There’s something to be said about taking care of business, and that’s what Oklahoma did on Saturday night against Louisiana Tech. The Sooners came out firing with a new edge to the offense and a versatility to the defense, never giving the Bulldogs a chance. Because Oklahoma did face an overmatched opponent, it’s important to point out that there aren’t too many takeaways from this one. Still, the opener brought forth a fair amount of clarity to what many had hoped the offense would look like, and it reaffirmed the suspicions that OU’s defense will be potentially dominant in 2014.
Creativity on Offense It wasn’t long ago that most OU fans were calling for the job of c0-offensive coordinator Josh Heupel, but he earned the right to keep his job after calling a pair of beautiful games against Oklahoma State and Alabama to close out 2013. On Saturday night, he showed why.
I’m sitting here at a loss for words on how to describe the offense against La Tech. It was creative, new, crisp, innovative, versatile, and it showed limitless possibilities. From the personnel groups to formations to the play-calling, especially in the running game, it was as good of a start as Heupel and Oklahoma could have asked for. Granted, it was against an overmatched La Tech squad and OU did show a few weaknesses on the offensive side. Still, there are plenty of positives and negatives that Oklahoma can learn from going forward.
Start off with the first play from scrimmage for the Sooner’s offense:
Immediately you see Alex Ross in the back field, with Shepard and Neal setup ready to block on the bottom of your screen. Then there’s also FB Aaron Ripkowski on the far side, who will act as a blocking decoy on this play. I love this play (which was run multiple times with Ross and Ford) because it allows OU’s best playmakers to have the ball in space, running down hill towards the secondary. Only good things can happen out of formations like this. A couple plays later, we see the first flash of creativity on the night:
Oklahoma has used variations of the wishbone in the past, but rarely with athletes as special as the trio that surrounded TK9 on this play: Flowers, Perine, and Ross. Here is yet another example of Josh Heupel showing off his wealth of options:
A play that looked like a handoff to Ford molded into a possible QB run, a reverse to KJ Young, a QB rollout, and then finally became a screen pass to Ford. I sound like a broken record at this point, but the options are limitless. I could go on and on with more examples of this offense, but there are other things to look at. What’s most exciting about the offense is that, as creative as it was, I think we only saw the tip of the iceberg in terms of the packages and personnel groups that were displayed. Look for more of that to be exposed as Oklahoma gets deeper into its schedule, especially against Tennessee.
Trevor Knight Knight finished a good-but-not-great 19 of 34 through the air for 253 yards and a TD. He looked comfortable most of the night, which you could rarely say about TK9’s composure a year ago prior to the Sugar Bowl. His timing seemed to be slightly off with his receivers, but he still made it work. Because OU faced an outmatched opponent, the same questions about Knight’s consistency will likely linger. He wasn’t quite the same player that we saw in the Sugar Bowl, but he was also much better than at any point in the regular season a year ago. This was his best throw, which might also double as Heupel’s best play call of the night:
Oklahoma had yet to pass out of this formation, which likely explains why La Tech felt the need to put eight men in the box. Heupel was counting on La Tech coming in for run support, and he made them pay. Shepard burned his man and TK9 got his TD. This play shows more of the same: passing out of a running formation, flexible personnel options, all hail Josh Heupel, ect:
All things considered, this was a good game for Trevor Knight. He showed the ability to run the offense and to make good decisions without too many errors. His play and the passing game should only progress from here.
The Running Backs One luxury that OU has been afforded is that it doesn’t have to rely on its QB to make plays. In the recent days of the Stoops era, most of the offense has revolved around the play of Sam Bradford or Landry Jones, with the skill position players being merely compliments. But this season, OU has the ability to run out several different sets of players, particularly at running back, and let them take over the tempo of the game. We saw that with the RBs against La Tech, as all three looked powerful and fast. Alex Ross, who finished the game with a pair of TD’s, was probably the least impressive out of the trio. He seemed to go down easier than the other two, but that’s not an indictment on Ross. It’s that Perine and Ford were just that good.
Here’s Samaje Perine doing some fun things:
It wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t point out how great the OL was on those two plays above. Sure, it’s Perine finishing the run, but it doesn’t get started if the guys up front aren’t working as hard as they were.
True freshman Dimitri Flowers also showed why he had received so much praise from the coaching staff, proving to be a great run blocker and a more-than-adequate offensive threat. Here’s Flowers in the first quarter bailing out Trevor Knight on fourth down:
Three words to describe this play where Flowers is Perine’s lead blocker: four more years
Here’s Keith Ford to remind you that he’s fun, too: The entire quartet of Ross, Ford, Perine, and Flowers was nothing short of outstanding in the opening game, which is something that OU will look to rely on going forward.
The WR’s
Outside of the three starting WR’s (Shepard, Neal, and Young), Oklahoma’s WR core was very underwhelming. It’s important to note that this was the debut for Jordan Smallwood, Jeffery Mead, and Michiah Quick. That being said, those three should improve drastically as the season moves along. But in the opener, they were abysmal. That trio combined for just one reception despite being targeted seven times, and it was rarely Knight’s fault.
Quick let his lone target slip right through his hands on a third down play over the middle, while Smallwood and Mead both appeared to be lost on several occasions. This is the main area that needs improvement for Oklahoma on offense, and there’s no reason to think that they won’t be much better against Tulsa on Saturday.
The Defense
Oklahoma’s first team defense was outstanding in this game, rarely bending and never breaking. Mike Stoops’ unit came out with an intensity and a focus that was sometimes absent under the previous regime.
The first thing to talk about with this defense, however, is its versatility. The best example of this may have come on the third play of the game:
Oklahoma appears to be in nickel, with Striker (top of the screen) dropping back into coverage. This allows Grissom to come off the edge from his new OLB position and bat down the pass. This blitz is awesome for many reasons, not just because it worked. For one, OU could line up in this same formation and drop Grissom into coverage, allowing Striker to rush from the nickel position. The ability to send zero, one, or both of OU’s top pass rushers on third down is luxury that not many teams possess. Dominique Alexander also gets in on the action, too.
Another thing that Stoops executed well was safety blitzes:
On the first of many safety blitzes on the night, Quentin Hayes and Jordan Phillips are both able to penetrate the OL to stop the ball carrier in the backfield. Had this play been a pass, Hayes would have had a sure sack. The ability to rush six guys on second down should not be taken for granted, and OU was certainly able to take advantage of it here to force a long third down. Good play call by Mike Stoops. Here’s another safety blitz that didn’t quite go as planned:
Quentin Hayes appears to have a free run at the ball carrier, but La Tech’s full back makes a good block on him right off the edge. Charles Walker also gets through the line quickly, but the RB just ran right around him and the two LBs who came in just a step late (Striker and Alexander). That’s something that will correct itself as guys get into midseason form. There were more examples of safety blitzes, with Hayes, Thomas, Byrd, and Parker all getting in on the action at one point or another. It’s an exciting wrinkle in the defense that Oklahoma can take advantage of because of great CB’s like Zack Sanchez and Julian Wilson.
Once again, Oklahoma was in its nickel package on this play, with Hayes being the fifth DB. That allows OU to rush Striker and Grissiom (the two lineman on the bottom of the screen) while threating another blitz with Hayes. Hayes drops back into coverage, as do both ILBs at first, but the QB is already feeling the pressure, causing a bad throw towards Zack Sanchez. Easy INT
The amount of variations of personnel groups and formations that the defense showed was impressive, but you also get the sense that there is much more to come. The first team played a great two quarters of football, but we’ll learn even more about the ceiling for this unit as Oklahoma progresses in its schedule.
Play of the Game When someone does something for the first time in a decade at Oklahoma, that has to be the play of the game GIF of the Game
