SB Nation - Auston English

Q & A With Crimson And Cream Machine

Beergut — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:37:39 -0000

We preview our game with the Oklahoma Sooners by asking a few questions of Crimson and Cream Machine, SB Nation's excellent Oklahoma blog. Thanks to moderator ccmachine for his answers and insight into the Sooner program.

1. I thought after the 2005 season, Stoops would have learned his lesson, and y'all wouldn't have to go through a wholesale 'rebuild' season where you suffer a serious dropoff from previous seasons. Granted, you can't win the Big 12 every single year, and three in a row is a nice run, but do you have any thoughts on why Stoops & Staff weren't able to have adequate replacements ready to step up this season, particularly on the offensive line?

This seems to be more of a question of ignorance than anything else. What lesson was Stoops to learn from `05 that would have prepared him for the rash of injuries in `09? With yesterday’s injury to offensive lineman Jarvis Jones, making him doubtful for Saturday, the Sooners have now lost over half of their offensive unit to injury. What coach has a contingency plan for that?

Sam Bradford was the one who took most of the reps in preseason camp and this season was supposed to be spent prepping Landry Jones for next year. Instead Bradford is done and Jones has been thrown into the fire. The guy that was supposed to be behind Bradford transferred to Michigan State after losing out on the starting position which left just freshmen in the fold after Joey Halzle graduated last season. We knew the linemen wouldn’t be as good as last year but it also appears that not all 4-Star recruits are as good as advertised. That goes for receivers as well. Adron Tennell was a highly touted 4-Star guy coming out of high school. Now we know why he’s been riding the pine for his entire career.

2. Injuries have ravaged your team, with All-Americans Sam Bradford and Jermaine Gresham being lost for the season. Brody Eldridge and Auston English are now out for the season after the Nebraska game. Is it just bad luck this year, or do you think there is an issue on the S&C program that is leading to more injuries this year?

We call it the curse of Andre Ware! It has nothing to do with the strength and conditioning program. Bob Stoops has never suffered a rash of injuries like this and his strength and conditioning system has been in place since 1999.

3. All Aggies are familiar with DeMarco Murray, Chris Brown, and Ryan Broyles. We've watched Landry Jones attempt to replace Sam Bradford's production in the OU offense. Who is an offensive player we might not know about who could be a key contributor on Saturday?

DeJuan Miller (#24) has really come on lately. I have not idea why he didn’t play against Texas but since he entered into the starting lineup against Baylor the Red River Shootout is the only game where he didn’t receive a significant amount of playing time. He’s slowly moving his way up the ladder in receiving yards and earning the trust of Landry Jones as the second option at receiver.

4. Who is the A&M player you are most worried about on offense or defense?

On offense you can’t ignore what Jerrod Johnson is doing. He is quietly putting together the best season of any Big 12 quarterback by completing over 60% of his passes with a Big 12-best 21 touchdowns to just 4 interceptions.
Just as impressive on defense is Von Miller who leads the Big 12 in sacks with 15.5. He’ll be going up against a hodge-podge offensive line and will no doubt live in Oklahoma ’s backfield.

5. What does A&M need to do to pull the upset?

All they have to do is score more points. Yes, I realize that is a plain answer but its also a simple plan. The Aggies will struggle against Oklahoma ’s defense but conversely Oklahoma ’s offense is really hurting and may still struggle to score despite the Aggies being dead last in the Big 12 when it comes to scoring defense.

6. OU has been ridiculously tough at home under Bob Stoops. What do the Aggies need to do to take the crowd out of the game?

OU fans are already disgruntled with the offense so the longer the Aggies can keep Landry Jones and company at bay the more you’ll see and hear grumbling from within the stadium.

7. Score prediction.

OU’s offense is bad but A&M’s defense is worse. I like the Sooners 27-10.

Corn Flakes: NU's Offense- Just like a sick 2 year old!

JLew — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:37:46 -0000

Seems that my son CLew may have mono. Only in little kids it doesn't make them tired, just unable to go to school and have a high temp. The Sports Guy was right, having kids sucks, but you get just enough awesome moments to make it worth all the suck. That's kinda like NU's offense... New tagline- "Nebraska's Offense- Just like having a sick 2-year old!"

Lots more happening today-

Kansas vs Nebraska Tale of the Tape - Rock Chalk Talk
Kansas vs Nebraska Tale of the Tape. KU's offense looks way better but has been struggling the last few games

Life in the Red's Blog | West earns Blackshirt

Life in the Red's Blog | Three keys versus Kansas
Physical offensive play (I-Formation); Watch out for broken plays (Reesing to Meyer); No letdown (Texas Tech style)

Omaha.com - The Omaha World-Herald: Big Red Today - KU is flat without Sharp
KU also knows what it's like to lose their starting RB. But even with Sharp can KU run the ball?

For KU seniors, season is not what they hoped it would be - KansasCity.com
This really seemed to be KU's year. You have to wonder what they can do once this senior class is gone.

Can Nebraska become the new D-Line U? - Nebraska Football
BRN wonders if this may be coming. It does seem like this is how Bo wants to build the defense and the team.

The HeismanPundit.com Heisman Poll, 11/10
Ndamukong Suh comes in at #7. We all know he can't win it, but a top five finish would be good, eh? - CB

Life in the Red's Blog | Suh a Lott semifinalist
Almost forget this link, he's getting so many it's hard to keep track of them all.

What to watch in the Big 12, Week 11 - Big 12 - ESPN

4. Kansas redshirt freshman starting guard Trevor Marrongelli: He’ll get his second career start against Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. It will be a tall order against Suh, who had 12 tackles, three tackles for losses and 2.5 sacks last season against a blocker with far more experience for Kansas. Suh even added a rushing touchdown late in the game last year to punctuate his breakout game. His candidacy for the Outland Trophy, other individual awards and maybe even the Heisman Trophy might hit overdrive Saturday competing against such a novice opponent.

5. Which Nebraska quarterback emerges against Kansas? Cody Green struggled in five three-and-out possessions against Oklahoma before he was pulled by Bo Pelini. Zac Lee wasn’t much better, but the Cornhuskers moved the ball well enough to score 10 points with him in control to claim the gritty victory. Will Pelini go back to Lee after starting Green for the last two games? Or will he continue to start the more athletic Green, who should be able to run better against the less-imposing Kansas defense than against the Sooners. Whoever starts will be vital as the Cornhuskers attempt to claim their fourth straight conference road game for the first time since 1999-2000 and take another step to their first Big 12 North title since 2006.

Redshirt freshman vs Suh? I'd be excited but I assume that a double team will take care of him....

Big 12 predictions, Week 11 - Big 12 - ESPN
Nebraska 21, Kansas 16: Back in the summer, this was one of the most highly anticipated games of the conference for this season. Kansas’ recent four-game losing streak has diminished that excitement, but the Cornhuskers still need to win to keep their title hopes alive. Nebraska struggled offensively against Oklahoma, but likely won’t be tested as much in this game. Todd Reesing’s recent turnover binge has been the primary culprit in the Jayhawks’ recent skid, and they’ll be facing perhaps their toughest defensive challenge of that gauntlet when the Cornhuskers visit.

Huskers pick up juco tight end in wake of OU win
Not a big position of need, but when a player like this is available you take him. He has 3 years to play 3. DXP has been slacking and doesn't have anything up about him yet.

Nebraska nabs five commitments after impressive weekend win
We got a bunch of new recruits after Oklahoma....... Chase, Tobi, Jay, Joshua, and Jake. - CB

Griffin Earns Spot in ESPN Top Five
Kelsey Griffin was recognized as one of the nation's top five power forwards by ESPN.com.

Make a Wish Radio-Thon - CD 105.9 Classic Rock - KKCD-FM Omaha, Nebraska
No radio appearance for me this week as Steve King will be doing a show to raise money for Make A Wish Thursday/Friday. - CB

A Bad Season Gets Worse - Two More Major Injuries

Brody Eldridge and Auston English will be out for the season for OU. These are the 3rd and 4th starters that have had their seasons cut short, and the 8th and 9th starters that have been injured for the Sooners this season.

Playing Nebraska continues to take a toll on our opponents. We could put a list together on the number of players injured during or after our games.... someone want to volunteer? - CB

Boise State Broncos go public with athletic program, will sell stock shares to anyone, everyone

Boise State Broncos to sell shares of athletics program to the public. Are you in?

What do you guys think of this? Obviously.... a fundraising gimmick, but does it turn you off? or on? - CB

Janzen Jackson, Nu'Keese Richardson, Michael Edwards Arrested on Charges of Armed Robbery
Bad things happened in Tennessee. Armed Robbery? Wow..... that's about as stupid as you can get. eeesss eeeee cccccc!!! - CB

Mizzou Links, 11-10-09

Bill C. — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:46:03 -0000

No, I'm not linking to the "I quit you, Pinkel" column at the Maneater...when that dude grows up and actually learns something about how college football works, he's going to want to forget he wrote that, so I'll help him by further allowing it to disappear into the ether...

And we'll talk more about the "halftime adjustments" concept in the Baylor BTBS post later today...

Media Day Links

MUtigers.com: Official Release!
Blaine Gabbert threw for 468 yards and 2 TDs on the day, with the yardage total ranking as second-highest in MU single-game history – just 12 yards off the MU record of 480 set in 1992 at Oklahoma State by Jeff Handy. Gabbert’s main accomplice was Danario Alexander, who torched the Baylor defense for a career-high 13 catches for 214 yards, including a career-long 84-yard TD that helped stake Mizzou to a 27-16 halftime lead. Gabbert was 21-of-27 in the 1st half for 322 yards, and ended 30-of-51.

Alexander’s yardage total was the 4th-highest in MU single-game history, and it marked only the 5th 200-yard receiving game in Mizzou annals (the yardage record is 236, set twice by Justin Gage).

When Baylor was able to keep the ball out of Alexander’s hands, Jared Perry was the benefactor, as he got free for 7 catches for 145 yards of his own.

The 359 combined yards by the Alexander-Perry combo ranks as the most for a 1-2 duo in MU single-game history. That eclipsed the former mark of 314 yards set in 1992 (in the same Oklahoma State game where Jeff Handy set the single-game passing yardage mark) by Kenny Holly (15-158, 1 TD) and Victor Bailey (11-156).
MUtigers.com: Tigers Meet the Press
Lots of talk on Monday about in-game adjustments, especially with Yost and Gabbert. We'll touch on this topic more as the week continues, but here's how Pinkel addressed criticism of Missouri's halftime adjustments, or lack thereof: "I've always said this: If you’re waiting 'til halftime to make adjustments, you’re probably not a very good coach. We’re on headsets all the time. We’re talking to each other in-between every series. So, I’ve always said that’s very, very, very overrated. And I’ll stick with that."
Yost explained that making adjustments on the fly before and during a game are a never-ending process. He said Baylor played exactly the style of defense the coaches had expected and prepared for and made some very subtle adjustments in the second half that MU also expected and countered against. Yost also thoroughly explained his game-day routine from kickoff through halftime and up until the first kickoff of the second half. By the minute. And, like Pinkel, Yost faulted himself and said he needs to do a better job of game-planning and play-calling. He's exasperated with the second-half struggles and is trying to diagnose what's causing those breakdowns.
The Trib (Dave Matter): Tigers Meet the Press
The Missourian: Pinkel: Missouri football not waiting until halftime to make adjustments
PowerMizzou: Pinkel, Snyder break down the matchup
PowerMizzou: PMTV: Tigers answer the tough questions

Double-T Nation Daily Diatribe :: 11.10.09

Seth C — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:42:04 -0000

What's Cool and What's Not Cool: I'm working on a post (maybe tomorrow or Thursday) to let everyone know what you can and what you cannot use as far as subscription based material. I'll mention this later, but the basic rule is that if you're disclosing information straight from a subscription based service then you'd be doing me a favor in not posting it. If you can find information creatively or hear information on the radio or receive a text message then feel free to post.

Part of the reason I try to be so careful is that I'm merely an independent contractor with SBN, which means that although I have plenty of technical support, a tremendous platform to write, and I think the network would have my back on some issues, but should I get sued individually, I'm on my own. To get sued would be a stretch for this type of stuff and to be honest I have a good working relationship with the guys from RRS.com, but I'd really prefer not to have to hire an attorney and pay for a legal defense if it ever comes to that.

It's really about my own self-preservation more than anything else. DTN is a hobby in the purest sense of the word and I don't ever want to be involved in any sort of lawsuit for something that I consider fun. This is why it's just easier to delete stuff or constantly warn you guys about what I think is appropriate or not appropriate.

And last, but not least, one of the reasons I started DTN because I did not and still do not pay for any subscription. I wanted an outlet and I thought others might want an outlet too. The thing about information is that there will almost always be a first person to break the story, but in today's world, if the story is truly big, it's going to break much sooner than a few years ago. Personally, I'm willing to wait to find out the information for free. Sure, it would be great to know, but DTN has never broken any news and probably never will. If you're visiting DTN for breaking Texas Tech news and can't live without that information then you may want to join one of the services.

Starting QB a Super Secret: FWST's Dwain Price writes that head coach Mike Leach is being coy about who will start and play at quarterback this week:

"We’ll see how it is comes [today]," Leach said, when asked about having Sheffield back at practice this week. "It always is good to have more options. The more the merrier."

And Price talked with WR Alexander Torres who thinks that QB Steven Sheffield is still playing tentatively:

"I know Sheffield, his leg is still tentative," wide receiver Alex Torres said Monday. "I don’t know exactly the whole injury situation and what’s the deal with that, but right now I’m not too sure what [the starting quarterback spot is] going to look like."

Swinging Your Sword: LAJ's Don Williams and DT's Alex Ybarra both write about Captain Mike Leach's improvisation abilities in his appearance in Friday Night Lights (there's NewsChannel 11 video after the jump). Leach tried to improvise:

"It was kind of scripted and then it was kind of, ‘Well, here’s the scenario; do what you want,’ ’’ Leach said. "’Include this, this, this and this.’ Actually, in the original (filming), there’s stuff about Napoleon, Daniel Boone, grizzly bears, raccoons, a bunch of stuff. We covered a lot of bases, and they picked from what they wanted.’’

There's also the mention that Leach grabbed the burrito from the coach's hand, however, this did not make the cut. CB Jamar Wall said that Leach's speech to the coach in his truck lasted only 60 seconds, but the real deal can last for a while:

"We’ve definitely had that,’’ senior cornerback Jamar Wall said. "One meeting (this year), that’s all we did was talk about waving the sword one way or another. They just got a small taste of it. We got hours of it.’’

And Leach also talks about finding and testing your inner pirate:

"I think it’s always tested,’’ he said. "I think it’s tested in practice. I think it’s tested individually and team-wise. I think you’ve got to keep battling away. You don’t ever want there to be a level of resignation where (players think), ‘Oh well, that’s it.’

"If you don’t enjoy the battle, and if you don’t enjoy going from one point to the next, you’re kind of in the wrong business. Football’s just designed to have one obstacle after the next. That’s why it exists to begin with. There’s going to be ups and downs, but you’ve got to enjoy battling it every day, I think.’’

Many Love the Pirate: LAJ's Adam Zuvanich has a note book of sorts, but during yesterday's teleconference many coaches were asked about Leach's impact on the Big 12. Here's OU's Bob Stoops:

"I’m just excited for Mike," said Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops, who hired Leach to be his first offensive coordinator with the Sooners in 1999. "He has done a great job there with Tech, and he did a great job for us the first year he was here. I obviously felt he could be a head coach when I hired him, and that was my words to him: ‘If he did a good job at Oklahoma, he’d have the opportunity to be a head coach.’ But I didn’t know it would be the first year. He’s a done a great job, and all of us still keep in touch with Mike and we’re happy for him."

And Mizzou's Gary Pinkel:

"We certainly stole some ideas six, seven years ago to try to build my program here at Mizzou," Pinkel said. "… He’s a great football coach, and the proof is the consistency with how he wins."

Oklahoma St. Cowboy and Big 12 Links: The Tulsa World talks with head coach Mike Gundy about Texas Tech . . . Crimson and Cream Machine's dishingoutdimes on Auston English and Brody Eldridge being out for the rest of the year . . . NewsOK's John Helsley with an OSU notebook . . . NewsOK's Brandon Chatmon writes that Oklahoma St. defensive coordinator Bill Young has had success in holding the Texas Tech offense . . . Tulsa World's Dave Sittler also writes about Bill Young and his effect on the Cowboys . . . LAJ's Adam Zuvanich looks back at Texas Tech's last visit to Stillwater . . . DT's Adam Coleman on the 2009 version of the Big 12 not being as glamorous the 2008 version . . .

Honoring Veterans: The opening game between Texas Tech and South Dakota is going to be honoring this country's veterans and first responders. I'm sure that you guys are anxiously waiting on my preview for this game, but you'll have to wait until Friday. I know, I'm a sorry S.O.B.

Promised video:

A Bad Season Gets Worse - Two More Major Injuries

dishingoutdimes — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:40:19 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

Brody Eldridge, shown here, was one of the Sooners' best blockers. He gets added to a long list of injuries for OU. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

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Brody Eldridge, considered OU's best all-around blocker, and Auston English, a standout defensive end, are both out for the season according to Bob Stoops.

In a cruel twist of irony, Eldridge wound up with almost exactly the same injury as Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Sam Bradford. The Oklahoman explains:

Eldridge suffered an AC sprain to his shoulder, similar to the injury that eventually knocked quarterback Sam Bradford out for the year. Eldridge tried to come back and play with the injury in the third quarter but only lasted a series.

Auston English, meanwhile, ruptured a tendon in his ankle in the first quarter. He will undergo season ending surgery on Tuesday morning.

This makes 9 OU starters that have been injured on the year, and four that have had their seasons cut short.

You hate to make excuses for poor performance, but this is just getting absurd.

Revisiting the Oklahoma Sooners

Husker Mike — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:00:39 -0000

More photos » by Donna McWilliam - AP

Fear the Stache! (AP Photo/Donna McWilliam)

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We're resurfacing the preseason preview of the Oklahoma Sooners. The biggest change is that both Sam Bradford and Jermaine Gresham are out for the season with injuries. Think that had an impact on the Sooners? Well, they've lost three games this season ... by a total of five frickin' points. So even with Landry Jones ("Fear the Stache!") now at the helm, the Sooners are still a potent bunch. Invincible, obviously not.

The offensive line has struggled, leading to reduced production from DeMarco Murray and the shoulder injury to Bradford. The inexperience at receiver is starting to settle out, but Kansas State scoring 30 last week probably raises some eyebrows.

So what did we say back in the heat of summertime about the Sooners? While the Sooners aren't as potent as last season, I think the poll results probably still would hold.

Under Bob Stoops, Oklahoma has established themselves as the dominant team in the Big XII conference in this decade, with six conference championships in the last nine years. Yes, Texas got a national championship this decade as well, and the Sooners haven't done so well in bowl games, losing the last five BCS bowl games.

Losing those games hurts, no doubt...but any Sooner fan would take the 2000's over the 1990's, when the Sooners stumbled and bumbled and nearly became irrelevent.

Last season seemed like another Stoops-era team. Won the Big XII championship game, then lost to Florida 24-14 in the BCS Championship Game. From that squad, 14 starters return, ensuring that once again, the Sooners will be challenging for Big XII superiority once again.

Offensively, it all starts with quarterback Sam Bradford, who took home the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore last season. Completed nearly 68% of his passes for 50 (yes, FIFTY) touchdowns and only eight interceptions. He set an NCAA record for pass efficiency at 180.8. In summary: he's good. Especially at home ... or at least within the state of Oklahoma, where he's undefeated in his college career.

Junior DeMarco Murray and senior Chris Brown represent the best running back tandem in the Big XII conference. Murray was all-Big XII last season...yet Brown outgained him in yards: 1220 for Brown versus 1002 yards for Murray. (Murray's season ended due to a knee injury suffered on the opening kickoff of the Big XII Championship game, allowing Brown to pass Murray up.)

Graduation hit the rest of the Sooners offense hard; gone are wide receivers Juaquin Iglesias and Manuel Johnson. Sophomore Ryan Broyles enters 2009 as the leading candidate to start; he set an OU record for freshman receiving yards. Broyles lit up Cincinnati for 141 yards and finished the season as the Sooners #3 receiver. Senior all-Big XII tight end Jermaine Gresham will be Bradford's favorite target. The 6'6" 261 freak is simply too fast for linebackers to cover and too big for the secondary to bring down. Defensive coordinators will lose a lot of hair trying to figure out what to do with Gresham.

Up front, the Sooners lose four of five offensive linemen, only returning senior all-Big XII left tackle Trent Williams. Three of the departing starters (Phil Loadholt, Duke Robinson, and Jon Cooper) were all-Big XII in 2008. The anticipated replacements were all highly regarded recruits, but are generally light on experience with the exception of senior left guard Brian Simmons, who played in every game and started twice in 2008. We'll find out in 2009 just how much of Bradford's numbers in 2008 can be attributed to the fortress protecting him up front.

On defense, the Sooners are absolutely loaded. On the defensive line, junior all-Big XII defensive end Jeremy Beal, junior all-American defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, and senior all-Big XII (in 2007) defensive end Auston English all return. English sprained his knee against the Huskers last season, causing him to miss the next three games and relegating him to merely honorable mention all-conference in 2008. Junior defensive tackle Adrian Taylor started all 14 games last season to round out the defensive line.

Depth at linebacker is much the same story. Last year's Big XII Defensive freshman of the year and all-Big XII in 2008, sophomore Travis Lewis returns, as does senior Keenan Clayton, who was honorable mention all-Big XII last season. The heart of the defense, senior middle linebacker Ryan Reynolds returns after suffering a torn ACL in the Texas game. The Sooner defense never seemed to recover from the loss of Reynolds last season.

In the secondary, both senior cornerbacks Brian Jackson and Dominque Franks return. Franks, a second-team all-Big XII selection last season, jumped on the wide receiver screen pass from Joe Ganz to Nate Swift and easily scored on the pick-six before anybody in Husker gear realized what had happened. The Sooners will need to break in new safeties to replace all-Big XII Nic Harris and Lendy Holmes. Most teams would kill to only have those question marks going into the season.

Last year's Sooner defense forced three turnovers on Nebraska's first five offensive plays to jump to a 28-0 lead barely six minutes into the game. With almost all of that defense returning in 2009, it's going to make it even more difficult to pull off an upset in Lincoln. While Nebraska's defense looks to be able to match up better with the Sooner offense this season, the Husker offense is going to need to progress rapidly to get Nebraska into the game against this group of Sooners. Pulling off that upset is going to be quite the challenge.

Poll

What's your prediction when the Husker/Sooner Rivalry resumes in November?

Remember how Arizona State paid NU back in 1996? Nebraska shocks the world with a huge win.

24 votes

Nebraska pulls out a close win in another classic

61 votes

22%

Sooner Magic bites the Huskers again, and the Sooners break Husker hearts in a squeaker.

146 votes

64%

It'll take longer than 6 minutes this year, but it's still another Sooner blowout.

426 votes

657 votes | Poll has closed

Snap Shots: The Monroe Series

GhostofBigRoy — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:11:11 -0000

More photos » by Harry Cabluck - AP

Get this man the ball. Now. (AP Photo/Harry Cabluck)

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The Big Picture

Pretty much everyone in Longhorn Nation lambasted the coaching staff for the running performance put on against Colorado. It was terrible. During the week leading up to the Oklahoma game, Mack Brown apparently had to bite his tongue to keep from informing the big mean media that he and Greg Davis did indeed have some new wrinkles saved for the Sooners.

Over at BC, LonghornScott correctly pointed out the flaws of having one package that isn't working and trying to fix it with another separate, completely different package -- it's a somewhat simplified summary of the post, but enough for the purposes here. It's a valid point, and certainly one that Davis would be well served to understand better, but there is something to be said for series-based football. For example, the three plays Dan Lee ran at Arkansas in the Wildcat formation qualify as a series of plays that generally look similar, but can catch the defense overpursuing in anticipation of one play, in this case the stealer, then take advantage of that overpursuit by running the play in the series that punishes the defense for that decision -- the power. Once the defense adjusts to that play and takes it away, then the third play comes in, in this case the counter. In other words, series-based football.

Instead of using that series-based approach with the WildHorn (it was not used against Missouri), which probably would have kept it from dying, Davis decided to use it for another set of complementary plays -- what I've chosen to call the Monroe Series. After Monroe played well enough to earn the inaugural, but yet-unnamed Flavor of the Week award for the Louisiana-Monroe game, one of the first things I wanted to see with him was the jet sweep, putting him in motion across the formation to take the hand off -- it doesn't exactly take a football genius to figure out that it's better to get him the ball at speed rather than standing still, even if he does have elite acceleration. Davis finally answered that call with the Monroe Series.

The Context

Before Davis completely abandoned the run in the first half of the Oklahoma game, he sought to gain some momentum for the Longhorns by breaking out several running plays Texas had not shown to that point in the season. For instance, the first play from scrimmage was a draw play to Fozzy Whittaker that picked up 16 yards. On the second series, after knocking out Sam Bradford and forcing a three and out by the Sooners, Davis unveiled another new play, but this one was different -- it had other complementary plays along with it, a series if you will.

Stealer

The play the Longhorns run is not exactly like the stealer run by Dan Lee because the original stealer had a pulling guard from the backside attempting to lay a block in front of the runner. In some ways, the design the Longhorns use is more effective, because judging from the plays included in the instructional video, it was extremely difficult for that pulling guard to ever get in front of the running back to actually throw a block -- think about, a guard is trying to catch up with a running back who already has a head start.

Instead, the Longhorns use Fozzy Whittaker, or Tre' Newton when the Longhorns ran the play with Garrett Gilbert at quarterback late in the MIssouri game, as the lead blocker on the play. The blocking scheme is the same as the speed option play -- the offensive line blocks down the line of scrimmage in the direction of the play, while the running back heads into the playside flat to block the first player he comes across, in this case the nickel back lined up over Malcolm Williams. Notice that both of the OU linebackers line up well inside the tackle box.

Kyle Hix has a tough task in this play -- Jeremy Beal lines up well outside the left shoulder of Hix, forcing him to cut Beal. Since Beal is a badass, he doesn't allow that to happen, forcing Monroe to take a wider angle to get around him. Fortunately, since Monroe is ridiculously fast, Beal never really has a chance to tackle him, but he does allow his teammates an extra step or two in pursuit of the Longhorn ballcarrier, far from insignificant with Monroe. If Hix can get a good block on Beal, Monroe turns the corner much more quickly and has a ton of open field in front of him. Notice also that Whittaker is about to take an the OU nickel back.

Whittaker also cuts the OU defender, with a slightly higher level of success, while Monroe, now seven yards behind the line of scrimmage, avoids Beal.

Now by Beal, Monroe can finally turn upfield with the football, while the nickel back has to regain his balance after hurdling Fozzy. Notice the other highlighted OU defender taking a terrible angle on Monroe. In fact, one of the foremost reasons for putting Monroe on the field is on obvious one -- his elite speed changes the geometry of the game. In other words, he can blow angles up.

Since Beal forced Monroe to take such a wide angle approaching the line of scrimmage, the pursuit catches up with him only a yard or two downfield. Had the timing of the play been more optimal, the excellent downfield blocking by Williams and Shipley might have led to a big play. Instead, they allow Monroe to gain a little bit of extra yardage.

After his speed, the most endearing aspect of Monroe is how hard he fights for extra yardage at his size. Instead of meekly going out of bounds after picking up only two or three yards, Monroe manages to pick up six yards on the play -- an excellent gain on first down that easily could have resulted in more yardage.

The Verdict

The good news is that this play provides some evidence that Davis is not a complete idiot. Putting Monroe in motion is an obvious move, but it's also a smart one and it pays dividends on the first play, even though Kyle Hix fails to execute his block. Keep running it, GD, it's hard to stop!

Running Back Counter

This is where Davis doesn't quite understand series-based football, even though it's pretty simple -- on the next play, instead of running stealer until the Oklahoma defense adjusts and takes the play away, difficult because of Monroe's pure speed, Davis dials up the counter to stealer, the running back counter:

The Longhorns stay with the same personnel in the same formation and the play starts out looking like stealer, with Monroe coming in motion across the formation. Notice that Oklahoma stands up the defense end on the opposite side of the field from Monroe to make it even more difficult for the left tackle, Adam Ulatoski, the cut the defensive end, Auston English. Perhaps Davis doesn't trust Ulatoski with that assignment running the stealer, so both Charlie Tanner and Chris Hall pull on this play. Notice that EBS has the assignment of blocking Jeremy Beal this time.

Here's another example of why Davis fails by calling the running back counter here. Perhaps the linebackers read their keys well -- the movement of the offensive lineman -- but the point here is that they don't flow to the play or take any bad steps in the direction of Monroe coming in motion, indicating that stealer should work again. Notice also that Kyle Hix is matched up with Gerald McCoy on the play -- so far so good, but there's a problem developing, as Hix allows McCoy to get into his body.

Once again, Hix allows penetration into the backfield, as McCoy quickly sheds the Longhorn offensive lineman, and, once again, the running back must take a wider angle, allowing more time for the pursuit and forcing the the blockers to hold their blocks for a difficult extra split second. Notice that EBS hasn't allowed Beal to get into his body and is holding the block well, except for the fact that he hasn't managed to seal him inside, a difficult task considering the opponent.

Whittaker avoids McCoy and finally has a chance to start heading upfield and into the boundary on the short side of the field. Notice that Beal is about to shed EBS, who can't hold his block for the extra split second needed as a result of Hix allowing such quick penetration by McCoy. However, the play still has a chance for success if Hall and Huey can make their blocks in space. Notice that Hall could have stopped to chip Beal, but instead heads for the pursuing defensive back. Or does he?

Beal has now completely disengaged from EBS, creating a fair amount of separation. Huey is still locked in on his target, while Hall inexplicably overruns the play, failing to put himself in a position to block either Beal or the defensive back.

In the realm of positives, Huey gets a good cut block on the defensive back. Back in the realm of Texas offensive line realities, Hall has now completely run himself out of the play without having even gotten in anyone's way. To be fair, it's difficult for a lot of offensive lineman to block in space, but this is just not good enough. Beal is now locked in on Fozzy.

Does the Mythical Fozzy Creature like contact or will he meekly head out of bounds, short of the first down?

Instead of laying out, which puts him in little danger because the defenders aren't close enough to pick a big hit on him anyway, Whittaker opts to go meekly out of bounds short of the first down.

The Verdict

But it's 3rd and 1, any good offense should be able to pick that up, right? Wrong, not when Greg Davis infamously calls for an empty set and has every receiver run a route of less than five yards, culminating in McCoy throwing an incomplete pass to Shipley after Brian Jackson grabbed his jersey. Fail. Thanks Fozzy.

As mentioned earlier, Davis clearly doesn't quite get series-based football, as he should have run stealer until Oklahoma stopped it -- that's how series-based football works. Sometimes an offensive coordinator has to sacrifice one play in order to hit a big play on the next. However, even though it wasn't the optimal time to call for the running back counter, it still would have picked up a first down if Hall could have thrown a block on someone, if Hix could have held his block on McCoy for a split second more, of if Fozzy had simply laid out for the first down. Monroe would have.

Quarterback Counter

As much as Davis failed in going to the first counter too soon, he makes an excellent play call in the second quarter after completely abandoning the run for much of the first half. It's the third play in the series, the quarterback counter:

It's the same personnel, the same formation as the previous two plays (with the exception of Kirkendoll in at wide receiver instead of Malcolm Williams), with Monroe coming in motion across the formation to the wide side of the field. It also has an extra misdirection built in -- McCoy will fake the running back counter to Whittaker before taking the ball himself behind the two pulling linemen, the left tackle Ulatoski and the left guard Tanner. Notice that OU now has greater separation between their linebackers, with one farther off the line of scrimmage on the short side and the other now almost outside the tackle box to deal with Monroe's speed to the outside.

The OU defenders get a little bit undsiciplined on this play -- both the nickel back and Ryan Reynolds key on Monroe, attempting to stop stealer. On the other side of the field, Travis Lewis isn't quite as undisciplined, as he only takes a little hop forward to deal with Whittaker, while the cornerback on that side of the field and English both also key on Whittaker. Instead of watching their keys -- the movement of the offensive linemen, they get caught up in both fakes.

EBS has the toughest job on this play. Though Chris Hall tries to cut Gerald McCoy, it's a long way for the center to go to block such a good defensive tackle -- he has little chance. After taking a step or two to his left, Smith must now block the dangerous McCoy for the play to succeed. Smith gets a good seal on McCoy and even helps out Michael Huey behind him by getting in the way of the other defensive tackle attempting to get into the backfield -- Huey has allowed the defender to get across his body. The play has set up extremely well to this point, as the nickel back takes himself out of the play by following Monroe, while Tanner and James Kirkendoll are both set up to make their blocks and Ulatoski heads into the open field with no one currently in the picture to block -- that's a good thing.

Ulatoski makes a good decision to help Tanner the linebacker, Reynolds, while Hix gets an excellent seal on English inside, allowing a big running lane for McCoy to head through.

Ulatoski's footwork could have been a bit better to seal Reynolds and keep the running lane open longer, but he still does a good enough job to allow McCoy to eventually pick up 12 yards on first down.

The Verdict

Had Davis called either stealer or the running back counter, OU probably had them well defended with several offensive possessions to talk about adjustments to the first two plays. Instead, Davs dailed up the counter to the first two plays and picked up 12 yards on first down, giving the Longhorns an excellent start to a drive on which they would eventually kick a field goal, an important three points in a game decided by that margin. It's also important to note that the Longhorn offensive line executed this play to near perfection, much better than some individually poor efforts that limited the first two plays. Yay, execution!

Stealer, Redux

Of course, these plays don't mean much if Davis isn't willing to call them again or if defenses make adjustments to take them away. Yet, that's the beauty of series-based football -- the defense should always be wrong. Here's another look at stealer, this time run with different personnel against Missouri:

It's the same play run against Oklahoma, except with Gilbert as the quarterback, Newton at running back, and Howard at tight end, with Williams and Kirkendoll as the blockers. However, the most important player here, Monroe, stays the same. Notice that the only real adjustment Missouri makes versus what Oklahoma did is to walk up a safety behind the outside linebacker covering slot, while keeping two linebackers well inside the tackle box and at the same depth, unlike OU defended the quarterback counter.

A Missouri defender slices through a gap against the second-team Longhorn offensive line, but, like the first stealer play, Monroe just takes a wider angle while using his speed to beat keep his opponent from having a chance to tackle him. Notice the unblocked Mike linebacker running down the line of scrimmage in pursuit. The question then, is that a good enough angle?

Newton throws a nice block on the outside linebacker, while the MIke backer heads right towards that pile -- that probably won't be good enough, son. Monroe sees the running lane to the outside.

The Mike backer did indeed take a poor angle on the play and has no chance at a tackle. Notice that both Kirkendoll and Williams are throwing good blocks downfield, allowing Monroe to still have a nice running lane to pick up more yardage after turning the corner.

Both defenders eventually get off the blocks of Kirkendoll and Williams, who both do a good job of not getting a holding call on the play, and have a chance to tackle Monroe, who can go down with a nice gain or do what he normally does -- keep fighting for as much yardage as possible.

Monroe does not go down easily, picking up another five yards in the process and turning a seven-yard gain into a nice 12-yard gain.

The Verdict

The beauty of the stealer play is that the offensive line doesn't really even have to block that well for it to work -- the important blocks are by the running back and the receivers outside. An offensive lineman allowed serious penetration on the play, but Monroe's speed kept that defender from being able to make the play. This play also illustrates, once again, just how often Monroe can blow up the angle of a defender and how well he does at his size making himself difficult to bring down -- there's some power in that small frame. The bottom line -- this play seems to be good for at least five yards a carry.

The Takeaway

The three main Wildcat plays made me a believer in series-based football and the early succes of this group of three plays -- the Monroe Series -- confirms that belief. Even though this package doesn't represent a serious leap forward for Davis in being able to put together a coherent offense that includes a more systemic approach, that really doesn't matter here.

What matters is that the Monroe series can significantly help the running game and gives the ball to one of the two most explosive offensive players on the team -- that's good, especially since Mack Brown talks all the time about how difficult it is to get carries for more than about two running backs. Even though it appears that those two backs are Fozzy Whittaker and Cody Johnson, this package still allows Monroe an opportunity to touch the ball. Davis should run these plays up to about 10 times per game -- once again, the beauty of series-based football is that as long as the offensive coordinator can correctly see how the defense is defending each play, the defense should always be wrong.

To make sure the defense is always wrong, Davis could make one important adjustment to increase the effectiveness of the plays. Instead of calling the play before the defense lines up, Texas could look back to the sideline after the defense shows their coverage to get the play. If a team overloads the wide side of the field or separates their linebackers in the box significantly, as Oklahoma did on the quarterback counter, Davis can get the offense into the proper play. A similar solution is to allow McCoy the ability to call the play at the line of scrimmage and it's possible that Davis already does give him that freedom, though it's impossible to tell.

It's worth noting that defenses continue to play this formation with two safeties deep, concerned about the pass. If defenses do begin adjusting, the Longhorns need to have two or three passing plays out of the formation, either keeping Monroe as the split end in the formation or having him run a route after coming in motion -- a wheel route would work well, a play the Longhorns have only tried to hit with Monroe once this season, against Oklahoma. Basically, the idea is to add another constraint play by passing the ball to keep that extra eight defender out of the box or close to the line of scrimmage on the wide side of the field. Texas has now had two full weeks to put in those passing plays, so they have had plenty of time for installation if they need those plays this weekend against Oklahoma State.

The other adjustment is less likely, but could allow the Longhorns more flexibility in the formation. By using Marquise Goodwin as the motion man in the formation, Texas could run all the same passing plays they normally do with Goodwin at split end, a position he played for several snaps against Missouri, while putting Monroe at running back, a player who can more quickly take the edge on the running back counter than Whittaker, critical since there is so little space on the short side of the field. The only downside is that Monroe would be responsible for blitz pick up on the throwing play and would also have to block on stealer. However, given his ability to pick up extra yardage, it's not inconceivable that he could cut a defender about as well as Whittaker and picking up the blitz isn't a problem until the Longhorns actually decide to throw out of the formation. Obviously, putting Goodwin and Monroe on the field at the same time for the Monroe Series is a long shot, but it does get the two fastest players on the team on the field in a formation other than the empty set.

Oklahoma 35/Kansas 13 – Post Game Reaction Thread

ccmachine — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 01:51:03 -0000

More photos » by Orlin Wagner - AP

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The Sooners won their sixth consecutive game over Kansas in football by holding the Jayhawks to nearly 200 yards below their season average. Landry Jones completed 26 of his 38 passes for 252 yards with two touchdowns. Unfortunately he'll be credited for an interception as well although we know that the blame for that belongs to Cameron Kenny who was benched once again.

Stats That Stand Out

Ryan Broyles                - 11 receptions, 121 yards.

Adron Tennell               - 6 receptions, 47 yards, 1 touchdown

Chris Brown                 - 22 carries, 78 yards, 2 touchdowns

Travis Lewis                 - 12 tackles, 1 tackles for loss

Auston English - 9 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss

Jonathan Nelson           - 9 tackles

Interesting Notes

It looks like Jimmy Stevens has been benched yielding to Tress Way.

Brody Eldridge started again on the offensive line. I think that he'll be there the rest of the season.

Tavaris Jerrries is suspended and didn't make the trip to Kansas.

Unfortunately for Oklahoma, today's win still has them on the outside looking in when it comes to the Big 12 Championship. The good news is that with fives games left in the season there is still time for something to happen. OU needs a lot of help still and playing the way they did today there isn't a game left that they can't win. Oklahoma State/Texas is a crucial game for us next week as one of them will be dropped from the ranks of the unbeaten in conference play and gives the Sooners the opportunity to at least move into a tie for second in the South.

The State of Oklahoma: OU Travels to Miami

TheElusiveShadow — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:00:20 -0000

More photos » by Steve Helber - AP

Jacory Harris would like to forget last Saturday.

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I've been thinking lately that people should start competitions on accurately predicting the Top 25 before the season, similar to how we do NCAA brackets for the March basketball tournament. As last weekend showed, nobody really knows anything. Texas, Florida, and Alabama cruised, but everyone under them went for a wild ride on a wooden raft. Some survived that ride, and others, well, went under. We'll see if they resurface anytime soon.

One of the teams that went down was the Miami Hurricanes, riding high after two impressive wins over Florida State and Georgia Tech. They were #9 Saturday morning, with some arguing they had the best resume through the first three weeks. By Sunday, they had plummeted to #21 in the Coaches Poll and #17 in the AP. Unlike other ranked teams, they did not lose to an unranked foe, with Virginia Tech coming into the game at #11. However, nobody expected the whipping the Hokies gave them, scoring the first 21 points and ultimately finishing with a 24-point victory. While it is possible for Miami to win the rest of their games, the margin by which they lost probably cost them any chance at a national title. Ouch.

Oklahoma, on the other hand, moved right on up the polls... by resting. They probably watched the carnage on TV and stuck their middle fingers out at all the analysts who made fun of them for falling against BYU. Make no mistake, the Sooners are now very much alive, and winning this weekend at Coral Gables may vault them back into the Top 5 if teams ahead of them falter again. The stakes this game are still high, and may even be higher (arguably) than if both teams came in undefeated. If Oklahoma loses one more, they are done as national title contenders. If Miami drops this one at home, they more or less fall off the radar. With the Horns off this week, this would be a good game on which to focus your attention.

Last Week's Fun

While Oklahoma was chilling, Miami was busy crapping the bed against Virginia Tech. I won't spend much time talking about the game; needless to say, despite their assurances to the contrary, the 'Canes were NOT ready for the weather and let turnovers kill them. In fact, the folks over at Gobbler Country seem to think the rain was the player of the game, so to speak. Of course, it didn't help that the Hokies dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and hammered Miami with Ryan Williams. Oh, and they blocked a punt for a TD, too.

To get an idea what Pouring Rain + Good Pressure does to an offense not prepared for it, let's take a brief look at Miami's high and mighty offense. Before this game, the Hurricanes averaged 465 yards of total offense at 7.27 yards per play. Jacory Harris averaged 328 yards per game at 11.12 yards per attempt, completed 69.5% of his passes including a 20-25 performance against Georgia Tech, and threw for 5 touchdowns to 2 interceptions to earn a passer rating of 184.07. In the pouring rain against V-tech, with his trusty receivers having a bad case of the butterfingers, Harris was an abysmal 9/20 for 150 yards and one interception and a passer rating of 78.4. While Graig Cooper had a decent day running the ball, the 'Canes as a team averaged a terrible 1.74 ypc on the ground after averaging 4.7 against Georgia Tech. Other than their one scoring drive right after halftime, which was the result of a shorter field due to a good kickoff return, Miami was frighteningly bad on offense, gaining an average of 3.5 yards per play as a whole.

Defensively, Miami wasn't that much better. Tyrod Taylor did nothing in the passing game save a 48-yard touchdown, but there was no need for him to; the Hokies ran the ball on Miami, and then ran it again. They piled up 272 yards on 55 carries, and Miami couldn't get a whiff of Ryan Williams at the line of scrimmage and then made things worse by tackling poorly at the second level. It was a sharp difference from their performance against Georgia Tech.

It is difficult to say how much we can take from this. Obviously, everyone has their bad games, and the conditions of the game were not normal. However, I'm not sure how much you can blame getting manhandled at the line of scrimmage on the pouring rain. Maybe it made their jerseys heavier? In any case, Jacory Harris was not good but he didn't get any sort of help from his O-line or his receivers. A very painful day for the 'Canes.

Oklahoma and Miami Key Matchups

And with that, we move on to this week's game, which probably isn't looking nearly as good for Miami as it did a week ago. I'll briefly discuss a few key matchups:

Oklahoma's D-line vs. Miami's O-line

I'll be blunt: If Miami's offensive line plays anything like they did against Virginia Tech, Oklahoma is going to beat them and probably beat them badly. Even given better conditions that will help the passing game, Jacory Harris is going to have a steady diet of Gerald McCoy, Auston English, and Jeremy Beal if that happens again. V-Tech has a good defense, but I would put OU's defensive line over theirs. If OU quickly dominates in this area, Graig Cooper is going to have a rough day and Harris will have an even rougher day.

This unit was identified in the preseason as the weak link to the offense, lacking both experience and depth. Before Saturday, optimism reigned. After Saturday, pessimism "rained" (okay, bad joke). While Virginia Tech only got two sacks, they were on Harris all game. Jake Fox, the senior at left tackle, will have to play well against Oklahoma, and their new guards will have to hold their own against the monster that is Gerald McCoy. Cooper is one of their best players and they have to give him a chance to succeed this week.

Miami's D-line against Oklahoma's O-line

On the flip side, Oklahoma still has questions on their offensive line. They have eliminated some of the mistakes we saw against BYU and changed personnel a bit to try to find a good mix of players. Brody Eldridge, the best center in OU history, moved back to TE while Ben Habern took his spot. Cory Brandon lost his starting job at right tackle with Jarvis Jones sliding over from right guard. To replace Jones at RG, freshman Tyler Evans got the nod. This unit looks improved, but it's hard to judge much from victories over Idaho State and Tulsa. If Miami wants any hope at success, they need to test this line as BYU did.

Miami didn't get any sacks against Virginia Tech, but I don't look too much into that because Taylor only threw nine times. The Hurricanes have some speedy pass rushers that will need to be ready, because Oklahoma will most definitely throw more than that with Bradford or Landry. Still, Oklahoma is not deficient at running the football, and no doubt they saw Virginia Tech's success on the ground against this defense. Miami's defensive line was supposed to be a great strength of this team, and it has not quite lived up to that hype, although to be fair, a couple guys were out against V-Tech. Guys like Allen Bailey and Eric Moncur will need to have big games, among others. Miami has the requisite speed to pass rush; the issue will be in the middle, with an undersized guy in Bailey and a relative disappointment in Marcus Forston, a 2008 Freshman All-American. Forston was not active against V-Tech due to injury, but he did not produce as much as expected the first two games. I am not sure if he will be available against Oklahoma. If not, it doesn't help the situation.

Oklahoma will not run with the same style as Ryan Williams and the Hokies, but with Chris Brown and Demarco Murray, they are capable of doing damage in their own way. Not only that, Oklahoma possesses a much more dangerous passing game, so this line needs to make Landry Jones look like a freshman again or otherwise make Sam Bradford wish he stayed on the bench if he indeed comes back.

Miami's receivers vs. Oklahoma's secondary

Miami's receivers just seem to ooze talent and potential. This unit has speed, size, and big-play capability. Let's take a look at the main guys:

Travis Benjamin: Texas fans, meet Miami's version of D.J. Monroe, except his touches come primarily through the passing game. He stands at 5'10 and weighs a smallish 170 pounds, but boy, he can move it, even rumored to run a sub-4.3 forty. Whether or not you believe that is true, the point is taken: He's got speed and lots of it. The problem, however, is consistency; he was nowhere to be found against Virginia Tech, having zero catches including a drop. He also has not had too much success in the return game. The conditions will be better for him this Saturday, so Miami needs to do a better job finding ways to get the ball in his hands in space.

Aldarius Johnson: Johnson was supposed to be their stud receiver this season and he looks the part, listed as 6'3, 215 pounds and drawing comparisons to some guy named Andre Johnson. Unfortunately, [he pulled his groin against FSU and has been inactive], so right now, he's been a big disappointment, whether or not it's actually his fault. However, if it's time for a breakout game, now is the time to do it.

LaRon Byrd: Another big target who can run downfield, Byrd stands at 6'4 and weighs 215 pounds. He was held without a reception against the Seminoles but he had a big day against Georgia Tech, catching five balls for 83 yards and a score. He had 4 of Harris' 9 completions on Saturday.

Leonard Hankerson: Wait, are these receivers just all the same guy? It looks like it, as Hankerson is also listed at 215 pounds and stands at 6'3. Hankerson brings a lot of experience with him relative to the other receivers, and he is currently leading the team in receiving yards. His ceiling is not as high as the younger guys, but he's dangerous in his own right and provides a bit more consistency.

Dedrick Epps (Tight End): Tired of 6'3-6'4, 215 pounders? Well, here's a 6'4, 250-pound tight end. Epps is a quality player who can both block and catch the ball. He suffered an ACL injury before last year's bowl game and made it back for this season, albeit slightly slowed, but he's had decent production. Considering Oklahoma's troubles against BYU's tight ends, Epps will be a good target to look for.

Verdict: Oklahoma has not seen anything near this receiving corps. Oklahoma's secondary has played well after the BYU game, but even an offensively competent Tulsa has nothing like this. If Oklahoma's defensive line can be held in check, look for big plays from this group against Oklahoma's new safeties and average corners.

Other things to watch for

-Linebacker Sean Spence will need to have a strong game and do a good job of covering and tackling in space for Miami. V-Tech was way too successful on the ground after they cleared the line.

-Oklahoma is hoping that Brandon Caleb continues to step up, but keep an eye on the limited weaponry the Sooners have in the passing game. Miami doesn't have a great secondary, but Oklahoma's receivers aren't all that scary at the moment.

-Special teams. Miami can do some damage in the return game, though they might want to avoid getting another punt blocked.

-Miami has a fast defense, but perhaps an overly aggressive defense. Virginia Tech had success using misdirection plays, so look for OU to do the same.

-And of course, keep an eye on Sam Bradford. If he plays, that will be a big boost for the Sooners, even though Jones has played admirably in his place. Nonetheless, it will be a bit much to expect Bradford to return to form his very first game.

Useless Prediction

Before Miami got walloped by Virginia Tech, I was thinking that the Sooners might be in trouble. Now that Miami's O-line was exposed as the weak link it was thought to be in the beginning of the season, I'm not so sure. The game is at Coral Gables, which helps Miami a lot, but while I can excuse a poor passing day on the rain, I really can't excuse poor O-line play the same way. I like Miami's big receivers against Oklahoma's secondary, but that won't matter much if Jacory Harris can't get a clean look downfield. Harris, at the least, is a somewhat mobile quarterback, but he's not (pre-injury) Robert Griffin or anything.

In addition, the way Virginia Tech dominated the line of scrimmage on offense is concerning. Oklahoma does not have an elite offensive line, but if they have any sort of success on the ground, their more balanced offense can potentially do much more damage than the Hokies did. If Sam Bradford is back, he will still make use of Oklahoma's relatively average group of receivers and move on down the field.

Prediction time: I expect Miami's offensive and defensive lines to play much better, but their O-line will still not be good enough to keep Oklahoma's D-line out of the backfield on crucial plays. Due to this, Oklahoma will generate some turnovers, and they will have enough success running the football to keep the heat off of Bradford (assuming he plays) and put points on the board. Miami will have a few big plays to keep pace, but ultimately, Oklahoma will wear them down. Oklahoma wins a big road game, 31-21.

I obviously would not mind one bit if Miami proves me wrong :).

Poll

Who do you think will win between Oklahoma and Miami?

Oklahoma Sooners

461 votes

Miami Hurricanes

354 votes

815 votes | Poll has closed

The State of Oklahoma: High Expectations for OU's Defensive Line

TheElusiveShadow — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 19:49:03 -0000

As noted before, when Bradford, Gresham, Murray, and Williams skipped out on the NFL draft to return to Norman, Oklahoma's preseason status immediately jumped back up to the elite level. Their return has created expectations that they will at least partially emulate the success of last year's record-breaking offense, and that alone is obviously a big reason why Oklahoma is once again considered a national title contender.

Nonetheless, the offense is actually expected to take a slight step back from last season. While Gresham, Bradford, and Williams are all arguably first round talents, the losses at the OU offensive line, as well as the loss of some receivers, may keep this offense from being as dangerous as it was last year. Whether or not this will turn out to be true is anyone's guess, but that is the expectation of the vast majority of media pundits. Why is Oklahoma still ranked #2 or #3 in virtually everyone's preseason ballot? Don't laugh: It's the defense, which is expected to be much improved from last season.

We at Texas love taking potshots at Brent Venables and his overrated-ness, and we are especially thankful he thought it was a grand idea to cover Jordan Shipley with a linebacker last October. Thanks for that, Brent. However, no matter how overrated we think he is, he returns the majority of his defense, and the talent and experience alone can make him look quite good. Truth be told, last year's OU defense was not elite, but it was second in the Big 12 to Texas and certainly much better than their bare NCAA rankings might suggest. Another year of experience for these players can help OU win yet another Big 12 championship, and nowhere is this more true than at defensive line, where Oklahoma seems absolutely stacked.

Want to stop a pass-happy offense? Kill the QB.

Longhorn fans know full well how a great defensive line can change everything; we had one of the best ones, if not the best one, in the country last year, and it helped shield our young secondary and mess up many a pass-happy Big 12 offense, including Oklahoma's. While the likes of Harrell and Daniel have left the conference, the Big 12 will still sport the best collection of QB's in the nation (and by a large margin). The best remedy, obviously, is to smack the QB around or otherwise get in his grill before he gets comfortable, and it was something Texas was very good at. They weren't the only ones.

Oklahoma had a solid D-line last season as well and were actually pretty good at sacking the quarterback, second only to Texas in the Big 12. They ranked #3 in the country last season with 42, averaging out to three per game. They weren't too shabby in the run game either; while we should be very cautious of reading too much into bare NCAA rankings, Oklahoma ranked #20 in the country in rushing defense and gave up a respectable 3.47 yards per carry. Granted, things like sacks and the lack of elite rushing offenses in the Big 12 inflated (or deflated?) these numbers, as they did for Texas, but if anything, it shows OU was at least solid in this department, even if they were not elite. OU was also #3 in the country in tackles for loss, and while many were notched by their linebackers, their D-line was very active in that department as well and enabled the LBs to make plays in the first place. OU's defense as a whole wasn't stellar last season, but the main problems were mostly with their back seven, not their front four.

As discussed last week, while last year's Sooner O-line was hyped to be the best unit in the country, this year's O-line is considered a potential weakness. This time around, it is the D-line getting the hype, and this unit is the reason why people are high on the Oklahoma defense. Compared to the O-line losing four starters, the D-line lost zero, and they have some decent depth to go with that.

OU Defensive Line Starters

DT - Gerald McCoy, Jr.: 6'4, 297 lbs. Backup: Cordero Moore, Sr.

McCoy is yet another Sooner who turned down the draft to return to college football (as a redshirt, he was eligible to leave). Unlike what many say about Bradford, who might have been the #1 pick if he left, this might have been a financially smart move for McCoy. McCoy could have gone in Day 1 if he left early, but his stock is expected to rocket up this season, and he is considered one of the best prospects in the draft. Some sites apparently are bold enough to predict that he'll be the #1 pick, although that obviously depends heavily on who actually has that choice. Even a Nebraska site admits that McCoy may be on par with the Husker's Ndamukong Suh as the best tackle in not only the Big 12 but arguably in all of college football. He was first team All-Big 12 and he was also the Defensive Freshman Player of the Year in the conference in 2007. There is good reason why he is on several preseason lists for defensive awards.

McCoy is obviously a big guy and he is very athletic for his size. Last season, he had 11 TFL and 6.5 sacks, good for third and second on his team, respectively. His role is more in-line with what we expect from Lamarr Houston, as he not expected to gobble up blockers but to attack his gap and make plays, which is obvious with his 6.5 sacks. He fits the mold of a 3-technique tackle well, which will be his most likely position in the NFL. Unlike Houston, however, he is credited with the ability to take on double teams as well and free up linebackers behind him. In other words, if an offensive line is having trouble against OU, you can expect to hear McCoy's name often. Let this be a note to Chris Hall and our guards.

He is backed up by senior Cordero Moore. Moore has been a reserve man his whole college career and doesn't have too much playing experience, but he did show up on the stat sheet for a few of OU's games last season, most notably against Tech and TCU. There's nothing grand about him, but he's big and he can take up space if McCoy ever needs a break.

DT - Adrian Taylor, Jr.: 6'4, 293 lbs. Backup: DeMarcus Granger, Sr.

A more natural 3-technique tackle, Adrian Taylor is arguably slightly undersized for a nose guard. Nonetheless, he is one of the leaders of the defense and is expected to have a great year. Taylor started all 14 games last season as well while Granger nursed some injuries, and he beat out Granger for the starting job in the offseason. Taylor notched 4.5 sacks and 6.5 TFL last season.

Taylor is a good defensive leader and he has high expectations for his defense, as he discusses in this interview. By the way, he disagrees with Brandon Spikes that Oklahoma is dirty, as do all the Oklahoma reporters. They're just "playing hard." On a side note, one bit of good news in this interview for Texas may be his brief discussion of former TE Brody Eldridge switching to the center position, whom he gamely says "works as hard as anyone on the team" but needs to put on weight to be effective. We'll see how that goes.

Taylor is not as hyped as McCoy and he isn't the country's biggest space eater, but he is strong and he works every play. He and McCoy are apparently great friends (and even roommates now!) who push each other and work well together. While nothing quite like our super roommates, McCoy and Taylor are quite the tandem and are considered the best one in the country in many circles.

Backing him up is senior Demarcus Granger, who, as noted above, lost his starting job due to injury last season. While an avid shopper, he is still an imposing guy, standing 6'2 and listed as 327 pounds, making him look more the size of a nose tackle than Taylor. He didn't do much statistically last year and was largely slowed by injury, showing up in only 11 games, but Oklahoma expects him to provide excellent depth and regain the form he had in 2007 when he made the All-Big 12 second team.

DE: Auston English, Sr: 6'3, 251 lbs. Backup: Frank Alexander, So.

English was another player who probably had a better 2007 season. That season, he led the Big 12 with 9.5 sacks and was a first All-Big 12 selection, even though he missed the last three games of the regular season. English did well enough his 2007 season to be on 2008 preseason watch lists for defensive awards, but with some injury problems (including an emergency appendectomy before the season started), he did not live up to expectations last season. English missed three games last season as well, and he only recorded 4.5 sacks and 9 tackles for loss and therefore was only an All-Big Honorable Mention. Similar for Granger, OU fans are hoping he regains his 2007 form to help this D-line dominate.

English is very athletic and has proven his ability to get to the QB when healthy. As seems typical for Stoops and Oklahoma coaches, Stoops said English is as good as any DE OU has had in his tenure back in 2007. We can perhaps ignore the hyperbole but there's no denying that this guy is capable. He's no Brian Orakpo and he may not even be the pure athlete that a guy like Brian Robison was for us, but with the DT's this team has, it will be scary for opposing QB's having this guy coming off the edge.

Sophomore Frank Alexander will provide some depth, a former four star recruit according to Rivals. Alexander recorded 3.5 sacks and 5 TFL last season in a backup role and as a replacement for injured starters, so he has some good game experience. Alexander is a bit undersized, weighing about 229, but he reportedly runs a 4.7 forty and has good strength. He was an AP All-Big 12 Honorable Mention.

DE: Jeremy Beal, Jr.: 6'3, 261 lbs. Backup: David King, RS Fr.

With English slowed by injuries, Beal picked up the slack in terms of sack total. Beal led the team in both sacks and TFL, with 8.5 and 15.5 respectively. His season earned him a first team All-Big 12 selection as the strongside defensive end. Not only that, Beal was sixth on the team in tackles, notching 65, and all that shows why he and English are on the Hendricks award preseason list, won last year by Brian Orakpo for being the nation's top defensive end. Also, if you care what Tim Griffin thinks, Griffin has Beal listed as the Big 12's 23rd best player (by the way, Gerald McCoy was 7th on his list, in case you're wondering).

Beal reportedly runs a 4.7 forty as well and he has matured as a pass rusher. He was a linebacker in high school but was moved to DE, and he initially struggled. However, he has now become a sort of pass rushing specialist and he's capable of playing as a pass rushing LB similar to Sergio Kindle. Needless to say, having two players on the Hendricks award list on the same line doesn't spell good things for opposing quarterbacks.

Behind Beal will be redshirt freshman David King. He was the 11th best DE of his class according to Scout.com and #16 strongside DE according to Rivals, receiving four stars. He possess good size already, standing 6'4 and weighing 240 pounds, and he reportedly uses his arms to shed blocks fairly well.

Other notables

Our favorite player, Jamarkus McFarland, is apparently impressing people. In Taylor's interview above, Taylor says good things about McFarland, and as well all know, he was a four star recruit and the highest rated DT in Texas. He may receive a redshirt but OU may look to get him some playing time and add to their already impressive depth. The jury is still out on whether his mama prefers him to redshirt or not and if she disapproves of unwholesome Oklahoma parties as well. She certainly doesn't disapprove of lying.

Be Very Concerned, Big 12 Quarterbacks

Oklahoma seems justified into believing they have the best defensive tackle rotation in the country. McCoy looks to be a star and they have two quality players playing next to him in Taylor and Granger. Cordero Moore is a solid backup and Jamarkus McFarland can give them some playing time if he is needed. However, with the depth they have, he may not be, although with anticipated losses to the NFL next season, the coaches may want to work him in anyway.

The defensive ends aren't as scary but they do sport some serious talent. Texas may outshine OU in terms of depth here but Oklahoma does return both of their starters, while Texas lost both to the NFL. Again, this was a unit that was third in the nation in sacks and second in the Big 12, bested only by Texas, and with Texas sending three starters to the NFL, most people expect Oklahoma to claim the status as the top defensive line in the conference. This was certainly a big reason why OU was so good in defending passing downs according to Bill C., except perhaps against Texas. Make no mistake, this D-line is dangerous.

What does this mean for Texas? Well, we have a bit of role reversal for this October. Last year, we went up against an experienced O-line but our stacked D-line ultimately prevailed. This season, OU wants to return the favor against our experienced O-line, and it's not going to be easy blocking all these guys. Despite our offensive success in last year's game, OU did have some success pressuring Colt and they did hold down our run game for most of the game until fatigue set in and Ogbonnaya was able to bust them for a couple big runs. Once again, the story of this game will be in the trenches, where our plethora of DE's will test OU's inexperienced line and Oklahoma's stacked D-line will throw everything at our experienced and solid but sometimes unimpressive O-line. It will be both fun and nerve-wracking to watch. I kind of have a feeling that BYU might get their tails kicked in Dallas because of this unit, despite the predictions of some bozos like Andre Ware.

So, Greg Davis? Let's fix that run game ASAP. Colt can handle pressure as well or better than anyone in college football, but he's still human, and no QB wants to be running around for his life because the D-line can just pin their ears back and go after him. Because we faced all these guys last season, I'm confident that we can win, but it may pose the most significant challenge in the game. I think our tackles can handle their ends, but the big concern is their DT's, who will test our new guard and guys like Tanner and Hall. In my estimation, they deserve the hype. We'll see you in October.