Bleacher Report - Articles by Burgess Shaw

I Refuse to Buy Into The Oklahoma State Hype

Burgess Shaw — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 02:57:50 -0400

College football season is just around the corner. As every player and fan prepares for the season there always seem to be one team that will come into the season as a dark horse.

This season that team is Oklahoma State.

Why not hype up the Oklahoma State Cowboys? OSU is coming into the 2009 season with one of the most best offenses in the nation. Zac Robinson is a great dual-threat passer, Dez Bryant is one of the best wide receivers in the nation, and Kendall Hunter can run the ball. OSU also has a good offensive line lead by All-American Russell Okung. So why not buy into the hype of OSU?

Well the first problem is that there was no mention of any players on the defensive side of the ball. OSU was 101st last year in the NCAA on total defense and there is just really no big play makers for the Cowboys on defense.

Another problem is that OSU has not been in this kind of position before. OSU has never been in the preseason top 10, except during the 1980s. This was the first time they have been getting national attention like the Sports Illustrated cover. If OSU does start winning and climbing up in the polls, will they be able to handle the pressure?

No one will know how OSU will do this year in football until the season progresses. But until they can win big time games, then I refuse to buy into the hype. (I am not saying this because I am an Oklahoma fan). I just truly believe that, even though OSU will have a good team, they won't be able to handle the pressure.

Sam Bradford Deserves a Heisman

Burgess Shaw — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 09:47:09 -0500

Sam's the man as Oklahoma fans would call him, and he really is the man. Sure he had a good season last year, but this year he has blown up the stat book to help OU get to a Big 12 Championship.

Sam Bradford has made his case for the Heisman this year. Having 4080 yards through the regular season and a 68.2 pass percentage. He has also had 46 touchdowns through 12 games and has had five games with five passing touchdowns in them.

Being left out for the Maxwell Award doesn't really matter at this point. Sure Tebow is in that race for the Maxwell, but the three best quarterbacks in the nation is Colt McCoy, Graham Harrell, and Sam Bradford...who all command the high-powered Big 12 offenses.

The difference for Bradford and the other two Big 12 quarterbacks is that he has commanded the Sooners week in and week out consistently. Colt McCoy had a hard time vs. Texas Tech in the first half and Graham Harrell had problems with the Oklahoma game all throughout it. But when OU lost to Texas he still had big numbers with 5 touchdowns in that game. Also, Bradford has brought OU down the stretch to wins that has brought the Sooners to the Big 12 Championship.

Now that the season is over and with the numbers Bradford has and the way he commands the Sooner offense. There is almost no way the voters can take him out of the Heisman.

45-35 Has Become a Texas Longhorn Addiction

Burgess Shaw — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 05:00:51 -0500

Just because the presidential election is over doesn't mean that politics are done with. As everyone knows, OU, Texas, and Texas Tech are all in a tie. Texas took care of business vs. A&M, and if Texas Tech and Oklahoma can do the same, then we have a huge BCS headache.

Back in early October when the Big 12 race was starting, the Texas Longhorns defeated the Oklahoma Sooners 45-35 on a neutral field in Dallas. This huge headache started when Texas lost to Texas Tech in Lubbock on a last-play grab by Michael Crabtree.

Now the politics have begun when Texas Tech lost big to Oklahoma just last week. Texas has now come out with everything in their arsenal to remind voters what happened way back in October.

A student at Texas named Austin Talbert made a Facebook page named, "Texas did beat OU 45-35, lest we forget," and since then a website, 45-35.com, has been made in an attempt to sway voters to not vote OU over Texas if there is a three-way tie for the Big 12 South.

They raised over $7,000 to print 20,000 signs for the game against A&M and a plane to fly over College GameDay in Stillwater that simply says "45-35."

Those numbers, 45-35, have become an addiction to Texas fans as a way to sway voters to choose the Longhorns. The A&M game, which is a rivalry, almost seemed unimportant to viewers around the nation. All there was that "Every Sooner Prays No One Remembers 45-35."

Although it wasn't a game, it just seemed like every Texas fan was worrying about one score, 45-35, and not 49-9.

Now unless they win the hearts of voters with their 45-35 signs last night, it would seem like time wasted if OU wins and goes to the Big 12 Championship.

What's So Great About The Red River Rivalry?

Burgess Shaw — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 16:36:26 -0400

There are so many great rivalries is college football. You got Army-Navy, Notre Dame-USC, Ohio State-Michigan, The Border Showdown, and no one can ever forget about The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.

So, what is so great about the Red River Rivalry. There are many reasons for why this rivalry is so huge, but here are three very BIG reasons.

1. Tradition of Oklahoma/Texas

The tradition of Oklahoma and Texas football is deep and rich. Oklahoma football has seven national championships and also 41 conference championships. OU also has 144 All-Americans and 4 Heisman Trophy winners. The Sooners hold an NCAA record 47-game winning streak and is the No. 1 of No. 1's with 96 weeks on top of the AP poll.

Texas also has a deep tradition in football. Texas has four national championships, 29 conference championships, and two Heisman Trophy winners. Texas also owns the Red River Rivalry series 57-40-5, but have lost 6 games since 2000.

2. Cotton Bowl

The second reason of why this game is so big is the atmosphere at the Cotton Bowl. Many teams have tried neutral field games, but none have topped the OU-Texas game at the Cotton Bowl.

The Cotton Bowl is right in the middle of the Texas State Fair. You have corny dogs, the midway, and all the fried foods that you can eat. When the buses roll in on that fateful Saturday, one side of the street there is OU fans putting the horns down and booing you if you're on the Texas bus.

The other side, Texas fans putting up the horns and booing you if you're on that OU bus. There is no other better feeling in the world as a fan of both teams.

Once you get into the Cotton Bowl stadium, you see what will now be about 92,000 people. One half of the stadium crimson and the other side burnt orange, divided at the 50-yard line.

As a player, it seems like nothing, but as you come out of the tunnel you hear the fans of who ever own that side, be it OU or Texas fans. This kind of atmosphere can send chills down your spines. Nothing is better than the OU-Texas game at the Texas State Fair in the Cotton Bowl.

3. Big 12 and National Race

In recent history, the game has become a race for Big 12 and national contention. The winner of the game, since 1999, has gone to the Big 12 Championship game seven times. The only time that was different was Oklahoma going in 2006 after losing to Texas and Texas going in 2001 after losing to Oklahoma.

The teams have been so dominant in the Big 12 Championship game that OU or Texas have lost only three times. That would be Texas in 1999 to Nebraska, Texas in 2001 to Colorado, and Oklahoma to Kansas State in 2003. Every other champion has been to OU or Texas.

The national race also comes into play when OU and Texas have played. OU or Texas has played in the national championship four times. Those teams being OU in 2000, 2003, and 2004 and also Texas in 2005. Out of those games there has been 2 national championships between them. This year will just be as big since OU will go in ranked No. 1 and Texas will go into the game ranked No. 5.

DeMarcus Granger of the Oklahoma Sooners Needs Surgery for Injured Foot

Burgess Shaw — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 13:25:33 -0400

DeMarcus Granger, Oklahoma's defensive tackle, will need surgery on some torn ligaments in his right foot. Granger suffered the foot injury in the Sooners 55-14 win over Washington last Saturday.

At first, in an interview, Bob Stoops was quoted as saying, "I don’t know what to tell you there, hopefully he’ll be back for TCU but we’ll have to see how it goes."

Apparently Granger will be out for a significant part of the season, possibly the entire season. How will this hurt OU's D-Line? Only time will tell as the season goes on.

2008 Oklahoma Football Preview: Wide Receivers & Tight Ends

Burgess Shaw — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 05:05:34 -0400

Preseason practice continues for the Oklahoma Sooners football team. As they prepare for the first game, many returning starters from the wide receiver position come back, but how will they do after losing big-time receiver Malcolm Kelly? Also, how will TE Jermaine Gresham play after a season of showcasing his skills?

Don't expect the Sooners to miss Malcolm Kelly too much. There are a lot of receivers with experience and skill. Quentin Chaney should be back and start this season after having an OK season, but he showed his potential with 129 yards in the Fiesta Bowl. Manuel Johnson will be the returning starter and brings some experience back to the Sooner offense.

Juaquin Iglesias will be a returning starter and should be an impact receiver. Expect him to step up and take some leadership for the wide receivers and the Sooner offense.

There are also some non-starters that should come into games and make some good catches. Adron Tennell is a receiver who has made some impact in past seasons coming off the bench. If any starters get hurt, he should be able to fill in.

Another pair of receivers that could come in and play well is Ryan Broyles and Brandon Caleb. They should be good enough to give the starters some breaks during the game.

There is no question who will be the starter at tight end. Jermaine Gresham won't have to split time with another tight end this year, as he showed what he could do on the playing field last year.

In 2007 he had 37 catches for 518 yards and 11 touchdowns. Four of those TDs came in the game against Texas A&M. Brody Eldridge backs him up and could make some impact too. This should be a good position for the Sooners.

The WRs should be good and make catches for the Sooners. These should open up the running game and allow for even bigger plays in the air. Expect to see the passing offense that everyone saw in 2007 with Sam Bradford and his receivers/tight ends returning.

2008 Oklahoma Football Preview: Quarterbacks

Burgess Shaw — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 18:03:02 -0400

As football practices starts all around the college football country, so does practice for the Oklahoma Sooners, as they start their mission for a third straight Big 12 Championship and another national title.

I will start a preview for each position of the OU football squad, and I will make a new article of every position every other day. Today will be the quarterback position, seeing how Sam Bradford will do after a freshman season of breaking records.

Now let's go back a year into the start of the 2007 practices. There was a three-way horse race on who was going to command the Sooner offense. Now, let's come back into the present...there is no question on who is going to be the starting QB: Sam is the man.

Expect a big year from Sam Bradford as he tries to make an encore of his big freshman season. Last year, Bradford threw 3,121 yards and 36 touchdowns with only eight interceptions. He finished with a QB rating of 123.6, which was No. 1 in the nation, and better than what Heisman winner Tim Tebow finished with.

With only losing one big receiver (Malcolm Kelly), and have a returning TE (Jermaine Gresham) that was arguably the best in the conference, expect another big year from Sam Bradford. It also helps that he has an offensive line of mammoth porportions to protect him.

RB DeMarco Murray should make big plays on the ground, and this will help balance the offense and hopefully make bigger plays through the air. Whatever the situation is, expect a big season from Sam, as he might helps the Sooners win another title.

There is only one question from this QB: Will he become only the second sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy? Only time will tell as the season goes on.