WaSoonerNote #08B for 2020, aka the “In a word – BEDLAM ...

WaSoonerNote #08B for 2020, aka the "In a word ? BEDLAM!" edition...

No Recap after the bye week, so Next up: Sooners Host Oklahoma State To start with I gotta say I'm p!$$#d that we can't get together for this one, I thought we'd finally rounded the bend on personal gatherings but here we are (again!)... This year's football edition of Bedlam is a little difficult to handicap. After a slow start (that I am NOT going to re-hash) the Sooners' offense seems to be off and running (pun intended) with the return of Rhamondre Stevenson to the fold and with the continuing maturity gained by Spencer Rattler as he gets more comfortable in the huddle and with the speed of the college game. Add in Coach Grinch's Speed D that is starting to jell (in no small part due to DE Ronnie Perkins' repatriation) and OU seems to be in pretty good shape.

The Cowboys, however, seem to be going in reverse. After a fast start out of the gate, outscoring three opponents by a combined 90 - 27, they have been stuck in slo-mo. After an unscheduled open date (Baylor game postponed) the have since beaten Iowa State by three, lost to tejas, and won on a failed two-point conversion at K-State. They are relying on defense; in their most recent outing OSU was outgained by K-State by over 100 yards (370-256). KSU even `helped' OSU by turning the ball over twice to almost literally "give" the game away. That said, Bedlam is a rivalry game, so all bets are off.

The Cowboys come into the game with some question marks on how their best players will perform, but the fact they also had a bye week off should have helped them get healthy just in time for the trip to Norman. Running back Chuba Hubbard (125 carries for 581 yds, 4.6 avg, 5TDs) entered the season as, I believe, the leading returning rusher in FBS from the 2019 season. He was limited in the KSU game by a leg injury but has had two weeks to heal. Their leading receiver (and member of the 2020 Biletnikoff Award Watch List) Tylan Wallace (35 catches for 588 yds, 16.8 avg, 4 TDs) did not take a snap on offense at KSU with "...an undisclosed muscle strain..." according to an article in the The Oklahoman (linked below). Even QB Spencer Sanders (63 of 93 for 766 yds, 67.7%, 8.2 avg, 5 TDs, 3 INTs, sacked 10 times) has been dinged up, providing some "quality time" for backup QB Shane Illingworth (36/49, 483 yds, 73.5%, 9.9 avg, 3/1 TD/INT, 3 sacks.) If the starters can't go or are limited also watch out for RB LD Brown (60/372, 6.2 avg, 1 TD) and WR Dillon Stoner (22/197, 9.0 avg, no TDs).

Stat of the Day ? since taking the helm as Head Coach at OU for the 2017 season Lincoln Riley has more Bedlam wins (3) than Mike Gundy (2) has in fifteen Bedlam tilts as head coach at OSU.

Everything above notwithstanding, I'm not entirely sure what to expect. Each team has played both Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde football at different times during this COVID-shortened season. And since both teams had an extra week off to prepare, who's to say whether the extra rest is good or whether it breaks a team's rhythm. All I know is (1) it's a night game (you all know I HATE NIGHT GAMES!), (2) we can't be together to keep each other sane, and (3) it'll be BEDLAM! The folks who make money on the games, talking about them or setting lines, make OU a 7-point favorite (Over/Under is 59.5) and ESPN's Matchup Predictor says we have a 74.1% chance of winning. Who comes out on top will eventually be determined by who makes that one extra play, maybe writing themselves into Bedlam Lore: ...

Links from both ESPN and previews:

TV/Watch Party Data Game time for us on the left coast is 4:30 p.m. PST. TV coverage will be ABC, KOMO Channel 4. Unfortunately, due to the new COVID restrictions, there will be no watch parties at Art Marble 21 for the foreseeable future. I will endeavor to keep everyone posted as thing change as per usual in my missives and on our @SeattleSooners Facebook page...

Bonus Stat(s) of the Day ? Spencer Rattler is 9th in FBS for passing TDs (18), 11th in Passer Efficiency Rating (172.1), 12th in Total Yards passing (2018), 13th in Avg per Attempt (9.7), and 20th in Completion percentage (67.8%), all while only being 22nd in total attempts (208). After a horrible start to the season he is now tied for 17th in Interceptions thrown (6) with thirteen other quarterbacks (min 50 attempts).

Rankings: Movers and Shakers There were no games scheduled this past week between ranked opponents. That, and with many of the other Top 25 teams not playing either due to planned bye weeks or COVID-related delays/cancellations, there was not a lot of movement. In fact, the top 8 in the AP and top 11 in the Coaches Poll remained intact. OU remained at the #18 spot in the AP but jumped Coastal Carolina in the Coaches, moving up to #17. Okie State held serve in the AP at #14 but got jumped by Wisconsin, dropping to #14 in the Coaches. Iowa State remained #17 in the AP and #16 in the Coaches. Tejas got jumped by Liberty, conceding a spot to #22 on the AP but rose a spot in the Coaches after SMU fell out. In the "Others receiving..." category, K-State still gets (very) little love in the Coaches (now down to 3 points...) Full rankings:

With that it's time for: RANTs and RAVEs...

RANT: OK, put it in Rants just because, well... Lee Corso! I don't have the count for this season (except for tejas, when he picked the `horns) but from the very first time he picked a Sooners' game on September 30th, 1995 through the end of last season "Coach" Corso has picked 144 games in which Oklahoma has played. The easiest way to show this is probably with a couple of tables:

Table 1 - Corso has picked 144 games in which Oklahoma has played

Overall, Corso has picked our games correctly 93 times Overall, Corso has picked our games incorrectly 51 times

93 64.6% 51 35.4%

Totals: 144 100.0%

Table 2 - Corso has picked OU to win 103 times and to lose 41 times.

Corso picked Oklahoma to win and we won 78 times

78 54.2%

Corso picked Oklahoma to win but we lost 25 times

25 17.4%

Corso picked against Oklahoma, but we won 26 times

26 18.1%

Corso picked against Oklahoma, and we lost 15 times

15 10.4%

Totals: 144 100.0%

Editor's note: Janet and I were in Norman for the 2008 visit by GameDay for the OU-Texas Tech game. That game was won by Sam Bradford and company 65-21 over Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree en route to the 2008 Big12 Title. Corso correctly called for #5 ranked Oklahoma to upset the then #2

Texas Tech Red Raiders. I don't think we will be there for this year's Bedlam game though!

RAVE: To Spencer Rattler who was just named to the Maxwell Award watch list. As noted in the USA Today article the award "is presented annually to the `best all-around' player in the United States"

RAVE: To Grant Calcaterra, who "retired" from Oklahoma last year due to concussions but has decided to resume a football career and transfer to Auburn. Guess he decided against his intention to become a firefighter in California. Probably safer! ...

Wowser! That got long, considering there was no wrap-up! Later, gang and ...

BOOMER SOONER! Mike

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