No surprise, really.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextr...e53d786ba.html
No surprise, really.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextr...e53d786ba.html
No it doesn't surprise me either. Wish him the best of luck.
"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and success of liberty."
- President John F. Kennedy
Dog house+injury+competition at RB makes this the right move for him. Note that Stoops gives him full release, Kliff.
Ugh, I've seen this movie before. We start off with a ton of running backs and by the time the season gets here, we have 2.
Running backs = catch and runBut that's okay now that we are full on air raid.
Wide receivers = run and catch
AIR RAID!!!!!
I don't remember what media guy -- John Shinn, maybe? -- pointed this out, but out of 14 running backs recruited in the past few years, eight have transferred. Maybe there's another reason Cale Gundy is no longer in charge or RBs but shifted over to WRs?
I misremembered. It was John Shinn, but he wrote on twitter: Since 2003, eight of the 20 running backs (doesn't include fullbacks) OU signed eventually transferred. OU has signed 13 running backs since the 2008 recruiting class. With Keith Ford's decision, six eventually transferred.
Feast or famine, I guess. When we do hit at RB, we hit big. Griffin, Peterson, Murray and now Perine.
I think we'll all be happily surprised by:
1. What an excellent fit Mixon is for this offense and how freaking deadly he will be floating around in the backfield.
2. How the spreading of the field is going to benefit Ross...and how many times he takes it to the house.
3.How many passes Perine catches.
"I don't know karate, but I know ka-razor!" - James Brown
damn shame
Never like to see a Sooner hit the bricks but it seems par for the course since the end of last season, coaching changes and all. His abilities would have transitioned best to this offense but we have enough versatility to compensate for him bailing, I hope. Thanks, KF. You gave us a lot to talk about when you stepped on the field as a freshman. I drink to your health...and mine.
I think we'll be fine this year if Mixon doesn't punch another girl. We still have Perine, Mixon, Ross, Brooks, and Anderson. I'm honestly unsure if Ford even adds depth with his injuries.
Now if Mixon punches another girl, Brooks transfers, and Ross gets hurt on a kick return...then I'd be worried. Even then, Perine and Anderson would still be one of the best backfields in the conference.
I'm sad to see him go, though. I had high hopes for him, and enjoyed watching him, but he wasn't able to stay on the field with all his injuries.
He and his dad did a lengthy interview with Tulsa World post-transfer:
http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextr...483c1f36e.html
Of note:
andFord: “After the coaching change there, it didn’t start off right. I talked to my parents. I didn’t like the coach. We were just talking that I think I should leave. First of all, we made sure we got my grades squared away to make sure I would be eligible to transfer. We did that, and I decided to transfer away from OU.”
TW: What coach are you referring to?
Ford: “The running backs coach (Jay Boulware, who moved to running backs coach in OU’s staff change last February).”
TW: What was the problem?
Ford: “It just wasn’t the right fit. His style of coaching was not my style. I had a relationship with Coach Gundy (Cale Gundy, the running backs coach before switching to inside receivers). I really came to OU because of Coach Gundy, because I wanted to work with him. I didn’t really know this guy and his actions didn’t fit the way I wanted to be coached.”
I was surprised to see Cale get moved in the offseason. Running backs have always been good under him --- good recruits, good results on-field. Why would Bob Stoops want to change that?Ford Sr: “There’s nothing to hide here. He’s being honest. Injuries, coaching change, when you add all that up, sometimes you’ve just got to make the right decision. But I’m gonna tell you something, Coach Gundy, he’s a good man. Keith formed a relationship with him. Hopefully he can find a place to go where he can form that relationship with his coach. Because I’m gonna tell you, that player you saw on that field was a product of Coach Gundy and the relationship that they had.”
"General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"
President Ronald Reagan at the Berlin Wall, June 12, 1987
Do you want to break the news to Perine? Or should I?
"I don't know karate, but I know ka-razor!" - James Brown