Oklahoma 52, Tulsa 7: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Yeah, not happening. (Image courtesy: tulsaworld.com)
The Sooners went to Tulsa, and while the weather was rainy, OU succeeded in having a fast start on both offense and defense. The game effectively ended at halftime. In general, OU almost seems to have treated their first two games like they were NFL preseason contests.
The Great
Jordan Phillips' big man touchdown run
The stuff of Sooner legends. ESPN never gave us a replay to determine if Chuka Ndulue deserved the flag that cancelled out that great moment.
The Good
Geneo Grissom
The move of Geneo Grissom to outside linebacker seems to be paying off big time for OU and perhaps for Grissom next April/May when the NFL draft comes around. His dropback pick-six return was an All-American type of play. The move has already paid off for OU in run defense, and Grissom is still a pass-rushing threat.
Quarterback run game
The QB draw for the second TD of the game might have been Josh Heupel’s best play call of the day. Despite a clear message to get down and not take hits, it’s nice to see OU is still willing to use Knight’s mobility as a weapon that opponents will have to respect.
Sterling Shepard
Ryan Broyles-like day at WR. Shepard is well on his way to a 1,000-yard receiving season.
Julian Wilson at cornerback
After two games, it certainly looks like this move has helped both Wilson’s future prospects and the Sooner defense. Wilson does not have an interception yet, but rarely does it seem like the ball is heading in his coverage area.
Alex Ross
For the last two years, OU fans have been hearing about the big plays and long TD runs that Ross made in closed scrimmages. Finally, OU fans got to see what the hype is all about with his 82-yard TD run. He showed off his home run speed and that extra gear that saw him break away from three defenders who had angles.
Keith Ford’s all-round game at running back
Ford is just crushing defenders in blitz pickup, and on the very first play of the game, he provided a key block that cleared the path for Sterling Shepard's big gain. In his primary role of RB, Ford looks like the most consistent every down back OU has.
Starting fast
The fast start on offense had 2008-like moments to it. Big plays passing and running, no-huddle action leaving the defense confused. Meanwhile, the defensive domination had flashes of OU's 2000-2002 teams to it – an attacking front seven backed by a play-making secondary.
Blake Bell's TD grab
Bell’s red zone TD catch is hopefully a sign of the future. In that zone-read spread formation,
flexing Bell out as a WR/TE would seem to be an impossible weapon to stop on a quick slant in the end zone with his 6-6 frame.
The Bad
Secondary minus Sanchez
Tulsa attacked Jordan Thomas and the overall coverage area to Thomas' side of the field once Zack Sanchez went down. In addition, Tulsa picked some yards rushing that way, as well. Was it a real weakness, or simply a lack of focus? Stanvon Taylor took over for Jordan Thomas and things seemed to settle down again.
Passing game
Some of the passing game still seems off. Knight missed some deep passes, but there are some shorter routes that he's still not hitting. In addition, Knight’s still missing some openings in the middle of the field. Knight is still developing as a passing QB. He’s not Sam Bradford and may never be that kind of efficient, Air Raid QB.
The Ugly
Injury risks
With the game in hand, OU appeared to be racking up terrible injuries on the defensive side. Sanchez suffered some kind of shoulder injury and could miss time, which could hurt the defense's ability to attack offenses. Then Charles Walker goes down with a knee injury, which hopefully will lead his return by the middle of the season. Finally, Jordan Evans went out for a series, highlighting OU’s lack of LB depth with Frank Shannon’s absence. As we've see across college football this season (Ohio State losing Braxton Miller, Texas’ loss of David Ash), injuries play a huge role in a team's success.
-Atlantasooner