Buster's OU Sooners Game Analysis: Week 2

Sooners: 16

Mountaineers: 7










After a dominating performance against ULM, the Sooners were still doubted by many (including myself) on both sides of the ball. Giving up only 15 yards rushing against ULM, many doubted their ability to do the same against a stronger and faster offense. With the exception of the single touchdown given up in two games, the defensive performance has been solid. However, fans had no reason to doubt the offense ran by freshman Trevor Knight, who proved to be shaky in every aspect of the game besides running the ball himself. Special teams still proved to be one of OU's stronger aspects of the game. Lets take a look at how each faired against a stronger and faster Mountaineers team.

Offense: C+
The only thing saving this Sooner offense from receiving a lesser grade is senior running back Brennan Clay. Clay rushed for 170 yards. This hasn't been done since DeMarco Murray in 2010. Brennan Clay seemed to pick up positive yards with every touch. Stoops has said that with all three backs competing so well this year, the one who finds a rhythm will stay in the game. Clay proved to be that guy this weekend against West Virginia. Damien Williams didn't show much expect for his ability to pick up short yardage. He hasn't seemed to ever recover from that leg injury last season.

Through the air, the Sooners had a very below average performance. Oklahoma has a very strong receiving core this season, but simply no one to throw them the ball. Trevor Knight again came out throwing the ball poorly. Being his second game in Norman we can no longer blame his nerves for these awful passes. Throwing into triple coverage and to the wrong area could just be freshman mistakes, but they are mistakes the Sooners cannot afford.

Quarterbacks: D+
Trevor Knight has some serious work to do in order to keep his starting job (That is if he is even healthy). Knight had 119 yards on 20 attempts. Not to terrible if you can take away the two interceptions with only one touchdown. Knight is a guy who has tremendous talent running the ball, but the passing just isn't there. He did rush for 42 yards on 7 carries.
Do to what I think is an injury, Blake Bell got the call to start in the fourth quarter. Bell came in and ignited the crowd (The student section at least). Bell was 0-1 passing and 21 yards rushing on 2 carries.

Say what you will about the quarterback situation, but neither of these guys compare to what we had last season. The Sooners need to find a solution soon, because only running the ball will not get a W in three weeks against Notre Dame.

Defense: A+
We can sit back and look at the fact that the defense allowed a 65 yard rushing touchdown, or we can chose to be non ignorant Oklahoma fans and realize the defense has only given up 7 points in two games. The Oklahoma defense has been playing outstanding thus far. They say defense wins championships, but in this case the defense is going to have to win every game. If the Sooners want a championship run the defense will have to lead the way.

Secondary: A+
The defensive backs for the Sooners seem to have come out looking to prove something. Gabe Lynn was moved to a safety this season and is fitting in perfectly. Lynn caught an interception and picked up a fumble for the defense this week. We know what Aaron Colvin can do, and what he will do. Colvin went out with a cracked tooth and jaw pain, but will be ready to go next week.

Special Teams: A-
I really wanted to give the special teams an A+ this week, but anytime you miss a field goal it has to knock off points. Hunnicut has been great these past two seasons (the best since Garrett Hartley) and I have full confidence he will continue to do so. The Sooners didn't lose much in the aspect of punting as Jed Barnett averaged 44.6 yards on 5 punts. The kickoff team has been great sending the majority of the kicks through the endzone, and giving almost no gain on the returnable kicks.

The Sooners get an overall rating of a B- this week due to the lack of offense. Maybe that is the plan this season, score a few points then take over field position and dominate the game on defense. Whatever it is, I feel the Sooners have a great season in store, maybe even getting back to that championship swagger.

Next week: @Tulsa 11:00 AM

CMan's OU Sooners game analysis: Week 1

 

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.

CMan's Big 12 roundup - Week 1

Week 1 of the college football season is always interesting. Expectations are high for everyone, the results are not often as expected. This week 1 in the Big 12 was no exception.

The Winners -

Louisiana Monroe - 0
(#16) Oklahoma  - 34

This game was the coming out party for new OU QB Trevor Knight. knight beat out junior Blake Bell for the starting job and despite a slow start, proved why. The second unanswered question was the OU defense. Question answered. The defense was quicker, applied pressure and gave up little ground, 166 total yards to be exact. (See OU post tomorrow for a complete game analysis)

Mississippi State - 3
(#13) Oklahoma State - 21

The surprise in this opener was the pokes defense. Oklahoma State could not generate any offense in the first half but the Cowboy's defense kept the Bulldogs out of the end zone. The defense allowed the Cowboys to get their offense in gear and it, in the midst of a quarterback battle, J.W. Walsh. Walsh clearly outplayed Clint Chelf, however, both struggled against the Mississippi state defense. A win is a win, especially against the SEC. We'll see how the offense moves against the Big 12. The Pokes defense though, looks vastly improved.

New Mexico State - 7
(#15) Texas - 56

Texas started slow falling behind NMSU 7-0 to start the game but scored 14 in the second quarter to take control. Texas QB David Ash played well connecting on 20 of 28 passes for 343 yds and 4 TD's but also threw 2 int's. Texas gained 715 yds but gave up 346. Not a complete game, but a win none the less. The jury is still out on the Longhorns.

Texas Tech - 41
Southern Methodist - 23

TTU should have won this game, even in Dallas. SMU has not yet recovered from the NCAA imposed death penalty. New head man Cliff Kingsbury and the Red Raiders started slow but looked solid by games end. It was SMU though. Look for Texas Tech to be average this season.

The Players? -

Wofford - 3
Baylor - 69

Wofford?? Who knew they had a football team outside of Spartanburg SC. Their team name is the Terriers for crying out loud, a small pesky dog. Believe it or not they are a D-1 team as well. The Terriers gained a measly 233 yards playing 4 QB's and with 12 players running the ball. I guess they threw every dog in the pound at the Bears....and still stunk the place up. If the Bears can't beat the Terriers they should be playing the Taco Bell dog.

William and Mary - 17
West Virginia - 24

If I was a Mountaineer fan I would be embarrassed. WVU scored with 3 minutes left to beat the William and Mary "Tribe". I would be more embarrassed if Mary actually played. The Tribe actually led this game 17-7 at the half. The Mountaineers high powered offense didn't show until the second half, and apparently only half speed. WVU outscored the tribe 17-0 in the second half but the game performance spells doom once the Mountaineers enter the Big 12 schedule which, by the way, starts at OU next Saturday.

The Losers -

(#12) LSU - 37
(#20) TCU - 27

I'll start with this game because it was competitive. TCU was down 30-17 in the third quarter and I thought the game was over. An LSU fumble led to a TCU touchdown, add a field goal and this was a 3 point game with 10 minutes left. LSU pulled it out in the forth but the Horned Frogs put up a strong fight until the end. No shame here for TCU. A loss sucks but the experience will make them a stronger team going forward.

Northern Iowa - 28
Iowa State - 20

This game would have been far worse had Northern Illinois not beaten Iowa 30-27 ( Its high time Iowa thinks about replacing Kirk Ferentz). Its a shame when Northern Iowa is the only undefeated team among the three in the first week. Northern Iowa led 21-14 at the half and outscored ISU 7-6 in the second half. The pain can only get worse for Iowa State if they actually paid Northern Iowa to come play.

North Dakota State - 24
Kansas State - 21

Kansas State normally plays pretty weak early in the season but they don't lose. North Dakota State is the reigning 2 time FCS National Champion but its still the FCS. The Bison were not intimidated by the Wildcats or playing in the stadium named for the Wildcats historic coach Bill Snyder. NDSU beat KSU consistently on both sides of the ball. It was an impressive game and should help NDSU compete for a third straight National Championship. As for the Wildcats they need to figure out how to compete with the rest of the FBS teams on their schedule. The Wildcats loss affected their checkbook as well as they reportedly paid the Bison six figures to come to the "little apple" to play.

Kansas fortunately had a bye week and did not play.

Overall,  not a bad start save the humiliating losses by KSU and ISU. Many questions were answered. Unfortunately, with some teams, more questions emerged.