Who’s gonna win?
Another day, another video commentary.
You can watch it here or read below:
Oklahoma-Missouri was so good the first time, they’ve decided to do it again.
Sooners v. Tigers.
Stoops v. Pinkel.
Saturday.
This, my friends, is big. The Sooners will face the top-ranked Tigers in the Big 12 Championship game on Saturday. Everyone knows that, of course.
What we don’t know is who will win.
I have no crystal ball, but I do have my predictions. And after having seen Missouri up close last weekend against Kansas, I suspect my guess is as good as any.
Missouri is a better team than when they played in Norman back in October. That’s because its offense has improved. The Tigers were pretty darn good when the Sooners faced them before, rolling up 31 points, but they are clicking even more now.
Chase Daniel is the real deal. He might even end up being this year’s Heisman Trophy winner. He has a poise and confidence about him out there on the field that is fun to watch.
Because of the spread offense that the Tigers run, Daniel has to throw lots passes into tight coverages. And because he is slightly undersized, he has to find those seams not only in the defense but also between his blocking offensive linemen.
He’s got a task that seems like it’d be about as easy as Frogger crossing the street.
But Daniel makes it look easy.
And he is helped, too, by the return of Tony Temple. The Missouri running back was hobbled when last the Tigers played the Sooners. The run game isn’t a big part of Missouri’s offense, but Temple gives it another option. That keeps defenses a little more honest and makes Daniel that much more dangerous.
Bottom line, Missouri is going to move the ball and score some points on Oklahoma.
Thing is, the Sooners are going to do that same against the Tigers.
A week ago, Kansas rolled up 391 yards against Missouri. The Jayhawks managed just 28 points. Their first three trips inside the Tiger 20-yard line resulted in zero points.
If the Sooners have as many chances as the Jayhawks did, they’ll score more than 28 points. They would’ve gotten at least 10 or 14 points out of the opportunities that the Jayhawks missed.
I suspect OU will score between 35 and 45 points against Missouri. The Sooners were in that range the first time around, and I haven’t see anything out of the Tigers that makes me think that will change much.
And sure, Missouri is going to put up points. The Tigers scored 36 against Kansas. They may go way above and beyond that against the Sooners, but I just don’t see that happening. I could see the Tigers scoring 35 or maybe even 40, but not much more.
So, where does that leave us?
With a tight game, that’s where. It’ll be tighter than it was in Norman. There’ll be more nail biting and hand wringing and hair pulling.
But in the end, I say OU wins 38-35.
Heisman whatnot
How ’bout a little Heisman talk?
You can watch my latest video commentary or read here:
Heisman Trophy ballots are due next week.
And I have no idea who’s going to be on mine.
I thought I had it all figured out a few weeks ago. Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon had become an obvious choice. His team was having a great year, and he was a big part of the reason why. Then Dixon injured his knee, and we found out that apparently he was the only reason why. The Ducks haven’t won since.
So, now the Heisman is wide open once again. Even with just one weekend remaining, there’s much to be decided.
Every Heisman voter is asked to vote for three players. If I had to vote right now, the three players on my ballot would be Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel and Arkansas running back/quarterback/Mr.-Do-Everything Darren McFadden.
But I’d have to think long and hard about the order I’d rank them in.
Tebow had a record breaking year. A Division-I quarterback has never thrown for 20 touchdowns and run for 20 touchdowns. Tebow has. Those are big-time numbers even though the Gators have struggled a bit this season.
Daniel has been masterful for Missouri. I had a chance to see him in person last weekend against Kansas, and when a guy goes 40 of 49, you know he’s had a good night. But I thought Daniel was even better than the numbers suggested. He threw one bad ball all night, and in such a big game, that’s a big-time performance.
Then, there’s McFadden. He is the most amazing player of them all. He is a transcendent player, a guy who is re-defining positions. Is he a quarterback? A running back? A receiver? Why couldn’t he be all of them? McFadden is doing things that no other football player has ever done.
Those aren’t the only candidates, of course. West Virginia quarterback Pat White is out there. So is Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan and Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan.
And with the games on tap this weekend, much could change.
If Daniel has a big day against Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game, he could really make a move. One game does not a Heisman winner make, but their performance in big games matters. And no game is bigger this season than top-ranked Missouri’s against OU.
Daniel isn’t the only one with a chance to make a closing argument for the Heisman. Pat White and West Virginia play Pittsburgh. Matt Ryan and Boston College face Virginia Tech. Colt Brennan and Hawaii play Washington. Heck, even LSU defensive lineman and Heisman long shot Glenn Dorsey has a chance to make a statement against a so-so Tennessee team in the SEC championship game.
So, who’s on my Heisman ballot? For that matter, who’s going to win the Heisman?
This week, who knows?
Good thing ballots aren’t due until next week.
Words of wisdom
Over the weekend, I received a couple of reader e-mails that hit several nails on the head.
From Deric in Kansas City:
Here is an ugly truth about what will happen this year in college football. Oklahoma will beat Missouri in the Big 12 Championship game. It will be close, but for big-game, team preparation, I’ll take Stoops over Pinkel. Then, we will see two of the most overrated teams in college football play for a national championship. Neither West Virginia nor Ohio State are worthy of playing on the biggest stage college football has to offer.
West Virginia will be No. 1, which is a shame because Oklahoma, Texas, Texas Tech, Missouri and Kansas can beat West Virginia. So could LSU, Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee and Florida. And I believe those same Big 12 and SEC teams can beat Ohio State. If any of the aforementioned Big 12 or SEC teams played the same schedule West Virginia and Ohio State played, they would be No. 1 wire to wire.
It is a shame that college football will have a champion that five teams out of the Big 12 and five teams out the SEC can beat.
More proof? When was the last time an SEC team lost to Ohio State in a bowl game?
We are in dire need of an eight team playoff system in college football!
Then, from Wayne in Stillwater:
Missouri’s starting middle guard is from Midwest City. Jeremy Gibbs, who starts at defensive back for Oregon, is from Stillwater. Russel Brorsen, who starts at defensive end for Kansas, is from Stillwater. Kansas has eight starters from Oklahoma. (OSU has only four starters from Oklahoma.)
Obviously, the Houston conduit is working somewhat for OSU. However, maybe OSU should stop burning up the road to Houston and start looking in their own backyard.
——-
Thanks, fellas! Couldn’t have said it any better myself.
Tigers roar
Be afraid, Sooners.
Be very afraid.
This Missouri offense looks darn good. There’s a bunch of football yet to be played in Kansas City, so Kansas may very well come out on top. Should Missouri end up winning and advancing to the Big 12 championship game, though, the Tigers look improved since their loss in Norman.
Tiger tailback Tony Temple gives them a dimension that they didn’t have against Oklahoma. Temple was injured and missed that game. He is sudden out of the backfield.
He helps Missouri’s other offensive weapons be that much more effective. And when Chase Daniel, Martin Rucker, Jeremy Macklin and Co. have
Who’s home game is this?
Kansas gave up a home game to play Missouri at Arrowhead Stadium.
So, you’d think the Jayhawks would have the fan advantage.
But will they?
Less than half an hour before kickoff, the Arrowhead stands are tinted more black and gold than blue and crimson. Perhaps all the Jayhawk fans are still out in the parking lots tailgating, but if the Tigers end up having the advantage, that would be a serious knock against Kansas.
Athletic director Lew Perkins decided to move the game, presumably thinking that his Jayhawks would still have a home-field advantage.
Thing is, the Jayhawks have struggled to fill the stadium in Lawrence. But if the Kansas fans can’t get excited for this game — and can’t show it by buying tickets — that would be a sad state of affairs for the Jayhawks. If Kansas can’t look like a football school now, when will it ever look like one?
Big game in the big town tonight
No, I’m not talking Bedlam here.
I’m talking about The Game.
Kansas vs. Missouri.
Wow, is that right? Kansas? Missouri? The game of the year in the Big 12?
No one saw this coming. When the season began, the Jayhawks-Tigers match-up was something of an afterthought. Sure, Missouri was expected to contend in the Big 12 North. Sure, the game had been moved to a neutral site, Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.
But really, this was just supposed to be another game in a week of rivalries.
It’s become so much more. The winner could very well be the No. 1 team in all of college football when the day dawns Sunday. After LSU’s home loss to unranked Arkansas — nice one, Les! — No. 2 Kansas is sure to ascend to the top with a victory, and No. 4 Missouri just might leapfrog West Virginia.
Writing those words is very surreal.
As many of you know, I grew up in the state of Kansas. I remember the years when Kansas and Kansas State played each other to see who would finish the season with one win. One year, the teams tied and both finished 0-10-1.
Horrendous.
And Missouri has never been far behind.
That Kansas and Missouri would be playing one of the biggest games of the season just underscores how crazy this season has been. In a year that Notre Dame is struggling to win three games and South Florida was a serious contender, it figures that it would come down to the Jayhawks and the Tigers.
By the way, I like Kansas in this game because the Jayhawks haven’t been a team that beats itself. They have limited the penalties, the turnovers and the mistakes. In big games like this, the team that limits those things best oftentimes wins. I suspect Kansas will be sound.
More from Kansas City later.
Onward to Bedlam
Let’s the Bedlam fun begin.
Watch my video commentary or read here:
Well, well, well. This should be interesting.
It’s Bedlam week. Perhaps you heard. The rivalry has been stellar these past eight or 10 years. Good games, even an upset or two. Only a couple blowouts. And with both Oklahoma and Oklahoma State having their issues this season — doesn’t anyone have a secondary any more? — Bedlam circa 2007 promised to be a good one.
Then came last Saturday.
The Sooners went to Lubbock, and everything that could’ve gone wrong did. Sam Bradford went down in the first half with a concussion. He didn’t play again Saturday, and his status is up in the air for Bedlam. He wasn’t the only one either. Running back DeMarco Murray dislocated his knee cap. Wide receiver Adron Tennell blew out his knee. Defensive end Alan Davis suffered a concussion severe enough to be taken off the field on a stretcher.
That sounds more like an episode of “ER” than a college football game.
And to make matters worse for the Sooners, they lost to the Red Raiders. National title hopes gone.
So, what of in-state bragging rights?
Oh, the intrigue in Bedlam 2007 is going to be rich, I tell you.
The Cowboys, after all, have issues, too. They have a secondary that’s a long touchdown pass waiting to happen. Even though it got some things figured out Saturday in Waco, it was against Baylor. The Bears were playing their final game with a coach who was about to get fired. They didn’t exactly seem fired up.
Thing is, will the Sooners have anyone who can exploit the Cowboy secondary? If Bradford is out, can Joey Halzle get the job done? What about Keith Nichol? Is the true freshman going to be thrown into duty this week?
Who knows?
Unlike the Sooners, the Cowboys are absolutely sure about their quarterback. Zac Robinson has turned into the real deal. He broke the school’s single-season record for total offense on Saturday, passing Josh Fields and Bobby Reid and Barry Sanders in the process. Oh, by the way, Zac Attack has done it in only nine games.
Robinson and Dantrell Savage could cause OU some serious headaches, especially if the Sooners are without Alan Davis and Auston English at defensive end.
So much intrigue, so much unknown, so much fun.
To think, the week has only just begun.
All out Zac Attack
This just in: Zac Robinson is good.
The Oklahoma State quarterback is developing into quite a quarterback, maybe even one of the best in the Big 12. He already has 275 yards of total half in just the first half against Baylor, 105 rushing and 170 passing.
With the Cowboys seeming content running the ball — and why not? — Robinson has only attempted 13 passes. He’s completed 12 of them, though.
Lots of times, a quarterback will struggle to complete that high a percentage against no defenders in practice.
Robinson isn’t going to wow you with his passing ability, but he is more than capable. And he is fleet and agile on his feet.
And remember, this is only his ninth game as the Cowboy starter.
Plenty of seats available
Less than an hour to kickoff against Oklahoma State, and ample seating remains at Baylor.
Any surprise there?
The Bears are winless in Big 12 play again this season. Guy Morriss is probably on his way out as the Bears coach. There’s just no mojo around this program.
Still, it’s sad to see.
Seems every conference has a Baylor, a private school that just can’t keep up in football. The ACC has Duke; the SEC, Vanderbilt; the Big Ten, Northwestern; the Pac-10, Stanford; and the Big East, Syracuse. Sure, all of them have had their moments of glory. Heck, a few have even had a couple seasons of glory, but none are able to sustain it long-term.
Baylor has been the same over the years. The Bears had a couple glorious years under Grant Teaff, and they count Mike Singletary as their greatest alum.
Past that, there’s been little joy in Mudville.
But there could be. Unlike those other private-school doormats, Baylor is located in a fertile land. The state of Texas has a bevy of big-time college football recruits. There’s so many that dozens of out-of-state coaches beat a path to the Lone Star State every year. Why couldn’t Baylor snag a few of those players?
Heck, it might not be a recipe for long-term success. No private school in a BCS conference may be able to sustain success long-term, but why couldn’t Baylor go to a bowl game every three or four years? That seems possible, even for a program that is struggling to draw more fans than the visiting team does.
Hidden treasure on sports scene
Everyone’s celebrating our fair state this week.
Here’s another reason to be proud of Oklahoma.
Watch my video commentary or read here:
One of the best kept secret in all of Oklahoma sports is hiding in plain sight. Right there on S.E. 29th Street, it sprawls for nearly a half mile. It has at least half a dozen buildings, probably more, and many are as big as an indoor practice football field.
Yet, even the staunchest sports fans in our fair state know little about Midwest Trophy.
Also known now as MTM Recognition, the company is an Oklahoma sports treasure. It started small three-plus decades ago. It’s big accounts then were bowling leagues and little leagues. You can still get a trophy there for your Thursday night league, but MTM now produces some of the best-known awards in all sports, too.
The NCAA championship trophies? MTM does those.
The Orange Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Sugar Bowl and Cotton Bowl? MTM does those, too.
There’s also the World Series MVP, the awards for the Big 12 and several other conferences as well as the trophies for more than a dozen NASCAR races.
Heck, turn over any sports award in your house. Your son’s baseball trophy. Your daughter’s high school plaque. I’d almost bet the sticker on the bottom says it’s from MTM.
The business is a dream world of awards. Just the other day, they were doing glass etching on a bowl for a Big 12 trophy in one room and the metal checkered flag trophies for 2006 Nextel Cup winner Jimmie Johnson’s crew in another.
Everywhere you turn is something cool.
Go into the office of sculptor Jack Nortz and you can see a picture of him with Johnny Unitas. That’s because Nortz created the trophy for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, given to the best college football quarterback. The Unitas family invited him to the awards ceremony when that picture was snapped several years ago, and he’s headed back next month for this year’s presentation.
Midwest Trophy has quietly become a giant in the land of sports awards. Thing is, more people may know it outside Oklahoma than inside the borders.
Want to know more about MTM and exactly how it became such a big-time operation?
Check out my story in Sunday’s edition of The Oklahoman. We’ll profile the people behind MTM’s success. We’ll also give you a look at the company’s 10 most recognizable awards as well as a look at some of the other places you may have seen MTM’s handiwork.
As the fall sports season winds down and champions are crowned, chances are good, many of the trophies they hoist over their heads came from right here in Oklahoma.
