Had a ten hour drive back to Tennessee to digest the events at the Cotton Bowl and a few things stand out to me regarding yesterday and the state of the program.
1.) I don't see how Bob selected this offense given the talent he had on campus. Of the skill position guys who played yesterday Green, Baxter, Miller, and Westbrook were not on campus when Bob chose to go "Air Raid." Green, Baxter, and Miller had yet to even commit. What Stoops knew he had were two bell cow running backs whose talents are now going unrealized and under utilized (due to OL and scheme). I'm confident if Riley made this offense work at ECU he can make it work at OU given time the right personnel. I just don't think the talent and experience at WR and OL he needs to operate it are currently on campus and can't understand why Bob went in this direction. I'm not saying it won't eventually flourish, but it seems a curious choice based on the cards he was holding.
2.) They (UT) weren't going to pass. If they did, they weren't going to pass well. It looked exactly like what Tennessee did with LESS passing. We knew they were going to run, had stopped similar schemes before, and still didn't stop it. Frustrating.
3.) I said it in an earlier thread but will say it again, the Kittles hire is now biting us in the a$$. O-line works best when you get high end recruits and let them season in the program for 2-3 years before they hit the field. For two years we had an OT-TE coach who brought in nothing in the way of recruiting. The window for his seasoned recruits is now upon us. We have put together a group of freshmen, JUCOS, and three stars. Results were apparent yesterday.
4.) I don't see the 2016 recruiting class (currently ranked 47, two spots ahead of SMU) or talent currently on campus significantly changing the trajectory of the program. Selling end zone seats with a $2,000 per seat donation attached will require some fantastic salesmanship if we aren't competing for conference titles (and we're not).
5.) It was a three game gauntlet in October of 2000 that launched the Stoops era. He has another three game gauntlet to end this season. If there isn't dramatic improvement (in the O-line particularly) I don't want to think about what a happy place the Crimson Corner will be from December to August after those three games.
1.) I don't see how Bob selected this offense given the talent he had on campus. Of the skill position guys who played yesterday Green, Baxter, Miller, and Westbrook were not on campus when Bob chose to go "Air Raid." Green, Baxter, and Miller had yet to even commit. What Stoops knew he had were two bell cow running backs whose talents are now going unrealized and under utilized (due to OL and scheme). I'm confident if Riley made this offense work at ECU he can make it work at OU given time the right personnel. I just don't think the talent and experience at WR and OL he needs to operate it are currently on campus and can't understand why Bob went in this direction. I'm not saying it won't eventually flourish, but it seems a curious choice based on the cards he was holding.
2.) They (UT) weren't going to pass. If they did, they weren't going to pass well. It looked exactly like what Tennessee did with LESS passing. We knew they were going to run, had stopped similar schemes before, and still didn't stop it. Frustrating.
3.) I said it in an earlier thread but will say it again, the Kittles hire is now biting us in the a$$. O-line works best when you get high end recruits and let them season in the program for 2-3 years before they hit the field. For two years we had an OT-TE coach who brought in nothing in the way of recruiting. The window for his seasoned recruits is now upon us. We have put together a group of freshmen, JUCOS, and three stars. Results were apparent yesterday.
4.) I don't see the 2016 recruiting class (currently ranked 47, two spots ahead of SMU) or talent currently on campus significantly changing the trajectory of the program. Selling end zone seats with a $2,000 per seat donation attached will require some fantastic salesmanship if we aren't competing for conference titles (and we're not).
5.) It was a three game gauntlet in October of 2000 that launched the Stoops era. He has another three game gauntlet to end this season. If there isn't dramatic improvement (in the O-line particularly) I don't want to think about what a happy place the Crimson Corner will be from December to August after those three games.
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