The University of Oklahoma, said Sam Bradford, is where he dreamed of being his whole life, where he envisioned becoming the next great Sooner. Now, every young man in the state wants to be No. 14, one of the greatest Sooners in a long line of Sooner greats. Read more over at Tilting at Windmills.
From sideline to sideline, a Crimson Curtain has descended across the field.
Late last night ESPN blogger Tim Griffin put up some posts about the Sooner D that will give you the excitement jitters like you haven’t had since you were 9 years old on Christmas Eve.
Tim’s first post, “Sooners see tight battle for DE,” backs up everything The Buck has said about Jeremy Beal: ”Oklahoma defensive ends coach Jackie Shipp said that Beal is the only player who assured himself of a starting position after the first week of preseason practice.
Expect to see this man in the opposing teams backfield all year long.
“It’s still really a battle for the first three guys,” Shipp said. “Frank is coming on and playing well and R.J. is stepping out. But Jeremy Beal is standing out well…..Austin and Frank are still competing for the starting job,” Shipp said. “The competition is really stiff for us.”
As a Sooner fan, those words are music to your ears. Regardless of who gains the opposite starting spot from Jeremy, our second rotation will be just as strong as the starters. How does it make you feel knowing that our second rotation of DEs, and the entire DL for that matter is good enough to start at any other of the 118 D-1 schools?
Tim then posts a second late night post about our up-and-coming safeties, “New OU safeties thriving in starting roles.” I know that we know nothing until we see the Sooners on the field, but Tim brought some comfort and confidence in what many analysts believe is the Sooners biggest weakness.
Dom Franks, who I believe will be the best corner in football this year, said of the new safeties, “We don’t consider Q a new guy…he’s been back there three or four years and knows our system. He’s also started for us for a few games and we didn’t miss a beat…It would make you afraid to jump a lot of routes, but knowing you have a veteran guy like Q or Proctor lets you play a little differently…they’ve been in the system and we know they can play. A lot of fans might not know if they play, but we know it. We trust them. It gives me or Brian confidence to take a chance and jump a route. Having them makes it a lot easier for our corners.”
After all, they shouldn’t consider Q a new guy, as Tim so gently reminded us when he brought up Q’s decleating of Jeremy Maclin in the Big XII Championship game last December:
Boom. Roasted.
With all this pre-season hype surrounding the D, I really can’t wait to answer the question: “How good is this Oklahoma defense?” Could this be one of the best D-units in OU history? Out producing the defenses of the Selmon brothers’, the Casillas’s, the Boz’s, the William’s, the Calmus’s?
It has its potential, Dom Franks is on the Jim Thorpe Award watch list, McCoy is on the Outland and Lombardi list and a guarantee to be on Bednarik list released later today, Beal and English are on the Hendricks list, and the list will expand next week when the Nagurski and Butkus lists are released.
Brent Venables has the tools in place. A returning D-line that recorded 42 sacks last year, tied for third in the FBS. A healthy Ryan Reynolds, who, if he can stay healthy will be on the stage as a finalist for the Butkus award, playing along side LB phenom Travis Lewis. And two shut down corners, playing with a safety that can lay the wood. While watching Sam and his offensive machine is fun, I’m excited to get back to the Sooners of the beginning of the Stoops era.
Tenacious defense.
Speculation: Best served SOONER rather than later
Ladies and gentlemen … Boys and girls … Sooners and losers …
The time has come for you to develop some fortitude—yes, the kind that is in your “downtown.” It’s August, and as a fan you have one job to do: Speculate!
What's in store for this guy in '09? Hardware, that's what!
I’m not talking about the kind of predictions that you make after hours of research. Those don’t count. Don’t watch game tape from last year. Trust me, I believe you when you say that you are an expert of defensive schemes and it really would be unfair for you to provide your analysis. Don’t read Phil Steele’s prediction of the ‘09 season. Definitely don’t go to ESPN, foxsports.com, cnnsi.com, or any other sports publication. In fact, stick to the boards where speculation has been turned into a science for your info. You think I’m joking but I am dead serious! When ILUVSOONERSDIEUTERIS or ADSHOULDAWUNDAHYSMAN28 posts on the boards that he/she heard that Bradford (aka the Big Easy) once threw a football over them mountains (est. distance of 10km), you send out an email to all your friends and tell them that, without a doubt, Bradford is going to double his production from last year. That’s right folks, Sam’s going for over 9400 yds. of production this year.
Why, you ask? Because it’s August, baby! It’s the time of year that you cannot be held accountable for anything you say. What fun is it to predict that the Sooners are going to win the big 12 championship 10 games into the season, anyway? The way I see it, the best part about college football is setting lofty goals for your respective team. It’s the endless conversations we have about our favorite teams and the young men that make them up that makes the season so fun. So get started early. And just like a good political conversation, disputing the probable goals for your team is best when you are completely clueless—it frustrates your opponent and leaves them in a cloud of confusion and anger that doesn’t wash off for days, maybe even weeks. Just make sure you believe what you say without a reasonable doubt. Make sure you yell when people tell you that you are wrong—I mean it, really get mad, because it’s more fun that way.
I asked the dudes to make a bold prediction for this year. Schooner Phil and The Buck didn’t disappoint. Their statements are as lofty as ever. I know in my heart they believe our Sooners will achieve greatness this year, I mean we do this every year. In fact, my boys are probably stopping strangers on the DC metro to inform them that this year’s Sooner team is better than most NFL teams, and that we would only lose to the patriots if Belichick brought his army of spies.
So after 10 minutes of solid thinking, without any true analysis and definitely without any reservation, I present you the Sooner Dudes Cold Hard Facts for August:
SchoonerPhil: “OU wins number 8. Period”
The Buck: “Oklahoma will achieve a decisive victory in the 2009 Red River Rivalry and the Sooners’ defense will hold the Longhorns to under 20 points. Texas will lose a second regular season game to Oklahoma State and miss out on the Big XII Championship Game. The Sooners will bring home their fourth consecutive Big XII title.”
CapitolSooner: “Austin English will be our best defensive linemen. He is back and healthy and at this juncture only one thing can stop him and that is zero-gravity: without being overly scientific the lack of gravity would neutralize his superior manimal instincts and strength.”
There you have it. A national title, a conference title, and the resurrection of a lost hero. And until proven otherwise, these are the cold hard facts about Sooner Football. Man, I love August!
The 2009 Sooners are going to have to play their hearts out on the road in order to make it back to the BCS National Championship Game. OU plays against eight teams who went bowling in 2008, and only two of those games (Tulsa and Oklahoma State) come within the confines of the Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, where the Sooners are one win away from tying their all-time longest winning streak at 25.
Make the jump to see what will be OU’s six toughest games of the 2009 regular season.
For the 2009 Sooners, getting back to the BCS National Championship is on everyone’s mind. In order for it to happen, OU will have to run a veritable gauntlet which is their regular season schedule.
The more you break it down, the more you realize that the Sooners have their work cut out for them, as perhaps their five weakest opponents travel to Norman. For nearly every ranked or near-ranked opponent, OU will go on the road.
Make the jump to see Nos. 7-12 of the Sooners’ 2009 schedule.
Tomorrow we’ll go thru Nos. 1-6. Any guesses who will claim the top spot?
With 20 verbal commitments and 8 scholarships left, Oklahoma’s 2010 recruiting class (currently ranked No. 2 by Scout and No. 3 by Rivals) could be Stoops’ strongest yet. But in order to pull it off, he’ll need to finish strong.
Make the jump to see Oklahoma’s must-gets for 2010.
Plano West DE Jackson Jeffcoat is the state of Texas' prize recruit for 2010.
Thanks for playing, Fox Sports. But, as any discerning college football fan that read your list immediately thought to themselves, your list sucks.
Here is a more accurate representation of reality. Granted, each person’s respective life experiences alter his list dramatically. Nevertheless, here’s mine and I’m sticking to it.
Make the jump to see the most obnoxious fans in the country.
LSU fans top the list and it's not close.
The Lost Ogle: New Events for the 2020 Tulsa Summer Olympics
Tilting at Windmills: Bradford is more accurate that McCoy
Rivals: Franklin chooses OU over UT
Blatant Homerism: The 5 most important Sooners in 2009
Red Dirt Kings: Weekend Warriors—What Men Watch
If it’s true that every guy is allowed one platonic man crush (hey, I don’t make the rules), then it only makes sense that every team should be allowed the same.
The fan crush—a collective (and strongly heterosexual) bromance between the majorities of two fan bases. Think Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson in Wedding Crashers, only on a broader scale. Maybe it’s just me, but I think we’ve got one brewing.
Alabama and Oklahoma. Two powerhouse programs, one bona fide fan crush.
Tuscaloosa and Norman. Bear and Bud. Saban and Stoops. Roll Tide and Boomer Sooner. The Crimson Tide and the Crimson and Cream.
I’m not gonna lie, I lend my fanhood to Bama 90 percent of the time. In the cutthroat landscape of college football, where alliances are broken at the first opportunity to gain traction in the BCS standings, it’s hard to do much better than that.
They’re the anti-LSU—a team that’s been around the block a time or two and acts accordingly. Their tradition is amazing and their collective fanhood is top notch.
While some on each side may disagree, the general attitude between the two schools is one of mutual respect and admiration—a breath of fresh air in the college football world, home to some of the most hated rivals in sports.
It started way back in the day with Bear Bryant and Bud Wilkinson, coaching legends and patriarchs of each respective program. In his autobiography, Good Life and Hard Times as Alabama’s Head Coach, Bryant often reminisces about Wilkinson, whom he considered a close friend and mentor. That alone commands the respect of every living fan of the two programs.
Paul "Bear" Bryant
Among serious and discerning college football fans, Alabama and Oklahoma are generally regarded as being in the top five, and perhaps the two most decorated, programs of all time.
They’ve each won seven national championships, putting them in a tie for second all-time along with USC. Only Notre Dame (8) has won more. Minnesota (6), Ohio State (5), Nebraska (5) and Miami (5) are the only other schools that even come close.
Bama has more bowl wins and appearances than any other program with 28 and 52, respectively. OU has been ranked No. 1 in the AP poll more than any other school at 97 weeks.
Bama has more perfect seasons than any other school with eight. OU has the highest wining percentage (.761) since World War II, the years widely regarded as the Modern Era of college football.
Bama is tops in 10-game winning streaks with 21. OU owns the all-time longest winning streak at 47.
Perhaps the only glaring difference between the two in the record books is in the Heisman Trophy column, where OU has claimed five. Despite all its success, no player from Bama has ever won the Heisman.
Call me crazy, but I'm starting to like Nick Saban.
Their successes span decades. Their histories run deep. And in a recent home-and-home series in 2002 and 2003, their ties were reintroduced to a new generation.
“[Alabama] is a great program,” Stoops said following Oklahoma’s 20-13 victory in 2003, doing his part to set the tone. “Places like this, they appreciate good football. They’ve won enough around here that they’re not jealous of anyone else. They’re a good team, which doesn’t surprise anybody.”
Nick Saban and Bob Stoops, current heads of the programs, appear to have carried on the working relationship established by Bear and Bud years ago. The two are reported to have a mutual respect for one another, if not a genuine friendship. This despite a potential scandal in which Saban (head coach at LSU at the time) had been accused of spying on the Oklahoma’s Superdome practices the week leading up to the game.
Stoops has gone on record saying he does not believe there was any foul play, and I think I speak for most of Sooner Nation when I say that a friend of Bob’s is a friend of mine (Incidentally, LSU fans don’t just hate Saban, they pretty much want him dead. Any human being so despised by LSU has got to be all right.)
The next time you see a Bama fan, show some respect—they deserve it. Chances are, they’ll do the same.
If, for whatever reason, this one just does not work out for you, here is my list of the top ten schools it’s okay for Sooners to fan crush on:
Alabama. See above. OU all-time record: 2-1-1.
Nebraska. Strong feelings have diminished of late, mainly due to the Huskers’ epic fall from grace and former head coach Bill Callahan, who was overheard calling Sooner fans a bunch of “f-ing hillbillies.” But it’s nearly impossibly to deny that Nebraska has some of the most respectable fans in the nation. It doesn’t hurt that Tom Osborne, the program’s patriarch, was a class act and that current head coach Bo Pellini is a branch on the Bob Stoops coaching tree. OU all-time record: 44-37-3.
Virginia Tech. Tech fans are perhaps the best-kept secret in college football—a passionate, knowledgeable and friendly bunch. I should know, I’m married to one. VT Head Coach Frank Beamer is also a class act. OU all-time record: 1-0.
Wisconsin. Mainly because they’re harmless and pretty much just want to have fun. OU all-time record: 2-0.
Ohio State. This one may be tough to swallow for some, since Ohio State is a clear threat to Oklahoma’s claim to college football supremacy. I include them because I’ve just always liked them, mostly because of my Dad, who attended grad school at tOSU. OU all-time record: 1-1.
Arizona. Head Coach Mike Stoops is Bob’s brother and the man responsible for our best defense in the Bob Stoops era that, incidentally, won us a national title. Another branch on the Stoops coaching tree. OU all time record: 1-1.
Tulsa. The Golden Hurricane is a likeable bunch, mainly because they’re an in-state program with no real threat to OU. Plus they’re always doing something kinda cool with their offense over in T-town. OU all-time record: 15-7-1.
Minnesota. Bet you didn’t know Minnesota has more national championships than Texas, Ohio State, Michigan, Miami and Nebraska. What you also may not have known is that as a player, Bud Wilkinson led the Golden Gophers to three of them in a row back in 1934, 1935 and 1936, respectively. OU all-time record: 2-0.
Army/Navy/Air Force. Who honestly doesn’t have a slight fan crush for one of the teams that risks it all to defend your right to enjoy college football on Saturdays? OU all-time record: Army 2-1, Navy 0-1, Air Force 1-0.
South Carolina. Don’t lie—you’ve got a man crush on The Old Ball Coach. You kinda dig it that he was Stoops’ boss when the Gators won the national title in ’96. Add the fact that the man has a membership at Augusta, and you pretty much want to be him. Points for SC, and maybe even a fan crush. OU all-time record: N/A.
Zoran