Louisiana Monroe - 0
Oklahoma Sooners - 34
The Oklahoma Sooners entered the 2013 football season with a lot of unanswered questions. Closed practices and lack of information are par for the course at OU. Head Coach Bob Stoops has never been known for his transparency when discussing his team or its outlook.
The Sooners ended the 2012 season with a demoralizing Cotton Bowl loss to Heisman trophy winner Johnny Manziel and former Big 12 foe, Texas A&M. Questions.
Gone are four year starter at QB Landry Jones and several assistant coaches along with several other key players on both sides of the ball. More questions.
There were certainly more questions than answers, frankly we knew little about this team or any potential answers on Saturday morning. So, let's take a look at the game last night and address what I think were the most glaring questions at game time.
Who is Trevor Knight and why was he chosen over Blake Bell as the starter?
Has the OU defense improved in the second year of Mike Stoops return as defensive coordinator?
How effective will the special teams be?
What impact will the new coaches have?
Were the questions answered? After a slow start, I believe they were. Let's break the game down and see how well the questions were answered.
The Grades:
Quarterback Trevor Knight - B+
If you asked for a grade in the first quarter I would have given Knight a weak C. He was nimble on his feet and his decisions were hurried. His arm looked strong but he couldn't hit the side of a barn. Knight started the game 1-6 passing. Most of his passes were too low or way too high. His receivers didn't do much to help either. The offensive line couldn't get the run game started which forced a lot of 2nd or 3rd and long situations for the rookie. He did, at times, show the patience of a veteran in the pocket and made some solid decisions in break downs. Not a good start. I'm sure many OU faithful were not only questioning the decision, but looking for the BellDozer to enter the game.
Now, if you asked for a grade from the 2nd quarter on I would give Knight a solid A. Once the jitters left and the offensive line started to gel, Knight looked like a starter. By the second half his passing was on target, his runs were fluid and the running game started to wear down the ULM defensive front. Knight finished the game with 11-28 passing for 86 yds, 3 TD's and 1 questionable interception. While the passing yards need improving, he did finish with 103 (team leading) rushing yards. The most rushing yards for a QB since Jason White in 2001 and the first QB with more rushing yards than passing than Eric Moore in 1998.
Trevor Knight has enormous upside. This was ULM, but Knight gave a wonderful peek at what was possible in the future.
As for Blake Bell, he entered the game in the fourth quarter to mop up. He was playing with mostly second stringers but could have played a lot better. The gap between the two QB's on this night was pretty wide.
OU Defense - A
The rush defense was solid from the start of the game however, the pass defense early was reminiscent of last years woefully ugly secondary. Thankfully it didn't last. The catalyst was the pressure up front. The OU front line and linebackers played most of the game in the ULM backfield. The defense created havoc for ULM QB Kolton Browning. They hurt him early and often. They forced hurried throws and mad dash scrambles. OU defensive end Charles Tapper appeared to be Browning's roommate for most of the game. ULM crossed midfield twice and only managed 9 first downs, 6 of those came in the first quarter.
ULM finished the game with 166 total yards, 128 passing and only 38 rushing. This from a team that averaged 400 total yards in 2012. Their longest run was 6 yards. The longest pass reception, 14 yards.
The defense was vastly improved. It is evident that the front line pressure relieved any secondary threat. If the defense can continue to pressure the quarterbacks and stuff the run, the OU defense should fare a lot better in the big 12 this season than they did in 2012. I would still like to see the secondary tested before the bulk of big 12 games start. the good news is WVU and its high powered offense pay a visit to Norman next week.
Special Teams - A+
The special teams played a huge role in last nights game. ULM returned 1 kickoff for 65 yards and did not return a single punt. Nick Hodgson's kicks were finding the end zone repeatedly and Place kicker Mike Hunnicutt was 2-2 on field goals and 4-4 on PAT's. The biggest surprise for me was new punter Jed Barnett. Barnett averaged 43.6 yards on 7 punts with a long of 54. Four of his punts landed inside the ULM 20. In addition to consistent yardage, Barnett's hang time allowed our special team players to get down field and prevent any return.
New coaches impact - A
The lines on both sides of the ball were better. the defensive line was aggressive and mobile. the linebackers moved with confidence and speed reminiscent of past sooner linebackers. The offensive line started slow but eventually opened huge holes that the OU running backs exploited. OU quarterbacks were given ample time to make decisions in the pocket. The down field blocking got increasingly better as the game wore on. Football games are won in the trenches and the Sooners owned the trenches last night.
Overall it was a dominant performance after the first quarter. My friend Buster tells me that the first quarter performance by Trevor Knight was to be expected. He said the bad throws were a combination of nerves, first game jitters causing the failure to follow through. Buster says he's been there and I believe him. You see Buster is a darn good, State Champion, high school quarterback.
I am looking forward to the evolution of Trevor Knight and the continued improvement of the Sooner defense. Sure, its only one game but there are far fewer questions going in to next week than we had on Friday.
One side note: Saturday nights win was the 150th of Head Coach Bob Stoops career at Oklahoma. He is now just 7 wins shy of tying Barry Switzer for all time wins at OU.
Up next: West Virginia visits Norman.
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