OKLAHOMA 31 TENNESSEE 24 (2 OT)
“This team doesn’t have any heart” – The OAS
Okay, so maybe I was a little hasty in my
judgement.
But then again, what else is new? I’m the same
guy who alleged that Keith Ford, who has since transferred, was the future at running
back. I predicted Mo Dampeer, who ended
up being a better dancer than football player, would be a dominant, All-American
defensive lineman…I also don’t view myself as being fat, I’m just a little too short
for my weight.
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| The Sooners struggled with field position from the word go |
The trip had already been amazing, and
totally worth the time, effort and cost…and not even an OU loss would change that. But a victory would be a pretty sweet ending.
Turns out the game we witnessed was even sweeter than anyone could’ve imagined.
Thanks to all the Tennessee fans who
were so welcoming and accommodating, even after they had their hearts
broken. Nothing but pure class from the
Rocky Top Nation.
Let’s look at why the Sooners got down 17
to the Vols, why the Vols couldn’t put the Sooners away, and why OU fans got to
witness another edition of Sooner Magic.
Reasons Sooner Magic Would Be Needed
Slow start
For the second straight week the Sooners
got off to a slow start offensively. A promising initial drive ended after a
second down pass from Baker Mayfield bounced off the hands of Dede Westbrook and
was picked off by the Vols. It would be
a while before the Sooners would see the Vols side of the field again.
Field
position
The Sooners spent so much time inside their
own red-zone that the Tennessee ground crew may have to replace the turf. 24 of the Sooners first 26 plays were from
their own territory, with a large portion of those coming from inside their own
20. I swear it seemed like the Sooners
were trying to go uphill. But the reality is, the reason the Sooners couldn’t
get out of the shadow of their own goal post was their own doing.
Dropped
Balls.
Shepard, Neal and Westbrook all dropped
passes that would’ve either (1) resulted in a first down (2) given the Sooners
a more reasonable distance for converting on 3rd down or (3) allowed
our punter the opportunity to kick the ball while standing on grass that wasn’t
orange and white checkered.
Special
Teams Decisions.
The Tennessee punter was awesome, but Shepard
didn’t help matters when he let a couple punts land and roll deep inside the
20. Alex Ross’ decision to return a kick from 6 yards deep in the end-zone, had
the Sooners starting deep. I know he was
probably just trying to make something happen, but not only was the kick deep,
it was very high as well…which means better kick coverage.
Penalties.
Holding calls are
absolute killers. Converting 3rd
and 22 from your own 14 happens about as often as I order a salad at McDonalds...hardly
ever and when I do, it’s for someone else. Holding penalties also put your offensive in
a bind when it comes to field position.
The bad decision Ross made to return the kickoff from deep in his own
end zone was further compounded by a holding penalty. That being said, the fact
that OU only had one delay penalty with that kind of crowd noise was very
encouraging.
Offensive
Line
I realize that we have two freshman at
offensive tackles, but the problem is, they may be the best two lineman we
have. Kasiti is just getting abused,
which makes him only slightly better than our center Ty Darlington. This group needs to get better and soon. They are the key to being better on the ground,
which will give Mayfield a better chance to be effective in the passing game, not to mention a better chance to stay healthy.
Reasons There Was Still a Chance for
Sooner Magic
Tennessee
Head Coach Butch Jones
After Dede Westbrook volleyed a Baker Mayfield
pass into the arms of a Vol defensive back on the Sooners first drive of the
game, the Tennessee offense drove down inside the Sooner 10 yard line. Facing 4 and goal at the Sooner half yard
line, Butch Jones decided to kick the field goal instead of going for TD. The OAS was unable to confirm whether or not
Butch was able to change his tampon during the ensuing television timeout.
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| Butch might like to have his decision to kick a field goal on first drive back |
OU’s Ability
to Put Pressure on Tennessee QB
This was huge reason the Sooners were able
to rally back to win the game. Every
time Dobbs dropped back to throw he was under fire. Because of the pressure he was either (1) inaccurate,
13 of 31 (2) ineffective, only 121 yards passing (3) or unable to hold on to
the football. Dobbs fumbled twice, but for an inadvertent whistle, it would’ve
been three times. If an over-served guy on the 50th
row could see that Dobbs is always under siege, I’m pretty sure that the Tennessee
coaching staff probably picked up on it was well. Rarely did the Vols throw again on 1st
and 2nd down, which made them predictable, which meant the Sooners could pin their ears back on
third down and send the house.
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| Josh Dobbs was under pressure all night |
Clank &
Shank
The
Clank.
On Tennessee’s first play
from scrimmage to start the second half, Vols running Jalen Heard breaks one for
31. On the next play, the Vols use a WR
quick-screen for 20 more, setting them up 1st and 10 and the OU
twenty yard line. After a sack by Charles Walker, Vols QB scrambled to the
right to avoid pressure and hit TE Alex Ellis in the hands, but Ellis was
unable to hold on and make the catch. If he holds on, its probably...ballgame.
The Shank. Unable to convert on
third down, Tennessee was forced to settle for a 48 yard field goal attempt,
which went further right than Rush Limbaugh.
Freshman
Kicker Austin “Powers”
Yes, the kid had one shanked punt…but
overall his punting, most of which came from deep inside OU territory, was the
only reason the field position wasn’t even worse than it was for the Sooners. The
kid nailed his only field goal attempt, and all his extra points were right
down the middle, which, as we all learned last year, shouldn’t be taken for
granted.
Another Edition of Sooner Magic
Referee
Calls
Sooners didn’t catch many breaks in the way
of referee calls early on in the game.
Replay wiped out a couple Sooner catches that would’ve moved the sticks,
but the biggest issue came in the third quarter when an inadvertent whistle nullified
what would’ve been a fumble return for a touchdown by Steven Parker.
Tennessee fans might not agree, but a
little bit of justice may have been served on the Sooners game tying drive. The Vols were called for a questionable interference
penalty on a ball that looked to be uncatchable. Instead of facing 3rd and 14 from the 31, OU was now 1st and 10 from Vols 16...obviously a huge difference. The refs also missed what looked like an
illegal motion penalty on the Sooners late in the game that was pretty big.
Defense
I can’t tell you how proud I was of the
defense. Faced with their backs to the wall all night, they came up big, time
and time again. They tackled well for the most part, and
the pressure they put on the QB Dobbs, was what helped turn the game around. I’m not
ready to say that our defense is good, because I’m not sure we’ve faced a
really good QB yet, but it’s safe to say they’re a hell of a lot better than
they were a year ago. OAS Game balls to
Walker, Striker, Parker and Bond…Devonte Bond
Baker
Mayfield
“What a gutsy QB he’s been in the 4th
quarter and overtime”
– ESPN Commentator, Brad Nessler
Baker missed a couple open receivers early
and had two interceptions, but in my opinion, both were because of mistakes
made by receivers. His stats will look
pedestrian at best, but the numbers certainly don’t tell the full sorry.
There is just something about this
kid. He has moxie, grit guts and a little
brass about him…and I think the team feeds off of that. His leadership and attitude helped lead the
team back. When the team struggled early
in the game, he didn’t force the issue and make a mistake. Mayfield made plays with his feet all night…scrambling
to keep plays alive, with no better example being the touchdown pass he threw
to Perine.
On the Sooners first play of overtime, his throw to Shepard over the middle helped get back some of the momentum that the Vols had just inherited with their OT touchdown. Then he made the perfect read on 4th down from the one in overtime, keeping the ball and walking in to the end zone to tie the game at 24-24, forcing more free football.
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| Gutsy performance from our QB |
Tennessee
Fans
“There won’t be a third overtime” – The Vols fan sitting next to me
After OU scored first in the second
overtime, I made mention to the Vols fan next to me, that if Tennessee forced a
third overtime, then by rule, both teams would have to go for two after a
touchdown. Looking around at the crowd, his
monotone reply above seemed to reflect what most Vol fans were feeling at that
point, and judging from the body language of the Tennessee sideline, maybe the
teams as well. Three plays later Zach Sanchez would make his words clairvoyant. After the game it was hard not to feel for the Vol fans. I said it was hard....not impossible.
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| Tennessee fans were loud, but Sooner fans made some noise themselves |
Sterling Shepard.
What a stud. Big time players, come up big, in big moments,
of big games. Sterling Shepard did just that.
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| Not sure it gets any better than that! |
Heart.
Yes, my assessment that the Sooners didn’t
have any heart, was wrong. They played with guts, never gave up and made the
big plays in the big moments. I guess,
in hindsight, what I should have said was, “This team has some glaring issues
that will one day get them beat.” - I
can only hope that they prove me wrong on that one too.
Just
the opinion of one mildly interested guy
Buddy
Putty
The
Overweight Armchair Sooner
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| Oklahoma 31 Tennessee 24 Double Overtime |
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