What went wrong this season.

I don't think they threw in the towel, I just think the guys behind them don't belong at OU. It is one of my biggest issues with Bob Stoops tenure - that he allowed our recruiting to go from getting lots of good college players that can contribute to trying to hit an NFL first rounder on every guy. Historically, OU has always been a team where our top guy may not be as good as the other team's top guy, but our 2nd, 3rd, and 4th guys are a LOT better than their 2nd, 3rd, 4th guys. As it stands now, when our top guy goes down we become a middling team. And for the recruiting guys, I'm not talking about stars here, I'm talking about stop reaching for every guy with character flaws that is uber athletic and get the guys who can play football.

As I said earlier in the year, this was a team of mismatched parts. Taking the Best Player Available doesn't necessarily make you the Best Team Available.

 

Well, when you're projected to be a top 5 team by nearly every prognosticator, and your fans and the rest of the media expect that kind of team, then you're over-hyped. That's pretty much the definition of over-hyped.

OU was not a top 5 team last year. Never should have been ranked that high. The reason (hype) came from the end of the 2013 season, and the Sugar Bowl win. The media did what they always do, and as fans, we were all too willing to jump on that train.

We did not have the talent/coaching/scheme (whatever you want to point at) to be ranked a top 5 team. Most fans (me included) and members of the media didn't really account for what we were losing after the 2013 season. Nor did many expect Knight to be as inconsistent as he was. It just didn't play out.

I'm glad the shake up happened, and it's obvious that it was needed. I don't think Heupel was nearly as bad as many believe, but he had been given more than enough time to show he was elite...and he wasn't (at least not yet). Norvell was a good recruiter, and a solid coach, but it was also time to clean out the garage.

The more I see what Kish is doing (primarily on the recruiting trail), the less I think he's an issue. Unfortunately, Mike Stoops looked like a deer caught in the headlights last year. If he hasn't taken a step back and realized he was a big part of the issues on defense, and adjust accordingly, it's going to be another long year.

One thing is clear, Bob has tied himself to Mike's wagon. He must think there's enough there (with Mike) to correct course, because if things continue like they did last year, it's going to be really hard for Bob.

 

I agree completely with what you said except for the last part (the 'toss up' games).

Tennessee will be a tough game. On the road, early in the season. However, there's still too much of a gap between us and them. If we would have had a better showing with the offense in last years game, it wouldn't have even been as close as it was (and it wasn't really close). I'm hopeful that the offense will be much better (read: consistent). I can still agree it's a "toss up", just because it's early and on the road.

Texas is always a toss up.

Kansas State shouldn't be close. We play them so much better in Manhattan, and their offense is a dumpster fire. No QB (and the guy they thought they had tore his ACL in the spring), no Lockett, no outstanding talent. They've always had to fight for every yard, but have managed to do so with above average QB play, a deep threat (Lockett) and solid fundamentals. 2 of those 3 are gone. KSU will struggle to win 6 games next year.

Oklahoma State could be a toss up, but I'm not buying the hype. They're getting the hype coming into this season for the same reason we got it going into last season, a big win at the end of the year. They shouldn't have won in Norman, but they did. Had they lost that game, I doubt anyone is picking them to win the conference. I just don't see how they are going to go from very average to top of the conference. It could happen, but I don't see it.

I think we'll be favored against TCU. Last year's game could have gone either way, and this year's is in Norman. Assuming we don't start the season looking awful (and I don't think we will), I suspect we'll be a favorite by a couple of points. I also think we win that game.

I think we'll finish with 9-3/10-2 (leaning more toward the 10-2). Like you said, there appears to be an upgrade everywhere you look, so I don't see how we end up worse than last year. I'm also banking on Stoops ability to follow up a disappointing season with a good one.

 

Thank you.

People fantasizing that Trevor Knight will ever amount to anything are going to have to someday admit to themselves that the Alabama bowl game was a mirage, more a product of Bama not giving a crap.

Shoddy line recruiting and coaching on both sides of the ball likely shows up this year and next. And, so, we have a new head coach in 2017. Until then, many more sideline shots of the confused/meerkat Bob Stoops that we've become accustomed to seeing.

 

This. They did the exact same thing we did to close out 2013, only we did it against really good teams. They did it against a bad OU team and Washington. I can't believe that after watching what happened to OU just last year, the media types around here are so ready to pronounce them cured of all the problems they had last year.

That being said, playing them in Stillwater is always tough, no matter how good the two teams are. OU hasn't gone in there and took care of business in 25 years.

 

I have no idea where you are coming up with this stuff. The shoddy line recruiting occurred when Kittle was in Norman. Both lines have been significantly upgraded from the recruiting perspective. Everything else you said I agree with.

 

He's quoting the famous football professor, Dr. Otto Yerass.

 

Certainly a subjective statement. I didn't mean they were dogging it on gameday as most D1 athletes are going to give high effort during games. I meant they didn't look like a team that had given full effort or focus during preparation. So if you believe that old adage about preparation being 90% of success, then OUr guys didn't looked prepared after the KSU loss. Except the ISU game, I guess. Against the two good teams they faced post KSU, they lost by 34 points.

 

1) Not a decent QB on the roster
2) Julian Wilson was awful
3) Penalties, Penalties, Penalties
4) Awful special teams
5) Coaches didn't reach the players

 

Shoddy? His hit rate was the same as every other OL coach that has been at OU - 50%. You are going to net 4 starters out of the 7 guys he brought in (tyrus thompson, farniok, kasitati, darlington) - 5 out of 8 if you count Sam Grant. The biggest issue is 6-7 guys in 2 years.

in 2011, we only had 17 schollies to give out. How many OL were we supposed to recruit? Not only that, the OL/DL were the only positions where we got any production of out of that wasted recruiting class -> https://rivals.yahoo.com/oklahoma/football/recruiting/commitments/2011

in 2012, we had 25 to give out, but we had to take 3 Running Backs, 4 TEs (one ended up an OL) and 6 WRs. 15 split between OL and the entire defense?

Recruiting OL isn't like recruiting any other position on the field. If you find me an OL coach who can constantly keep a stockpile of 6 RS JR/SRs on the roster with 9 guys waiting in the wings you will constantly have good OLs no matter how many of those guys get drafted.

Do I think that Kittle should have been at OU? No. Do I think he gets a bad wrap for his time here? Yes. Do I think he should have been fired? Yes. That whole John Michael McGee incident proved that he didn't do as much research as he should have into a recruit. Do I think our OL is any better than if he would have stayed? Nope. Bedenbaugh is taking the shotgun approach to OL recruiting and that inevitably degrades the quality of your skill positions.

 

At least you've identified an approach that the lad might have. I was thinking more along the lines of shot in the dark; but, shotgun probably describes is just as accurately.

My prediction is that the new coach in 2016/2017 will be public about needing to greatly upgrade the line talent on both sides of the ball.