Heisman Trophy & comments from an OU fan...

Isaiah 63:1

All-American
Dec 8, 2005
2,508
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Probably at 35k or in an airport somewhere
One of the best experiences I’ve had as a visitor was the 2002 OU game. OU fans were well-behaved and hospitable before and after the game (one loudmouthed exception proved the rule).

The online representation of their fan base, however, has been pretty insufferable since January, 2014...


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Sevenmm

BamaNation Citizen
Nov 16, 2018
36
0
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Re: Heisman Trophy tonight

7mm - welcome.

The buildup to this game is already bringing out the worst in some fans both in Alabama and Oklahoma. Let me be clear that I'm not (at this point anyway) talking about you, owenfielddreams, or even one of our favorite posters wishbonesooner with what follows.

But most of us have already gotten sick of the cluster argument we're hearing (as maybe you guys have as well). The cluster argument from OU fans that we've come across goes something like this:

"Every time we play the SEC we hang a bunch of points on them. We hung 45 points on Alabama in 2013 when folks said we couldn't win. The SEC is slow." (Followed by a SELECTED listing of "we scored X on Auburn, Georgia, Alabama blah bah blah." And capping that with "we own Alabama, they haven't beaten us since 1963."

So let me (and this is without condescension - I say this because printed words on a page sometimes hide calm voice inflection):


1) MOST Alabama fans have a healthy respect for Oklahoma's glorious history.

These modern kids, well, some don't get it, and I understand that. But in the scheme of things there's Alabama, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, USC, and Ohio State (maybe). That is the EXCLUSIVE club, the very best of the very best. Those are the programs who over a long LONG period of time have put together records that will never be broken or approached. Below that elite tier are programs like Michigan, Texas, and Nebraska (and a few others), who are accomplished but not quite in the elite club.

I'm 49 and some of us (esp those older than I) remember Barry and Billy Sims and The Boz, etc. There tends to be a healthy respect there that we're both members of a pretty exclusive club in CFB.

2) MOST Alabama fans are not on board with this "SEC" chant nonsense

What gave rise to the "SEC" chant - to be blunt - was (sort of) Oklahoma. And USC as well.

In 2003, I thought OU had the best CFB team I'd ever seen....right up until the choke job against Kansas State. But the resentment began when OU - after that waxing - got into a national championship game in which they did not have any business playing. We realize with emotion muzzled, of course, that this is NOT Oklahoma's fault, but it was still a joke. And combined with the 2001 inclusion of Nebraska in the national title game under similar circumstances, resentment began to grow. LSU and USC share the national title, and we hear for the next several years about how great USC was and how they would tear through the SEC like a tornado and citing the singular games USC would blow out Auburn or (later) Arkansas.

And then in 2004, Auburn runs the table in the SEC and watches USC blow OU off the map. Auburn would probably not have beaten USC, but it was a second straight year for the conference of "well, too bad, you just didn't start high enough in the polls."

The following year, Alabama was sitting perched with an unbeaten record....and we all knew that even if we ran the table, we were not getting past either Texas or USC. Three years in a row and this one involving Alabama.

And then - fourth year in a row - the media began banging the drum for a rematch between Ohio State and Michigan in OCTOBER!!! Florida plays the nation's toughest schedule and then Urban Meyer pretty much dares the voters to not put Florida in the game. Ohio St is going to roll over Florida so we here......and Urban buries Ohio State (the first time, heh heh). SEC fans, tortured by a fourth straight year of disrespect, hopped on the Florida bandwagon and the "SEC" chant was born.

And then remember this.........if USC had not folded against UCLA, ONCE AGAIN the SEC would have been on the outside looking in.

That, of course, was the beginning of the streak of national championships that Alabama helped extend (an idea nobody would have dreamed of in 2006). But I say all of that to say the following.


MOST Alabama fans don't really give a damn about the rest of the SEC. We hear every single time there's a disputed call or something goes our way about how "the SEC offices are in Birmingham." Now - what the hell is that supposed to mean? Alabama hasn't played a football game at Legion Field in 15 years. It says NOTHING, but it allows losers to console themselves with, "There's a big conspiracy against us." MOST of the conference lined up to take shots at us while we were down during what I've come to call The Sanctions Era. Furthermore, we had the case of an SEC commissioner who was buddies with the Tennessee coach conspiring to NOT inform our higher ups about a crooked situation in Memphis and the spectacle of the coach of our arch rival TESTIFYING against us. We wound up getting gut punched with even more sanctions because we were a "repeat violator," and the SEC office and the head coach at Tennessee had much to do with it. The REST of the SEC joined in the chant of what a bunch of cheaters we are/were and lined up to beat us while we were crippled.

Quite frankly, the last decade has been the Nick Saban Program Demolition Tour, and so yes - we've gotten a bit smug watching those who mocked us take what in most cases is much deserved vengeance.

But remember.....even though "The SEC offices" were "in Birmingham" in the 1990s......well, nothing.

I think the only team some Tide fans are FOR SURE pulling for in the bowl games is LSU - and that's because UCF has decided to act like Scrappy-Doo.


3) Your offense is good, we get it.

Yes, your offense IS good, and our defense is NOT the 2016 variety. If we had that D, I would not give OU a snowball's chance in hell of winning. This is NOT by any means a slam dunk.

However......I'm sure you can remember the national title teams of 1985 and 2000, in particular. The 1985 team had a good offense, but they had something else OU is known for - a helluva defense. Watching this year has been amusing, it's like a number of OU fans don't remember ever having a defense or consider it part of the game.

Your defense is not only bad, it is HISTORICALLY BAD. And despite what we're hearing, your offense is NOT some anomaly of history or new thing. It's not even the most historic at OU. You've scored 643 points in 13 games - which is 9 less than Texas in the same number of games in 2005. It's fewer than the 1983 Nebraska team - back when football was more running oriented than now. The 2010 Oregon Ducks had eye popping offense as well. But more often than not if those teams don't have an above average defense, they lose.

Kyler Murray is a great player and OU is a great offense, but it isn't like folks haven't seen it before. Most OU fans who give me the "we hung 48 on Georgia" don't ever discuss the final result or the fact that the OFFENSE only had 7 points in the second half. "Oh but our offense is better this year" may (or may not) be true but the amusing comments (again no reflection on present company) about how OU is going to score 70 on Alabama (and yes, I've seen A BUNCH of those) when they didn't score 70 all year is just plain ridiculous.

4) 2013 lurks in the minds of both fanbases - and it shouldn't


2013 has nothing to do with today. AJ McCarron isn't playing, and he had an awful game that night. Personally, I think the entire game is going to come down to defensive stops and turnovers. Ok - and perhaps injuries.


Anyway - welcome to the board, you seem the classy sort.

And congrats on back to back Heisman winners, too.
I lived in Clanton, Alabama as a boy; later moved to Oklahoma, now 70 yrs old I have seen a bit and played a bit of football; comparing analysis of what if's and supposes has time and again proven going forward to mean, well, nothing. It's interesting talk but every play has a venue of ifs and buts that could arguably change world peace or not. Not to disrespect you at all, quite the contrary pretty impressive stuff really. Just that all the real analysis that has meaning will come after the game; I was recruited by OU back in the day to play Defense; you've heard of the Oklahoma Drill surely, guess who invented it; yet time and again Bama and the Bear would beat us or at least tie.
The fan base in Oklahoma is/rather was darn near criminally mad, I mean anger beyond belief, not sure I've ever seen it; but it would be like if your DC was Nick's brother and had won a title with him; he gets some time beyond when he should and I think that happened. Non the less, our DC was Fired mid season after the texas debacle because we will not tolerate lack of performance..........I can't believe and your rightfully cited how bad it was, but that will not last, we won't have it fixed by Des. 29, no way as our D recruiting was down also, but we will show up on the 29th and play or attempt to play D when the time comes; for us its a re-start; but just imagine being you guys if you lost to us this year......(you won't but what if it did....see projecting what ifs doesn't really mean much)

I
 

DawgByte

1st Team
Dec 21, 2017
461
98
47
Re: Heisman Trophy tonight

Of the two Playoff games I think this one has the highest entertainment factor potential. OU will put points on the board, make no mistake about it, but in the end Nick Saban will out think OU and the Tide will win. FWIW, I think a key for Bama will be to fire up their running game and chew up the clock. By the 4th Qtr. the Tide will physically wear down the Sooners.

Gooooooooo SEC!
 

TIDE-HSV

Senior Administrator
Staff member
Oct 13, 1999
84,552
39,662
437
Huntsville, AL,USA
Re: Heisman Trophy tonight

Of the two Playoff games I think this one has the highest entertainment factor potential. OU will put points on the board, make no mistake about it, but in the end Nick Saban will out think OU and the Tide will win. FWIW, I think a key for Bama will be to fire up their running game and chew up the clock. By the 4th Qtr. the Tide will physically wear down the Sooners.

Gooooooooo SEC!
If we're up significantly and it's late, Saban has always done that...
 

CHATTBRIT

Hall of Fame
Dec 3, 2003
5,762
504
237
Falling Water, TN
Re: Heisman Trophy tonight

My thoughts are that if Tua had played in the Big XII, Bama would still have been 12-0 but won by even bigger margins, Tua would not have got injured by the defense, and he would have won the Heisman going away. OK playing against SEC defenses would have seen Kylar's slight body injured, OK would probably be 9 - 3, and Kylar would not have won the Heisman.

That being said, I think Kylar is a good player who has a talent for throwing the ball. His future, however, is in center field of the Bigs as his body habitus would not stand up to the NFL. I wish him all the luck in his future endeavors, except when it comes to December 29th.
 

Loam

All-SEC
Oct 20, 2014
1,165
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Re: Heisman Trophy tonight

If Oklahoma had any semblance of defense, I would honestly give them a fighters chance against us. I do think the Sooners will most likely score in the mid/high 30s against us. Here is thing though, we'll most likely score in the 50s or 60s because we'll get stops against Oklahoma's offense. However, the kicker here is that Oklahoma might force us to punt...once or twice? and on those two occasions it'll most likely be due to our OC trying to get cute on 1st down and putting us behind the chains because this Oklahoma defense on the whole might be the worst defense Nick Saban's Alabama has ever faced.

Lastly, everyone is fully expecting us to go into this game throwing the ball all over the yard with Tua and our elite WR's. But I beg to differ. I can almost bet money we are going to go into this game with a run heavy gameplan in mind and pound that Sooner D with the Harris brothers and a clearly motivated Jacobs because he and his family grew up Sooner fans and Sooners didn't make him any offers.
 

deliveryman35

Hall of Fame
Jul 26, 2003
12,998
1,194
287
55
Gadsden, AL
Re: Heisman Trophy tonight

If Oklahoma had any semblance of defense, I would honestly give them a fighters chance against us. I do think the Sooners will most likely score in the mid/high 30s against us. Here is thing though, we'll most likely score in the 50s or 60s because we'll get stops against Oklahoma's offense. However, the kicker here is that Oklahoma might force us to punt...once or twice? and on those two occasions it'll most likely be due to our OC trying to get cute on 1st down and putting us behind the chains because this Oklahoma defense on the whole might be the worst defense Nick Saban's Alabama has ever faced.

Lastly, everyone is fully expecting us to go into this game throwing the ball all over the yard with Tua and our elite WR's. But I beg to differ. I can almost bet money we are going to go into this game with a run heavy gameplan in mind and pound that Sooner D with the Harris brothers and a clearly motivated Jacobs because he and his family grew up Sooner fans and Sooners didn't make him any offers.
I think the Sooners will crowd the line and force us to move the ball through the air.
 

UAH

All-American
Nov 27, 2017
3,595
4,130
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Re: Heisman Trophy tonight

I think the Sooners will crowd the line and force us to move the ball through the air.
Speed, speed, speed! Seriously I don't believe their defense will prove as inept as has been billed. They have to be able to mask blitzes and coverages to some degree but not nearly like LSU or Georgia.
 
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RTR91

Super Moderator
Nov 23, 2007
39,407
6
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Prattville
Re: Heisman Trophy tonight

Speed, speed, speed! Seriously I don't believe their defense will prove as inept as has been billed. They have to be able to mask blitzes and coverages to some degree but not nearly like LSU or Georgia.
It's not like this is just fan talk. Their defense is horrible. Their fans even admit.
 

RollTide_HTTR

Hall of Fame
Feb 22, 2017
8,774
6,540
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Re: Heisman Trophy tonight

It's not like this is just fan talk. Their defense is horrible. Their fans even admit.
IIRC 3 of the first 4 or so plays by Texas in the conference championship game they had guys WIDE OPEN for TDs. Their QB just missed them....and then they still scored a TD on that drive.

I really don't think people understand how bad this defense is/can be.
 

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