Author Archives: bcssportsprofessor

OU-Texas

First off I want to thank all of you for your Christmas wishes.  I’ve been celebrating a premature Christmas all day.   Normally, a win is a win, but not in this case.  We now have a legitimate shot to play for all the marbles, not to mention OU-Texas bragging rights.   I felt pretty good going into the game, but squandering two touchdowns made me squirm a bit.  In the end this fact only sweetened the feeling.

One more thing… a wise man once said that offense sells tickets, but defenses win championships.  We saw this OU team come of age on Saturday and hopefully the 2019 Sooners will become the personification of this wise man’s advice.  This offense will only get better as the season goes on and now that we have a defensive coordinator that can spell defense, this team will have a shot at winning a National Championship.  Hang on; this is going to be a fun ride.

By the way, let’s give Sam Ehlinger his due…this guy’s a gamer…I don’t like the guy, but he did his best to will his team to a win.  He also has a bunch of long armed receivers and now that Texas has a semblance of a run game, these guys will be dangerous when they get healthy.   I don’t want to see Texas again this year.  The good news is that the Horns play Iowa State, Baylor and Tech at the end the season.  Our best bet may be Iowa State.  The Cyclones are going to be tough down the stretch, particularly in Ames.

Here’s one other question about the OU-Texas game.  I’ve never thought of this before, but how many football stadiums in America have both teams enter the stadium through the same entrance.  Being OU-Texas, once must wonder why a fight has not broken out before.  This plan is similar to having the Earp and the Clanton brothers walk down the same street in Tombstone on the way to the OK Corral.  Can you imagine the smack talk that would be coming out of Doc Holliday’s mouth?

There is an upside to this story.  Every member of the team got an unsportsmanlike penalty for the game due to what happened in the tunnel.  This means that every walk-on making the trip to Dallas will have a tale to tell their grandchildren.   These guys will brag that they were flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct at the OU-Texas game back in ’19.  I can only imagine how this story will evolve after being retold thousands of times.

Boomer Sooner…

 

 

Advertisements

October 8, 1966 is a day that will live in infamy.  Those are famous words, not about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and from FDR, but about an OU win over Texas and from ERS.  This date was the first OU win over Texas in my memory bank.  Like other dates in history where old timers remember exactly where they were at that point in time, I remember exactly where I was on that day.

I became a rabid OU at age 8 and did not experience a win over Texas until I was 16.   Year after year, I would go through Texas week expecting a win, only to have my hopes dashed against the rocks each year.  My first win in ’66 was worth the wait.

For the record, I would not taste a win over Texas for five more years.   For those who are counting, that was 12 of 13 scar-filled years.  So much for being a spoiled OU fan.   I learned early on to appreciate Texas wins and while those wins have become much more common place, they’re still special.  A win over Texas is like a 2nd Christmas.

Just like in the old days, the days will creep by as we await OU-Texas.  It will finally arrive and those of us who will be watching the game on our in-house big screen will warn family members including canines to vacate the premises for four hours.  I also warn love ones to check the final score before returning home.

Like the old days, OU fans should be careful about getting their hopes up, but just like the old days, I won’t be able to help myself.  I know crazy things happen in this game, but I must admit I feel really good about our chances.  We have the better team, so I fully expect to celebrate a 2nd Christmas this year.

Boomer Sooner…

 

 

 

 

 

2019…

State fans regardless of their orange or crimson persuasion tend to get carried away this time of year.   Then again at this point every team in America is undefeated so this is to be expected.  The Sooners hope to run the table on the way to a National Championship and OSU hopes to beat OU in November to prevent this from happening.

Mike Gundy has created an offense and a schedule that will grease the skids to help the cause.  Gundy sacrificed last season in order to allow four star recruit Spencer Sanders to learn the offense.  Combine this guy with wide receiver Tylan Wallace and running back Chuba Hubbard and you have an offense that will light up the scoreboard.  I hate OSU, but I really love their offensive scheme.

OSU fans love their pathetic non-conference schedule for a reason.  OU insists on playing a couple of competitive non-conference opponents, while OSU insists on starting each season 3-0.   For OSU, we have two teams in Oregon State and Tulsa that combined to win a total of five games last year and a third team from the Louisiana high school ranks.  Combine this with a soft Big 12 schedule and the Ags should have no less than seven wins as they roll into Bedlam.

If OSU can eke out a win in Stillwater against the Sooners, Mike Gundy will occupy a special place in the hearts of Cowboy fans.   He will have beaten OU more times than any other OSU coach.  I know this seems shallow, but we are talking OSU here.    Cowboy fans consider a win over OU as the Holy Grail of Christmas gifts.

That’s right…OU erects statues to Heisman Trophy winners and OSU erects statues of coaches that can beat OU three times.

Is this a great state or what…

 

While most everyone has moved on to the recruiting Class for 2020, a final look at the Class of 2019 may be in order.   Phil Steele is the guy that puts out the most extensive preseason football magazine on the market these days.  He also puts out what I would consider to be the most accurate recruiting information as well.

As you know, football teams are allowed 85 scholarship players at any one time.  This means that the size of recruiting classes can vary from year to year.  I have seen classes as small as 18 and as large as 30.  A team with a new coach can run off a ton of players in order to make room for his new recruits.   This move can create over-sized recruiting classes.

Recruiting services like Rivals and 247sports give far too much credit to the number of recruits in a class and not enough credit to the stars by their names.    This system makes creating rankings much easier.   In their defense, the financial bottom line that creates pressure to take short cuts is paramount for these guys as football fans go online daily to keep tabs on their favorite team.  I do the same thing…after all winters in Oklahoma can be unbearable without a daily fix supplied by football recruiting news.

Phil Steele puts out his rankings the following summer in his preseason football magazine.  It’s always worth the wait, but this year the wait was even better for the Sooners.   OU has climbed three spots and jumped ahead of Texas on the Class of 2019 list…how sweet it is.  The Class of 2019 is getting better by the day.

National top 25…

  1. Georgia
  2. Alabama
  3. OU
  4. Florida
  5. Tennessee
  6. Texas
  7. Ohio State
  8. Michigan
  9. Penn State
  10. Auburn
  11. Texas A&M
  12. Oregon
  13. Clemson
  14. Notre Dame
  15. LSU
  16. Florida State
  17. Mississippi
  18. South Carolina
  19. USC
  20. Arkansas
  21. Washington
  22. Stanford
  23. Nebraska
  24. NC State
  25. Mississippi State

 

Rest of Big 12…

38..TCU

45..West Virginia

46..OSU

57..Baylor

61..Kansas State

68..Texas Tech

70..Kansas

83..Iowa State

 

 

The tail wagging the dog…

I have often wondered why OU can’t go to the bathroom without OSU tagging along.  With some time off this summer, I decided to research the question for myself.  Now, I wish I had left well enough alone.

As we know Oklahoma is notorious for back room politics.  The most powerful people in the state spend their days hanging out at the big house on Lincoln Boulevard.   With rural legislators leading the way these guys have a ton of clout in this state and tend to wear orange on game days.

In addition to the deck being stacked against OU by state legislators, we also get it from the governor’s mansion as well.   Oklahoma governors appoint OU Regents.  The bad news is that the last two governors have been OSU grads.  That’s right, when the fox lives in the hen house; there will be chicken for dinner every time.

The current batch of OU Regents bears out this story.  Over the past two years, we lost two OU stalwarts in Clay Bennett and Kirk Humphreys from the Board.  As you might imagine, these two guys were appointed by OU grads.  It has gone downhill from there.

As for the current batch of OU Regents I can count three that might be loyal to OU.  Two others have a limited connection to The University and then we have the last two.  One Regent appointed by Mary Fallin has no connection to OU whatsoever and one Regent graduated from OSU.  Making matters worse is the fact that OU Regent Valerie Shirley also served as president at OSU/OKC.  Seriously, you can’t make this stuff up.

Okay, that’s the bad news; the good news is that we now know why OU has been a dysfunctional mess for the past two years.  We also know why OU looked to Stillwater before making any conference re-alignment decisions three years ago.  Expect the same in 2024.

I for one would like to make my own bed instead of having an Aggie do it for me, but having lived here all my life, I am not hopeful that this will happen.  I know Oklahoma politics all too well.

All the more reason to kick some Aggie butt whenever we get the chance.

Boomer Sooner…

Football wins…

Dr. Tamage, OU’s resident football historian passed on some interesting win total information for OU football recently.   OU has won 896 games in football compared to 632 for UCO, 621 for Tulsa and 592 for OSU.  That’s right…OU has 304 more wins in football than OSU.

This win total ranks OU as # 8 in the country in this category.   This amazing stat. was compiled in spite of the fact that the Sooners got a late start in the football game.  While other football teams began playing football years after statehood, OU started its football program 12 years before statehood.  Michigan, the team that ranks #1 on the win list at 953 wins achieved statehood 73 years before Oklahoma became a state.   Michigan also began playing football in 1879, some 16 years before OU played its first football game.

Now, let’s take a look at the other state schools.    UCO has won 632 games compared to 621 for Tulsa and 592 for OSU.    While the OU win total is impressive, equally impressive is the fact that UCO has 40 more wins and two more legitimate National Championships in football than OSU.  It looks like OSU has two big brothers instead of just one.

Let’s put this matter into even more clarity.  OU ranks up there with the big boys of college football in Michigan, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Alabama.   OSU on the other hand has found a way to dumb itself down to the likes of West Chester, Albion, Charlotte, Wabash and Wisconsin-Whitewater.

About the time, we think it can get any better, it does…

National win list…

1…Michigan 953

2…Ohio State 911

3…Texas 908

4… Yale 907

5… Alabama 905

t6..Notre Dame 897

t6..Nebraska 897

8…Oklahoma 896

 

State School’s win list…

1…Oklahoma 896

2…UCO 632

3…Tulsa 621

OU softball…

It appears that OU softball under Patty Gasso won’t miss a beat going forward.  Patty Gasso will combine a solid group of returning starters with a boat load of new talent.

Here’s the good news…

  • Taylon Snow, a shortstop from Auburn has transferred to OU. Basically, she will replace Cayleigh Clifton in one form or another in the lineup.   With All-World shortstop Grace Lyons back, this may be the best middle infield combination in the country.
  • Giselle Juarez is only going to get better in the circle and now we have Brooke Vestal, the ace pitcher from last year’s recruiting class joining her. This combo could be lethal next year.
  • Mariah Lopez has found a home at Arizona. Coach Mike Candrea has a great reputation.  This is a win-win situation for everyone.
  • In this year’s 2019 recruiting class, Patty is bringing in Kinzie Hansen, America’s top player for this year. FloSoftball also ranks this group as the # 3 recruiting class the country.
  • Looking ahead, Patty has secured commitments from Class of 2020 players that ranks OU #1 in the country according to FloSoftball.
  • For the Class of 2021, OU already has commitments from the # 7 and # 14 ranked recruits.
  • Savannah Geurin, the top ranked pitcher from the Class of 2022 has committed to OU.
  • Finally, Patty Gasso just picked up a commitment from Leah McAnally for the Class of 2023. The Moore catcher was an 8th grader last year.

Boomer Sooner…