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Sooners On SI Podcast 311 - Bye Week, Talking Tennessee, Alabama Preview and More · The Sooners On SI Podcast

0:12
[SPEAKER_01]: It's up everybody.
0:12
[SPEAKER_01]: Welcome on and soon or so on.
0:13
[SPEAKER_01]: That's I've had here on a bi week, but no days off for us.
0:18
[SPEAKER_01]: It's crossover season we had.
0:20
[SPEAKER_01]: Men's of them is basketball on Monday nights.
0:22
[SPEAKER_01]: We'll have player interviews tonight, Wednesday.
0:24
[SPEAKER_01]: It's not your typical Brett Middle's press conference, something that he has spoken on the SSU teleconference.
0:28
[SPEAKER_01]: And...
0:29
[SPEAKER_01]: Of course, we'll have the final battle series softball on Thursday night, which means we are basically checking all the boxes.
0:36
[SPEAKER_01]: I haven't done a fun ranch, I haven't hanging out here in Norman, made it back safely, I guess, type of name and more, who cares, from Knoxville, who you did not make the trip out, but the great John Hoover, I gotta say, Hoover, Abraham, you missed a hell of a trip.
0:53
[SPEAKER_01]: I know that you both have taken it before, but John, dark mode, lived up to the building.
0:58
[SPEAKER_02]: It looked electric, man.
0:59
[SPEAKER_02]: It looked so much fun in the free game.
1:01
[SPEAKER_02]: I'm sitting there going, I probably should have went to this game, but, you know, hey, couple of weeks, Tuscaloosa, here I come, hopefully.
1:09
[SPEAKER_01]: We did that.
1:09
[SPEAKER_01]: Carson, I made the track back Carson.
1:11
[SPEAKER_01]: You all good from, it was a long ride on Sunday.
1:13
[SPEAKER_01]: And the biggest thing was like the time change, great for our sleep, but when you get to the Arkansas border and it's pitch black, the last two and a half three hours felt like it was 10 hours.
1:23
[SPEAKER_01]: I was just like, I wanna go home.
1:25
[SPEAKER_01]: I wanna go home.
1:27
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, no, I was the same way.
1:29
[SPEAKER_00]: Thankfully listening to the Seahawks better my mood a little bit, but I'm with you.
1:33
[SPEAKER_00]: I was tired, felt like that was the longest stretch for sure, but no speeding tickets for the either of us were made for safely no crashes.
1:41
[SPEAKER_00]: So all things considered, I think we have to have to put that in the wind column.
1:45
[SPEAKER_02]: Not a small thing.
1:46
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
1:47
[SPEAKER_01]: The rare track across I 40 and back without any incident, not too often.
1:52
[SPEAKER_01]: Abraham, you are hanging out from home watching that thing.
1:56
[SPEAKER_01]: I know that you and I were both in the building in different places in 2015, but I can tell you man, just as loud, just as much little John, and everything you could have asked for from a track to Knoxville.
2:06
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, and it's exactly what we expected.
2:08
[SPEAKER_03]: We expected a wild atmosphere and it lived up to it.
2:12
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, like who was a little bit, you know, you get that little bit of attention at the first of the game, you know, like, would have been nice to be there.
2:21
[SPEAKER_03]: But, you know, was sure entertaining, watching it at home and getting to see, you know, we got to hear the Kirk Herb Street meltdown over Tate Sandel's pants in real time.
2:35
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, that was something that we did not, I don't know if by post game, we kind of know that it had happened or what the pants are obviously like a small subplot, but we obviously haven't to get going, Karsten, I did the abridged post game pod, hope that was okay with everyone, most importantly for us, it meant that we got to embark on a 13 hour drive with like a normal amount of sleep.
2:56
[SPEAKER_01]: which was clutch there, but who've just taken a step back, looking back, it was a big time, big time, when a big time victory, probably the landmark victory, the signature victory, the brick minimal's era.
3:09
[SPEAKER_01]: Let me ask you this, what was more encouraging?
3:11
[SPEAKER_01]: What do you think is a better indicator for Oklahoma going forward?
3:15
[SPEAKER_01]: The defense finally finding their turnover gene again, or, John material looking like he got his swag back after that, rush on that third and 16 slash
3:26
[SPEAKER_02]: It's all about Tate Sandal, man.
3:28
[SPEAKER_02]: Come on.
3:28
[SPEAKER_02]: He's totally overlooked the MVP of the game.
3:30
[SPEAKER_02]: He's a he's a he's a he's seeking missile.
3:33
[SPEAKER_02]: He's he's the you see the gulp post.
3:36
[SPEAKER_02]: He's that little Target that you see in the in the dark and I was saying it just explodes out of nowhere.
3:41
[SPEAKER_02]: He's the dude pushing the button on the explosion.
3:43
[SPEAKER_02]: It's some some press to watch him kick.
3:45
[SPEAKER_02]: I tell you, Ryan, that game was this close to going very bad for Oklahoma.
3:50
[SPEAKER_02]: I thought it looked like in the early stages, right?
3:53
[SPEAKER_02]: Because you had Tennessee march down the field, touchdown, and then a quick punt by the OU offense.
3:59
[SPEAKER_02]: I think it was a four and out, not a three and out.
4:01
[SPEAKER_02]: But next thing, you know, here comes Tennessee again.
4:04
[SPEAKER_02]: They're marching, they're doing whatever they want.
4:06
[SPEAKER_02]: And you're thinking, oh boy, this is not a good combination for Oklahoma, not playing complimentary football.
4:12
[SPEAKER_02]: And they're our Mason Thomas and Owen Heineke put their heads together at the quarterback and it's seven, seven, seven.
4:18
[SPEAKER_02]: Like, whoa, where did that come from?
4:19
[SPEAKER_02]: That might be end up, that might end up being guys the play of the year for the Oklahoma Centers.
4:25
[SPEAKER_01]: pretty incredible too.
4:26
[SPEAKER_01]: It's I know that up in the press box.
4:28
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know what it was like on the field cars to put up in the press box.
4:31
[SPEAKER_01]: We were at all like it was one of those moments where like show to the replay because we're all trying to count how many yards it are based on Thomas dragged the tighted.
4:38
[SPEAKER_01]: I think we later that 25 or 26 somewhere in there.
4:41
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, that was remarkable.
4:43
[SPEAKER_00]: I mean, that's against Miles Kitzelman, who was being dragged to.
4:46
[SPEAKER_00]: That's a big guy.
4:47
[SPEAKER_00]: That is a really good tie-in in Armace and Thomas.
4:51
[SPEAKER_00]: Just made it look like no challenge.
4:53
[SPEAKER_00]: That play, I mean, Armace and Thomas has told us, at some point, I wanted to be a running back.
4:57
[SPEAKER_00]: That was my goal.
4:59
[SPEAKER_00]: I fell in love with running back before I ever did in a fell defensive ends.
5:02
[SPEAKER_00]: You saw at least a little bit of it.
5:04
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't think he's going to be taking snaps from Xavier Robbins, Cintrad Tory Blaylock.
5:08
[SPEAKER_00]: But if things get desperate, I think we saw what we needed to see.
5:14
[SPEAKER_03]: And it wasn't just that he drugged the tight end down 25 yards, which is what I landed at as well.
5:21
[SPEAKER_03]: But it was that he was able to reach down and grab the ball while already engaged in the block.
5:27
[SPEAKER_03]: And then drag him 25 yards.
5:30
[SPEAKER_03]: It was one of the more incredible plays that I've seen in college football.
5:34
[SPEAKER_02]: get someone though it's think about how deaf you have to be to be executing a perfectly legal block and then all of a sudden you're grabbing a guy and tackling him in the same motion.
5:44
[SPEAKER_02]: No, that's how blocking his guy.
5:46
[SPEAKER_02]: See, he had him locked up on the jersey and was trying to drag him and all of a sudden he realized, holy hell, he's got the football.
5:52
[SPEAKER_01]: It's, uh, fun.
5:53
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, we saw a couple of great hand sweats between Armace and that scoop.
5:57
[SPEAKER_01]: I thought the Robert Spear's Jennings interception was a good, uh, hands play.
6:00
[SPEAKER_01]: Certainly his hands play on special teams, something that, uh, Doug Deakin, if you didn't watch it, be sure.
6:06
[SPEAKER_01]: You had either to hoops YouTube page, John Hoover Media or the website, OklahomaSundrSynrSynrSynrSynrSynrSynrSynrSynrSynrSynrSynrSynrSynrSynrSynrSynrSynrSynrSynrSynrSynrSynrSynrSynrSynrSynrSynrSynrSynrSynrSynrSynrSynrSynrSynrSynrSynrSynrSyn
6:17
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't I hate to bring it to you hands plays do not make the sports that are top 10 on a action pack comfortable Saturday like that, but some good stuff all around it and the result to that is now Oklahoma heads into the spy week or that they're in the middle of the spy week with a chance to heal up whether it be Armace and top
6:35
[SPEAKER_01]: mess or like further along Gentry Williams or or Kobe McKinsey who pulled himself out of warmups.
6:43
[SPEAKER_01]: We can get to Armace in here in a second as Carson was asked about Armace on the SEC teleconference, but you also get to this moment where you
6:50
[SPEAKER_01]: First, college football player, Frank and his drop on Tuesday night.
6:54
[SPEAKER_01]: Oklahoma pops up at number 12.
6:57
[SPEAKER_01]: If we were setting the field, Oklahoma would still be on the outside looking in because you have to factor in the five conference chance Virginia, not in the top 12, the highest rate of CCT right now.
7:06
[SPEAKER_01]: Memphis, not ranked at all, but would be the highest ranked.
7:11
[SPEAKER_01]: G5 or next conference champion, next conference leader, that type of thing.
7:15
[SPEAKER_01]: But you look up and down, plenty of opportunity, Oklahoma.
7:19
[SPEAKER_01]: If they can beat Alabama, they'll have every opportunity to jump in.
7:22
[SPEAKER_01]: A 10 into Oklahoma is going to be in the field.
7:24
[SPEAKER_01]: Conversely, look at the other way.
7:25
[SPEAKER_01]: Be by you in tech play, each other.
7:27
[SPEAKER_01]: You've got Georgia and Texas.
7:29
[SPEAKER_01]: They're going to play here in a few weeks.
7:30
[SPEAKER_01]: You got Texas A and M in Texas.
7:32
[SPEAKER_01]: So plenty of chance to move up and down, move around and in, uh, A bright.
7:36
[SPEAKER_01]: I think if we had gotten here and I just told you, hey,
7:39
[SPEAKER_01]: head into the last by week, Oklahoma is going to be sitting at two losses.
7:43
[SPEAKER_01]: Everything's in front of him.
7:44
[SPEAKER_01]: I think we all would have said, not only is this a two thumbs up right now, but as long as Oklahoma doesn't go get blown out in test schools, so you probably like their chances to be in a nine and three team that has a case to even be in.
7:55
[SPEAKER_01]: That kind of thing.
7:56
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, they certainly, you know, control their own destiny as far as a playoff birth is concerned, and I know there's some, you know, trepidation about, oh, Notre Dame's ahead of them, you know, some of the other machinations there that go along with the playoff rankings, but oh, you still has a chance and they are able to, if they went out, they're going to the playoff, no doubt.
8:21
[SPEAKER_03]: And maybe if they went too out of the three, they can still squeak their way in as long as probably that loss is to Alabama and it's pretty close and some other things happen.
8:34
[SPEAKER_03]: So I thought the rankings were, the initial rankings were good for Oklahoma and certainly give them a shot here moving forward.
8:42
[SPEAKER_01]: a couple of things I thought that were important, important things to note, monitor, Tennessee sticking at 25 keeps Oklahoma with the ranked road win, which I think is massive, and you'll get Tennessee schedule ahead.
8:54
[SPEAKER_01]: They've got that Vanderbilt game, but if everything goes chalk, and then they beat Vanderbilt, that's an opportunity for Tennessee to bounce back up.
9:00
[SPEAKER_01]: At least to like the 20 range somewhere there, it might not be a huge leap, but that's important.
9:05
[SPEAKER_01]: Similarly with Michigan sitting at 21,
9:07
[SPEAKER_01]: they've got that big game with Ohio State.
9:09
[SPEAKER_01]: Obviously at the end of the year, if that could be something where Michigan could stay unbeaten until then, and even then have a good rally there, whether they win the game or just hang tight, whatever that looks like, you'll have a couple of wins there.
9:23
[SPEAKER_01]: Missouri hanging on right now will see they've got A&M up if they're not.
9:27
[SPEAKER_01]: If they totally smokes that fall out, can they play A&M close enough to maybe lose the game, but stay
9:36
[SPEAKER_01]: you flip it around and look the other way.
9:38
[SPEAKER_01]: It looks like the committee and judging by, you know, on the tele conference that they were heavy heavy eye test stuff like that move.
9:43
[SPEAKER_01]: But for Notre Dame team, if if they drop one more of these games, go pick go I guess or go Navy if you're an Oklahoma fan or they could look at the other way.
9:53
[SPEAKER_01]: And if my Amy drops another one and falls out, if a USC kind of falls off a little bit, that's Notre Dame's best when they're only win.
10:01
[SPEAKER_01]: Really, if that kind of lessons.
10:03
[SPEAKER_01]: it could make the case a little bit more interesting later on a Pokemon gets to do a nine and three situation, but the straightforward just be ten and two and then the ACC is getting one team in and let the big 12 cannibalize itself would be the hope if you're a nine and three team.
10:16
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I think if you're asking for ten and two, I think that's asking for probably a little too much for this Oklahoma team, maybe.
10:22
[SPEAKER_02]: I mean, we'll see.
10:23
[SPEAKER_02]: They could go to Tescaloo soon win play well, play complimentary football, make big plays and do all that stuff that you have to do.
10:29
[SPEAKER_02]: It's not out of the realm of possibility, but
10:32
[SPEAKER_02]: It is a lot to ask to be 10 and 2 against this schedule.
10:35
[SPEAKER_02]: Now, you go 93 against this schedule, all of a sudden you're starting to stack up this win over here versus that Oklahoma had or who were their losses to three top five teams, top 10 teams.
10:47
[SPEAKER_02]: versus, okay, who did this team lose to, who did Notre Dame lose to us?
10:50
[SPEAKER_02]: I saw Pat Forty's column this morning on the selection committee doing Notre Dame.
10:56
[SPEAKER_02]: A big favor for no real reason other than they lost a couple of close games to a couple of good teams.
11:01
[SPEAKER_02]: So, and it might be that the golden helmet blinded the search committee, you know, and it's a brand recognition thing, and maybe that's what Oklahoma's.
11:10
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, one of the reasons you get into the SEC, maybe that's what I'm almost fighting right now is other people's brand recognitions.
11:16
[SPEAKER_02]: Hey, oh you has the OU paperclip on the side of their helmet and their plan in the SEC, so hard to argue against those.
11:23
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, although I'll all throw this in.
11:25
[SPEAKER_03]: I think a lot of people are still stuck in the way the polls used to be.
11:32
[SPEAKER_03]: how the AP poll used to be and still is to some extent I think for a large percentage of voters but the college football playout poll is much different much more malleable it can change based on what your resume looks like now versus what it looks like in two weeks what it looks like in a month and I think people overreact a little bit to hey Notre Dame's ahead of them
11:56
[SPEAKER_03]: You know, what have they done?
11:57
[SPEAKER_03]: Things like that.
11:58
[SPEAKER_03]: I think the resume can change so much based on all those other factors that you talked about, you know, if you, you see falls out of the rankings and Notre Dame's resume looks a lot less, a lot less impressive things like that.
12:15
[SPEAKER_03]: And the committee has shown it's willingness to make those moves.
12:20
[SPEAKER_03]: So I think, you know, obviously analyze it, look at it, talk about it, all things like that.
12:27
[SPEAKER_03]: But let's just remember the reality that we're living in versus, you know, what this sport was, you know, 15, 20 years ago.
12:37
[SPEAKER_01]: it'll be a lot easier.
12:38
[SPEAKER_01]: I find it hard to grapple with like the vast hypotheticals when we talk about the November fourth poll versus when it's going to look like in two weeks or three weeks because we're really like two weeks away from hey there's this and that well.
12:52
[SPEAKER_01]: Like the big 12 for instance, once we know what happens on Saturday between BYU and Texas Tech, if you're an Oklahoma fan, you just basically go, okay, if Texas Tech wins that game, then you just want BYU to go lose to Cincinnati, maybe get dinged up by TCU, that drops out.
13:10
[SPEAKER_01]: And then you just say, okay, Tech win the big 12, they've clubbed everybody else.
13:14
[SPEAKER_01]: One bid probably for the big 12, because you taught probably not going to get in over Oklahoma though.
13:20
[SPEAKER_01]: The committee loved them some YouTube, but like that's one of the things it's like, hey, if BYU goes into it, it really flips and how you view everything looks so different.
13:29
[SPEAKER_01]: And basically, for Oklahoma, it'll be full speed ahead, it priority number one, focusing on the Alabama crimson tide.
13:35
[SPEAKER_01]: If you can certainly walk into Tusk Lucid, not something like that, you're talking about are we hosting the playoff game against who do we get the night game, are we the Friday night game versus the Saturday trip ahead?
13:46
[SPEAKER_01]: What does that thing look like?
13:48
[SPEAKER_01]: and it's certainly a very different conversation.
13:50
[SPEAKER_01]: A lot of that's going to start with some of the guys that they need to get back on that defense.
13:54
[SPEAKER_01]: We talked about Komikinzi, pulling himself out of the pre-game warm-up, and then Armace and Thomas, which on the Sunday show, Brentman was labeled it as a quad, something that he had said in Knoxville, he didn't think it was going to be a big thing for you.
14:09
[SPEAKER_01]: They're one of those guys.
14:10
[SPEAKER_01]: Carson, you talked to Brent on the teleconference today.
14:12
[SPEAKER_01]: When you have to say about Armace and kind of the update there,
14:18
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, Brent, pretty much gave a non-answer about it, which I think smart, you still have a week and a half time until the Alabama game didn't want to get too specific with it.
14:28
[SPEAKER_00]: So, not really surprising, there's no major update, but pretty much just said, we'll have to wait and see, we don't have a true time table yet.
14:35
[SPEAKER_00]: But after the game, the post-game press conference he had, he said both he and McKinsey don't expect them to be out for extended periods of time,
14:42
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, obviously not saying they're going to be there for Alabama, but certainly didn't rule it out.
14:48
[SPEAKER_00]: So all of that stuff's still up in the air.
14:49
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, obviously, you know, more next week with the availability reports.
14:53
[SPEAKER_02]: That's lame.
14:53
[SPEAKER_02]: What Brent should have said was, yeah, he's back at practice and you know, we're handing him the football in offensive drills and he's really carrying the offense.
15:01
[SPEAKER_02]: He's really taken off those other guys are following back on the depth chart.
15:05
[SPEAKER_02]: He's our new star running back.
15:06
[SPEAKER_00]: But is he doing good on good though?
15:13
[SPEAKER_03]: You have to get away unless you do good on good.
15:17
[SPEAKER_03]: That's it.
15:18
[SPEAKER_01]: to do that and also to Marco Murray would see him have one bad rap and he would pull him off the field because he doesn't know how to run these running back rotations.
15:27
[SPEAKER_01]: We know this but that'll be really really important because we'll have a ton of Oklahoma Alabama preview next week obviously but peak in ahead a little bit it becomes situation where that moment on Saturday night the game on Saturday night you take away the last four minutes of
15:44
[SPEAKER_01]: poor, awful, terrible game management, which Brett Vettable's kind of went through that on his Sunday show of pretty specific, like, yeah, he said it even in post game.
15:52
[SPEAKER_01]: It all starts with if you don't have the RPO call, you just run the football, you don't do the few freeze-paint and thorn, then you're not in that mess all together, all that stuff, so that's a point that I think, but our buckle certainly has learned from Kevin Wilson, and I imagine next time we'll be in the headset, making sure that Ben Arbuckle remembers these lessons, things like that.
16:12
[SPEAKER_01]: It kind of is an interesting crossroads guys.
16:15
[SPEAKER_01]: We had a moment similar to this a year ago.
16:18
[SPEAKER_01]: Oklahoma beats Alabama.
16:20
[SPEAKER_01]: Senior night that was more of a pride thing.
16:22
[SPEAKER_01]: Not a big game for Alabama.
16:24
[SPEAKER_01]: They had their struggles on the road, but documented and the whole question coming out of that was
16:29
[SPEAKER_01]: was that going to be a turning point going to Baton Rouge or was that just going to be a moment in a really tough season where a team that still has talent showed out and kind of played above what their level was the rest of the year for one week.
16:42
[SPEAKER_01]: Now, if Oklahoma doesn't go to Tusk Wilson win, I don't think that that makes the Tennessee game just like a fleeting moment, especially it's a close game.
16:49
[SPEAKER_01]: Alabama's really good, but John, it feels like this could
16:53
[SPEAKER_01]: That had all the makings of a Brett Vendibles team that battles back and then throws it up throws up all over themselves like we saw against Missouri like we saw not in as as sudden terms but against Ole Miss where they get back in front and they're not able to get back and they did they can't finally got over the hump in a big time game and a big time road game first road wins was 2019 or they're the the breadcrumbs to finding that perhaps this this crew has turned the corner a little bit especially if geometryers back to looking like geometryer
17:23
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, and that's why I labeled the Armace and Thomas Fumble return potentially the play of the year for Oklahoma because It's it's saved that moment in the game it might very well save the game itself when you look at the final score was a six point margin Save the game itself and then you know if you're able to build on that if you're able to get a couple of guys healthy going into the last three games last quarter of the season
17:48
[SPEAKER_02]: You go on the road one more road game two more home games You come out of that thing nine and three even if you lose Talibaba You know you defend your home turf and beat Missouri and LSU then yeah absolutely that can be that game that moment that That's scoop with the with the right arm and the stiff arm with the left arm
18:07
[SPEAKER_02]: Uh, can be the the moment that Oklahoma turned the corner with Brett Reynolds remember going into the South Carolina his numbers in road games in conference games away from Norman in one score games were not good.
18:21
[SPEAKER_02]: Well, since then, they've won two road games.
18:24
[SPEAKER_02]: They won two conference games two games away from Norman ranked opponent.
18:29
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, you know, all that stuff is now turning a little bit in Brent Vanneville's favor.
18:33
[SPEAKER_02]: So two of the last three wins on the road.
18:36
[SPEAKER_02]: You kidding me?
18:37
[SPEAKER_02]: Um, South Carolina and Tennessee on the road in in the SEC play.
18:42
[SPEAKER_02]: You'll see SEC team say in wild South Carolina is not good.
18:45
[SPEAKER_02]: You'll see SEC fan say, well, you know, Tennessee's probably not that good.
18:48
[SPEAKER_02]: Every time Oklahoma wins a game, all of a sudden, the opponent's not that good.
18:51
[SPEAKER_02]: So we'll see.
18:52
[SPEAKER_02]: We'll see how it shakes out, but you're absolutely right, Ryan.
18:55
[SPEAKER_02]: These moments right here that we're witnessing one a week by week basis could be the impetus to turn this thing around for Brett Vennibles.
19:03
[SPEAKER_01]: A where you've been in the press box with me and doing a bunch of all the going all the way back to Printman was the first pre-season when I think I was the first one in Norman that was like I'm kind of tired of these really long press conferences.
19:15
[SPEAKER_01]: I think I was the first one to launch that complaint to you and I remember you being like this was great Which it wasn't time, but you know me for a long time that I I've been very tired of the Britt Venables dead man walking post game things like that Where it's this it's just broken record same crap got to be better blah blah blah
19:32
[SPEAKER_01]: I did was actually really, really encouraged when it comes to Brett Venibul's, what he's kind of said on the radio post game stuff like that where it seems like he finally almost had his in last year.
19:46
[SPEAKER_01]: Ginny Braun check had this moment with her team where she was like, I am tired of answering a question about a turnover every time I go into a post game press conference.
19:53
[SPEAKER_01]: What are you going to be tired of turning the ball over?
19:55
[SPEAKER_01]: It sounds like Brett Venibul's almost was like,
19:57
[SPEAKER_01]: When is enough going to be enough of almost making this play this that and the other and I know that's not it's a it's a move.
20:05
[SPEAKER_01]: You can only really pull once but I was really encouraged that it seems like Brett Minimal himself coming to the Ole Miss game was like enough enough.
20:14
[SPEAKER_01]: I know what this looks like.
20:15
[SPEAKER_01]: I've been a part of on to championship teams.
20:17
[SPEAKER_01]: We've got talent figure it out almost and they certainly did in Knoxville.
20:22
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, they did and it kept them in that game in the first half.
20:25
[SPEAKER_03]: Obviously, we talk about the fumble, but the interceptions, like you mentioned, the one from Robert Spears Jennings.
20:33
[SPEAKER_03]: And, you know, they've had some other chances, but they haven't come in bunches.
20:37
[SPEAKER_03]: But you've got to finish the chances when you get them and you've also got to do the things to make those chances happen more often.
20:48
[SPEAKER_03]: And while their defense has been really good, they haven't done a lot of creating those opportunities.
20:54
[SPEAKER_03]: They were able to do that.
20:55
[SPEAKER_03]: And I think to answer your earlier question, Ryan,
20:59
[SPEAKER_03]: You know, I think both of those things are highly encouraging the fact that they were able to force the turnovers because that's something that if you can do, you can, you know, you don't have to be as fine with everything on defense as they've had to be to this point and then on the other side to have John mature.
21:20
[SPEAKER_03]: You know, even just be a shell of what he was before would have been great, but, you know, he looked, you know, really good run in the football, look like he was making much better decisions and if they're able to sustain both those things.
21:37
[SPEAKER_03]: Then, you know, not that I think finishing with four consecutive wins is, you know, anything that's likely, but you at least put it on the table and to have it even be on the table at this point after, you know, everything that we talked about before the season during the season about how difficult this stretch was going to be.
22:01
[SPEAKER_03]: uh... i i think says a lot about the job that uh... this this team is done and and Brent vennables is done in uh... you know building some momentum here enter in November
22:14
[SPEAKER_01]: It's like there's a ton of guys specifically about defense build momentum cars.
22:18
[SPEAKER_01]: And I know that Peyton Bowen at the end of the Ole Miss gate and kind of got replaced by Jaden Hardy for a little bit came back.
22:24
[SPEAKER_01]: What I thought was a really strong bounceback performance.
22:26
[SPEAKER_01]: Taylor Wine continues to be excellent.
22:28
[SPEAKER_01]: PJ had the big tackle for last on the second punt right after the Xavier Robinson fumble, which helped everything kind of play some complimentary football, courtly and guillary bouncebacks.
22:40
[SPEAKER_01]: But it feels like,
22:42
[SPEAKER_01]: As much as we're going to flip over the offensive in a second and talk about this really young offensive line, it feels like they've found.
22:47
[SPEAKER_01]: This is a defense that, quote,
22:51
[SPEAKER_01]: making one less stop than really needed install miss but it feels like that's a group that continues to get better has been really really resilient and I described it when uh with own high-to-key or your SEC defense player the week I described it as like whack-a-mo, right?
23:06
[SPEAKER_01]: The Kobe McKinsey's down, who do you're preparing for?
23:09
[SPEAKER_01]: Well now, oh and high-to-key pops up and has 12 first half tackles and in a fourth fumble all that stuff.
23:14
[SPEAKER_00]: That that's the kind of stuff that you like to see from this this Oklahoma defense that feels like this death is what separating it from last year's defense Which was much much improved really good Yeah, I agree with that I felt like this was a really good just week-to-week change I didn't think they were just a trotist against Ole Miss but that was the best offense Oh, you would play it at that point you could see some lapses a lot of big plays They couldn't get out of those third downs
23:39
[SPEAKER_00]: playing a arguably better Tennessee offense with Brazzle, one of the better receivers in all of college football.
23:44
[SPEAKER_00]: Joey Ankewlar came in with crazy good stats.
23:47
[SPEAKER_00]: He looked like a deer in the headlights for most of the game, and that's really a testament to how well the defense played at all three levels.
23:54
[SPEAKER_00]: Like you said, Heinrich Hughes' fantastic wine has continued to be excellent.
23:59
[SPEAKER_00]: I thought Bogenowski was going when he got in.
24:01
[SPEAKER_00]: Some of some of the younger guys, which has been
24:03
[SPEAKER_00]: It feels like every week that there's one or two new guys, whether that's Jacobi Johnson.
24:08
[SPEAKER_00]: I didn't expect to see him in the mix against Tennessee.
24:11
[SPEAKER_00]: He got a decent amount of reps just seeing these new guys week and a week out step up shows what this defense can do and shows what the ceiling can be.
24:20
[SPEAKER_00]: It's not going to be perfect.
24:22
[SPEAKER_00]: They're playing against Tyson since in a couple weeks.
24:24
[SPEAKER_00]: Tyson seems really dang good if you haven't watched him.
24:27
[SPEAKER_00]: They're going to be big plays, but the depth gives me confidence that,
24:31
[SPEAKER_00]: Third, that the defense will be able to put this team in positions to win big games.
24:36
[SPEAKER_00]: Whether the offense can do it consistently, that's yet to be seen, but just combining the effort from what the offense was able to do and how good the defense was at all three levels against Tennessee.
24:47
[SPEAKER_00]: That's got to be encouraging the sooner fans.
24:50
[SPEAKER_01]: defense traveled to, which was really, really important that we say it all the time, right?
24:54
[SPEAKER_01]: Defense traveled, well, it did to Knoxville and who you're going to get Richard Williams back.
24:58
[SPEAKER_01]: You figure, just talking to a couple of kids on Monday, it sounded like he was really, really close and they had the recognition of the by-week up next.
25:06
[SPEAKER_01]: If you don't make this one at socks and I want to play in that, but you'll be able to be out there in Tuscaloosa.
25:11
[SPEAKER_01]: It'll be big and the thing you can't overstate, too, is while Oklahoma is
25:17
[SPEAKER_01]: they're doing that we work on ourselves during the by week stuff but they're also going to be peaking ahead getting ahead on game plan for Alabama.
25:22
[SPEAKER_01]: Alabama has now a shoot team fresh off a coach fired hoping to get that that you know new coach bump that kind of stuff.
25:29
[SPEAKER_01]: While Oklahoma's full speed ahead on Alabama, the crimson tide have a big game and emotionally gave me that means a ton in the SEC and it's how we play LSU regardless of if it's 1v2 or or this year's current
25:42
[SPEAKER_02]: yeah and you mentioned getting gentry back and if you don't get gentry back you're not terrible shape you've got court and gallery who all he did was I think pro football focus said he led the nation and pvus this week or something like that getting it just getting after people uh... brand of animals had the two passenger friends penalties brett said that the first one was kind of a phantom call shouldn't have been
26:03
[SPEAKER_02]: uh... so he was very pleased with how court and galley played i know a lot of people are down on him a little bit right now but guys have you ever seen a true freshman come in and play with more confidence at a high-tence high-intensity spot like cornerback in the SEC what the SEC is in twenty twenty five
26:18
[SPEAKER_02]: I don't know that we have, so not in a long time, but you're right, if the defense can do its part, which is carrying a lot, says a lot for this team, but if the defense just does what it does, okay, it doesn't have to be superheroes.
26:33
[SPEAKER_02]: They just have to get after, you know, collapse the lot, move the line of scrimmage, collapse the pocket a little bit, get after the quarterback, get after Ty Simpson, make him feel uncomfortable, and then make him guess at what kind of,
26:47
[SPEAKER_02]: Oh, you secondary brunt of animals and those guys did a fantastic job of disguising what coverage is they were in making You know, Tennessee think that they were that they were doing one thing and they were doing something completely different.
26:59
[SPEAKER_02]: So if they can continue that kind of trend then maybe the offense going into Tuscaloose can Not get in the way cannot screw things up cannot have four turnovers, you know, if you get those things together Oklahoma's got a real chance
27:15
[SPEAKER_01]: Good news is you've got a guy that has some experience thrashing an alibi of a deep fence in Xavier Robinson and it feels like Oklahoma has finally found something found something it can truly build on in the running game too.
27:27
[SPEAKER_01]: We figured like last by week it was all about hey are they going to be able to get healthy with
27:32
[SPEAKER_01]: couple of guys getting rolled up on against Temple for Susie was trying to work his way back to get rolled up on against Michigan, but now Avery, you've got Ryan Fogey in for Derek Simmons with in the way that Fogey is played.
27:45
[SPEAKER_01]: I know that Derek Simmons is one of your grizzled vets, but he's not able to work his way back.
27:49
[SPEAKER_01]: Even if he is able to work his way back, I think I'm liking the athletic upside of Fogey in for Susie.
27:55
[SPEAKER_01]: Then you add in Eddie Pierre Louis, and I think
27:58
[SPEAKER_01]: Obviously, if you want the offensive library to anyone to full-stuff gay biker to the guy for you, but I think he said it perfectly that it's not perfect.
28:05
[SPEAKER_01]: There's stuff that he still needs to improve on, but just the level of intensity that he brings it goes all the way back.
28:12
[SPEAKER_01]: To it's something that Troy Everett told us at the end of their Crimson Combine that any pair of the wee brings a level of physicality that forces the other guys on that offensive line to either step their physicality up and go with them and
28:25
[SPEAKER_01]: there's no better moment to illustrate that than him headbutting for Suzy, for Suzy looking like a stun like, well I gotta headbutt you now and now we both spread onto the feel like that gift is gonna live in the EPL lore, but I think that more importantly, maybe unfortunately for Heath Osada, who yeah he got put into the backfield, but I don't think it was like this is a gorgeous awful performance, it's just that
28:48
[SPEAKER_01]: Any peer Louise making sure that this offensive line is just kind of having to let loose and play physical something that they have it been doing for it feels like a year and a half.
28:57
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, it just seemed like he set the tone out there for them and was was able to give them a different level of energy, a different level of intensity, then we that we've seen and then you add into that, the improvements that we've seen from Ryan Foge over the last couple of weeks.
29:14
[SPEAKER_03]: I think he's made some significant steps forward.
29:17
[SPEAKER_03]: We saw Michael Fassouci do some really good things.
29:19
[SPEAKER_03]: I thought his best game since Michigan.
29:22
[SPEAKER_03]: also they were able to avoid some of those penalty issues that had been so big and that to me might have been one of the biggest surprises and you know not that the penalty numbers were small they weren't.
29:38
[SPEAKER_03]: But they weren't the kind of penalties that you sort of thought coming in might be a problem on the offensive side with the fall starts, the holdings, things like that, we didn't see those in bunches, and I just thought a much cleaner game overall from Bill Beatinbo's group, but I think that that...
29:58
[SPEAKER_03]: You know, Boads well for their opportunities to continue to take steps forward and with what they're doing with Xavier Robinson and his progress to this point.
30:08
[SPEAKER_03]: We've seen the physicality, the toughness from him.
30:12
[SPEAKER_03]: I think this running game can look much better, you know, over this last closing stretch than they have for much of the season.
30:20
[SPEAKER_02]: Miss, you guys, this, do you think the Oklahoma offense's identity has done a complete
30:29
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know if it's complete 180 because I think they'd still like to spray the ball out to Satanian in Berks and they're still going to be an element.
30:37
[SPEAKER_01]: I think of wanting to run with John Mathier, but yeah, of course, I mean, we talked about this a ton.
30:43
[SPEAKER_01]: For the longest time, it was a Mathier, just get the ball on his hands, past open up the run.
30:48
[SPEAKER_01]: Let him cook.
30:49
[SPEAKER_01]: Now it feels like you can run with Xavier Robinson, sprinkling some Mathier into there.
30:53
[SPEAKER_01]: And that, hopefully, you're back to a more traditional, it should set up some
30:57
[SPEAKER_01]: some longer stuff downfield when you add in some of the short passing game, which is a complete flip now that you have a healthy and firing Xavier Robinson.
31:06
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, no, it's huge, especially as material just works back.
31:09
[SPEAKER_00]: He's obviously, we've talked about this a lot.
31:12
[SPEAKER_00]: Tonight that there's still any physical issues with his hand, but you can tell that something's still a little bit off with his mental, just whether that's confidence, his eyes.
31:21
[SPEAKER_00]: As he continues to get more confident, get back into things, having somebody like Robinson's huge, I think if they could get Blaylock back to fully healthy, that
31:30
[SPEAKER_00]: Robinson, Blaylock, one, two, punch could be huge because I mean, we've seen how good Blaylock can look when he's healthy.
31:36
[SPEAKER_00]: He's been one of, he was one of the better offensive players in the first half of the season.
31:41
[SPEAKER_00]: Really like his potential with this team.
31:43
[SPEAKER_00]: So I mean, those two guys open up a lot.
31:46
[SPEAKER_00]: Defences have to key in a little more, especially with how much better the line looked against Tennessee.
31:51
[SPEAKER_00]: And then, Tierkin, find his, I say, ascertaining you on a five-yard slant.
31:55
[SPEAKER_00]: That dude's fast.
31:56
[SPEAKER_00]: He could get a lot more after that.
31:58
[SPEAKER_00]: I want to see them use canic more, I want to see them use homes more, use some of these big bodies that we saw them throw too a lot early on.
32:05
[SPEAKER_00]: haven't really leaned on that, but I feel like Giovanni Gibson in here too, throwing to these bigger guys.
32:10
[SPEAKER_00]: That's another way you could be easy completions, even if they're not huge ones.
32:15
[SPEAKER_00]: From a tier's confidence sake, I'd like to see them do that, but as far as the running game goes, that not only opens up, obviously, holes for the tailbacks, but for also a material running, you saw that against Tennessee.
32:27
[SPEAKER_00]: He looked really confident, which is something we hadn't seen since pre-surgery.
32:33
[SPEAKER_01]: You also have the addition of Dr. Michael Carter in there who we saw him take so much of on a Gibson snaps and I thought that was a positive as well as as far as being able to identify hey.
32:45
[SPEAKER_01]: Giovanni, maybe not able to, he had made that little progression, but maybe not be fully up to speed yet.
32:51
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, you went out and you got a Jamaica card to kind of be the, the Giovanni replacement early and and bandaid that over and we just hadn't seen any trust kind of an in Jamaica card quite yet.
33:01
[SPEAKER_01]: And so, I think that's a positive there and and as you continue to grow back to it, especially if John materials able to get back into a bit more of a groove coming on the other side of the buy we could slight.
33:14
[SPEAKER_01]: More cut and dry with that Michigan game have been had you from the start been able to rely on a Xavier Robinson punch alongside all of its tears play as opposed to just finding the the good running game late and then certainly like that Auburn game.
33:29
[SPEAKER_01]: I know that you had two banged up off.
33:31
[SPEAKER_01]: It's not been playing through stuff, but not even able to get to 50 yards rush.
33:34
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm much different with that of looked if you had had
33:37
[SPEAKER_01]: the jomits here that you got in the second half there paired with David Robbett.
33:40
[SPEAKER_01]: We wouldn't have seen all of that come together quite yet for the suitors.
33:45
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, I agree.
33:46
[SPEAKER_02]: It has been, that's why I said it feels like it's flipped 180 degrees.
33:50
[SPEAKER_02]: They used to be this, everything, geometry, quick passes, chuck at D points in a while, work the sidelines, and now it's that.
33:58
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, we used to see a lot of throws to Jerren Canick in non-conference play, and now we're not seeing those so much.
34:03
[SPEAKER_02]: The competition is obviously stepped up.
34:06
[SPEAKER_02]: People can scout what Canick was doing in the first half of the season, for instance.
34:15
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, if Tory Blaylock is healthy, they're a power running team, if Xavier Robinson is healthy, they're a power running team.
34:22
[SPEAKER_02]: If John Matthier's healthy, they're a suddenly a spread offense again.
34:27
[SPEAKER_02]: It's like, wait a minute, which one are you?
34:29
[SPEAKER_02]: So it's cool that they can be both, but it's kind of interesting that they're so far have been kind of one or the other.
34:37
[SPEAKER_01]: Bough.
34:38
[SPEAKER_01]: What Sandell is, which is now he's in the territory if you just cross the 40, you feel good up, put in at least three points on the board.
34:46
[SPEAKER_01]: With what you see that at Grayson Miller, which we saw even on Saturday, they have the misjoint operation with the snap and all that stuff, he's able to scoop it up quickly, get the pun off and it's still,
34:58
[SPEAKER_01]: lies at the 20 yard line and what this deepens is, it feels like we've seen it in spurts, right?
35:04
[SPEAKER_01]: The first half against Tennessee, even where the deepens on the field of the whole time type possession plays really flip towards you and see they're able to turn that thing around, same thing, and so miss the first half third quarter against Texas, Abraham.
35:15
[SPEAKER_01]: It's it's almost the situation where if you can have the running game be the foundation and then sprinkle in the
35:25
[SPEAKER_01]: it complements your defense complements what you've done so far on special teams and then if you somehow over these last three weeks unlock the explosive passing play deep down fill what you haven't really seen that's where you're taking the jump from okay this has been a really really good frisky team that's kind of building this offense trying to mold it and go along to the efficiency jumps that would allow you to rip off four straight wins at the end of a regular season.
35:52
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, I think it's ideal to be able to do both certainly, but you've got to start with being able to run the ball effectively.
36:01
[SPEAKER_03]: And when they weren't able to run the ball effectively early in the season, that affects so much of what you're able to do outside of that.
36:09
[SPEAKER_03]: And you have to rely on that just constant short passing game that we saw, rely on John Matthier's legs, which can be dangerous.
36:17
[SPEAKER_03]: You don't want to put your quarterback in a situation where he's going to be hurt.
36:21
[SPEAKER_03]: and it just makes life so much more difficult and as they started to unlock some things with the running game, other things can start opening up and it's not going to be perfect, you know, this isn't going to turn into the Oklahoma offense from, you know, the Lincoln Riley era, but
36:42
[SPEAKER_03]: even if you can turn into just a good offense, not even a great one, then you give yourself the chance because of how good your defense is, especially again, now that they seem to have unlocked the turnover aspect of things.
36:57
[SPEAKER_03]: So some good signs for them for sure, but they've got to keep going out and proven it because you know, these teams that they're playing here moving forward have some really good defenses that can shut you down if you're not on top of your game.
37:15
[SPEAKER_01]: It was basically think of again, the schedule much different than it was in 2015, especially with what like tech was at that time and and some of the cans of stuff like that, but
37:27
[SPEAKER_01]: It was a slightly delayed situation, but it is still mirroring Lincoln Riley's first year to a certain extent of come out, have the big explosion early in Newland, go out, put a bunch of points on the board against Tauce against Mr. Jr., and then you have the setback against Texas, where you forget that you can run the football.
37:45
[SPEAKER_01]: That was some of the Bob Soups at the hammer, and suddenly it's almost like you needed those setbacks to discover you could do the other thing, to blend it all back together.
37:54
[SPEAKER_01]: Maybe Jon material set back in the end would you rather be Texas?
37:58
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, absolutely Would you rather just beat Ole Miss and already been up in the top eight or nine this week yet?
38:03
[SPEAKER_01]: Sure fine, but this Run the Jon material industry forcing them to look again at Xavier Robinson and Tory Blaylock Hopefully for Oklahoma and it certainly does not look like it's this case with what they were able to do in Newland As long as it's not too little too late, and then you put that together against ten a seed in the second half Now you have a buy week to continue to build on that
38:24
[SPEAKER_01]: it could be huge for Oklahoma's as they go into these massive massive three games here down the stretch Carson into try and put their best foot forward in the eyes of the committee because as we saw coming all the way back to Tuesday night just because if Oklahoma loses Alabama the committee appears to be watching these games and eye test eye test eye test if it's not offensive that goes up and down and they just lose out because of a field goal or something like that then that's going to be a lot different than if Oklahoma just like
38:49
[SPEAKER_01]: can't run the ball against Alabama in two weeks and they're going, well, it's just a job material, this that are the other plus deep ends.
38:55
[SPEAKER_01]: I think those two things matter greatly with how it's going to shape up if you're trying to do the nine and three resume comparison, eye test comparison, all that fun stuff here in a couple weeks.
39:05
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I'm a big believer in better late than never.
39:08
[SPEAKER_00]: As long as you're still in contention, they are still in contention, obviously, three games they're definitely in.
39:13
[SPEAKER_00]: Two games, maybe they're in.
39:16
[SPEAKER_00]: But that's still a solid position to be and like who Van Abertalked about a little while ago.
39:22
[SPEAKER_00]: I think it's huge finding somebody like Robinson just, I think it's kind of impressive to that after his role was so minimal the first four or five games that he didn't disassociate, didn't kind of just
39:34
[SPEAKER_00]: Start wondering about what is next option might be, but it's really common and provided a much needed spark with material who hasn't been the same as we've talked about finally showed some flashes of that against Tennessee.
39:45
[SPEAKER_00]: The offense looks more efficient than it did, and that's obviously necessary against Bama, but Missouri, I mean that that game's in Norman, that Missouri team, they're probably going to finish with the same record as they had last year.
39:57
[SPEAKER_00]: That's a much better team than oh you lost two at the last second last year.
40:02
[SPEAKER_00]: LSU, yes, they're without Brian Kelly, yes, they're often, this is a very good.
40:06
[SPEAKER_00]: They've still got some dudes, they have multiple former suitors on that team, they're not going to want to come into Norman and Lou, so I mean,
40:13
[SPEAKER_00]: even with BAMO being far and away the toughest game, it's not an easy road and OU better not look too far ahead, just in terms of BAMO's good, they're not the only good team on this schedule though.
40:25
[SPEAKER_00]: Three games, gotta win them all to lock your place, two of them to maybe have a chance, want or none, obviously you're out of it.
40:33
[SPEAKER_00]: So a lot to look forward to and it is good that they're starting to figure some of these things out, even if OU fans wish that would have happened
40:43
[SPEAKER_02]: course, and you make an interesting point, and that is this, Brett took time out of his post game press conference to address the youth and how they played on the offensive line for Suce and Fogian, EPL, and said, we're going to have to take care of them, meaning N-I-L, right?
40:59
[SPEAKER_02]: We're going to have to give those guys their market value, so because we know people are going to come after them being young, startering offensive linemen, same thing for those runaway.
41:08
[SPEAKER_02]: Tory Blaylock and Xavier Robinson have shown a skill set that is going to, you know, peak the interest, let's say, of some coaches and some other programs around the country.
41:20
[SPEAKER_02]: So, yeah, when it comes to NIL, they're going to have to take care of those young linemen, they're going to have to take care of those young renovates, too.
41:25
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, see, green comma cadence for a couple years ago.
41:29
[SPEAKER_02]: Uh-huh, exactly.
41:30
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, good news is you can just divert the money that's already a lot of the running back group and there's a lot to the correct people in the running back group and I think that's an easy boom boom, bounce spreadsheets there, call the day should be a ton of fun.
41:43
[SPEAKER_01]: We're going to talk with schedule talk to Brett Vendibles and some of the players tonight 615, 630ish in there.
41:50
[SPEAKER_01]: So.
41:51
[SPEAKER_01]: For your information, if you're looking for those videos, stuff like that, about seven, seven, 15, when we're done and getting those stuff uploaded, that's where those start to hit the YouTube and the website, Oklahoma Centers on SI.com.
42:02
[SPEAKER_01]: As you noted, we weren't gonna get all the way through this without revisiting Oklahoma's best player, the man that you can build the team around, Tate Sandel.
42:11
[SPEAKER_01]: It's kind of insane, shout out to Carson again for it in the bold predictions.
42:15
[SPEAKER_01]: at the beginning of the year he had predicted that Tate said it could be a Lou Groza guy.
42:20
[SPEAKER_01]: I think he should be a high-strengthy winner.
42:21
[SPEAKER_01]: That's just me, but it's a spot where it's insane and it's funny that Alabama's on the horizon because you knew this.
42:30
[SPEAKER_01]: You could be an unbelievable football team.
42:32
[SPEAKER_01]: and having a if he kicker which was kind of the front end of the of the save in era now they got certainly a lot better at picking kickers but that becomes a situation where it's say it can be shaky for a team even with a dominant defensive with an offense it must be such a relief and that's why like as a joke I've kind of asked a bunch of these big especially the big defensive guys I get a kick out of asking like a tailor-wine in a Kobe McKinsey what's it like to play football with Tate Sandal because it's it's the kicker it's a short kicker all that stuff but
43:01
[SPEAKER_01]: uh... the uh... the the orders continue to roll in who but i know that uh... mike Brooks great okloma stat historian uh... put it out there the sooners they've had some good kickers in their day never one that's quite gotten the grows a type of high the all-american type high but it might be time it might be time okloma needs to scrap the material has been campaign and divert the media teams resources to uh... being in tape sandals corner
43:25
[SPEAKER_02]: Aver, you've covered this team long enough, I think, and Ryan, you followed them, I think, long enough that if the coaching staff will just not mess with the kicker at this point, he should be fine.
43:35
[SPEAKER_02]: You've had the kicker, Michael Hanukkah, remember, went from all American to couldn't make anything.
43:41
[SPEAKER_02]: You had gay berkits, went from where Sandell is right now to kicking a burrito and he's been, you know, taking off the planet.
43:50
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, at least we know where to blame that one.
43:53
[SPEAKER_02]: It's weird.
43:54
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah, it's weird.
43:55
[SPEAKER_02]: Coaching staff probably should have encouraged him to not kick a burrito.
43:58
[SPEAKER_02]: Maybe that's their level of involvement, I don't know.
44:00
[SPEAKER_02]: I just remember, it was Jimmy Stevens came in with all these all-America accolades.
44:07
[SPEAKER_02]: He finally got on the field, it made a couple of kicks, and then I think it just went away and correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Garrett Hartley's college career, which was fantastic and led him to an NFL, not a really nice NFL career with the Saints.
44:21
[SPEAKER_02]: I think Garrett Hartley kind of tailed off at the end of his career too in college wise in terms of accuracy and hey, we can rely on him for a 45 yarder.
44:28
[SPEAKER_02]: What the heck was that?
44:29
[SPEAKER_02]: You know, one of those things.
44:31
[SPEAKER_02]: Where did that come from?
44:31
[SPEAKER_02]: So everybody loves Sandell.
44:35
[SPEAKER_02]: He's got nerves of steel and a leg to boot.
44:38
[SPEAKER_02]: Just don't mess with him too much up here.
44:41
[SPEAKER_02]: You know what I mean?
44:43
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, absolutely.
44:44
[SPEAKER_03]: They've got to, you know,
44:47
[SPEAKER_03]: Let him manage himself a little bit.
44:50
[SPEAKER_03]: Kicking is such a mental load for guys.
44:56
[SPEAKER_03]: And when you miss one, it's really easy to let that snowball, which is why you wondered how that initial miss that he had against Michigan would affect him.
45:07
[SPEAKER_03]: He was able to bounce back from that.
45:09
[SPEAKER_03]: And obviously, has been fantastic, but yeah.
45:14
[SPEAKER_03]: If he can keep on the track that he's on right now, he's got a chance to be really, really good and who've to go back to your point about Garrett Hartley.
45:24
[SPEAKER_03]: Over his first three years, he missed two extra points.
45:29
[SPEAKER_03]: He missed five.
45:31
[SPEAKER_03]: His last season now.
45:33
[SPEAKER_03]: granted, he had 76 tries that last season as they scored a lot of touchdowns, but still more misses than a greater percentage of misses than he had had.
45:43
[SPEAKER_03]: Just missed a couple of field goals his last year, but yeah, certainly they, not that they completely lost faith in him, but that dynamic had shifted.
45:53
[SPEAKER_03]: You know, sort of the same thing with Jimmy Stevens, although it barely got going with him.
45:59
[SPEAKER_03]: So it'll be fascinating to see how this thing plays out, but certainly to this point he's, you know, the best kicker that we've seen at OU in quite a while.
46:11
[SPEAKER_01]: The good news, though, is that Jimi Stephens did give Oklahoma a fantastic reaction gift.
46:18
[SPEAKER_01]: Bob Stoops keeling over on the sideline in Tallahassee, going like, oh my gosh, did that actually go in?
46:25
[SPEAKER_01]: You have a couple of fantastic gifts that Tate Sendell has already given.
46:29
[SPEAKER_01]: You got the,
46:31
[SPEAKER_01]: Two all-time trips to Newlin Stadium, two quarterbacks, shushing the crowd, uh, situate like, I mean, Oklahoma.
46:39
[SPEAKER_01]: The content machine just keeps rolling.
46:42
[SPEAKER_02]: It never stops.
46:44
[SPEAKER_03]: Now I'm still in business.
46:45
[SPEAKER_03]: The question is, who played the role of Eric Striker on Saturday night?
46:50
[SPEAKER_01]: I would say it was probably, I didn't see anyone go to the recruits, but Grayson Haltman and Kip Lewis certainly greeted the student section on their way out the tunnel, and they made sure that they doubled back to see if there was anyone left to
47:08
[SPEAKER_01]: To, to greet on their way back through, I think it was a, uh, we can't repeat what Kip Lewis said, but Grace and Halton certainly let him know, we come into your trap.
47:18
[SPEAKER_01]: We take over your trap.
47:19
[SPEAKER_01]: I think that's the, uh, the cliff notes of what Kip Lewis and Grace and Halton had to say.
47:27
[SPEAKER_03]: Well, I know that at least, uh, at least, butch Jones wasn't there to, uh, you know, lecture them about their sportsmanship.
47:35
[SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.
47:35
[SPEAKER_02]: That too.
47:36
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I don't think there's too much worry about that.
47:38
[SPEAKER_01]: Carson has...
47:39
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, Carson has fantastic video of that whole exchange.
47:43
[SPEAKER_01]: If you somehow have not hit the YouTube page to see his highlights, again, there's no game on Saras.
47:48
[SPEAKER_01]: Just go watch his highlights back.
47:49
[SPEAKER_01]: Obviously, it'll be bringing some good times there as well.
47:52
[SPEAKER_01]: Everything from this week, obviously, no availability ports or anything like that, since there's no SEC game or game at all this weekend.
47:58
[SPEAKER_01]: So, Oakwister's onaside.com.
48:00
[SPEAKER_01]: That'll start to flood in, like we said, Wednesday evening and then we'll have plenty of content to carry you through your by week of course.
48:07
[SPEAKER_01]: Carson and I hauled ass back from Newland though so that we could go to the Lloyd Noble Center on Monday night for the official start of Cross over season the Oklahoma women get going with the game over against Belmont that was fine and then it was like what is happening right now and then it was fine again in the end The student man had like a similar experience all of the I guess it was different way
48:30
[SPEAKER_01]: The Belmont women outshot the Oklahoma women so far from deep.
48:34
[SPEAKER_01]: I know you went 15 at 30 from the line that you're going, okay.
48:36
[SPEAKER_01]: Thank you just to make some of this for St. Francis.
48:38
[SPEAKER_01]: It was like, where did these scoops come from?
48:41
[SPEAKER_01]: In the restricted area, stuff like that.
48:43
[SPEAKER_01]: But in the end, victorious for the men and the women, both have the Louis Noble Center, very, very happy.
48:48
[SPEAKER_01]: Let's start with the men, because they're gonna be up first on Saturday night, against Gonzaga.
48:52
[SPEAKER_01]: Parts we've got to see a ton of the newcomers.
48:54
[SPEAKER_01]: What kind of stood out to you from there?
48:56
[SPEAKER_01]: And how pleased was Porter Moser with the crew
49:00
[SPEAKER_01]: Thanks for watching.
49:01
[SPEAKER_00]: The newcomers look good, especially Nigel Pack.
49:04
[SPEAKER_00]: I thought he played a really good game.
49:05
[SPEAKER_00]: He's a veteran player.
49:07
[SPEAKER_00]: Definitely going to be a good player on this back core.
49:10
[SPEAKER_00]: I thought T-Davis was impressive.
49:11
[SPEAKER_00]: Someone with a little bit of size plays a little bit of a forward role.
49:15
[SPEAKER_00]: I thought he looked really good.
49:17
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, the newcomers, I thought what was most impressive is how they adjusted in the second half.
49:23
[SPEAKER_00]: Like you just hinted at the first half wasn't pretty.
49:26
[SPEAKER_00]: They played better basketball than St. Francis, but only led by one point at the half.
49:30
[SPEAKER_00]: Granted, the red flash crit to them, they made some really gritty shots, got some really nice steals, but even so it wasn't the best half of basketball that I was going to play this season.
49:41
[SPEAKER_00]: And they looked a lot better, the newcomers looked really adjusted with some of the returners.
49:45
[SPEAKER_00]: uh... mowgie had a really good game for all you who all a cut attack a talk i don't know how this i don't know how to pronounce his last name yet who all a talk you've been figured out because he was fantastic
50:00
[SPEAKER_03]: in the second half.
50:02
[SPEAKER_00]: He was awesome.
50:03
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, he he talked after the game.
50:05
[SPEAKER_00]: He was one of two players with Wiggy that we were able to speak to and he said that adding a lot of weight.
50:11
[SPEAKER_00]: I say a lot of weight.
50:12
[SPEAKER_00]: He's still only about 200 pounds at six foot nine.
50:15
[SPEAKER_00]: So he's not a big guy.
50:16
[SPEAKER_00]: But just getting more weight to his legs has helped him have a better jump, be a better score, and you saw those things in the second half, and that was a big reason why the final score was lopsided.
50:27
[SPEAKER_00]: So I mean, there were certainly not pretty things.
50:29
[SPEAKER_00]: There were some ugly moments in the first half, but at the end of the day, it's a 30 plus win over a team that did make the NCAA tournament last year.
50:37
[SPEAKER_00]: So all things considered I'd say pretty promising start.
50:42
[SPEAKER_01]: If this gives you any window into the personality that Kuala is and he is an incredible guy to talk to my two favorite Kuala talk stores real quick, first off last year we were asked he was pretty clear he was like going to rent your first off the great Jesse Critton and our good friend and I introduced himself as Jesse Critton didn't his last name to which Kuala said what was that?
51:04
[SPEAKER_01]: And Jesse said Crittonton and Kuala said yeah we're not doing any of that.
51:07
[SPEAKER_01]: So we were like wait a minute.
51:09
[SPEAKER_01]: We can't pronounce here today.
51:10
[SPEAKER_01]: You can't pronounce our name.
51:11
[SPEAKER_01]: It's fantastic.
51:11
[SPEAKER_01]: But we were asking like, hey, you're probably going to rent your, you trying to take like some offensive rebound and clinics from sand God when stuff like that.
51:19
[SPEAKER_01]: And he was like, no, he rebounds a shoot.
51:23
[SPEAKER_01]: And I was like, okay, I dig it.
51:24
[SPEAKER_01]: I like the, like the confidence there.
51:26
[SPEAKER_01]: He actually debated asking the OE media relations if he could.
51:30
[SPEAKER_01]: officially make the pronunciation of his name be attacked because that sounds cooler to which they were like, well, maybe you should go with what your family name is, it's up like that.
51:40
[SPEAKER_03]: So he is an absolute, if Joe Thiesman can become Joe Thiesman, then Koal can become Koal attack.
51:49
[SPEAKER_01]: He is a, more of the story, I hope we continue to get Koal moments because he's just a joy to
51:59
[SPEAKER_00]: He was awesome with us.
52:01
[SPEAKER_00]: Moe would be definitely a little bit quieter.
52:03
[SPEAKER_00]: I was, this is my first time talking to Koal.
52:07
[SPEAKER_00]: Um, I hope we get more like you said.
52:09
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, Koal Rocks.
52:10
[SPEAKER_01]: So it'll be the bid one against Gonzaga Saturday night was that 930.
52:14
[SPEAKER_01]: The late show there, uh, Kai Rogers held out of that one as is J.
52:19
[SPEAKER_01]: Don Jones.
52:19
[SPEAKER_01]: We talked to Porter a little bit later this week.
52:21
[SPEAKER_01]: Hopefully we get a bigger timeline.
52:23
[SPEAKER_01]: I think Kai might miss the first.
52:24
[SPEAKER_01]: couple of weeks here, just as a precautionary thing coming back there.
52:27
[SPEAKER_01]: And then for Jones, it sounds like he's more of a groin than a back, the backs what held him out all your last years.
52:33
[SPEAKER_01]: So sucks for him to get this close and then tweak it.
52:36
[SPEAKER_01]: But like I said, we'll get a timeline update from Porter, hopefully here on Thursday or Friday.
52:41
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't remember when that is.
52:43
[SPEAKER_01]: It's been a week, folks, not a lot of sleep after this side of things, apologies.
52:47
[SPEAKER_01]: That's the first big non-converteam coming up on the Hoopside of Thing.
52:51
[SPEAKER_01]: View you women or the other one, they're going to take on number 3 UCLA on Monday night and A were that was a little touching go there for a moment.
53:01
[SPEAKER_01]: 20 to five run by the Belmont Bruins to start the third quarter.
53:06
[SPEAKER_01]: Basically, it was the point of the game, we got a little shot happy and forgot to feed Reagan Bears.
53:12
[SPEAKER_01]: You finished with 29 and 10.
53:13
[SPEAKER_01]: But part of what Cheatley Broncheck could talk about Abraham and something that's going to be the learning curve of this team is, they're used to go in 10 to 11, 12 deep.
53:22
[SPEAKER_01]: They only have 11 players on the roster.
53:25
[SPEAKER_01]: And if you get someone like a Zion band who gets into foul trouble, which I thought it was terrible foul calls.
53:30
[SPEAKER_01]: the call stands and she was in foul trouble.
53:32
[SPEAKER_01]: It's suddenly going to be a, hey, we don't have three other bodies to throw in.
53:37
[SPEAKER_01]: You all have to contribute great minutes every single night just because it how it's going to be, which I think it's going to be a really fun test against UCLA on Monday night.
53:45
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, it will be, and you know, obviously Reagan beers will be such a big focus of that game out as will be, you know, a Leah Chavez, but, you know, it'll be interesting to see how Jenny Baranchic continues to manage.
54:00
[SPEAKER_03]: This group we've seen her be really experimental in non-conference play before and then that rotation Titans and she's figured out some things about her team how they can go doesn't have the same room to do that this year with the
54:15
[SPEAKER_03]: you know just just 11 man roster but I think there'll be a lot of that switching roles and trying to figure out hey what's what what works best there and you know we saw with this team I think what we're used to seeing in a lot of ways.
54:31
[SPEAKER_03]: The turnover numbers were fairly significant.
54:35
[SPEAKER_03]: What was it?
54:35
[SPEAKER_03]: 18 turnovers there, but Chavez just had a couple of them.
54:40
[SPEAKER_03]: I think that that's a really good sign.
54:42
[SPEAKER_03]: And I think you can see the making of a team that has a chance to be really special, but they've got to go through some serious growth.
54:52
[SPEAKER_03]: And they're going to get a great litmus test this weekend against UCLite.
54:58
[SPEAKER_01]: The really good news on that is verhol spears, Sahara Williams, they all look like need some game time just to get up to speed as far as like the flow of things, but you know that they're gonna be pretty experienced and for Shava's, the pace of the game didn't seem to be too much.
55:13
[SPEAKER_01]: She just needed a couple shots to fall and she can throw herself an entry pass.
55:17
[SPEAKER_01]: She can get the ball to Reagan beers and the spot where Reagan then have to do much of then hit her move and put it up.
55:24
[SPEAKER_01]: So I think that's gonna be really, really,
55:26
[SPEAKER_01]: helpful and you'll get more Ziavan in game 2.
55:28
[SPEAKER_01]: I thought because I laughed and was big time too.
55:30
[SPEAKER_01]: Is it someone that basically was a big time recruit who until she went down, which cost her most of her high school season.
55:36
[SPEAKER_01]: It seemed like she was just trying to get back into the flow of playing competitive basketball again, which I expect that by the time that we get to, you know, March, basically that because I laughed and it's going to be a big piece of this thing.
55:47
[SPEAKER_02]: You guys, let me ask you this, who you too, who watched the game, I know.
55:52
[SPEAKER_02]: We sat down and turned on the third quarter and made it through the end of the half, the second half.
55:58
[SPEAKER_02]: And about midway through the fourth quarter of my wife, former basketball player, former high school basketball player, watches all 82 thunder games, you know, she knows, she knows hoops, I give it up to her.
56:09
[SPEAKER_02]: After about five minutes, she immediately said that Chavez was the best athlete on the floor, but either team.
56:16
[SPEAKER_02]: Did that stand out to you as well?
56:18
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and it was something to that it's like the little things.
56:22
[SPEAKER_01]: I know that Jenny praised her defensive rotations after the game.
56:25
[SPEAKER_01]: Things like that.
56:26
[SPEAKER_01]: It was the little stuff as far as like,
56:28
[SPEAKER_01]: Feel for the game of someone who you can just tell, she's a fantastic athlete, she's gonna be able to get out and run, she's gonna be able to handle the physicality, but also just her feel for watch Shavas play defense and it's not her man, but as someone's going to the rack, she is the ability like that sixth sense to, I step in and then I bail out right at the end so that not only you trying to blow by your defender, but you're
56:52
[SPEAKER_01]: What's this happening here?
56:54
[SPEAKER_01]: Why is somebody else moving in, things like that?
56:56
[SPEAKER_01]: And I think that once she settles in April, it's going to be a lot smoother.
57:01
[SPEAKER_01]: But yeah, you think that Jiti Brownchecks team plays fast anyway.
57:05
[SPEAKER_01]: Give you Alia Chavez, who can go behind the back, crossover, step back on a dime.
57:10
[SPEAKER_01]: And before you know what's hit you, she's created enough space to put up a three.
57:14
[SPEAKER_01]: It's very reminiscent, I thought, of the early Triai experience in Norman.
57:18
[SPEAKER_03]: Yeah, and you know, that's that's something that this team has been missing is that a dynamic point guard, you know, not that, you know, Navaya taught some of the other ones that they've rolled out that they're over the last couple years have been bad, but they haven't been the dynamic playmakers on both sides of the ball, but especially offensively as a
57:45
[SPEAKER_03]: changes everything about how teams are able to defend them.
57:48
[SPEAKER_03]: I think that's going to open some things up for Reagan Bears inside.
57:52
[SPEAKER_03]: It's going to open some things up for Sahara Williams, cut into the basket.
57:57
[SPEAKER_03]: Obviously, Peyton Vertholz can do a little bit of everything.
58:00
[SPEAKER_03]: So I think that's a massive key toward getting this team to make a jump from where it was last year, which is a very good team.
58:09
[SPEAKER_03]: But who had a ceiling to one that you could see doing some really really special things this year So that'll be fun to see how that develops over the course of this season Yeah, and I think the big thing to this not to pick on Neville or anyone from last year's team, but so much of the frustration that you would have as you get deep into the season and it's like the basic stuff
58:32
[SPEAKER_01]: In game one, you could already see the Shavez turnovers because she was trying to make something incredible happen.
58:38
[SPEAKER_01]: Like, she's trying to throw some really high level passes.
58:41
[SPEAKER_01]: It's not just the, wow, they lost the ball in the back core or they like inbounded it out of bounds directly, or just totally air-mailed it overranging beers, which is kind of what happened a lot.
58:52
[SPEAKER_01]: Deepened, that's why we referenced it earlier in the meeting of it.
58:55
[SPEAKER_01]: It wasn't like, hey, there's this stuff you live with.
58:58
[SPEAKER_01]: the stuff I think for Chavez was all about shot selection, I think the turnover stuff you live with and and that's the things that I think they're they're going to refine and as she just gets more used to it's the adjustment for everybody going from really good high scope as well but high scope as well into the SCC that's going to be adjustment for everybody but
59:16
[SPEAKER_01]: feels like Chavez has just the innate basketball like you that she's going to be able to be a quick learner and make that thing happen quick and I'm excited.
59:23
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm pumped for that game on Monday night.
59:25
[SPEAKER_01]: Two fantastic basketball games here setting up for the soonerment on Saturday and the women on Monday will have all that.
59:32
[SPEAKER_01]: We'll also have
59:33
[SPEAKER_01]: Tomorrow night, final battle series on the softball side of things.
59:36
[SPEAKER_01]: So we'll have all those updates on the website, Oklahoma soon, is on SI.com.
59:40
[SPEAKER_01]: And then we'll be back to the normal schedule next week.
59:42
[SPEAKER_01]: One day, not we talking to players ahead of the crimson tide.
59:45
[SPEAKER_01]: Next Tuesday, we'll get preventables, binarmacle, all that fun stuff.
59:48
[SPEAKER_01]: We'll be back here on Wednesday, preview in it before who of course and I head.
59:54
[SPEAKER_01]: toward Tuscaloosa for the last road trip of the year.
59:58
[SPEAKER_01]: Boys, anything else that we've missed on this by week before we head off into the sunset here for a week?
1:00:05
[SPEAKER_01]: No, okay, good.
1:00:06
[SPEAKER_01]: Very good.
1:00:06
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, be sure your head to the site, Oklahoma Studios on Si.com.
1:00:10
[SPEAKER_01]: Give everybody the follows all the places Ryan Aver at Arway.
1:00:13
[SPEAKER_01]: Aver on the Twitter machine.
1:00:15
[SPEAKER_01]: Yes, Carson's at Carson D. Field at Johnny Hoover for whom.
1:00:19
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm at underscore riot jab.
1:00:20
[SPEAKER_01]: And if you're like Ryan, you just threw a bunch of handles
1:00:23
[SPEAKER_01]: Sooner's on SI, easiest place.
1:00:25
[SPEAKER_01]: You go to sooner's on SI, turn on the notifications.
1:00:27
[SPEAKER_01]: We'll let you know when we're post and stuff.
1:00:29
[SPEAKER_01]: Same thing on Facebook, Oklahoma sooner's on SI.
1:00:31
[SPEAKER_01]: Just search it.
1:00:32
[SPEAKER_01]: If you see our logos on the site, all that stuff, it's all the same.
1:00:35
[SPEAKER_01]: It's us.
1:00:35
[SPEAKER_01]: And here's the telltale.
1:00:36
[SPEAKER_01]: There's just a bunch of stories about Oklahoma football and the last one, that's usually us.
1:00:40
[SPEAKER_01]: So hang with us there on the podcast.
1:00:42
[SPEAKER_01]: We'll talk to you guys though.
1:00:44
[SPEAKER_01]: Next Wednesday, four A or four Carson four Hube.
1:00:46
[SPEAKER_01]: We will see you when it is Alabama week.
1:00:48
[SPEAKER_01]: Have a good weekend.