OU Total Offense: #108. Littrell is a disaster

[Phaeded]

I'm actually almost optimistic IF Hawkins is at QB. He can at least make plays in spite of what Littrell calls, and during OL breakdowns. Our D is better than advertised with zero complimentary O from Littrell. We score from 5 yards out after the turnover and that's a one score game.

Going forward:
* Can we limit runs up the gut to "once in a while" to keep Ds honest, instead of it being our bread and butter? On the season, in running between the tackles we must be averaging less than a yard per carry. Our OL has no push and those are wasted downs, putting the QB behind the sticks. Running Arnold up the gut versus a stacked UTenn DL inside the 5 was worthy of immediate dismissal. Also brutal are the blocking schemes, often calling on the center or the TE on the opposite side of the field to go clear across the LOS to get a block and we get TFL'd.
* Max protect to heave it downfield at least once a quarter. You have to back the Ds off our line with some kind of deep ball threat.
* RB screens. Over the middle after drawing the DL in, to the sides, wherever (does Littrell know what a screen is?). It slows down the pass rush and gets our RBs out in space (preferably Tatum - what's his status? Also hurt being run up the gut).
* Rollouts. The entire O scheme needs to be re-engineered for Hawkins, for some kind of basketball on grass. Lots of run/pass options, dragging TEs for dump-offs and even reverses off of that to Burke. And what happened to the trailing RB pitch Hawkins ran in the Temple game? Get to the edge vs the futile up the guts.

My expectation: Littrell sticks to his philosophy that we're going to establish an identity of toughness by running the ball up the gut whomever the QB is, even though its clear after 4 games WE DON'T HAVE THE PERSONNEL TO DO THAT...because he's a stubborn, uncreative fool. BTW: OU is now #119 in total O. We've sunk to depths unimaginable.

 

[Soonerborn59]

I'm actually almost optimistic IF Hawkins is at QB. He can at least make plays in spite of what Littrell calls, and during OL breakdowns. Our D is better than advertised with zero complimentary O from Littrell. We score from 5 yards out after the turnover and that's a one score game.

There is speculation that OU is not actually running the offense of SL. Again on radio they believe he has been told to run the offense that Lebby ran since it is the same offense JA ran in HS. Is BV tying up SL hands on the offense he would like to run?

Going forward:
* Can we limit runs up the gut to "once in a while" to keep Ds honest, instead of it being our bread and butter? On the season, in running between the tackles we must be averaging less than a yard per carry. Our OL has no push and those are wasted downs, putting the QB behind the sticks. Running Arnold up the gut versus a stacked UTenn DL inside the 5 was worthy of immediate dismissal. Also brutal are the blocking schemes, often calling on the center or the TE on the opposite side of the field to go clear across the LOS to get a block and we get TFL'd.

According to the radio shows they said Arnold missed the play call all together. They asked BV about it and they were told that Arnold was suppose to hand the ball off on that play. It was not an RPO play. Gabe and Teddy had a lot to say on this play on the podcast they do. It was also stated by Ted and Gabe that on the JA throw that was ruled backwards was also a designed handoff play and that option JA took was not even a part of that play. They are not holding back on the critisism of JA.

* Max protect to heave it downfield at least once a quarter. You have to back the Ds off our line with some kind of deep ball threat.
* RB screens. Over the middle after drawing the DL in, to the sides, wherever (does Littrell know what a screen is?). It slows down the pass rush and gets our RBs out in space (preferably Tatum - what's his status? Also hurt being run up the gut).
* Rollouts. The entire O scheme needs to be re-engineered for Hawkins, for some kind of basketball on grass. Lots of run/pass options, dragging TEs for dump-offs and even reverses off of that to Burke. And what happened to the trailing RB pitch Hawkins ran in the Temple game? Get to the edge vs the futile up the guts.

My expectation: Littrell sticks to his philosophy that we're going to establish an identity of toughness by running the ball up the gut whomever the QB is, even though its clear after 4 games WE DON'T HAVE THE PERSONNEL TO DO THAT...because he's a stubborn, uncreative fool. BTW: OU is now #119 in total O. We've sunk to depths unimaginable.

Agree, all OU does is goes backwards on those plays. Maybe we will see a different approach against Auburn. Is it possible that with Hawkins at QB we will see more of the actual type of offense SL would like to run?

 

[Soonerborn59]

 

[LAY THE WOODY]

I'm done, good luck fellas!

 

[Plainosooner]

in BV’s first two years the team has not gotten better as the year moved along, in fact they regressed both years. If there’s any hope we HAVE to see improvement this year.

Sorry, but that's stupid bull shit. We improved enormously last year, and we now have a defense we can hang our hat on. We've had so many injuries in two places on the roster, and especially in the OLIne, which was our weakest position group to begin with. We had to play our Fourth team center. Now we have number one, but he's been hurt more than a little, and he's not close to full speed. We lost two OL's who are both starting as rookies in the NFL. We lost who would have been OUr best returning OL for this season, because of a high priced NIL deal. Their replacements have not been great. We had a very good OC. He's now a substandard HC at MSU. There are lots of high quality co-ordinators who don't make for being quality head coaches. The jury is still out there.

There are all kinds of reasons why the offense is so substandard in 2024. It won't break my heart of we replace the fullback from OUr last NC team as OC. The jury is still out on that. But when you lose three or four of you top receivers in today's college football, you're in serious trouble. More than that, if your OLine can't block anybody. But this isn't an HC problem. When we lost Lebby, it also came at a time that led to losing our quarterback. BV explained that dynamic two nights ago. Hopefully we'll get a little healthier, and young guys will improve. But we better get a win this weekend, or a long season is going to get a lot longer. We cannot win with just terrific D, and special teams. Maybe Jacoby is a really fast learner.

 

[CTOkie]

Sorry, but that's stupid bull shit. We improved enormously last year, and we now have a defense we can hang our hat on. We've had so many injuries in two places on the roster, and especially in the OLIne, which was our weakest position group to begin with. We had to play our Fourth team center. Now we have number one, but he's been hurt more than a little, and he's not close to full speed. We lost two OL's who are both starting as rookies in the NFL. We lost who would have been OUr best returning OL for this season, because of a high priced NIL deal. Their replacements have not been great. We had a very good OC. He's now a substandard HC at MSU. There are lots of high quality co-ordinators who don't make for being quality head coaches. The jury is still out there.

There are all kinds of reasons why the offense is so substandard in 2024. It won't break my heart of we replace the fullback from OUr last NC team as OC. The jury is still out on that. But when you lose three or four of you top receivers in today's college football, you're in serious trouble. More than that, if your OLine can't block anybody. But this isn't an HC problem. When we lost Lebby, it also came at a time that led to losing our quarterback. BV explained that dynamic two nights ago. Hopefully we'll get a little healthier, and young guys will improve. But we better get a win this weekend, or a long season is going to get a lot longer. We cannot win with just terrific D, and special teams. Maybe Jacoby is a really fast learner.

Skip Bayless and Colin Cowherd should read your post, Plano.
To dump OU’s problems this year at the feet of Venables and Castiglione is just not doing one’s homework.
And Arnold seems to have landed in the eye of this storm.

 

[coeSooner81]

Yes the OL has been bad, but the WR room has been equally bad. too many drops and they sure as hell cant block. Its so bad we now have DB's playing WR. If Jacobe turns out to have been a good move Sam Oshimongo was a stud WR in high school as well.

 

[Plainosooner]

Skip Bayless and Colin Cowherd should read your post, Plano.
To dump OU’s problems this year at the feet of Venables and Castiglione is just not doing one’s homework.
And Arnold seems to have landed in the eye of this storm.

Can Colin read? I think Skippy can, but he's so full of himself, it really doesn't matter. Occasionally he says something really good, like a blind squirrel gathering acorns.

 

[Soonerborn59]

Can Colin read? I think Skippy can, but he's so full of himself, it really doesn't matter. Occasionally he says something really good, like a blind squirrel gathering acorns.

I don’t waste my time listening to them. Long ago I did but not now

 

[LVPack]

Update: 9/30/2024

The good news is that OU is no longer #108 in total offense.

The bad news is that OU is now #122 in total offense.

Question: Is OU becoming 2023 Iowa?

 

[CTOkie]

Too early to throw this team under the bus.
The win over Auburn revealed how resilient this team is under Venables and unveiled the dynamic talents of Michael Hawkins at a time this team needed him the most.
This while five receivers, an offensive linemen, the team’s best back (Tatum) and two defensive backs were unavailable and playing on the road.
OU has two weeks to get healthy.
I expect this team will continue to improve and to give Texas a tough game.