25 Comments

  1. Walter McInnis

    Great article! Question: you said “Briles often owned” Patterson. Weren’t they 3-3 head to head? (I think that’s right but could totally be wrong.) Four real close games and then both blowouts went to Patterson right? I’m sure I’m missing some of the context so if you could elaborate a bit I’d appreciate it. Love your articles!

    • ianaboyd

      From 2011 when RG3 got the Briles machine rolling, Baylor put up the following on TCU:

      2011: 50 points. W
      2012: 21 points. L
      2013: 41 points. W
      2014: 61 points. W
      2015: 21 points. L

      The only years he wasn’t lighting up Patterson’s D were 2012 (Nick Florence threw 4 picks or something) and 2015 when TCU was down to the 3rd string QB.

  2. Joey

    Given some obvious personnel disadvantages in the secondary, how would you gameplan for LSU if you’re OU? What takeaways did you have from Texas playing them?

    • ianaboyd

      Play conservative, 2-high coverages and try to gameplan the run game with stunts.

      OU is totally overmatched here, it’ll probably be comparable to last year’s game against Alabama only I think the LSU D will handle hurts better than Bama did against Kyler.

      • Chris R.

        Great article Ian. As an OU fan…Hurts turnovers are highly concerning. What should have been dominant victories became nail biters. For us to have a chwnce… we need to have zero turnovers and get a couple. We also need healthy OTs. A healthy Adrian Ealy is a solid player. Concerning our D…we do have some guys capable of creating pressure…any chance they can put pressure on Burrow.

        • ianaboyd

          Putting pressure on Burrow is both difficult and also limited in value. Auburn and Texas got pressure on him but that didn’t make up for the ways he torched them. They also both played dime (or even more DBs than that) and still couldn’t totally cover LSU.

          It’s rough, I’m not sure what OU can even do except play hard, be multiple, and hope to score a lot.

      • Matt

        How is OU totally overmatched? They won’t be able to run all over LSU? LSU gave up 400+ rushing to ole miss. Give me a break.

        • ianaboyd

          How much of LSU have you seen this year? And in a postseason games against Georgia’s run game how did LSU do?

          • Andrew

            Thanks for another insightful article!

            I think OUs O will match up well against the LSU D, but I don’t think OUs D will do much against LSUs O. I wonder what kind of shootout this will be?

            Rhule isn’t going to the cowboys, no way, no how. Jerry is up everybody’s behind & is trying to tell them how to do their jobs. The only possible way Rhule would go is if he’s given total autonomy, has a great relationship with the non-Jerry GM, brings over his people & is given them time to make changes. Barring that, not gonna happen. Maybe Riley might be interested, dunno.

          • ianaboyd

            I don’t think OU’s O will be the problem for LSU that many expect. When you can put a single CB on CeeDee Lamb and then not worry any further about him, that’s a big wrench in the gears for the Sooner offense. LSU can also attack the OTs with Chaisson and edge pressures, are stout inside on the DL, and can tackle at safety.

          • Matt

            I watched LSU- UGA, LSU-Bama, LSU-Ole Miss and LSU-UGA. UGA’s offense sucked all year and they didn’t even have a healthy Swift. How many times this year have you said OU was going to be ineffective? No way OU runs on Texas. No way OU DBs hold up against UT WRs. No way Riley ever has a good defense. LSU isn’t going to play drop 8. They’re going to use the same ineffective pressures other teams tried to use. Ealy finally has a chance to get healthy so those “overrated” OU tackles (overrated by who btw? Everyone has said they’ve been the weak link all year) that have been banged up all year finally have a chance to get healthy. Chaisson isn’t Young. If he can’t be single blocked, they can line up a TE next to the OT tasked with blocking him. OU has future pros all across their front lines on both sides of the back. LSU doesn’t have a Quinnen Williams that will completely wreck the game plan the first 4 series while they’re trying to figure out if Hollywood Brown is healthy. That’s a very poor take.

          • ianaboyd

            OU has been about what I expected, a good team but not an elite squad that can win in the playoffs. They’ve benefitted from the rest of the B12 being down. I feel good about my assessments.

  3. Dalton

    If you’re OU offensively (against LSU), do you spend a lot of time in heavier sets? I don’t know how LSU’s LBs are at handling play action or passes over the middle of the field with FB/TE, but if they can run the ball with any success, it may force LSU into bigger personnel which could hopefully open up some POP passes and give Ceedee some chances on the outside(Stingley and Fulton are dang good, but I don’t like anyone’s chances 1-on-1 without help all day against Ceedee). I really think they’re going to have to sustain drives and keep Burrow on the sideline and hopefully keep their offense from establishing any sort of rhythm. Defensively, I agree with your strategy. Hopefully putting LSU in negative situations and off schedule can keep them in check relatively speaking. As an OU fan, I am not optimistic. They’re going to have to play lights out and hope turnovers go their way, but it’s going to be tough. I would actually feel better with last year’s team and their chances turning this into a shootout.

    • ianaboyd

      OU will probably want to switch personnel a lot and just throw tons of looks at the Tigers so they can generate enough hesitation to create openings for steady, chain-moving gains. That’s kinda been the MO this year and it’s worked out well.

      I don’t know that Stingley or Fulton can cover Lamb all day in press-man but I do think they can get away with it while Hurts is QB. That’s the big problem. Then they can have their safeties key the TEs while the LBs play fast, I think it’s a lot tougher matchup for the Sooner offense than is being commonly assumed.

      • Dalton

        Yeah unfortunately Hurts limitations as a passer have become glaringly obvious like you said they would (as much as I tried to tell myself they wouldn’t haha). I guess I’ll hope that Lincoln can cook up enough stuff to keep LSU on their heels defensively and never allow them to really dial in on what OU is doing. I’m with you that it’s not a given OU is going to do whatever they want offensively like many have assumed. I just don’t see where they win this one barring a brilliant game plan (and much higher level execution) and a little luck.

    • Clayton Davis

      No, best case for OU is that they capitalize on some turnovers and big plays, and confound an off balance LSU for a while, before holding them off in the second half. LSU probably wins given what they’ve done all year, but both Texas and Auburn came relatively close to beating them. It’s not crazy to think that OU has a chance.

      • ianaboyd

        OU can’t attack them like Texas did and can’t defend them like Auburn did. They may find some method over the coming weeks but it’s a tough one and they’ll have the Tigers’ full attention.

        • Brandon

          I really don’t see OU scoring more than 21. Meanwhile, LSU should easily score 30+, possibly hitting 40. People have vastly overrated this OU team and they could easily have 2-3 additional Ls.

          LSU is a fantastic team, similar to the 2011 team OSU had their offense scores so much that their defense (at times) looks bad, but they’re obviously a stacked unit. OSU’s defense in 2011 by SP+ actually stacks up pretty well with what LSU has now, although I’d surmise LSU has much better athletes across the board than that OSU squad did.

          And man… those wideouts… I just don’t see OU staying within 17.

          • Chris R.

            OU fan here but who has vastly overrated this OU team? Most OU fans know we don’t have last year’s offense and that TO’s are concerned. No one in the media is giving us a shot. Everyone seems eager to point out our shortcomings. Maybe some people are overatng OU but in minority

  4. […] If we had an Ironman award for toughness and durability it’d probably go to Hurts or Ehlinger but these guys would certainly be finalists. Let’s give a nod to Charlie Brewer here as well, who attempted 348 passes, had 109 carries, and took 29 sacks. Brewer hung in there as long as he could before the officials finally intervened and got him in the trainer’s room. […]

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