After Clemson broke into their house and ransacked the place, Bob Stoops and the Oklahoma Sooners decided to do some remodeling.
The Tigers' complete manhandling of the offense led Stoops to change course and bring in OC wunderkid Lincoln Riley from East Carolina. Riley has his work cut out for him, if the Sooners' recent spring game is any indication. Because the quarterbacks picked up where they left off in Orlando, according to Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman.
Trevor Knight rolled to his right, fired a 15-yard pass and safety Ahmad Thomas made a sideline interception.
Eight plays later, Cody Thomas lofted a ball into the end zone, linebacker Tay Evans tipped the ball and stone-handed safety Hatari Byrd speared it for another interception.
Six plays later, the quarterback savior, Baker Mayfield, threw deep into triple coverage. Bad odds. Defensive back William Johnson came down with the ball.
Twelve plays after that, Mayfield again threw deep, into coverage, and cornerback Jordan Thomas made the interception.
In a 27-play span, the Sooners' three veteran quarterbacks threw four interceptions. Anyone feeling better about Oklahoma football 2015?
"Probably had a few too many turnovers," Bob Stoops said. "Not probably. Did. But all those guys will learn from it."
This columnist says the Sooners are undergoing a tempo transformation with Riley.
"We're a little slow, but right now it's all about the installation and execution," new OU offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley said. "When that comes we'll continue to speed it up, but I like where we're at."
The quarterback competition has to be at the top of the offensive questions. Trevor Knight is the incumbent. He has entered the past two seasons as the starter.
However, erratic play has led the Sooners to open up the quarterback slot this spring, and four legitimate candidates are on hand.
Perhaps transfer Baker Mayfield, the star of the scout team last fall, could be the guy. Or OU could go with one of its younger players.
Whatever the case, everyone has been getting a long look.
A few more Thursday links:
-- According to the NFL Network, Vic Beasley is taking visits to six of the top 10 teams in the draft order.
If Clemson pass rusher Vic Beasley isn't chosen in the first 10 picks of the 2015 NFL Draft, it won't be because he didn't get a close enough look.
Six teams with top-10 picks have already hosted or will host Beasley for an official visit, including one Wednesday with the Tennessee Titans, according to NFL Media insider Ian Rapoport. The Titans hold the No. 2 overall pick, and are expected to pick the first defensive player of the draft if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers take a quarterback with the first choice.
The Washington Redskins (No. 5 pick) and New York Jets (No. 6) will host Beasley next week, while other teams in the top 10 who have brought him in for a visit include the Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 3), Atlanta Falcons (No. 8) and St. Louis Rams (No. 10).
-- Michael Carvell of the AJC continues to poll football coaches on the potential effects of an early signing period. Here's what Dabo Swinney thinks:
"Let's say the head coach gets fired or packs up and leaves. Then that's simple: Those recruits (who signed early) are no longer bound. If the head coach is fired or leaves, those guys are basically free agents again and can either firm up with that school or they are free to re-sign somewhere else on (the February) signing day. Because at the end of the day, that's what happening anyways. You may have 15 guys committed and then the head coach gets fired. Guess what? Some of those guys stick with the school, while others de-commit and go somewhere else. So it would just kind of formalize it. You would definitely want to protect the student-athlete if the head coach were to leave."
Swinney's rival down the road in Columbia seems to agree:
"That's another good reason to not have another early signing period because a lot can happen. So I don't have the exact answer. I've sort of enjoyed the way we have been doing it the last 10 or 15 years. But it looks like they are going to change it. Yes, if a coach leaves, well maybe the player should have a right to change. I know universities are now giving two- to three-year contracts to assistant coaches. And they are based on whether or not the head coach will be there. So if the head coach gets canned, the assistants get canned with him. There's a lot of talk about that going on right now."
-- Matt Brown of Sports on Earth with an in-depth piece on the fascinating battle between Clemson and Florida State for Atlantic Division supremacy.
A divide in the ACC's power structure appeared permanent on the night of Oct.19, 2013.
Some apparently delusional observers among us believed that Clemson, led by an explosive offense and an improved defense, would remain undefeated by taking down a rising Florida State team at home to continue a quest for a national title. These people were very, very wrong. In front of a demoralized prime-time crowd in Death Valley, Florida State pummeled Clemson 51-14, vaulting Jameis Winston into Heisman consideration and setting the tone for a new but familiar era in college football in which the Seminoles would return to the forefront of the national conversation and own the ACC, like they did in the '90s. Clemson appeared to still be Clemson.
Two years later, it may not ultimately play a role in the College Football Playoff, and it therefore may not affect the 2015 national championship, but few races will provide more intrigue this fall than the ACC Atlantic, where Florida State's quest for unilateral ACC dominance continues. Based on the way the Seminoles have recruited, even last year's Rose Bowl demise and subsequent massive NFL losses shouldn't stand in the way of yet another ACC championship, with Florida State boasting the most talented roster in a league that lacks depth at the top.
Beyond the Noles' own rebuilding issues, though, there is one significant hiccup in the plan for total ACC domination: Florida State needs a quarterback, and Deshaun Watson plays for Clemson. It could be enough to tip the scales back in favor of the Tigers in 2015, or at least even the playing field.
-- And Dan Wetzel with a fantastic column in reaction to the Aaron Hernandez news.
Lesa Strachan, slight of stature, dropped Aaron Hernandez like no linebacker ever could, called his bluff like no one else ever apparently would.
She ended his pretend gangster life of guns and tattoos and pseudo-toughness and shipped him off to prison, shipped him off to Walpole, just around the corner from Gillette Stadium where they once cheered his name and handed him $40 million contracts.
Hernandez tried to hide his emotions but couldn't quite pull it off. He shook his head at the jury and mouthed, "You're wrong," in a last futile attempt at intimidation. He looked at his sobbing fiancée, Shayanna Jenkins, and his mother Terri, and told them to "stay strong, stay strong." Neither one was, fleeing the court before he was even sentenced.
Finally, there was a brief moment. He was seated between his attorneys, with two burly bailiffs eyeing his every move before they threw ankle and wrist shackles on him.
Hernandez sort of leaned back and emitted a soft sigh, the first flash of reality finally settling in.
LW
This post was edited on 4/16 8:20 AM by Larry_Williams
