
if you take one thing from the oregon game, take this - we are tough to beat when we consistently win the field position battle. to that end, we need the following things to make up for a young OL next year...

turnovers
freeby to continue his excellent punting by getting more consistent
continue the excellent coverage on STs
find a punt returner who can average 10+ a return

NormanPride
1/6/2006, 12:54 PM
find a punt returner who can average 10+ a return

This is one reason why we really want Murray to commit tomorrow noon.

Also, Birdine will play next year. He played in the Holiday Bowl, though he said he felt rusty (not surprising).

Widescreen
1/6/2006, 12:55 PM
Or a defense that forces 3-and-outs every series.

OUDizzle
1/6/2006, 01:10 PM
I expect big things from Clapp, I really think he's going to step up at FB.

jkm, the stolen pifwafwi
1/6/2006, 01:22 PM
I expected a big thing from the Clap.

um, there are easier ways to um, accomplish this

NickZeppelin
1/6/2006, 02:01 PM
Who backs up Bomar? Rhett's a tough kid and can take a hit, but as seen in the A&M game when he got his leg hurt, one play can send a kid out.

Halzle and Bradford and we have 2 walk-ons.

Old Sooner
1/6/2006, 02:21 PM
Always blame the OL. A problem that wasn't caused by OL was the QB situation, lots of turnovers, waiting for receivers to develop and injuries to star RB. If Sooners could reply 2005 now, they would be 11-1.

NickZeppelin
1/6/2006, 02:25 PM
If the Sooners could replay every year we'ld never lose a game.

NormanPride
1/6/2006, 02:30 PM
Kind of missing the point there, Nick.

Stoop Dawg
1/6/2006, 02:34 PM
Always blame the OL. A problem that wasn't caused by OL was the QB situation, lots of turnovers, waiting for receivers to develop and injuries to star RB. If Sooners could reply 2005 now, they would be 11-1.

I don't know enough to say if the OL was a problem or not. But you are 100% correct that those other things were certainly problems that seem to have been worked out. I'm excited about next year!

Stoop Dawg
1/6/2006, 02:36 PM
if you take one thing from the oregon game, take this - we are tough to beat when we consistently win the field position battle.

What version of PS did that come from? ;)


find a punt returner who can average 10+ a return

I noticed that we didn't even attempt to field many of the punts against Oregon. Was it a case of "it's better to let it bounce than chance a turn over"? I can understand that, but it sure would be nice to have a reliable punt returner.

jkm, the stolen pifwafwi
1/6/2006, 02:42 PM
What version of PS did that come from? ;)

actually, i got it off of slashdot.

NormanPride
1/6/2006, 03:03 PM
I, for one, welcome our new punt-returning overlords.

NickZeppelin
1/6/2006, 03:09 PM
Reggie Smith needs to be our new punt returner.

SCOUT
1/6/2006, 03:24 PM
Isn't Jacob Rice a senior this year? I know deep snapper isn't exactly the lynch pin of a team but it can cause real headaches if they are lacking. Do we have a capable replacement for him?

CatfishSooner
1/6/2006, 03:40 PM
He really was good...I don't remember him ever havin' a bad snap...

Mjcpr
1/6/2006, 03:45 PM
Isn't Jacob Rice a senior this year? I know deep snapper isn't exactly the lynch pin of a team but it can cause real headaches if they are lacking. Do we have a capable replacement for him?
One of our commitments is supposed to be a deep snapper, I think.

Mensik maybe.

Harry Beanbag
1/6/2006, 03:55 PM
One of our commitments is supposed to be a deep snapper, I think.

Mensik maybe.


Yep.

Tear Down This Wall
1/6/2006, 03:59 PM
Agree with everyone on Freeby. I think we have a monster year next season with eight guys back on defense and a punter that can pin people deep.

NormanPride
1/6/2006, 04:05 PM
Agree with everyone on Freeby. I think we have a monster year next season with eight guys back on defense and a punter that can pin people deep.

2001, here we come... I just hope we beat the aggots this time around.

Ruuuuuufus
1/6/2006, 05:03 PM
Messner will be back next year.

TopDawg
1/6/2006, 05:08 PM
2001, here we come... I just hope we beat the aggots this time around.

I thought this year was supposed to be 2001: Part 2 :confused:

NickZeppelin
1/6/2006, 05:11 PM
Freeby really showed he can pin it the last few games. The Ferg brothers were better at it still because you could almost gaurentee it inside the 20 when we had to punt from mid field. But Freeby really punted well in the Holiday. I think he had 5 punts and 4 inside the 20 or something like that.

jkm, the stolen pifwafwi
1/6/2006, 05:14 PM
I thought this year was supposed to be 2001: Part 2 :confused:

more like 1999...

TopDawg
1/6/2006, 05:16 PM
Hmmm, yeah. Especially the last half of this year and the first part of that year.

NickZeppelin
1/6/2006, 05:19 PM
In 99 we led every team and were in just about every game for the most part. Except maybe the Colorado game. This year we never led Texas and were blown out against Texas and UCLA.

jkm, the stolen pifwafwi
1/6/2006, 05:22 PM
In 99 we led every team and were in just about every game for the most part. Except maybe the Colorado game. This year we never led Texas and were blown out against Texas and UCLA.

dude, don't try to compare the calibre of teams we played this season with the calibre of teams we played in 99.

jkm, the stolen pifwafwi
1/6/2006, 05:24 PM
heh, it was worse than i thought it would be...

http://www.soonerstats.com/fb/seasons/schedule.cfm?SeasonID=1999

TopDawg
1/6/2006, 05:28 PM
Heh, we only played 3 teams that were more than 1 game over .500 (if you count 7-5 as being 1 game over .500...meaning that if they lost one game they would've been at .500).

The best record we faced in 99 would've been the 7th best record this year.

Stoop Dawg
1/6/2006, 05:43 PM
In 99 we led every team and were in just about every game for the most part. Except maybe the Colorado game. This year we never led Texas and were blown out against Texas and UCLA.

You and I watched different UCLA games. Unless "blown out" means "we handed the game to them on a silver platter".

http://www.soonerstats.com/fb/games/boxscore.cfm?GameID=1090

NickZeppelin
1/6/2006, 05:44 PM
We were down 41-17 to UCLA when I turned it off.

Stoop Dawg
1/6/2006, 05:46 PM
We were down 41-17 to UCLA when I turned it off.

No, we weren't.

Edit: Unless we really were watching different games!

NickZeppelin
1/6/2006, 05:46 PM
I'm pretty sure that was the score. It may have been 41-24. Either way it wasn't really close.

NormanPride
1/6/2006, 05:48 PM
Yeah, what UCLA game did you watch, man? We gave them that one.

Stoop Dawg
1/6/2006, 05:48 PM
The stats were dead even. Except, of course, we had 3 turnovers to their zero. If that fits your definition of "blown out" then that's fine. I just disagree.

rhombic21
1/6/2006, 05:58 PM
It's hard to figure out where to compare in terms of saying "will we be better next year than this year", because the team at the end of the year was a LOT different than the team that lost to TCU. For the sake of clarity, I will compare us based on how we finished the year. It should also be noted that in my estimation, we're a top 15 team (regardless of what the polls show) the day after the bowl games end.

QB - Improved moderately. Bomar really came on towards the end of the year, but most QBs plateau somewhere about this point. I look for Rhett to improve slightly over the course of the year, but not as much as he did from Tulsa to Oregon. The main thing that I think we'll see from him is better game management (fewer penalties, more freedom to audible out of bad plays, fewer sacks, fewer turnovers, etc...). I'm not expecting Bomar to go out and be All conference next year, but I do believe that he'll be a very solid leader for us.

HB = If Peterson stays healthy, this position will be better than last year, IMO. No offense to KeJuan, because he had a great career, but Allen Patrick can do a lot more in terms of running the ball out of the backfield. He's a legitimate homerun threat everytime he touches it, and I look for him to make a lot more plays on things like screen passes or flares out of the backfield once he learns the offense well enough to play on passing downs. I don't expect Gute to be able to contribute very much next season, because his entire game relies on quickness and agility, and with the ACL, he probably won't get that stuff back until '07. Count Madu or Murray in as the third back, and I think we've got a solid group here. But if Peterson gets hurt, then we're in real trouble beause after Patrick, we won't have anybody else who would have played spring ball. As far as Peterson is concerned, if he stays healthy, I think he could set a new school record for rushing, and I fully expect that barring injury, he'll be at the Heisman ceremony next December. Call that arrogant, but the kid is the best tailback that I've ever seen in person.

FB = I expect a pretty serious downgrade here, but I don't think it will hurt our offense that much. We will just adjust our gameplan to use the FB a lot less in the passing game, and will use him only when we want a lead blocker. I think that either Clapp or Zaslaw can do a capable job in that role, but I don't expect either of them to do the things as a pass receiver that JD did (Runnels had several amazing catches at critical moments last year).

Tight End = Overall I think we hold even here. Joe Jon is probably a much better threat in the passing game than Bubba was, but probably won't be as good at run blocking. However, I expect KW to offset his run blocking weakness by sneaking him out a lot more on PA, which will end up with the same effect for the run game, because the defense won't be able to commit as many guys into the box.

Wide Receiver = Moderate improvement. We lose Wilson and Rankins, but neither of those guys did anything over the final 3 or 4 games of the season. Kelly, Iglesias, and Johnson give us a pretty solid trio, and PT adds a quality guy on the four deep. X factors in this group are Quentin Cheaney and Eric Huggins. If either of those guys develop into a Dwayne Jarret type big play threat, to offset Kelly's ability as a possession receiver and Iglesias as a YAC specialist, then this group could potentially match the what we had in 2002 when Curtis Fagan and Antione Savage were Seniors, and Will Peoples was healthy.

Offensive Tackles = I expect a slight downgrade here, with a possiblity of a slight upgrade. Davin had a poor season at tackle last year, IMO, so it's not even close to replacing Brown or Sims off the 2004 team, but he was the leader of the unit and our best athlete. Replacing him will be the key. Braxton and Robinson both have some good size, but it remains to be seen if they have the technique and athletic ability to execute some of KW's schemes. Messner at the other tackle will be solid, and will probably be slightly improved with a little bit more weight, which should help his stamina.

Offensive Guard = I expect about even here. JD Quinn was playing just as well as either Chester or Chaisson at year's end, and frankly, neither of those guys were all that fantastic to begin with, so it's not like the replacement has big shoes to fill. What we lose in experience I expect to gain back in athleticism and talent.

Center = Massive improvement. Jon Cooper was a TON better than Bush was at the end of the year, especially once Bush hurt his hand. Jesse White is the wildcard for this whole thing. If White can play, and play at a high level, then it allows Cooper to play guard opposite JD. But even if White can't go, we know that Cooper can get it done at Center. And again, it's not like Bush was one of the better centers in the Stoops era.

Defensive End = Massive upgrade. Depth, depth, and more depth. I still can't believe that Ah You and Thibbideaux played as well as they did last year, basically having to play the whole year without any subs. We get Birdine, who is an NFL prospect in his own rights, back to start, and get John Williams back as a backup, giving us a solid 4 man rotation. IMO, this will be the biggest upgrade on the team, not necessarily because Birdine and Williams are better than Ah You and Thibbs, but simply because our pass rush suffered a great deal in the second half of games last year when those two guys wore down.

DT = Slightly worse. Losing Dusty hurts big time. But we get Pendleton, Coleman, and Bennet all back for another year. Even if Granger becomes the next Moe Dampeer, those three guys are very solid. If Granger turns out to be the next in a long line of Sooner DTs in the NFL, then this positon could end up being just as good as last year.

OLB = Slightly worse. Both Pleasant and Reynolds are capable replacements for Ingram, and at a lot of other schools they'd be an upgrade. But Ingram was an AMAZING athlete at OLB, and a playmaker, who we'll miss. Rufus comes back for his Senior year, and hopefully a run at the Butkus.

MLB = Moderate improvement. Either Latimer comes back for his second year starting, and is pushed by Lofton, or Lofton beats him out. Either way, unless somebody gets hurt, this position can't do anything but improve.

CB = Moderate improvement. DJ Wolfe was still improving game to game at the end of his first year at corner. After another full spring and fall at the positon, you have to figure that he's going to get better, because he has all the physical tools, it's just a matter of learning technique and scheme. The other corner will either be Walker, Brian Jackson, or Reggie Smith. If Walker is healthy, then he'll show everybody why he started over both the men he's replacing (Bassey and Chijoke) in the NC game as a true freshman. If he's not, then I still think that Smith or Jackson can replicate the solid, but not outstanding, years that we got from Bassey/Chijoke. How many picks did those guys combine for, two?

Safety = Massive improvement. Even with Reggie sliding over to CB, this position gets better. Nic Harris is an amazing talent, and once he gets comfortable enough in the system to make plays, he's going to be a superstar. Clayton also has great potential. And everybody else comes back for another season. Don't forget that both Baker and Williams were converted from other positions last spring, so this will be their second year at the positon. And Jason Carter played well enough as a backup that I think he can provide a solid push for those in front of him. He'll force those Freshmen to grow up, because Carter is good enough to start in the Big 12 right now.

Kicker = Moderate improvement. Garrett had a pretty good year, but had some inconsistencies. Don't know how much room there is for improvement though.

Punter = Moderate improvement. Really the only thing that I expect we'll see here is more consistency (similar to Garrett).

Kick Return = Slight improvement. All of the return men return, so we gain experience, but that doesn't really matter that much on KR.

Punt Return = Massive improvement. You've gotta think that Stoops is going to do whatever it takes this spring and fall to try and get Reggie Smith comfortable fielding punts. After what happened at the position last year, a year removed from Antonio Perkins, I think Stoops realizes how important it is to have somebody who can make some big plays, and I expect him to put a pretty big emphasis on getting somebody in there that can make something happen. It would be almost impossible to do any worse than we did in '05.

Overall = I think we're a solid top 10 team in terms of talent next year. The schedule is a little rough, so I don't know if our record/the polls will reflect that, but I honestly expect us to field a team that can compete with just about anybody in the nation next year. The offense will be a slight improvement from '05 (with the possibility of being a HUGE improvement if we get some people to step up on the OL). The defense, which was the second best in the conference and one of the best in America by season's end, will be a moderate improvement, mainly because of more depth at DE, and more experience in the Secondary. If we get somebody who nobody is expecting much more than solid play from (ala Jason White or Mark Clayton in 2003) to emerge as a superstar (possibilities are Bomar, Reggie Smith, and DeMarcus Granger), then we could possibly make a run at the NC game. Otherwise I expect somewhere in the neighborhood of 9 or 10 wins, depending on whether Young comes back for Texas.

rhombic21
1/6/2006, 06:01 PM
I'm pretty sure that was the score. It may have been 41-24. Either way it wasn't really close.
What in Sam Hill are you talking about?

It was a 10 point game with about 9 minutes to go in the Fourth quarter when we got robbed on Demarrio's INT (which would have given us the ball inside their 30). If that call doesn't go against us, we probably cut it to a one possession game with half a quarter to go.

What exactly is your definition of "close"?

TopDawg
1/6/2006, 06:02 PM
The main thing that I think we'll see from him is better game management (fewer penalties, more freedom to audible out of bad plays, fewer sacks, fewer turnovers, etc...).

You saying you don't think he'll spike the ball after a kneel down again?

rhombic21
1/6/2006, 06:03 PM
You saying you don't think he'll spike the ball after a kneel down again?
Haha, yeah, I think we're probably done with the whole bobbled snap/bungled QB kneel situation.

NickZeppelin
1/6/2006, 06:05 PM
Close isn't 3 spcores with about 2 or 3 minutes to go. We didn't beat UCLA because they had probably around 400 yards of offense 350 of it passing. I never felt we got close to slowing their pass game down. Even though they had no run game.

Stoop Dawg
1/6/2006, 06:06 PM
You saying you don't think he'll spike the ball after a kneel down again?

I thought Stoops was going to have an annurism (sp?).

TopDawg
1/6/2006, 06:09 PM
Close isn't 3 spcores with about 2 or 3 minutes to go. We didn't beat UCLA because they had probably around 400 yards of offense 350 of it passing. I never felt we got close to slowing their pass game down. Even though they had no run game.

So "down by 10 with 3:45 left" = "blown out" :confused:

TopDawg
1/6/2006, 06:10 PM
I thought Stoops was going to have an annurism (sp?).

I've never seen him so upset. I'd also never seen him more pumped than when Ingram got that oskie. He went from the most positive emotion I've ever seen from him to the most negative emotion I've ever seen from him in a matter of minutes.

rhombic21
1/6/2006, 06:15 PM
Close isn't 3 spcores with about 2 or 3 minutes to go. We didn't beat UCLA because they had probably around 400 yards of offense 350 of it passing. I never felt we got close to slowing their pass game down. Even though they had no run game.
Interesting man, some stats from that game.

First downs:
Oklahoma - 25
UCLA - 27

Rushing yardage:
Oklahoma - 157
UCLA - 83

Passing yardage:
Oklahoma - 241
UCLA - 334

Total yardage
Oklahoma - 398
UCLA - 397

You're right, the game wasn't close at all :) .

Stoop Dawg
1/6/2006, 06:18 PM
So "down by 10 with 3:45 left" = "blown out" :confused:

USC was up on UT by 12 with 4 minutes left. I still can't believe UT got blown out like that.

NickZeppelin
1/6/2006, 06:27 PM
Okay is down 17 with about a minute or two left a blowout?

Stoop Dawg
1/6/2006, 06:32 PM
Okay is down 17 with about a minute or two left a blowout?

Hate to be a geek, but I am what I am.


blow·out ( P ) Pronunciation Key (blout)
n.

A sudden rupture or bursting, as of an automobile tire.
The hole made by such a rupture.
A sudden escape of a confined gas or liquid, as from a well.
Slang. A large party or other social affair: “Lunch was a billion-calorie blowout beside the pool” (Vanity Fair).
Informal. A lopsided victory or thorough defeat.


In my opinion, our loss to UCLA was not a "blow out". But you know the saying about opinions.....

Scott D
1/6/2006, 06:36 PM
this thread is better served to be done/revisisted after national signing day.

Octavian
1/6/2006, 06:44 PM
Close isn't 3 spcores with about 2 or 3 minutes to go. We didn't beat UCLA because they had probably around 400 yards of offense 350 of it passing. I never felt we got close to slowing their pass game down. Even though they had no run game.

They had multiple scoring drives w/ a short field coming off turnovers. They also had a defensive TD. They actually came up w/ a TD producing drive of their own late in the 4th. To me, that was a very young and undefined OU team that was it's own worst enemy. I think we would've beat them in a Holiday rematch.

Octavian
1/6/2006, 06:45 PM
Who's leading w/ Murray anyway?

NickZeppelin
1/6/2006, 06:48 PM
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Octavian
1/6/2006, 06:52 PM
http://www.soonerfans.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44048

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