Month: November 2023

I tell you what, despite the obvious missed interference call, this goes beyond that for this OU football team. For some reason…they misplaced their team soul so to speak after the win over Texas in the RRR.

I mean…they can still salvage their season with three wins over West Virginia, BYU, and TCU. They can still finish 10-2 where I thought they would be when I first saw their schedule. But this bullshit with playing like a mentally lazy team without an edge cannot continue because OU isn’t good enough to play at half speed.

This video is life. This is what life is about. Getting knocked down and summoning your inner faith and pulling yourself back up. You can’t feel sorry for yourself. You just gotta find that inner zone within yourself to figure it out.

This is not rocket science.

If I were Brent Venables i would call these five guys into my office before practice today. I’d bare my soul to them. I’d confess I’m not a polished head football coach and I’m still a work in progress. I’d confess I need them to help me lead this team out of the abyss they’ve put themselves into these past two weeks on the road.

The five guys would be Dillion Gabriel, Drake Stoops, Danny Stutsman, Key Lawrence, and the youngster Kip Lewis.

Most good teams are coached from within from players who take a personal ownership stake.

I know where I was at seven months ago when Dr. Showalter told me to get my affairs in order and told me he had no idea how much time I had left. I was weighing at 158 pounds and couldn’t do a pushup.

Almost eight months later….I’m now cancer free, I weigh 192 lbs. and can go forty minutes hard on the terrain bike and would destroy the average soft thirty year-old in the weight room as far as my speed reps workout routine goes.

You can’t feel sorry for yourself. You can’t blame others. You just have to believe in your faith, your work ethic, and the love and support from those around you.

You have to understand…I’m very emotional about this OU football season… because I was told I probably would not be here for Week 10. This is somewhat personal for me. So please indulge me.

I’m done with speeches about this OU football team.

It’s time to go workout and embrace the day.

MJ

What a great game even though the game was botched when Drake Stoops was tackled in the end zone late in the fourth quarter and no flag came out as the Sooners’ were preparing to take the lead.

Brutal no call. Just an utterly disgraceful no call.

But you know, when you turn the ball over three times and Nic Anderson drops a pass heading towards the end zone earlier in the game….you leave yourselves subject to this type of thing.

Beautiful game by sixth year senior QB Alan Bowman. I mean, he played it to script with no oskies and no sacks while distributing the ball seamlessly to his playmakers. Plus, he did just enough with his feet to keep the Sooners at bay in the pocket and allow his receivers more time to find space. Triple plus…he even scored a touchdown with his feet.+++

Basically, other than O State’s first drive….I thought OU did a great job of tackling Ollie Gordon and holding him to 137 yards. Plus, I thought OU did a decent job of limiting ‘chunk’ plays from Brendan Pressley.

As a guy who clearly Bleeds Crimson….I wish we’d won, but YOU CAN’T TURN THE BALL OVER THREE TIMES and beat a good team.

And you know what…O State is now a pretty decent team. Not anything like the team which had Gunnar Gundy as a part-time starter or having Ollie Gordon not getting 25 touches a game or limiting Colin Oliver from creating havoc.

This is a different bunch.

I don’t pout about refs beyond four hours….because in this case OU brought this upon themselves.

I was extremely proud of Kip Lewis, Kendall Dolby, and the defense. They pulled their link on the chain. The Sooner offense did not.

What the hell happened to Dillon Gabriel not have at least eight rushing attempts in this game? That is just as egregrious as the no-call tackle of Drake Stoops in the end-zone.

* Another example of OU beating itself. ” Drake…quit falling down in O State’s end-zone and catch the ball, stud.” That was sarcasm because it’s kind of hard catching ball with your arms wrapped behind your back by another human.

Hopefully, with three regular season games remaining these Sooners will now understand you can’t win games against decent teams with your head up your ass.

Congrats to Alan Bowman because he is my No. 1 Star of the final Bedlam football game.

For me…I’m just hoping we as a Sooner Nation can pull it together enough to win these last three final Big 12 games and play either maybe Ole Miss, LSU, or Missouri in the Cotton Bowl with SEC refs.

And then basically shut the door on our own ass as we prepare to play in the SEC next season.

In closing, OU hoops coach Porter Moser had a great line at the Big 12 pre-season media presser. Even a better quote than the fabled Berry Tramel Taco Bell quote.

Coach Moser finished his segment the other day and was then sitting alone. A group of other Big 12 coaches said, ” C’mon over here with us, Porter.”

Porter replied, ” Do you think I’ll be allowed to walk over there and not foul out?”

Goodbye, Bedlam….91-20-7.

It was fun.

MJ

It’s been a hectic week for me, but a good one. The foiliage trip to Arkansas was nice, but I feel like we were just a smidge in front of peak color. I didn’t get to fish, but I did line up a crappie and striper guide for a future trip. Since, I already have my White River guide, that being the former barber of Bill Clinton as my trout and walleye analyst…I would say I’m in a pretty good way.

It’s supposed to hit 80 degrees on Tuesday…so I’m thinking I’ll hit the family lake down south of Alex, Oklahoma and close out my largemouth season in that regard. We caught about twenty nice largemouths three weeks ago…so I’m hoping this trip is as good after the recent rains.

Great Warriors’ win last night for those of us in Warrior Nation in a half empty Pay.Com Center. Explain to me why the Thunder need a one billion dollar arena if the very weak Thunder fanbase does not support the team in the aftermatch of the Kevin Durant era.

All the whining from the Thunder fans after Steph and Draymond’s amzing game winner is so typical. The way I saw that last play was Draymond got hit from behind…thus projecting his body into the rim as Steph’s ball was going in regardless.

I wonder if Michael Cage and Little Nick Gallo will ever be the same after this loss.

Steve Kerr looks totally burned out as a coach right now. He shouldn’t have coached the U.S. FIBA team this summer. He should take a montb off and perhaps allow Chris Paul to be the player coach in his absence. CP3 and Draymond give this team a ton of leadership intangibles. Only one loss so far this season. Life without Jordan Poole is a nice basketball thing.

I’ll submit my first official 2023 Dub Nation Oklahoma entry on Monday morning.

Okay…so the last Bedlam Game… perhaps.

OU hasn’t brought their game since the Red River Rivalry. They were fortunate to beat UCF given the way they slept through that one albeit the Kansas loss which should have been another Sooner win after the Ethan Downs late interception.

But still I’m picking OU today because OU has the better team even though Ollie Gordon is possibly the back in the country.

I think OU’s keys are 1 Dillon being able to have a monster day both thru the air and on the ground, 2 ‘containing and tackling Ollie G as much as possible, 3 TACKLING THE F__KING ball carrier in time and space.

If Danny Stutsman can’t go full tilt today then my four guys to watch today are Kip Lewis, Kendall Dolby, and DeSean McCullough… and Jackson Arnold.

Why Jackson Arnold you might ask? I’m thinking perhaps if the Sooners can’t run today then maybe they should use a quasi-Wildcat as a changeup with Faruque as the offset back and turn Jackson loose a bit as a different look.

I haven’t played the OU Football Greatest Hits video for awhile. This would seem to be that time.

I’m going OU 37 – O State 31.

I’m so amped I’m heading off to the Health Center to do an additional forty minutes on the terrain bike.

BOOMER!

As an OU fan, Ollie Gordon reminds me a bit of a former Texas high school running back who finished second for the Heisman during his stay in Norman. That player would be Adrian Peterson.

Since the disgraceful 33-7 home loss to South Alabama…things have changed with this O State football team. The three QB nonsense came to an end with fifth year senior Alan Bowman taking over and becoming a functional, steady influence of this football team.

Nothing sensational, but just steady. Not a great running threat, but a guy who can make the right throws. My first key of the game would can OU get its pass rush back in gear and do to Bowman what they did in the Texas win.

But here’s the thing with my No. 1 on how to handle O State. You have to first be able to ‘contain’ Ollie Gordon enough to put Alan Bowman in enough third and long spots to allow the OU pass rush to manifest itself during the course of this last Bedlam football game.

A month ago… I would have had OU as a 9.5 road favorite in this game. Right now I have the game as either at pick ’em or OU at -1.5.

Ollie Gordon has been that good. The offensive line has gotten healthier, and Colin Oliver and Kendall Daniels have stepped up to provide leadership on the defensive side of the ball.

O State has a massive edge at the place kicker position and will have a super amped home field advantage.

Depending on this game and how it unfolds the state of Oklahoma could very well have a Heisman finalist in New York come December.

Can Dillon Gabriel and the Sooners get enough points on the board to hold off the Ollie Gordon Train?

Should be a great game. The Sooners’ haven’t tackled well since the Texas game. I would hope the Sooners have their best tackling game of the season.

My off the charts prediction for OU is that both Kip Lewis (10) and Kendall Dolby (15) make a big play in this game.

That’s it for me today. It’s time to go see some foiliage in NW Arkansas.

Later.

Nature Boy.