1
I know winning the toss and receiving is the normal play against Baylor, not wanting to give their offense the ball and whatnot. But to me, in that situation, with a crowd incredibly amped up before a game, it might have been good to get your defense on the field and allow that atmosphere to calm down before you send out your offense.
2
It’s something I mentioned in my matchup preview, that Oklahoma had an advantage over Baylor’s special teams. That was prevalent early not only with the botched PAT, but then kicking the ensuing kickoff out of bounds to set up OU in good field position to answer the Bears opening touchdown. It was this drive that settled down Oklahoma and Baker Mayfield when things were looking a little shaky for the Sooners early.
3
This week in college coaches wasting timeouts: Oklahoma had Baylor in a 3rd & 7 and looked to have made a stop on a pass short of the marker, but wait - defensive timeout by Bob Stoops. The Sooners came out of the timeout and gave up the first down.
4
Well, I told mentioned earlier in the week that Kerry Cooks has brought a change in philosophy at the defensive back position to provide more pressure on receivers at the line of scrimmage and you can see that point illustrated here.
Oklahoma last year vs Baylor on 2nd & 4
Here is Oklahoma under Cooks on a 3rd & 23
Baylor actually ended up completing a wheel route for a first down on this play, but hey, when you ask for risky play from your secondary you can’t complain when you get burned every once in awhile. It was this aggressive style that paid dividends for OU in the aggregate throughout the game.
5
Oklahoma stopped Baylor on a 2nd & 15 for an incomplete pass in the first quarter, but Baylor had a personal foul chop block penalty that only would have been half the distance to the goal. Instead of 3rd & 15, Stoops chose to accept the penalty to make it 2nd & 23. I have no idea why you would give Baylor a shot at an extra play. Two plays later the Bears hit a 20-yard pass play to Jay Lee for a first down.
6
Matt Dimon had just gotten ejected after multiple personal foul penalties kept a Baylor drive alive that was capped off by a touchdown to tie the game. McLane stadium was buzzing and the Baylor sideline was bouncing. It felt like the game may swing in the wrong direction for Oklahoma and start to slip through their fingers. However, Lincoln Riley and Baker Mayfield lead a masterful drive down the field that included two pop passes to Dimitri Flowers and Joe Mixon, capped off by the Mayfield touchdown run, and left no time for Jarrett Stidham. It allowed OU to go into halftime up 20-13 and was a pivotal moment in the game.
7
Not only did Oklahoma win the game, but they were the most physical team on the field. You could tell the Sooners were adamant on playing with an edge tonight and even though that mentality went overboard a few times, it ultimately might have been the catalyst for the win.
8
I’m all for making the game safer, but I’m also a huge proponent of the “spirit of the rule” school of thought. What are we really policing and trying to take out of the game if a runner is allowed to be wrapped up and then laid out with a helmet-to-helmet hit, but finishing a tackle while the whistle blows in the middle of the process or a quarterback hanging his receiver out to dry to take a shot to the ribs can get flagged? It makes the whole thing feel a little nonsensical or, at best, indiscriminate in how we determine excessiveness.
9
I had mentioned in last week's '10 Thoughts' that Baker Mayfield might be the top QB in the Heisman discussion. Now, Deshaun Watson also might have something to say about that, but I think Mayfield has firmly implanted himself in the conversation. Oklahoma has the campaign all ready to go, but were just waiting on a victory over Baylor. A potential de facto national quarterfinal Bedlam showdown in a few weeks may also set the stage for Mayfield to make his final case.
10
The Oklahoma Sooners are on top of the college football world once again, even if only for tonight. Enjoy it.
I know winning the toss and receiving is the normal play against Baylor, not wanting to give their offense the ball and whatnot. But to me, in that situation, with a crowd incredibly amped up before a game, it might have been good to get your defense on the field and allow that atmosphere to calm down before you send out your offense.
2
It’s something I mentioned in my matchup preview, that Oklahoma had an advantage over Baylor’s special teams. That was prevalent early not only with the botched PAT, but then kicking the ensuing kickoff out of bounds to set up OU in good field position to answer the Bears opening touchdown. It was this drive that settled down Oklahoma and Baker Mayfield when things were looking a little shaky for the Sooners early.
3
This week in college coaches wasting timeouts: Oklahoma had Baylor in a 3rd & 7 and looked to have made a stop on a pass short of the marker, but wait - defensive timeout by Bob Stoops. The Sooners came out of the timeout and gave up the first down.
4
Well, I told mentioned earlier in the week that Kerry Cooks has brought a change in philosophy at the defensive back position to provide more pressure on receivers at the line of scrimmage and you can see that point illustrated here.
Oklahoma last year vs Baylor on 2nd & 4
Here is Oklahoma under Cooks on a 3rd & 23
Baylor actually ended up completing a wheel route for a first down on this play, but hey, when you ask for risky play from your secondary you can’t complain when you get burned every once in awhile. It was this aggressive style that paid dividends for OU in the aggregate throughout the game.
5
Oklahoma stopped Baylor on a 2nd & 15 for an incomplete pass in the first quarter, but Baylor had a personal foul chop block penalty that only would have been half the distance to the goal. Instead of 3rd & 15, Stoops chose to accept the penalty to make it 2nd & 23. I have no idea why you would give Baylor a shot at an extra play. Two plays later the Bears hit a 20-yard pass play to Jay Lee for a first down.
6
Matt Dimon had just gotten ejected after multiple personal foul penalties kept a Baylor drive alive that was capped off by a touchdown to tie the game. McLane stadium was buzzing and the Baylor sideline was bouncing. It felt like the game may swing in the wrong direction for Oklahoma and start to slip through their fingers. However, Lincoln Riley and Baker Mayfield lead a masterful drive down the field that included two pop passes to Dimitri Flowers and Joe Mixon, capped off by the Mayfield touchdown run, and left no time for Jarrett Stidham. It allowed OU to go into halftime up 20-13 and was a pivotal moment in the game.
7
Not only did Oklahoma win the game, but they were the most physical team on the field. You could tell the Sooners were adamant on playing with an edge tonight and even though that mentality went overboard a few times, it ultimately might have been the catalyst for the win.
8
I’m all for making the game safer, but I’m also a huge proponent of the “spirit of the rule” school of thought. What are we really policing and trying to take out of the game if a runner is allowed to be wrapped up and then laid out with a helmet-to-helmet hit, but finishing a tackle while the whistle blows in the middle of the process or a quarterback hanging his receiver out to dry to take a shot to the ribs can get flagged? It makes the whole thing feel a little nonsensical or, at best, indiscriminate in how we determine excessiveness.
9
I had mentioned in last week's '10 Thoughts' that Baker Mayfield might be the top QB in the Heisman discussion. Now, Deshaun Watson also might have something to say about that, but I think Mayfield has firmly implanted himself in the conversation. Oklahoma has the campaign all ready to go, but were just waiting on a victory over Baylor. A potential de facto national quarterfinal Bedlam showdown in a few weeks may also set the stage for Mayfield to make his final case.
10
The Oklahoma Sooners are on top of the college football world once again, even if only for tonight. Enjoy it.
