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| Criticize this pick if you dare, Oklahoma was the best team in College Football's regular season last year. They came out of the gates strong, and overcame some big hiccups on the defensive side of the ball. The belief that they should have been Big XII and National Champs last year will push OU over the top this year. Now they have 10 starters from the best offense in the NCAA a year ago returning (only TE Lance Donley does not). They scored a huge coup with 5th year seniors Jason White and Lance Mitchell returning on Offense and Defense, respectively. White will have his top three targets back from a year ago in Mark Clayton, Brandon Jones and Will Peoples. Tight End may actually get an upgrade from the addition of TE Willie Roberts, who initially signed with Miami out of High School and comes to OU via Junior College. James Moses and Chris Chester are strong candidates at the position, as well. The offensive secondary may get a boost from the #1 RB recruit in the nation, Adrian Peterson, who many in the state of Texas have compared to Eric Dickerson. Strong north-south runner Kejuan Jones and powerful fullback JD Runnels could benefit from Peterson's elusiveness and speed. The Offensive Line may be the greatest strength of this team. Center Vince Carter and Tackle Jammal Brown are the headliners, but Wes Sims, Kelvin Chaisson, and Davin Joseph return to provide the punch up front. The Defensive Line will be a major strength, despite the loss of NFL first rounder Tommie Harris. DE Dan Cody will be near the top of all the preseason watch lists for the Hendricks award, and probably the Lombardi and Outland. With bookend Jonathan Jackson on the left and Dusty Dvoracek, Lynn McGruder, Remi Ayodele (whom OU acquired from JC), and Lawrence 'Moe' Dampeer shoring up the Tackles, OU will have one of the best D-Lines in the country. Linebackers, expected last season to be a weakness this year will probably be a strength with the return of Mitchell and the two linebackers that filled in for him after his injury. Both Wayne Chambers and Gayron Allen are back to make up this a devastating trio. The Sooner defensive secondary may be the best yet (hard to believe) with hard-hitting Donte Nicholson at the SS, Brodney Pool (who led the team in interceptions) at FS, and Antonio Perkins (the nation's best PR), Eric Bassey, Chijoke Onyenagecha (the most highly rated JC Corner 2 years ago), and Jowahn Poteat at the corners. The special teams return both Kicker Trey DiCarlo and Punter Blake Ferguson, who with Antonio Perkins could make up the best unit in the nation. OU is at home in the Orange Bowl, and they will expect to make it there this year for their second National Championship under Bob Stoops. |
| Oklahoma is DesertSAPPER's Preseason #1 (Big Surprise) |
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| Thanks to the Official OU site for all of the graphics I have displayed here. |
| Week 1 #1 OU 40 BGSU 24 Should Oklahoma still be #1 in my rankings? You may debate if I should have ranked them #1 to start with. They looked strong in this game, despite the final score. Bowling Green played well in this game, particularly their SOPHOMORE quarterback. At times, young Omar Jacobs looked like Donovan McNabb. His passes were dead on for the most part in the Falcon's spread offense. Oklahoma's defense didn't look as strong as they did last year, but that will improve as the season goes on, with a few youngsters that need the experience. The biggest piece was the emergence of the OU ground game with two 100+ yard rushers in Junior Kejuan Jones and True Freshman Adrian Peterson (the nation's top recruit). Jason White looked good, completing 21 of 31 for 238 yards and 3 touchdowns. His interception came on an amazing read and defensive play by Keon Newson, who returned it for a touchdown. The offensive line did a tremendous job that allowed OU to eat away at the clock in a huge way (38:59). FEARLESS PREDICTION: Bowling Green wins the MAC this year. |
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| Week 2 #1 OU (2-0) 63 Houston (0-2) 13 Okay, Houston clearly did not present a challenge for the first or second team of Oklahoma. 49-7 at the half, and the second/third string scored twice. Total domination is the only real term for what happened in Norman this weekend, and it is a strong indicator that OU is going to put up a lot of the same big numbers that they did last season. Jason White was 14/18 for 257 yards and 2 touchdowns, and his replacement, Tommy Grady, was 8/9 for 50 yards and a touchdown. Add to that Adrian Peterson's 25 carries for 117 yards (his second straight 100 yard performance), and you have a rather successful outing for the Sooners. Still my team to beat. |
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| Week 2: Freshman Adrian Peterson shrugs another Houston block on his way to the endzone |
| Week 1: Kelvin Chaisson pulls to block the Bowling Green Falcons |
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| Latest OU Commentary |
| 4 SEP OU 40 BGSU 24 11 SEP OU 63 Houston 13 18 SEP OU 31 Oregon 7 2 OCT OU 28 Texas Tech 13 9 OCT OU 12 Texas 0 16 OCT OU 31 K-State 21 23 OCT OU 41 Kansas 10 30 OCT OU 35 O-State 31 6 NOV OU 42 Texas A&M 35 13 NOV OU 30 Nebraska 3 20 NOV OU 35 Baylor 0 4 DEC OU 42 Colorado 3 4 JAN USC 55 OU 19 |
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| Week 3 #1 OU (3-0) 31 Oregon (0-2) 7 Oregon got back on track with this game, which sounds a little funny since they almost got shut out in this game. That's because the other half of it is that they were in this contest the whole time. The Ducks looked 100% better against the Sooners than they did against the Hoosiers a week ago. Quarterback Kellen Clemens completed 24 of his 35 passes for 179 yards and the Ducks' only touchdown. Once again, the story for Oklahoma was amazing freshman running back Adrian Peterson, who lit up Oregon defenders with shifty and powerful moves for 183 yards on 24 carries and 2 touchdowns, his best performance yet. He currently has 400 total yards on 65 carries and 5 touchdowns. Jason White was also successful, completing 17 of 23 passes for 213 yards and a touchdown. The only down note for Oklahoma was the 6 penalties they incurred for 65 yards, but that pales when compared to Oregon's 11 penalties for 100 yards. Oklahoma is still #1. |
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| Week 3: Larry Birdine (92) and Calvin Thibodeaux (58) pursue Oregon QB Clemens |
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| Week 5 #1 OU (4-0) 28 Texas Tech (3-2) 13 The Oklahoma Offense came out sloppy in this game. For the first time this season, a team had an answer to the explosive Sooner attacking offense. The Sooners struggled on a few drives, but defense was really the story for OU. Yes, Jason White set the OU record for most touchdown passes in a career, but time and again it was the OU defense that stifled an impressive Red Raider passing attack. Sonny Cumbie still passed for 369 yards, but his 3 interceptions and a fumble broke the will of Texas Tech deep in Oklahoma territory, holding Tech to only 6 points until the 4th quarter when the game had already been decided. Freshman phenom Adrian Peterson again rushed for over 100 yards (146 on 22 carries with a touchdown), and the Sooners are still alive for next week's Red River shootout in Dallas. If they don't play better than they did this week, they will be Longhorn feed. The only reason I still have them ranked #1 is that even when they look a little sloppy they still slobberknock the other team. Next week will be a big indicator. Next Week: v. Texas @ Dallas |
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| Week 6 #1 OU (5-0) 12 #9 Texas (4-1) 0 Oklahoma remained #1 by showing it still has a great defense. Texas' first shutout in 24 years was marked by stellar defense for both teams, and the steady play of their marquee running backs. Both premier running backs, Adrian Peterson for Oklahoma and Cedric Benson for Texas, performed well, with big runs and steady production. The difference maker in this game, though, was freshman Adrian Peterson. His outstanding performance, including a career-high 225 yards, gave Oklahoma the edge. The steady rain in Dallas and the outstanding play of the defenses kept it close, and Texas was in this game to the end. Both teams were turnover prone, but both defenses stepped up to prevent scores on the turnovers, allowing the Red River Rivalry to live up to its billing. All the same, Oklahoma claimed the border war for the fifth straight time, catapulting them into the Big XII driver's seat once again. This Week: @ K-State |
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| Week 6: FB JD Runnels (38) leads the way for another big Peterson run against Texas |
| Week 5: Adrian Peterson breaks through a huge hole against the Red Raiders |
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| Week 7 #1 OU (6-0) 31 Kansas State (2-4) 21 This was billed early in the season as a rematch of the Big XII championship game, but that was before K-State lost 3 games. Surprisingly enough, it was exactly as the early billing would have suggested. Oklahoma came into this game with apparently too much confidence. They struggled early and often, and K-State came out looking like anything but a team that had only won 2 games this year (and had come off two straight losses - to Texas A&M and Kansas). Sophomore QB Dylan Meier looked poised and confident in the pocket, and K-State marched down the field to score on their first drive. It was Jason White that got OU back into this game, with consecutive touchdown strikes to Junior WR Travis Wilson, and an efficient passing drive to get OU close enough for Trey DiCarlo to boot a field goal for the Sooners to take a 17-14 lead into halftime. White finished the day with 256 yards on 20/31 with four touchdowns (five if you count the interception he threw to K-State LB Brandon Archer to start the second half), but the story of the second half was the OU Defense. While Adrian Peterson ran the K-State D ragged with 130 yards (104 after the half), Darren Sproles was held to 34 yards on only 13 carries. The Sooners stayed perfect and remain my #1 (by the narrowest of margins over Auburn and USC). This Week: v. Kansas |
| Week 8 #1 OU (7-0) 41 Kansas (3-4) 10 For the third straight week, the Oklahoma Offense sputtered in the first half. Once again (for the second straight week) Sooner phenom Adrian Peterson was held to minimal yardage in the first half. Yet, once again, the Big Red Scoring Machine got turned on at halftime and came out firing on all cylinders. Kansas made a fair share of mistakes, giving up the ball more than once (once for a defensive TD), but the story of the game was again the Freshman Peterson, who became only the third Freshman in NCAA history to break 1000 yards in 7 games (Emmitt Smith and Marshall Faulk are the other two, consequently). He has been mentioned for a Heisman Trophy, but his limited experience outside of Highschool will probably prevent this. Next week will be a major Bedlam showdown in Stillwater. Both teams will be ranked with only one loss between them. This Week: @ O-State |
| Week 9 #1 OU (8-0) 38 Oklahoma State (6-2) 35 Fans in Norman let out a collective sigh as Oklahoma State kicker Jason Ricks missed a 49-yard field goal with 11 seconds remaining. This was very nearly the third upset in four years to the pokes, as the Sooners came in with a full head of steam and fizzled early. Huge mistakes spotted the Cowboys 14 points early in the game, and gave them the lead early in the 2nd quarter. Jason White rallied the team to take the lead into the locker room, hitting Mark Bradley twice more for scores. Mark Clayton made up for his earlier mistake at the beginning of the second half, returning a punt 50 yards for a touchdown. Freshman Adrian Peterson pretty much took over the game, scoring the Sooners' final touchdown on a break away 80-yarder. He finished the day with 249 yards on 33 carries. Barry Sanders made the statement before the game that he might be tempted to vote for Peterson, and AD (All Day) Peterson showed why. The Sooner D lapsed in the second half, but OU escaped with their eighth straight win in Stillwater. They will need more than luck in College Station next week. The Aggies will be aching for revenge after last year's 77-0 shelacking in Norman. This Week: @ Texas A&M |
| Week 10 #1 OU (9-0) 42 Texas A&M (6-3) 35 This was a great football game, and it was yet another week of OU fans letting out a collective sigh. It may not have been a missed field goal that saved the Sooners from overtime, but it was a hail mary pass that came about a foot and a half from sending the game to extra time. The Sooners trailed by 14 through a good portion of this game, but they managed to take the lead shortly after halftime. The Aggies scored TDs on their first three possessions, and the OU Offense started a little slow. Jason White showed the world in this game why he was the Heisman winner last year. He was brilliant (and he had to be), hitting on 19/35 for 292 yards and (tying a career and school high) 5 TDs. Adrian Peterson was able to extend his record 100-yard game streak to 9 (his last carry coming after a separated shoulder). Reggie McNeal was brilliant on the ground and through the air, but he was knocked out of the game when the Sooner D stepped it up after the half. It was yet another frighteningly close one, but Auburn was idle and USC barely squeaked by in Corvallis, so OU is still my #1. This Week: v. Nebraska |
| Week 11 #1 OU (10-0) 30 Nebraska (5-5) 3 Jason White destroyed Nebraska with his arm in this game, putting up huge numbers and scoring virtually at will. He hit on 29 of 35 (including a school record 18 in a row) for 383 yards and 3 TDs. The only exception to his perfection was an ill-advised attempt to score again at the end of the game. In retalliation, Nebraska attempted to score against the 2nd team Sooner defense and got close enough to kick a field goal to end the game. If not for that field goal, Nebraska would have been shut out (and for all intents and purposes, were shutout by the OU 1st team D). As Jason White hinted in the week leading up to the game, OU had not dominated on both sides of the ball in a game yet this season. It appeared that they were able to do that in the rout of Nebraska. The OU defense was exceptional, crushing the Cornhuskers in every conceivable way. Freshman phenom Adrian Peterson was out most of the game, coming in in the second half to rush 15 times for 58 yards, falling short of 100 for the first time this season. This Week: @ Baylor |
| Week 12 #1 OU (11-0) 35 Baylor (3-8) 0 Bob Stoops made all the right decisions in this game, including the decision to not try and run the score up. Jason White played a great first half, hitting 19 of 34 for 194 yards and 2 TDs, and Adrian Peterson played an outstanding 3rd quarter, rushing 32 times for 240 yards and 3 TDs. Both Sooner superstars were taken out for the final 11 minutes of the game. The Sooner D came up big again, but that was no surprise, as the Bears were on their 3rd string QB after Shawn Bell went out with a hand injury at Oklahoma State. Considering that the Bears only had 156 yards of total O, Freshman Terrance Parks' 14 of 22 for 130 yards passing is actually kind of impressive. This was a solid game (and second straight defensive shutout) for the Sooners, who play either Iowa State or Colorado in two weeks at Arrowhead stadium for the Big XII Championship. This Week: Idle |
| Week 14 #1 OU (12-0) 42 Colorado (7-5) 3 There is no other way to term this game than total domination. Sounds like a broken record with regard to the top 3 teams, doesn't it? Although OU was the only team that dominated like this in their showcase game this weekend, all three of the top teams are equally deservant of the top spot. All have played well in the big games, all have had close calls, all have had blowouts. In fact, all of them are virtually the same in nearly every way. They have tough defenses and can beat you running and passing. OU is my top team, because they have not had a let down game all season. Other teams have played up to them, but OU has never played down to a team. They treated Colorado as if they would USC. They played hard every play with a ton of emotion, and never let down. White and Peterson both played exceptionally well, although White will likely lose the Heisman because of the two interceptions that he threw in this game (even though the receivers slipped on both interceptions). The OU defense came on huge in this game, dominating run and pass and holding the Buffs to under 100 yards of total O. Without a doubt, OU looked like the best team in the country in this game, and won their their second Big XII Championship in three years. Next: v. USC in the Orange Bowl |
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| Week 8: KU |
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| Week 7: K-State |
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| Week 9: O-State |
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| Week 10: AD breaks one against aTm before injuring his shoulder |
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| Week 11: NU |
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| Week 12: RUUUfus stuffs BU |
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| Week 14: Big XII Championship |
| #5 Oklahoma (12-1) 19 #1 USC (13-0) 55 in the Orange Bowl The only word to describe the meltdown in Miami is pathetic. Oklahoma could do nothing right enroute to gift-wrapping a title for the Trojans. They only remain in the top 10 because of the rest of their season. I would expect to see OU in a tight race with Texas in the Red River Shootout for the Big XII South next year, especially without Jason White and several key defensive players. Bob Stoops and Company will need some players to step up in a big way, and I have no doubt that that will happen. Next: |
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| Orange Bowl: The only positive moment in the game -- Bush gets laid out |