Oakland Raiders guru and track suit wearing aficionado Al Davis said it best, “Just win baby.”
After beating a feisty and talented Mizzou team last Saturday night in a bowling shoe ugly game, the Oklahoma travels north this weekend to take on the seemingly benign Iowa State Cyclones, and let’s hope the Sooners pack differently than they did for their road trip to Boulder a few weeks ago when, as heavy favorites, OU left their focus in Norman.
Oklahoma is in a simple, albeit it challenging, situation in as much as they must run the table to have any chance of playing for the National Championship. That’s it…win ‘em all or any chance to play for the Sooners’ 8th National Title can wait until the 2008 season. I prefer not to wait.
The last time the Sooners lost in Ames I was 8 years old. Yeah, I’m an old relic at 55 and the year was 1960, which is most likely before many Sooner Fanatics reading this were even born. OU is 37-1-1 in the Cyclone series in Ames and OU losing Saturday in Jack Trice Stadium would be a headline none of us would want to read, much like Stanford beating 40-point favorite Southern Cal in the Coliseum two weeks ago. An upset loss would be embarrassing and, at this stage of the season, devastating.
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OU is favored by 28 points the last I looked and my guts tell me the Sooners will cover the spread, if anyone cares about these matters. Practices this week have gone well and the team has worked diligently and has remained focused on the task at hand. Everyone involved in the process is amply aware that every game the Sooners play must be a win.
OU will win big and here’s why:
The offensive line has been maligned about not being physical and aggressive enough, especially considering that seemingly every sportswriter in America and many fans know that the O-line averages 322 pounds per man and is “the Sooners best offensive line in years." The offensive line has been inconsistent and has not played up to their potential. Potential don’t buy the groceries over the long haul in anyone’s business.
I see the offensive line mashing people this week and establishing their dominance early. If this offensive line doesn’t dominate Iowa State and instead chooses to pick their spots as to when they want to “turn it on” then we have issues. I choose to look at the glass as half full, the O-Line as P.O.’ed, and I think that they will step up and have fun mangling people come Saturday. That’s my story and I am sticking to it.
I would love to see the Sooners have three rushing TD’s by halftime. You can fill in the blank as to how many touchdown passes Sam Bradford throws before intermission, but running the ball effectively against Iowa State needs to happen. Keeping opposing offenses on the sideline will become a major issue as this season rolls on and the way that is achieved is to run the ball and utilize the clock.
Murray is healthy this week and should get back to the form he played with in Dallas which was awesome, especially for a “second-teamer”. Starter Allen Patrick should have a great game against the Cyclones, and who is to say that hard-working Chris Brown won’t once again be effective running the ball as he did last week in the fourth quarter?
OU rushing for 200 yards would be a nice day’s work up in lovely Ames.
And then there is Sam Bradford, who is the best redshirt freshman QB to ever play at OU. Slingin’ Sam has thrown for 20 TD’s this season and has only four interceptions and leads the nation with a 181.1 passing rating. Not bad for a local kid who was playing high school ball two seasons ago.
If college football was like the NFL and trades were legal, is there any QB in college ball you would trade Sam for? I didn’t think so either. What Sam’s presence does to future OU QB prospects remains to be seen, but any signal-caller who shies away from competition is a QB the Sooners most likely don’t need.
Malcolm Kelly and Jermaine Gresham should have big games Saturday against the Cyclone secondary, even though the ISU defense will be well-schooled by head coach Gene Chizik, the former Texas defensive coordinator. Chizik seems to be becoming more involved in his team’s defense than he has previously been this season. He is an excellent defensive coach and will have his players lined up in the correct position, but how the Cyclones match up physically against the talented Sooners is another matter.
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The OU defense played well last week against Missouri more often than not and played great when it had to. Defensive end Auston English is having an All-American year, as is middle linebacker Curtis Lofton. Lofton is as dominating a middle linebacker as the Sooners have had in recent memory and should be a leading Butkus Award Candidate. The former Kingfisher Yellowjacket’s fumble return for a TD last Saturday evening was huge to say the least.
Have you noticed that big #93 Gerald McCoy is making more plays as the season rolls along? Perhaps wearing Lee Roy Selmon’s Sooner number is good luck after all for the redshirt freshman, who has big-play abilities at defensive tackle. McCoy could be due for his “breakthrough” game against ISU.
Which Sooner secondary will take the field Saturday? The athletically gifted bunch that can make plays or the group that seems to take mental siestas from time to time? Your guess is as good as mine, but if I’m Iowa State I am going to try and throw the football as often as possible.
Cyclone QB Bret Meyer may not be Chase Daniel, but Meyer has started 43 straight games for Iowa State and has lived to talk about it. Meyer getting a “hot hand” in front of the home crowd on national TV against a top 5 team is not something the Sooners need to allow to happen.
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Saturday’s keys to the game:
> The Sooners need to take the ISU crowd out of the game early.
> Oklahoma needs to have a balanced attack and especially be able to run the ball effectively and consistently. OU shouldn’t wait until the fourth quarter to begin running the ball like they mean it. The first series of the first quarter is a great place to start knocking people off the line of scrimmage.
> Set out to have a turnover free game and make that goal a reality.
> Get a special teams or defensive TD. Redshirt freshman Dominique Franks taking a punt to the house works for me.
> Hope that kicker Garrett Hartley rediscovers his “groove”. Hartley’s leg will be needed before this season’s journey concludes.
> Establish defensive superiority early with consecutive three and outs.
> Play a clean game with as few penalties as possible.
> Play smart.
> Leave Ames healthy and then enjoy the “bye week”.
> Eat more J.R.’s BBQ (oops)
> Continue to demonstrate class and have fun.
Yours truly will be flying to Des Moines late Friday night from Los Angeles, but come hell or high water I am not missing this game. Getting on four airplanes on Friday to be able to get to Ames (you can’t get there from here) is a small price to pay to watch Stoops' Troops get on a roll. This season continues to feel special and I can’t wait to experience some “Sooner Magic” in this must-win Big 12 Conference game.
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As always, you are invited to enjoy Sooner Football on our flat screen TV’s at J.R.’s Family BBQ in Norman located at I-35 and Main in front of the west side Wal-Mart. For catering or to go orders, simply call us at 360-4BBQ (4227). We sincerely appreciate your business.
BOOMER SOONER!
J.R.
www.jrsbarbq.com
