(Sorry this is late guys, with the Halloween madness, I jsut forgot, simple as that...but you still get it, so all good!)
The First New Name Emerges
In chat on Tuesday someone asked me a really well timed question; basically this is the time of year that you see new names start emerging, players not really getting their due or perhaps were just late bloomers.
Someone asked if one had begun to emerge and less than 24 hours later I stumbled onto one.
Check on the tape of 2019 offensive tackle Isaiah Hookfin of Sugarland (Texas) Ft. Bend Dulles.
He is a player that Oklahoma had a look at after his junior season and I got the impression they weren't overly impressed with what they saw but his senior stuff has caught a lot of people off guard, as evidenced by his Auburn, Baylor, and Mississippi State in the past week.
And it's not hard to see why as you watch that tape Hookfin shows big-time length, athleticism, and the ability to finish blocks. He is still very long and lean so at times you can see him struggle to keep his feet moving and overwhelm a defender.
But the basic tools are there for a player that could be a special talent down the road.
And Oklahoma has taken a second look at him and though the Sooners are in good shape with some long-time targets don't be shocked if they don't have some conversations. In fact I'm considering seeing him tomorrow since now (HORRIFYING AND URGENT NEWS AFTER THIS PARENTHESES BREAK) Arjei Hendrson will not be playing tomorrow night.
"I am inactive," Henderson said.
Is Oklahoma Really in Danger this Weekend?
I can't get over my feelings about this weekend, there are just so many ways this game could go. But the more I look at it the more I'm just not sure that, barring Oklahoma melting down in front of a hostile crowd, that Oklahoma doesn't emerge from this game with a clear inside track on the Big 12 championship game.
I watched the Tech-TCU game in my Under the Hood review and I can't lie I was impressed with the improvement of the Red Raiders defense. But it doesn't change that this is still a unit that looks up longingly at the production of Oklahoma's defense - not just the past few weeks but in the entirety of the season.
Tech's defense is tackling better, rallies to the ball better and has some playmakers in the front seven - none more notable than soon to be NFL linebacker Dakota Allen. However, this is a unit that still struggles with big plays and isn't the overwhelming physical group that is likely to hold up well with the Sooners reinvigorated ground game.
The return of Alan Bowman has definitely given Tech's offense a much needed shot in the arm but if Oklahoma can put some pressure on him there is success to be found. Iowa State frequently forced him to move off his spot and it showed with a couple of horrible decisions from the young signal caller.
I'll save my pick for the Staff Picks, but the more I watch, look at, the more I'm finding it hard to see Texas Tech finding a way over this hill.
I Was Right, Again.
I told you a few weeks ago that I thought someone might beat the second to last eyes on the horizon, well it looks like - ahem - I was right, as usual. And I'd expect that news to come down the pipe in the next 48 hours or so.
And at that time we'll have plenty for you to go over to learn more about the newest Sooner pledge.
Merry Christmas, you Filthy Animals.
Since I'm late, you get an extra treat...and it ain't chocolate.
Halloween is over, I couldn't be happier. The only things I like about it - ladies outfits and fun parties - don't really do me any good as a happily married man and the stuff I hate can now recede, constant horror movies on television, the need to scare everyone and the total lack of great accompanying music.
I mean 'Monster Mash'...get out of here with that mess. Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra vomited more meaningful sounds.
At any rate, let's not lose focus, Thanksgiving, while a holiday I love and enjoy for it's focus on food and football it has no real currency and no real surrounding ideals. You can simply enjoy it for the day it is and then return to your regular programming.
As such it's Christmas season and it truly is the best time of the year. Whether you celebrate it or not isn't really my point. People are in a better mood, a little more friendly, a little more willing to do something kind for their fellow man...it's a nice feeling.
So let me be the first to tell you, Merry Christmas...you'll hear it a lot more for the next six and a half weeks but...you always remember your first.
The First New Name Emerges
In chat on Tuesday someone asked me a really well timed question; basically this is the time of year that you see new names start emerging, players not really getting their due or perhaps were just late bloomers.
Someone asked if one had begun to emerge and less than 24 hours later I stumbled onto one.
Check on the tape of 2019 offensive tackle Isaiah Hookfin of Sugarland (Texas) Ft. Bend Dulles.
He is a player that Oklahoma had a look at after his junior season and I got the impression they weren't overly impressed with what they saw but his senior stuff has caught a lot of people off guard, as evidenced by his Auburn, Baylor, and Mississippi State in the past week.
And it's not hard to see why as you watch that tape Hookfin shows big-time length, athleticism, and the ability to finish blocks. He is still very long and lean so at times you can see him struggle to keep his feet moving and overwhelm a defender.
But the basic tools are there for a player that could be a special talent down the road.
And Oklahoma has taken a second look at him and though the Sooners are in good shape with some long-time targets don't be shocked if they don't have some conversations. In fact I'm considering seeing him tomorrow since now (HORRIFYING AND URGENT NEWS AFTER THIS PARENTHESES BREAK) Arjei Hendrson will not be playing tomorrow night.
"I am inactive," Henderson said.
Is Oklahoma Really in Danger this Weekend?
I can't get over my feelings about this weekend, there are just so many ways this game could go. But the more I look at it the more I'm just not sure that, barring Oklahoma melting down in front of a hostile crowd, that Oklahoma doesn't emerge from this game with a clear inside track on the Big 12 championship game.
I watched the Tech-TCU game in my Under the Hood review and I can't lie I was impressed with the improvement of the Red Raiders defense. But it doesn't change that this is still a unit that looks up longingly at the production of Oklahoma's defense - not just the past few weeks but in the entirety of the season.
Tech's defense is tackling better, rallies to the ball better and has some playmakers in the front seven - none more notable than soon to be NFL linebacker Dakota Allen. However, this is a unit that still struggles with big plays and isn't the overwhelming physical group that is likely to hold up well with the Sooners reinvigorated ground game.
The return of Alan Bowman has definitely given Tech's offense a much needed shot in the arm but if Oklahoma can put some pressure on him there is success to be found. Iowa State frequently forced him to move off his spot and it showed with a couple of horrible decisions from the young signal caller.
I'll save my pick for the Staff Picks, but the more I watch, look at, the more I'm finding it hard to see Texas Tech finding a way over this hill.
I Was Right, Again.
I told you a few weeks ago that I thought someone might beat the second to last eyes on the horizon, well it looks like - ahem - I was right, as usual. And I'd expect that news to come down the pipe in the next 48 hours or so.
And at that time we'll have plenty for you to go over to learn more about the newest Sooner pledge.
Merry Christmas, you Filthy Animals.
Since I'm late, you get an extra treat...and it ain't chocolate.
Halloween is over, I couldn't be happier. The only things I like about it - ladies outfits and fun parties - don't really do me any good as a happily married man and the stuff I hate can now recede, constant horror movies on television, the need to scare everyone and the total lack of great accompanying music.
I mean 'Monster Mash'...get out of here with that mess. Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra vomited more meaningful sounds.
At any rate, let's not lose focus, Thanksgiving, while a holiday I love and enjoy for it's focus on food and football it has no real currency and no real surrounding ideals. You can simply enjoy it for the day it is and then return to your regular programming.
As such it's Christmas season and it truly is the best time of the year. Whether you celebrate it or not isn't really my point. People are in a better mood, a little more friendly, a little more willing to do something kind for their fellow man...it's a nice feeling.
So let me be the first to tell you, Merry Christmas...you'll hear it a lot more for the next six and a half weeks but...you always remember your first.
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