22 Comments

  1. Philly Frog

    I both fear and love Holgorson.

    And I think the conference really missed the boat by not adding UH and BYU a couple years ago.

    You’re talking about some damned good football.

  2. Joey

    I’m not sold on Jalen Hurts running this offense. I’m sure Riley will compensate for his limitations, but I don’t think he can make the quick decisions to keep the offense humming.

    I have low expectations for the Defense given the roster that Grinch inherited. If the DBs seem to be in better position and other defenders show a willingness to tackle, its a step in the right direction.

    I think it takes a little while for OU to get going. The 23.5 point spread is ridiculous. 34-24 OU.

    • ianaboyd

      This is almost exactly what I think, except I don’t think your 34-24 follows well from everything else.

      Even if OU is assignment sound this week, that’s not enough to stop Houston. I think a likely positive case scenario for OU is holding Houston under 40 and winning like 42-35.

      • Joey

        I’m not saying Norman is Death Valley, but I do think it’s a road game against a top 5 opponent. I’m also erring on the side of it being a sloppy game. Both teams out of rhythm. Well see tho. Could see it going your way as well.

        My question to you tho- if Hurts struggles early this season, at what point to you start trying to break Rattler in?

        • ianaboyd

          Oh man. I guess whenever you think Rattler gives you a better chance to win. I don’t think they’re going to redshirt him and there’s probably no point so if Hurts isn’t getting the job done and Rattler looks up for it there’s not much reason for Riley to delay using the hook.

          The concern there though would be that you discourage Tanner Mordecai and he transfers in the offseason, leaving you with a whole lotta nothing outside of Rattler at QB. Then you gotta find someone willing to transfer into a program that has Spencer Rattler. The darkest timeline for OU’s future involves Mordecai transferring, Rattler getting hurt, and then the Sooners cratering simply due to lack of options.

    • Philly Frog

      I’ll go against the grain and say Sooners win 27-17.

      Given all the transition issues with both programs I find it hard to think either offense will be all that efficient in Week 1. In some ways this would have been a better game in a NY6 setting.

      Plus there’s too much red on each side of the ball. My mother-in-law would analyze teams based on their uniforms and she would not have approved.

        • Clayton Davis

          I mean, only one team held UH to under 20, and that was Army and they didn’t have to face King. Only 2 other teams even held them to under 40. If Grinch’s D manages to do it, give that man an instant raise.

          • Philly Frog

            I’m thinking more along the lines of turnovers, missed reads, drops, etc.

            If they met each other in a bowl game I think it would be more of a basketball score.

            This will be must-see regardless. It’s like a box of chocolates.

  3. Clayton Davis

    It’ll be an interesting game along the line. OU has four new starters there. In 2016, we had 3 new starters including a new starter at center, and… it didn’t go so well. Of course, UH had Ed Oliver then, too, and their DL played pretty well overall. Our running game wasn’t horrible and averaged a decent chunk of yardage, but I recall them stopping us in short yardage a few times which did not bode well for Ohio State.

    Will the OL protect Hurts if he needs time to process? Will they be able to be able to push open some holes for a deep and diverse stable of backs?

    • ianaboyd

      Fascinated to see OU vs the pass-rush. Cauthen had them Arkansas State boy’s coming hard and fast in the rush. They didn’t blitz a ton from what I saw but relied on the aggressive safety play to allow them to pin their ears back on the DL. Again, it’s the Spartan strategy.

      Do they have guys up front that can cause problems if freed up? I dunno.

  4. Clayton Davis

    A couple interesting notes from OU’s defensive depth chart. Not saying yet if Jones or White will start at WILL, or Bookie or Sylvie starting at nickel.

  5. Will

    Really excited to watch this matchup and watch a Holgo team play without the accompanying stress of hoping they win.

    King doesn’t look like a huge guy, it will be interesting too see how often Holgo lets him run.

    Thanks for the info on his DC. Politics kept Gibson in place at WVU for at least a year too long. It is illuminating to see what Holgo opted for when he could start over. Dude is gonna do well for himself there, might eventually force the Big 12 to reconsider them if he sticks around long enough.

  6. Jona j

    Great preview, one question. Are you going to be previewing other non big 12 games? Because as a Ducks fan I would really enjoy a preview by you on the UO vs Auburn matchup.

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