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After the full season of play

Is it possibly that LR now has more confidence in putting a game in the hands of the defense and has become more conservative with his offensive play calling?

It does feel great seeing an OU defense that you now have confidence they can get on the field and get a stop. With FUMS it was just a question of how many plays it would take the other team to get to the end zone. Grinch has done a great job this year!!
 
Both sides have had attrition. But we started the year with a shortage at OT, and both starters have dealt with substantial injury problems and played through them.

And we ended up relying too much on Jalen running the ball. He is really beat up at this point, including his throwing hand. Which is also his ball carrying hand. I don't know if we'll get those guys healed or not. We're obviously not getting Sermon back and we're not getting Calcaterra back.

I don't know if Kennedy can come back from a neck strain in three weeks to play running back. A lot of if's. But if we get healthy, OUr offense will compete. LR will get very aggressive.

If the remaining guys are healthy, OUr offense will be hard to play against.

I'm more concerned about the D against a healthy, quality quarterback behind a quality line.

Personally, I think Ohio State should still be the top seed. But if it's LSU, as is being projected, their offense will be a load to play against. If OUr D holds LSU under 35, and I think they have a chance to do that, then OUr O will figure out how to score 36, even if Brkic has to kick 12 field goals.
 
While I want to go all in with BillyRay's post, I think Plaino may have hit the nail on the head.
Something I do believe is our defense will be even better next year (Need a couple of tackles to come on) and our offense will start moving away from our 2019 offense and more toward our 2016-2018 offense.
 
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As the season progressed and our well coached conference opponents were able to scout and scheme us it's obvious what they saw. Our chunk passing game is not consistently effective because of Jalen's weaknesses. Our TE/HB passing game w/o CALC. is not as imposing. Jalen's dependency on Lamb along with Lamb's talent cuts the field in half. When we have to depend on the QB spread option RPO running game with no clear threat to take the top off it makes our O more of a ground and pound rather than an over the top torch the secondary scheme. Rattler will change this but for now we will have to dance with the one who BRUNG us.
 
Right now....and with Calcatera, Sermon, Brooks injured and Hurts banged up, and the offensive line being so erratic (even after a full season), the edge goes to the defense, which shut down OSU and Baylor the past two games.
Whatever happens the rest of the way, the future looks good for OU's defense, which may not be reflected in the next game.
 
I'm not disputing the idea that the defense is better than the past few years, but I am aware that the past couple of opponents were pretty impotent offensively. OSU was hobbled due to attrition, and Baylor is average at best on the offensive side of the ball, even with everyone healthy. The three teams in the playoff are lightyears ahead of anyone we've played this year, at least offensively. OUr anemic offense will have to score some points to have a chance, and we haven't hit 35 points since we barely survived against Iowa State. The only way it won't take at least that many points against LSU and whoever wins the other game is if we are able to frustrate them with clock-eating drives that result in touchdowns. If it turns into a tennis match, we won't hold serve with any of them.
 
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I'm not disputing the idea that the defense is better than the past few years, but I am aware that the past couple of opponents were pretty impotent offensively. OSU was hobbled due to attrition, and Baylor is average at best on the offensive side of the ball, even with everyone healthy. The three teams in the playoff are lightyears ahead of anyone we've played this year, at least offensively. OUr anemic offense will have to score some points to have a chance, and we haven't hit 35 points since we barely survived against Iowa State. The only way it won't take at least that many points against LSU and whoever wins the other game is if we are able to frustrate them with clock-eating drives that result in touchdowns. If it turns into a tennis match, we won't hold serve with any of them.
This is why I brought up the scenario of another QB playing. I like Hurts but in a shootout I have my doubts. He is what he is a gunslinger he’s not.
 
Let's be real here:

Jalen Hurts is the biggest reason our offense is struggling. We have 3 weeks to continue to tool the offense to fit his skill set, and that includes slowing things down and running the ball. We have 3 weeks to get Jalen to return to playing inside his skill set and value taking care of the ball. But the reality is Jalen does not possess pocket awareness or the ability to manipulate the pocket to buy time for receivers to separate.

Now I'm not laying it all on his shoulders and he's a fantastic young man who has done a lot of great things here in less than a year. At this point he's our best shot to get it done.
 
We have already slowed things down and we have become primarily a running team. Hurts scares me when he drops back to pass now.

Jalen has his share of scary moments for sure. Just hope we get an error free game, and hope the OL avoids the dumb and excessive penalties of late. Time for Bedenbaugh to earn his accolades. Special Teams coaching needs to step things up too. Fair catch Brown for the love of God man.
 
OUr number one offensive problem isn't Jalen. It's the OL. We could barely block Baylor's front three with five guys yesterday. It allowed them to drop eight into coverage, taking up a lot of space. We have a true freshman tight end. Trusting guys to be where they're supposed to be changes when you lose your best guys, who've gotten most of the off season reps.

We need to get healthy.
 
Yep. That was the game where the offense couldn't stay on the field, Jalen had turnovers and the defense was blamed. Just another reason why I like Grinch. He aint no fool.
 
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I think it is worth considering all the injuries that we know about as well as the ones that we do not know about has handcuffed the play calling and execution in the offensive side of the ball for the past several weeks. I don't know what is wrong with Hurts but he is fighting through some things. The oline is a mess. Brooks appears to be the only RB out coaches trust enough to play all the time. And our TE position has been hurt by GC's retirement.

The good news is they have 3 weeks to get as healthy as possible and the defense has matured during the past three weeks and is ready to help. I also believe without Hurts we would not be here and I know we would not have beaten Baylor. We have been spoiled in recent years with ridiculous offenses which in the end were offset by underwhelming defenses. I look forward to a more balanced team and an improved coaching staff... cheers.
 
OUr number one offensive problem isn't Jalen. It's the OL. We could barely block Baylor's front three with five guys yesterday. It allowed them to drop eight into coverage, taking up a lot of space. We have a true freshman tight end. Trusting guys to be where they're supposed to be changes when you lose your best guys, who've gotten most of the off season reps.

We need to get healthy.

Didn't we have a couple of Olinemen hurt yesterday though?
 
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Didn't we have a couple of Olinemen hurt yesterday though?
I'd say they were re-hurt. We've been playing with Swenson less than full speed, and so sitting. And Ealy has been as bad, but they started him yesterday, since he was apparently better. But he left the game at the start of the second half. Those are the two starters, and they haven't been full speed. So they've been playing Proctor. But full speed, Swenson and Ealy are their best two tackles. But both have been hurting since late September. Ealy yesterday was having a big problem trying to block the conference defensive POY, James Lynch, with his ailment. So they took Swenson off the bench. I believe he was the fourth player who's played right tackle for us, besides mop up time. Swenson had played mostly LT. So it was pretty patchwork.

But they got it done reasonably well. We had a couple of inconvenient holding penalties that put us in bad D&D. If we can get Ealy and Swenson back online, at close to full speed, it will go a long way toward helping us upset LSU.
 
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Say what you want but Jalen Hurts is Riley’s only choice at this stage. He would look like a complete idiot replacing Hurts if we got drummed. However Jalen plays just acknowledge the fact that we are where we are because of him. Have to accept the bad with the good and wait until next season to see what happens,
 
Say what you want but Jalen Hurts is Riley’s only choice at this stage. He would look like a complete idiot replacing Hurts if we got drummed. However Jalen plays just acknowledge the fact that we are where we are because of him. Have to accept the bad with the good and wait until next season to see what happens,

my point is Baker & Kyler made it the semi final game w/o a defense... Jalen ... not so much. If we still had the defense of last year, I doubt OU would have even played in the B12 Championship game
 
my point is Baker & Kyler made it the semi final game w/o a defense... Jalen ... not so much. If we still had the defense of last year, I doubt OU would have even played in the B12 Championship game

You’re probably right. But if Kyler had played with Jalen’s OL last year there may have been a different outcome too. Who knows. Baker and Kyler were better quarterbacks, but Riley’s best choice this year was Jalen Hurts. Hopefully he’s got two more games to play for Oklahoma and then he will be history. It’s unlikely Rattler lives up to the Heisman twins next year even though he will have had the added advantage of being on campus and learning the system. Jalen didn’t. Just saying.
 
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We have already slowed things down and we have become primarily a running team. Hurts scares me when he drops back to pass now.
Exactly this. As a fan here at the end of the year I’m grateful we are where we are and heading into the playoffs but good grief it hasn’t been without a lot of stress watching Hurts navigate us to where we are.
 
naw didn’t forget. I was at Bedlam last year.
As was I. When we scored to go up 48-41, I leaned over to my wife & said “we’re either going to win this 48-47, or lose it 49-48, because they ARE going to score, & they WILL go for 2. It royally stunk being able to say that, but there was zero doubt in my mind about it either. I so do not miss feeling like that.
 
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So you were there for the 2 scores in 6 possessions in the second half, as well as the forced fumble and recovery by the OU defense, and the interception of the 2 point conversion... as sorry as the defense was last year, it saved the team from a loss...

I was there for that too. In fact I was there for all of the 47 points the defense gave up. It's the only win of the Sooners I've attended that when leaving it felt like a loss.
 
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Right now....and with Calcatera, Sermon, Brooks injured and Hurts banged up, and the offensive line being so erratic (even after a full season), the edge goes to the defense, which shut down OSU and Baylor the past two games.
Whatever happens the rest of the way, the future looks good for OU's defense, which may not be reflected in the next game.
I hope grinch stays for a few years. we need some continuity on the defensive side now that things are turning around
 
So you were there for the 2 scores in 6 possessions in the second half, as well as the forced fumble and recovery by the OU defense, and the interception of the 2 point conversion... as sorry as the defense was last year, it saved the team from a loss...
hey lavaca your avatar scares the sh*t outta my avatar
 
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