The Oklahoma football rivalry with Oklahoma State is almost as long standing as the Sooners Red River rivalry with Texas. Only one game separates the two. The Sooners and Oklahoma State will meet on the gridiron for the 116th time on Saturday in what the two in-state rivals refer to as Bedlam. The OU-Texas rivalry […]
OU is learning to balance the brilliant creativity of a freshman phenom against the mistakes of youth.
A week after the Oklahoma Sooners looked like a disjointed mess on offense in a disappointing loss to Baylor, they showed signs of cohesion in a 28-21 win over the Iowa State Cyclones. Unfortunately, that alone won’t be good enough this week as OU travels to Stillwater for the annual Bedlam rivalry game against Oklahoma State.
A few thoughts on the state of the OU offense ahead of the upcoming showdown with the Cowboys:
Why Caleb Williams is OU’s quarterback
You don’t make the switch from Spencer Rattler to Caleb Williams at quarterback with the intention of putting the freshman in a straitjacket. Williams’ running and ability to throw in scramble mode set him apart.
Williams offered a glimpse of what makes him such a special prospect on OU’s second play of the game. With the left side of the offensive line pulling right to block GT counter, Williams made what looked like a pseudo play fake to running back Kennedy Brooks. Williams pulled the ball from Brooks and glanced left at receiver Mike Woods, who had come in orbit motion across the formation to the wide side of the field. Williams then tucked the ball and ran through a hole in the original B gap between right guard Chris Murray and right tackle Tyrese Robinson. He hit pay dirt 74 yards later with Brooks acting as a lead blocker.
The spectacular play showcased Williams’ explosiveness. Forcing defenses to play “11-on-11” football is always a plus, but doubly so when an athlete of that caliber is your 11th.
Learning on the job
Ironically, it looks like the aforementioned touchdown run by Williams came on a busted play. According to OU radio reporter Gabe Ikard, the play was supposed to be an RPO. It called for Williams to throw a bubble screen to Woods or hand it off to Brooks based on how the QB read the run box.
I’ve watched this play 5 times. I’m 100% sure that this wasn’t a designed play. Caleb Williams was supposed to hand it to Kennedy Brooks on the GT counter play or throw the bubble screen. He realized he messed up not handing it off and just made something happen. Wow! https://t.co/ysJxXCa1a5
Why did Williams tuck and run? Who knows, but everything worked out this time.
On the other hand, a similar lapse against Baylor ended in disaster. On the Sooners’ first possession of the second half, OU was facing second down and a yard to go from its own 44 yard line. The offense lined up in an empty formation with Williams in shotgun. Brooks was supposed to motion into the backfield from his spot out wide to take a play fake from the QB, but Williams never sent him in motion before calling for the snap. (Again, per Ikard.) Williams tried to throw the ball away once he realized what happened, but his attempt landed in the arms of a Baylor defensive back about 20 yards downfield.
You have to live with those kinds of mistakes when you roll with a freshman QB. The same goes for habits such as Williams’ propensity to hold the ball too long in passing situations. Expecting Williams to play like a veteran simply isn’t realistic. No doubt Lincoln Riley understands that, but it seems fair to say OU’s head coach is still learning how to “let Caleb cook” and work around Williams’ inexperience.
Riley has to figure out a plan of attack this week because OSU’s salty defense will punish Williams for making youthful mistakes.
A new option?
So what might that plan entail?
If that’s a roundabout way of asking about the Cowboys’ weaknesses on defense, they don’t seem to have any. The Pokes play with physicality and decisiveness, and they can cover ground quickly. Moreover, the unit has built up chemistry over time and works well as a cohesive whole. It embodies the idea of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts.
Texas found modest success against OSU by working laterally. The Longhorns frequently sent players in motion and used them on sweeps and flip passes going around end. Their primary run plays included a standard off-tackle call for Bijan Robinson. By testing the Cowboys on the edges, UT was able to create some openings in the middle of the field in the passing game.
TCU used similar misdirection tactics to work the edges. The Horned Frogs also used the Cowboys’ aggressiveness against them at opportune times with screens and leak plays through the air.
With all of that in mind, it’s easy to envision OU rolling out a spread option scheme on Saturday to take advantage of Williams’ legs and the elusiveness of players like receiver Mario Williams when he builds up a head of steam. Running back Eric Gray also seems well-suited to operating out of that kind of scheme.
However, making an overly dramatic scheme shift at this point in the season sounds like asking a lot, especially when a young QB is involved. Riley will likely use some of the same general misdirection and motion concepts, but don’t expect OU to debut a brand new offense on Saturday.
As the 10th-ranked Oklahoma football Sooners prepare for a high-stakes Bedlam showdown, they find themselves as an extremely rare four-point underdog. It’s the first time the Sooners enter Bedlam against in-state rival Oklahoma State as an underdog since 2017. It also might be the last time — at least for the foreseeable future — that […]
Oklahoma football moved up three spots, to No. 10, in the Week 13 College Football Playoff rankings. The Sooners (10-1, 7-1) were the beneficiaries of blowout losses by Oregon and Michigan State, both ranked 3 and 7, respectively, in last week’s CFP rankings. With a Bedlam matchup on Saturday between Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, the […]
Lincoln Riley’s team moved up in the College Football Playoff rankings for the first time this season.
After rebounding from their first loss in more than a year, the Oklahoma Sooners (10-1, 7-1) are back among the top 10 of the College Football Playoff rankings and find themselves at No. 10 going into the final weekend of the regular season. Up next for OU comes a highly anticipated trip to Stillwater where the No. 7 Oklahoma State Cowboys await what could very well be the first of back-to-back Bedlam contests for all the Big 12 Championship marbles.
November 2️⃣3️⃣ #CFBPlayoff Selection Committee Rankings
As far as the playoffs are concerned, Oklahoma must beat Oklahoma State (twice) for any shot at a top four spot. When it comes to reaching the Big 12 Championship game, Lincoln Riley’s group controls its own destiny, but they could also punch their ticket to Arlington if the Texas Tech Red Raiders pull off an upset over Baylor in Waco prior to kick-off in Bedlam.
Ohio State travels to Michigan for their annual rivalry game this Saturday. If you’re an OU fan looking for a path to the playoffs, your best bet would be to root for the Buckeyes to defeat the Wolverines, otherwise, a two-loss OSU team could remain ahead of the Sooners come Selection Day.
This Friday, Cincinnati will try to wrap up its bid for an undefeated regular season on the road against an already bowl eligible East Carolina squad. The Bearcats have shown a tendency to allow teams to stay close in a number of games this year, so keep an eye out for how this contest plays out down the stretch.
With Oregon and Wake Forest both losing this past weekend, the Pac-12 and ACC are unofficially out of the running for this season’s College Football Playoff. That helps Cincy’s case for becoming the first Group of Five program to make the CFP, but Luke Fickell’s team probably needs a bit more help to secure a semifinal berth despite finally cracking the committee’s top four.
Both Alabama and Notre Dame will be on the road this week — at Auburn and Stanford, respectively — and in this sport, something unexpected seemingly always happens when it’s least expected to. That said, should either the Tide or the Irish falter in their regular season finales, that would potentially go a long way toward clearing an even wider path for Oklahoma’s playoff hopes. All I’m saying is buckle up, folks.
The Oklahoma football options from here on out in the 2021 season are crystal clear. Win Bedlam and the Sooners are in the Big 12 Championship game for the fifth straight season with a chance to win a seventh straight conference crown. Lose to Oklahoma State in Bedlam on Saturday and OU’s next game will […]
