Preview: The Noles Are Stormin' Into Norman

This Saturday, two storied programs face off against each other for the first time since they collaborated on one of the most boring championship games of all time back in 2001. 

We could discuss clichés like “this game will be won in the trenches”, “Who ever controls the line of scrimmage wins”, and “it will all come down to one big play”, but we’re not.

When you look deep into this match-up, you’ll find the true lure of this epic game: The skill position players will determine the outcome.  There might not be a flashier game the rest of the season for either of these teams. 

And besides, those clichés have already been published in earlier stories, so let's take a different angle.

Both teams have terrific offensive and defensive lines, and that’s not just a casual observation from last Saturday’s score ticker.  The Noles and Sooners have boasted adequate lines for years.  But neither will dominate the other on Saturday. Discrepancies between the two lie in other places on these two rosters.

QUARTERBACKS

Both Oklahoma and Florida State have highly touted quarterbacks.  Both of these young men hail from the southwestern U.S., and both had their moments of elation and despair last season, with Ponder being the more consistent of the two. 

Ponder, however, looked dismal in his final start of 2009 (vs. Clemson), a game in which he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury.  You would never have known he spent the past nine months rehabilitating his throwing shoulder last week, though, as he torched Samford’s defense for 4 touchdowns in just under two quarters of play.

Landry Jones had one big problem last season: inconsistency.  Last Saturday, Jones competed under 50 percent of his passes and threw two interceptions to go with his two touchdowns.  Call it first game jitters if you want, but he looked like a kid who just left the movie theater and forgot where he parked his car: squinty-eyed and confused.  He was thanking his lucky stars—literally—that team mates Ryan Broyles and DeMarco Murray were there to bail him out.

Edge: Seminoles

RUNNING BACKS

Bob Stoops and Jimbo Fisher are taking two totally different approaches when it comes to their teams’ respective running attacks.  FSU’s “Running Back by Committee” approach served them well last Saturday, as eight players had rushing attempts. 

The four full-time Running Backs left crooked marks all over the stat sheet, rushing 21 times for 163 yards and 3 TD’s as a unit.  They also compiled nine receptions for 104 yards and 2 TD’s, both caught by Lonnie Pryor.  Chris Thompson even blocked a punt on Special Teams.

Sometimes, though, all you need is one.  Oklahoma’s DeMarco Murray was literally a one-man wrecking crew, racking up 218 yards on 35 carries and 2 TD’s.  He needs new cleats after his career day last Saturday.  The rest of the Sooners netted -22 yards on the ground.  Yeah—that’s a minus sign before the 22.

Edge: Sooners

WIDE RECEIVERS

Depth at Wide Receiver may be the ultimate separator between the Sooners and Noles. 

Oklahoma boasts a superstar in Ryan Broyles, who managed to eclipse his entire team’s production (8 catches by 4 other players) with his 9 catch, 142 yard, 2 touchdown game.

But FSU’s corps of receivers is so deep and talented, there aren’t enough spots on the field for all the skill.  Nine players caught passes, with five of them hauling in multiple receptions.

Taiwan Easterling and Bert Reed, the Week 1 starters, combined for 9 catches, 106 yards and 2 TD’s.  But seven other players—a mix of backs and receivers—compiled 13 receptions for 190 yards and 2 touchdowns.  Willie Haulstead and Rodney Smith, both newcomers to the regular rotation, had highlight reel catches.

Edge: Seminoles

DEFENSE

This is the one aspect of Saturday’s game that transcends numbers and statistics, largely because one unit can’t add and the other can’t subtract.  Both teams had maligned units in ‘09, with FSU’s being down right embarrassing. 

But last Saturday, Oklahoma and Florida State both stopped the run well.  Neither team allowed their opponent more than 80 yards on the ground.  Beyond that, the two units couldn’t be more different. 

Both teams shuttled many players in and out of the defense all day, but there were key plays which may indicate how the units will fare this weekend. 

The Sooners’ secondary repeatedly got beat deep by the Utah State receivers, reminding many of last year’s Sooner secondary.

The Sooners allowed 341 yards through the air.  Many starters were still playing deep into the 4^th quarter.  FSU allowed 223 through the air, but virtually no starters were on the field for any of the second half.

Edge: Seminoles

SPECIAL TEAMS

The Seminoles have Greg Reid, the NCAA’s best punt returner; the Sooners do not.

Oklahoma place kicker Patrick O’Hara only attempted nine field goals last year, connecting on six of them.  FSU’s Dustin Hopkins was 19-for-27 last season.  Both were 1-for-1 Saturday.

Edge: Seminoles

MISTAKES

For the past decade, any paragraph starting with the word “mistakes” usually involved the Seminoles and an unusually high number.  But last Saturday, the Noles did something they haven’t done this century: finish a game with only four penalties. 

FSU’s penchant for dumb penalties and shooting themselves in the foot looked like a thing of the past.  Oklahoma, however, was mistake prone all evening.  70 yards in penalties, 19 incompletions (including 2 INTs) allowed bottom feeder Utah State to stay in the game, with Landry Jones leading the way like a man on crutches in a dark, slippery stairwell.

Edge: Seminoles

INTANGIBLES

The sportswriter’s favorite section; the place where a writer can trump and even contradict anything that’s been posted above. 

Maybe “intangible” is the wrong word, because the coaching staff is definitely a tangible entity which plays a major role in a game in any sport at any level.

Both Florida State and Oklahoma have terrific coaching staffs.  The big news here is what has happened in Tallahassee over the past 8 months.   Longtime coaches Bobby Bowden, Mickey Andrews and Chuck Amato are now long gone.

Despite the love and admiration of alumni, boosters, current students and fans, it was time for a change.  All summer the word out of Tallahassee was “change.”  All those changes were for the better, and it was unmistakably obvious last Saturday.

The Seminoles are no longer a dumb, simple, risky, mistake-prone team.  This staff has interjected a smart, complex, efficient game plan, and it’s working.  And this team won’t have any problem executing it in Norman, or anywhere else.

Edge: Seminoles