Pokes Stun Mizzou, Lose to A&M

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That magic. That excitement. That aura of loudness Gallagher Iba Arena echoed some 8 years ago seemed to re-enter the building last week. The Oklahoma State Cowboys stunned the number 2 ranked Missouri Tigers last Wednesday night to begin to state their case as a "bubble team". What a night for freshman LeBryan Nash. He scored 27 points and clearly felt comfortable in the spotlight. Students rushed the floor, the building was buzzing late in the second half and you could ALMOST hear the echoes of the early 2000's Cowboys.

I said "almost". Three days later, the Pokes traveled to College Station to take on the Texas A&M Aggies. This was a game the Cowboys certainly needed. I won't call today's a loss a season ender, but it really had to kill what momentum Oklahoma State had going. The Aggies aren't bad, but they aren't that good, either. They have a couple of good players and a really enthusiastic fan base. Other than that, they are mediocre in the Big 12. The Cowboys needed this. The players knew it. The coaches knew it. The fans knew it. They just didn't have it all together today. After starting 9-15 from the floor, the wheels fell off and the Pokes couldn't get it back on track. They do have one good thing to take from this game…the have winless Texas Tech next. Should be an easy win.

The loss today drops the Cowboys to 10-11 on the season with a 3-5 conference mark. The team doesn't have that easy of a road in the near future. After Tech, the Pokes have Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Missouri, and Texas in their next 5 games. Their 6th will be Bedlam in Norman. The Pokes must turn things around QUICK. Personally, I think Travis Ford should be on the hot seat. Way too much talent and tradition to not have more success than this. However, it was brought to my attention by an avid Pokes fan a couple of days ago that Ford's buyout is crazy and most likely won't be broken.

Time will tell, but I think OSU basketball is staring the NIT right in the face.

And The Thunder Rolls

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The Thunder are the hottest team in the Western conference right now and possibly the entire NBA.  Despite an uncharacteristic loss to the Wizards last week, the Thunder have jumped out to a 14-3 start and blown away even my high expectations.  I'll admit, when all of the NBA analysts and experts were picking the Thunder as pre-season favorites in the West, I became a bit nervous. I wondered how this young team would be able to live up to the hype and if they would really exceed last years Western Conference Finals appearance.  Thus far, I have been blown away.

The condensed season appears to definitely be favoring this young Thunder squad as their legs remain fresh deep into games even in back-to-back-to-back's.  What's even better?  The Thunder are taking care of most opponents early on allowing the starters to rest their legs for the majority of 4th quarters.  That is big when you consider the amount of physical demand placed on these players bodies playing games nearly every night of the week.

While it is still relatively early in the season, the Thunder appear to be on the fast track to finals so long as they don't let their early season success get to their heads.  The Wizards proved to the Thunder that they can't merely just show up and expect to win despite how terrible their opponents record reflects.  The Wizards had no business beating the Thunder and everyone knows it.  The Thunder are vastly talented while the Wizards are the league's bottom feeders with no real talent outside of John Wall.  The Thunder rolled into Washington with the leagues best record against a Wizards squad who had only won one game all year.  It is pretty evident that KD and crew were not motivated for this game and were running on auto-pilot.  Games like that can happen, they just can't happen on a frequent basis.  

The lone bright spot in the Washington debacle?  None other than Mr. Russell Westbrook himself.  Westbrook has quite possibly outplayed Kevin Durant over the last couple of weeks.  Was the early season contract negotiations effecting his on-court play?  It's a legitimate question considering his incredible turn-around since signing his max deal and playing like a true all-star.  Don't get me wrong, Durant has played very well, but Westbrook is really starting to come on and has been one of the main reasons for the Thunder's success thus far.

Did I mention James Harden is also playing all-star caliber ball?  Last night he lit the Pistons up for 24 points going 5 for 6 from behind the arc and making it look easy. He's averaging nearly 17 points a game with 4 rebounds and 3 assists to boot.  He is essentially doing exactly what the Thunder needed out of him and leading the second unit with precision and determination.  The beard is in full effect and doesn't show any signs of slowing down.

Do the Thunder have what it takes to make a championship run this year?  Of course they do, but having all the talent in the world doesn't always equal a championship.  The Mavericks proved last year that hard work and dedication with a little bit of luck sprinkled in is the path to a championship.  The Thunder may not be crowned champions this year, but I wouldn't bet against them this season or the next five.

Teach Me How To Gundy!

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Pokes fans, you can now breathe easy! Mike Gundy will be calling the shots in Stillwater until 2020. Recently, the OSU Board of Regents announced Gundy has received a contract extension worth 30 million dollars over the next 8 years. That's 3.7 million dollars per year. My only question to the people of OSU: "What took so long?" I feel that Gundy is a top 10 college football coach in the country. He's been a proven winner, he's won a Big 12 Championship and he's finally beaten big brother, Oklahoma. That being said, I feel that the state of Oklahoma boasts 2 of the top 10 coaches in the nation. What a great thing Oklahoma has going.

Coach Gundy has been involved with the football program at Oklahoma State for 20 years combined. Four years as a player and sixteen years as a coach. Since 2005, he's served as the head coach, taking over for LSU's Les Miles. In his 7 years on the Pokes sidelines, Gundy has boasted a 59-30 overall record including 23-3 in the last 2 seasons. He's coached some of the best players the country has ever seen. Some notables are: Adarius Bowman (CFL), Brandon Pettigrew (DET), Zac Robinson (CIN), Dantrell Savage (FA), Dan Bailey (DAL), Dez Bryant (DAL), Kendall Hunter (SF), Russell Okung (SEA), Jacob Lacey (IND), Brandon Weeden (NFL Draft), Justin Blackmon (NFL Draft) and a host of others.

There's no doubt in my mind, Oklahoma State football is here to stay. Gundy has a very respectable recruiting class coming in for 2012 and with the facilities OSU boasts, I would imagine it's only going to get better. The stadium's namesake, T. Boone Pickens, isn't afraid to throw millions and millions of dollars around to better not only the football team, but the entire campus. As long as this continues, OSU will be on the national map for as long as anyone.

Teach Me How To Gundy here

Westbrook Signs, Venables Leaves

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Some major happenings in the world of Oklahoma sports today.

After breaking down Russell Westbrook's extension only a day ago, the Thunder came to terms with Westbrook today on a 5 year $80 million dollar extension.  This is significant for a number of reasons.  While Westbrook's extension is technically a max extension, it is actually still less than what he could have held out for.  Durant is on the "super max" salary which essentially equates to 30% of the teams cap while Westbrook agreed to the "normal max" which places him in the 25% range of the team's cap range.  Now you may be asking why that 5% difference is so significant?  Well, it could mean the difference between re-signing Harden and Ibaka next season and having to let one or both go.  The way that Westbrook's extension was structured also eliminates the risk of the Rose Rule bumping him if he makes the All-NBA team this season.  His 25% is locked and there is also no opt-out clause built in anywhere meaning #0 is going to be in OKC for the next 5 years no matter what.

I did question whether or not Westbrook would be a team player and agree to a little less to help out the overall good of the team moving forward and I am pleasantly surprised at his decision to do so.  While Westbrook tends to drive me nuts like no other player, he is also a consensus top 10 player in the league and the fact that he and Durant are locked in together for at least 4 more years is a very good thing.  Westbrook has rebounded from a horrendous start of the season to really beginning to shine as the Thunder now stand at 12-3 and a force to be reckoned with in the Western conference.

Late last night news also broke that OU defensive coordinator Brent Venables had accepted the same position at Clemson.  With Bob Stoops bringing back brother Mike, he had to know that there was potential for defections within his staff.  While Bob tried his best to have his cake and eat it too, it wasn't too hard for Venables to see the writing on the wall.  The defense has failed the Sooners in recent years and Venables took the blunt of the blame.  Having the opportunity to bring Mike Stoops back was a no brainer, but put Venables in a no win situation.  If the defense improves then all the credit goes to Stoops.  Venables knew his reputation was on the line and if he ever wanted a shot at head coaching then he had to move on.  While there's no question Venables was a top notch recruiter, he simply wasn't getting the job done on the defensive side of the ball.  A Stoops and Venables combo as co-coordinators was probably the optimal solution, but if forced to pick between Brent Venables and Mike Stoops then I wouldn't hesitate for a second taking Stoops.

The hard truth is that the Sooner defense just hasn't lived up to the hype in the recent past and changes had to be made.  I wish Venables well at Clemson, but I couldn't be happier having Mike Stoops running the defense once again.

Will Westbrook Sign an Extension?

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The Thunder have exactly one week from today to sign Russell Westbrook to an extension before he will become a restricted free agent at the end of the season.  So why haven't the Thunder come to terms yet with their all-star point guard?
 
There are a few things holding this deal up, so let's break them down.
 
1. Westbrook and his agent feel like he is a max salary player.  Being an all-star last year and 2nd team All-NBA would usually indicate a max player.  However, the Thunder already have a max player in Durant and if they want to have any shot whatsoever at keeping together their young core then Westbrook is going to have to agree to take a little less.  Having Durant and Westbrook both at max salaries would tie up around 60% of the Thunder's payroll and not leave much to keep players like Harden and Ibaka whose contacts run out next season.
 
2. The Derrick Rose rule.  What does that mean?  Without trying to get all fancy, it basically means if he makes the All-NBA team again this year then he would be retroactively awarded a much larger sum of money then what the Thunder originally agreed to pay him.  Durant is already benefiting from said rule and if the Thunder sign Westbrook to a max extension and then he makes the All-NBA team then that would put the Thunder in all sorts of financial woes.
 
​3. Is Westbrook really a max salary player?  OK, so I've come off of my hostility towards Russell a bit since my last Thunder article, but I still have to wonder if the Thunder would really want to risk losing out on Harden and Ibaka long term in favor of Westbrook.  By the looks of things it appears as though Presti is trying to work out a deal where he doesn't have to choose and can keep all of the core intact.  With Maynor going down for the year it has become critical for Westbrook to improve his play and for the Thunder front office to put aside any potential trade thoughts.
 
​In the end, I think Westbrook will become a restricted free agent, but eventually sign an extension with the Thunder.  Ultimately it's up to Westbrook though if he wants to be a team player and accept a little less cash with the opportunity at multiple championships keeping the core together or if he's all about the highest bidder and getting his.  He has already proven quite selfish on the court, time will tell if he has the same mentality off as well.

Back From Vacation

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Multiple reports are now indicating what Sooner nation has been hoping for the past month, that former Oklahoma defensive coordinator Mike Stoops is set to return.  The younger Stoops spent 8 years as the Arizona head coach after being relieved of his duties earlier this season.  What was thought to be a hot commodity on the assistant coaches block, Stoops has instead chosen to reunite with big brother Bob in hopes of recreating the wild success they had early in the 2000's.

I, for one, could not be happier.  I think that the Sooner defense has simply not been the same since Mike left back in 2003.  Since that time the Sooner defense has looked lazy and complacent.  Not only has the defense looked complacent, but even brother Bob has looked a little too comfy in his shoes for the last few years.  Bob won a national championship in only his second year as a head coach and has been to 3 other national title games since.  Having that kind of success so early on in one's head coaching career could easily lead to complacency.  I think Bob had so much success that once his brother, Mike, moved on that there was no one in the club house to really call Bob out and let him know when he was slacking.  Mike Stoops brings that fire back to the Sooner locker room that they have so desperately missed and you can bet that Mike won't think twice about keeping Bob accountable and inspired.

How exactly does Bob make room for brother Mike to rejoin the Sooner staff?  Well, for starters, defensive coordinator Brent Venables has publicly stated he is on board with sharing the defensive duties with Mike Stoops once again.  That would leave Willie Martinez, Oklahoma's current secondary coach, as the odd man out.  It has been reported that Martinez is in talks with a number of other programs to take over as their defensive coordinator.  This would allow Bob to keep in line with his history of not firing assistant coaches and allow the man that Sooner nation has dearly missed over the last 8 years return to the program.

While I don't anticipate Mike Stoops rejoining the program and turning it into an Alabama or LSU defense overnight, I do foresee a change in mentality and attitude on the defensive side of the ball that only Mike can bring.  Mike Stoops has been known to let his emotions fly on the sidelines and you'd better believe that his players react to that.

In short, we will now no longer have Venables as the scapegoat for our defensive woes in the recent years.  We will now have a man fully capable back in charge and no excuses not to turn things around.  Mike Stoops is back in town boys and girls and I couldn't be happier.

Why Landry Jones Should Go Pro

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Landry Jones has a big decision coming up that will effect the landscape of OU football.  To stay or go?  I know most of the "experts" are predicting that the Sooners should be a preseason top 10 ranked team going into 2012, but only if Stache Jones shuns the NFL and returns for a senior season.  Let's just agree to disagree.

Does Landry present a safe and comfortable feeling returning for a 4th year running the Sooner offense?  Sure, he has been the one behind center since Bradford went down way back in 2009.  Jones had also shown improvements every year as a starter and going into the 2011 season he had all the big wigs convinced this was his big breakout year being a preseason Heisman front runner and leading the #1 team in the AP polls.  The only problem was that Landry stopped improving this past year and was out performed by red-shirt freshman QB Blake Bell.  If anything, Landry appeared to regress from the 2010 season.  After his go to target in Ryan Broyles went down with an ACL tear, he looked absolutely clueless throwing only one TD pass the rest of the year.  His mobility rivals that of Jason White's after 3 knee surgeries, except Landry has had no such surgeries and his decision making and accuracy are not even in the same ballpark as the 2003 Heisman trophy winner.

But Blake Bell has only ran the Belldozer formation and that won't work running every down, it's only useful in goal line and short yardage situations, you say?  I say with a little tweaking to the offense that Mr. Bell can be the stud QB they recruited him to be.  Sure he can run the ball very well, that's already been proven.  But we have yet to really see him unleash a deep ball or given a chance to run a half way normal offense.  The only pass attempts we've seen from him have come from the goal line with barely any room to work.

Blake Bell has the potential to be a better version of Tim Tebow.  While Tebow may have honed the craft of scrambling and elusiveness, I have no doubt that Bell can throw the ball better and isn't too far behind on carrying the ball.  Give him the right circumstances and opportunity and there is no telling how far Blake Bell can take this young Oklahoma squad.  We've seen Landry for 3 straight years, we know what he brings to the table.  Are we so spoiled that the opportunity for a Big 12 championship and BCS bowl game is not enough?  Maybe I am.  Maybe the thought of having no real legitimate shot at a national championship with Landry under center eats away at me.  The unknown possibilities of Blake Bell excite me.  The known limitations of Landry do not.

Is it unreasonable to expect Blake Bell to come in and lead the Sooners to a national championship game in his first season as a starter?  Absolutely.  While it may take him a season to fully acclimate and adjust to the offense around him, I feel much better about his odds in 2013 leading the Sooners with a year experience behind him than I do with another so-so year with Landry and then Bell finally getting his first opportunity going into his red-shirt junior year.  Send Landry to the pros and let Bell have the reigns for the next 2-3 years.  That excites me for next year and beyond.  Landry may have a serviceable career in the NFL under the right circumstances backing up somewhere, but I feel his time at Oklahoma should come to a close.  Now it's just up Landry to decide the fate of Sooner football for the next few years.

Fiesta Bowl Preview and Prediction

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Tonight is the night. Oklahoma State can officially stake it's claim as a BCS champion with a win over Andrew Luck and the Stanford Cardinal. In this post, I will dissect some things OSU fans probably won't want or expect to happen as the game unfolds.

There is a name no one mentions when breaking this game down. Stepfan Taylor, Stanford's 5-11, 208lb bruising running back. One thing people forget about Stanford is they are run first, pass second. They just happen to have arguably college football's most accurate and dangerous passer once they set up the opposition for the pass. Taylor is a junior from Mansfield, Texas. He is in his second straight season of over 1,000 yards. He lines up behind sometimes three lead blockers and will "nickel and dime" you to death, only to have a play-action pass called where Luck loves to hit his tight ends down the middle. Taylor is the featured back, but Stanford will use 2 to 3 backs during the game to ensure fresh legs. One thing Oklahoma State has not done well is defend the run. Stanford has a great offensive line and uses it to it's advantage. If you're an Oklahoma State fan, Taylor and committee should have you as worried, if not more than Luck.

On the other side, Joseph Randle and Jeremy Smith will be ready for the challenge to run it right back at Stanford. Randle's elusiveness and Smith's power will provide plenty of mismatches on Stanford's defensive side of the ball, only to set up the pass where Weeden will undoubtedly have his eyes locked on Justin Blackmon the majority of the game. Stanford hasn't faced a receiver all year like Blackmon, with maybe the small exception to Robert Woods from USC, who torched Stanford early in the year. The Cowboys need to use the tight ends in this game and continually move the ball. Turnovers aren't an option, because I just can't see the Pokes forcing The Cardinal to punt the ball that much.

Luck and Weeden's "Swan Song's" will provide a lot of emotion as both of these quarterbacks have so much passion for what they do and where they play their college football. The similarities are almost scary between these two teams. Great quarterbacks, great running backs, great coaching and sidelines full of winners.

Quarterbacks: Edge – Stanford

Running Backs: Edge – Stanford

Wide Receivers: Edge – Oklahoma State

Tight Ends: Edge – Stanford

O-Line: Edge – PUSH

D-Line: Edge – PUSH

Linebackers: Edge – Oklahoma State

Secondary: Edge – PUSH

Special Teams: Edge – Oklahoma State

Coaching: Edge – Oklahoma State

I'm probably most excited about THIS game than any game in the entire bowl season. Most people expect a high scoring, shootout. I don't completely disagree with that, but I think Stanford's ground and pound game will use a lot of the clock. This is shaped up to be an instant classic. I just hope both teams play well and leave nothing to chance on the field.

In the end, we expect fireworks, but not as many as most think:
TTS Score Prediction:

Oklahoma State Cowboys – 31
Stanford Cardinal – 27

Oklahoma City Thunder 3 Games In

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The Thunder have started off the condensed 2011 – 2012 season a red hot 3-0.  So why am I feeling the urge to rip right into them?  Russell Westbrook.

Now, stay with me here.  I know the guy is an all-star.  I know he's one of the "10 best players in the league" yada yada yada.  OK, that's great, but the guy just rubs me the wrong way.  Tonight he goes 0-13 with 7 turnovers.  That's just one game, you say, and besides the Thunder won anyway.  Yes, the Thunder did win anyway, but it was no thanks to #0.  That makes a perfect three straight games of 7 turnovers in each.  That is flat out unacceptable.  The guy just can't seem to grasp the concept of playing the PG position and tries to force it even when he is clearly having an off night.  He hasn't made a bucket all night and Durant can't miss.  What does Westbrook do with time winding down and the Grizzlies within striking distance?  He does his patent dribbling out the shot clock and sends up a horrible one handed fade-away that never has a chance.  I just don't understand how someone can be so selfish.

Am I being too hard on Westbrook?  Maybe.  But I'd just assume make a deal suggested by my partner in crime, TheMayor, and make a move for Dwight Howard.  Send Westbrook, Perkins, and a first rounder and I don't see how Orlando can say no.  I'd much rather have Maynor distributing to KD and Harden with Howard cleaning up everything that rims out.

On the brighter side of things, Durant has already started off the season with MVP-like numbers dropping 30+ in every game thus far and averaging less than 3 turnovers and 5 rebounds.  Durant has come through big in the clutch in close games vs Memphis and Minnesota.  #35 is the star of this team, not Westbrook.  I was hopeful Westbrook had taken some of the criticism from last season to heart and tried to work on honing his game as a true PG during the extended offseason, but it is clear that Russell will be Russell no matter how many detractors come his way.  Brooks refuses to put a tighter leash on Westbrook in fear of pushing him away and having his PG turn against him with only a year left on his contract.

The Thunder are 3-0, but it is not because of Westbrook.  The Thunder are 3-0 because of the superior play from Durant, Harden, Ibaka, Perkins and crew.  Harden has continued to thrive coming off the bench playing possibly even better ball than last season.  Serge has had a bit of a slow start, but is still fulfilling his role on the team.  Perkins came into the season in the best shape of his life and finally with a healthy knee and boy does it show.  Perkins has been a huge boost down low thus far and I am very impressed with his transformation from last season.

Westbrook is heaving up almost the same number of shots per game as Durant, yet connecting on roughly half of the shots that Durant is downing.  Something needs to change.  This team is good, but not good enough to continue to cover for #0 all season long with any hopes of a title coming to OKC.  I don't think he will ever change though and I don't think the Thunder will ever be able to get over the hump with him at the reigns.  I hope I'm wrong, but I wouldn't bet on it.

What’s Happening in Norman?

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As we've all heard, freshman running back Brandon Williams and a host of other Sooners players are asking for a transfer from the University of Oklahoma. Why? Williams used the excuse of having a baby in Houston and he needs to take care of it better. Why not go to Houston? Why Texas A&M? I know College Station is semi-close to Houston, but why not just go to Houston if you need your baby in your arms every night? As for the others, who really knows. I have some thoughts, though. Bare with me as I might get a little animated.

Has Stoops lost this group? I think partly, yes. I think these players are upset with the coaching staff. Here's my first example.

Justin McCay - 5 star rivals recuit - WR – 6'3" – 215 lbs. He's never played one snap as a sooner. Played in the Army All-American game out of high school. One of the most highly touted receivers in the country. Yet, not good enough to beat out playing time from "Pan Hands Miller"? I don't buy that. I think it's something more than that. Broyles went down. Jaz Reynolds went down. Why didn't the coaching staff play McCay? I don't get it. Sure, Kameel Jackson is going to make a very solid receiver for OU, but why not try McCay. His redshirt year is over. No sense in shelving him for a whole year again. At least let us see what he's got. 

Torrea Peterson - 4 star rivals recruit – DT. Has OU ever been this thin up front? JaMarkus MacFarland and Stacy McGee did well. No doubt. But why didn't OU get to see this beast most thought he would be? OU has been notorious over the years for swapping in and out defensive lineman. This year, the Sooners ran MacFarland and McGee into the dirt. Hardly any substitutions were made up front. It was baffling. Now, rumors speculate he's leaving as well.

These are just two examples of players leaving. Rumors are swirling that there are up to 15 players applying for a transfer, which would be a mind-boggling number. Also, Ronnell Lewis is most likely going to the NFL. Personally, I think he's super raw, but kudos to him for being able to take care of his family now. Some have speculated that he's never really been happy at OU. He could have been a monster at linebacker, but the coaches insisted he play at defensive end. Not sure what that was all about. 

There can be a million reasons why this is happening. My guess, "OU is full of a team of characters, not a team OF character" – Chris B. Callahan.

Stoops and the staff has always prided themselves with being a team of prestige, graciousness, gratitude, integrity and loyalty. I think this year was different. It seemed at the first of the season, the players were dedicating this season to their fallen teammate, Austin Box. I don't know if that kind of went away, or after their first loss to Tech, it kind of killed that mojo. It did seem this year that it was all about the name on the back of the jersey instead of the name on the front. Maybe OU should go back to the season of 2005 where all the name were taken off the back of the jerseys. Maybe I'm over thinking and maybe I'm not giving enough credit to the staff. There was just something missing from this season. The swagger left the team after OU/Texas completely. A 55-17 drubbing of your arch rival and you tank? I don't get it. I hope to get a lot of responses to this. Maybe someone can enlighten me on what exactly is going on in Norman. I can guarantee you this. If there's no changes made with the staff, players and overall persona, Oklahoma will never get to number 8 in our lifetime.