Mr. P

Better than coming out of the closet, I reckon... :D That'll preach. ;)

Both teams come in with a lot of questions to answer, but Ore City certainly has the edge. If I was handicapping this game, I'd say Rebels win by 14. They've got some talent, and you know they're well-coached. Overton is still young, but experienced. The freshmen who started a couple years ago are battle-tested upperclassmen now. There's a lot of pride in these kids, them Harmony boys are building something special... but there are still a few intangibles. The hometown boy in me says the Mustangs shock Ore City for a nailbiting win, but the weary realist says the Rebels come in with the upper hand. I think it's close early on, with OC catching momentum late to win going-away. Something like 38-20.

I can't vouch for the AP, but if I catch someone at the LNJ "embellishing," they're fired. No warning. No strikes. Termination. Period.

A few games may be closer than recent years, but I expect Tenaha to still be the team to beat in this region.

I agree with LibertyEylau up there, I'm not wanting to go all-in with the passing game. One-dimensional teams can't hack it with the way the game is evolving. We were thumped pretty good by a Clemson team that sold out to stop the run, and succeeded. The main thing I'm seeing that encourages me is that he seems to be able to do alot with not much. ECU mans their roster with other teams' castoffs. Riley has a whole heckuvalot of talent to work with at OU, he should do well. But I just hope he's the type who readily makes adjustments. That's the main "unforgivable sin" that bothered me about Heupel. He would keep trying to do things that the D had already shown it was stopping. OU can and should be a pass-first program. But it shouldn't be any more than a 55-45 divide. With the young backfield talent coming up, a strong passing game will only aide the RBs being able to run in space.

OK, done a little snooping. Dude's one of Leach's disciples (love) and he seems like an aggressive and dynamic playcaller (double love) and has done very well as a developer of young QBs (much needed). I hate to sound greedy but, what else? C'mon Valhalla, help me get excited about this hire! I need this! ;)

Sell him to me... it's not the sexy hire I wanted but, admittedly, I don't know enough about him.

Spring of my junior year... I told Smoaky I wanted to play QB for the U, and he suggested I hit the weights and try to walk-on at NU as a fullback. True story.

Couldn't he have acted a fool a week earlier?

He's definitely earned some time in the bass boat. ;) Happy trails Dickey, thanks for the memories!

What's the angle for Bielema, other than money? I mean, yeah, I can see why Nebraska wants him, but I don't see the draw for him. He didn't play for Nebraska, he's not from there. The Big 10 is not as prominent as the SEC. He's got Arkansas looking salty, and could make a legit conference run in a year or two. Going to NU puts him back in rebuilding mode. Help me out here...

^^^Listen to this guy, he knows his stuff. Venables is an excellent assistant D-coord, or as the top guy for an upper-middle calibre team like Clemson... he's a chalkboard nerd who can prepare and gameplan very well. On the sidelines he's passionate but stays in control (unlike, say, raving maniacs Mike Stoops or Will Muschamp). Against teams with lesser (or sometimes even equal) talent, his defenses look absolutely amazing. But when it's not working... well... Venables seems pathologically opposed to making adjustments. When the opposing offense has him figured out, he seems too patient to mix up his blitzes/coverages—as if he's thinks "eventually" the talent deficit in his favor will win the day. Again, not a terrible philosophy when you've got much better players. He's not a great recruiter either, tends to go for raw physicality over technique. His top recruits often looked good on paper (Chijioke Onyenegecha, Reggie Smith) but never really developed during their time at OU. BV is perfect for a school like Clemson or Kansas State or Louisville—a low-pressure program not in the championship conversation year-in and year-out, somewhere his defenses can fly below the radar, and look superb against average competition.

Overton had Normangee beat, but the Panthers showed a lotta guts and came back. They'll have no such luck against Tenaha. Tigers win +20.

Totally. I might watch a BCS game, but I would definitely watch UT/A&M face off in the Massengill Feminine Products™ Bowl, and I don't care about either team. It'd be a hotly-contested matchup, and you know the atmosphere would be crazy.

I know for some, the interest peters out once their team has been drubbed out of contention... I know I'm certainly guilty of that. With OU looking like a paper tiger this year, I'm spending more time on "honey dos" for my Saturdays.

Totally... and if utilized better, OU might have three 1,000-yard backs. <sigh>

I think that'd be a great matchup, and I would definitely watch the game, but I would take a sabbatical from all social media until it's over. My news feeds would be psychotic.

Dear Josh Heupel, I'm not the son of a coach, a National Championship-winning quarterback, or a coordinator at a major college football program. My dad was a carpenter (like his father before him), I was a mediocre signal-caller in a small East Texas town, and my day job takes place at a desk. Thus, it may sound crazy for me to tell you how to do your job. Nevertheless, I'd like to share a few things I learned from my junior high coach that you might find helpful. 1.) When you have three RBs that are as good as any in the country, maybe you have more than one of them on the field at the same time? Y'know, so the defense isn't sure who's gonna get the ball? After all, if Keith Ford goes one way, Alex Ross goes the other way, and Samaje Perine goes up the middle—well, maybe the defense has a hard time keying on all of them at the same time? Call me crazy... 2.) When you have a first down inside the 10-yard-line and have two fullbacks in the game, go under center. Come to think of it, go under center inside the red zone. Heck, go under the center 70% of the time. You've got a huge, agile front five. Line up in the I-formation and shove the football down their throats! Who're you trying to fool with this faux zone-read shotgun formation? You've got a young starting QB (with even younger backups), don't make him win games for you. History says it doesn't work out. 3.) If you're gonna act like the zone-read is a part of the offense, the QB is gonna have to run the ball sometimes. This ain't the good ol' days where Sam or Landry could just be pocket passers. OU's signal-callers can all run, don't cut off their legs. The quarterback must be a threat to run. None of them are at the level as passers where the defense is gonna back off in coverage. If the defense knows they can pin their ears back and just key on the primary ballcarrier, that back is not gonna be able to get yards—no matter how strong (Perine), fast (Ross), or elusive (Ford) he is. Eight defenders in the box can overload even the best o-line. 4.) If you're gonna run a screen pass on 3rd and long, do yourself a favor: just punt the dang ball on third down. I'm not saying it's never worked, but I've seen it fail far more often than not. There are a hundred different types of pass plays (and even a few running plays) that I'd try on 3rd and long before a screen pass. Maybe put this play on the shelf for a while. I know the rest of y'all have some things you'd tell Josh, feel free to add 'em. :lol:

Carlisle wins on a 50-yard field goal. :lol:

Got a lotta youngsters, they should do well...

Normangee wins 30-24...

End of regulation... tied 24-24.

END OF 3rd Overton: 24 Normangee 16.

HALFTIME Overton: 16, Normangee: 8

Everyone bundle up and drive safe, here's hoping for a hard-hitting, injury-free game for all!