Big game breakdown: Oklahoma-Oregon/Matthew Zemek / CollegeFootballNews.com..they suk

[daddywarbucks]

Matthew Zemek / CollegeFootballNews.com
Posted: 3 hours ago



This is a football game in which Don LaFontaine's words might loom large.

Since you're reading this very article, you obviously watch college football on television. This means you've surely seen the recent series of GEICO ads featuring various celebrities. One of them is LaFontaine, a legendary voice actor and master of the movie trailer. In the ad, LaFontaine's last line is, "Payback: this time, it's for real!" That could well describe what's going to befall the Oklahoma Sooners this Saturday in a raucous Autzen Stadium.
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Bob Stoops' boys are heading into Eugene — a September graveyard for visiting non-conference opponents — and the Oregon Ducks are waiting to extract a fair measure of revenge for their loss to the Sooners in the Holiday Bowl last December. What makes this game so dangerous for Oklahoma is not the mere fact that Oregon wants to get even; it's that the Ducks are equipped to win at the same time the Sooners aren't.

One of the main reasons Oklahoma won the Holiday Bowl is now one of the reasons Oregon stands to win on Saturday: the absence of a No. 1 quarterback. Just as Kellen Clemens of Oregon was unable to play in San Diego nearly nine months ago, so it will be the case that the Sooners won't have Rhett Bomar (who played against and beat the Ducks in the Holiday Bowl) under center this Saturday. Oklahoma's reshuffling of the deck at quarterback has caused the Sooners' offense to struggle in the first two games of 2006; without a fourth-quarter surge against lowly Washington the week before, this OU offense would have sported very pedestrian numbers heading into Eugene.

Paul Thompson — a quarterback so unproven that he couldn't win the starting job last season — has once again become the trigger man for Bob Stoops' offense, this time by default. But with a horrible season-opener against UAB and a very sluggish first half against Washington, Thompson has yet to stamp himself as a quarterback who can slay big-time opponents, especially on the road. If Thompson can't become a substantially better signal-caller, Adrian Peterson's effectiveness will remain limited, and the OU offense will go down in flames. Thompson has to make this game his national coming-out party, but that will be a tall order against a feisty Oregon team and a deafening green-and-gold crowd.

For all of Oklahoma's concerns (and limitations) at quarterback, however, there are many other reasons why Oregon's chances of victory are so good. For one thing, Oklahoma got blasted at UCLA last year in the Sooners' first big road trip of the year; if the Sooners can't handle a West Coast roadie with any more maturity than what they displayed last year, they're in trouble. Another Oregon advantage is the fact that the Sooners' run defense — as evinced by a leaky performance against a Washington team that ran for over 200 yards against OU — has yet to find its stride. If Washington, Oregon's bitter and grossly inferior rival, could top 200 yards on the ground, just imagine what could happen if Jonathan Stewart and Jeremiah Johnson, the Ducks' talented backfield duo, got a look at some running lanes.

All in all, this game is shaping up to be a decisive Oregon victory. Oklahoma has proved to be alarmingly deficient in core areas of football competence that, if left unattended, will lead to disaster for Bob Stoops' ballclub. If the Sooners are to win in the Pac-10's loudest and most intimidating stadium, they need to play at least 500 percent better than what they've shown in their first two games of the year... and even that might not be enough.

It's all on Oklahoma to drastically elevate its level of play this Saturday in the Willamette River Valley. If not, Don LaFontaine's words will haunt the Sooners and remind them that they've gotten worse, not better, since the Holiday Bowl.

[BOOMERBRADLEY]

I read that earlier....The guy is a giant ******

[fadada1]

that guy still suckles from his mama's teet.

[leavingthezoo]

i don't believe for a second this fellow has watched ENA play.

[King Crimson]

interesting how the loss of Bomar and Bomar's bad play at UCLA and the return to the West Coast...add to the same conclusion.

?

Oregon is a good football team and we may lose, but this writer is a moron.

[Jewstin]

Hrm ... well, I've already determined this guy is a biased rejectoid who doesn't know a damned thing about our program because he referenced a "late surge in the fourth quarter." I guess the 17 points we scored in the third quarter weren't key (nor the 47 yards we limited them to).

Bah. I have a special feeling about PT in this game.

This reminds me of the spoof I wrote in the "OU wins becasue of xyz, UO wins becasue of abc" thread.

Bah. Bah bah bah.

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 Score
----------------- -- -- -- -- -----
WASHINGTON.......... 7 6 0 7 - 20
Oklahoma Sooners.... 7 6 17 7 - 37

you've got to watch out for those 4th qtr surges...

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

WASH                      1st   2nd   3rd   4th     1st   2nd       
                          Qtr   Qtr   Qtr   Qtr    Half  Half  Total
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Time of possession       06:17 08:10 07:59 06:51   14:27 14:50 29:17
3rd Down Conversions      0/2   4/6   1/4   1/4     4/8   2/8   6/16
Avg Field Position        W27   W20   W35   W39     W25   W36   W31
4th Down Conversions      0/0   0/0   0/0   0/2     0/0   0/2   0/2

OU                        1st   2nd   3rd   4th     1st   2nd       
                          Qtr   Qtr   Qtr   Qtr    Half  Half  Total
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Time of possession       08:43 06:50 07:01 08:09   15:33 15:10 30:43
3rd Down Conversions      1/3   2/4   2/3   0/2     3/7   2/5   5/12
Avg Field Position        O38   O31   O32   O24     O36   O29   O32
4th Down Conversions      0/0   0/0   0/0   1/1     0/0   1/1   1/1

[Jewstin]

Also, what's the friggin' deal with all these major programs getting passes when they play crap teams, while we get nailed to the cross?

It has yet to be determined if Washington or UAB is going to be any good. I refuse to believe that the Huskies are another 2-10 or 3-9 team, with Ty Willingham at the helm, or that UAB won't be in the running for a C*USA title. They showed a lot of ability against us. I mean, look at Tulsa -- we got crap for not drilling them into the ground last season, and they turned around and won their conference AND their bowl game (against Fresno State).

Between last year and the year before, USC had half a dozen games against low calibre teams where they were either trailing at the half or tied up. Not to mention FSU/Troy and some of the other squeakers we've had this year (can't remember any others off the top of my head, but I'm sure they happened).

If those teams pull it out, it's because they have the "heart of a champion," or "great leadership," or "unrelenting desire." If we distance ourselves in the second half, it's because we got lucky or because the other team screwed up.

More BAH!

[Falconnius]

If you go to the Owen Field message board, Zemek personally responded to this article posted on the site. interesting.

[BOOMERBRADLEY]

If you go to the Owen Field message board, Zemek personally responded to this article posted on the site. interesting.

Link?

[Salt City Sooner]

Link?

"Actually, I did watch portions of this game.

Living in Seattle as I do, I know how gawd-awful the University of Washington program has been over the past few years, and that they could be very competitive in Norman over three quarters is something that alarmed me greatly.

If I'm a Sooner fan, I'm extremely concerned right now. The trajectory of the 2006 season is pretty much the same as 2005, with the only difference being that TCU was good enough to spring a game-one upset last year, while UAB was NOT good enough to do the deed this year.

Are you really going to tell me I'm wrong? Inconsistent QB play, insufficient leadership, spotty defense.

The Sooners might fix all these areas in Eugene against the Ducks, but the whole point is that if they don't, they will indeed get blasted. Not a controversial statement to make, in my mind.

Based on current form--the way the teams are playing right now--Oregon is, as a matter of analysis, in much better shape.

No one should be disagreeing with that statement. No one.

The tone of the piece was very alarmist about OU's chances. Well, if I were a Sooner fan, I'd think there would be many things to be alarmed about.

Remember that football analysis is just that--football analysis. It's not social commentary, and it's not a personal insult toward human beings. It's simply a belief that one team stands a much better chance of winning a football game than another.

And if OU delivers the goods, you know I'm going to give it up to them without any hesitation or indecisiveness.

Sincerely,

Matt Zemek
CFN"

http://mb22.scout.com/fouinsiderfrm1...tart=1&stop=20

[BOOMERBRADLEY]

Matt Zemek hates Jesus

[Octavian]

Matt Zemek got caught wearing his momma's underwear










...last week

[Jewstin]

Interesting ... I wonder if anyone pointed out that we played two quarters of excellent football in that game, not just one. I don't count that last touchdown drive in garbage time because it was exactly that -- garbage time.

[Landthief 1972]

Horrible analysis backed by a worse rebuttal to the outcry. The guy tries to write a piece based off of SportsCenter highlights and won't admit he's wrong even in the face of stats and facts.

OU has the QB problems even though ENA has a better QB ranking? WTF?

[sooneron]

without a fourth-quarter surge against lowly Washington the week before, this OU offense would have sported very pedestrian numbers heading into Eugene.

Why do reporters say this crap? Uh, there's four quarters of football in a game. Does this ****tard really think that Oregon is so head an shoulders above us? Do I think this game is a toss up, yes. My prediction proves so, but we are not so outmanned in this game that we are prohibitive dogs. Dennis Dixon's #'s are really no better than PT's against overall similar competition. I'm sorry, but Stanford just plain sucks.

[daddywarbucks]

I was so pizzed when I read it I couldnt even respond at the time without swearing alot. Ok I KNOW from what he said that he could not of even watched the highlights of our last game...What a complete clown. I can remember forgetting to write reports for a class and the morning of school writing some piece of crap also Mr Matthew Zemek,, I also can remember everyone knowing that I had no freaking clue what I ws talking about either..azzhole.

[amlah6]

Actually, I did watch portions of this game.

Translation: "I saw the highlights on SportsCenter."

[Desert Sapper]

if oklahoma would play 500 percent better like the article suggested ou should win 78-3.

I liked this post on the Scouts forum. Heh.