OKLAHOMA 48 MISSOURI ST. 0
Scattershooting,
while wondering whatever happened to former college and pro football head coach,
Bobby Petrino … Oh, seriously?
Outside the Lines from Week 1:
Covid Count: 16-Players Out / Season Count: 16
Compared to some of the other college and pro games I’ve been watching, the stands at Memorial Stadium during the Missouri St. game looked like Woodstock. But if some of the 22,000 + in attendance looked a little stiff to you, well, there’s a reason for that. With seating restrictions being enforced, the OU Athletic Department offered fans the chance to sorta attend. Yes, for $50.00 you could have a cardboard likeness of yourself placed in an open seat. I immediately signed up … but since the cardboard likeness of one of my checks for $50.00 that I sent in was returned to me, I don’t think The Faux OAS made the game.
Southwest Missouri State
Let’s not sugar-coat it. Regardless of what they call their school (formerly known as Southwest Missouri St.) the Bears are, well, not good. Members of the Missouri Valley Conference in the FCS, the loss Saturday night dropped the Bears all-time record to 470-520-79. After finishing 1-10 a year ago, the program found itself in such a desperate state that they thought it a good idea to hire Bobby Petrino to be their head coach. Clearly, they didn’t ask for references.
On the bright side, the Bears will not lose 10-games again the year, regardless of who their coach is, that I can promise. That’s because they only have 4-games on their 2020 schedule.
Being a bad team is one thing but there is no excuse for not being original. The name of the Missouri State mascot: Boomer. The name of their band: The Pride. Hopefully, they left town before changing their colors to crimson and cream.
Even with several starters missing, the Sooners looked very sharp in all three phases of the game in the first half. While it’s true that you can’t read too much into Saturday night’s performance due to the inferior opponent, you can’t totally discount it either. After all, the Sooners have opened the season against door mats before … but that didn’t keep them from tracking mud into the house. (See UTEP in 2013).
The Rattler Era Begins
The much anticipated Spencer Rattler era kicked off a week ago Saturday night around 6:00 PM. By 7:30 the red-shirt freshman was done for the night, having gone 14 of 17 for 290 yards and 4 touchdowns. Under his direction, the offense scored 41 points on 35 snaps, 31 of which came in the first quarter. There was a lot to like about Rattler’s debut (he set 4 OU and/or Big 12 records for a freshman QB while only playing a single half), but what stood out the most to me was the way he distributed the football. His 14 completions were to 8-different receivers, which tells me he isn’t locking in on one receiver. As I’ve stated before, this kid, if he stays healthy, will be every bit as good as the two Heisman winning QB’s and the running back that played QB for the Sooners before him.
Cooler than Cool
I’ll admit, watching walk-on red-shirt freshman Finn Corwin catch a 16-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth-quarter Saturday night made me a little emotional. Finn was a star wide-receiver at Highland Park High School who helped lead the Scots to 3-straight Texas 5A State Championships. While that’s cool, that alone wouldn’t cause me to go all Ole Yeller. But the fact that Finn’s dad, Mike Corwin, is a fraternity brother of mine ... well … sports tears. Congrats, Mike. I know how proud I was for both you and Finn on Saturday night … I can’t imagine how cool that must have been for you as a father.
The end-zone celebration by the entire OU defense following Delarrin Turner-Yell’s interception in the 3rd quarter against Missouri St. was ridiculous and completely embarrassing IMO. If they were that excited about an INT up 41 against Missouri St., what the hell would they have done if he’d also scored – thrown a parade and given DTY a key to the city? Hell, you don’t see me dancing around behind the bar, posing in front of the other patrons, and showing up the bartender just because I finish my crown on the rocks. Hey OU Defense … act like you’ve done it before … oh, wait … shit, never mind.
Absolutely Loaded
The Sooners are absolutely loaded at the H-Back position, which is a fullback/tight end hybrid. While Austin Stogner is the starter, Jeremiah Hall, Brayden Willis & freshman Mickey Henderson could just as easily be. Look for several big plays to be made by members of this group all year long.
Rumor
Has It …
… That almost every player on the Sooners 2-deep depth chart has already had Covid. It sounds strange to say, but from a football perspective at least, that is good thing. I’m not a doctor, nor did I stay at a Holiday Inn last night, but it is my understanding that chances of contracting the virus a second time is rare – which would seemingly allow us to go back to worrying more about players missing games due to injuries and suspensions vs. global pandemics.
… that the situation at Kansas St. is much like what the Sooners faced prior to their opener against Missouri State. From what I’ve heard it sounds like contact tracing is wreaking havoc in the area of offensive and defensive lineman for the Wildcats. As of Tuesday, those in the know say that K-State still has enough players to play, but a lot hinges on the results of Wednesday testing. As of Tuesday – chances of OU and K-State playing this Saturday, 50/50.
A sign of the times …
Who knew we’d ever see
a day that it was okay to enter a bank and ask for money with a mask on?
Just the Opinion of One Mildly Interested Guy
The Overweight Armchair Sooner
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