1
If you’re not going to even try to block any punts all year, better stop it when a team finally does try a fake against you. When you have guys relax, this is what happens. That’s why I always tend to lean towards the side of aggression.
2
It hasn’t been a great year for officiating on any level. Perhaps, instead of finding ways to have them more involved in the game, we figure out how to lessen their impact. I’m seeing way too many officials erring on the side of throwing the flag when in doubt.
3
Oklahoma’s defensive line did a decent job of getting off blocks and getting to the quarterback in the first half. The problem was, with Charles Walker out, there was nobody athletic enough to bring down Deshaun Watson once in position to make a play. And perhaps no Sooners will be more appreciated in the offseason than Walker and Jordan Evans. Oklahoma had no answer in the run game with two of their biggest and best athletes on defense out of the game.
4
In my prediction, I said this would be a game of big plays – and it had its fill. However, for the most part, this was just a Clemson team dominating the line of scrimmage in some good old-fashioned football. If you don’t tackle well, if you lose the field position battle, and you lose in the trenches – you’re going to lose on the scoreboard.
5
Lincoln Riley and Baker Mayfield continued to try and push the ball downfield along the sidelines against Clemson’s corners. It’s just a strategy I don’t quite understand, as Oklahoma held their clear advantage in the middle of the field. Also, they seemed to find success on slip screens to throw off Clemson’s aggressiveness, but jump balls down the sideline allowed Brent Venables to send all of his linebackers without consequence.
6
It’s impossible to ever truly know the effect of the layoff, but it’s hard to imagine this is the Oklahoma team you would have seen if this game was played three weeks ago. Teams that are on great runs who abruptly meet a layoff have had a history of struggling. It’s reminiscent of the 2007 Colorado Rockies who rattled off 21 wins in 22 games to reach the World Series, only to be swept by the Boston Red Sox after facing a nine-day layoff between the NLCS and Series.
7
Not a fan of hearing, “They didn’t want it” or any of that nonsense. Watch Samaje Perine running on one leg in the fourth quarter and tell me these players didn’t care. Sometimes it’s just not your night for reasons other than desire. This was an 11-win, Big 12 Championship team after no one thought they could win more than nine. They've given you more than enough to be proud of.
8
The Big 12 is never going to get any respect when their commercials start with, "The 10 universities in the Big 12...” Have some respect for the intelligence of your fans and pick a new name. Screw branding.
9
When you have Cody Thomas and Alex Ross in the game at the end, it’s pretty indicative of how the night went for Oklahoma.
10
Sterling Shepard finishes his spectacular Sooner career with 233 receptions, 3,482 yards, and 26 touchdowns to finish as the second all-time leading receiver in Oklahoma history. There won’t be a single conversation about great Sooner receivers at the dinner table where his name won’t come up.
If you’re not going to even try to block any punts all year, better stop it when a team finally does try a fake against you. When you have guys relax, this is what happens. That’s why I always tend to lean towards the side of aggression.
2
It hasn’t been a great year for officiating on any level. Perhaps, instead of finding ways to have them more involved in the game, we figure out how to lessen their impact. I’m seeing way too many officials erring on the side of throwing the flag when in doubt.
3
Oklahoma’s defensive line did a decent job of getting off blocks and getting to the quarterback in the first half. The problem was, with Charles Walker out, there was nobody athletic enough to bring down Deshaun Watson once in position to make a play. And perhaps no Sooners will be more appreciated in the offseason than Walker and Jordan Evans. Oklahoma had no answer in the run game with two of their biggest and best athletes on defense out of the game.
4
In my prediction, I said this would be a game of big plays – and it had its fill. However, for the most part, this was just a Clemson team dominating the line of scrimmage in some good old-fashioned football. If you don’t tackle well, if you lose the field position battle, and you lose in the trenches – you’re going to lose on the scoreboard.
5
Lincoln Riley and Baker Mayfield continued to try and push the ball downfield along the sidelines against Clemson’s corners. It’s just a strategy I don’t quite understand, as Oklahoma held their clear advantage in the middle of the field. Also, they seemed to find success on slip screens to throw off Clemson’s aggressiveness, but jump balls down the sideline allowed Brent Venables to send all of his linebackers without consequence.
6
It’s impossible to ever truly know the effect of the layoff, but it’s hard to imagine this is the Oklahoma team you would have seen if this game was played three weeks ago. Teams that are on great runs who abruptly meet a layoff have had a history of struggling. It’s reminiscent of the 2007 Colorado Rockies who rattled off 21 wins in 22 games to reach the World Series, only to be swept by the Boston Red Sox after facing a nine-day layoff between the NLCS and Series.
7
Not a fan of hearing, “They didn’t want it” or any of that nonsense. Watch Samaje Perine running on one leg in the fourth quarter and tell me these players didn’t care. Sometimes it’s just not your night for reasons other than desire. This was an 11-win, Big 12 Championship team after no one thought they could win more than nine. They've given you more than enough to be proud of.
8
The Big 12 is never going to get any respect when their commercials start with, "The 10 universities in the Big 12...” Have some respect for the intelligence of your fans and pick a new name. Screw branding.
9
When you have Cody Thomas and Alex Ross in the game at the end, it’s pretty indicative of how the night went for Oklahoma.
10
Sterling Shepard finishes his spectacular Sooner career with 233 receptions, 3,482 yards, and 26 touchdowns to finish as the second all-time leading receiver in Oklahoma history. There won’t be a single conversation about great Sooner receivers at the dinner table where his name won’t come up.
