SEC analyst details Oklahoma's gameplan to pull off an upset win in Red River Rivalry game against Texas
There's not a lot of public optimism about the Oklahoma Sooners and their chances to beat the Texas Longhorns this week. However, it's a deep rivalry game, and there is a pathway for the Sooners to win this game. SEC Network analyst Cole Cubelic joined On3's Andy Staples and Ari Wasserman to break down how […]
There's not a lot of public optimism about the Oklahoma Sooners and their chances to beat the Texas Longhorns this week.
However, it's a deep rivalry game, and there is a pathway for the Sooners to win this game. SEC Network analyst Cole Cubelic joined On3's Andy Staples and Ari Wasserman to break down how Oklahoma can pull off the upset.
"First and foremost, the offense for Oklahoma has to change. It has to be built around the talents of the quarterback and what’s available to the team. Tennessee game, it was all compressed. It was tight ends and bunch formations, close to the line of scrimmage and my immediate thought was you have this offensive line that’s banged up, that’s not good right now and a young quarterback who’s just entered the game, get those people away from the football. I don’t want them near my guy. Get ’em away from me, let him breathe a little bit and let’s get some stuff going and then you get inside the 10 and it’s like, ‘Here come the read plays, here come the jet motions.’ Where’s that between the 20s? With that guy? If they can build the offense that way, around him and his talents, because Ari’s right: It’s not going to be an 80-year pass at the end of the game to win this game."
Cubelic also mentioned that Oklahoma's defense, one of the two real defenses the Longhorns will play this season, just isn't going to stop Texas often, a curious notion considering Mississippi State forced multiple punts and turnovers in their last game.
"They’re not going to stop Texas that many times. They’re not. This offense is too explosive with high percentage plays and an elite, elite, elite game caller. And their defense is pretty damn good."
A worse Oklahoma defense seemed to do a pretty good job mitigating a better Texas offense last season, but I digress.
The game plan shouldn't change for Oklahoma's offense. Yes, they are short-handed at wide receiver this week. Yes, they are starting a true freshman at quarterback (not like we haven't seen a true freshman decimate Texas before). However, there are still avenues to hit Texas's defense.
They are vulnerable in the run game and can get hit up the middle. Their defensive backs have shown multiple plays on film where they get beat deep that didn't get hit or have poor alignment. It's important to remember process>results when studying film, and Texas has gotten away with multiple poor process plays on both sides of the ball due to a poor schedule.
If Oklahoma can do that and hit those plays (they generated multiple explosives against Auburn), the defense will be able to tee off on Texas and Quinn Ewers, who will be coming back from injury and tends to turn the ball over frequently under pressure and make bad decisions.
This is the ultimate test for their offense. If the Sooners want to silence their doubters moving forward, this weekend is their best shot to do so.
