I’m an optimist and not anything like the OU fans who want to fire a coach or trash a player every week. I don’t boo and I don’t give up on teams unless they give up, and this Sooner team has not given up.
A lot of OU fans probably gave up on Skip Johnson’s baseball team during the last third of the baseball season. They shouldn’t have done that because they in hindsight look incredibly stupid as the Sooners’ as the SEC’s 10th place team jelled down the stretch and won the national championship in somewhat of a convincing fashion.
I’m not in any matter suggesting that’s what is going to happen with this football team just yet. But they can finish strong and close out with a good season knowing they played one of the top two toughest schedules in DI and didn’t surrender.
There was only one cupcake on this schedule and that was UTEP. New Mexico with hot commodity coach Jason Eck hasn’t lost a game since their trip to Norman and should win the Mountain West. The rest of the schedule speaks for itself as Michigan almost took down Indiana last Saturday.
OU’s best offensive lineman Michael Fasusi returned last Saturday and the change in the offense was in a word–substantial. OU’s anemic running game went for a season best 180 yards and John Mateer had by far his best day passing the football with a two touchdown/280 yard game with NO TURNOVERS.
Plus, there were chunk plays galore. Imagine that chunk plays with this Sooner offense. Chuck plays are what transpire when playmakers have some space and time and aren’t running for their survival.
If a reasonably intelligent football person appraised OU’s defense and special teams one would possibly think these Sooners would be 7-1 without the pivotal pick sixes given up in the fourth quarter of the Michigan and Kentucky games. You take those two plays away and OU is probably 7-1 against this beast of a schedule which still has Ole Miss and Florida on the horizon.
Notre Dame would be 4-3 or 3-4 versus this schedule. Miami wouldn’t be unbeaten. Indiana would possibly have two losses. Just saying.
Michael Fasusi is back while the Sooners second best offensive tackle Ryan Fodjie will hopefully be back before the Ole Miss and Florida games. We’ve only seen these two together on the field this season for a handful of plays in the season opener versus UTEP.
I’m glad for John Mateer’s inner spirit sake he’s having these conversations with God in that I’m sure his confidence as a young man and as a quarterback at a program like OU with the incredible quarterback tradition took a beating.
Just be yourself, John Mateer. Shut out the noise and hallelujah Michael Fasusi has got your blind side covered. Finish strong.
So….that’s what blocking looks like. Who could have known blocking makes a difference in a football game?
OU hosts South Carolina this Saturday in Norman.
Eternal serenity, Mike J.