I finally had the nerve to watch the second half of the OU-TCU game. Here is what I saw... Terrible starting field positions: got the ball on the 8, 7, 10, 16 yard lines. Trevor actually ran for 16 yards to continue the play. Trevor also had some nice passes to Shepard. Managed to march down the field to set-up the field goal which was missed. Mead (as big as he is) needs to know how to catch the ball! Punter grounded the play with his knee, so TCU gets the ball on OU's 26 yard line...next play is TCU's touch down. They decided not to kick the PAT. Holding them to the 6 points.....but with these two observations, OU has given up 9 points. Very conservative offensive calls, but at the 9 minute in the 3rd quarter Perine gets the TD making the score 30-20. In the 4th quarter, TCU changes QB's, meaning he is not tired from OU's defense, and is eager to play! Could have gotten a safety when TCU was backed up on the 5 yard line. That's another 2 points OU could have gotten. OU finally gets decent field position but penalties puts OU in 3rd & 16, when Trevor threw the interception while being sacked. TCU is on the OU 46 yard line. What was Mike Stoops thinking with the 3 man front?? Luckily, all TCU got was a field goal. At 2:06, TCU is 3rd & 8, and the QB gets a good spot on his slide. It is 3rd & 8 with 57 seconds. The on-side kick recovery was very important!
Trevor would be a great quarterback for North Texas. If the Mean Green hire Lincoln Riley, Trevor could transfer there under the fifth year graduate student transfer rules. He'd probably start immediately. As for what he does here...this competition level is too high for him.
Perine's score in the 3rd made it 30-13. That was the same score with about 10 minutes left in the 4th and OU had the ball in TCU territory. From that point everything went to hell in a handbasket. I knew when our DB's reverted back to the defensive back play of the last several years and gave up that 86 yard TD that the game would be a squeaker. I just started laughing and told my 14 year old son that nothing a Stoops coached team does surprises me anymore. They can beat Alabama on any given day and lose to a really crappy team like Texas on any given day. I thought the biggest mistake the defense made was not putting more pressure on the 3rd string QB when he came into the game. He was able to stare down receivers all day long. Regarding Trevor Knight....he WAS that horrible. He made bad decisions on the zone read. He made bad decions on his passes by passing into double and triple coverage. He was bad.
yup... course LR blamed everyone but TK..Which I find odd. You'd blame the line, the receivers but not the qb.
I noted LR blamed himself first and foremost. And the last thing TK needs is more dings to his confidence. In relief this season he's mostly played well, but not so much on Saturday. He did make some bad reads and some bad throws. He also made a few throws that should have been caught (looking at you, Jeffrey Mead). We had the game in hand for three quarters and six minutes. Then, I don't know what happened. Got complacent, or something. Gave up the long TD on a bust on coverage and a missed tackle. Bad snap from center on the punt (and we have one of the best long snappers in the country--don't recall a snap like that from him before). Siebert caught grief for touching his knee down, but that's a lot more on the center, not the punter. Suddenly the game is close, and all we have to do is hang on to the ball and grind out a few first downs. But with no real passing threat...well, we were fortunate to find a way to win. Really, we've only beaten TCU convincingly once since Patterson is the coach. All the other games have been close. I expected an outcome like this, honestly, and was more surprised when we were up 30-13 with half the fourth quarter to go. Thought maybe we had the game won handily at that point. Have a feeling a bunch of Sooners felt that way too. Just nobody told TCU that.
When I saw Trevor throw a fifteen yard pass to a wide open receiver about five yards short I knew the kid's head was irretrievably messed up. Why, I don't know.
I think LR is being careful not to destroy what little shred of confidence that Knight has left. I think in fairness maybe Knight's performance was a D instead of an F and he definitely could have had some more help but there is no denying that Knight did not play well, frankly looked a little scared out there and did not look prepared. Several of his decisions in the TCU game were just inexplicable. Had he had a couple breaks maybe OU wins going away and he is able to play looser and plays better. I don't buy in that the QB competition for the starting job was that close. That is coachspeak 101. I think Knight has (maybe had, before the injury and the confidence crisis) the ability to be a good college QB but Baker is a QB that can win you a championship. I think with a full weeks preparation, a lot of support from the running and a little early success Knight could probably lead OU to a win against OSU but Baker Mayfiled will lead OU to a win.
I thought Trevor played fairly good in the 3rd but when the game was on the line in the 4th he seemed to melt down under the pressure. There was very little pressure on him in the Bama game. No one expected us to win that game except for a few of us diehard Sooner fans. I think Trevor has a problem with playing under pressure, hopefully something he can overcome eventually...
I agree that LR is keeping Knight's confidence up because he may need him...I guess I misspoke. He blamed a lot of other things, including himself and basically said nothing ill of TK. I understand that....but SOME of the issues were on TK and he could say that as well, "TK needs to play better as well". As far as us posters, we don't need to keep TK's confidence up...he played horrible. period. I'm sure some of that is due to him getting hurt,it's a natural reaction. Heck, I'lm 51 tore my acl 3 years ago playing bball and I still wear a brace even though they've said I don't need to. Can we win with him...I'm sure, we've won before. If Mixon and Perine run well, but that means we need some threat at the passing game. We shall see.
Trying to win a position battle is a different kind of pressure than coming into a game you weren't expecting to play in and execute. The problem for Trevor is that he is watching a QB play the game in a way that doesn't help him at all on the sidelines. You can't discuss what you saw in coverage because Mayfield had kept the play alive for 13 seconds and then made a first down run. Also remember that it isn't an unrecoverable situation either - Hybl completely turned it around his senior year when White went down.
Trevor might make a really good wishbone quarterback. This offense, though...not so much. I feel for the guy. He's played his heart out, is a great person from all accounts, and will always have that one game on his resumé. Unfortunately it will probably always haunt him too, i.e., why can't I play like that all the time? Well, I'm sure it was drilled into him this week that 'you have got to be ready' and he probably will be. I'm optimistic. On paper we should school the Cowboys handily and this is the type of game Stoops loves. Revenge for last year...playoff berth on the line...historically in these situations his teams have risen up and played well. Here's hoping.
He's the same TK we've seen for the last 3 years. He is rarely accurate, throws to the receivers feet or behind them, and has very little "touch" to his passes which makes them harder to catch. I agree that a few of the balls he threw should have been caught but the ball gets to the receiver completely different than BM so that makes it a little tougher for a receiver. I have to wonder if Cody had gotten more snaps, would he have progressed because TK sure hasn't.
Agreed. Heck, I remember him coming in the first game against Akron and totally missing some open guys. I still scratch my head on why Thomas is not #2?
