🔴 Sooners 2022 thread

[Valhalla]

35 minutes ago, DB2point0 said:

Well it’s a good thing yOU hired Venables.  

Texas had more head coaches the last 10 years that they have total Big 12 Championships in football during the whole existence of the conference.

[DannyZuco]

On 10/1/2022 at 10:12 PM, JohnnyFootball said:

Don't let it get to you. OU will be rebuilding for the next year or two. Just hang in there til then. 

Just in time to be at the bottom of the SEC with Vanderbilt? 

[JohnnyFootball]

12 minutes ago, DannyZuco said:

Just in time to be at the bottom of the SEC with Vanderbilt? 

Um. Good one, I guess? 

[Mr. P]

This guy says what I've been saying, but much better: Oklahoma has won plenty in Big 12. But recent pains, losses necessary for SEC standard

Quote

In the grand scheme, this needed to happen. Perhaps the totality of this pain will help the people who have been at Oklahoma understand that what they were doing was good, but it won’t be good enough where they’re going.

And:

Quote

Unlike Alabama or Clemson or any program not named Ohio State, 21st Century Oklahoma hasn’t felt the desperation that comes from any sort of repeated losing. That pain, which usually serves as a college football program’s most powerful motivator, has been kept at bay by maddeningly consistent competence.

OU has desperately needed a culture shift. As much as I love Bob, he was starting to slip. Riley was...   Riley. OU was trending down well before the Trojans came a-courtin. 

More than Venables, the admin and university leadership needed a season like this to understand that we can't keep cutting corners and expecting results. Even the also-ran programs in the SEC are all-in and vested. Kick the "wine and cheese" crowd and the wokescolds to the sideline. Get loaded for bear, or expect more ###-kickings on the regular. 

[ETXfan16]

2 hours ago, LOL said:

This guy says what I've been saying, but much better: Oklahoma has won plenty in Big 12. But recent pains, losses necessary for SEC standard

And:

OU has desperately needed a culture shift. As much as I love Bob, he was starting to slip. Riley was...   Riley. OU was trending down well before the Trojans came a-courtin. 

More than Venables, the admin and university leadership needed a season like this to understand that we can't keep cutting corners and expecting results. Even the also-ran programs in the SEC are all-in and vested. Kick the "wine and cheese" crowd and the wokescolds to the sideline. Get loaded for bear, or expect more ###-kickings on the regular. 

This is a great point. Take it from somebody that has gone through the coaching carousel.

Not to make it about Texas here, but I feel the pain the Sooners are going through (minus the recent competence, mind you). But Sark going 5-7 last year didn't have me worried at all. Venables might not have a good record at the end of the year, but sometimes you need a change of identity, and with that change comes a lot of growing pains. OU, while having consistent success, also has had consistent issues in the past 5-10 years. Mainly looking at the defense. This screenshot was from Saturday, and I vividly remember you sharing a photo from a few years back of almost the same exact picture with Mark Stoops' defense.

 

Change takes time and patience. Is Venables the guy? I'm not sure, but there's certainly potential there that makes you optimistic if you're a Sooner fan looking down the road. Texas collapsed in so many games last year, but you saw the offensive potential and what Sark could really do, and now we are slowly seeing what he can do when he has his guys in his offense. 

Just my .02 cents. 

Edited October 4, 2022 by ETXfan16

[Mr. P]

22 minutes ago, ETXfan16 said:

This screenshot was from Saturday, and I vividly remember you sharing a photo from a few years back of almost the same exact picture with Mark Stoops' defense.

 Yup. There are numerous screenshots like this being passed around Sooner faithful. The number of blown alignments and blown assignments we're seeing has been difficult to watch. But at the same time, we have guys who are learning a completely new system, philosophy, and playbook. Venables is wisely shouldering all the blame thus far. Even though it's the players who are failing to execute on the field, the burden of preparation falls on the coaches. 

Obviously I am not happy to be taking this kind of a beating, especially this early in the season, but I do believe it is for the best. OU has danced with mediocrity for far too long. While it was enough to dominate the Big XII conference for over a decade, our days in this mid-tier conference are winding down. The Sooners must evolve.  

I remain optimistic for the future with the things I've seen myself (and others I know about via "sources") that Venables has the trajectory going in the right direction. Most of my concerns at this point are centered on getting the right personnel in place, and getting university administration to rise to the occasion. 

[eagle34]

3 hours ago, LOL said:

This guy says what I've been saying, but much better: Oklahoma has won plenty in Big 12. But recent pains, losses necessary for SEC standard

And:

OU has desperately needed a culture shift. As much as I love Bob, he was starting to slip. Riley was...   Riley. OU was trending down well before the Trojans came a-courtin. 

More than Venables, the admin and university leadership needed a season like this to understand that we can't keep cutting corners and expecting results. Even the also-ran programs in the SEC are all-in and vested. Kick the "wine and cheese" crowd and the wokescolds to the sideline. Get loaded for bear, or expect more ###-kickings on the regular. 

 Not sure how they were trending down with Riley? Seemed like they Made the playoffs more times than not with him. Consistently ranked in the Top 10 with him. Venables isn't even in the same stratosphere as Riley! Sooner fans are delusional to not admit what a crushing blow it was to lose him. 

[Mr. P]

16 hours ago, eagle34 said:

 Not sure how they were trending down with Riley? Seemed like they Made the playoffs more times than not with him...

The stats bear this out.

16 hours ago, eagle34 said:

Venables isn't even in the same stratosphere as Riley! Sooner fans are delusional to not admit what a crushing blow it was to lose him. 

Nope, I respectfully disagree. 

[Valhalla]

2 hours ago, eagle34 said:

 Not sure how they were trending down with Riley? Seemed like they Made the playoffs more times than not with him. Consistently ranked in the Top 10 with him. Venables isn't even in the same stratosphere as Riley! Sooner fans are delusional to not admit what a crushing blow it was to lose him. 

Tell me you haven’t really watched Oklahoma play football the past 5 years without saying it.

[ETXfan16]

15 hours ago, eagle34 said:

 Not sure how they were trending down with Riley? Seemed like they Made the playoffs more times than not with him. Consistently ranked in the Top 10 with him. Venables isn't even in the same stratosphere as Riley! Sooner fans are delusional to not admit what a crushing blow it was to lose him. 

Statistically OU was trending down with Lincoln Riley, and going to the SEC was the writing on the wall for him. He didn't want any part of that. Riley was fortunate to strike gold with QB's in the transfer portal, which imo masked the downward trend OU was on the longer he was there.

[Mr. P]

4 minutes ago, ETXfan16 said:

Statistically OU was trending down with Lincoln Riley, and going to the SEC was the writing on the wall for him. He didn't want any part of that. Riley was fortunate to strike gold with QB's in the transfer portal, which imo masked the downward trend OU was on the longer he was there.

Obviously you're just a delusional Sooner fan. Facts and stats be damned. 

[ETXfan16]

5 minutes ago, LOL said:

Obviously you're just a delusional Sooner fan. Facts and stats be damned. 

[eagle34]

22 hours ago, LOL said:

Obviously you're just a delusional Sooner fan. Facts and stats be damned. 

"Stats be damned" ????? He was at OU for 5 years, he won the Big 12 4 of those years. His record was 55-10. His Team played in 4 New Years Six bowl games in 5 years. He made 3 College Football Playoffs in 5 years.  Riley won 85% of his games at OU, Stoops 79% and Switzer 83%. Yes, I agree Delusional Sooner Fans. Stats be damned

[Mr. P]

1 hour ago, eagle34 said:

"Stats be damned" ????? He was at OU for 5 years, he won the Big 12 4 of those years. His record was 55-10. His Team played in 4 New Years Six bowl games in 5 years. He made 3 College Football Playoffs in 5 years.  Riley won 85% of his games at OU, Stoops 79% and Switzer 83%. Yes, I agree Delusional Sooner Fans. Stats be damned

What's your argument here? That Riley was successful at OU? 

No one disputes that. 

The contention is that OU was trending downward. And again: that stats bear that out. 

I'm sorry you can't understand this. 

[eagle34]

50 minutes ago, LOL said:

What's your argument here? That Riley was successful at OU? 

No one disputes that. 

The contention is that OU was trending downward. And again: that stats bear that out. 

I'm sorry you can't understand this. 

Where is the downward trend? Last years 11-2 record or the 12-2 record the year before.  Please explain because the numbers don't support your stance. Look, I get it that Riley hurt the Sooner fans feelings by leaving but don't distort the facts. Again,  what downward Trend are you referencing?

[Valhalla]

13 minutes ago, eagle34 said:

Where is the downward trend? Last years 11-2 record or the 12-2 record the year before.  Please explain because the numbers don't support your stance. Look, I get it that Riley hurt the Sooner fans feelings by leaving but don't distort the facts. Again,  what downward Trend are you referencing?

The team got worse every year he was the HC.

[eagle34]

16 minutes ago, Valhalla said:

The team got worse every year he was the HC.

The record was the same every year and they won the Big 12 every year but his last. How did they get worse? Your opinion I'm assuming 

[iRockNewbzz]

I don't know if I'll get a chance to chat much rest of today or tomorrow, but just wanted to say GLGL to OU for upcoming game on Saturday.

-As big of a rivalry as this is, I do hope it's the usual hard fought battle with no injuries and that each team can get better week after week.-

[Mr. P]

2 hours ago, eagle34 said:

Again,  what downward Trend are you referencing?

[JohnnyFootball]

5 minutes ago, LOL said:

Wow. Incredible stuff here. 

[Mr. P]

1 minute ago, JohnnyFootball said:

Wow. Incredible stuff here. 

Yes, the facts are clear: Riley inherited a premium program, sustained it for a while somewhat, but failed to improve it moving forward. His tenure was bolstered by two Heisman QBs and a Heisman finalist (none of the three he recruited), all of whom are now in the NFL. 

For the thousandth time: Riley is an excellent coach, one of the best play-designers in the game, and a top-notch recruiter. I have every confidence that he will have USC winning conference titles and pulling in top recruits. There is absolutely zero bitterness here. I give him all the credit in the world for the things he accomplished at OU...  but it was time for a change.

Lincoln Riley's days were numbered in the Big XII, and he wanted no part of the SEC grist mill. He made the right decision.

[eagle34]

10 minutes ago, LOL said:

All this is fine for the computer geeks. 12-2 first year. 11-2 5th year. You can spin the numbers anyway you want but the bottom line is they dominated the Conference every year but 1.  In Football the only thing stat that matters is wins and losses. As a Longhorn fan I made the mistake of taking for granted Mack Brown and his 10 win seasons. Riley took over Stoops and took them back to National prominence but go ahead with the program was going downhill. Again and let it sink in. 12-2 year 1, 11-2 year 2!!!

[Mr. P]

Just now, eagle34 said:

All this is fine for the computer geeks. 12-2 first year. 11-2 5th year. You can spin the numbers anyway you want but the bottom line is they dominated the Conference every year but 1.  In Football the only thing stat that matters is wins and losses. As a Longhorn fan I made the mistake of taking for granted Mack Brown and his 10 win seasons. Riley took over Stoops and took them back to National prominence but go ahead with the program was going downhill. Again and let it sink in. 12-2 year 1, 11-2 year 2!!!

Your opinion is noted. Thank you for your interest in Oklahoma football. Have a nice day! 

[JohnnyFootball]

7 minutes ago, eagle34 said:

All this is fine for the computer geeks. 12-2 first year. 11-2 5th year. You can spin the numbers anyway you want but the bottom line is they dominated the Conference every year but 1.  In Football the only thing stat that matters is wins and losses. As a Longhorn fan I made the mistake of taking for granted Mack Brown and his 10 win seasons. Riley took over Stoops and took them back to National prominence but go ahead with the program was going downhill. Again and let it sink in. 12-2 year 1, 11-2 year 2!!!

The thing is, you can't just look at records in a vacuum- it's a LOT more nuanced than that. The program trajectory was downward, as LOL showed, in many ways. You asked where the downward trend was, he showed it. 

[eagle34]

On 10/6/2022 at 12:28 PM, JohnnyFootball said:

The thing is, you can't just look at records in a vacuum- it's a LOT more nuanced than that. The program trajectory was downward, as LOL showed, in many ways. You asked where the downward trend was, he showed it. 

I disagree totally. If Riley was still there they would more than likely be undefeated and on their way to the Big 12 Championship game again. They made a terrible hire (not John Blake bad, but not good). In the meantime the Trojans will be in the Playoff with one of the top 3 Coaches in the Country. I know as an Aggie fan if Jimbo was 55-10 in his first 5 years you wouldn't be talking about the program going downhill after an 11-2 record.