1
Through the first five games it looked like Charles Tapper had become nothing more than a pedestrian college defensive end and not the elite lineman that he was projected to be after being named 1st-team All-Big 12 in 2013. However, after failing to nab a sack in his first six games, Tapper has seven in his last four.
2
When your Heisman trophy candidate quarterback just got ear-holed on a targeting penalty, DO NOT SLAP HIM ON THE HELMET AS A SIGN OF AFFECTION. Let’s figure out a new way to show some dap.
3
3rd and goal from the TCU 19 and Oklahoma hands it off to Joe Mixon for a marginal gain. I know some will claim this is simply being safe, taking your points, not risking an interception, etc. But Baker Mayfield was still in the game at this point; how do you not at least see if someone breaks free and let your Heisman candidate quarterback try and make a play? Not to mention these all-too common penalties that result in an automatic first down.
o Defensive pass interference
o Defensive holding
o Roughing the passer
Seems to me that the risk was worth the reward there.
4
Eric Striker is a great college football player and has the unique distinction of being one of the greatest safety/linebacker/defensive end tweeners of all time. However, he always seems to thrive when he has the antithesis of himself on the opposite side keeping quarterbacks from stepping up away from him. Devante Bond this year and Geneo Grissom in the Sugar Bowl are a couple of prime examples.. Yet, the Sooner defense found themselves again without Bond’s services for most of the game as TCU employed four and five receiver sets all game. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, you just have to get more creative and find ways to keep Bond on the field even in nickel coverage.
5
Sterling Shepard dazzled the home crowd in Norman one last time as he hauled in 8 receptions for 111 yards and a touchdown. Mayfield and Perine get most of the national pub, but Shepard is an integral piece in the offense that can put the entire passing offense on his back at times.
No other Oklahoma receiver had multiple catches.
6
If there is a field goal holder’s exception for his knee, there should be a punter’s exemption.
7
Samaje Perine returns to the game after suffering an ankle injury and enlivens a dead Oklahoma Memorial Stadium as he sprinted 70 yards and gimped the last one into the end zone in a truly gutsy 71-yard touchdown run. It sparked the OU offense, not unlike what he did against Baylor a week ago. I know Oklahoma’s history at running back is surpassed by few to none, but Perine is positioning himself to be on the Mt. Rushmore of Sooner running backs.
8
What do you think those guys from the Alabama defense in the Sugar Bowl say when they watch Trevor Knight play now? Maybe he just hasn’t been able to figure out these Big 12 defenses.
9
You just can’t let Knight, who was barely completing 30% of his passes, throw that much with a multiple possession lead into the 4th quarter. The interception at midfield with nine minutes to go after TCU had just cut it to 10 felt like Lincoln Riley was playing right into the TCU comeback script.
10
That play by Steven Parker on the two-point conversion will go down in Sooner lore if OU is able to complete a magical season. The crazy thing about that play is Parker left his man, Shaun Nixon, wide open in the back of the end zone to disrupt the pass. In baseball they call that one an "all-or-nothin’." I also like, “you gotta risk it to get the biscuit.” Either way, Parker’s gamble paid off and epitomized another motto for Oklahoma - “survive and advance.”
Through the first five games it looked like Charles Tapper had become nothing more than a pedestrian college defensive end and not the elite lineman that he was projected to be after being named 1st-team All-Big 12 in 2013. However, after failing to nab a sack in his first six games, Tapper has seven in his last four.
2
When your Heisman trophy candidate quarterback just got ear-holed on a targeting penalty, DO NOT SLAP HIM ON THE HELMET AS A SIGN OF AFFECTION. Let’s figure out a new way to show some dap.
3
3rd and goal from the TCU 19 and Oklahoma hands it off to Joe Mixon for a marginal gain. I know some will claim this is simply being safe, taking your points, not risking an interception, etc. But Baker Mayfield was still in the game at this point; how do you not at least see if someone breaks free and let your Heisman candidate quarterback try and make a play? Not to mention these all-too common penalties that result in an automatic first down.
o Defensive pass interference
o Defensive holding
o Roughing the passer
Seems to me that the risk was worth the reward there.
4
Eric Striker is a great college football player and has the unique distinction of being one of the greatest safety/linebacker/defensive end tweeners of all time. However, he always seems to thrive when he has the antithesis of himself on the opposite side keeping quarterbacks from stepping up away from him. Devante Bond this year and Geneo Grissom in the Sugar Bowl are a couple of prime examples.. Yet, the Sooner defense found themselves again without Bond’s services for most of the game as TCU employed four and five receiver sets all game. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, you just have to get more creative and find ways to keep Bond on the field even in nickel coverage.
5
Sterling Shepard dazzled the home crowd in Norman one last time as he hauled in 8 receptions for 111 yards and a touchdown. Mayfield and Perine get most of the national pub, but Shepard is an integral piece in the offense that can put the entire passing offense on his back at times.
No other Oklahoma receiver had multiple catches.
6
If there is a field goal holder’s exception for his knee, there should be a punter’s exemption.
7
Samaje Perine returns to the game after suffering an ankle injury and enlivens a dead Oklahoma Memorial Stadium as he sprinted 70 yards and gimped the last one into the end zone in a truly gutsy 71-yard touchdown run. It sparked the OU offense, not unlike what he did against Baylor a week ago. I know Oklahoma’s history at running back is surpassed by few to none, but Perine is positioning himself to be on the Mt. Rushmore of Sooner running backs.
8
What do you think those guys from the Alabama defense in the Sugar Bowl say when they watch Trevor Knight play now? Maybe he just hasn’t been able to figure out these Big 12 defenses.
9
You just can’t let Knight, who was barely completing 30% of his passes, throw that much with a multiple possession lead into the 4th quarter. The interception at midfield with nine minutes to go after TCU had just cut it to 10 felt like Lincoln Riley was playing right into the TCU comeback script.
10
That play by Steven Parker on the two-point conversion will go down in Sooner lore if OU is able to complete a magical season. The crazy thing about that play is Parker left his man, Shaun Nixon, wide open in the back of the end zone to disrupt the pass. In baseball they call that one an "all-or-nothin’." I also like, “you gotta risk it to get the biscuit.” Either way, Parker’s gamble paid off and epitomized another motto for Oklahoma - “survive and advance.”
