PhillyGirl
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On Friday night our “Countdown to Kickoff” show on FOX Sports 1 had a panel discussion about why there seems to be more skepticism about Oklahoma than any other Top 5 team. My answer was some of that probably stems from this: In the past five years, the Sooners have been ranked in the preseason Top 5 three times and all three times they didn't finish in the top 14.
That said, this OU team appears to have a better shot at living up to the hype than those other ones.
What's different?
For starters, the Sooners are much better on both lines than they have been in recent years. Their D-line, led by budding star Jordan Phillips -- an athletic 6-foot-6, 335-pound force -- is emerging as one of the best in the country. Against an extremely young Tennessee team, OU's front overwhelmed the Vols, racking up five sacks and 12 TFLs, making it the first time since 2009 that the Sooners have limited their first three opponents to 17 points or fewer. And, with the 24-point victory over UT, OU has now defeated its first three opponents to open a season by 20-plus points each for the first time in six years.
"The thing they do such a great job of is moving the front, applying pressure because they're so big, physical and can run," Vols head coach Butch Jones told FOX Sports Sunday morning. "They have suddenness and are very explosive. They're just so disruptive, but they can also match you up on the back end and play man-coverage. Their team speed is very good. They also execute their scheme very well.
"They do a great job schematically of tying up your double-teams. It's hard to get to the second level against them, so their linebackers can run. Any time you can play man-coverage on the back end, it allows you the freedom to do many more things in terms of applying pressure and moving the front."
The Vols, as green as they are, especially in the trenches, were ripe for the Sooners to take advantage of. Tennessee started five true freshmen in Norman with three of them on their offensive front (two linemen and a tight end).
OU figures to get a tougher test this coming week when they have to travel to Morgantown to face a much improved Mountaineers squad. WVU head coach Dana Holgorsen, who knows the Sooners staff very well, is very impressed by the defense he's going to face Saturday night.
"We already played two good defenses this season in Alabama and Maryland, and without a doubt Oklahoma is a bigger test than Alabama," Holgorsen told FOX Sports Sunday afternoon. "Alabama was damn good on defense last season, but they lost a few people. Oklahoma was damn good on defense last season and they really didn't lose anybody."
A bigger wildcard with OU is its offense. For much of last season, the Sooners struggled on offense. They didn't seem to have an identity on offense -- they were kinda stuck in between offenses, explained one rival coach. But that changed in the Sugar Bowl, where the Sooners lit up Alabama for 348 passing yards and 45 points, and they found an identity and now know who they are. They essentially snagged Auburn's identity, said one coaching source noting that OU saw how much trouble the Tide had with the run-pass conflicts the Tigers put Bama in.
Sophomore QB Trevor Knight, a capable runner who torched the Tide through the air, is good in the play-action game although there are still some questions whether he can be consistent enough as a downfield passer in the drop-back game if OU is truly going to be a national title contender. Wideout Sterling Shepard is a big-time player that is a match-up problem for defenses. If OU had towering WR Dorial Green-Beckham on the other side, they'd really be scary. The good news for OU fans is Durron Neal is starting to come on. He had a career-high seven catches Saturday night. If he can blossom, that'd be a big key, especially since OU lost a playmaker in dangerous slot receiver Jalen Saunders.
Back to WVU: It's too soon to proclaim that Holgorsen's Mountaineers are back to being a force and one of the most explosive offenses in college football as they were just two seasons ago. Last year, they were a mess, shuffling in quarterbacks, ranking No. 63 in offense and No. 69 in yards per play. The low-point in a 4-8 season blotted with many low-points was a stinker of a showing against Maryland, where they were blanked 37-0 by an unranked Terps team. WVU managed just 175 yards in total offense.
On Saturday afternoon, the Mountaineers shredded the Terp D for 694 yards on a whopping 108 plays. Senior QB Clint Trickett passed for 511 yards. It came after an impressive showing where the Mountaineers had Alabama on its heels with its up-tempo, multi-faceted attack that has made it seem like Holgorsen, one of the most creative offensive minds in football, has his mojo back.
What has sparked such a dramatic 180? Well, to say Holgorsen is more involved in the offense is one theory, although as he noted to me Sunday, he's pretty much been the play-caller since he arrived in Morgantown save for a few games in 2012 when OC Shannon Dawson handled it. The biggest reason for change Holgorsen pointed out was that it's the second season in the system for Trickett, a Florida Statetransfer, and for play-making wideouts Mario Alford and Kevin White. Consider this: Last year against Maryland, the receiving duo caught zero passes. On Saturday, they combined for 24 catches for 347 yards and three TDs.
A few seasons ago when Geno Smith was blowing up scoreboards, he had a terrific receiving corps led byTavon Austin and Stedman Bailey. WVU is almost as potent now with White, a 6-3, 210-pounder; the 5-9, 180-pound Alford; and 6-1, 200-pound Daikiel Shorts, a quality possession receiver.
In 2013, WVU averaged just 74 snaps a game. This season, they're at 91, with only two teams running more plays so far.
"It's easier to call plays when you're making first downs," Holgorsen said. "We're really just executing better. Last year, we were trying to out-scheme everybody and we had to go slower because the communication was harder and we had so many guys out of position."
Give a lot of credit to Trickett, the son of old Marine Rick Trickett, the FSU O-line coach. The younger Trickett's moxie has provided the program with a much-needed jolt.
"He's a great leader," Holgorsen said of Trickett. "Last year, the guys didn't know him. They didn't know how to take him, but he's outgoing and he's like a coach. His rapport with the receivers is awesome and knowledge of the offense is night and day from where it was. They've figured out their nuances and gotten their timing down."
It's helped that Trickett, who has struggled with adding weight, is up to 185 pounds now (he was down to 165 at one point last season). "He can run just enough to extend the play," said Holgorsen. "He's not unathletic. He's just frail. Just look at him.
"He's doing everything right. We just gotta continue to keep him out of harm's way."
On Friday night our “Countdown to Kickoff” show on FOX Sports 1 had a panel discussion about why there seems to be more skepticism about Oklahoma than any other Top 5 team. My answer was some of that probably stems from this: In the past five years, the Sooners have been ranked in the preseason Top 5 three times and all three times they didn't finish in the top 14.
That said, this OU team appears to have a better shot at living up to the hype than those other ones.
What's different?
For starters, the Sooners are much better on both lines than they have been in recent years. Their D-line, led by budding star Jordan Phillips -- an athletic 6-foot-6, 335-pound force -- is emerging as one of the best in the country. Against an extremely young Tennessee team, OU's front overwhelmed the Vols, racking up five sacks and 12 TFLs, making it the first time since 2009 that the Sooners have limited their first three opponents to 17 points or fewer. And, with the 24-point victory over UT, OU has now defeated its first three opponents to open a season by 20-plus points each for the first time in six years.
"The thing they do such a great job of is moving the front, applying pressure because they're so big, physical and can run," Vols head coach Butch Jones told FOX Sports Sunday morning. "They have suddenness and are very explosive. They're just so disruptive, but they can also match you up on the back end and play man-coverage. Their team speed is very good. They also execute their scheme very well.
"They do a great job schematically of tying up your double-teams. It's hard to get to the second level against them, so their linebackers can run. Any time you can play man-coverage on the back end, it allows you the freedom to do many more things in terms of applying pressure and moving the front."
The Vols, as green as they are, especially in the trenches, were ripe for the Sooners to take advantage of. Tennessee started five true freshmen in Norman with three of them on their offensive front (two linemen and a tight end).
OU figures to get a tougher test this coming week when they have to travel to Morgantown to face a much improved Mountaineers squad. WVU head coach Dana Holgorsen, who knows the Sooners staff very well, is very impressed by the defense he's going to face Saturday night.
"We already played two good defenses this season in Alabama and Maryland, and without a doubt Oklahoma is a bigger test than Alabama," Holgorsen told FOX Sports Sunday afternoon. "Alabama was damn good on defense last season, but they lost a few people. Oklahoma was damn good on defense last season and they really didn't lose anybody."
A bigger wildcard with OU is its offense. For much of last season, the Sooners struggled on offense. They didn't seem to have an identity on offense -- they were kinda stuck in between offenses, explained one rival coach. But that changed in the Sugar Bowl, where the Sooners lit up Alabama for 348 passing yards and 45 points, and they found an identity and now know who they are. They essentially snagged Auburn's identity, said one coaching source noting that OU saw how much trouble the Tide had with the run-pass conflicts the Tigers put Bama in.
Sophomore QB Trevor Knight, a capable runner who torched the Tide through the air, is good in the play-action game although there are still some questions whether he can be consistent enough as a downfield passer in the drop-back game if OU is truly going to be a national title contender. Wideout Sterling Shepard is a big-time player that is a match-up problem for defenses. If OU had towering WR Dorial Green-Beckham on the other side, they'd really be scary. The good news for OU fans is Durron Neal is starting to come on. He had a career-high seven catches Saturday night. If he can blossom, that'd be a big key, especially since OU lost a playmaker in dangerous slot receiver Jalen Saunders.
Back to WVU: It's too soon to proclaim that Holgorsen's Mountaineers are back to being a force and one of the most explosive offenses in college football as they were just two seasons ago. Last year, they were a mess, shuffling in quarterbacks, ranking No. 63 in offense and No. 69 in yards per play. The low-point in a 4-8 season blotted with many low-points was a stinker of a showing against Maryland, where they were blanked 37-0 by an unranked Terps team. WVU managed just 175 yards in total offense.
On Saturday afternoon, the Mountaineers shredded the Terp D for 694 yards on a whopping 108 plays. Senior QB Clint Trickett passed for 511 yards. It came after an impressive showing where the Mountaineers had Alabama on its heels with its up-tempo, multi-faceted attack that has made it seem like Holgorsen, one of the most creative offensive minds in football, has his mojo back.
What has sparked such a dramatic 180? Well, to say Holgorsen is more involved in the offense is one theory, although as he noted to me Sunday, he's pretty much been the play-caller since he arrived in Morgantown save for a few games in 2012 when OC Shannon Dawson handled it. The biggest reason for change Holgorsen pointed out was that it's the second season in the system for Trickett, a Florida Statetransfer, and for play-making wideouts Mario Alford and Kevin White. Consider this: Last year against Maryland, the receiving duo caught zero passes. On Saturday, they combined for 24 catches for 347 yards and three TDs.
A few seasons ago when Geno Smith was blowing up scoreboards, he had a terrific receiving corps led byTavon Austin and Stedman Bailey. WVU is almost as potent now with White, a 6-3, 210-pounder; the 5-9, 180-pound Alford; and 6-1, 200-pound Daikiel Shorts, a quality possession receiver.
In 2013, WVU averaged just 74 snaps a game. This season, they're at 91, with only two teams running more plays so far.
"It's easier to call plays when you're making first downs," Holgorsen said. "We're really just executing better. Last year, we were trying to out-scheme everybody and we had to go slower because the communication was harder and we had so many guys out of position."
Give a lot of credit to Trickett, the son of old Marine Rick Trickett, the FSU O-line coach. The younger Trickett's moxie has provided the program with a much-needed jolt.
"He's a great leader," Holgorsen said of Trickett. "Last year, the guys didn't know him. They didn't know how to take him, but he's outgoing and he's like a coach. His rapport with the receivers is awesome and knowledge of the offense is night and day from where it was. They've figured out their nuances and gotten their timing down."
It's helped that Trickett, who has struggled with adding weight, is up to 185 pounds now (he was down to 165 at one point last season). "He can run just enough to extend the play," said Holgorsen. "He's not unathletic. He's just frail. Just look at him.
"He's doing everything right. We just gotta continue to keep him out of harm's way."
