Seems like the media is going with Trevor Knight. Can't say I disagree if they can get 3-4 years play with him instead of just 1-2.

I don't think Cody Thomas will wait around that long and Cody is someone with pro potential.

Very good point. Perhaps we'll just turn into a multi-QB system for a bit until one really explodes.

Very good point. Perhaps we'll just turn into a multi-QB system for a bit until one really explodes.

Starting the year multi-quarterback always feels like a bad oman, the frequent use of Bell with Landry was a little different in that was not really two quarterbacks fighting for the same spot but Bell had his niche and they mostly just kept it to that. It usually feels like it ends up just stunting each others development, by cutting down on who in the end you want to play having less quality practice and game time so that the line and receivers can get use to how they operate and they can get familiar with what the others will do.

Here's my $0.02 on this...

The only thing that makes sense re starting Trevor Knight is if they are counting this season as (as much as any staff might) a true "rebuilding" year, knowing the defense is going to be a struggle, and are planning for the "out" years in the hopes they can get the defensive personnel issue resolved over the next couple of recruiting classes. I don't think, in normal circumstances, any staff would just shoot a freshman out there unless they had few to no other choices. It also, to me, suggests more than a little bit about tweaking of the offense, because getting Knight in there is about putting him on the corners, giving defenses new things to think about, things this offense hasn't done arguably since Bomar was around.

Think Sooner fans (like me) need to take a deep breath and realize this year may be a rough one to ride out. Lots of things going on under the hood we just haven't seen in the last few years. Not preaching gloom and doom, but suggesting that the idea of starting a freshman at QB along with the known DL issues may imply some planning for seasons down the road.

We'll see.

SoonerDave,

This is a rebuilding year. We lost a ton last season.

That being said, the reports have indicated that Knight has just played better than Bell, and enough so that to give Bell the starting role would undermine what the coaches preach, "The best player plays."

Now, just because Knight has shown that he's a better passer, more athletic, better runner, etc. than Bell (which is amazing in my mind, because Bell is very good), it doesn't mean that Knight will perform as well in games as he does practice. Setting aside the very real possibility of injury (something that happens at OU so frequently as to be a mundane event), in which the "backup" is expected to jump in and run a sophisticated multiple offense, there is also the possibility that whoever starts the first game won't start the last.

Regardless, Knight will be getting the bulk of the snaps in practice, but this is probably OK, because Bell has been on campus for three years and has had a lot of time to learn the offense.

I cannot wait to see Knight play. The Red / White game never makes any kind of impact on my opinions about players.

As a fan, seasons like this are my favorite. 2006 was like this to me. Instead of having ridiculously high expectations, you can just enjoy the season. I think this team is going to do better than predicted, because for some reason, Stoops coaches best when he's up against the wall. I also think our defense is going to be better; the defense has been the reason we have underperformed of late, despite the fact Internet and call-in radio fans only ever talk about the QB.

SoonerDave,

This is a rebuilding year. We lost a ton last season.

That being said, the reports have indicated that Knight has just played better than Bell, and enough so that to give Bell the starting role would undermine what the coaches preach, "The best player plays."

Now, just because Knight has shown that he's a better passer, more athletic, better runner, etc. than Bell (which is amazing in my mind, because Bell is very good), it doesn't mean that Knight will perform as well in games as he does practice. Setting aside the very real possibility of injury (something that happens at OU so frequently as to be a mundane event), in which the "backup" is expected to jump in and run a sophisticated multiple offense, there is also the possibility that whoever starts the first game won't start the last.

Regardless, Knight will be getting the bulk of the snaps in practice, but this is probably OK, because Bell has been on campus for three years and has had a lot of time to learn the offense.

I cannot wait to see Knight play. The Red / White game never makes any kind of impact on my opinions about players.

As a fan, seasons like this are my favorite. 2006 was like this to me. Instead of having ridiculously high expectations, you can just enjoy the season. I think this team is going to do better than predicted, because for some reason, Stoops coaches best when he's up against the wall. I also think our defense is going to be better; the defense has been the reason we have underperformed of late, despite the fact Internet and call-in radio fans only ever talk about the QB.

Bolded-text-THISx1000. I think '06 was probably Stoops' best coaching job overall, in serious competition with the 2000 season. One of the most underrated seasons in OU history - if we don't get stooged at Oregon that year....

I fully realize going in this is a rebuilding year, but I also think there comes these times in any successful program like OU's when the constellations align just the right way, and the coaches realize that what they want to do is tempered by what they have on hand. I think we're getting ready to see a pretty serious change to the OU offense. If you add a significant zone-read/belly-read (whatever words you want to call it) component, those of us from the Wishbone days will remember that those kinds of plays affect your OL blocking schemes, and that OL has been doing this high-speed no-huddle for a few years now. That's not an easy change to make.

Not saying they're dumping the up-tempo or the passing game (too many really good WR's to do that), but I think its safe to say that if they recognize a talent gap on defense, know they need to tweak the offense w/o a "pure" passer like a Jones or a Bradford, but have a potentially big-time running threat at QB in house....at some point they say "hey, let's go all-in on this year, make the changes we need to make, coach 'em up for this year, embrace the underdog/rebuilding role, and let experience be our guide as we go into next year and the year after."

OU's OL is bigger/ stronger and has better depth than in recent years. After being pushed around in the trenches by ND OU has changed its strength and conditioning methods for it OL as a result the OL should match up better against a quality defensive front.
The receivers are very good quality with very good depth
OU's RB are also very good quality with excellent top quality depth.
The TE position can't help but be improved.
The QB will be able to run,
All this should take pressure off the QB potion, regardless of who it is.

The OU's offense is being changed into more of a power spread that hopes to take advantage of the defenses who have gone to small quick defenders to stop spread offense. Watch how Millard destroys opposing tacklers.
OU lost several players of defense but by the end of the year they were so bad that playing new players who by all accounts are said to be more athletic can't help but eventually improve how they played late last season.
The early reports on DT Quincy Russel are very encouraging. If true OU may not be great but he would make OU better in the defensive trenches which makes everyone behind the D line better.

Injuries and playing smart assignment sound football are the keys to the season... Thus far, at the same stage, the injury situation is better than in recent years.

More so than in recent seasons I feel OU is back heading in the right direction.... but I have no idea what this means for this seasons win/ loss record... However these changes will pay big dividends in future seasons.

OU is NOT in rebuilding mode and the only reason Knight will win the job is because he has been the best QB. I promise you that Stoops and co will not accept worse QB play "for the future." OU went 10-3 last year and is absolutely loaded on offense. Great offensive line, running backs, and wide receivers. Whichever QB wins the job should have a far better time than Rhett Bomar/Paul Thompson or Landry Jones did behind the worst o-lines of the Stoops era. The defense obviously has some holes to fill, but has some talented players.

The expectations for OU are so ridiculous that a 10-3 season and pre-season #16 rank are considered part of the "rebuilding" process, but an OSU team coming off a 8-5 year that's ranked almost exactly the same is surging. Lol. OU may or may not have a good season, but they're certainly not in rebuilding mode. They are talented enough to beat every team on their schedule.

they're certainly not in rebuilding mode.



Have a really tough time agreeing with you there, considering that the starting front 3 (assuming they start in the 3-DL set) will include exactly *zero* players who have ever previously started that position, to say nothing of the loss of their starting safety. They're pinning their hopes on a JUCO transfer to anchor the defense. You've got a bona-fide shutdown corner in Colvin. Bottom line - you've got four returning starters on defense. Four - from a unit that was tied for 98th nationally in total defense. How is that anything but rebuilding?

The offense is going to start a new quarterback, regardless of whether its Bell or Knight, and to automatically translate that to "loaded" is a jump.We have no idea how Bell will play in a starter role, nor Knight as a redshirt freshman. Yes, OU has arguably the best set of WR's in the Big, perhaps among the best in the country, but they have *zero* starts with this quarterback and any changes to the offense being implemented. They have the potential to be good. Maybe very good.

You say loaded, when the more objective reality shows it clearly to be rebuilding. I'm hoping Stoops can pull off a 2006-like season where the expectations aren't quite as high and pulls out a big-time winner. We'll just have to wait and see.

Bolded-text-THISx1000. I think '06 was probably Stoops' best coaching job overall, in serious competition with the 2000 season. One of the most underrated seasons in OU history - if we don't get stooged at Oregon that year....

I fully realize going in this is a rebuilding year, but I also think there comes these times in any successful program like OU's when the constellations align just the right way, and the coaches realize that what they want to do is tempered by what they have on hand. I think we're getting ready to see a pretty serious change to the OU offense. If you add a significant zone-read/belly-read (whatever words you want to call it) component, those of us from the Wishbone days will remember that those kinds of plays affect your OL blocking schemes, and that OL has been doing this high-speed no-huddle for a few years now. That's not an easy change to make.

Not saying they're dumping the up-tempo or the passing game (too many really good WR's to do that), but I think its safe to say that if they recognize a talent gap on defense, know they need to tweak the offense w/o a "pure" passer like a Jones or a Bradford, but have a potentially big-time running threat at QB in house....at some point they say "hey, let's go all-in on this year, make the changes we need to make, coach 'em up for this year, embrace the underdog/rebuilding role, and let experience be our guide as we go into next year and the year after."

Great post, but you're "Internet fanning" it. You're talking about offense again. Our offenses have been very good. The reason we've been losing has been defense. Thoughts on that?

Have a really tough time agreeing with you there, considering that the starting front 3 (assuming they start in the 3-DL set) will include exactly *zero* players who have ever previously started that position, to say nothing of the loss of their starting safety. They're pinning their hopes on a JUCO transfer to anchor the defense. You've got a bona-fide shutdown corner in Colvin. Bottom line - you've got four returning starters on defense. Four - from a unit that was tied for 98th nationally in total defense. How is that anything but rebuilding?

The offense is going to start a new quarterback, regardless of whether its Bell or Knight, and to automatically translate that to "loaded" is a jump.We have no idea how Bell will play in a starter role, nor Knight as a redshirt freshman. Yes, OU has arguably the best set of WR's in the Big, perhaps among the best in the country, but they have *zero* starts with this quarterback and any changes to the offense being implemented. They have the potential to be good. Maybe very good.

You say loaded, when the more objective reality shows it clearly to be rebuilding. I'm hoping Stoops can pull off a 2006-like season where the expectations aren't quite as high and pulls out a big-time winner. We'll just have to wait and see.

This isn't the NFL. There's lots of turnover in college. Good programs with good recruits reload, not rebuild. New QBs don't equal losses, especially when there is talent around them. Lots of new QBs succeed. I could identify the same types of "holes" on most teams in the country because 1/4th of teams are gone every year. Rebuilding teams are not ranked in the top 20. If you'd like to see some "rebuilding" teams you might start by looking at the 102 (of 119) teams ranked lower than OU in the preseason.

The D is a big question mark, but it honestly couldn't be worse. And Quincy Russell is a JUCO, not a true freshman. It makes a difference. Nothing is guaranteed for this OU team, but they're ranked for a reason. They have more talent returning than most teams, especially on offense.

You folks should check out Knight's recruiting tape. It's insane -- and yes, I realize it's against high school competition. He is an excellent passer, but he also makes quick reads and seems to excel when plays break down. Reports are that he's a freak in the weight room. He must be really damn good to beat out Bell at this point.

Bob is obviously turning over a new leaf: two new coaches, new QB, and presumably, a new offense. This is going to be a fun season.

You folks should check out Knight's recruiting tape. It's insane -- and yes, I realize it's against high school competition. He is an excellent passer, but he also makes quick reads and seems to excel when plays break down. Reports are that he's a freak in the weight room. He must be really damn good to beat out Bell at this point.

Bob is obviously turning over a new leaf: two new coaches, new QB, and presumably, a new offense. This is going to be a fun season.

We'll see. Word is that he's been tearing it up, but this still makes me nervous. I thought he was the worst of the 3 QBs in the Red/White game. He looked visibly flustered and nervous the first half of the scrimmage. That's a small sample and I'm sure he's shown something if he indeed has won the job (which I'll fully believe when it's coming from Stoops mouth). Like I said above, he'll have everything (besides a TE) to succeed around him. Whoever the new QB is couldn't start in a much better situation.

We'll see. Word is that he's been tearing it up, but this still makes me nervous. I thought he was the worst of the 3 QBs in the Red/White game. He looked visibly flustered and nervous the first half of the scrimmage. That's a small sample and I'm sure he's shown something if he indeed has won the job (which I'll fully believe when it's coming from Stoops mouth). Like I said above, he'll have everything (besides a TE) to succeed around him. Whoever the new QB is couldn't start in a much better situation.

The Red / White game is usually a harbinger of nothing.

Great post, but you're "Internet fanning" it. You're talking about offense again. Our offenses have been very good. The reason we've been losing has been defense. Thoughts on that?

Very much agree. Our current offense with a defense even half-again as good as, say, five years ago, and we'd probably have another title in hand. Touched on this a bit in a previous post, but it surely bears repeating - we're returning four starters from one of the worst defenses in Div I, and if we start with a 3-man line in a presumed 3-4 orientation, we'll likely start three kids with *zero* previous combined starts. That's got to give even the most enthusiastic fan a chance for pause.

There was no greater illustration of this in my mind than the ND game last year, where they gut-busted us for that long run right up the middle. That's an illustration of where our weakness is - DT. And I think Mike Stoops had to go back to Bob in the off season, hat in hand, and tell him, "Bob, the cabinet is bare." I don't quite know why the depth has suddenly disappeared from the D-line and at LB - washouts, bad recruiting calls by Venables in general or perhaps bad recruiting finishes by Shipp in particular (and it may suggest at least a partial answer in the fact that he's gone), or a combination of all three.

That's what led me to my "roll the dice" post on letting Knight start. The defensive talent pool has, IMHO, never been thinner under Stoops. If they think, in their heart of hearts, it'll take one or two classes to get it back up to some level of normalcy, I think they'd rather have a kid with two years of starting experience in what we may find to be a substantially different offense to put out there in a couple of years. We used to have a steady stream of Calmuses, Lehmans, Harrises, Dvoraceks, McCoys, etc. etc, and that kind of talent just hasn't emerged. Only way I know to fix that is recruiting.

I have to think if Stoops is worth his salt (either one), there has to be some kind of improvement in defensive play this year. Surely they know how they were schemed, and where things fell apart. It wasn't just one or two players. And I'm crossing my fingers that we can find some diamonds in the rough to get that defense not up to championship level, but out of the basement. And, yeah, basement, sadly, is where we are...

This isn't the NFL. There's lots of turnover in college. Good programs with good recruits reload, not rebuild. New QBs don't equal losses, especially when there is talent around them. Lots of new QBs succeed. I could identify the same types of "holes" on most teams in the country because 1/4th of teams are gone every year. Rebuilding teams are not ranked in the top 20. If you'd like to see some "rebuilding" teams you might start by looking at the 102 (of 119) teams ranked lower than OU in the preseason.

The D is a big question mark, but it honestly couldn't be worse. And Quincy Russell is a JUCO, not a true freshman. It makes a difference. Nothing is guaranteed for this OU team, but they're ranked for a reason. They have more talent returning than most teams, especially on offense.

I'm trying as best I can to take the fan glasses off, and while I appreciate the "we don't rebuild, we reload" sentiment, you just can't apply it to this OU team. The absence of defensive depth is startling. Defensively, we're not "reloading." The mere fact that you go to such great lengths to point out that Russell is a JUCO points out the fact that OU's defensive depth really is that bad. They're not just welcoming a kid in, they're clearly banking on hi m to shore up their depth issues *immediately*. I can't remember a time at OU when so much emphasis was placed on one JUCO transfer. Not saying he won't do well - I surely hope he does - but we've got to temper expectations with reality. Some JUCO kids make the transition marvelously. Some don't. We won't know about Russell until we're farther along in the season.

Surely, there's every reason to hope, believe, expect that either Bell or Knight will have their own measure of success. And I remember Jamelle Holieway coming in as a true freshman in 1985 after Troy Aikman broke his leg against Miami to guide OU to a national title. It would be awesome to think Bell or Knight could have such a year. But to bet on that is fool's gold. There's a reason Manziel was the first freshman to win the Heisman. Maybe Knight will light up the scoreboard and head to NY at season's end. Reality says that's not very likely. Bottom line, we need to wait and see.

Preseason rankings are, IMHO, garbage. They are constructed on momentum, perception, and oversold stock. Rebuilding or oversold teams are often ranked in the Top 20 by virtue of their name, not their true talent level - see Texas as an example. Heck, one could make a darned good case that OU has been ranked too highly by virtue of its name the last couple of years. You probably think I'm bashing OU, and that's your prerogative, but I have always tried to be a realistic fan, keep hopes high but expectations tempered with reality. Sure, OU has more talent than lots of programs by default, but there are more questions for this team than arguably any team since Stoops arrived.

It should be a fun year.

OU is lacking proven depth at one position .. DT ... thats is ..

OU is lacking proven depth at one position .. DT ... thats is ..

Unfortunately, that's the most important position on the roster.

Unfortunately, that's the most important position on the roster.

true but we lack proven depth for 1 main reason .. the refusal of the former (now fired) DT coach to play young guys last season .. jordan philips jordan wade and torea peterson .. should have all played last season ..

and it sounds like QR is the real deal

Very much agree. Our current offense with a defense even half-again as good as, say, five years ago, and we'd probably have another title in hand. Touched on this a bit in a previous post, but it surely bears repeating - we're returning four starters from one of the worst defenses in Div I, and if we start with a 3-man line in a presumed 3-4 orientation, we'll likely start three kids with *zero* previous combined starts. That's got to give even the most enthusiastic fan a chance for pause.

There was no greater illustration of this in my mind than the ND game last year, where they gut-busted us for that long run right up the middle. That's an illustration of where our weakness is - DT. And I think Mike Stoops had to go back to Bob in the off season, hat in hand, and tell him, "Bob, the cabinet is bare." I don't quite know why the depth has suddenly disappeared from the D-line and at LB - washouts, bad recruiting calls by Venables in general or perhaps bad recruiting finishes by Shipp in particular (and it may suggest at least a partial answer in the fact that he's gone), or a combination of all three.

That's what led me to my "roll the dice" post on letting Knight start. The defensive talent pool has, IMHO, never been thinner under Stoops. If they think, in their heart of hearts, it'll take one or two classes to get it back up to some level of normalcy, I think they'd rather have a kid with two years of starting experience in what we may find to be a substantially different offense to put out there in a couple of years. We used to have a steady stream of Calmuses, Lehmans, Harrises, Dvoraceks, McCoys, etc. etc, and that kind of talent just hasn't emerged. Only way I know to fix that is recruiting.

I have to think if Stoops is worth his salt (either one), there has to be some kind of improvement in defensive play this year. Surely they know how they were schemed, and where things fell apart. It wasn't just one or two players. And I'm crossing my fingers that we can find some diamonds in the rough to get that defense not up to championship level, but out of the basement. And, yeah, basement, sadly, is where we are...

Fantastic post. Extremely well articulated. I cannot quibble with anything you wrote here.

The only thing I would add is that our defense has been tested by some outstanding offensive skill players the last couple of years. RGIII made us look silly; he also has made most of the defenses in the NFL look silly. Manziel shredded us, but he also won a Heisman and beat Alabama. Weeden made us look bad, but he and his receiving tandem are NFL starters now. So, yeah, the D hasn't been what we've been accustomed to, but the scales of the college game have tipped toward otherworldly skill talent on offense in a league in which offenses make my old Playstation scoring milestones seem pedestrian.

And your comments are spot on about the D-line and recruiting, with the exception of course of Jamarcus Macfarland, who was a heralded five-star recruit we beat Texas on (though perhaps whose play didn't live up to the five-star billing).

And while I think you are correct that having man-eating DTs is something we miss, we also have not had particularly good LB play the last three years.

true but we lack proven depth for 1 main reason .. the refusal of the former (now fired) DT coach to play young guys last season .. jordan philips jordan wade and torea peterson .. should have all played last season ..

and it sounds like QR is the real deal

Definitely agree. Jamarkus McFarland and Stacey McGee set the program back 4 years...

Hopefully these guys can come in and bring solidarity to the line. We'll know pretty early on in the season what the outlook for the season looks like based on the DT play.

Also, what happened to Marquis Anderson...always heard good things about him and apparently he's no longer on the roster?

Something that very few people are factoring in is motivation....

This years defense will be playing with a learning curve but they will be more motivated to play harder than last seasons D unit. They will also play with better schemes.

There is more strength and quickens up front, the entire defense is more athletic and faster.
Is this an Alabama or LSU defense, NO! But by the end of the season this OU D unit will be pretty good IF they can stay healthy. IF they do stay heathy this will likely be the 1 or 2 best defesive unit in the Big 12 confrence.

Very much agree. Our current offense with a defense even half-again as good as, say, five years ago, and we'd probably have another title in hand. Touched on this a bit in a previous post, but it surely bears repeating - we're returning four starters from one of the worst defenses in Div I, and if we start with a 3-man line in a presumed 3-4 orientation, we'll likely start three kids with *zero* previous combined starts. That's got to give even the most enthusiastic fan a chance for pause.

There was no greater illustration of this in my mind than the ND game last year, where they gut-busted us for that long run right up the middle. That's an illustration of where our weakness is - DT. And I think Mike Stoops had to go back to Bob in the off season, hat in hand, and tell him, "Bob, the cabinet is bare." I don't quite know why the depth has suddenly disappeared from the D-line and at LB - washouts, bad recruiting calls by Venables in general or perhaps bad recruiting finishes by Shipp in particular (and it may suggest at least a partial answer in the fact that he's gone), or a combination of all three.

That's what led me to my "roll the dice" post on letting Knight start. The defensive talent pool has, IMHO, never been thinner under Stoops. If they think, in their heart of hearts, it'll take one or two classes to get it back up to some level of normalcy, I think they'd rather have a kid with two years of starting experience in what we may find to be a substantially different offense to put out there in a couple of years. We used to have a steady stream of Calmuses, Lehmans, Harrises, Dvoraceks, McCoys, etc. etc, and that kind of talent just hasn't emerged. Only way I know to fix that is recruiting.

I have to think if Stoops is worth his salt (either one), there has to be some kind of improvement in defensive play this year. Surely they know how they were schemed, and where things fell apart. It wasn't just one or two players. And I'm crossing my fingers that we can find some diamonds in the rough to get that defense not up to championship level, but out of the basement. And, yeah, basement, sadly, is where we are...

The thing is that the steady stream of star defensive players has completely dried up for the Big 12, in large part because we all recruit from Texas where the trend is even more decidedly toward the Xbox offense. OU doesn't have the national recruiting pool (and the requisite balance needed amongst regional football trends) that it used to because its talent development has never been that great under Stoops, especially compared to all the schools that do more with less.

Everyone wants to talk about OSU doing more with less but an infinitely better example of that is Baylor, which has really come up in the world with scrub recruits, and is just now landing the occasional 4-star skill position kids that most mid-majors have. When you ask yourself what happens when the Baylors of the world can recruit successfully and have amazing facilities, and keep doing more with less, the future suddenly does not look very good for OU or any blue blood that hasn't done a whole lot lately. That speaks even more so to USC, Tennessee, Notre Dame, Florida State, Miami, Virginia Tech, and really any B1G school - I just don't think those schools can be competitive against the Oregons, Clemsons, OSUs, and especially the Baylors and Stanfords of today's college football landscape.

The thing is that the steady stream of star defensive players has completely dried up for the Big 12, in large part because we all recruit from Texas where the trend is even more decidedly toward the Xbox offense. OU doesn't have the national recruiting pool (and the requisite balance needed amongst regional football trends) that it used to because its talent development has never been that great under Stoops, especially compared to all the schools that do more with less.

Everyone wants to talk about OSU doing more with less but an infinitely better example of that is Baylor, which has really come up in the world with scrub recruits, and is just now landing the occasional 4-star skill position kids that most mid-majors have. When you ask yourself what happens when the Baylors of the world can recruit successfully and have amazing facilities, and keep doing more with less, the future suddenly does not look very good for OU or any blue blood that hasn't done a whole lot lately. That speaks even more so to USC, Tennessee, Notre Dame, Florida State, Miami, Virginia Tech, and really any B1G school - I just don't think those schools can be competitive against the Oregons, Clemsons, OSUs, and especially the Baylors and Stanfords of today's college football landscape.

But the reality is that Baylor, OSU and others in the Big 12 aren't doing more than OU.... and by a large factor.

If you want to talk about who does less with more that's Texas!

The thing is that the steady stream of star defensive players has completely dried up for the Big 12, in large part because we all recruit from Texas where the trend is even more decidedly toward the Xbox offense. OU doesn't have the national recruiting pool (and the requisite balance needed amongst regional football trends) that it used to because its talent development has never been that great under Stoops, especially compared to all the schools that do more with less.

Everyone wants to talk about OSU doing more with less but an infinitely better example of that is Baylor, which has really come up in the world with scrub recruits, and is just now landing the occasional 4-star skill position kids that most mid-majors have. When you ask yourself what happens when the Baylors of the world can recruit successfully and have amazing facilities, and keep doing more with less, the future suddenly does not look very good for OU or any blue blood that hasn't done a whole lot lately. That speaks even more so to USC, Tennessee, Notre Dame, Florida State, Miami, Virginia Tech, and really any B1G school - I just don't think those schools can be competitive against the Oregons, Clemsons, OSUs, and especially the Baylors and Stanfords of today's college football landscape.

from this post it is very very clear that you don't follow college football very closely

Fantastic post. Extremely well articulated. I cannot quibble with anything you wrote here.

The only thing I would add is that our defense has been tested by some outstanding offensive skill players the last couple of years. RGIII made us look silly; he also has made most of the defenses in the NFL look silly. Manziel shredded us, but he also won a Heisman and beat Alabama. Weeden made us look bad, but he and his receiving tandem are NFL starters now. So, yeah, the D hasn't been what we've been accustomed to, but the scales of the college game have tipped toward otherworldly skill talent on offense in a league in which offenses make my old Playstation scoring milestones seem pedestrian.

And your comments are spot on about the D-line and recruiting, with the exception of course of Jamarcus Macfarland, who was a heralded five-star recruit we beat Texas on (though perhaps whose play didn't live up to the five-star billing).

And while I think you are correct that having man-eating DTs is something we miss, we also have not had particularly good LB play the last three years.

Thanks for the kind words. And agree completely about LB play. And it is very apt to point out the teams we've played more recently were probably markedly better than some prior opposition in some of those years.

People also need to keep in mind this talent issue on defense didn't arise overnight. I remember a few years ago - almost certain it was 2008 against Texas - when Ryan Reynolds went down with his knee injury, we were dead at LB. We had no one who could come in and fill that role. Mind you, not saying its realistic to have starting caliber talent three-deep at every position, but I expected something more than a warm body in a red uniform. And OU was shredded at that spot the rest of the day. I think Shipley may still be running open over the middle, but I'm afraid to look :)

The point, however, is that even as far back as 2008, there was at least a flashing hint of an emerging depth problem, but we had enough talent to prevent it from being an issue. Granted, no schools can stock up the way they used to (especially OU), but to find yourself that thin is startling. And its gotten progressively worse since that time. Combine that with the fact that Venables recruited an atypical specimen for LB - eg Tom Wort - and you have a couple of different angles coming in on how our LB problems have arisen.

Mike Stoops' defense in the early years were geared toward the DT's screwing up the O-lines' blocking and letting the LB's take the prisoners. That's where the Calmuses and Lehmans et al came from. With the LB's having increased responsibility underneath as passing games increased, you can see why Venables didn't necessarily recruit the same kind of LB that Stoops did, but it seems to me that we're going to have to swing that pendulum back the other direction at least some in the next year or two. IMO, we've got to get at least some size back in that group. But if the DT's can't get the job done, it's tough for any LB to succeed. It would be awesome if Russell is as good as rumored, because those kinds of talent have a way of upping the level of everyone else's play. And I hope the lower expectations does, in fact, increase the "hungry factor" for these kids to play above everyone's estimations. That's the intangible coaching greatness that I think Stoops can bring to bear on them, too.

Spartan,

Interesting idea. I disagree that OU doesn't recruit nationally, though. We are doing very well recruiting California, for example. But as you point out, most of our recruiting success is at offensive skill positions and athletic DB types.

I would take issue with your talent development comment as well. OU has an excellent track record of developing talent and putting them in the NFL. Unfortunately, we haven't had as much of that on the defensive side of the ball recently. Perhaps it's as you say: Texas is a drier hole than it used to be for defensive players. And now, with the rise of A&M and Baylor, and even OSU, OU doesn't have the luxury of taking UT leftovers and / or the ones we beat UT out on anymore.

However, Stoops DOES recruit nationally, more so than any other coach in the Big 12 (Texas doesn't even really bother). We just haven't had the talent on defense of late.

The thing is that the steady stream of star defensive players has completely dried up for the Big 12, in large part because we all recruit from Texas where the trend is even more decidedly toward the Xbox offense. OU doesn't have the national recruiting pool (and the requisite balance needed amongst regional football trends) that it used to because its talent development has never been that great under Stoops, especially compared to all the schools that do more with less.

Everyone wants to talk about OSU doing more with less but an infinitely better example of that is Baylor, which has really come up in the world with scrub recruits, and is just now landing the occasional 4-star skill position kids that most mid-majors have. When you ask yourself what happens when the Baylors of the world can recruit successfully and have amazing facilities, and keep doing more with less, the future suddenly does not look very good for OU or any blue blood that hasn't done a whole lot lately. That speaks even more so to USC, Tennessee, Notre Dame, Florida State, Miami, Virginia Tech, and really any B1G school - I just don't think those schools can be competitive against the Oregons, Clemsons, OSUs, and especially the Baylors and Stanfords of today's college football landscape.

The bigger draw, really, is how the SEC still plays a more fundamental, bust-your-chops defense that these raw-meat DT's want to play. The finesse offenses that have emerged in the Big 12 lead to finesse defenses. And, right now, wide-open offenses are the 2010's Wishbone-like equalizer for teams that don't draw the typical 5-star talent. Don't think for a second that Saban's goofy comments about the hurry-up causing injuries were accidental - he's seen first hand that a hurry up with a talented run-pass quarterback can give his old-school Bama smash-mouth defense problems. He doesn't want to see more hurry up in the SEC. He knows that fast offenses versus a front of three or four 330-lb DL turns toward the offense very, very quickly.

The Red / White game is usually a harbinger of nothing.

I guess. In 2007 Bradford was much better than Nichol in Red/White. It was an excellent harbinger of what was to come.

So, SoonerDave, what do you see as OU's final record? If we're rebuilding to the extent you say I'd expect a 5-6 or 6-5 record at best. Is that accurate?

I'm a bit more optimistic than that.

So, SoonerDave, what do you see as OU's final record? If we're rebuilding to the extent you say I'd expect a 5-6 or 6-5 record at best. Is that accurate?

I'm a bit more optimistic than that.

It will be much closer to 11-1 then 6-6

from this post it is very very clear that you don't follow college football very closely

Lolwut... Do you care to articulate since it is very very clear that you do watch college football very closely.

...which of course in this instance I take to mean OU football.

Lolwut... Do you care to articulate since it is very very clear that you do watch college football very closely.

...which of course in this instance I take to mean OU football.

OU football along with another 20-25 games a week

Lolwut... Do you care to articulate since it is very very clear that you do watch college football very closely.

...which of course in this instance I take to mean OU football.

I guess he might be taking issue with your analysis that OU doesn't recruit nationally, which it does probably better than any team in the Big 12. I'm guessing that's it...

OU football along with another 20-25 games a week

Dang, thats a lot of football. So do you never go to the OU games and stay at home all day with a multiple TV setup? Thats the only way I can figure someone being able to watch 20-25 games a week.

Either way, this stuff is just semantics. Back to the original topic, could it be that Bell isnt that good of an every down type of QB and Knight is?

So, SoonerDave, what do you see as OU's final record? If we're rebuilding to the extent you say I'd expect a 5-6 or 6-5 record at best. Is that accurate?

I'm a bit more optimistic than that.

Not necessarily. You have to assess records on a game-by-game basis, based on everything I don't know :) I'll give it a shot:

ULM: Win, but this may be a 42-31 kind of game. I think ULM will surprise some folks. No Cortez Johnson for this game hurts OU some.
WVa: WVa doesn't have home field or the Tavon Austin this time, but this is where the wildcard of OU's D comes into play. Home field is good enough for an OU 35-31 kind of win.
Tulsa: Win.
ND: Offensively, ND is nothing special, but on the lines, in the trenches, is pretty fundamentally sound. But they've lost a lot. OU, on the road, new QB..have to give home edge to ND, something like 24-20.
TCU: Already smacked by injuries, but Pachall coming back gives them stability. At home, like OU 31-24.
Texas: Until I see UT win one with these players, I'm picking OU.
KU: Win. I mean, really.
TT: This is an interesting "land mine" kind of game. OU played surprisingly well at TT last year, but Kingsbury is going to go full-Leach I think, and it could be a struggle. Lemme make this one a toss-up, with a "Lean OU."
Baylor: On a Thursday, you'll have a riled, frothing home crowd, with Sistrunk as a Heisman candidate, this is a game OU could lose. Baylor is no longer a patsy. 38-30 kind of game is very possible, edge Baylor.
ISU: Win.
KSU: At Manhattan, this is a tough spot because its just before Bedlam. KSU has to replace Klein, but it will be loud and nasty up there. Slight edge KSU.
OSU: Better defense, at TBoone's house...this will be tough for OU to win on the road. HATE to say it, but I'm leaning OSU.

So that's, what, four losses? 8-4, I guess? Of course, its all smoke and mirrors without knowledge of injuries, other circumstances, who knows. Shot in the dark.

The crazy thing is that this kind of mix of young talent and unknowns on defense, and that schedule could swing 2 games in either direction in all seriousness.

I will say this, however: Despite the fact that I believe OU is in a rebuilding mode, especially/primarily on defense, I don't think there's a game on the schedule that they categorically cannot win. If they can get some of the puzzle pieces together, the relative weakness of the Big 12 this year could play to a huge advantage for OU. That's what makes the season kind of exciting, in an oddball sort of way. I mean, yeah, there's a "Woody Hayes" element in me that says I'd "rather they be boring as you-know-what and win 'em all", but the unknown and the potential amid the uncertainty makes the season very interesting!

Great summation, Dave.

WTF?

We play on a Thursday?

If this were Landthieves you better believe I'd've made this a very vulgar post.

I certainly think 8-4 is possible. I guess we just define "rebuilding" differently. I don't see a 6-3 record in conference with a 2-1 record against the toughest non-conference schedule in the Big 12 as constituting a "rebuilding" year necessarily. Anyway, we're pretty much on the same page then. I'm hopeful for better than 8-4 though.

8-4 is a rebuilding year for OU.

Anything less than 10 wins is a rebuilding year for OU (with a good coach...obviously 8-4 was a championships season with John Blake).

This is just a gut feeling but baring injuries to key personal I think some who are thinking along the lines of 8-4 are going to be pleasantly surprised. It may not be a vintage year but I like like what I feel and hear better than in most recent years...
Very few people in the media have picked up on the extent of the changes.
I believe some of OU's more chronic problems that have plagued the football team are finally being addressed.

This is just a gut feeling but baring injuries to key personal I think some who are thinking along the lines of 8-4 are going to be pleasantly surprised. It may not be a vintage year but I like like what I feel and hear better than in most recent years...
Very few people in the media have picked up on the extent of the changes.
I believe some of OU's more chronic problems that have plagued the football team are finally being addressed.

Wait, OU has chronic problems??

Dave - Great summation, but Bedlam could get ugly.

Dang, thats a lot of football. So do you never go to the OU games and stay at home all day with a multiple TV setup? Thats the only way I can figure someone being able to watch 20-25 games a week.

Either way, this stuff is just semantics. Back to the original topic, could it be that Bell isnt that good of an every down type of QB and Knight is?

go to home games ... and tailgate all day ... but have a multi tv set up at my tailgate .. usually watching 3 games at a time ..

also record the big games of the day that are on during the OU game and on during my drive home ..

if i am not attending a road game .. i am at home with 4 games on at a time plus whatever i can stream on the ipad ..

go to home games ... and tailgate all day ... but have a multi tv set up at my tailgate .. usually watching 3 games at a time ..

also record the big games of the day that are on during the OU game and on during my drive home ..

if i am not attending a road game .. i am at home with 4 games on at a time plus whatever i can stream on the ipad ..

Badass

This is just a gut feeling but baring injuries to key personal I think some who are thinking along the lines of 8-4 are going to be pleasantly surprised. It may not be a vintage year but I like like what I feel and hear better than in most recent years...
Very few people in the media have picked up on the extent of the changes.
I believe some of OU's more chronic problems that have plagued the football team are finally being addressed.

I understand what you're saying there, OU48A, but I have learned to greatly temper what comes out of Norman during fall camps. And Stoops, this year, has turned up the intensity on the double-secret practices notion. I personally think there are two emerging reasons for the super-secrecy - and these are strictly opinions, and may be entirely wrong:

* I think we all may end up finding out that Knight, if he is indeed the starter, may prove to be obviously better when all of us get to see him. Stoops clamped down extra hard this year knowing that might be the case and didn't want to foment any press speculation.
* I think the offense has been more drastically tweaked than we realize, which really is a double-whammy for Blake Bell if the supposition that they're installing more read-option is accurate. That doesn't play to his strengths, IMO. He's a big brawler of a guy, and he can obviously throw a football through a brick wall, but can he throw accurately while on the run. There's almost no way you can go to a QB-pass/run option offense without those kinds of plays being an integral part of the offense.

The thing Sooner fans will have to realize and prepare themselves for is that ,if all this silly speculation of mine is even remotely accurate, we may spend part of the season getting used to Knight making some youthful, ill-advised throws - throws across the body, back foot, things that its nearly impossible to teach a kid not to do - they have to learn not to do it. Think early Brett Favre - NOT saying Knight is that kind of player, but think in terms of Favre's early career and the kinds of mistakes he made...

go to home games ... and tailgate all day ... but have a multi tv set up at my tailgate .. usually watching 3 games at a time ..

also record the big games of the day that are on during the OU game and on during my drive home ..

if i am not attending a road game .. i am at home with 4 games on at a time plus whatever i can stream on the ipad ..

In regards to watching so much football, I have found this website (http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Where+can+I+get+help+for+my+college+football+ad diction%3F) to be useful.

go to home games ... and tailgate all day ... but have a multi tv set up at my tailgate .. usually watching 3 games at a time ..

also record the big games of the day that are on during the OU game and on during my drive home ..

if i am not attending a road game .. i am at home with 4 games on at a time plus whatever i can stream on the ipad ..

Is it safe to say you are not married?

Is it safe to say you are not married?

lol

I understand what you're saying there, OU48A, but I have learned to greatly temper what comes out of Norman during fall camps. And Stoops, this year, has turned up the intensity on the double-secret practices notion. I personally think there are two emerging reasons for the super-secrecy - and these are strictly opinions, and may be entirely wrong:

* I think we all may end up finding out that Knight, if he is indeed the starter, may prove to be obviously better when all of us get to see him. Stoops clamped down extra hard this year knowing that might be the case and didn't want to foment any press speculation.
* I think the offense has been more drastically tweaked than we realize, which really is a double-whammy for Blake Bell if the supposition that they're installing more read-option is accurate. That doesn't play to his strengths, IMO. He's a big brawler of a guy, and he can obviously throw a football through a brick wall, but can he throw accurately while on the run. There's almost no way you can go to a QB-pass/run option offense without those kinds of plays being an integral part of the offense.

The thing Sooner fans will have to realize and prepare themselves for is that ,if all this silly speculation of mine is even remotely accurate, we may spend part of the season getting used to Knight making some youthful, ill-advised throws - throws across the body, back foot, things that its nearly impossible to teach a kid not to do - they have to learn not to do it. Think early Brett Favre - NOT saying Knight is that kind of player, but think in terms of Favre's early career and the kinds of mistakes he made...

I understand the part about not listing very much to what the coaches are saying. I learned that a long time ago. At this stage I trust what the players are say far more... And there are a few inside sources that can gauge the mood of the players... From these indications things have improved.

But also getting rid of some of the old problems in the form of coaches and players is going to help.
I am not predicting a national title but baring injuries I feel fairly certain that OU will be better than 8-4 and with a real chance to be a much stronger team in the coming seasons than we have seen in recent years.

And yes the OU offense has been tweaked a lot more than most know. But the defense has also been tweaked to better fit the personnel. Both will help..

There will always be a few mistakes but the QB whoever it is will have a surrounding cast of players that will be better than we have seen in awhile. This helps the learning curve and takes a degree of presser off of the new QB.

Wait, OU has chronic problems??



YEP
But as I said I believe they are finally being addressed.

The changes with OL depth and the strength and conditioning methods will help. This had never been as good as it should be under Stoops. The near zero threat of a QB run has generally been an on going issue.

It's way early, but it looks like OU is doing a better job of evaluating recruits with the new coaching hires and the old staff is said to be hitting the recruiting trail harder.
I see all of this^ as the foundation of something that should mean a better future for OU.
As it is we have won Big 12 titles even in recent years.

As a little aside, even in the midst of "down times" talk, Bob Stoops has won or shared every Big 12 title in an even-numbered year since his arrival.

Conversely, the only odd-numbered-year title he won was in 2007.

That's a total of eight conference championships won in fourteen seasons.

Realize conference titles aren't what they used to be, but that's still a pretty impressive stat.

Oklahoma Football ‏@OU_Football 55s
BREAKING: Stoops names QB Trevor Knight starter for 2013 opener vs. Louisiana-Monroe. MORE: Stoops Names QB Knight Starter For Opener - Oklahoma Sooners (http://bit.ly/13JHvVo) | pic.twitter.com/Yl9z9Ikkev

Story in the Daily: OUDaily.com | Stoops names Knight starting quarterback (http://oudaily.com/news/2013/aug/22/knight_qb/)

Is it safe to say you are not married?
It doesn't always work that way, my wife is the one who wanted to get NFL Sunday Ticket, she also was a football official in the Austin area.

I have two TV's setup, a 55" and a 32" both with sat boxes, I have had three in the past in the living room and a laptop going.

Not necessarily. You have to assess records on a game-by-game basis, based on everything I don't know :) I'll give it a shot:

ULM: Win, but this may be a 42-31 kind of game. I think ULM will surprise some folks. No Cortez Johnson for this game hurts OU some.


I thought it only fair that since I made this predictive post, I should stand behind it after the first game.

There's no question that Knight performed like a redshirt freshman for the first half. He was clearly nervous - his mechanics were terrible, his throws early were all guided missiles with almost no touch, but once he settled down, he showed the kind of potential that made him the starter. He's *got* to throw the swing passes accurately, but those are nerve/mechanical issues they can surely work out. The fourth-quarter pass to Metoyer (IIRC) was perfectly placed amid double coverage. And his receivers need to help by working harder and fighting for some of those passes that aren't feather-touch dropped into their laps. And while I expected the offense to be tweaked, I didn't quite expect the overhaul it received - this is no longer the up-tempo, throw it all over the yard offense from the last five years. While the passing game must be better, and the receivers must play better (with more accurate QB play, of course), this is a fun change that puts a spin on the run game we haven't seen since Stoops' arrival. And I don't think there can be much doubt now that the Belldozer is dead.

The clear, stellar surprise of the night was the OU defense. I stand behind my assertion that ULM will be a successful team, and their offense will score points down the road. The OU DL performed miles better than I expected, and I quite honestly would have laughed at anyone who suggested they'd pitch a shutout. Charles Tapper had a very disruptive game up front, as did Jordan Phillips, and I think Stoops did a great job of disguising rushes with varying 3-man and 5-man defensive looks that ULM never could figure out. We're a long, long way from calling this defense "fixed," of course, but it could be that as we progress this season and watch ULM play that this game was, at least, a watershed to stop the bleeding from last year. I loved to see defensive guys wrapping up, making sound open-field tackles, attacking the ball with some venom, all things that we just haven't seen in a long time from this defense. Hopefully its a harbinger of good things to come. We'll see.

Something that really jumped out at me was the athleticism of some of OU's youthful players.... They are the type of players that with a few additions can make up the nucleus of a team that can make runs at national titles..

The new coaches have already made a difference.
Knight started out inconsistent but showed once he settles in that he is going to force the defense to defend the entier field.
The OL is clearly stronger.
According to Stoops not a single OU player had a major problem with heat cramps. That's not only a sign of a well conditioned team but also a great sign that players are taking care of them self's and doing what they are suppose to do when not being watched.

WVa: WVa doesn't have home field or the Tavon Austin this time, but this is where the wildcard of OU's D comes into play. Home field is good enough for an OU 35-31 kind of win.


Well, in keeping with my "I said it, I have to stand behind it" notion, I've got to eat my words thoroughly on this. The OU offense is in disarray while the defense is carrying the team. Would anyone have predicted that going into the year?

Unfortunately, Trevor Knight is playing like, well, a redshirt freshman. His two redzone picks were, quite simply, horrendous. The offensive line had its worst performance in a long time, and we may have lost T. Thompson to injury. Adam Shead was routinely abused with a simple gap rush. Nothing very fancy. Only when OU went more to the off-tackle "crossbuck" handoffs did the blocking change (and WVa started getting gassed) did we start really asserting some dominance in the run game in the 2nd half. Sans turnovers, OU wins this game by about a 30-7 score, maybe more.

I can't remember a game with well over 800 yards of combined offense tallying up so few points. This is a game that even a pedestrian offense should have been in the 30's over. OU's defense played well, but this WVa offense is a shell of what lit up the Sooners for 2,895 yards before taxes last year.

OU obviously has a new QB, and I told my son if they were literally afraid to call pass plays because Knight was playing so poorly, then you can't keep playing him. I refuse to believe this staff has guessed *that* wrong on Knight, but he needs some help and guidance. And we've yet to see Bell run this offense.

What should be more disconcerting to OU fans is that Josh Heupel has zero history with any kind of offense resembling a zone-read scheme. He may be a seasoned assistant coach by now, but he's green as my grass was about a month ago when it comes to this offense.

I had hoped to see significant improvement from last week to this, but we've clearly taken a step back. Stoops will be earning his paycheck the next few weeks as he figures out how to poise this team for the run through Notre Dame to Texas. This offense cannot persist in this form.

I can't really agree with your comment that the O-Line had its worst performance in a long time. They were extremely porous all last season, and for a while now really, that I thought they did a pretty decent job. Yes there are somethings we need to adjust and patch up. Letting guys go untouched to the QB, when there is an OU player running right by the blitzer, just doesn't have any excuse.

The biggest issue I've found is that Knight still isn't settled in being about to check off and go with the correct receiver. He also lead with his eyes too much and defenders ate it up. Knight is a kid and got rattled pretty good tonight. Tulsa should be a good game to get things back on track...either with Bell or Knight. I kinda think we need to be open to a dual QB system so we don't let one get so thrown off their game that it keeps the team from scoring.

Comments from Stoops tonight don't really indicate which way he'll go. I wouldn't be shocked if it comes down to game time to make the call.

I can't really agree with your comment that the O-Line had its worst performance in a long time. They were extremely porous all last season, and for a while now really, that I thought they did a pretty decent job. Yes there are somethings we need to adjust and patch up. Letting guys go untouched to the QB, when there is an OU player running right by the blitzer, just doesn't have any excuse.

Well, if we were flies on the wall watching film with OL coaches, I'd bet they'd be throwing chairs. I understand where you're coming from, but despite the good rushing totals, the problem is that most of those runs came from outside or counter schemes that rely on Clay's or Williams speed on the corner. Look at that very first series - Clay busts a 42-yard run to the outside (offensive left), and most of it was because of his speed, not because of great OL set up. And as the second half progressed, conditioning became a factor, as WVa's DL got gassed as time progressed later in the 2nd half.

The up-front blocking for more power-oriented running right in the gaps was just waay below par. Adam Shead was getting routinely blown up on the left side. Even Gabe Ikard was getting pushed up and back frequently - and those are issues of pad level, depth, leverage, just basic techniques that a senior center shouldn't be struggling with. One of Knight's interceptions was the direct result of too much DL penetration into the pocket. This is also the reason Bedenbaugh was brought in - to change the mindset of the OL away from spread-oriented, pass-first blocking to run-first blocking. This kind of offense has to be successful on 3rd and 2 without relying on throwing the ball, and right now, it isn't. And I will grant that the play calling was not the best, and I have no doubt that Holgorsen's DC was able to get some pretty decent tendencies from last week's game tape.

Just like the last few season, tough inside running is still problematic for this OL, and given multiple years in the spread with a tendency for pass-blocking first, that may be an area of inconsistency we have to deal with this season.

Now, I will grant you that on some of those interior runs, the RB's made some improper cutbacks, didn't follow their blocks, etc, but the up-front run game for this OL is still very much a work in progress.