We'll give the new guy first dibs...
Joe Duvall
Take a swig of water, Sooner fans. Cleanse your palette and get that Russell Athletic Bowl taste out of your mouth, because Terry Bowden and Akron are coming to Norman to kickoff the 2015 season.
The Zips aren’t coming completely dearth of talent, especially in their defensive front. I like All-MAC defensive tackle, and occasional fullback, Cody Grice, to put some pressure on Baker Mayfield. The Texas Tech transfer has a reputation for holding onto the ball until the last possible second and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him sacked a few times in his first start at Oklahoma.
Despite his swashbuckler status, Mayfield has earned the trust of new offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley to safely distribute touches to the bevy of talent at his disposal. That talent includes familiar faces like Sterling Shepard and Samaje Perine, but I believe it’s the fresh faces that will steal the show. The buzz surrounding Joe Mixon has become unfettered and methinks Bob Stoops has been playing coy on how big of a role he’ll play in this offense. Jeffery Mead and Mark Andrews will look like they’re playing 5000/Jackpot with Baker Mayfield a few times. And Dede Westbrook will have his opportunities to electrify in space. Riley’s system is fast-moving and rotates a ton of personnel so there will be plenty of chances for Oklahoma fans to get a look at their new, and hopefully improved, offense.
Akron is having an offensive paradigm shift of their own; last season the Zips threw the ball much more than they ran it, but the word is that is likely to change in 2015. I expect a much more balanced attack versus an Oklahoma team that will find out quickly if the front seven can take on a physical, but less talented, Akron offensive line. Lead by Eric Striker and Devante Bond on the edges I think they’ll more than hold their own in disrupting Akron’s rhythm and making plenty of plays in the backfield. Coach Bowden has not named as a starter as I write this, but I believe either Kyle Pohl or Tra’Von Chapman will struggle completing passes out on the edge with Zack Sanchez and Jordan Thomas being too much to handle. However, I do expect at least one big break in coverage by some unproven pieces in the back-end of the secondary, but overall it winds up being a positive day for Mike Stoops and the Oklahoma defense.
Oklahoma 55
Akron 17
Eddie Radosevich
When 85,000-plus join for a mass celebration for Lincoln Riley 32nd birthday ... wait ... I mean ... Oklahoma's home opener there are a number of things I'm sure Sooners fans would like to see. Let me be the first to warn you. Don't overreact. It's the first week of the season. Take a step back before you play armchair quarterback for next five months. Enjoy the atmosphere. It's here.
With a new season comes a new age in Norman. The birthday boy's high powered offense features names you've been waiting for like Mayfield and Mixon. Some news ones in Westbrook and Baxter.
Others like Shepard and Perine return renewed.
A few questions come to mind when thinking about opener:
Which receivers take the next step alongside Sterling Shepard? There's been substantial amount of jabber surrounding Mark Andrews and Jeffery Mead. We saw the reason for some of that chatter during the spring.
Mayfield doesn't need to be great. He needs to be accurate. He needs to be smart. That's nothing new.
Can Mike Stoops put together a dominating defense? We've seen flashes in recent years, but nothing more than a tease. Much like on the offensive side of the ball there's been help brought in.
Kerry Cooks transition has been seamless or at least so it seems. Who becomes disrputive inside? Wouldn't be surprised to see Matt Dimon put together an extremely productive junior season. Charles Walker and Matt Romar should begin to come of age.
None of these questions will truly be answered Saturday night, but we'll have something to fall back on. Just a little taste before the main entree ahead.
Remember, championships won't be today. Unless you are tailgating. Champions are crowned there every Saturday.
Oklahoma 62
Akron 16
Josh McCuistion
So we're finally here, it seemed at times a day that would never come with all the teeth gnashing that followed the Sooners final trip on the field of the 2014 season and just how far the wave fell from Louisiana Tech to Clemson last year.
But the offseason was a cleansing one for the football program - sometimes that house cleaning felt more like a purge but there is as much reason for optimism about the future of the program as any time in recent memory in my opinion.
The trick? Keeping expectations reasonable this year.
And I think that all starts tonight.
Oklahoma is facing an inferior opponent, you know it, I know it, and the team knows it. And as such I think you'll see a somewhat sluggish start tonight. It won't shock me if at half-time Oklahoma is up 17-7 or something modest like that. It's not that I think that's a correct reflection of the two teams, I think it's more a matter of Oklahoma keeping things very vanilla tonight and doing their very best to not show too much to Tennessee.
Then again maybe the Joe Mixon hype reaches all that you all are hoping for and the team feeds off it and steams over Akron. I just think you're going to see a team that knows they are playing things close to the vest and is more of a 'get the win and get on' mode.
My pick for the storyline we're talking about tomorrow?
Kahlil Haughton is ready to take over a starting job.
Now without further ado...
Oklahoma 37
Akron 14
Joe Duvall
Take a swig of water, Sooner fans. Cleanse your palette and get that Russell Athletic Bowl taste out of your mouth, because Terry Bowden and Akron are coming to Norman to kickoff the 2015 season.
The Zips aren’t coming completely dearth of talent, especially in their defensive front. I like All-MAC defensive tackle, and occasional fullback, Cody Grice, to put some pressure on Baker Mayfield. The Texas Tech transfer has a reputation for holding onto the ball until the last possible second and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him sacked a few times in his first start at Oklahoma.
Despite his swashbuckler status, Mayfield has earned the trust of new offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley to safely distribute touches to the bevy of talent at his disposal. That talent includes familiar faces like Sterling Shepard and Samaje Perine, but I believe it’s the fresh faces that will steal the show. The buzz surrounding Joe Mixon has become unfettered and methinks Bob Stoops has been playing coy on how big of a role he’ll play in this offense. Jeffery Mead and Mark Andrews will look like they’re playing 5000/Jackpot with Baker Mayfield a few times. And Dede Westbrook will have his opportunities to electrify in space. Riley’s system is fast-moving and rotates a ton of personnel so there will be plenty of chances for Oklahoma fans to get a look at their new, and hopefully improved, offense.
Akron is having an offensive paradigm shift of their own; last season the Zips threw the ball much more than they ran it, but the word is that is likely to change in 2015. I expect a much more balanced attack versus an Oklahoma team that will find out quickly if the front seven can take on a physical, but less talented, Akron offensive line. Lead by Eric Striker and Devante Bond on the edges I think they’ll more than hold their own in disrupting Akron’s rhythm and making plenty of plays in the backfield. Coach Bowden has not named as a starter as I write this, but I believe either Kyle Pohl or Tra’Von Chapman will struggle completing passes out on the edge with Zack Sanchez and Jordan Thomas being too much to handle. However, I do expect at least one big break in coverage by some unproven pieces in the back-end of the secondary, but overall it winds up being a positive day for Mike Stoops and the Oklahoma defense.
Oklahoma 55
Akron 17
Eddie Radosevich
When 85,000-plus join for a mass celebration for Lincoln Riley 32nd birthday ... wait ... I mean ... Oklahoma's home opener there are a number of things I'm sure Sooners fans would like to see. Let me be the first to warn you. Don't overreact. It's the first week of the season. Take a step back before you play armchair quarterback for next five months. Enjoy the atmosphere. It's here.
With a new season comes a new age in Norman. The birthday boy's high powered offense features names you've been waiting for like Mayfield and Mixon. Some news ones in Westbrook and Baxter.
Others like Shepard and Perine return renewed.
A few questions come to mind when thinking about opener:
Which receivers take the next step alongside Sterling Shepard? There's been substantial amount of jabber surrounding Mark Andrews and Jeffery Mead. We saw the reason for some of that chatter during the spring.
Mayfield doesn't need to be great. He needs to be accurate. He needs to be smart. That's nothing new.
Can Mike Stoops put together a dominating defense? We've seen flashes in recent years, but nothing more than a tease. Much like on the offensive side of the ball there's been help brought in.
Kerry Cooks transition has been seamless or at least so it seems. Who becomes disrputive inside? Wouldn't be surprised to see Matt Dimon put together an extremely productive junior season. Charles Walker and Matt Romar should begin to come of age.
None of these questions will truly be answered Saturday night, but we'll have something to fall back on. Just a little taste before the main entree ahead.
Remember, championships won't be today. Unless you are tailgating. Champions are crowned there every Saturday.
Oklahoma 62
Akron 16
Josh McCuistion
So we're finally here, it seemed at times a day that would never come with all the teeth gnashing that followed the Sooners final trip on the field of the 2014 season and just how far the wave fell from Louisiana Tech to Clemson last year.
But the offseason was a cleansing one for the football program - sometimes that house cleaning felt more like a purge but there is as much reason for optimism about the future of the program as any time in recent memory in my opinion.
The trick? Keeping expectations reasonable this year.
And I think that all starts tonight.
Oklahoma is facing an inferior opponent, you know it, I know it, and the team knows it. And as such I think you'll see a somewhat sluggish start tonight. It won't shock me if at half-time Oklahoma is up 17-7 or something modest like that. It's not that I think that's a correct reflection of the two teams, I think it's more a matter of Oklahoma keeping things very vanilla tonight and doing their very best to not show too much to Tennessee.
Then again maybe the Joe Mixon hype reaches all that you all are hoping for and the team feeds off it and steams over Akron. I just think you're going to see a team that knows they are playing things close to the vest and is more of a 'get the win and get on' mode.
My pick for the storyline we're talking about tomorrow?
Kahlil Haughton is ready to take over a starting job.
Now without further ado...
Oklahoma 37
Akron 14
