J.R.'s BBQ Sooner Pigksin Report

Business is about to pick up…..

Oklahoma's National Championship journey continues this week in dangerous, Lubbock, Texas against the mad scientist and Big 12 Football Officiating antagonist Tech Head Coach Mike Leach, who has no doubt psychologically rallied his troops at the cost of his 10K fine for blasting the officiating in last week’s UT-Tech contest and will have his Red Raiders totally believing that can upset the #3 ranked Sooners Saturday night on ABC.

Last week in a game I am sure that the OU defense would rather forget, the Sooners gave up 307 yards of offense to the Baylor Bears in the first half alone. The defense appeared to be confused at times and demonstrated a lack of communication, as Coach Bob Stoops discussed during the week. The Sooner “D” did not have one of their better days at the office, but let’s not forget that OU still won the Big 12 game by 31 points to run their record to 9-1.

A repeat performance, however, by the Sooner defense against a much better offensive team in the Red Raiders this Saturday night won’t have OU playing on January 7 in New Orleans.

Along the sideline last Saturday evening in Norman, one could tell that the Sooners were not taking the night off. And even though the defense had a challenging night, no one was phoning it in. Obviously, Baylor threw a few things at OU that they were not expecting, which resulted in some big plays for the Bears. But the silver lining in the dark cloud that has been hanging over the Oklahoma defense’s head throughout the week is that there was no lack of effort. One would have to assume that last week’s performance will serve as motivation for the defensive team not to mention that little thing of clinching the Big 12 South Title with a victory at Tech.

The OU coaches made some excellent, defensive adjustments at halftime against Baylor and the atmosphere along the sidelines was never negative, even when the Bears had their big plays in the first half. For me, that’s one of the most admirable traits of Bob Stoops’ staff is that they remain focused, positive, and they have the ability to succinctly but effectively communicate with their players, including taking offenders for a quick trip to the woodshed when necessary.

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Running back Demarco Murray seemingly has the “hot hand” and one has to assume that #7 may be on the field a little more against Tech than he was against Baylor. The playmaking redshirt freshman from Las Vegas is an amazingly gifted athlete, as any one can see, and now that Murray is up to around 205 pounds he is more physical and hasn’t lost any of his speed. ( I found out on a recent visit to J.R.’s Family BBQ in Norman from DeMarco himself that he never eats vegetables….how’s that for meaningless trivia?)

Whether or not Murray returns punts this Saturday, as has been discussed in the media this week, remains to be seen, but breaking in a new punt returner in a likely, windy, hostile environment in West Texas is risky business. Cleanly catching the football is the first step in a successful punt return, and the question is how well does Murray catch punts? As I understand it, Murray did not return punts in high school. With all that said, I expect to see Oklahomans’ Reggie Smith and Dominique Franks back returning punts in tandem as they were last week instead of the single returner.

Not unlike Colorado, Tech does not need to be gifted “hope” in the form of any turnover, especially a muffed punt in the red zone and specifically at home.

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Defensive tackle Adrian Taylor had an interception against Baylor after dropping back in coverage, and has been evolving into one of the future stars of this young team. Taylor’s interception ignited the Sooner bench. Big plays have a way of doing that. Against Baylor, we saw that Taylor is hugely athletic, can run, and that his emergence inside at DT is a boost for the Sooner defense while adding much needed quality depth for Coach Jackie Shipp.

Taylor’s emergence comes at a good time considering the injury to standout DE Auston English. English may play some against Tech, but how effective will the sackmaster be after having a steel rod inserted near his ankle this week? With English’s status in doubt, that means that perhaps that Gerald McCoy will see some action at times at defensive end during passing downs (I know, what downs for Tech are NOT passing downs?)

There is no doubt that the OU pass rush, especially up the middle via DeMarcus Granger and friends, is a key to this game as is consistently making Tech QB Graham Harrell as uncomfortable as possible.

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The Sooners' offensive line certainly had their moments against Baylor, and how could they not when the “O” racked up 52 points? However, the question could be asked is have we yet to see the highly touted O-Line play four full quarters of dominating football? This Saturday night would be the opportune time for the offensive line to establish their physical dominance from start to finish.

Smashmouth football seems to be the order of the day for OU at Tech, and the “big eaters” will be challenged to get it done. The offensive line has been getting plenty of “pats on the back” this season but my late father used to remind me that a “pat on the back” is only 18 inches away from a “kick in the pants”.

Arguably, the offensive line may well be the biggest key to the game Saturday night starting by protecting QB Sam Bradford, as they have done so magnificently this season, and imposing their will along the line of scrimmage to keep the Tech's high-octane offense sitting and allowing the Sooners to effectively run the football.

Channeling former OU O-Linemen Jamaal Brown and Davin Joseph wouldn’t be a bad thing for Coach James Patton’s big guys down in Lubbock either.

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Keys to the game:

*Sooner turnovers can be the kiss of death. OU playing a clean, smart game is imperative.

*Take the crowd out of the game early and keep them emotionally unattached. The tailgating in Lubbock has already started. This is Tech’s final home game of the year and it is against the #3 ranked team in America on national TV in a week where their coach has created an “us against the world” mentality. This game may actually be bigger for Tech in the big picture than the second tier bowl game they will likely play in later this year.

*OU must run the ball effectively. If the running game gets established, then the passing game works more efficiently. More of Manny Johnson and Jermaine Gresham may be on tap. And no, I haven’t forgotten OU’s #4 and #9, as they will have opportunities to make big plays as well.

*Rush the Red Raider quarterback, even if sacks don’t figure prominently into the equation. Graham Harrell cannot be allowed to see the field unobstructedly. Harrell is the #3 rated QB in passing efficiency in college football behind OU’s “Big Easy” who is #1 and Florida’s Tim Tebow #2.

*The secondary cannot allow Tech receivers like redshirt freshman Michael Crabtree, a Dallas native who would have looked good in crimson and cream in hindsight, and senior Michael Amendola to “run free”. Corralling Crabtree is going to be especially challenging for Oklahoma’s secondary. Tech’s offense is averaging 528 yards per game which is scary.

*The Sooners must tackle with certainty and in a foul mood. Missed tackles equal big plays for the other guys.

*Win all phases of the kicking game. OU covered kicks better last week highlighted by Ian Pleasant and Allen Patrick.

*Score and score a bunch. Tech can be slowed, but it’s highly unlikely that the Red Raiders won’t score 3-4 touchdowns at home. The Sooners most likely will need to score in the mid 30’s or more to get out of Lubbock with a smile on their faces.

*Sooner practices have gone well this week and the team is relatively healthy, albeit the usual bumps bruises and fatigue that comes with the territory this time of the year. The team openly speaks of “just winning” and not the endless list of “what if’s” that many of us often like to discuss.

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All the “what if’s” in the world will mean nothing if the Sooners lose to Texas Tech. OU has not played a complete, Big 12 game on the road this season. At Colorado, OU was heartbreakingly, self destructive. In Ames, the Sooners trailed Iowa State 7-0 at half time before winning 17-7.

The proverbial bottom line for this weekend is will the Sooners not self-destruct on the road and take one step closer to the Promised Land by getting out of Lubbock with a victory? The zebra-clad events of last Saturday in Austin have drawn Leach’s team closer together and the explosive Red Raiders have absolutely nothing to lose.

Will the OU defense play as they have in the past against Tech and be able to contain the Red Raiders offensively? Will the Sooners play with a renewed sense of urgency for all four quarters in hostile surroundings with a chance to clinch a trip to the Big 12 Title game on the line? Let’s remember that Tech led the Sooners in Norman last year at the half, and if Leach’s offense gets the hot hand things could get disturbingly ugly in Lubbock, much akin to the lat time the Sooners visited Jones AT&T Stadium.

I am a staunch believer of Bob Stoops’ Sooners and as sure as I love BBQ, I believe OU will win a dogfight down in Lubbock. But my instincts say it will be much closer than the “experts” think. OU by 8, but I will settle for 1.

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Come by and see us at J.R.’s Family BBQ in Norman at I-35 and Main for our slow, hickory smoked “Q”. And don’t forget about our convenient drive through that is available by calling 405-360-4BBQ (4227). We also have an awesome catering team for any occasion you may have. J.R.’s is open seven days a week at 11 a.m. Check out our website at www.jrsbarbq.com where we talk plenty of college football throughout the week.

BOOMER SOONER!

J.R.