The collapse is in full motion. In the first six games of the season, including a win over third-ranked Texas, we looked like one of the best teams in college football. I was convinced there wasn't a team in the country that could beat us. We have since lost two of our last three. This team is completely falling apart. There are a few factors that showed up in this game that we will talk about. But the main takeaway I want you to have is that Jeff Lebby needs to go.
Let's make one thing clear. I am well aware of how horrible the officiating was. The pass interference called against OU when the ball was uncatchable by every definition and the no-call pass interference when the Cowboy defender was tackling Drake Stoops seriously worked against us. But it is our fault for putting ourselves in a position where we needed to rely on the refs to call a perfect game. We lost that game. Not the refs.
What Went Well
The offensive line had one of their best games of the year. Gavin Sawchuck and Tawee Walker were running free through the gaps they created. Except for one or two plays, the offensive line was bullying the OSU defensive line. Not only did this give the OU RBs a lot of room to run, but it also gave Dillon Gabriel all day to throw.
Despite the game from his receivers (we will discuss this later), Dillon Gabriel balled out. He had a heck of a game. He threw for 344 yards and picked apart the Cowboy defense. Most of the incompletions were not his fault. He did everything he could to give our guys the win against Oklahoma State.
While they had their issues, the defensive line had a heck of a game. They stopped Ollie Gordon twice on fourth and one. They were getting penetration. They were stuffing plays at or behind the line of scrimmage. They forced a lot of pressure. This was the defensive line's best game since Texas.
Finally, I need to give a shoutout to Kip Lewis. In Danny Stutsman's absence, Kip Lewis had a fantastic game. He shut down Ollie Gordon, stuffed other RBs, and made great tackles in open field. He has a bright future, and I'm here for it.
What Didn't Go Well
A few weeks ago, I made a point to talk about the effect Emmett Jones has had on our receivers this year, and I stand by it. They have been light years ahead of where they were last year. But today was their worst game of the season, especially for Nic Anderson. There were at least six passes that were in the hands/chest of the receivers. One of them was a third down bomb to Nic Anderson that literally hit him in both the hands and chest, and he dropped it. Farooq dropped a few passes. Gavin Freeman dropped an easy pass early in the game. This was one of the biggest reasons our offense couldn't score. It's hard to move the ball if you can't catch it.
The secondary was atrocious today. Alan Bowman came into the game today, completing only 57% of his passes, and he torched our secondary. Granted, almost our entire secondary was riddled with injuries. But I'd wager 60-70% of the completions were to wide-open receivers. There is no excuse for the complete lack of coverage from our secondary. Instead of pressing the receivers and making them fight for every inch, our defensive backs gave them eight free yards of space on every pass. That horrible plan allowed Alan Bowman to complete quick out routes and curls to his heart's content.
The lack of a good kicker cost us again today. One missed field goal made the difference between the end of regulation score being 27-24 instead of 27-27.
Finally, the play calling. It wasn't the only reason we lost that game. But it was by far the most significant. After OSU took a 17-7 lead, OU forced two three-and-outs, forced a turnover on downs on three consecutive drives, and intercepted a pass. Seven defensive stops in a row. Seven. And how many points did we score with those seven stops? 14. One touchdown in the second quarter, one touchdown in the third quarter. That is anywhere between 15 and 35 points left on the field. Scoring on just one more of those seven stops would've made the difference in the game. But against one of the worst scoring defenses in the Big 12, we couldn't get it done. There were way too many lateral plays called (that have not worked all year and continued not to work). The third-down play before our missed field goal was a backward pass to the smallest guy on the field. After getting an interception, our offense had an opportunity to make it a two-score game. Jeff Lebby decided throwing the ball was not an option and ran us into a punting situation. With the game on the line, fourth down and five, losing by three, what does he call? A short three-yard out route to Drake Stoops, designed to be caught behind the line to gain. And on top of that, Jeff Lebby threw Drake Stoops (who had 12 catches for 134 yards and a touchdown) under the bus in the press conference by saying Drake ran the route wrong. The lack of accountability and situational awareness by Jeff Lebby is going to cost us more games. He needs to go. I'm not going to defend him anymore.
Key Players
Drake Stoops: 12 catches, 134 yards, one touchdown.
Dillon Gabriel: 26-37, 344 yards, one touchdown, one interception.
Gavin Sawchuk: 13 rushes, 111 yards, one touchdown.
Kip Lewis: 15 tackles, nine solo.
Let's hope we can find a way to win out, which would be a miracle at this point. Boomer Sooner.
All stats above courtesy of ESPN.
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