Linebacker Eric Stryker is one of the nation’s elite defensive players, and one of the emotional leaders of the Oklahoma Sooners’ team (photo courtesy of soonersports.com).
By Adam Sweeney
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. October has hit us square in the face with all of its pumpkin-spiced goodness and that also means it’s time for the Red River Rivalry, the annual showdown between blood brothers Texas and Oklahoma. There is no other game quite like it, and we’re not just talking about the game’s connection with the Texas State Fair, how the opposing fan bases are split down the middle at the 50-yard line in the Cotton Bowl, or how a certain magic seems to exist within this rivalry that lends itself to players who rise to the challenge. Win the Red River Rivalry and your name will be spoken next to all-time college greats like Earl Campbell. Longhorns like Stoney Clark, Colt McCoy, Case McCoy, and Jordan Shipley all understand … and yes, the Sooners have had their share of watershed moments. I still curse when I hear the names of Sooners such as Roy Williams or Quentin Griffin.
This year, the Longhorns enter the Cotton Bowl as 17-point underdogs and are expected by most to lose to No. 10 Oklahoma. But that, as they say, is why they play the games. How can a Texas team, still reeling from the 50-7 haymaker that TCU hit them with in Fort Worth, take down Boomer Sooner? [s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)] It’s time to “Know Your Enemy.”
Mayday! Mayday!
Austin native and junior quarterback Baker Mayfield transferred from Texas Tech to Oklahoma and hasn’t missed a beat. He has put up big numbers (1,382 passing yards and 13 passing touchdowns along with 138 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns) in the first four games of the season, but what is scariest about him is his attitude. Mayfield displays leadership well beyond his years and possesses rare intangibles that have drawn comparisons to Brett Favre. The quarterback rarely gets rattled, as shown by his performance as the Sooners rallied from 14 points down in the fourth quarter to beat Tennessee in the opening game of the season. Mayfield also shares the wealth around the offense, having connected with eight different players for touchdowns this season. He is similar to Tony Romo in a lot of ways, because he has exceptional awareness and escapability, and always seems to find a way to extend plays. The Texas defense is going to have to pick its poison when it comes to dealing with Mayfield. Either get him out on the edges, which he seems comfortable with, or put more secondary defenders back and hope that he makes miscues on his own.
What is scary, and also illustrated by reporter Jeff Howe of 247sports.com, is that Texas has struggled to put pressure on quarterbacks even when they’re going all out. “Texas ranks 101st nationally in sacks (1.4 per game) and 74th in tackles for loss (5.8 per game), meaning there’s no big plays being made in the backfield or even a consistent push occurring. Throw in the fact that the Longhorns are 115th nationally in red zone defense and this group is on its way to being the worst defensive (statistically) to ever set foot on the Forty Acres.”
Going on Strike
Oklahoma hybrid linebacker Eric Striker may be the second coming of Muhammed Ali when it comes to trash talking, but he more than backs it up on the field. Striker has 18 career sacks — the most by a linebacker in Oklahoma history — and he has touted Ali as an idol. “Muhammad Ali has been my role model ever since I discovered him at a young age,” Striker said to reporters. “I like Ali, the way he does his thing. He could go to the Philippines and everybody loved him. He could go to England. Everybody loved him. You know what I mean? They loved him everywhere. He was like the man of the world.” Striker made headlines when he taunted Tennessee fans after the Sooners’ comeback and it’s hard to imagine he would hold back if the Sooners put a hurting on the burnt orange.
Fore-ward progress
Sophomore running back D’Onta Foreman rushed for a career-high 112 yards against TCU and has staked his claim to the starting running back job. I have given a long leash to Johnathan Gray, largely for his receiving ability, but it’s time to pass the torch now that Foreman has shown he has soft hands as well. Foreman runs hard and makes defenders pay for getting in front of him. The Longhorns have to play angry Saturday and the best way to do that is by taking it straight to the heart of the Oklahoma defense and wearing the defense down with Foreman, who averaged 6.2 yards per carry on 18 rushes last week versus the Horned Frogs. Before that game Foreman hadn’t registered more than 9 rushing attempts on the season.
The Sooners have allowed running backs to run for 100+ yards in 3 of their 4 games this year, so Texas knows what they have to do. Run, run, and then run some more. It would definitely benefit Heard to take chances deep with John Burt at receiver, but Texas has to focus on slowing the game down. We don’t want to see the Sooners break out to a fast start and that is a real possibility.
Live Like Jay
The subtitle above refers to surfer Jay Moriarty, an icon who became a legend for surfing Mavericks, a hazardous location in northern California. Moriarty died in a tragic accident and so his legend lives on in the motto to live like fearlessly. Saturday morning, all eyes of Texas will be upon offensive coordinator Jay Norvell, who also will need to throw caution to the wind against the Sooners.
Norvell should also know some of OU’s tendencies, having worked with Stoops’ staff as wide receivers coach and then co-offensive coordinator.
Reading is fundamental
It is beyond clear that Jerrod Heard feels more comfortable running the ball than passing it. Norvell has tried to cater to this by asking Heard to run a read option, but Heard has routinely made the wrong call in this scenario. If the ‘Horns plan to use this play against OU in an attempt to keep them on their heels then Heard must do a better job of identifying where the lineman is committing to; him or the running back.
Another way to play to Heard’s strengths on designed run plays would be to run the option and get the ball on the edges. This may seem like a risky proposition with Striker roaming the field but it will aid an offensive line that has been consistently losing in the trenches. If a team can’t penetrate into the heart of OU’s middle, which will be a tough task with lineman Kent Perkins out, then think like a kindergartener who plays the game “Bear Hunt.” That means if we can’t go through them then we might as well go around them. If only DaJe Johnson were healthy — he is easily the best athlete on the team and would be perfect in a setting like this.
Win One for Bevo
Our thoughts go out to Bevo XIV, who is suffering from a life-threatening sickness. There have been jokes that he has Mad Cow Disease and you couldn’t blame him for being angry at what he has seen on the field this season, but the truth is that Bevo’s absence can be a rallying cry. This is a team that now lacks identity, figuratively and literally. Roughly 400 people showed up to the Texas Torchlight Parade and Rally, Texas’ community tradition that dates back to the early 1900s. The fans have turned on UT head coach Charlie Strong, and the players are at odds with each other. Focusing on winning one for Bevo and the burnt orange faithful would display character and pride for a team that appears to be lacking in character. Win versus Oklahoma and many a sick Longhorn, steer and supporter alike, will feel better.
Less is more
Strong stated before the season that the defensive line was one of the greatest strengths on this team. That has not played out on the field, so defensive coordinator Vance Bedford needs to recognize his limitations and simplify the defensive scheme. Keep Hassan Ridgeway in the middle of the defense and utilize Malik Jefferson as the primary edge rusher. In the secondary, your best defenders are freshmen like Holton Hill and Kris Boyd. They have to get playing time and you know they will make some mistakes. Putting more experienced players like Dylan Haines and John Bonney at safety positions will allow for the young corners to play tighter against receivers like Sterling Shephard … and by all means, do NOT get beat deep. It has been maddening to see how many long plays the Texas defense has allowed.
There are many reasons this has happened, whether it be poor fundamentals, bad defensive play-calling with linebacker and safety blitzes that leave the middle of the field exposed, or opposing offenses just imposing their will with superior talent. We know that the Texas defense can’t match up on paper with the Oklahoma offense, so we have to hide our weaknesses. The best way to do that is to keep plays in front of you and focus on the little things, like good form tackling and staying true to your assignment. It sounds silly to be asking for this from players at a high-end football program but this is where we are. We can pretend there is no elephant in the room or we can slowly move it in the right direction. The question is who will be the ringleader on defense? If nobody steps up and does their job then the bigtop tent may come falling down on the Texas circus.
