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Posted
1 hour ago, markstanco said:

AT Temple? 

wtf-what-the-fuck.gif

It's like our game at Maryland - a chance for their Northeastern alums to see a game. They played one at Army relatively recently, too.

Posted
40 minutes ago, texifornia said:

It's like our game at Maryland - a chance for their Northeastern alums to see a game. They played one at Army relatively recently, too.

I may be misremembering, but I also think it was a 2 for 1. 

I actually really like the strategy of scheduling 2 for 1s with programs located in fun destinations. Tulane, UCF (probably wouldn't do a 2 for 1 and I know people loathe Orlando, but those of us with kids could make it work), SDSU, UNLV, probably some others. 

The indefensible part is Philadelphia. Of every big city I've been to in the US, which is most of them, Philly is far and away the place I least enjoy visiting. Maybe that's because I was dealing with a couple of nasty people at Comcast as part of most trips, but, yeah, fuck that place. 

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Posted
18 hours ago, closetojumping said:

Here's the WRs preview. Mateer apparently thinks their WR room is "so deep". Uh huh. Highlights:

-Neither Gibson is cleared medically to be on the field.

-They're expecting "big things" from the McNeese guy who put up middling stats in FCS, Sategna, the meh transfer from Arkansas, and Elijah Thomas, a true freshman. 

-Somehow Deon Burks is still regarded by everyone as a major threat.

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Oklahoma football 2025 fall camp position preview: Wide receivers

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(Photo: Brian Bahr, Getty)

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    Fall camp is around the corner, and Oklahoma football's second SEC season is set to kick off in less than six weeks. As the first day of preseason practice approaches, it's time to take a closer look at each position group for the Sooners and where things stand for each unit entering Year 4 under head coach Brent Venables. The 11-part series continues with an examination of OU's overhauled wide receiver corps.

    Departed: Nic Anderson (transfer to LSU), Jalil Farooq (transfer to Maryland), Andrel Anthony (transfer to Duke), Brenen Thompson (transfer to Mississippi State), J.J. Hester (transfer to Kentucky), Jaquaize Pettaway (transfer to East Carolina).

    Returning starters: Deion Burks, redshirt senior (started five games).

    Other returning players: Jayden Gibson, redshirt senior; Zion Kearney, sophomore; Zion Ragins, sophomore; Ivan Carreon, sophomore; Jacob Jordan, sophomore; KJ Daniels, redshirt freshman.

    Offseason additions: Isaiah Sategna, redshirt junior (Arkansas transfer); Keontez Lewis, redshirt senior (Southern Illinois transfer); Javonnie Gibson, redshirt junior (Arkansas-Pine Bluff transfer); Josiah Martin, sophomore (Cal transfer); Jer'Michael Carter, junior (McNeese transfer); Elijah Thomas, four-star freshman; Manny Choice, four-star freshman.

    No position on Oklahoma's roster underwent a more significant overhaul than Emmett Jones' wide receiver room. A position that was projected to be a strength for the Sooners during their inaugural SEC season instead became a liability, as the receiving corps was ravaged by injuries to each of its top five players, causing them to miss either substantial time during the season or — in some cases — the entire season (or close to it).

    That led to an odious passing attack, as Oklahoma ranked 119th in the FBS in passing yards per game (175.8), 128th in yards per pass attempt (6.1) and 101st in pass efficiency offense (125.42). That, as the receiving corps accounted for fewer than 1,500 yards receiving on the year, with no wideout finishing the season with more than 315 yards receiving.

    It led to an extensive retooling of the position this offseason, with six outgoing transfers — including 2023 standouts Nic Anderson, Jalil Farooq and Andrel Anthony — while Oklahoma returned a key piece in Deion Burks (along with a handful of other pass-catchers) and filled out the room with five transfer additions and a pair of well-regarded freshmen. The Sooners are betting on the positional overhaul — along with better luck on the injury front — paying off in a big way for their new-look offense under first-year offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and transfer quarterback John Mateer.

     

     

    Projected depth chart:

    WIDE RECEIVER

    -- Isaiah Sategna, redshirt junior (2024 stats: 37 receptions, 491 yards, one touchdown)

    -- Zion Kearney, sophomore (2024 stats: eight receptions, 128 yards, one touchdown) OR

    -- Keontez Lewis, redshirt senior (2024 stats: 49 receptions, 813 yards, five touchdowns) OR

    -- Jayden Gibson*, redshirt junior (2024 stats: N/A)

    WIDE RECEIVER

    -- Javonnie Gibson*, redshirt junior (2024 stats: 70 receptions, 1,215 yards, nine touchdowns)

    -- Elijah Thomas, freshman (2024 stats: N/A) OR

    -- Jer'Michael Carter, junior (2024 stats: 37 receptions, 537 yards, three touchdowns)

    SLOT

    -- Deion Burks, redshirt senior (2024 stats: 31 receptions, 245 yards, three touchdowns).

    -- Josiah Martin, sophomore (2024 stats: 12 receptions, 112 yards) OR

    -- Jacob Jordan, sophomore (2024 stats: 27 receptions, 234 yards, one touchdown.

    *Injured in the spring

    Deion Burks

     

    Post-spring departures: N/A

    Outlook: Oklahoma's receiving corps — and passing offense writ large — set a low bar last season, though it was almost entirely due to the unprecedented string of injuries the Sooners experienced at the position. As Brent Venables said, when asked a tongue-in-cheek question at SEC Media Days last week about playing a season without any healthy wide receivers, "it's hard to do; certainly, is hard to get a first down or two."

    But Oklahoma is hoping last year's issues at receiver were an anomaly, especially with a remodeled corps of pass-catchers and the offseason changes with the program's training staff. The Sooners overhauled the personnel in the room, bringing back only a handful of players — Deion Burks (the big portal add from last offseason, Jayden Gibson (who emerged as a big-play option in 2023 before a preseason patellar tendon tear) and a quintet of rising sophomores in Zion Kearney, Ivan Carreon, Jacob Jordan, Zion Ragins and KJ Daniels — while adding five transfers and a pair of blue-chip 2025 signees.

    Of the returning pieces, Burks stands to have the biggest role in Oklahoma's new-look offense. When healthy, Burks is a dynamic playmaker in the slot; he led Purdue in receiving in 2023 before his injury-shortened debut season in Norman last fall. Gibson is a big question mark after he missed all of last season due to his fall camp knee injury and then sustained a setback on the eve of spring practices. He's expected to be cleared early in the season, if not by the opener, but it remains to be seen if he'll be able to seamlessly pick up where he left off pre-injury, when he was widely expected to emerge as a key downfield threat in the passing game.

    Among the rising sophomores, Kearney has generated the most buzz throughout the offseason and will look to carve out a larger role than the one he played last year when he logged 247 snaps but just 15 targets in the passing game). Jordan also impressed, as the walk-on emerged as a viable option in the slot — but will have a more difficult path to significant playing time with a healthy Burks back in the mix.

    Most of the attention on the receiving corps this offseason, though, has come from the new additions. The Sooners added transfers Javonnie Gibson, Isaiah Sategna, Keontez Lewis and Josiah Martin during the winter portal window before landing Jer'Michael Carter in the post-spring window. They also signed a pair of four-star freshmen in Elijah Thomas and Manny Choice.

    Javonnie Gibson was the talk of the spring and emerging as a potential go-to option in the offense before he sustained a broken leg in early April. The Arkansas-Pine Bluff transfer is currently out of his protective boot and working his way back into the fray, and the expectation is that he'll be ready for the opener — though we'll see just how quickly he gets back to 100%, and how Oklahoma deploys him early in the schedule. When healthy, though, he figures to be a significant part of the offense.

    Sategna has been one of our under-the-radar impact players heading into the year, as the former Arkansas transfer brings SEC experience and a level of versatility to his game. He can play in the slot (behind Burks) or split out wide as a downfield playmaker in the Sooners' system, along with serving as a top option in the return game this season. Martin, a transfer from Cal, provides additional depth in the slot, while Lewis is another intriguing outside receiver who was solid at the FCS level last season and brings additional Power 4 experience (at Wisconsin and UCLA) to the table. Carter, meanwhile, was the lone post-spring addition to the room as the Sooners went out and landed the FCS transfer to provide another rangy target on the outside amid the spring injuries to the two Gibsons.

    As for the two freshmen, Oklahoma is high on the long-term potential of both Thomas and Choice. However, the 6-foot, 194-pound Thomas has turned heads since he arrived in the spring and should vie for some immediate opportunities within the Sooners' retooled offensive scheme as a potential big-play weapon.

    Just how the pecking order and rotations at the three receiver spots shake out over the course of fall camp remains on of the most interesting questions for Oklahoma's offense entering the year. Assuming the Sooners can avoid the kinds of injury — both in quantity and severity — that decimated the receiving corps last season, Oklahoma should have an improved crop of pass-catchers at the disposal of offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and quarterback John Mateer.

    What they said: "I think it's important to note it's so deep. Our (wide receiver) room is so deep, and I trust all those guys. One-on-one matchups are going to be huge and we're going to continue to find out who can win consistently. We've got a lot of guys that can do it." —  QB John Mateer during SEC Media Days.

 

That's a whole lot of fing OR's. I remember Texas had a lot of those when Mack had a bunch of average joe's and had that marvelous losing season in 2010.

Posted
2 hours ago, texifornia said:

It's like our game at Maryland - a chance for their Northeastern alums to see a game. They played one at Army relatively recently, too.

All those OU alums with their flashy degrees networking on the east coast.  Dozens of them.

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Posted

Spoilered below is the Sooners Illustrated preview on the OL. Remember, OU's OL sucked last year, leading the country in allowing 50 sacks. They were hurt up and down the line all season long, but I'm sure having the defense go full contact and teeing off on them for more than half the season didn't play role. 

Highlights:

-Ozeata (LG) and Howland (LT) finished the year in 2024 as starters, but each had to have surgery on torn labrums in the shoulder, and missed the spring. They're each being challenged for the 1st team role. Luckily, good OL play doesn't involve shoulder health and strength. 

-Nwaiwu was penalized for more stupid shit than anyone else on their team last year and he was regularly buttfucked by SEC DLs throughout the year. He's still penciled in to start at RG. 

-They have multiple guys who will either start or be 2nd team that transferred in from far lesser programs (Simmons - Western Carolina, 2 Stanford OLs, Nwaiwu from NT two years ago, Everett from App State in 2023). That's not how you build a quality OL. There may be the occasional diamond in the rough from some of those places, but Bedenbaugh isn't hitting a bullseye on 5 guys being better than what he could have actually recruited. 

-Due to the shoddy depth of quality talent by lazy recruiting and depending upon the portal, they're also touting the utilization of true freshman Fasusi and Fodje, early, in the rotation. Folks who cover recruiting view both guys as quality talents in the long term, but neither guy should be starting or playing much in the rotation as true freshmen. 

-One of the interesting battles between Nagy and Venables that we're going to witness early on is within the OL ranks. Bedenbaugh talks to these reporters offline and he's telling folks that Everett is his center. Meanwhile, Nagy went out and bought the C from Stanford, Maikkula, and he's telling people that that guy is the starter. I cannot fucking wait to see how that sorts itself. 

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Oklahoma football 2025 fall camp position preview: Offensive line

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(Photo: Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images, USA TODAY Sports)

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    Fall camp is around the corner, and Oklahoma football's second SEC season is set to kick off in less than six weeks. As the first day of preseason practice approaches, it's time to take a closer look at each position group for the Sooners and where things stand for each unit entering Year 4 under head coach Brent Venables. The 11-part series continues with an examination of Oklahoma's offensive line.

    Departed: Spencer Brown (graduated), Michael Tarquin (graduated), Branson Hickman (graduated), Joshua Bates (transfer to SMU), Geirean Hatchett (transfer to Washington), Eugene Brooks (transfer to UCLA), Josh Aisosa (transfer to West Virginia), Evan McClure (transfer to Tulsa).

    Returning starters: Troy Everett, redshirt senior (seven starts at center); Logan Howland, redshirt sophomore (six starts at left tackle); Heath Ozaeta, redshirt sophomore (eight starts at left guard); Febechi Nwaiwu (13 starts at right guard); Jacob Sexton (eight starts between left tackle and left guard).

    Other returning players:  Jake Taylor, redshirt junior; Eddy Pierre-Louis, sophomore; Daniel Akinkunmi, redshirt freshman; Isaiah Dent, redshirt freshman

    Offseason additions: Derek Simmons, redshirt senior (Western Carolina transfer); Luke Baklenko, junior (Stanford transfer); Jake Maikkula, redshirt junior (Stanford transfer); Michael Fasusi, five-star freshman; Ryan Fodje, four-star freshman; Darius Afalava, three-star freshman; Owen Hollenbeck, three-star freshman; Sean Hutton, freshman.

    Bill Bedenbaugh is one of the most well-respected offensive line coaches in the country, but Oklahoma's inaugural SEC season featured an offensive line that didn't come close to approaching that standard in the trenches. Among the many issues the Sooners had offensively in 2024, it started with an inconsistent offensive line — a unit that navigated injuries, started eight different lineups through the season's first nine games before finally settling on a core fire, and which allowed more sacks (50) than any other team in the country.

    In short, an attempt to rebuild the line through the transfer portal — with five additions, all of whom made at least one start — backfired on Oklahoma. The Sooners' offensive line finished the season 119th among FBS teams in pass-blocking efficiency, according to Pro Football Focus, as the program endured its worst offensive season since 1998. Oklahoma will attempt to turn things around up front with improved depth (and health) — along with homegrown experience — across the line, with a much lesser reliance on the transfer portal (three additions, with only one projected to start) to help set the foundation of a new-look offense this season. The Sooners return four players who finished the season as starters — Logan Howland, Heath Ozaeta, Troy Everett and Febechi Nwaiwu — along with quality depth up and down the line that should better position the unit for success this fall.

     

     

    Projected depth chart:

    LEFT TACKLE

    -- Logan Howland, redshirt sophomore (2024 stats: six starts, 502 snaps, two sacks allowed, 19 total pressures allowed, 96.0 pass-blocking efficiency)

    -- Michael Fasusi, freshman (2024 stats: N/A)

    LEFT GUARD

    -- Jacob Sexton, senior (2024 stats: eight starts, 510 snaps, four sacks allowed, 18 total pressures allowed, 96.1 pass-blocking efficiency) OR

    -- Heath Ozaeta, redshirt sophomore (2024 stats: eight starts, 630 snaps, four sacks allowed, 15 total pressures allowed, 97.1 pass-blocking efficiency)

    -- Eddy Pierre-Louis, sophomore (2024 stats: no starts, 65 total snaps, no sacks or pressures allowed, 100.0 pass-blocking efficiency)

    CENTER

    -- Troy Everett, redshirt senior (2024 stats: seven starts, 523 snaps, four sacks allowed, seven total pressures allowed, 98.1 pass-blocking efficiency)

    -- Jake Maikkula, senior (2024 stats: 11 starts, 764 snaps, three sacks allowed, 19 total pressures allowed, 97.4 pass-blocking efficiency)

    RIGHT GUARD

    -- Febechi Nwaiwu, redshirt senior (2024 stats: 13 starts, 864 snaps, four sacks allowed, 16 total pressures allowed, 97.9 pass-blocking efficiency) OR

    -- Eddy Pierre-Louis, sophomore (2024 stats: no starts, 65 total snaps, no sacks or pressures allowed, 100.0 pass-blocking efficiency)

    -- Ryan Fodje, freshman (2024 stats: N/A)

    RIGHT TACKLE

    -- Derek Simmons, redshirt senior (2024 stats: nine starts, 612 snaps, no sacks allowed, 11 total pressures allowed, 98.6 pass-blocking efficiency)

    -- Jake Taylor, redshirt junior (2024 stats: four starts, 169 snaps, two sacks allowed, 10 total pressures allowed, 93.3 pass-blocking efficiency)

     
    13189818.jpg?fit=bounds&crop=620:320,offset-y0.50&width=620&height=320

     

    Post-spring departures: Josh Aisosa (transfer to West Virginia)

    Outlook: For all that's being made of Oklahoma's additions of quarterback John Mateer and running back Jaydn Ott, along with a retooled wide receiver corps, the success of the Sooners' offensive rebuild—and season at large—hinges on the growth of the offensive line. The unit will either raise the floor for Oklahoma in 2025 or lower its ceiling.

    The Sooners are hoping on the latter after last year's failed experiment with a portal-heavy rebuild up front. This time around, the Sooners are only expected to rely on one new transfer addition, right tackle Derek Simmons, who came in from Western Carolina and has allowed just one sack since the 2021 season. Simmons emerged as the projected starter at right tackle in the spring, and while Oklahoma returns players at the four remaining spots along the line who started at least the final six games of last season — left tackle Logan Howland, left guard Heath Ozaeta, center Troy Everett and right guard Febechi Nwaiwu — there's expected to be some real competition for three of those jobs during fall camp.

    Everett, in his third year with the program after transferring from Appalachian State, is firmly entrenched as the starting center and has developed into one of the key leaders on the roster for Oklahoma offensively. The real intrigue is at left tackle and the two guard spots, where the Sooners have a wealth of quality options to choose from.

    Howland and Ozaeta both showed promise during the second half of last season, when the two former 2023 signees settled into a comfort zone on the left side of the line. However, both missed spring practices after undergoing offseason labrum procedures, opening the door for more competition at left tackle and left guard. While both redshirt sophomores will vie to hold onto those starting spots, a lot hinges on what Oklahoma wants to do with Jacob Sexton, who started eight games last season (four each at left tackle and left guard) before missing the end of the season due to injury and has 13 total starts over the last three seasons. Sexton worked with the first-team offense at left tackle in the spring but could kick back inside during fall camp, as Oklahoma is expected to tinker with its combinations early on and move some pieces around. It seems likely that Sexton and Ozaeta could compete for the starting job at left guard, while Howland remains at left tackle and is backed up by five-star freshman Michael Fasusi, who impressed in his first spring on campus and could realistically see the field as a true freshman.

    That would mean sophomore Eddy Pierre-Louis, who got most of the first-team work at left guard in Ozaeta's absence this spring, would likely kick back to the right side and compete with Nwaiwu for the job at right guard. Nwaiwu, a former North Texas transfer, started all 13 games last season and led the offense in snaps played but struggled with consistency in his first SEC Season. Pierre-Louis, meanwhile, has continued to turn heads with his development, and Brent Venables identified him first among underclassmen you could "see a lot of" this season.

    That's to say nothing of the other up-and-coming pieces Oklahoma has along the line, including redshirt freshman guard Daniel Akinkunmi (another player Venables believes can contribute this season) and true freshman Ryan Fodje, as well as more experienced depth with the return of Jake Taylor (likely the backup to Simmons at right tackle) and the additions of Stanford transfers Luke Baklenko (experience at both tackle spots) and Jake Maikkula (expected to back up Everett at center, with experience at both guard spots as well).

    Over the course of fall camp, how the offensive line takes shape will be the most intriguing aspect of the Sooners to monitor. Bedenbaugh (with the help of analyst Kevin Wilson) and new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle have no shortage of viable options — with improved depth at each position — to choose from, but it's pertinent that Oklahoma settles on a starting five sooner rather than later. The Sooners can't afford a repeat of last season along the line, and there's reason to believe the unit will be much improved this fall.

    What they said: "Obviously, you got to learn from your mistakes, but you can't just live off of that all the time. You got to learn from it, move on, swallow it and move on. That's in the past. We all know what happened and know it was not even close to where we need to be, but now we're going to a place where, 'OK, use that for what we did last year, and drive it as motivation to make sure it never happens again.'" — center Troy Everett after the Crimson Combine.

 

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Holy shit.  That is some truly macabre shit! 

They've convinced themselves that Mateer is the chosen one and they are going to make a playoff run.  It sure sounds like they are much more likely to have a blowout, run off the road into a ditch and explode into a spectacular fireball.

I'm picturing something similar to the end of Mad Max.  Maybe after they run off into the ditch in the middle of the season LSU can handcuff them to the car frame and leave them a hacksaw and a timebomb to put them out of commission.

mad-max-pLfAFm.gif 

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