May 23May 23 God damn they added 21 portal guys and those are the six best? That’s legitimately impressive, I started reading about the McNeese WR and was expecting them to say he put up 1300 yards and 10 touchdowns. 500 yards and 3 TDs at the FCS level? That’s a walk on level player. The likes of Baylor and Iowa State aren’t taking players like that. Insane.
May 23May 23 Oklahoma was the bully in the Big 12. None of those teams played them the same way they played against Texas, except for Patterson's and Briles' teams. The rest were all too happy to be the Sooners little buddy. At least the Big 8 schools had epochs of history informing their little brother status, Tech and aggy just happily went along with the first guy they saw that could stand up to big, bad Texas Oklahoma could mark out 8 or 9 wins the day the schedule came out every year, save for those years they rolled some dogshit QBs put there. In the SEC they have no mental advantage over anyone, except probably us and aggy if they ever play. Their only relevance in this conference is as a foil to Texas. They are Auburn now. If they spend big on the right QB they might pull of a miracle season here and there but they are now a blue blood on paper only
May 23May 23 On 5/21/2025 at 4:52 PM, statsman said: The Oklahoma media is trained. No one goes off the reservation
May 23May 23 Popular Post The irony here is so rich...the piece of shit school that owes every ounce of its football success to paying recruits is now literally going to lay employees off because they have to pay the players above board ....cry me a fucking river Q
May 23May 23 1 hour ago, Dennis Taylor said: The irony here is so rich...the piece of shit school that owes every ounce of its football success to paying recruits is now literally going to lay employees off because they have to pay the players above board ....cry me a fucking river Q
May 24May 24 Is Michigan's defense good enough to turn this into an ugly type game? They did well against Bama' in the bowl game and I'm assuming that was with a starting lineup that they'll be fielding this year with the opt outs. Can they consistently run in Venables' defense for 4-5 yards a carry?People on X were saying that 5 star qb didn’t look good in the spring game. Whatever his name is. But who knows.
May 24May 24 Deion Burks may be the best WR they have. Mateer will be a bust. I've seen some of his game film and the kid is ass against good defenses. Why OU thinks he's the next Baker Mayfield I don't understand (well, I kind of do because they're all mouth-breathing morons). If he starts for the RRS, our defense is going to have a field day with him. Honestly offense was putrid last season and this fall might be the worst offense in 30 years since John Blake. In the RRS, this season's could be worse! Defense will be on a down year after losing Stutsman, Bowman, Downs, Terry and Washington to graduation. Won't be surprised if we blow out the sooners again and I'm all for it.
May 25May 25 Yall keep sleeping on the Mercer Qb. 6’6 mother fuckers. He’s gonna let it spin and make it rain for a 135 a game watch
May 29May 29 Author Spoilered is an update on WRs Gibson and Gibson and confirmation, in indirect ways, that neither will be ready by game 1, and it could take awhile. Venables really is just room temperature IQ guy. I read his quotes, like those in this article, and see nothing but a mouthbreathing rube speaking in unsophisticated platitudes. The part where he talks about their rehabs being "right on schedule" is accidental comedy. Spoiler Oklahoma's wide receiver corps was decimated by injuries a year ago, as the Sooners simply couldn't catch a break on the injury front at that position. Now, as Oklahoma is 95 days out from its season open against Illinois State, Brent Venables provided an update on the status of two injured receivers that could bode well for the offense heading into a pivotal 2025 season. Speaking with reporters at the annual SEC spring meetings in Destin, Florida, Venables provided updates on wide receivers Jayden Gibson and Javonnie Gibson, both of whom are recovering from serious leg injuries. "Obviously, we've been separate from both of them, physically, for a few weeks, but (they're) right on schedule," Venables said. "I wouldn't say that they're ahead of schedule, if you will, and certainly they're not behind; no setbacks. So, again, looking for a return for both of them—if you went off the basic script of the injuries and how long it takes, (they could return) the beginning of the season, and when I say that, (I mean) to be fully healthy." That's positive news for an Oklahoma receiving corps that underwent a significant overhaul this offseason. The Sooners, who attempted to navigate injuries to each of their top-five receivers last season, saw six receivers — Nic Anderson, Jalil Farooq, Brenen Thompson, J.J. Hester, Andrel Anthony and Jaquaize Pettaway — transfer out of the program after the season. Oklahoma restocked the cupboard with five transfers (Javonnie Gibson, Isaiah Sategna, Keontez Lewis, Josiah Martin and Jer'Michael Carter) and a pair of 2025 signees in Manny Choice and Elijah Thomas, while also returning Deion Burks and Jayden Gibson, as well as 2024 signees Zion Kearney, Zion Ragins, Ivan Carreon and K.J. Daniels. That new-look group dealt with a couple of significant injuries to both Gibsons before and during spring practices, however. Jayden Gibson, who ruptured the patellar tendon in his knee during fall camp back in August, suffered a setback with his knee while running routes on air prior to the start of spring practices. He missed all of spring and was not spotted around the team during portions of practices that were open to the media. (Photo: NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK, USA TODAY Sports) When last healthy, during the 2023 season, Jayden Gibson caught 14 passes for 375 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 26.7 yards per receptions and establishing himself as one of the Sooners' best downfield threats. He was expected to see an increased role last season prior to his injury. If he can return to his prior form, he could bring that downfield ability to Oklahoma's retooled offense under new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle with quarterback John Mateer. Javonnie Gibson, who transferred to OU from Arkansas-Pine Bluff in December, was in the midst of a breakout spring—establishing himself as one of Oklahoma's best receivers, alongside Burks—before he sustained a broken leg in April. He underwent surgery a couple days later and missed the end of spring practices, though Venables expressed optimism that he could return for the start of the season. "What goes into that is training and individual drills, things of that nature during the course of fall camp," Venables said Tuesday. "(Then) getting into team settings and amping that up as you go along, with the idea of being ready for the beginning of the season in the first couple of weeks." Spoiler Oklahoma's wide receiver corps was decimated by injuries a year ago, as the Sooners simply couldn't catch a break on the injury front at that position. Now, as Oklahoma is 95 days out from its season open against Illinois State, Brent Venables provided an update on the status of two injured receivers that could bode well for the offense heading into a pivotal 2025 season. Speaking with reporters at the annual SEC spring meetings in Destin, Florida, Venables provided updates on wide receivers Jayden Gibson and Javonnie Gibson, both of whom are recovering from serious leg injuries. "Obviously, we've been separate from both of them, physically, for a few weeks, but (they're) right on schedule," Venables said. "I wouldn't say that they're ahead of schedule, if you will, and certainly they're not behind; no setbacks. So, again, looking for a return for both of them—if you went off the basic script of the injuries and how long it takes, (they could return) the beginning of the season, and when I say that, (I mean) to be fully healthy." That's positive news for an Oklahoma receiving corps that underwent a significant overhaul this offseason. The Sooners, who attempted to navigate injuries to each of their top-five receivers last season, saw six receivers — Nic Anderson, Jalil Farooq, Brenen Thompson, J.J. Hester, Andrel Anthony and Jaquaize Pettaway — transfer out of the program after the season. Oklahoma restocked the cupboard with five transfers (Javonnie Gibson, Isaiah Sategna, Keontez Lewis, Josiah Martin and Jer'Michael Carter) and a pair of 2025 signees in Manny Choice and Elijah Thomas, while also returning Deion Burks and Jayden Gibson, as well as 2024 signees Zion Kearney, Zion Ragins, Ivan Carreon and K.J. Daniels. That new-look group dealt with a couple of significant injuries to both Gibsons before and during spring practices, however. Jayden Gibson, who ruptured the patellar tendon in his knee during fall camp back in August, suffered a setback with his knee while running routes on air prior to the start of spring practices. He missed all of spring and was not spotted around the team during portions of practices that were open to the media. (Photo: NATHAN J. FISH/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK, USA TODAY Sports) When last healthy, during the 2023 season, Jayden Gibson caught 14 passes for 375 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 26.7 yards per receptions and establishing himself as one of the Sooners' best downfield threats. He was expected to see an increased role last season prior to his injury. If he can return to his prior form, he could bring that downfield ability to Oklahoma's retooled offense under new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle with quarterback John Mateer. Javonnie Gibson, who transferred to OU from Arkansas-Pine Bluff in December, was in the midst of a breakout spring—establishing himself as one of Oklahoma's best receivers, alongside Burks—before he sustained a broken leg in April. He underwent surgery a couple days later and missed the end of spring practices, though Venables expressed optimism that he could return for the start of the season. "What goes into that is training and individual drills, things of that nature during the course of fall camp," Venables said Tuesday. "(Then) getting into team settings and amping that up as you go along, with the idea of being ready for the beginning of the season in the first couple of weeks."
May 30May 30 1 hour ago, Lou_Sassle said: So when's the post about the defense going to drop? When Brent shits a helmet.
June 7Jun 7 6 hours ago, Jkwellborn said: Those fools got Make-a-Wish kids on the team now? red on the head like a dick on a dog. wait until that august temp and humidity gets him
June 7Jun 7 I genuinely don’t understand the medias offseason hype for this team. Their OLine is still ass, they have a converted LB as their starting TE, their WR unit is mediocre at best and injury prone, their defense as a whole is ok but vastly overrated by the fanbase. Their D-line is decent but I personally think their back half is average at best. Even if we accept Mateer being the 2nd coming despite going 8-4 with a Mountain west schedule, dude can’t block for himself and catch his own passes. Idk maybe it’s me
June 8Jun 8 5 hours ago, A’Dam Psycho said: I genuinely don’t understand the medias offseason hype for this team. Their OLine is still ass, they have a converted LB as their starting TE, their WR unit is mediocre at best and injury prone, their defense as a whole is ok but vastly overrated by the fanbase. Their D-line is decent but I personally think their back half is average at best. Even if we accept Mateer being the 2nd coming despite going 8-4 with a Mountain west schedule, dude can’t block for himself and catch his own passes. Idk maybe it’s me Bro it’s good Do you even SECSECSEC? They will blow out Auburn and Kent St and be ranked top 20 served on a platter for us.
June 8Jun 8 12 hours ago, A’Dam Psycho said: I genuinely don’t understand the medias offseason hype for this team. Their OLine is still ass, they have a converted LB as their starting TE, their WR unit is mediocre at best and injury prone, their defense as a whole is ok but vastly overrated by the fanbase. Their D-line is decent but I personally think their back half is average at best. Even if we accept Mateer being the 2nd coming despite going 8-4 with a Mountain west schedule, dude can’t block for himself and catch his own passes. Idk maybe it’s me McElroy ranked Mateer fucking second best QB of 2025. I think the Lincoln Riley shine up effect is still there with the national media. OU QB = automatic Caleb Williams, Kyler Murray, Baker Mayfield They conveniently forget Jackson Arnold ever happened.
June 8Jun 8 14 hours ago, A’Dam Psycho said: I genuinely don’t understand the medias offseason hype for this team. Their OLine is still ass, they have a converted LB as their starting TE, their WR unit is mediocre at best and injury prone, their defense as a whole is ok but vastly overrated by the fanbase. Their D-line is decent but I personally think their back half is average at best. Even if we accept Mateer being the 2nd coming despite going 8-4 with a Mountain west schedule, dude can’t block for himself and catch his own passes. Idk maybe it’s me You have seen that aggie is getting some top 10 nods by some of the moronic mediots right? FSU was considered a top 10 team and possible title contender at the start of last season. I'm pretty sure many of these folks have a dart board of helmet and better known programs and "scientifically" come up with their rankings. Don't over think it. Edited June 8Jun 8 by BurntEyes
June 8Jun 8 8 hours ago, Zeus said: Bro it’s good Do you even SECSECSEC? They will blow out Auburn and Kent St and be ranked top 20 served on a platter for us. Auburn is the SEC cockroach. With Baylor, Ball State and South Alabama prior they could be undefeated and I see them roaching ousux or aggie in their next 2. Note, I'm not saying War Eagle is any better than those teams, but I'm not sure they're demonstrably worse.
June 8Jun 8 On 6/6/2025 at 9:11 PM, cmontexas said: While it’s tempting to laugh at this, I’m still a little reluctant to be totally dismissive of the idea that this guy could be any good, because I’ve been around long enough to recall many of us mocking the K-State fan almost 20 years ago on HornFans who was hyping up this incredible white WR with blazing speed they had. We made Teddy Lehman jokes I think. Then Jordy Nelson had 100+ yards receiving and returned a punt for a TD and Texas got its ass kicked at home by KSt. I think we pretty unanimously gave that K-State guy props on HF after that for calling his shot, not much else to do.
June 8Jun 8 1 hour ago, Hank Chinaski said: While it’s tempting to laugh at this, I’m still a little reluctant to be totally dismissive of the idea that this guy could be any good, because I’ve been around long enough to recall many of us mocking the K-State fan almost 20 years ago on HornFans who was hyping up this incredible white WR with blazing speed they had. We made Teddy Lehman jokes I think. Then Jordy Nelson had 100+ yards receiving and returned a punt for a TD and Texas got its ass kicked at home by KSt. I think we pretty unanimously gave that K-State guy props on HF after that for calling his shot, not much else to do. That guy doesn't look anything like Jordy Nelson.
June 8Jun 8 On Venables, not a single media member outside of Texas has ever publicly mentioned sign stealing. Clemson did an outstanding job of burying it. I think Herbstreit sort of kind of hinted at it during a couple Clemson CFP games. It’s not and wasn’t against rules, so game on, but with radios in the helmets it’s all but neutralized Venables’ big advantage. They don’t have the roster on defense to beat elite teams straight up. Exotic blitzes and coverages won’t save them.
June 8Jun 8 45 minutes ago, billfromlaketravis said: On Venables, not a single media member outside of Texas has ever publicly mentioned sign stealing. Clemson did an outstanding job of burying it. I think Herbstreit sort of kind of hinted at it during a couple Clemson CFP games. It’s not and wasn’t against rules, so game on, but with radios in the helmets it’s all but neutralized Venables’ big advantage. They don’t have the roster on defense to beat elite teams straight up. Exotic blitzes and coverages won’t save them. The way Clemson, Michigan, etc were sign stealing was absolutely illegal.
June 8Jun 8 Ewers INT on our opening drive against the Sooners in 2023 was 100 percent the result of sign stealing
June 9Jun 9 4 hours ago, cmontexas said: Ewers INT on our opening drive against the Sooners in 2023 was 100 percent the result of sign stealing I've said this from the get go. Re watch the film. Every single OU player knew that call the second Q made it. They all pointed and reacted pre snap
June 9Jun 9 On 6/6/2025 at 8:11 PM, cmontexas said: I swear to god I thought this was that post where they let the kids with cancer play and everyone fake tackles for a TD
June 16Jun 16 Author Popular Post On the OU defense, in regard to their outlook for 2025 as of 6/16/25, here are my thoughts: Edge (Left side): LDE1 Marvin Jones JR (SR); LDE2 Danny Okoye (FR); LDE3 Nigel Smith JR (FR) – Jones JR was highly rated out of HS and everyone recruited him like he was his father. It turns out, he’s not on that level. He’s made disruptive plays when he actually makes a play, including 6.5 TFL and 4 sacks last season. Problem is, he takes a lot of plays off and spends a lot of time on the sideline. The next play he makes in the running game might be his first. Bo Davis really wanted Okoye, but his home-schooling mom was sold on the evils of Austin by Todd Bates and he’s now on the OU depth chart. The reporters seem to think OU is really high on the guy, so we’ll see. There is far less buzz about Smith compared to Okoye. DT: DT1 Jayden Jackson (Soph); DT2 Gracen Halton (SR); DT3 Trent Wilson (FR) – The duo of Jackson and Halton played really well last season and they’ll be part of the strength of the team in 2025. Jackson won the starter role as a true freshman and was a stalwart, but Halton actually put up better numbers as the other piece of the rotation. OU added another highly rated 4 star in Wilson, who might force his way into the rotation. NT: NT1 Damonic Williams (SR); NT2 David Stone (Soph); NT3 Markus Strong (Soph) – Bizarrely, Williams has garnered more press and praise than the two guys at DT combined. The guy is steady and has basically put up the same numbers all 3 years in college, two at TCU and 2024 in Norman. Those numbers average around 33 tackles a year, a couple of sacks and 3 TFLs. He’s tough to move in the middle, unless he’s pulling himself to sit on the sidelines. OU thought he was worth $500k when they landed him and blowhards here on Surly lambasted Texas and TOF for not just stepping in and blowing that offer out of the water. Turns out, no one besides OU thinks that dude is worth $500k, including in this cycle when Williams put out feelers. Stone tried to transfer to Miami for an allegedly absurd 3 year deal. Nagy panicked and ponied up even though the buzz from those with access to practices is that the guy is far more mouth than play. Strong is a JAG and it’s trouble for OU if that dude is playing. Edge (Right side): RDE1 R Mason Thomas (SR); RDE2 Adepoju Adebawore (JR); RDE3 Taylor Wein (Soph) – Thomas is probably the best player on the entire defense and a reason the strength of the team is the OU front 4. He put up 9 sacks and 12.5 TFLs in 2024, mostly out of nowhere. He was a nonentity versus Texas, but some of that can be attributed to him playing hurt in that game. He didn’t just beat up on also-ran teams and had big games against LSU and Bama. Adebawore is a former consensus 5 star who is currently fully busting at OU. Dude played limited minutes in garbage time last year. OU media continues to talk about the guy in the form of “when the light goes off”. Another highly ranked Venables special. Wein is sort of a OU harbinger of doom. If that guy is on the field, OU is likely in the process of being boat-raced. While Wein is from Tennessee, the dude has to have okie DNA: WLB: WLB1 Kip Lewis (JR); WLB2 Sammy Omosigho (JR); WLB3 Taylor Heim (Soph) – Lewis made two plays last year that many might remember, both pick sixes playing key roles in victories against Auburn and Alabama. Maybe Lewis really hates the state of Alabama. Otherwise, the guy has been the starter for most of the last 2 seasons and I don’t think even OU fans could pull this guy out of a lineup. 60+ tackles a year, a few TFLs and a sack, that’s what he’s giving you. Omosigho seemed like he was putting in more productive work with less time on the field, frankly. He had 5 TFLs last year while missing some games due to injury. Heim is the twin brother of Wein. If he’s out there, something has gone wrong for the dirt burglars. MLB: MLB1 Kobie McKinzie (JR); MLB2 James Nesta (FR); MLB3 Owen Heinecke (JR) – I hope McKenzie is really loving his time up in Norman while not collecting any NIL money, allegedly. He steps into the role vacated by Danny Stutsman, and by that I mean he’s going to be depended upon by Venables to cling to guys 6-10 yards downfield until they fall down. If he does that roughly 12 times a game, he’ll get lauded as an All American and wind up drafted in the 4th or 5th round. I know nothing about Nesta and Heinecke, other than they should go into business together running an auto repair shop after their mediocre careers come to an end. Heinecke is a one-time transfer from Ohio State who didn’t do anything there either. Cheetah: Cheetah1 Kendel Dolby (SR); Cheetah2 Kendal Daniels (SR) – This role is potentially one of the strengths of the OU team. Dolby was viewed as a potential standout for 2024 until going down to a bad leg injury against Tennessee. OU is optimistic about his full return to health. I do not believe that he worked out in the spring. Daniels is the transfer from Oklahoma State and was a solid Safety before noping the fuck out of there after the season closed with 9 straight losses. He was decorated as a FR and Soph before having just a decent season last year. “Cheetah” does a lot of the things a SS does, but also has OLB pass rushing responsibilities added to the list. I think, at least. The guys out there in this spot just usually look like OLB-sized guys that drop into a lot of coverage. LCB: LCB1 Eli Bowen (Soph); LCB2 Devon Jordon (Soph); LCB3 Courtland Guillory (FR); LCB4 Maliek Hawkins (FR) – Eli Bowen was a courtesy take in order to get older brother, Peyton, signed the year before. It turns out, Eli might wind being better than his brother. He’s short, but he plays CB really well. PFF graded him out as the 13th best CB, out of over 800, in run defense last season. His pass defense numbers weren’t terrible either, coming in around 100 out of over 800. If you need an analog, Malik Muhammad graded out at 305 out of 836 in pass defense and 508 out of 803 in run defense. The difference in denominators is that more CB measured saw a statistically relevant amount of pass than run plays. Anyway, the dude is pretty fucking good. He’s going to need to stay healthy, because they have no experience behind him. RCB: RCB1 Gentry Williams (JR); RCB2 Jacobe Johnson (JR); Jeremiah Newcombe (FR); RCB4 Tristan Haynes (FR) – OU mods love to talk up the idea of Gentry Williams coming back and having a big year on the other side of field from Bowen. GW was a highly ranked guy out of HS and had a good season in 2023, but he hurt his shoulder early in 2024 and never played again. I do not believe that he practiced this spring, either. Shoulder injuries can be a killer in football, so it will be interesting to see how it works out. OU has recruited well at CB, so if Williams can’t go, they have talent. Strong Safety: SS1 Peyton Bowen (JR); Jaydan Hardy (Soph); Kenny Powers III (Soph) – Peyton Bowen was supposed to be a star when he signed with OU as a borderline 5 star. As is the case with almost every other 5 star/high 4 star in the Venables Era, things have not gone according to plan for Bowen. He’s been plain as grits for 2 years, creating 2.5 TFLs, 1 sack, 1 FF and 0 INT in 2 years. Not exactly the disruptor he was forecasted to be. The guys behind him have almost zero experience, although Hardy actually does have an INT. The other dude potentially throws a mean fastball. Free Safety: FS1 Robert Spears-Jennings (SR); FS2 Michael Boganowski (Soph) – RSJ, as they refer to Spears-Jennings, is the counter in performance to that of Peyton Bowen. RSJ had 4 FFs, 1 INT, 66 tackles, 5 TFLs and 2.5 sacks in 2024. The dude can disrupt the flow of a game. I assume he’s going to be an All SEC candidate at the least. Boganowski has a future career in accounting or tax law. Funniest shit with that dude last year is that OU played him in a 5th game against Maine, thinking that because the opponent was an FCS program, the 4 games played redshirt rule would not be impacted. Whoops. Defensive Outlook and Coaching: While many pundits and OU honks are focused on hyping up the transfer QB and the returners on the OL, the strength of the OU team is still going to be the defense. The front 4 is going to be excellent. The LBs are going to be average. The CBs could be outstanding and one of the safeties is living up to the other safety’s potential. OU leaned on the defense in 2024 in order to win 6 games. Much of the talent returns and they’re going to be buoyed by an offense that isn’t completely inept. If OU does reach or beat 9-4 this year, the defensive performance will be at the heart of it. Venables is clearly the head of the defense and he’s a pretty damned good playcaller and gameplanner, even if he won’t able to rely on stealing every opponent’s signals in order to have a competitive advantage. Todd Bates is the DT coach with one million titles. He’s a great recruiter. I don’t think he’s as great a coach as many people cast him as when looking at the staff. Venables brought in his failed mentee from Clemson to coach OLBs this season. We can only hope that Venables lets him have plenty of input on the gameplans. The same holds true for Jay Valai, former Texas bum of a DB coach. Dude has 4 titles, indicating that Venables has promoted him a bunch to keep him for some reason. He was overtly taunting the Texas fans and then shittalking me from the OU bench at the end of the 2023 game. He’s a classless, talentless shitheel of a clown and I hope Texas is running it up this year when I’m seated near their bench again.
June 16Jun 16 Author On 5/29/2025 at 6:43 PM, Lou_Sassle said: So when's the post about the defense going to drop? Dropped.
June 17Jun 17 Great analysis / content. Is anyone else struggling to reconcile OU’s talent and projection with how poorly they played in Dallas last year? The PFF grades, stats, and eye test in other games clearly show a lot of talent on the DL, and arguably in the secondary. I also respect Venables’s defensive game planning and expect that to improve this year, even though he does look like a desiccated husk of a youth pastor. But man, they looked terrible in Red River and were lucky the score wasn’t worse. Even in the first few series where they played the best and had a great script, they survived some Ewers overthrows and pocket anxiety. And when the game was still in the balance in the second quarter, this statically amazing defense got shredded in the ground by our statistically mediocre running game. This is emphasized by that great shot of RSJ tripping and falling down when trying to tackle Wisner (Bowen was out of position and out of frame). On the team outlook, I would argue that you’re slightly understating the talent on the DL, and maybe even too optimistic on their LB core. The DL is what A&M wishes they had, although MJJr will be comically negative and take playing time away from better players. On the flip side, Stutsman did a lot for that defense in terms of getting the team organized and being in the right spot even if he did not make a play. Texas game aside, he didn’t take many false steps and allowed the rest of the defense to play faster. I think they’re really going to miss him this season.
June 17Jun 17 That’s a good explanation of the Sooner defense. I do fear that OU will be able to replicate their 2023 RRS performance. I remember listening to IT podcasts before, and discussions of how Texas was just demonstrably better (true), Gabriel wasn’t a threat to run (he had not been), and how OU didn’t run tempo (they had not). That RRS was OU’s first challenging game and they broke all those tendencies while playing with a maniacal fervor. Even then, Texas probably wins if Majors doesn’t get hurt in the first quarter. Or if a number of other breaks don’t go OU’s way. OU laid it all out there, glories and gloated in the win, and was unable to approach that level of play for the rest of the season, losing to OSU and KU. Still, the Okie fans were happy and enjoyed a full year of “Texas really isn’t any better than us”. I expect them to to treat this RRS similarly, but they have to play a decent Michigan team and a (perhaps) good Auburn team first. Auburn is a game they can’t look past, because the Venables regime may not be able to weather a loss at home to Jackson Arnold. Hopefully, Texas takes OU very seriously, too, and takes care of business. A final thought- OU’s schedule is backloaded, with @Bama, Ole Miss, LSU, Mizzou, @Tennessee and @S. Carolina following Texas. Expend too much at the RRS and they will have to pay later, much as they did in 2023. Edited June 17Jun 17 by statsman
June 17Jun 17 4 hours ago, Professor Chesney said: Great analysis / content. Is anyone else struggling to reconcile OU’s talent and projection with how poorly they played in Dallas last year? The PFF grades, stats, and eye test in other games clearly show a lot of talent on the DL, and arguably in the secondary. I also respect Venables’s defensive game planning and expect that to improve this year, even though he does look like a desiccated husk of a youth pastor. But man, they looked terrible in Red River and were lucky the score wasn’t worse. Even in the first few series where they played the best and had a great script, they survived some Ewers overthrows and pocket anxiety. And when the game was still in the balance in the second quarter, this statically amazing defense got shredded in the ground by our statistically mediocre running game. This is emphasized by that great shot of RSJ tripping and falling down when trying to tackle Wisner (Bowen was out of position and out of frame). On the team outlook, I would argue that you’re slightly understating the talent on the DL, and maybe even too optimistic on their LB core. The DL is what A&M wishes they had, although MJJr will be comically negative and take playing time away from better players. On the flip side, Stutsman did a lot for that defense in terms of getting the team organized and being in the right spot even if he did not make a play. Texas game aside, he didn’t take many false steps and allowed the rest of the defense to play faster. I think they’re really going to miss him this season. People put WAY too much value into the PFF grades and the use a great deal of conjecture when determining those grades.
June 17Jun 17 In broad strokes, OU's coaching staff has for the past 20+ years consistently had their players better prepared in the mental game aspects than Texas'. I won't even beat the horse skeleton that is Mack Brown. There is a huge mental aspect to the game and last year Quinn in particular came out shakey, but he wasn't alone. It was improved over 23 and I hope there is another step forward. It probably belongs in the Arch thread but my instincts tell me his competitor spirit flies in this game and I think it helps lead the team mindset. All that psychobabble to say, OUsux and I hope we curb stomp them again this year.
June 18Jun 18 9 hours ago, Professor Chesney said: Great analysis / content. Is anyone else struggling to reconcile OU’s talent and projection with how poorly they played in Dallas last year? The PFF grades, stats, and eye test in other games clearly show a lot of talent on the DL, and arguably in the secondary. I also respect Venables’s defensive game planning and expect that to improve this year, even though he does look like a desiccated husk of a youth pastor. But man, they looked terrible in Red River and were lucky the score wasn’t worse. Even in the first few series where they played the best and had a great script, they survived some Ewers overthrows and pocket anxiety. And when the game was still in the balance in the second quarter, this statically amazing defense got shredded in the ground by our statistically mediocre running game. This is emphasized by that great shot of RSJ tripping and falling down when trying to tackle Wisner (Bowen was out of position and out of frame). On the team outlook, I would argue that you’re slightly understating the talent on the DL, and maybe even too optimistic on their LB core. The DL is what A&M wishes they had, although MJJr will be comically negative and take playing time away from better players. On the flip side, Stutsman did a lot for that defense in terms of getting the team organized and being in the right spot even if he did not make a play. Texas game aside, he didn’t take many false steps and allowed the rest of the defense to play faster. I think they’re really going to miss him this season. I for one think the game would have been closer without Bolden's heroics. That broke their mental edge and the gates were busted.
June 19Jun 19 On 6/16/2025 at 5:55 PM, closetojumping said: I know nothing about Nesta He's old, but was a pretty good centerback. Not sure about taking on blocks.
June 19Jun 19 LOL. Adrian Peterson gets in a fight with a much smaller dude over a poker game ... and it looks to me like the dude gets the better of him.
June 19Jun 19 41 minutes ago, Hornius Emeritus said: LOL. Adrian Peterson gets in a fight with a much smaller dude over a poker game ... and it looks to me like the dude gets the better of him. Guess playing poker is Peterson strategy for paying off those debts.
June 19Jun 19 Is he at one of those “game rooms” in a strip mall? Looks like the spot next to Teotihuacan on West Belfort. What a dipshit.
June 19Jun 19 1 hour ago, Hornius Emeritus said: LOL. Adrian Peterson gets in a fight with a much smaller dude over a poker game ... and it looks to me like the dude gets the better of him. Adrian, it's much tougher than beating up a defenseless child, isn't it, you piece of shit.
June 19Jun 19 Bored so watching film. I know OU slurps heavy dick but why is everyone so sure we'll dominate them this year? That QB seems a legit dual threat. It will essentially be a brand new team to plan to stop. We all saw the breakdowns of Venables being Venables having tons of new disguised coverages against us. A lot hinges on the OU OL which as shitty as it looks on paper compared to previous years seems to have a great game against us most years. I think it will take a few more Sark victories for my 2023 ptsd to wear off..
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