Keys to OU-TT and Switzer on Dupree story

<p><em class="gnmEkDate">Originally Published: Nov 11, 2010 8:36 PM CDT</em></p><P>Preamble: ESPN&rsquo;S new documentary starring Marcus Dupree, &ldquo;The Best there Never Was&rdquo; aired Tuesday and

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 1:29 pm

By: News 9


Originally Published: Nov 11, 2010 8:36 PM CDT

Preamble: ESPN’S new documentary starring Marcus Dupree, “The Best there Never Was” aired Tuesday and again Thursday night. It was entertaining and is getting a lot of attention. Especially entertaining was the video of the former Sooner running back in his ballyhooed high school days in Philadelphia, MS. There were some serious indictments in the piece, several relating to Barry Switzer and his program. I’ve spoken at length with the coach.


Simply put, some of his comments cemented my opinion that there are two sides to every story. It’s a shame that either there was a lot left on the cutting room floor, or that some of the issues were not completely covered. While Coach Switzer enjoyed the two-hour story, he told me several things that could have been added to make it more complete, and more accurate. And he says there are some things that were misleading or flat-out lies. He says he’s spoken with Marcus off-and-on for a long time and that Dupree always tells him that he made the biggest mistake of his life by leaving OU. I’ll reveal a lot more details in a few day on these pages.


Keys for OU offense versus Texas Tech defense

1. Block somebody, pleasetruth serum in the offensive coaches, and they’ll point to that is the No. 1 problem. OU runs against Nobody’s and struggles against the Somebody’s. If it’s Somebody’s on the road, game, set, match. 

2. A coach tell 22 to get in the gamemany of us were flabbergasted that DeMarco Murray survived and at times thrived with 39 touches (for the record, 25 runs, 10 recepts, 4 kick returnswhich if they’d preferred Roy Finch return the kicks, they’d have had him  trade places with Murray). I suspect the pecking order of making sure that Finch gets his share of touches versus Tech is Stoops, OC Kevin Wilson and RB Coach Cale Gundywho is still scrambling to stand up after being thrown under the bus by his OC, who said it is always up to the position coaches to decide who plays.

3. Improved blocking on perimetera good deal of OU’s offense is based upon having success on the perimeter, be it bubbles or runs off bubble calls, or stretch plays that get pushed out, etc. The wide receivers were somewhere between poor and awful in their blocking duties. WR Coach Jay Norvelle is big on “competing” on every play, and I expect it to be much improved and to also use other ways to attack the defense if it brings a safety over the top and shuts down the perimeter game like A/M did. Tech is lame in pass defense (The Red Raiders bring the 118th-ranked pass defense, allowing 293 yards per game, against Broyles, who leads the FBS in receptions per game (9.6) and Jones, who is third in passing (315.2 yards).

 

Keys for OU defense versus Texas Tech

1. Play with a wreckless abandon for sixty minutesit might sound trite to put it that way, but I’m seeing this defense make too many alignment mistakes and overall busts. More importantly, I see a defense that is not responding.

2. Don’t let QB Taylor Potts get in a groove-He didnt start in last weeks win over Missouri but he came off the bench late in the first half and threw TD passes on three straight possessions. Hes ranked 20th in the nation in total offense (280 yards).

3. Stronger in the middleeveryone knows the down linemen are not playing anywhere close to what the great OU teams have gotten in the past. How could you, with guys like Tommie Harris and Gerald McCoy in the NFL and with your best remaining player playing on a weak and painful ankle that allows him to have 50 percent the impact he would have had if he’d returned healthy for his senior season (Adrian Taylora fabulous young mansuffered the grotesque ankle fracture in the Sun Bowl win over Pac-Ten leading Stanford)? Injuries and lack of depth make that position weak. That means Brent Venables must get stronger play from DBs and LBs, not only on the edges, but in the guts of the defense. Wort, Jefferson and four or five others must pick it up, or the Sooners will lose two of their final three games.

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Finally, OU is honoring players from its 1950 and 1955 national championship teams Saturday at the Tech game. OU has a good problem: They want to give special honor to the championship teams, but there are more teams than home games. OU has won seven national championships (1950,’55, ’56, ’74, ’75, 85, 2000.) They have six home games. That’s why they are doubling up Saturday.

Ryan Broyles needs one catch to break the career record of 221 he shares with Mark Clayton. That’s been a goal of the Norman junior since he first arrived on campus.

Sooners are only 11 point favoritesmeaning  if the two played at a neutral site, Tech would be only a 6 point underdogs. We won’t touch on any details of anything related to OU playing on the road against Texas. History says it would not be pretty.

The last three meetings have featured more than 800 yards combined total offense, with 201 points scored in all.  Texas Tech last won in Norman in 1996.

It would not stun me to see the TT RRs pull the upset and stop the 35-game home win streak. But putting a gun to my heada scary habitI’m toasting to a Steve Owens. Win No. 36 in a row: OU 41-31.

 



 

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