A rested and motivated team should board the bus to head to Waco from Norman, Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Sooners come off their bye in prime position to make a national splash and within their own conference. A win against a top-25 foe can help change the narrative about who Oklahoma is to this point.
It won’t be easy as the Baylor Bears represent the best opponent Oklahoma has played to date. They are well balanced and have equally strong units offensively and defensively. Defensively, Baylor ranks No. 81 nationally in passing defense. There are plays to be made there. However, there are a few keys to this game that ultimately decide how Oklahoma’s offense will look and perform come Saturday.
Lincoln Riley has to show up
What’s about to be said sounds crazy, but just think about it: Lincoln Riley has to show up Saturday. As in, the wizard play-caller Lincoln Riley. Riley’s been stymied by the defense with Aranda’s fingerprints over it a few times now.
The Peach Bowl when the Sooners faced LSU was one example and last year’s game in Norman was another. Yes, Ron Roberts is the defensive coordinator but there’s no reason to believe Aranda doesn’t have input.
Baylor has found ways to pressure Oklahoma quarterbacks and confuse those same quarterbacks with the coverage looks they show them. Riley comes in with a true freshman in a raucous environment. Making things easy and crafting a game plan that keeps him out of situations where he has to be Superman every play is key.
That falls on Riley’s shoulders. We’ll see how the head coach responds.
Cool Hand Caleb
If you’ve never seen the movie Cool Hand Luke, go watch it. It’s one of the best films ever.
The reason it’s brought up here is simple. Caleb needs to become his own version of Cool Hand Luke. In the film, the main character refuses to submit to the…
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