Oklahoma 2016 Football Season Preview – Part Two
By Sixto Ortiz
Editor’s note: This is the second of four articles previewing the Oklahoma 2016 Football season.
On Sept. 24, the Sooners get a well-deserved bye. If things go well, Oklahoma will be 3-0 and ranked in the top three, possibly even No. 1.
If things do not go as well for the Sooners in the opening three games of the 2016 season, OU may find itself limping into Big 12 play with a 2-1 or – gasp! – a 1-2 record.
The first three games of the season will have a lot to say about the state of the Sooners and whether or not the team can fulfill the lofty expectations building to a fever pitch over the offseason. Regardless of the record, the show must go on for Oklahoma, which starts Big 12 play after the Week 4 bye.
October begins with a bang as the Sooners travel to Amon G. Carter stadium for a matchup with the always-tough TCU Horned Frogs. Gary Patterson consistently fields strong defensive teams, so this game will be a great test for the Sooner offense.
Then, it’s off to Dallas on Oct. 8 for the annual Red River tussle with Texas, a game that, to put it charitably, has not gone Oklahoma’s way the past couple of years. Given the expectations for the Sooners, this year’s Red River Rivalry game would be a good time to begin a new trend and get the Crimson and Cream back in the win column against Texas.
Bill Snyder is a legend among college football coaches, and there’s no doubt he will have his team ready to play. Oklahoma owns the all-time series with K-State, but the Wildcats are one of the few programs that have had success playing at Oklahoma. The Sooners can not afford to overlook Kansas State, despite where the game is played.
Next: October 1: The Sooners Go to Frog Country
October 1: The Sooners Go To Frog Country
The 2016 TCU Horned Frogs are a tale of two teams: the offense lost a lot, the defense, not as much.
Anyone doubting the Horned Frogs are retooling their entire offense should just take a look at the losses: quarterbacks Trevone Boykin and Bram Kohlhausen, running back Aaron Green, wide receivers Kolby Listenbee, Josh Doctson and Ja’Juan Story, and offensive linemen Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Jamelle Naff, Joey Hunt and Brady Foltz are all gone. As if that wasn’t enough, kicker Jaden Oberkrom has also departed.
Replacing that much offensive firepower without missing a beat is going to be just about impossible for the Horned Frogs. Boykin and Green rushed for 20 touchdowns in 2015; add the 31 touchdowns Boykin tossed through the air, and it doesn’t take an oracle to figure out the TCU offense is going to miss a beat (or two, three or…).
Fortunately for Patterson’s team, even though there were some losses along the defensive line, the Horned Frogs return plenty of veteran experience on the defensive side of the ball. This relative continuity should allow TCU to lean on the defense while the offense finds an identity.
TCU’s offensive losses means the Oklahoma defense, in spite of a thin linebacker corps, should have the upper hand in this matchup. TCU simply has too many losses on offense to overcome, especially at a relatively early time in the season.
And even though TCU does not lose as much on defense and Gary Patterson is a defensive-minded coach, the Oklahoma offense will be special in 2016 after another full off-season in Lincoln Riley’s system and the return of most key offensive contributors. TCU’s defense ranked 81st nationwide against the rush in 2015, allowing 183 yards per game. The stout Sooner rushing attack should find success against the Frogs.
This one will be competitive early, but eventually the Frogs defense will wear down as the TCU offense won’t be able to get much production going against Mike Stoops’ defense. Sooners win this one, 45-17.
Next: October 8: The Red River Rivalry Heats up Again