I’m just glad Kennedy Brooks scored that touchdown to cover. When you can run the football…you’re never out of a game. I was still okay at halftime down 38-20 even after the disastrous start for ONE REASON…because our O line was starting to control the line of scrimmge late in the second period.
Chris Jackson wasn’t as calm. He was crying in uncontrollable joyous bliss when I last talked to him after the game. He was crying for God’s sake.
I think we have a new starting QB in Norman.
I’ll recap this after all of this has sunken into my brain.
I feel for Spencer Rattler. This was a tough day for the kid.
I had OU… they covered. Chris had Arkansas +6 so he covered. I feel like I might catch him after Alabama surely destroys the Aggies tonight. I know Saban…he wants to destroy Jimbo’s arrogance. Don’t let me down, Nick Saban. Tear his throat out and give them a beatdown for me.
They maybe beat OU one time with Johnny Football and you would have thought they had actually done something.
Roll… Tide.
I need a victory song. This seems about right. texas will drop to No. 25 and OU will move up from No. 6 to No. 4 on my next Top 12 poll.
I wonder how many sets were turned on to Baylor vs.West Virginia?
The five games I have circled today all involve SEC teams other than the outlier game of Penn State vs. Iowa. If I had to pick a sixth game it would be the Nebraska vs. Michigan game.
This is why OU and Texas are leaving the SEC beyond just the money…it’s the relevancy, the exposure, the better television time slots, the ability to recruit both sides of the football, etc. The ability to move into the future landscape of college football and be relevant.
If you count unbeaten Kentucky versus LSU today there’s five SEC games I’d like to watch today.
1 OU-Texas, 2 Arkansas-Ole Miss, 3 Texas A&M-Alabama, and 4 Georgia-Auburn. Three of these games are rivalry games with the exception of the Alabama-A&M game.
Jimbo Fisher ran his mouth this summer about his team beating Alabama. This would be the time, Jimbo. Good luck, buddy.
If you look at the Big 12 moving forward they will be a league minus any real rivalry game in football with any national appeal. The Red River Rivalry and Bedlam are/were clearly the league’s best national exposure games.
If I were O State prez Kasie Shrum I would strongly reconsider continuing Bedlam even if it’s only once every three years or so. Just suck up your pride and play the game for exposure and branding if for no other reason. Show recruits you’re not afraid to play a nationally ranked team in a non-conference game. Maybe do this with Texas every five years.
OU-Arkansas and OU-Missouri will be the rivalries for OU fans which quickly replace Bedlam as far as the second most anticipated rivalry game. Most real OU fans still remember the Joe Washington iconic run versus Missouri and the iconic beatdown absorbed from Lou Holtz’s Arkansas team in the Orange Bowl.
But for today OU and Texas are still in the Big 12. Sure…there’s some ‘possible’ national implications for the playoff. But this is a game which should set the tone for the race for the Big 12 Championship Game at Jerry’s World in December.
O State is off today and they go to Texas next Saturday which will be my Big 12 Game of the Week.
I would think Mike Gundy and staff like the fact they’re getting Texas after today’s game in Dallas.
I’m going OU 38 – Texas 34 for one primary reason…Spencer Rattler. I think Lincoln gets him outside the pocket and allows him to use his legs more in this game and put more pressure on the suspect Texas defense. Spencer actually ran for 51 yards and a TD last year in this game.
When Spencer gets moving and outside the pocket he creates space and lanes for the other OU playmakers. And at the end of the day that’s what will decide this game if OU can ‘somewhat’ contain Bijan Robinson.
An interesting day. We set an all-time high temp record in OKC today with a mark of 96 degrees. One more day of 90’s it appears and that will fall on OU-Texas gameday.
OU reserve running Marcus Major got himself eligible and will provide OU with another physical runner besides Kennedy Brooks. Eric Gray will in my mind become more of a specialist in the Percy Harvin/Alvin Kamara mode and run and catch primarily outside of the tackles.
This is good for OU. Another weapon for Lincoln Riley and quality depth at running back.
The point spread dropped to 3 points. I’m taking OU at -3 as one of my two spread picks tomorrow. The other pick will be Alabama at -17.5 at College Station against the listliss Texas A&M Aggies’ offense.
It’s not that I think OU is in the sphere of Alabama or Georgia, just more that I think the Texas defense isn’t very good. And I won’t be shocked at all if these two teams meet again in December at Jerry’s World.
I’ll go OU 38 – Texas 34.
I believe Chris Jackson is too nervous to pick OU and is consequently going with Arkansas +6.5 at Ole Miss and with Georgia -17 at Auburn. He and Little Robert will be watching their first Red River Rivalry together from the backyard patio in Bonnie Brae. I can’t wait to see that video from Elaine.
Chris leads 6-4 to 5-5 heading into Week 6 in our very informal contest.
So basically…every game we’ve picked this week involves SEC teams present and future.
O State prez Casey Shrum… which scintillating Big 12 game are you going to watch tomorrow outside of OU-Texas? Which three hours of your time are you going to invest watching a Big 12 team play not named OU or Texas? See my point.
You know… Casey Thompson at one time was committed to OU in 2017– then it fell apart. I think he’s the second best QB in the conference behind Spencer Rattler. A very down overall year for the QB position in the Big 12. I’m not sure who I would say is the third best QB in the conference. Spencer Sanders still needs to show me he understands how to manage a game. That he understands how critical turnovers are to the outcome in games against quality opponents.
Here’s a great stat…in the RRR since 1999– the team with the quarterback who has started a previous Red River Rivalry game is 14-4-1. This stat becomes even more interesting when you consider two of the four who won in their first RRR game were Jalen Hurts and Spencer Rattler.
We all remember last year with Spencer Rattler being benched then coming back and winning the game in quadruple overtime. Jalen Hurts was Jalen Hurts. Two national championship games and three Iron Bowls so this stat didn’t really apply to him.
But what will it be like for Casey Thompson in that first half as he gets his indocrination as to what makes OU-Texas such a special game. Good thing for Casey is he’ll have the best running back in America to lean on as the nerves settle down.
I still can’t believe Steve Sarkisian picked Hudson Card as the Longhorn starter given how Casey performed in the Alamo Bowl.
It almost makes me give the Horns a pass for their loss at Arkansas. But here’s the thing….the Razorbacks shreaded the Horns on the ground for 333 rushing yards.
That stat and Spencer Rattler are why I ultimately have to pick OU and give the three.
I’m just settling in tonight drinking a little red wine and listening to music. Maybe I’ll watch the Dodgers-Giants game.
Or maybe I’ll just zone out sports for the second straight night in mental preparation for the Red River Rivalry.
I love this rendition of Every Little Thing She Does by this band even more than the original by the Police. I love bands like this.
It was in the 70’s today in Denver. Snow expected next week. My grandson starts ski school pretty soon. I have to get my knee fixed so I can chase him on the slopes. He will be fearless. There won’t be any snowplowing.
It was a hot day in Oklahoma today. Upper 90’s are being predicted on Friday and I would think it will be hot on the Cotton Bowl floor this Saturday.
OU is a 3.5 Vegas favorite. I have the game at OU at 2.5. Both teams have excellent kickers. The two best quarterbacks in the league. The two best coaches in my estimation.
So like most football games it should be decided by who controls the line of scrimmage from a physicality standpoint and who doesn’t do stupid things to hurt themseleves throughout the game.
No sports on television for me tonight after wotk. Maybe…I’ll catch the Dodger-Giant game on Friday night. I’m clearing my head right now on Thursday.
That epic wildcard baseball game is enough to keep me jacked up until Game Day on Saturday morning. ESPN Game Day will be at the Texas State Fair for this Red River Rivalry despite the fact Iowa vs. Penn State is a battle of two top four ranked teams on the last poll.
What does that tell me?
That tells me ESPN thinks this is the game this week in college football.
I hope my daughter in-law has Chris and Little Robert dressed to kill in crimson for Little Robert’s first Red River Rivalry where he actually knows what’s going on watching the game.
We all in Sooner Nation get jacked in our own ways for this game.
This video is an annual rite of passage for me.
Spencer Rattler…this is the game. You set the tone. You lead and they will follow. Let’s go, buddy.
It had everything you’d ever want in a one game winner take all wild card game which sends the Dodgers to the next round versus the San Francisco Giants.
For me it was especially great because Chris Taylor, Cody Bellinger, and Corey Seager all came thru Oklahoma City in AAA ball.
And of course I have this thing for Nolan Arenado who now plays for the iconic St. Louis Cardinals instead of the going nowhere Colorado Rockies.
So…I was going to come of this as a winner either way the game went down on Wednesday night.
Chris Taylor was/is my favorite Oklahoma City/LA Dodger because of his vesatility and his blue collarness. Chris Taylor is to the Dodgers is kind of like what Nick Collison was to the Oklahoma City Thunder. My kind of player…as in old school. He does whatever his teams needs from him to be better. What a quaint notion.
I was very conflicted with his game winning at bat though. There was that part of me which wanted Nolan to be the hero. That part which wanted Adam Wainwright and Yadi to advance in what was their next to last season playing major league baseball.
I wish there were more games to be played between these two teams.
And then Max Scherzer the Hall of Famer from the championship Washington Nationals who I thought was going to kick LA manager Dave Roberts’ ass when he took the ball away from Max in the fifth inning.
I love Max Scherzer. Max Scherzer is a bulldog. In fact—I can’t wait to see him against the Giants and beyond.
Coming into this game the 106 win LA Dodgers were the first ever Vegas favorite as a wild card to win the World Series.
What would I say to Nolan and the Cardinals? Come out of the gate strong next season and win your division. Don’t wait until September to start balling. Use this experience as a building block.
Mookie Betz and Trea Turner…nice players. But this was Chris Taylor’s night. This is a guy who didn’t make the Dodgers’s roster in 2017 and was sent to Oklahoma City. Tonight shows what hard work and tenacity can do for you.
Good for you, Chris Taylor…even though you were just trying to hit a single to bring in Cody Bellinger from second base.
I would say we’re going to find out on Saturday inside the Cotton Bowl.
He’s got that Barry Sanders shift of gears. Plus, like Sanders he finishes his runs after contact.
Last season with fired Tom Herman as the Longhorn coach…Bijan never got more than fifteen carries in a game. On Saturday vs. TCU he got 35 carries from Steve Sarkisian and a total of 37 touches in the game.
To put this in perspective…OU’s Kennedy Brooks has 53 carries the entire season.
Barry Tramel asked about this at Lincoln Riley’s presser today. Too much of a load on Bijan or just right?
Load management or old school?
Good questions. Why doesn’t Tramel ever do this at a Thunder presser I ask myself aloud?
Lincoln Riley and Mike Gundy get a gazillion times more scrutiny than anyone involved with the Thunder not named Russell Westbrook.
That was all rhetorical…btw.
With temps expected in the 90’s on Saturday inside the Cotton Bowl… I wouldn’t expect Bijan to carry the ball 35 times, but he is the heart and soul of this Texas offense.
I would expect Sarkisian to mix it up…maybe even use Bijan as a misdirection decoy at times.
Depending on who wins the game… I feel either Bijan or Spencer Rattler get back in the Heisman discussion after this game. Maybe both.
Over-under on Bijan touches on Saturday?
I’m going 28 touches for Bijan in the Red River Rivalry if the game doesn’t go beyond regulation.
I didn’t watch the Thunder preseason game against the Charlotte Bobcats because of the Chargers vs. the Raiders game last night on MNF. I like watching events where both teams are trying to win.
And of course—the Thunder lost last night.
But in looking at Josh Giddy’s highlights on the internet this morning he looked good. He had an 18 point, 7 rebound, 3 assist night in what was essentially his NBA debut since he didn’t make it past the five minute mark in the Summer League before getting injured.
His athleticism was better than I anticipated and his body development was further along than I thought it would from seeing him on video in Australian League hoops.
My approach with the Thunder this season will be low key because they’ve been built by Sam Presti to intentionally lose somewhere between 55-60 games this season.
One preseason game doesn’t mean a corner was turned or anything, but it was nice to see Josh Giddy doing things against an NBA team which indicate he could be a pretty nice NBA player down the road.
Since I’m primarily going to be following six NBA teams, Miami, Atlanta, Milwaukee, Memphis, Sacramento, and the Lakers this NBA season, who are all trying to win games–my blog coverage will be on them…not the Thunder. Plus…I’m jacked about following OU, O State, and even Texas with new coach Chris Beard in Big 12 hoops.
I mean…why would anyone cover any sporting event which was rigged beyond the Harlem Globetrotters? There is no competitive legitmacy to what Sam Presti is doing. He’s basically tanking because NBA free agents don’t want to come to Oklahoma City.
But still I have to admit I’m curious as to the development of Josh Giddy and Poku this season.
The Daily Thunder is basically owned by Sam Presti nowadays…so I would suggest that blog to follow the Thunder loss by loss in what will be the internet equivalent of getting Michael Cage’s hot takes on the Thunder television network.
There was a nice writeup by someone named Jaden Rule on Josh Giddy’s bebut on DT which I thought all things considered was pretty solid.
In closing…a promising start for Josh Giddy in Oklahoma City. One game doesn’t make Josh Giddy the next Larry Bird or Luka Doncic, but he looked good.
I saw some bullshit Big 12 Poll with all fourteen teams today on the internet which must have come either from the Big 12 office or the O State athletic department.
The ratings were nonsense to some degree, but I like the premise of adding Cincy, BYU, UCF, and Houston to the poll while OU and Texas are still in the league.
This is how I would rank the teams 1-14 heading into Week 6.
1 OU (winners of 13 straight heading into RRR)
2 Cincy
3 BYU
4 O State
5 Texas
6 Iowa State
7 UCF
8 Baylor
9 K State (with Sklar Thompson)
10 TCU
11 Texas Tech
12 Houston
13 West Virginia (Big drop from me when you lose at home to Texas Tech)
14 Kansas
O State’s schedule is set perfect if Spencer Sanders could ever turn the turnover switch off. They get an off week before playing Texas after the Horns come off of the RRR. Then, O State gets OU in Stillwater to close out their Big 12 schedule.
All Spencer Sanders needs to be doing at this point is manage the game, move the chains with his legs, and go say 16-28 with a couple of chunk plays and no interceptions.
I don’t know if that would be enough to beat OU with Spencer Rattler pulling it together and Lincoln being more creative….but it might be interesting.
It would be a great last chapter to my book Mullet King: The Boone Pickens-Mike Gundy Saga.
Hell…I’ve got Gundy promoed (word?) on my blog cover with Boone. I need O State to win for the book to have any sort of climatic ending.
Oh, boy. This is the week. My ritual as an OU fan is to play Eyes of Texas on Sunday evening to start the process of getting my game face on for Saturday.
I wear my Beat Texas hat as part of the zen-like pre game-day process. You’d be amazed how the hat resonates with others when you wear it in public. No one tanks in this game. Can you imagine anyone in either state thinking about tanking in this game?
I don’t think so.
I worry about my son Chris every year at this time. As a family we’ve encouraged him to stay at home and watch the game in the privacy and safety of his own home.