WEEK 2: OU vs. IDAHO ST.
Norman, Oklahoma
HELP WANTED, ONLY CUPCAKES NEED APPLY
Normally, I hate games like this. It’s your typical early season home game against an over matched Division II opponent. The game is no more than a glorified scrimmage, the results of which are so banal and predictable that after it is over, you wonder what the purpose was. The reason: these early season games are all about the guarantee. The University receives all the financial gains that are normally associated with home game…the Sooners are assured a blow-out win…and Idaho St? Well, Bob, tell them what they’ve won: “like all Division II opponents who appear at Memorial Stadium, the Bengals will receive a generous check, a large dose of humiliation, and a lifetime supply of Johnson’s Turtle Wax.”
Yes, normally I hate these games...but normal got its ass kicked by a bunch of Mormon boy scouts on national television last week…normal is MIA when a tight-end suddenly becomes your starting center and your right tackle keeps jumping off-sides before he even gets a chance to illegally use his hands. Normal was suppose to be a returning Heisman Trophy winning QB throwing to a first team All-American TE…not a red-shirt freshman with a porn-stache watching the play clock expire on the one yard line. Normal is not watching Bob Stoops get out coached on National TV in a bowl type atmosphere by some guy named Bronco…OK, OK…maybe that last one was not a good example…but the point is…nothing is normal in Norman these days. This team needed some confidence…this team needed a cupcake…
…And man did it get one...
The Offense
Grooming issues aside, Landry Jones looked pretty good. He seems to have a presence about him and was seemingly in control of both the team and his own emotions, which is a big thing. He possesses a big arm, but he also showed some touch and accuracy, which was especially impressive considering the conditions. Yes, there were also some mistakes…he tried to throw into double coverage several times …and the pass he tried to make to Clapp in the flats would have been picked off and returned for a touchdown by any other team on the schedule.
Some will also say that it was obvious that Jones was locked in on one receiver (and he was), and that he needs to spread the ball around more (yes and no). Let me put it to you like this: If you are looking for your car keys, and you find them in the first place you look, then you don’t continue to look for them just because there are other places that they conceivably could have been. So yes, maybe he was locked in on Broyles, but as a former QB (albeit on a slightly different level) I can tell you this…if you look up and see an open receiver, you throw it to him…especially if you know he is going to catch it when you do. Smart guys those quarterbacks.
The problem going forward is that teams are certainly going to double cover Broyles…so you would like to know that Jones can go thru his progressions and find some one else if necessary. But who says he didn’t? This situation, in my opinion, could be just as much about the other receivers as it is the QB. Are the other receivers getting open? Will they catch it if he throws it to them? Do they like his mustache?
I don’t understand how OU can have such a drop off in talent at this position. Considering the style of offense the Sooners run, and who has been running it, you would think that top WR’s around the country would flock to Norman. True, the Sooners have been close to landing the top WR recruit in the nation in recent years (see Julio Jones last year), only to be spurned on signing day…but evidently those efforts were an all or nothing attempt to fill the position, because no one on this roster outside of Broyles seems capable of stepping up.
What about the TE? Not much help here since the tight ends had the same number of catches in the game that I did…none. All I read about on message boards is about what great hands Hanna has…great hands for what? Is he the team masseuse, or a TE? If he is the later, get him in the frickin game.
The running game….The Sooners have the ability to trot out not one, but two returning 1000 yard rushers from a year ago…but until the Sooners show or prove they can throw a pass deeper than 15 yards, defenses are going to continue to creep up to contain the run. You can trot out Emmitt Smith or bring back AD, but it won’t matter if the O-line sucks. Speaking of, and I know you have been:
Offensive Line
When the music stopped this week, Eldridge was back at TE, Habern was back starting at center and a true freshman named Tyler Evans was starting at guard. Cory Brandon and his 6 penalties were holding down the bench this week instead of opposing defensive lineman. I agree that changes should have been and needed to be made here…but what I don’t understand is all the position changes. Are you a guard, or a tackle? Are you a tight end or a center? Are you a punter or a place kicker? My unsolicited opinion? Why not pick one position for a player…then the player learns that one position and all that goes with it…then when he goes into a game he knows what to do…which would seemingly increase his chances at producing positive results. Hey, there is a reason I am still undefeated…Call me coaches, I am here for you.
Any chance of this team reaching the goals they set for themselves going into the season is contingent upon whether or not this unit can drastically improve. With reports that Bradford may be back sooner than later (today’s rumor is that family and doctors are advising not playing again) an improved offensive line could still allow the Sooners a chance to be in the hunt for a 4th straight Big 12 Title. Status quo from the big uglies and Sooner fans can start looking into Independence Bowl packages. Judging from the first drive of the game when the Sooners failed to score on 4 straight tries from the one yard line…against the Bengals of Idaho St… a trip to Shreveport, LA may be in the Sooner Nations future. Hey, I hear it is great there in December.
Yes, as expected OU got a W Saturday night…but what else did it accomplish? I don’t think it would be a stretch to say that the Idaho St. Bengals were the worst team the Sooners have ever hosted at Memorial Stadium…so how much do you take from some of the good things we witnessed last Saturday night? There are still a lot of questions surrounding these 2009 Sooners…Will the Sooners start to find some answers starting this week at home against Tulsa or for sure a couple weeks later in Miami? I don’t know, but one thing is certain, the questions won’t be coming from a cupcake, they will come in the form of a Hurricane.
Just One Mildly Interested Guys Opinion
The Overweight Armchair Sooner
Buddy Putty
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
GAMEDAY
OU vs. BYU (Dallas, TX)
“Oh, my mamma told me, there’ll be days like this” –Van Morrison
Game Day…Dress for success by The OAS
A new season means new game-day stuff for The OAS. The first item on the off-season shopping list is always the new OU game-day polo by Nike. Yes, I know that I have 30 other Sooner shirts hanging in the closet. And yes, I realize that the 2009 Nike version will differ very little from those I purchased the previous three seasons…but out of respect for the team, I just think it’s important to a least start the season wearing something you haven’t stained with mustard or puked taco bell on yet.
I usually buy my shirts on-line because it is so easy, but I do miss the reaction I use to get from store clerks when I told them I was looking for something ‘drunk casual’ in a XXL.
I am sad to report that my favorite OU visor was unable to recover from the unfortunate and tragic accident that occurred after last January’s Orange Bowl. After an exhaustive off-season search, a suitable replacement was finally found, as was a back up. Saturday I chose to wear the white visor that the store described as the ‘OU Sooners Stoops Coaching Visor’…I must have bought the BCS Bowl version of the OU Sooners Stoops Coaching visor. I am sad to report that my new favorite OU visor was unable to recover from the unfortunate and tragic accident that occurred after Saturday nights BYU game.
My brown leather OU belt coordinated beautifully with my flip-flops, proving once again that The OAS can be both sensible and stylish. The shirt, visor and belt, put me at my fan fashion limit…which is my self imposed rule of never wearing more than three clothing items at a time adorned with OU….You want the fashion look you’re throwing down to say: Look at me, I’m a serious fan…not…Look at me, I just beat up Vanna White and took all her vowels.
The OAS Game-Day Tailgate Report
I love the 6:00 PM kick-off. It just allows the whole day to fall into place.
6:00-6:01 AM: Get up…take a piss… go back to bed. 9:00 AM: Get up…turn on GameDay…go back to bed. 10:00 AM: Breakfast of donuts and bloddy-mary’s…in bed. 11:00 AM: Load enough beer and liquor into the SUV that should there be a wreck…life jackets would make more sense than seat belts Noon: Fill flasks, secure game tickets and start threatening to leave anyone that is not ready to go in exactly one hour….have a beer to calm the nerves 12:30: Call John Payne to see if he is still coming or not…drink a beer to calm the nerves. 12:40: Spend some last chance quality time in the bathroom while wondering if John Payne is going to show up or not. 1:00: Set to pull away, but no one else is ready. Have a beer to calm the nerves. Wonder if John Payne is going to be mad that I left him. 1:30 Finally leave the house to head to the tailgate spot. 1:31 Go back to the house to get whatever it was, that whoever it was forgot. 2:15 Arrive at the parking lot 2:16 hand parking pass to parking lot person (SEE PICTURE ABOVE) 2:17 parking lot person thanks you and smiles…at which time you notice the parking lot person has metal teeth 2:19: Mention to the parking lot person that you think it might be possible for Martha Stewart to make a toaster and half a blender from all the metal in his mouth. 2:20: Invite parking lot person to our tailgate. 2:21: Try not to act like I was kidding when he agrees to join us 2:22: Stare in amazement that John Payne beat me to the spot. 2:23: Apologize to John Payne for not remembering what the plan was. 2:24: Try to get my high dollar, Portable Satellite DirecTv to work 2:40: Normally reliable TV wont get reception…ask parking lot person if he would stand next to the TV and let me use his bicuspid’s as an antenna 2:50: Blow off TV and spend the next hour and a half drinking and discussing the merits of flossing with the parking lot person 4:15: Flock to the air-conditioned oasis of Jerry’s World…4:30 Successfully sneak a flask the size of a football past Barney Fife at the front door of Jerry’s World 5:00 Watch several video’s on incredible 11,500 sq ft., 60 yard long HD Jumbotron. 5:30 Start heading for the seats, which courtesy of David Barnes, are located on the 40 yard line of the club level (Thanks again, David) 5:45 Notice that seats are in the BYU section…wonder to myself if the Mormons have ever experienced hearing the f-word used as a noun, verb and adjective in the same sentence like I am capable of doing during an OU game. 5:50 buy an eight dollar cup of ice. 5:51 Poor large amount of Crown Royal over the $8 cup of ice 5:56 Watch the Sooner Schooner, pulled by Boomer and Sooner, take the field…5:59 Watch the Sooners take the field and smile for the last time all night.
Pony Poop.
Occasionally something will happen in the first few minutes of a football game that sets the tone for how things will go the rest of the night. That something is usually a turnover…a big hit…or someone returning a kick for a touchdown. Saturday night…it was pony poop.
The Sooner Schooner is a Conestoga (a fancy word for covered wagon) reminiscent of the one used by pioneers who settled the Oklahoma Territory around the time of the 1889 Land Run. The wagon, first introduced at OU in 1964, is driven by a member of the Ruf/Nek spirit squad and powered by matching white ponies named Boomer and Sooner. Are you with me so far?
Anyway, one of the traditional duties of the Schooner is to lead the team onto the field before every game….which is why the Schooner was positioned on the field near the south end-zone shortly before kickoff last Saturday night.
One of the traditional duties of a pony is to take very large dumps…which is why there was a mammoth crap positioned on the 2 yard line near the south end-zone shortly before kickoff last Saturday night.
Typical Okies, right? Invite us to a party at your brand new $1.3 billion home and what do we do? We bring along a couple of midget, albino ponies and laugh as one of them drops a 4 pound steamer on your new carpet. Hey, shit happens, right? Problem is, shit continued to happed all night…and I promise you, no one in the Sooner Nation thought it was very funny.
The Game
“Oh, the last one hurt like hell, knocked the wind right out of my sails, I’ll be alright in time, but it’s gonna leave a beauty of a scar.” --Radney Foster
Unbelievable. I don’t know whether it was the fact that: it was the opening game of the season, or that we looked so unprepared, or that our Heisman Trophy winning QB was knocked out of the game, or that the Morman’s seemed unaffected by my cussing, or that I ran out of crown in the 4th quarter…but yes, this one hurt like hell.
I spent way more time than I should of last week trying to write something about this game in the blog…something funny, or insightful or uplifting….but I had a big bag of nothing to show for it.
I have decided that there is not much need to re-live the low-lights, you know what happened and how the game ended up. I think with this game, it is best to just put it behind us....at least until my therapist returns my phone call.
Just the Opinion of one extremely disappointed Sooner fan
The Overweight Armchair Sooner
Buddy Putty
OU vs. BYU (Dallas, TX)
“Oh, my mamma told me, there’ll be days like this” –Van Morrison
Game Day…Dress for success by The OAS
A new season means new game-day stuff for The OAS. The first item on the off-season shopping list is always the new OU game-day polo by Nike. Yes, I know that I have 30 other Sooner shirts hanging in the closet. And yes, I realize that the 2009 Nike version will differ very little from those I purchased the previous three seasons…but out of respect for the team, I just think it’s important to a least start the season wearing something you haven’t stained with mustard or puked taco bell on yet.
I usually buy my shirts on-line because it is so easy, but I do miss the reaction I use to get from store clerks when I told them I was looking for something ‘drunk casual’ in a XXL.
I am sad to report that my favorite OU visor was unable to recover from the unfortunate and tragic accident that occurred after last January’s Orange Bowl. After an exhaustive off-season search, a suitable replacement was finally found, as was a back up. Saturday I chose to wear the white visor that the store described as the ‘OU Sooners Stoops Coaching Visor’…I must have bought the BCS Bowl version of the OU Sooners Stoops Coaching visor. I am sad to report that my new favorite OU visor was unable to recover from the unfortunate and tragic accident that occurred after Saturday nights BYU game.
My brown leather OU belt coordinated beautifully with my flip-flops, proving once again that The OAS can be both sensible and stylish. The shirt, visor and belt, put me at my fan fashion limit…which is my self imposed rule of never wearing more than three clothing items at a time adorned with OU….You want the fashion look you’re throwing down to say: Look at me, I’m a serious fan…not…Look at me, I just beat up Vanna White and took all her vowels.
The OAS Game-Day Tailgate Report
I love the 6:00 PM kick-off. It just allows the whole day to fall into place.
6:00-6:01 AM: Get up…take a piss… go back to bed. 9:00 AM: Get up…turn on GameDay…go back to bed. 10:00 AM: Breakfast of donuts and bloddy-mary’s…in bed. 11:00 AM: Load enough beer and liquor into the SUV that should there be a wreck…life jackets would make more sense than seat belts Noon: Fill flasks, secure game tickets and start threatening to leave anyone that is not ready to go in exactly one hour….have a beer to calm the nerves 12:30: Call John Payne to see if he is still coming or not…drink a beer to calm the nerves. 12:40: Spend some last chance quality time in the bathroom while wondering if John Payne is going to show up or not. 1:00: Set to pull away, but no one else is ready. Have a beer to calm the nerves. Wonder if John Payne is going to be mad that I left him. 1:30 Finally leave the house to head to the tailgate spot. 1:31 Go back to the house to get whatever it was, that whoever it was forgot. 2:15 Arrive at the parking lot 2:16 hand parking pass to parking lot person (SEE PICTURE ABOVE) 2:17 parking lot person thanks you and smiles…at which time you notice the parking lot person has metal teeth 2:19: Mention to the parking lot person that you think it might be possible for Martha Stewart to make a toaster and half a blender from all the metal in his mouth. 2:20: Invite parking lot person to our tailgate. 2:21: Try not to act like I was kidding when he agrees to join us 2:22: Stare in amazement that John Payne beat me to the spot. 2:23: Apologize to John Payne for not remembering what the plan was. 2:24: Try to get my high dollar, Portable Satellite DirecTv to work 2:40: Normally reliable TV wont get reception…ask parking lot person if he would stand next to the TV and let me use his bicuspid’s as an antenna 2:50: Blow off TV and spend the next hour and a half drinking and discussing the merits of flossing with the parking lot person 4:15: Flock to the air-conditioned oasis of Jerry’s World…4:30 Successfully sneak a flask the size of a football past Barney Fife at the front door of Jerry’s World 5:00 Watch several video’s on incredible 11,500 sq ft., 60 yard long HD Jumbotron. 5:30 Start heading for the seats, which courtesy of David Barnes, are located on the 40 yard line of the club level (Thanks again, David) 5:45 Notice that seats are in the BYU section…wonder to myself if the Mormons have ever experienced hearing the f-word used as a noun, verb and adjective in the same sentence like I am capable of doing during an OU game. 5:50 buy an eight dollar cup of ice. 5:51 Poor large amount of Crown Royal over the $8 cup of ice 5:56 Watch the Sooner Schooner, pulled by Boomer and Sooner, take the field…5:59 Watch the Sooners take the field and smile for the last time all night.
Pony Poop.
Occasionally something will happen in the first few minutes of a football game that sets the tone for how things will go the rest of the night. That something is usually a turnover…a big hit…or someone returning a kick for a touchdown. Saturday night…it was pony poop.
The Sooner Schooner is a Conestoga (a fancy word for covered wagon) reminiscent of the one used by pioneers who settled the Oklahoma Territory around the time of the 1889 Land Run. The wagon, first introduced at OU in 1964, is driven by a member of the Ruf/Nek spirit squad and powered by matching white ponies named Boomer and Sooner. Are you with me so far?
Anyway, one of the traditional duties of the Schooner is to lead the team onto the field before every game….which is why the Schooner was positioned on the field near the south end-zone shortly before kickoff last Saturday night.
One of the traditional duties of a pony is to take very large dumps…which is why there was a mammoth crap positioned on the 2 yard line near the south end-zone shortly before kickoff last Saturday night.
Typical Okies, right? Invite us to a party at your brand new $1.3 billion home and what do we do? We bring along a couple of midget, albino ponies and laugh as one of them drops a 4 pound steamer on your new carpet. Hey, shit happens, right? Problem is, shit continued to happed all night…and I promise you, no one in the Sooner Nation thought it was very funny.
The Game
“Oh, the last one hurt like hell, knocked the wind right out of my sails, I’ll be alright in time, but it’s gonna leave a beauty of a scar.” --Radney Foster
Unbelievable. I don’t know whether it was the fact that: it was the opening game of the season, or that we looked so unprepared, or that our Heisman Trophy winning QB was knocked out of the game, or that the Morman’s seemed unaffected by my cussing, or that I ran out of crown in the 4th quarter…but yes, this one hurt like hell.
I spent way more time than I should of last week trying to write something about this game in the blog…something funny, or insightful or uplifting….but I had a big bag of nothing to show for it.
I have decided that there is not much need to re-live the low-lights, you know what happened and how the game ended up. I think with this game, it is best to just put it behind us....at least until my therapist returns my phone call.
Just the Opinion of one extremely disappointed Sooner fan
The Overweight Armchair Sooner
Buddy Putty
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