Superman
“Two-thirds of the earth is covered by water, the other third by Roy Williams”
Former Sooner safety, Roy Williams (1999-2001) was honored during the game in recognition of his upcoming induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. Williams, the 23rd Sooner to be elected, will always be remembered for his legendary “Superman” play in the 2001 OU-TX game.
I could be wrong, but it looks like Roy has been on same diet that I have for the last two decades. But the best part of the whole thing was what Roy wore for the occasion, which was a t-shirt adorned with a very large replication of the Superman play.
Ironically, I’ve also been looking into having one of my greatest moments duplicated onto a XXXL Beefy-T … but the image of giving up fast food for an entire week doesn’t translates to 100% cotton as well as one might think. (if you have 4-minutes to spare - check out the Roy Williams highlight film below - the guy was amazing)
Scattershooting … Wondering what ever happened to Ryan Leaf? Oh, seriously? …
Just a year removed from this game being the site of Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff, the Sooners and Bears were relegated to the random 2:00 ‘nobody is gonna find this channel so it doesn’t matter’ kickoff slot and televised on ESPN+ … which is a streaming platform one-step above having the game televised at 11 PM on tape-delay.
ESPN+ is where you’ll find marquee matchups like Middle Tennessee St/La Tech and Florida International/North Texas – games whose outcomes change the landscape of college football each and every week. Who needs Rece, Kirk, Desmond and the rest of the GameDay crew when you have the ESPN+ team of Courtney Lyle (play-by-play), Ryan Leaf (analyst) and Tori Petry (sideline) rocking the Palace on the Prairie. Well, as it turns out, I do.
I Think My Ears are Bleeding …
Before I offend every person with an X chromosome with what I’m about to put in writing, let me say this … I’m a big fan of the female gender. For instance, my mom, who raised two children while successfully navigating the waters of a male dominated industry, is my hero – this despite the fact that she thinks the wishbone is symbol of luck, not an offense. I also think that Heart’s ‘Dog and Butterfly” album stands the test of time and I even rooted for Billie Jean King when she played Bobby Riggs in the Battle of the Sexes back in 1973. Hell, I’m not even mad that we decided to let women vote (that’s a joke mom). But with that said, I’d almost rather go swimming near the Great Barrier Reef with a ham tied to my ankle than listen to a woman do the play-by-play of a game. There I said it. So, sue me.
Seriously, wasn’t it torture enough watching some dude named "Sqwirl" run through the Sooner defense like crap through a goose, without having to hear about it from someone whose voice goes from Sam Elliot to Screech from Saved by the Bell? I swear, every step "Sqwirl" took, and there were many, her voice got higher and higher. I’m pretty sure that by the time "Sqwirl" carried the nut ball into the endzone – her voice was so high that only stray dogs and hump-back whales could decipher what she was saying. It was so bad I didn’t know whether to cuss the OU defense or howl at the moon. Okay, I’m done now.
I will give analyst Ryan Leaf, who is considered by many to be the biggest QB bust in NFL history, a nod for the funny, self-deprecating shot he took at himself after a Dillon Gabriel interception in the second quarter. “Watching a pass sail high over the middle gives me PTSD."
The Melting Pot of Mediocrity.
With the loss Saturday, the Sooners dropped to 5-4 on the year … which sounds more like the first two digits you press when your calling your Aunt in northwest Virginia than it does a win-loss record. Maybe it sounds strange, because it is – as this is the first time Oklahoma has lost 4-games in a season since going 8-5 in 2014 – and only the second time in the last 22-seasons, the other being 8-5 in 2009. I don’t know about you, but after watching the first 9-games, I’d be more than happy to take 8-5 and a trip to the Chef Boyardee Spaghetti Bowl in Tupelo, MS., right now.
3rd Down is so Yesterday.
On Saturday, the Sooners converted a remarkable 66% of their 3rd down attempts (10 of 15), while Baylor struggled – converting only 4 of 13 (30%). There was a time, not so long ago, this kind of advantage of third-down efficiency was one of the more important and telling stats associated with a game. But that is changing and fast. More and more, offensive coordinators are using 3rd down to put their offense into a manageable distance to go for it on 4th down. Furthermore, fourth down conversions are often game changing, regardless of when they occur.
For example …
Baylor was 3 for 3 on 4th down, with two of those conversion extending drives that eventually led to touchdowns. On Baylor’s initial possession, it faced a fourth-and-7 from the Sooners’ 35-yard line. The 35-yard line is the epitome of no-man’s land, too close to punt and the percentages show that making a 52-yard field goal is low. Failure to convert however, gives the Sooners, already up 7-0, great field position and all the momentum. But the Baylor coaches never hesitated and three plays following Baylor QB Blake Shapen’s throw to Josh Cameron over the middle for 16 yards, the game was tied.
Conversely, OU was 0 for 1 of 4th down. Early in the second quarter, the Sooners were facing 4th and less than a yard at the Baylor 35-yard line. Quarterback sneak? Nope. Lebby, instead went with the Wildcat formation, which is a shot-gun snap … and Marcus Major never got back to the line of scrimmage.
You also have to ask yourself, did that failure to convert factor into the decision not to go for it on 4th a 4 from midfield at the start of the 4th quarter? I’ll admit, I happened to agree with Venables decision to punt at the time – but that was prior to the OU defense surrendering an 11-play, 80-yard drive that put Baylor up by two-scores. Second guessing head coaches … it’s my gift that keeps on giving.
Penalties are About Discipline
“It’s not how hard the wind blows, it’s what the wind blows” – Ron White
Listening to Venables press conference, he must have used the word discipline 40 times. Okay, maybe not 40, but I know it was a lot, I just didn’t have to mental strength to keep count … but as much as the head coaches stresses it, discipline would be about 67th on the list of adjectives I would use to describe this team.
Committing 8-penalties isn’t the end of the world, in fact its about the average. But when those penalties occur can be devastating. The 15-yard hands to the face penalty by center Andrew Raym right before half essentially cost the Sooners 3 points. Instead of a 40-yard field goal, it was 55-yarder – which Schmidt missed wide left.
Defense is About Attitude
Baylor rushed for 300 yards (yes, I’m adding in the ungained yards lost when the "Sqwirl" took a knee) – but most concerning is that 114 of those came in the 4th quarter. Mentally tough, physical teams do not give up 300-yards rushing, much less 114 when the game is on the line.
This defense, which lost its top three defensive lineman, leading tackler, sack leader, interception leader, and glue guy from a year ago – frankly, just isn’t there yet. But while a lack of talent it one thing – there is no excuse for not playing with effort and passion – and from what I saw – that was the case on Saturday. But then again, I was drinking bourbon, and watching on ESPN+ with the volume muted, so there is that …
Just the Opinion of One Mildly Interested Guy
Buddy Putty
The Overweight Armchair Sooner
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