Not a ton went right last night, but here goes nothing:
Ridiculously Ridiculous
Dave Yost’s Hair
I don’t know the difference between a highlight and hair weave, but Homerism’s lady swears Missouri’s offensive coordinator dyes those golden locks of his.
How does he have time to think about that stuff, let alone get to Columbia’s finest salon to get it done? Shouldn’t he be drawing up bubble screens and stuff?
Cale Gundy’s Running Backs Rotation
Roy Finch didn’t see the rock or the field nearly enough last night, particularly in the second half. He averaged 6.6 yards per carry for the evening; DeMarco Murray was getting 4.1.
Going forward, OU should put Finch and Murray on the field together more often. Murray has looked good all season when split out.
Pass Rush
OU’s pass rush was non-existent last night, enabling Mizzou quarterback Blaine Gabbert to surgically carve up the secondary. Even when defensive coordinator Brent Venables brought pressure, MU’s offensive line snuffed them out. Time and again, Gabbert relaxed in the pocket, giving his receivers time to get free and let routes develop.
This takes us to…
Defensive Line
Missouri’s offensive linemen physically whipped OU’s front four all night long. Aside from keeping Gabbert’s pocket clean, the Tigers manhandled OU in the running game.
By the fourth quarter, the D-line was done.
Mossis Madu
Sadly for Madu, I think Saturday night may have been the last time he’ll see meaningful snaps at running back. His penchant for fumbling simply makes him too much of a liability with the ball in his hands.
Fortunately, Finch has come on strong since returning from injury, giving OU a strong No. 2 option behind Murray
Last Punt
Jimmy Stevens
Same as it ever was.
Ridiculous
Landry Jones
Saturday night, OU’s sophomore quarterback looked a lot more like the frazzled rookie Sooner fans saw last season than the confident signal caller of 2010. The interception in the first half was awful, a clear case of Mizzou taking advantage of Jones’ tendency to lock onto a receiver. The second pick, which was tipped at the line of scrimmage, wasn’t quite so bad, but Jones still telegraphed the throw.
Offensive Line
First things first, MU’s talented defensive front played an inspired game. Plenty of o-lines would have struggled to keep the Tigers’ front four at bay.
Even so, this unit’s continued inability to open up holes in the running game is frustrating. Things just don’t seem to be getting better.
Instant Replay
Can someone please explain what the standards are for overturning a ruling on the field? If it’s “incontrovertible evidence,” I’d love to hear what that evidence was in the case of the ruling on T.J. Moe’s apparent fumble in the second half.
I’d definitely agree that it was a borderline call. If it had been ruled an incompletion in the first place, I wouldn’t have seen an argument to go the other way. Still, this struck me as another case of the replay booth “re-officiating” a play, rather than looking for evidence that the call on the field was wrong. It drives me nuts.
Sublime
Ryan Broyles
Ultra-paranoid Bob Stoops and Co. did a good job keeping a lid on Broyles’ injured ankle leading up to the game. It was a nasty surprise to learn on Saturday that the Sooners’ best offensive weapon hadn’t practiced all week.
Broyles gutted it out, though. He clearly wasn’t running at full speed, but he still played great, as always.
Sublimely Sublime
The Freshmen
I know it seems like I rave about OU’s rookies every week, but this group is just that good. This week, it was linebacker Corey Nelson who was given the chance to really show his stuff for the first time. All in all, six true freshmen played significant roles Saturday night – Nelson, Finch, Kenny Stills, Aaron Colvin, Trey Millard and Tony Jefferson.
We’re talking about a high-profile matchup on national television for the (then) No. 1 team in the BCS. That doesn’t usually happen on Stoops’ watch.