Not to take anything away Baylor but to write OU’s offensive play calling was weak is an understatement.
I’ll have to sleep on it, but I thought it was by far Lincoln’s worst game as a play caller since he’s been head coach at OU.
He didn’t utilize Caleb Williams’s running ability. No naked bootlegs, maybe one semi QB draw, not enough of putting Caleb on the corners and utilizing the very skill set which makes him an effective QB…that being his ability to run the football.
Think back to the run packages Lincoln created for Jalen Hurts that one season. I’m not saying go that far, but utilize Caleb’s legs. Do with Caleb what Dave Aranda is doing with Gerry Bohanon. Quite frankly… I thought it was a complete coaching mismatch in this game. Not even close.
Aranda came out gambling from the onset going for a 4th and two inside OU’s five yard-line on the first possession of the game. Baylor was clearly the aggressor in this game and it manifested itself by the fact the Bears controllled both line of scrimmages.
Very vanilla. No Mario Williams, not much Jadon Hazlewood, not enough of Jerimah Hall with the pass game on a spin route or two, no real creative usage of Eric Gray as a perimeter threat. Marvin Mims wasn’t a factor. Marcus Major never saw the field. Tights end weren’t a factor. Kennedy Brooks dropped the only pass thrown his way.
I mean at some point I think Dave Aranda just figured if he stopped Kennedy Brooks on first down and put OU behind the chains his team would find a way to win this game.
Baylor ran for 296 yards. Baylor had ten more minutes of time of possession and intercepted Caleb Williams twice. The Bears also sacked Caleb and Spencer Rattler a combined five times.
OU has the best place kicker in the nation and yet Gabe Brkic was a sum negative liability in this game in missng both of his field goal attempts and then opening the second half by kicking the ball off out of bounds.
Two incredibly stupid fifteen yard personal fouls called on Perrion Winfrey and Andrew Raym which led to two field goals for Baylor’s freshman kicker.
You cannot play stupid on the road against a good team and do all the things I just listed.
I can only legitimately hand out one helmet sticker to a Sooner in this game and that would be to linebacker Brian Asomoah.
Let’s be frank…OU hasn’t improved much if at all since the opener versus Tulane. Comng off a bye week and relatively healthy this was a tough loss.
If Caleb’s hand was compromised then throw shorter routes and allow him to run the football and be a dual threat.
I can’t rank OU in my Top Ten this coming week. Maybe in either the 12th or 13th spots. For a team which started the season ranked No. 2 this isn’t the way the Sooners wanted their season to turn out. I would describe this loss as the most disappointing loss so far in the Lincoln Riley Era.
Iowa State in Norman next week. Can the Sooners play quality football for sixty minutes? So far…the answer is no. The Committee sadly has the Sooners evaluated spot on so far. A soft team with a lack of mental toughness and smarts.
At this point you can’t really say OU is anything beyond perhaps what Ole Miss and Texas A&M are in the current hierarchy of the SEC West.
OU still has plenty to play for this season, they just won’t be playing for a spot in the four team College Football Playoff.
How ironic OU could conceivably be playing the spoiler’s role to Oklahoma State in Bedlam?