Tag: LSU Football

Score predictions for Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl between Oklahoma, LSU

It is here. The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl is less than two hours away. Here are Sooners Wire’s predictions for the game.

It is here.

The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl is less than two hours away.

No. 4 Oklahoma and No. 1 LSU meet in the College Football Playoff for a chance to play for a national championship on Jan. 13.

Here are Sooners Wire’s predictions for the game.

Brayden Conover: As I’ve said all month, this is the best matchup for the Sooners. LSU’s offense is one dimensional, albeit a very complex dimension. I’ve gone back and forth on a winner just about every day this week but I think the Sooners shock the world and beat the Tigers in a shootout.

OKLAHOMA 45 — LSU 42

Derek Parker: I think a majority of this game will be close, but LSU is going to be too sound and pull away late. The Sooners just don’t have near as many offensive weapons this year, and CeeDee Lamb can only do so much. Next year will be Oklahoma’s year, but this one will go to the Tigers.

 LSU 45 — OKLAHOMA 35

Kegan Reneau: For the first time in two years, Oklahoma has an offense that will be productive against a form of its old self. Lincoln Riley has morphed this offense around Jalen Hurts running ability. They have success by pounding it on the ground for four or five yards at a time and getting big third down conversions. Oklahoma’s defense can get enough to stops to give the offense a chance to control the game behind Hurts. The ultimate variable in the game are the turnovers on offense, and for the second time in the last six games, Oklahoma goes turnover-less.

OKLAHOMA 37 — LSU 31

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Saints report Antonio Brown, Tommylee Lewis among six free agent tryouts

The New Orleans Saints worked out six free agent wide receivers including Antonio Brown, Tommylee Lewis, and Maurice Harris on Friday.

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Antonio Brown may have been the most noteworthy free agent wide receiver to try out for the New Orleans Saints on Friday, but he wasn’t alone. Brown was one of six receivers the Saints put through a workout at the team practice facility, including two familiar names in Travin Dural and Tommylee Lewis.

The full list of tryout players comes from what the Saints reported on the official NFL transactions wire:

  • Antonio Brown
  • Reggie Begelton
  • Travin Dural
  • Maurice Harris
  • Tommylee Lewis
  • Tim White

Dural hung around the Saints practice squad for a few years, after initially signing with the team as an undrafted free agent out of LSU. Lewis had a more prominent role on special teams as a punt and kick returner, though he struggled to carve out a role on offense. The less said of his involvement in last year’s NFC championship game debacle the better.

Lewis was selected early in the inaugural XFL Draft by the Dallas Renegades, so he clearly has options if this Saints tryout doesn’t bare any fruit. There’s worse ways to continue playing professionally than in a Bob Stoops-designed offense with Landry Jones lobbing the ball deep downfield as often as he’ll be allowed.

An interesting addition to the free agent pool was Begelton; he was the engine fueling the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders offense in 2019, having caught 102 passes for 1,444 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. He certainly has some ability.

For now, the Saints haven’t signed Lewis, Begelton, Brown, or anyone else who attended Friday’s workout.

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What Lincoln Riley, Ed Orgeron said in final Peach Bowl press conference

The talking is finally over. Here is what Lincoln Riley and Ed Orgeron said in final Peach Bowl press conference

Talking is over.

Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley and LSU head coach Ed Orgeron met with the media one final time Friday morning ahead of the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

Here are the highlights of the joint press conference between the coaches of the two programs.

On the LSU offense:

LINCOLN RILEY: I see a really, really good offense. They’ve done a great job.

The quarterback has certainly made them go, like a lot of great offenses. He’s a tremendous player. We’ve thought that for a long time, even when we offered him many years back.

So Joe’s been phenomenal for them all year and they just don’t have a ton of weaknesses. Offensive line has obviously played well. They’ve got weapons on the outside, weapons at running back, and they’ve got a scheme that’s very creative in the way they use those guys and create match-ups. So a lot of respect for the way they’ve played.

You watch them, there are certainly some things that are similar and then there’s a lot of things that are different that make them unique.

So, I mean, the whole thing to me, it doesn’t matter where it came from. It’s how you package it. How do you make it fit the strengths of your team and your players, and they’ve certainly done a tremendous job of that.

On Jalen Hurts not trying to become the past two quarterbacks:

LR: I think his maturity has shown in that he hasn’t tried to be those guys. He’s been in big moments. He’s been in big games, big scenarios. I don’t feel like that was much of a factor with him, which as a coach, that’s exactly how you would hope he would handle it.

I think he’s learned from them, certainly. Studying the tapes, different things we’ve done, how we’ve done it, I think, has helped him.

But he’s also added his own flavor to it. So I think he’s handled it well. I think he’s tried to be himself, tried to learn it and do the very best he can. And he’s a guy that’s got a pretty singular focus, and that’s probably helped him in this situation when you’re following two pretty decent players.

On team improving throughout the year:

LR: Yeah. I mean, I don’t think you’re sitting here at the College Football Playoff if your team hasn’t gotten quite a bit better. I think we have.

I think we’ve had different challenges throughout the year and we’ve been able to face most of them and come out on the good end.

So probably more for me right now would be the preparation we’ve had in the last several weeks. Our goal has been to play our very best game, and we put forth a schedule that had that and only that in mind. And our players, coaches, everybody have executed that extremely well.

So that’s been our goal from day one, when we found out that we were going to be in the playoff and playing a really good LSU team was: Let’s play our very best. I think we’ve done the work to get that done.

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Oklahoma Peach Bowl discussion: 4 questions, 4 answers

Sooners Wire got together to discuss the path Oklahoma took to get here and everything about the Peach Bowl. Read our discussion here.

The College Football Playoff is just one day away.

No. 4 Oklahoma (12-1) has had an up-and-down year with thrilling comebacks and allowing blowouts to become close games.

They face off against a No. 1 LSU (13-0) team that has been impressive from the word ‘go’. The Sooners will need to be on their A-game or better.

Oklahoma is a 13.5-point underdog, which is the largest spread they have faced since playing Alabama in the 2018 College Football Playoff.

The Sooners and LSU will kickoff the College Football Playoff at the Chick-fil-A Peach at 3 p.m. CT inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Sooners Wire got together to discuss the path Oklahoma took to get here and everything about the Peach Bowl.

Be honest—after Kansas State, did you think Oklahoma would make the College Football Playoff?

Brayden Conover: No. I thought there was too many teams and too much that needed to happen for Oklahoma to make it.

Derek Parker: Oklahoma always had a chance to make it, even after the KSU loss. If they made it with the 2017 Iowa State loss, anything is possible.

Kegan Reneau: Not only no, but hell no. They felt dead after that game, but Sooner Magic prevailed again.

Is the 13.5-point spread for LSU too high for the Peach Bowl?

BC: Yes. Even if it’s a shootout of a game the Sooners can hang within 13.5 points. You got to love free money.

DP: Absolutely. The last time Oklahoma lost by more than 13.5 points, I was a freshman in college. I graduate this year. It’s never happened in Lincoln’s reign.

KR: I think we are all in agreement here. LSU is not two touchdowns better than Oklahoma.

Is this Oklahoma’s best chance of winning a College Football Playoff semifinal?

BC: Yes a million times over. The Sooners are best equipped to face the the Tigers over anyone they have faced in the past. With that being said, if you take this defense and put it on the 2017 team against Georgia, I think Oklahoma would be trying for their second national title game.

DP: This is certainly the most one-sided team we’ve ever seen the Sooners play in the Playoffs. Clemson, Georgia, and Alabama all had balanced units. LSU relies heavily on their offense, and Oklahoma should have a good chance to exploit that.

KR: No, and I left this open-ended for a reason. Oklahoma is going to be better in 2020, 2021 and so on. That’s when the conversation will be about someone else being a huge underdog.

Who is the most important player in this game?

BC: Kennedy Brooks. Lincoln needs a guy that can tote the rock to compliment Jalen Hurts’ carries. If Brooks can find holes and gash the Tiger defense then the passing game opens up and the Sooners can hang with LSU.

DP: Jalen Redmond. All eyes are on the Sooners secondary to stop Joe Burrow, but consistent pressure from Redmond will make it much, much easier on the defensive backs. Burrow has rarely felt uncomfortable all year, and he’ll need to feel that way Saturday if Oklahoma wants a chance.

KR: Jalen Hurts. He holds the keys to the entire College Football Playoff. If Hurts can hold onto the football, make big throws on third down and put Oklahoma on his back, the Sooners can win this whole thing.

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In the end, Jacob Phillips felt it was ‘God’s plan for me to come to LSU’

Oklahoma and LSU have a defensive connection in the Peach Bowl, and it stems from one of the more fascinating recruiting stories

ATLANTA — On college footballs selection Sunday, two friends knew they’d get to see each other again.

Right after Oklahoma and LSU were announced as opponents in the College Football Playoff at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Robert Barnes picked up his phone and texted LSU starting linebacker Jacob Phillips right away.

“Me and Jacob kept contact since he committed here and we were supposed to be roommates when he came here,” Barnes said. “We’ve been very supportive of each other throughout our careers and I’m proud to see what he is about to do in this game and I know he’s been looking forward to (playing in the College Football Playoff) since he’s been at LSU.”

It’s one of many relationship Philips still cherishes.

“They were very close,” he told Sooners Wire at Peach Bowl media day. “I was committed for I think like three months so you know we used to talk like every day. You know just can’t wait to get to campus and different things like that. In the end obviously I went somewhere else but you know when you build relationships like that some of them, even through like the thick, they kind of keep on going.

Barnes and Phillips ‘chopped it up’ this week when getting to see each other for the first time in years, according to Barnes, but how the two didn’t become roommates remains one of the more fascinating recruiting stories and one that benefitted LSU greatly.

The state of Tennessee’s No. 1 player in the 2017 recruiting class was a recruiting battle that seemed to get then-linebackers coach Tim Kish over-the-hump.

Oklahoma first offered Phillips in the summer of 2015, three months before the first non-Tennessee offer came (Oregon). He was a high three-star, low four-star prospect at the time, standing 6-foot-3 and a good frame to build into.

Texas A&M came calling after, then Notre Dame, Auburn, Alabama and lastly—LSU.

Oklahoma and Kish proved themselves right with a great evaluation as that light 6-foot-3 linebacker turned into a 6-foot-3, 235 pound five-star recruit. Right before the notoriety came, Phillips committed to the Sooners.

He spent three months committed to Oklahoma.

Then, a change of heart came.

And a phone call.

“It was really important,” said LSU head coach Ed Orgeron, “It was. Internally at that time, we needed some middle linebackers. (Jacob Phillips) was the number one player in the state of Tennessee. He called me and said, ‘Coach, I need you to come see me.’ I got on a plane, was there the next morning.

“His mom and daddy trust us. They love Dave Aranda. They love the scheme. (Jacob) has been one of the best players we’ve had on our football team. He’s a great young man, great character. I’m glad we got him.”

LSU was more than willing than pick up that phone call.

The Tigers had more specialists on the team at the time than inside linebackers.

“It was big—going into that recruiting cycle, we really had no linebackers returning or very few linebackers returning,” said defensive coordinator Dave Aranda. “It was a drastic, drastic need. I remember early in the process, when all of that is identified in what we got to do fix everything, some of the thought was do we want to go junior college or want to do this, want to do that. Our thought right away was to recruit a freshman, develop them and to go that route. The problem with that is just how strong the recruiting battles are and how late we were into the party, there was some ground we had to make up.

“I assisted in recruiting Jacob. We worked really hard at it. Were able to make headway into it and I’m very thankful we were able to get him. He’s played ever since he got here.”

It’s hard not to imagine the potential of top Oklahoma linebacker Kenneth Murray and Phillips playing side-by-side. That thought is one Aranda oohed and aahed about when asked on Thursday at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl media day.

The other was not having Phillips at all, as Aranda noted he legitimately doesn’t know what he would do without him right no.

Phillips is still thankful for everything Oklahoma did for him during his recruitment, and is now hoping he can reach his goals of winning a national championship as an LSU Tiger.

“Oh it was definitely tough,” he said about calling Oklahoma and de-committing. “I looked at Oklahoma like … I mean it was a major blessing to be in that position and they were great people, all the recruits, all the players, every time I went there there was nothing but the best so gratitude to Oklahoma but in the end it was God’s plan for me to come to LSU.”

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In Joe Burrow, Oklahoma will be getting a taste of its own medicine

Oklahoma has an offense that has captivated football. For just this week, that’ll change, and it’s solely because of the king of the bayou.

ATLANTA — When he walked into a room during the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl week, everyone’s eyes followed.

Joe Burrow talks, people listen.

When he walks, his team follows.

There’s an aura about the 2019 Heisman Trophy winner. A quarterback that is the ultimate leader. One who isn’t brash, but meek.

Burrow has navigated this journey from a small southeastern Ohio town to childhood dream Ohio State and now LSU with grace and reflection. He remembers where he came from and the road it took to get where he is at, but it isn’t something that deeply fuels Burrow.

That’s the separation between LSU’s savior and what many call Oklahoma’s in 2017 Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield.

But when one watches Burrow and talks to those who are around him, the description is almost exact to what the Sooners had in its chosen son.

“It’s defending a coach on the field,” said LSU defensive coordinator Dave Aranda. “Ultra competitive. More athletic than you think. Anticipates, anticipates moves and counter moves and is a team player.”

A pinpoint passer with a killer instinct. A quarterback that takes hits and doesn’t care. One who can play a Houdini act as the pocket collapses and escape to greener pastures.

An emotional leader that has put an entire program and fanbase on his back—quite literally by paying homage to the state and people of Louisiana by putting ‘Burreaux’ for his last name on senior day. A player who was able to crank up the ‘gets us’ meter up to full blast.

Burrow’s worst game on the year came on that senior day against Texas A&M on Nov. 30. He threw 32 passes, and completed 23 of them (71.9 completion percentage) for 352 yards and three touchdowns.

His worst game.

“(Joe Burrow)’s very comfortable in their schemes, he does a great job getting the ball out of his hands, very accurate passer,” said Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley. “And then he’s made so many huge plays outside the pocket this year, extending time, whether it’s taken off or whether he’s making plays on the move. That’s where he’s really hurt people. And plays a lot of the style that Baker (Mayfield) did for us. Very, very similar in a lot of ways, and it’s very, very effective, very difficult to defend.”

***

Burrow and LSU were warming up ahead of LSU’s biggest game of the year in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

At Bryant-Denny Stadium home of the Alabama Crimson Tide, the opponent warms up right in front of the Alabama student section. There are all sorts of players the Crimson Tide student body could have chosen to heckle.

They, though, chose No. 9.

And it was the worst decision the Alabama student section could have made.

“We warm up in front of the student section and their student section is hollering ‘F Joe Burrow, F Joe Burrow’ and I was like ‘keep saying it’ because I know it was firing him up,” said LSU offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger. “He’s the type of guy that when he gets hit, it makes him better, whether it was UCF last year or the A&M game this year … that’s just the type of guy he is.”

Burrow lit Alabama up that day for 393 yards through the air on 31-of-39 passing and three touchdowns, while also adding 64 more yards on the ground—which includes sack yardage—to bury LSU’s biggest rivals national championship hopes.

He was electric.

Making big-time throw after big-time throw while facing violent pressure and taking hit after hit.

Biletnikoff Award winner Ja’Marr Chase has tried to figure out what NFL or other quarterback Burrow relates to. He’ll admit he’s failed in that venture, saying that Burrow isn’t someone we’ve seen.

In less than 48 hours, it will be Oklahoma defensive coordinator Alex Grinch’s task to figure out who Joe Burrow is and slow him down.

Grinch, who is an avid reader, historian, and has a great memory, will likely have his biggest comprehension test of his life.

“Well, it’s difficult because one of the things you’re trying to do every week is find deficiencies,” he said of the challenge of facing a Burrow-led LSU offense. “You’re trying to find these are their areas of strength. Often times, those aren’t the hard ones to find. They kind of jump out the film. It’s the deficiencies that you’re trying to look for. Trying to go through a game and find out why they struggled, and the issue you run into with these guys is the deficiencies just aren’t there. What about this game? You watch this game and they don’t jump out to you. Watch this quarter from this game and watch this series. You get my point.

“(Burrow) can beat you with his arm, can beat you with his legs. Has elite weapons around him. That’s obviously why they find themselves here. It will be a great test.”

***

Oklahoma, to a much lesser extent, knows what this offensive resurgence from LSU is like.

The Sooners were closer to the middle of the pack offensively in 2014 in a league that was churning out yards and points like it was the giving season.

In future Heisman Trophy winner Mayfield in 2015, Oklahoma once again had a quarterback that had it. The Sooners surged offensively with him and Riley, putting together one of the best offensive seasons with Mayfield at the helm in 2017 and then the single best offensive season in college football history in 2018 with Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray.

The it factor isn’t one thing or the other and either one has it or doesn’t.

What Mayfield had spread amongst his teammates, and it’s something that can give a locker room the right ingredient to success.

“It gets confidence going,” said Oklahoma co-offensive coordinator and inside wide receivers coach Cale Gundy. “It gets everybody believing that you got a guy that’s in control and in any given moment he can strike. He can score. He can lead his team. That’s about as strong as feeling as you can have on your football team.”

It’s clear Burrow has whatever it is.

LSU is the best offense in college football according to ESPN’s Bill Connely’s SP+* due to him, after finishing last year at 30th. They were 83rd in the country in yards per play (5.3) in 2018 and rose to third in the country at 7.5 yards per play.

Burrow has breathed that confidence into LSU’s locker room due to his personality and play, and it’s something that frightens the one who has the job to stop him in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

“I think the commonality between (Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray and Joe Burrow), and I’m not a quarterback guru by any stretch of the imagination, but just the command, just the lack of rattle, lack of … you feel like you did right by confusing them in coverage and then you’re reward is that they scramble and they go find a guy for a 50-yard gain,” Grinch said. “You sit there from a coordinator’s standpoint and say, ‘I wish I would’ve called something else,’ but then earlier in the down you couldn’t have made a better call.

“So when you can’t fool a guy, when you can’t reap the benefits of maybe a disguise or you brought pressure from a certain side that caught them, not something that they expected and they reap the benefits and you don’t, then you go back to, ‘OK, what’s the answer to that? What’s next on the list?’ If our good calls turns into bad calls then that’s a difficult Saturday. So just the command that way, guys that regardless of what they see, regardless of what you throw at them, regardless of even if you get a hit on them the play before, they jump back up and they’re attacking you. So that’s what you see, just an absolutely command. He trusts his arm, he trusts the guys around him, he trusts his legs, as he should, and it’s a scary sight to see watching it on video.”

The Big 12 and the rest of college football have been at the burden of Riley’s quarterbacks in all five of his years.

Oklahoma has an offense that has captivated much of the college football world.

For just this week, that’ll change, and it’s solely because of the king of the bayou.

“Joe (Burrow) has heart,” Chase said. “In football, the it factor is heart. If you don’t have heart, then how do you play football?”

What Oklahoma had to say about LSU at Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl media day

The game is not too far away. Here is what Oklahoma players and coaches at the big podiums had to say about LSU ahead of the big game.

The game is not too far away.

One of the final hurdles before the College Football Playoff at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl is media day.

Every single Oklahoma player and coach was made available outside of the three suspended for the game. The same was for LSU, with their exception being star running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire.

There were some fireworks coming from linebacker Patrick Queen, who made a big declaration.

Here is what Oklahoma players and coaches at the big podiums had to say about LSU ahead of the big game.

OKLAHOMA HEAD COACH LINCOLN RILEY

On LSU’s secondary: 

They’re talented. Good length. Guys move around well. Done a good job of making some competitive plays throughout the year.

So talented group that’s well coached.

On Joe Burrow:

I mean, yeah, he’s very comfortable in their schemes, he does a great job getting the ball out of his hands, very accurate passer. And then he’s made so many huge plays outside the pocket this year, extending time, whether it’s taken off or whether he’s making plays on the move. That’s where he’s really hurt people. And plays a lot of the style that Baker did for us. Very, very similar in a lot of ways, and it’s very, very effective, very difficult to defend.

On having Heisman Trophy winners on the team to go up against, so the awe won’t be there: 

I don’t think awe, but there’s certain respect. How can you not respect what Joe’s done? You’re right. It’s not like our guys haven’t had a chance to practice and compete against good quarterbacks. Not taking anything away from Joe. He’s had a fabulous year. He’s going to be the best quarterback we’ve faced.

OKLAHOMA DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR ALEX GRINCH

How do you slow LSU’s offense down?

Well, “slow” is the right word because you’re not going to stop those guys. Obviously from a personnel — just strictly personnel, they’re as elite as you’re going to have in the country. They’ve got one of everything, and they’ve got multiple of some. And so in any event, what we need to do is commit to the things that got us here, worry about us, and it’s coach-speak, but it’s true. Worry about us, we’ll coach our guys, and put them in the best situation to be successful. They make their plays, we’ve got to make ours, and that’s the gist of it. And expect them to make theirs, and once again, we expect our guys to make our share, as well.

First thing of LSU you have to take away:

Right. So often what we do regardless of opponent is okay, how do we defend the run. How do we stop the run. If a team can just march down the field, whether it’s chunk plays or three yards and a cloud of dust, regardless it’s making sure that guys can’t just pound and run. So that’s number one. Despite their throwing prowess.

But making sure we’re covering up receivers, making sure that we’re going to take air from a space standpoint, take the air out between defenders and receivers, running backs and those things, to make them complete passes in tight windows, which is easier said than done. That’s a real challenge for us, but that’s something that you look at.

On Joe Burrow: 

He has everything. He has every tool that’s necessary to be an elite quarterback at our level. He beats you with his legs, he beats you with his arm.

How have you prepared for LSU?

Well, I think what you can’t do is be so naive to think, well, if you get lined up in a certain formation and minimize what — anything they do from a schematic standpoint. You know there’s an elite guy calling plays, so a lot of respect for the coaching staff. There’s an elite signal caller in Joe, and then elite weapons all around them. There’s 11 guys out there. It’s one of the — I say 11 guys, I mean 11 dudes. There’s a guy at every position that is an elite player, so there’s no deficiencies that way.

So just, again, to somehow be naive and say, okay, that’s just this formation of just this play or they’re running that play, now we’re going to have to find a way to get him on the ground, no, we know we’re going to have to meet the challenge.

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What LSU had to say about Oklahoma at Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl media day

The game is not too far away. Here are what LSU players and coaches at the big podiums had to say about Oklahoma ahead of the big game. 

The game is not too far away.

One of the final hurdles before the College Football Playoff at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl is media day.

Every single Oklahoma player and coach was made available outside of the three suspended for the game. The same was for LSU, with their exception being star running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire.

There were some fireworks coming from linebacker Patrick Queen, who made a big declaration.

Here are what LSU players and coaches at the big podiums had to say about Oklahoma ahead of the big game.

LSU HEAD COACH ED ORGERON

On Oklahoma’s defense:

Outstanding. 24 points a game. That middle linebacker is one of the best guys we’re going to see all year. They play good, sound, fundamental football.

The things that they do up front, they stunt a lot, they try to get you out of your gaps. They try to create negative plays, tackles for a loss. But, again, the 24 points per game says a lot especially in that league.

Oklahoma advantage of being in the College Football Playoff before?

I’m sure they have the advantage. I’m sure they know to how to handle the situation, handle the hype. They’ve come from behind in big-time games. They have great players, great coaches. Probably gives them a little advantage of being here before.

But the newness also gives you an advantage. We’re excited to be here, man. This is fun. When we walk into the Dome and we see College Football Semifinals in the playoffs, it means a lot to us. It means a lot.

We’re prideful to be here, so it works on both sides.

On the benefit from seeing the spread in practice: 

Yes. They play the spread every day. They play the spread in their conference. They know what they’re doing. The biggest accomplishment to me, for Oklahoma’s defense, is allowing only 24 points per game in that league where guys are scoring 50 all the time. What a tremendous accomplishment.

But the middle linebacker is one of the best guys we’ve seen, obviously. He can run down, make plays in space. Their defensive line is very quick and agile, and what they do, they stunt almost every down.

So you got to pick up those stunts. If you don’t, they’re negative plays. I think a combination of that and outstanding coverage makes them a very, very good defense.

Have anything to combat how Oklahoma plays fast up front?

Sure, yeah. We have what we called our cheetah package, where we have four fast guys in there and we’re going against — I’ve brought them down there with Coach Cregg and I run the cord and we run the different stunts. Those guys try to pick it up to simulate the speed of game.

More on Oklahoma’s defense:

Stunt every down. I mean, every down is a stunt. They do a good job of it. Sometimes, when you stunt, you get out of your gaps and you get gashed on the run. Think about this. These guys have only given 24 points a game. They’re very solid, know what they’re doing, very quick.

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OPINION One thing is clear, Oklahoma is not a triple-option offense

The limits of what Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy started has no bounds. Oklahoma is not a triple-option offense disguised as a spread.

ATLANTA — The limits of what Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy started has no bounds.

The Monday prior to the annual Bedlam matchup with Oklahoma, Gundy went on a long rant about Oklahoma’s offense.

The Sooners were known for its bombing offense with deep vertical concepts and innovative route combinations that Heisman Trophy winners Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray flourished in. In 2019, that changed in the middle of the season as Oklahoma morphed into a physical running, ball control offense that fit more of what Jalen Hurts can do.

Gundy, in his rant, said that the Sooners are “a triple-option team and it’s just disguised as a spread.”

That has since spread.

LSU offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger and LSU defensive coordinator Dave Aranda called Oklahoma’s offense a ‘triple-option’ offense on Monday.

Something that is just not true.

“I think it’s just another way to look at these offenses and you see a lot of players on the field that are great athletes and just trying to use from sideline to sideline, and just ways you can get the ball in different players’ hands,” said Oklahoma co-offensive coordinator and inside wide receivers coach Cale Gundy, “I would venture to say almost more than half the teams across the country are doing the exact same thing. It’s just the style of football that we’re playing today. With the great young athletes that are coming out of the high school ranks in football and the better skill players, it makes it an exciting time in college football to be on the offensive side.”

Oklahoma has run a single set of plays all year that is actually a triple-option, as can be seen in the second tweet underneath.

In that play, Hurts is reading the play-side defensive end to hand it off to the running back. From there, he is reading the play-side linebacker to dump off the swing pass to the wide receiver in motion or keep it and run.

It is the only concept the entire 2019 season that truly has three options after the snap.

What Aranda and Ensminger are referring to are designed plays, such as the patented pop pass concept to Dimitri Flowers or Oklahoma’s new leak concept to Brayden Willis.

They even could be referring to Riley’s quarterback guard-tackle counter plays that have a read concept for a handoff to the running back or something else that does not have three options to it after the snap.

Here is what Riley told reporters after the Oklahoma State game on Nov. 30:

“The Wishbone comment … I took that as a complete compliment. I think it’s one of the great offenses ever. It means you are spreading the ball around. You’re physical. Getting your playmakers the ball in space and letting them play. I thought he was spot on.”

No—Oklahoma’s 2019 offense is not a triple option offense in the spread.

It’s just Lincoln Riley’s ability to mold an offense to its quarterback and has more creative run concepts than it does pass concepts unlike past years. College football just needs to find something to describe it as and here we are.

The Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl between Oklahoma and LSU kicks off on Dec 28 at 3 p.m. in Atlanta. 

In offensive rebuild, LSU took a hard look at what Oklahoma does

There’s no telling just how much of what LSU has in its current playbook that Riley has done, but the Tigers admit they studied a lot of OU.

ATLANTA — Ed Orgeron loves Oklahoma’s counter.

He beamed with excitement when asked about the conversation Orgeron and Lincoln Riley had about it at last year’s NFL Draft at Monday’s first Peach Bowl press conference.

It’s a play everyone sees when watching Oklahoma—the guard and tackle pull around the center and opposite guard and tackle, who are blocking down to create a lane for the pulling lineman to come around.

Though that’s only one play, Orgeron did give a sneak peak into just how much he and the LSU offensive staff studied Oklahoma this offseason.

“Obviously, anything that we do, I do believe (Lincoln Riley) won’t be surprised by what we’re doing,” LSU’s head coach said Monday.

This is an offense that rose from ESPN’s Bill Connelly SP+ No. 30 offense in 2018 to SP+ No. 1 offense in 2019. The LSU offense rose from the 83rd offense in yards per play (5.3 yards per play) in 2018 to No. 3 in yards per play in 2019 (7.5 yards per play).

Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow was quick to dismiss that LSU studied that much of Oklahoma, and said that they built this on their own with adding in what the New Orleans Saints—where passing game coordinator, wide receivers coach and Broyles Award winner for the best assistant in college football, Joe Brady, spent the last two seasons—and Penn State did.

Though Burrow dismissed the idea of studying a lot of Oklahoma, his offensive coordinator, who admitted he is too honest at times on Monday, was quick to say otherwise—including the week of the Peach Bowl.

 

“Well to be honest with you, in our research during spring and summer, we spent a lot of time on Oklahoma,” LSU offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger said. “We spent a lot of time on the counter series, a lot of time with their RPO’s and we’ve watched them a bunch.

“No, I think they do a great job offensively. I’ll be honest—last night, two nights ago, I had our defensive graduate assistant send me over 150 plays of their offense and we watched it and it’s basically, what (Lincoln Riley) does, it’s almost triple option. It is a passing game but their play action, their running tight end on a route and he’s blocking and running and you better account for everybody and the quarterback run. They’re pretty good at it.”

It was clear early in the season that LSU spent time on Oklahoma in its offensive rebuild:

Oklahoma is aware that teams take from what they do offensively, but football is a copycat game and the Sooners are one of the most innovative offenses in all of football, regardless of the level.

With that said, they’ll admit they watch a lot of what other teams do, too.

“I think that’s part of college football,” said Oklahoma co-offensive coordinator and inside receivers coach Cale Gundy said. “Everybody watches a lot of film. There are a lot of good coaches out there. We feel like we have great coaches on our staff but there are always great ideas that you see on Saturday and Sundays on film and TV that you don’t mind adding to your team as well. Everybody has a little bit of that in them.”

There’s no telling just how much of what LSU has in its current playbook that Oklahoma has done, but it is telling that in a year with a Heisman Trophy winning quarterback behind center that has elite arm talent, arm strength and a great mind, that the Tigers’ offense went from middle-of-the-pack or below to maybe the best in all of college football.

Why wouldn’t you take a hard look at Oklahoma did with Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray as well as the New Orleans Saints with NFL passing yards and touchdowns record holder Drew Brees?

Oklahoma and LSU will kickoff in the College Football Playoff at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl from Atlanta on Saturday at 3 p.m. CT on ESPN.