The non-conference portion of the schedule is over. It's time for the entire staff to reset and look back at some of our preseason speculation to see what we saw then and what we see moving forward for this OU team after just three games.
It's a full staff roundtable breaking down the first three games of the season.
1) The non-conference slate is finished. It’s time to revisit our Jalen Hurts’ projections from the preseason. How wrong were you? (spoiler, we were all wrong). So the real question is, what are your updated projections for Hurts for the end of the season in terms of passing yardage, rushing yardage and overall touchdowns?
JOSH MCCUISTION
Well, I think it was always a question of how much Oklahoma would tailor things to him and it never ceases to amaze me how Lincoln Riley can do things so differently yet still keep it within the same framework of the best offenses in college football.
There's no question that projections have been raised. For me the only questions that remain for Hurts are, will he take less off of himself as the team's leading ball carrier? I'd suspect yes and I think it'll help his passing game as well.
The questions in that passing game is how Hurts can develop with his deep ball and how that will be connected to him getting more comfortable as he progresses through his reads. Right now he looks most comfortable when the pocket begins to break down and he is forced to move around.
CAREY MURDOCK
I mean, we weren’t that far off on passing yards. Hurts is still tracking toward 3,500 passing yards for the regular season. But he’s tracking at 1,500 yards rushing which is quite a bit more than I expected.
I think it’s reasonable that his passing yards will improve as the season continues and his rushing yards will taper down just a bit. I think the running backs need to be more involved in the marathon of a season, if only to take some wear and tear off of Hurts.
I’m gonna put Hurts at 40 passing touchdowns this season and 10 rushing touchdowns when it’s all said and done. I think he just passes the 1,250-yard rushing mark while he throws for 3,750. So I’m not sure how wrong we really were other than Hurts has been better than I expected. I’d still like to see he and CeeDee Lamb combine on some deep throws and I think a more conventional run/play action game could make that happen.
BOB PRZYBYLO
The funny part about Hurts is it’s obvious we haven’t seen him be tested or seen him at his best yet. In watching the first three games, it doesn’t feel like Hurts has been asked to do something that he wasn’t capable of but that time will be coming.
There’s going to be a time when Hurts is going to have to make a game-winning throw in tight quarters, and we’ll just have to see if it happens. Until then, he’s going to be racking up the numbers passing and rushing and helping the Sooners in their quest back to the college football playoff.
Let’s say he hovers around 275-300 yards per game through the air and 75-100 on the ground – that feels like a pretty safe bet. So put him around 3,800 passing yards and 1,200 rushing yards for more than 5,000 yards of total offense with around 45 touchdowns.
Would that be enough to win the Heisman? Good question, but if he stays healthy, he’s definitely headed to New York for the ceremony, if nothing else.
EDDIE RADOSEVICH
We'll start with an admission. I was wrong. I didn't know realize the transition from K1 to Jalen Hurts was going to be so seamless. Four new offensive linemen? No problem. Unproven pass catchers? Hello Charleston Rambo. Bad news for the rest of the Big 12. It would appear the beat goes on in Norman.
There's better teams ahead but who is going to stop this machine? Hell, the first step would just be slowing it down. Already Hurts has added his name to the Sooner record books. The question is how much better can this offense get? Remember they haven't been pleased with their offensive efforts despite averaging 55 points per game and 10.5 yards per play. PER PLAY.
Most impressive stat to date? 13 touchdowns, 12 incompletions and two or three legitimate ear-to-ear smiles for Hurts.
The new marriage has nearly been perfect but to an extent we are still just in the honeymoon phase. I think. I've never been married (slide into my DMs if interested).
They've been better than expected. And I thought they would be pretty damn good. You see that's the problem when attempting to duplicate record setting years. Yet somehow Riley's offense continues to find ways to set the bar even higher.
Before the season started we predicted: 3,400 passing, 800 rushing and 27-33 touchdowns. Gulp. He's halfway to the predicted rushing total (373 rushing yards) and we're just three games in. The number of carries is likely to decrease but just how much will be telling.
Perhaps it would be easier for the Oklahoma athletics traveling party to just purchase a timeshare condo for what is becoming an annual trip to New York City during the second weekend of December.
Updated projections: 4,153 passing, 955 rushing and 43 touchdowns.
2) What has impressed you most about Alex Grinch’s defense compared to your expectations going in?
JOSH MCCUISTION
Every coach likes to talk about 'flying to the football' or 'gang tackling', and all of the other cliches. But so few actually deliver on that conversation. However, he has done it as his team is consistently seeing multiple Sooner defenders arrive at the ball. It's one thing to talk about getting guys to do something, it's something special to be able to find the key to making it happen.
CAREY MURDOCK
Just the overall approach. Hearing Grinch talk about his approach in the spring and seeing it in action this fall has been two completely different things. Building depth and having players playing fewer snaps is just not something I saw being a difference maker for this defense.
Mike Stoops was so concerned with being perfect on every snap and so fixated on guys being perfect on every play, that I think it ended up being the biggest reason for his failures at defensive coordinator.
I think every player on the defense felt the weight of the world on their shoulders. And there was no one to really look to for answers. Now I think this defense feels like they have other people who have their backs. Whether that’s backups or coaches, knowing a guy can come in and carry the load and that you don’t have to make every play on every down has lifted that weight off their shoulders.
But again, I’m not declaring this defense fixed. The real games start now with the start of Big 12 Conference play. But I really like the attitude and the mindset of this defense heading into this run. Grinch has reset that doomsday mindset. And that is his biggest accomplishment to date.
BOB PRZYBYLO
Five turnovers in three games is a nice start to the takeaway contest. And the defensive line has been much more disruptive than thought it would be, but it has to be the depth.
Jury is still out whether OU actually has the depth defensively, but Grinch is definitely giving it a huge attempt to see if it will happen.
Instead of seeing familiar faces like Kenneth Murray and Neville Gallimore get beaten into the ground, there are a bunch of players now that you’d feel comfortable playing in a tight spot.
Who knew that guys like Isaiah Thomas, Marcus Stripling, Nik Bonitto, Brian Asamoah and obviously, Jaden Davis, would become names that you wouldn’t bat an eye if they’re on the field in a pressure-filled moment.
Safety remains the elephant in the room, but at the other nine spots, you can feel comfortable in knowing guys are rotating in and out and will be ready for the conference grind that is about to go down.
EDDIE RADOSEVICH
Execution and attention to detail. Simple fundamentals that had been lost on the defensive side of the ball. They are literally doing simple better. Baby steps when you look at where they are trying come from.
There's an identity on the defensive side of the ball. It's the reason Alex Grinch was targeted to lead this turnaround. The #SpeedD has become somewhat of a religion for Oklahoma fans. And Grinch is one helluva of a preacher, holding services every Saturday.
Confident not comfortable. Cultivating competition. Buzzwords, indeed. But they are something bigger in the grand scheme of things for Grinch. He's developing a culture.
Overall, it's a work in progress. But perhaps (finally) there's something there. A foundation is in place. Now it's about building out the rest of the project.
3) What is your biggest surprise on both sides of the ball?
JOSH MCCUISTION
Defensively it's just the sheer numbers of players we're seeing. As we talked about in this week's podcast you keep thinking 'well they can't possibly have success with this lineup' and then, they get off the field. It's not that it's a new idea that well rested guys perform better but to so willfully put it into practice at your own risk is the kind of conviction that is not only going to impress guys like me but the players themselves.
Offensively, I kind of touched on it above but it's just the way that Oklahoma is being unique, in many ways, with their use of Jalen Hurts but at the same time are doing things that make everything so seamless.
CAREY MURDOCK
On defense it’s Jalen Redmond because I didn’t know if he would stay healthy. OU was much more cautious with his return than people wanted to believe. The fact that he’s not only out there and showing to be one of OU’s best young playmakers is great to see and a bit of a surprise for me.
But really, it’s just that OU is developing depth at lots of different positions. That’s been an amazing development after just three games.
Offensively, at first I was surprised by Jadon Haselwood’s aggressive and explosive ability with the football in his hands. I’d like to see him keep building on that. He didn’t get a lot of opportunities against UCLA. But with OU throwing the ball just about 25 times a game, people are going to get left out from game-to-game.
I’d say the offensive line as a whole has been the biggest surprise. Sure, Bill Bedenbaugh ripped them up and down after the South Dakota game, but as Josh said on the pod, they still scored a ton of points and averaged like 8 yards a carry in the run game. I’m not saying that unit hasn’t missed a beat, I’m just saying they’ve been better than I thought for a group of young guys trying to figure it all out.
BOB PRZYBYLO
We’ll go positive and negative on both.
Offense positive – gotta be Charleston Rambo. The dude was an OR on the initial depth chart. He hasn’t played like an OR at all. It’s clear he’s got the same category of wheels as Dede Westbrook and Marquise Brown. Not faster than them, but in the same ballpark, which is all the Sooners need to stretch the field.
He’s been in huge in the passing game and has come up with some timely runs as well. Rambo was either going to emerge as the No. 2 guy or be passed up by three five-star freshmen. It was up to him, and he chose the former instead of the latter.
Negative is too strong, but Brayden Willis is not going to be a dude this season. Nice bit player? Sure, but he’s not going be a player that ends up providing a difference-making play in a tight contest. Some of that is Jeremiah Hall playing well and some of that is Willis simply learning the position.
Defense positive – cornerback and nickel. Talked all spring and summer about how it was going to be the same starters from 2018, and whether that would be a good thing. Turns out it has been as the trio of Tre Brown, Parnell Motley and Brendan Radley-Hiles have put in some work.
Brown and Radley-Hiles each have turnovers, while Motley has been as locked down a corner as we’ve seen in college football’s first month.
Add in Jaden Davis’ development, and there’s a lot for Roy Manning to boast about on the recruiting trail during the bye week.
Negative – yep, safety. Knew Pat Fields and Delarrin Turner-Yell would be the guys, but you didn’t know what that meant. Sounds like, as of now, it’s because there’s no depth there to push them. They’re not terrible, but they’re overworked and starting to slip up more times than not.
EDDIE RADOSEVICH
I suppose we'd need to clarify if we're talking about a specific player or if we are making declarations as a whole. We'll go with a little bit of each because I'm that type of guy. A buffet of thoughts if you will.
By a show of hands who had Charleston Rambo as the team's leading receiver through three games? There should be only a few of you. And that's not a slight of Rambo as much as it is a tip of the cap. Welcome (officially) to the show.
Big picture offensively I'd have to reiterate what we mentioned above. Three games, three 600+ yard performances. In a scary way it's almost becoming expected of Lincoln Riley offenses. That's not realistic to continue ... or is it?
There were whispers of Oklahoma's defensive line being much improved but I needed to see it to believe. Fast forward three weeks into the season and you have to recognize the fact that there's a nice rotation developing. Neville Gallimore has been dominant. Ronnie Perkins and Jalen Redmond continue to emerge as future superstars. There's depth, too. Think LaRon Stokes, Marquise Overton and Dillon Faamatau. Kenneth Mann is on the way. All of this is a major positive.
If that continues ... watch out. This thing really might be headed in the right direction.
4) Bonus, give me your list of Sooners you think will earn first-team All-Conference at the end of the season now that Big 12 play is about to start?
JOSH MCCUISTION
I think you're looking at Ceedee Lamb, Grant Calcaterra, Creed Humphrey, Marquis Hayes, Trey Sermon, Kenneth Murray, Neville Gallimore. and Parnell Motley - yeah, I said it.
I wouldn't rule out either Ronnie Perkins nor Jalen Redmond and think Tyrese Robinson and Adrian Ealy might also get some recognition but I think that crew, with the exception of Motley for now, should be very good bets.
CAREY MURDOCK
Offense: Jalen Hurts QB, Trey Sermon RB, CeeDee Lamb WR, Creed Humphrey OL, Marquis Hayes OL
Chuba Hubbard is lapping the field at RB, but Sermon isn’t that far off the pace if OU starts feeding him the ball more. Lamb needs to get going stat-wise because Tylan Wallace and Devon Duvernay are having big years and Jealon Reagor is still out there but TCU has QB issues.
Defense: Kenneth Murray LB, Neville Gallimore DL, Ronnie Perkins DL, Parnell Motley CB
Tre Brown could be there if he continues picking off passes. Maybe Jalen Redmond if he keeps going.
BOB PRZYBYLO
Quarterback Jalen Hurts, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and center Creed Humphrey. Lamb’s numbers aren’t eye-popping so far, but don’t worry about that. He’s going to be needed in big-time moments, and he’ll come through.
You look at defense, and you have to feel this is the Kenneth Murray everybody has wanted to see at linebacker. And then there’s chances for guys like Motley, Gallimore and look out for Jalen Redmond. We have five games until the next bye, and this would be very intriguing to revisit when that comes around.
EDDIE RADOSEVICH
It'd be hard for me to think Oklahoma matches last year's total of seven first team selections but you start looking around the league and it's even harder to think of names that would be selected over a number of Oklahoma starters.
I'd expect names like Jalen Hurts, Creed Humphrey, CeeDee Lamb, Kenneth Murray to be locks. Then the second level of guys would include Marquise Hayes, Ronnie Perkins, possibly Adrian Ealy and ... wait for it ... even Parnell Motley. Oh my. What have I done.
For fun we'll throw Charleston Rambo, Jalen Redmond, Kennedy Brooks and Trey Sermon into the mix. Sorry we didn't mean to name half of the starting 22 but there's a lot of talent currently in Norman. All of them will certainly be in the conversation if Oklahoma makes it to the destination most have predicted.
