OU 65, Texas A&M 10: Thoughts and observations
OU continued its domination at home, running Texas A&M out of town with a 65-10 head-kicking. The question, however, is can the Sooners finally carry that over to a road venue. They get their last chance next weekend against Texas Tech in Lubbock, a place the Sooners have lost two straight.
Beat Tech, and suddenly Bedlam Thanksgiving Weekend becomes a game with the Cotton Bowl on the line. But lose to Tech, and OU could be headed to El Paso, Texas, and the Sun Bowl.
The key will be the offense. The defense has been great everywhere. But the offense, while great in Norman, has stunk it up away from home.
13 points against BYU in Dallas.
20 at Miami.
13 against Texas in Dallas.
35 at Kansas.
3 at Nebraska.
OU will probably have to put up more than 20 points to beat Tech on the road. Can they do it?
“Until we can show that we can play with some composure and play smarter it will still be a test,” said offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson. “It will be a test to show if we have matured through the year or are we the same cast of characters.
“So it will be a big challenge and an opportunity to see where we are at as a team next week against Texas Tech.”
Quick hits
* More about walk-on kicker Patrick O’Hara coming in Monday’s paper. O’Hara has a great story of how he ended up in Norman. Time will tell if O’Hara, who made a FG and a couple of extra points, will be the answer at kicker.
* Too bad this defense will be part of a mediocre season. This defense is one of the school’s all-time greats. The only two TDs OU has allowed the last two weeks have come off turnovers returned inside the Sooner 5.
* OU red zone offense, 6 of 7. The only miss was a Tress Way missed FG.
* Freshman RB Jermie Calhoun looked sharp in mop-up duty with 94 yards rushing on 18 carries. It’s the most work Calhoun has gotten in his young career and he did well with it.
* Adron Tennell played poorly last weekend at Nebraska, but going back to the start of Big 12 play, Tennell quietly has been solid. Against A&M, he had five catches for 76 yards and 2 TDs.
* At home this year, Landry Jones has thrown 18 TDs to just 4 picks.
* Ryan Broyles is so good. He had eight catches for 79 yards and a TD. Pencil in Broyles as on the All-Big 12 first team offense.
* Speaking of which, has DeMarco Murray done enough to make that team? He didn’t hurt his cause, with 223 all-purpose yards.
* Jeremy Beal, Travis Lewis, Brian Jackson and Frank Alexander all had big games for the defense.
* TE Eric Mensik got some work at right tackle. Not a bad move, considering the Sooners have no more tackles to turn to if Trent Williams or Cory Brandon get hurt.
* The Wildcat can be a good set for the Sooners. Murray and Broyles seem to possess suitable skill sets for that kind of offense. Both players are savvy and can make people miss in 1-on-1 situations.
They said it
Coach Bob Stoops: “DeMarco (Murray) is a really special talent in that he is not just a running back. I have said it a lot, he would be a great corner. He’s just a guy that is really athletic. He catches the ball well, runs pretty good routes, is good out of the backfield and also is a strong, powerful runner. He had another big night and it is good to see him get out and make some big plays.”
Stoops on QB Landry Jones: “You have to be sure of yourself. I think the more he played, the more comfortable he got and he started making the throws we know he can make.”
Stoops on the Wildcat: “Just trying to find different ways to get seams and get the ball in DeMarco’s hands more and Chris (Brown) and Ryan (Broyles). Those are three guys you can play hide-and-seek with on who has the ball and hopefully be productive as we go forward.”
Stoops on freshman RB Jermie Calhoun, who finished with a game-high 94 yards rushing: “He looked tough and physical. It was very positive and I was very excited with how he played in the fourth quarter. He took care of the ball, ran strong and ran well.”
Defensive coordinator Brent Venables on his defense: “As a team tonight we really played well and helped each other at the right time. We didn’t give up the big plays and for the most part kept the quarterback from running outside the pocket. We had a lot of pressures coming at him and that kept him off balance. Collectively we have a very solid performance tonight.”
CB Brian Jackson on his TD: “It was good. It was kind of exciting when I picked it up because all I saw was grass. I saw the same thing at Texas but (Colt) McCoy came out of nowhere. I guess Johnson didn’t have as good of an angle as McCoy did.”
Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman on his team’s troubles fielding kicks: “I wish I knew why that was . Last week, Cyrus Gray returned a touchdown and we’re all excited about that and this week he has a tough time hanging on to the football. We fumbled one that we also recovered too, so it wasn’t a good day from that standpoint.”
By the numbers
223: With 223 all-purpose yards, Murray passed Steve Owens, Adrian Peterson and Greg Pruitt to move into fourth place all-time at OU with 4,495.
143: Murray tied a school record for receiving yards by a running back with 143. He is tied with Virgil Doyle who had 143 against Colorado in 1962.
93: OU has outscored its opponents 93-10 in the first quarter this season.
65: OU’s point total, the most points OU has scored this season.
5: Fumbles Texas A&M had on returns. Two were recovered by the Sooners.
3: Number of place-kickers OU used Sat.
-JT
More on Jeff Capel
Lots of leftovers from today’s story about Jeff Capel. Capel said his most important job is getting his players to believe in him and trust him, but I was struck by just how much that’s the case within his program.
From Willie Warren, on why he came to OU:
“You get a chance to play with a first-round draft pick, which Blake was, and you come to play for, who I think, sometime later on, will be one of the greatest coaches of all-time.”
Call it hyperbole. Call it bias. Whatever. For Capel, when one of the nation’s best players says something that complimentary about him, it gives him leverage for further recruits. That speaks to just how much Capel has accomplished what he wanted to at Oklahoma, i.e., getting players to believe in him.
Just a bit, I’d say.
Warren also said that though he doesn’t suit up against his team as much as he used to, everyone on the squad knows very well what Capel did at Duke, and that he’s still got plenty of game, even at 34.
I alluded to this in the story, but another thing Tiny Gallon mentioned is that when he first met Capel, he had no idea he was a coach, let alone a head coach. It’s not true of all his recruits, but Capel went from a non-factor and a guy Gallon knew nothing about to his college coach in only a few months. Obviously, he’s new. He hasn’t known these players since they were in the 8th grade. Few coaches could pull that off, and I think it’s the biggest reason why Capel is establishing himself as one of, if not already the best, recruiter in the conference.
Lastly, Gallon and Mason-Griffin mentioned this specifically, but one of the big reasons why they came was because Capel told them he knew they would make mistakes as freshmen, but he wanted them to learn from it by playing through those mistakes, rather than being yanked to the bench by the collar and being chained to a film projector until the next game. That doesn’t mean he’ll let mistakes go unnoticed, but his players response to those mistakes circles back around to the relationships he fosters with them.
“You can get on someone when they know you care about them. And you can help impact them when they know you care about them as a person,” Capel said. “If I had known when I was in school that I was going to coach, I would have majored in something different than history. Probably psychology. Actual coaching is only about 10 percent of the job, to be honest. Especially at this level, there’s so much other stuff involved.”
New OU Nike unis leaked
As first reported by The Oklahoman, OU will don Nike combat uniforms for its game at Texas Tech in two weeks. Apparently, someone found out what those uniforms will look like and leaked them onto the Internet.
-JT
Injury update: Eldridge, English
Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said Monday morning that guard Brody Eldridge will miss Saturday’s game with Texas A&M with a shoulder injury.
Defensive end Auston English could also be held out due to an ankle injury, but Stoops noted the training staff is still “unsure” about English’s status.
Eldridge was injured in the second quarter of OU’s at Nebraska, when he was trying to make a tackle after a Landry Jones interception. He returned momentarily in the third quarter, but didn’t have the “strength or stamina” to remain in the game, offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson said Sunday.
English also left the game in the first half. He remained in uniform the rest of the game, but never returned to the field.
-JT
Chat with Jake Trotter at 11 a.m. today
OU at Nebraska: Breaking down the matchups
Quarterbacks
Landry Jones is proving to be the best young QB in the league.
I’m not sure even Bo Pelini knows yet who will start for him come Saturday between Cody Green and Zac Lee.
Edge: OU
Running backs
When healthy, DeMarco Murray is an elite back.
When healthy, so is Roy Helu Jr. Both are looking healthier this week.
Edge: Even
Wide receivers
Dejuan Miller appears primed to take over as Ryan Broyles’ wingman.
Niles Paul is the only Husker with more than 16 catches.
Edge: OU
Tight ends
The Sooners are using Eric Mensik more and more.
The Huskers play a ton of tight ends, led by Mike McNeill.
Edge: Nebraska
Offensive line
The Sooners appear to be slowly getting better up front.
The Huskers appear to be slowly getting worse up front.
Edge: OU
Defensive line
Led by GK McCoy, OU has arguably the best defensive front in all of college football.
Led by Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska has arguably the best defensive front in all of college football.
Edge: Even
Linebackers
The Sooners are talented and seasoned.
The Huskers are talented, but still young.
Edge: OU
Defensive backs
Led by their corners, OU’s DBs have been strong.
But Nebraska has put together one of the pass defenses in the nation.
Edge: Nebraska
Special teams
NU’s Alex Henery is one of the best kickers in the nation.
OU just benched Jimmy Stevens for inexperienced freshman Tress Way.
Edge: Nebraska
Prediction: OU 24, Nebraska 9
Nebraska’s defense will give the Sooners problems. But the Huskers’ struggling offense won’t be able to score enough points to pull the upset.
-JT
OU hoops recruit to announce on Nov. 13
Harrison Barnes, a 6-6 forward some consider the nation’s top recruit, says he plans to announce his college choice next Friday, Nov. 13.
Barnes visited Norman the first weekend in October, and is also considering North Carolina, Duke, Kansas, UCLA and Iowa State, the school in his hometown of Ames, Iowa.
School officials told the Des Moines Register that ESPN had expressed interest in broadcasting the press conference, but no plans had been finalized.
Remember when Spikes called OU dirty?
For those who haven’t heard, Florida LB Brandon Spikes was recently suspended for a half for attempting to eye-gouge Georgia running back Washaun Ealey.
Remember back in August, Spikes randomly attacked Oklahoma, calling them the dirty.
“Compared to Oklahoma, you won’t find anyone (as dirty),” Spikes said, referring to Florida’s meeting with OU in the national championship.
Pot, meet kettle.
-JT
Stats don’t lie when it comes to Landry Jones
Basketball season has arrived.
Close to Tournament time, I’ve always enjoyed in late Feb., when ESPN takes a comparison look at three teams on the bubble, but reduces their identity as Team A, Team B, Team C. You’re always surprised when the team most deserving of a spot, Team A, is like Marist, while B and C are like Kentucky and Indiana.
In honor of that, here’s an anonymous comparison of Big 12 quarterbacks:
QB A: 1,657 yards, 17 TDs, 6 INTs, 62.4%
QB B: 1,977 yards, 15 TDs, 8 INTs, 72.0%
QB C: 1,650 yards, 13 TDs, 7 INTs, 63.7%
QB D: 2,385 yards, 16 TDs, 7 INTs, 64.1%
So which QB would you take for all-conference honors? It’s tough. But you’d have to take a long look at QB A, with his high TD vs. INT ratio.
Who’s who:
QB A: Landry Jones, OU
QB B: Colt McCoy, Texas
QB C: Zac Robinson, OSU
QB D: Todd Reesing, KU
Of course, Landry Jones won’t be named first-team All-Big 12 QB. Not with Colt McCoy still around. But looking at the numbers, he’s having just as good a season as any of the elite QBs in the league.
The exciting thing for the Sooners?
Jones is the only one of the four not a senior.
-JT
Sooners name starters
Oklahoma released its projected starters on Monday for Tuesday’s exhibition opener against British Columbia.
G: Tommy Mason-Griffin, freshman
G: Willie Warren, sophomore
G: Tony Crocker, senior
F: Ryan Wright, senior
F: Tiny Gallon, freshman
Though coach Jeff Capel has been publicly non-committal about how much impact Mason-Griffin and Gallon could have right away, for them to be starting this early in the season says plenty.
Capel said junior forward Orlando Allen’s conditioning was not where he wanted it, but expect him to get some quality minutes spelling Gallon and Wright. Against British Columbia, a lot of players could get a lot of minutes, but anyone who shows up to the Lloyd Noble Center on Tuesday night should get a good, long look at Oklahoma’s new pair of McDonald’s All-Americans.
British Columbia has seen another memorable Sooner debut. In his first game, former Sooner Blake Griffin scored 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds against the Thunderbirds in 2007.
