First, Sam Bradford is the best player in the country. I don't want to see one mention of Chase Daniel.
Second, the OU defense is the OU defense. Let them gang up on you and you'll get your ass kicked. Make them work in space and they are just like anybody else. Stoops is a great gameplanner (gameplannier?) who bases a lot of his calls on educated guesses. When he's right they look unstoppable. When he's wrong you get 50 yard screen passes. We have to make sure he's wrong this year.
Bradford is forcing throws now, but he'll calm down. OU plays so hard that they cover up a lot of their weaknesses. It's no important to keep them off balance, as they are worse than average when they don't know what to expect.
I'm flipping to the ND game during the commercials since my ESPN2 is off air for some reason. Chuck Long was a horrible OC at OU and the biggest reason they never won any national titles. Greg Davis could be living in San Diego right now making millions and Long could still be in Norman. Doesn't seem fair. Anyway, SDSU and has a chance to win. Go ND!
Cinncinnati is finally getting a little tricky and has the ball at the 4. Run straight ahead for nothing. Sounds like us. Then they, hilariously, run the statue of liberty, but it doesn't work.
HenryJames texts me to say: "OU's LBs suck lol xoxoxo." He is right. But they are usually mediocre guys who just try really hard and that's what they are this year, too. We need to run more stuff with Irby as the third WR/second TE and shift him around so we can keep the LBs on the field and abuse them. There isn't a guy on that roster who can hang with us in the open field. We cannot let them play as a unit against our running game.
Cincinnati punches it in on a mostly well-called drive, but OU immediately answers. At least, they would have until the review booth felt the need to inject itself into the game for no reason. They need to get rid of the booth reviews.
OU scores and I just realized I committed myself to watching this entire thing. It's not as fun when OU is actually good. Bad QB play has held them back, and now that they have a good one, anything is possible. Our only hope is that our secondary comes together really fast and Cincinnati isn't as good as everyone thinks.
They are interviewing Clay Bennett on the sideline and I barely resist throwing my remote through the TV. At least Cincinnati just got down to the one. If you aren't intimidated by OU they become average really fast. The defense anyway. The look intimidating, but it's part of the act. It's taught. Can't be scared of those guys.
Actually, there was a penalty or something and it's 3rd and 19. I need a drink. It was a hold, which OU fans have to look up in the rulebook because they've never seen one called.
I found the Georgia game online. Their defense is smothering. They are slaughtering a very good offense. I don't think I've seen CMU gain a yard yet. The offense is same old hit and miss Richt.
Boy, Mardy Gilyard just saved Cincinnati's bacon with a great leaping catch on 3rd and 19. Now first and goal at the 6. Wow. Groutza just threw an INT in the endzone like he meant to do it. That wasn't even close.
Cincinnati just got one back on a lucky bounce. It was good defense by UC's best player, but a lucky bounce nonetheless. They are hanging tough. It's like watching a soccer game where the weaker team is down 1-0. Not out of reach but you can see it's not going to happen. We can beat OU but they are better than us. We just can't shrivel up. Hopefully Muschamp's balls transfer over to the rest of the team. They usually do.
It's happening. OU is out of energy and Cincinnati spread them out and is methodically moving down the field. Touchdown. Bradford, Murray, and Gresham are legit. Nobody else on that team should inspire fear. This defense is average. Relatively.
UC whangs the XP off the upright, 21-13.
I don't know why OU ever runs anything other than three step drops. Bradford is unstoppable when they do. Bradford has fallen out of rhythm. Then he fell on the ball on a premature snap. This is the kind of shit that happens when you don't let OU walk all over you. OU punts into the endzone and unless UC pulls a miracle they'll go in down by 8, with a legit shot at a tie score. They have to feel good about where they are.
Well . . . something just happened. Long pass on a busted coverage, but the ball is knocked out and recovered by OU. If you don't get flashbacks to 2000 you haven't been paying attention. Combine that with a personal foul and OU has a real shot to score. Motherfucker.
A&M is on Versus if anyone cares. Halftime distraction.
Cincinnati keeps the ball on review, someone was out of bounds. The personal foul still knocks them back 15 yards and well out of field goal range. I believe they still have one timeout.
Georgia just took a fumble or INT back 80 yards to score. I'm turning it off because it's making my machine run like a snail. You win this round, Richt.
Cincinnati decides to dance around and whack each other off, and because of the personal foul they won't get a shot at a FG. They have to go for it on 4th and more than 10. They punt instead. Halftime. Fuck Sooner Magic.
Sidenote: It's not so easy without Tom Brady, is it Weis?
If there was one thing I'd want to take from OU, it's the relentlessness. They really get after it. The OL plays 30% better than they actually are just because they try harder than you.
OU sure gets a lot of guys running wide open. The next 4 weeks for us better be non-stop assignment drills.
Easy score for OU. It's times like this where I forget how much I hate Sam Bradford. The guy is a machine.
Cin City answers the score with a TD return on the kickoff. The return guy has been shredding them. Maybe we'll rethink putting two of our slower skill guys on the return team against them. But maybe not.
CMU is now trailing 28-14 at UGA. Not sure what happened but I'm sure it was all part of the plan. you got Richt, CMU!
1st and 20 after another . . . hold . . . ing? If Cincinnati can hold here (the other kind) there is a real chance they can put some nerves into play.
East Carolina is up 17-3 on WVU, btw. Nearing the half.
Holy hell what a catch by Brian Broyles. That puts OU at the edge of FG territory. He basically outjumped DeAngelo Smith and snatched the ball out of his arms. Smith was a bit passive but it was still a great play. Gold star that one.
Cincinnati's DL is getting pushed around. I don't anticipate that being an issue with us but you never know. We have speed and we will need it all, since the OL makes it hard for your front 7 to pursue. Completely legally, of course.
Never heard of this Broyles fellow but he seems like a good player. Murray scores almost untouched and now the pressure is square on UC. That's the difference one play can make.
Cincinnati tries a fake punt, boldly, and fails. Punter didn't quite get enough height on the pass and it got knocked down. Insta-TD, game over.
See you next week, OU.